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Articles by Matt Cramer
We did it! We hit our investment goal!We did it! We hit our investment goal!
Last week we hit our investment goal of $35k a month gross rental income. We bought our first investment property in August 2011 and the vast majority of our growth has happened in the past 10 months. We (my husband and I) now own 21 buildings and 59 units in Chicago and Milwaukee. If you have been following my story I did a podcast last July (www.biggerpockets/com/show78 ) when I had just quit my job and we were just closing on our first out of state properties.
How much Cashflow do you really see?
This is one of the best questions that I have seen asked on this forum. I personally feel that many investors are going about this in the wrong fashion. I make over 100K per year in cashflow. That is set to go up in the next few months. A refinance, another storefront lease, and perhaps one more purchase, the flow could be up around 170K. That does not include one of the deals that is still in rehab mode and is not cashflowing yet.
pay agent for direct mls access
I need to be able to access different MLS's in different areas. are there agents that I can pay them in order to get access? I need to be able to go over the current deals in the market and to send offers (all my offers look the same). I do not need the agent to do anything accept from giving me access or use his license to get RETS credentials. Do you know if there are brokers or other entities that I will be able to partner just for that?
Matt at the Movies: Mid-Year Top Ten
2025 has given us an interesting slate of films since the 97th Academy Awards in March. April’s A Minecraft Movie was a monster hit that brought in close to a billion dollars globally, and the critically acclaimed Ryan Coogler’s original film (they do exist!) Sinners cashed in with $285 million domestically.
To me this whole 'debt' concept of a mortgage on rental property is utter nonsense. If you are paying 500 for a mortgage, 400 for taxes insurance water etc, and renting it for 2000, you are not in some risky position to suddenly get f-ed. Lost your job? Uhhh who cares, you aren't paying the mortgage - the tenant is! You're still clearing 1100/month. Even after operational expenses you are cash flowing.
Historic Chicago church raises $26,000 to cover gas bill it couldn't afford
South Side community helps historic Chicago church pay massive gas bill Faced with a gas bill it couldn't afford to pay, a historic church on Chicago's South Side has raised $26,000.
Chicagoans rally in support of Ukraine after Trump-Zelenskyy clash in Oval Office
Dozens of people gathered in front of the Wrigley Building in downtown Chicago on Saturday for a "Russia against Putin" rally. Many in attendance were Russian human rights activists in exile, or members of Chicago's Russian immigrant community. They said Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime is abusing human rights by forcefully cracking down on any opposition to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Matt at the Movies: The Oscar Breakdown Continues
Editor’s Note: If you missed Matt’s coverage of the “below the line” categories, you can read his first review of the 2025 Academy Awards nominations here. Before we get to the “above the line” Oscar categories, lets look at how the studios fared with this year’s noms: Netflix is in the lead, and you have to wonder if the industry will finally lighten up and award the streaming service its first Best Picture win.
Matt at the Movies: Conclave
Give me movies with a Catholicism theme or even C-plot storyline and I’m all in. For all of the church’s turbulent history, there is something to be said about its lore that makes for compelling filmmaking. The range of films in this genre is limitless. Classic horrors films such as The Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby feature demonic elements and unnerving dread.
Matt at the Movies: “Furiosa” Reviewed, the Independent Picture House Expands, and more!
Before we get to our film review, we have some breaking local news. Sound the foghorn and ring the cowbells for our favorite local cinema! Yes, the Independent Picture House is expanding, and Y’all Weekly was on site for their special announcement and to get an inside scoop on the exciting new plans. On Wednesday, May 22, a cheerful crowd gathered in the space adjacent to IPH and was greeted with fantastic news for the coming months.
Chicago Water Taxi to resume 7-day service for first time since 2019
Chicago Water Taxi to resume 7-day service for first time since 2019 CHICAGO (CBS) – Starting on Saturday, the Chicago Water Taxi will resume seven-day service for the first time since 2019. Back in September, the Water Taxi returned to the Chicago River for limited service after completely shutting down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the full service will resume seven days a week with arrivals and departures at the Ogilvie and Union stations, Michigan Avenue and Chinatown.
Matt at the Movies: The Oscars Exchange
Hundreds of hours of great films have been watched, discussed, dissected, campaigned for, nominated, and voted on ahead of Oscar’s big night with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Now, it’s time for Matt at the Movies to predict the Oscar winners. They say for every good man there is a woman who is a foot taller than him rolling their eyes and that is exactly the case with my friend Dana Gillis.
Matt at the Movies: Awards Season News as New Reviews Give Matt a Case of the “Feels”
The day has finally come! Actors Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid announced this year’s Academy Award nominees via live stream at 8:30 AM. The nominees will battle out for industry supremacy at the 96th annual Oscars on Sunday, March 10th. It’s my favorite time of the year. Oppenheimer leads the way with thirteen nominations, and Poor Things comes second with eleven.
