I went on two significant journeys over the weekend. One was a trip with my youngest daughter, the other into my past.
Both were well worth the effort.
My daughter was home from college – her first semester away – so I was more than happy to spend some extra time with her. To all the younger parents out there, trust me. The years really do fly so much faster than you think they will.
After dropping her off, I got a room in Myrtle Beach to do some investigative research into my paternal grandparents. I have very few memories of my grandmother and absolutely none of my grandfather, who died before I was born.
But I have known for quite a while that they made a very nice living off of real estate. Probably one of the reasons why I’m so engaged with it myself.
It’s written into my bloodline.
My grandparents moved to Myrtle Beach in the early 1950s from Mount Holly, North Carolina, where they’d owned and operated a small but successful business.
The court records and other local documents I found didn’t tell me what that business was. But I do know my grandmother, Katherine Pauline Thomas – an immigrant from Germany – sold her first motel in 1954 for $76,000.
That’s the equivalent of nearly $1 million today.
Part of that money went toward partnering with one H.J. Childer to open the T & C Court, a motel with 50 rooms along U.S. 17. Just one block from the ocean, it was featured as “the most outstanding motor court on the Carolina Coast.”
They sold their portion of that property at some point, then acquired Ocean Pines Motor Court along the same highway.
According to court records, they sold the property in 1962 for $300,000, about $3.2 million today – much, much higher than they purchased it for – in large part because they got in on a prime real estate opportunity at exactly the right time.
Six decades later, I believe we’re looking at another investable situation opening before our eyes. And one that could generate much, much more than my grandparents could have ever dreamed of.
One Big Reason My Grandparents Succeeded
I’m a big believer in preparation, hard work, research, and stick-to-it-ness. But there is some luck involved – being there at the right time and place to capitalize on situations.
In my grandparents’ case, they were exceptionally fortunate to have been able to relocate to Myrtle Beach when they did.
That now-famed beachtown is one of the cities along “the King’s Highway,” the first major thoroughfare in the U.S. Running down most of the East Coast, it has been around since Colonial days – hence the monarchical moniker.
Located about 652 miles south of New York City and 713 miles north of Miami – so a natural midway stopping ground for longer treks – Myrtle Beach wasn’t officially and thoroughly paved until the 1940s. But when that did finally happen, it began bringing in big business.
So did a brand-new attraction, the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park.
The resulting influx of tourists led to an influx of business and a swelling population. It was, therefore, a perfect spot for a high-end motel. (And yes, motels could be high-end back then).
As a result, by the time my grandfather passed away in 1963, their estate was valued at around $5 million in today’s dollars.
Again, this wasn’t just due to the luck of being born in a certain time and residing in a certain place. They recognized that investing in real estate when supply is low and demand is high can create significant wealth.
But then they took the opportunity when they saw it.
I unfortunately didn’t reap any tangible benefits from their success. My parents divorced when I was three years old, and my father spent his entire inheritance on foolish pursuits.
But I’m still glad that real estate is part of my DNA – including such an all-American success story. Considering how I was able to use commercial real estate (“CRE”) to build my own wealth from nothing into a multimillion-dollar portfolio…
And then how I did it it all over again after my business partner destroyed our company and the 2008 financial crisis hit…
I can attest to my grandparents’ experiences personally. That’s why I’m always looking for the next big CRE deal to capitalize on at the right time.
And all my research is telling me that the time is now.
Unlocking the Next Land Boom
Today, I want to take the opportunity to tell you about the biggest CRE deal in my lifetime.
I’m talking about opportunities surrounding $5.1 trillion worth of federal assets.
Few people understand just how many valuable resources Uncle Sam has at his disposal, including land… or how much value gets unlocked whenever the government decides to act on them.
That was certainly true of federal efforts to strengthen our highway system, which my grandparents benefited from all those years ago. And, today, President Trump seeks to build up a much newer type of network.
As I’ve stated in a brand-new publication:
The United States is experiencing a famine.
Not a famine of food – a famine of computing power.
Inside the Pentagon, the next generation of defense [artificial intelligence] is starving for access to data centers full of computing resources.
And every branch of the government, every defense contractor, every Fortune 500 tech firm is hungry for that same scarce resource.
Demand for computing power has gone vertical. It has jumped more than 400% in the last three years.
You’ve seen all the headlines over the past few years: all the money being thrown at developing AI and the astronomical ideas of where it can take us.
But those ideas aren’t going anywhere without data centers.
I’ve written about this topic repeatedly already: how data centers are physical facilities that house servers, storage, and networking equipment. Without them, all the AI research in the world goes nowhere…
That’s why President Trump signed Executive Order 14318 earlier this year. It’s essentially “the biggest real-estate deal in U.S. history,” created to put unused federal land, buildings, and energy sites to work in building up data centers across the U.S.
I give all the details about this massive opportunity right here. And while I warn you that I’m not giving this information away for free, I do sincerely believe it will be well worth your time.
Click here to learn more about it – with information that is on the house. When you do, who knows? Your grandchildren might end up writing about your investment success story someday.
What a legacy to leave!
Regards,
Brad Thomas
Editor, Wide Moat Daily
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