Matt at the Movies: Top Ten of 2023
Editor’s Note: Welcome to 2024! Thanks for joining us for our second full year of publication. We’re happy to start with one of our most frequent contributors - Matt at the Movies. We have a lot in store this year - including Y’all Weekly’s guide to Hawaii coming in January and our Soccer Sheet Footy Awards reception soon after. It’s going to be an exciting year.
Matt at the Music: From Punk to Funk & Beyond
This journey started on a front porch in the Belmont neighborhood in the middle of October. I was asked by a new acquaintance, Dave (who recently moved to Charlotte), if I had any interest in going to see an EDM show with him and his wife. They themselves were about to embark on an overseas trip to a city-wide festival called the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) in the Netherlands.
Matt at the Movies: Cramer's Court
First, set the mood by listening to the greatest courtroom theme of all time … Then, familiarize yourself with the countless courtroom cliches in legal dramas … “They’re leading the witness, Your Honor.” “Tread lightly…” “I’m holding you in contempt!” “You’re on thin ice, counselor.” … and what has to be the most satisfying line for an actor to deliver in the courtroom … Courtrooms provide a perfect setting for dramatic scenes on stage or in film.
Matt at the Movies: Barbenheimer
It’s July 30. We’re over two weeks into the SAG AFTRA actors strike and almost two months into the WGA writers strike. It’s the first time since 1960 both guilds have been on strike simultaneously, putting the brakes on new content from Hollywood and beyond. With actors staying away from any new advertisements, interviews, and online promotions for struck work, many studios are pushing the release dates of major ensemble films like “Dune: Part Two” to 2024 as studios prepare to wait out the strike.
Matt at the Music: Blink-182: Crappy Punk Rock Since 1993
In the summer of 1997, I heard the chords that would change my life. Growing up in the rural countryside of New York State, I listened to classic rock, alternative “it” bands, and whatever volume of Jock Jams I could get my hands on at thirteen years old. Dial-up internet was king and Napster was two years away, so my experience with anything remotely punk was limited to the radio or MTV. Green Day, The Offspring, or an occasional Goldfinger song was all I’d ever been exposed to.
Matt at the Movies: A Series of Fortunate Events
I sit down, coffees in hand, outside the Giddy Goat in Plaza Midwood with the smell of coffee beans roasting in the background. It’s been two days since The Independent Picture House (IPH) celebrated their one year anniversary. Sitting across the picnic table is Brad Ritter, the executive director of The Independent Picture House, rocking an NPR shirt and Indie ballcap.
Matt at the Movies: Are Adult Comedies Dead?
Last weekend, the mobile app for my closest theater presented a nightmare scenario. Under “Now Playing” was: The seventh installment of films based on a toy; Two superhero movies; A live action Disney remake; and a new Pixar movie with a terribly low ceiling. The non-franchise blockbusters are a few weeks away and I found myself in an adult viewing desert.
Matt at the Movies: BlackBerry and the Twin Film Phenomenon
Today we’re talking about the phenomenon of “twin films” - two movies released around the same time with the same concept. They often happen organically due to the topical nature of a particular story. Other times, two studios are vying for the same piece of the commercial pie, like catty-corner gas stations. Lastly, some are created by chance as screenplays - and their writers - bounce between companies. Did anyone really need two 1997 movies where the villain was … lava flow?
Matt at the Movies: Where is my mind…?
Pound for pound, horror is Hollywood’s most profitable genre, even with the rise of superhero movies over the past two decades. Companies like Blumhouse Productions take small budgets, lesser known stars, and creepy premises to deliver big scares in movies like Smile, M3GAN, Hereditary, The Purge, Paranormal Activity, and A Quiet Place. Check out this Forbes list from just the last few years if you need receipts to get a sense of money being brought in.
Matt at the Movies: The kids aren’t alright in "How to Blow Up a Pipeline"
The end of awards season has meant praise, reflection, and preparation for a new slate of films in the coming months. As Spring Break comes to a close, I wanted to watch something that would get my adrenaline pumping. I drove down to the Independent Picture House in search of a remedy for this fix and I couldn’t have selected a better option than the Daniel Goldhaber/Neon Pictures film How to Blow up a Pipeline. This movie is a loose adaptation of the 2021 book of the same name by Andreas Malm.
Matt at the Movies: The Oscars Exchange
Hello fellow readers, cinephiles, and casual movie fans! We have reached the apex of awards season: The 95th Academy Awards. Jimmy Kimmel will be this year’s host and the show will broadcast live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles starting at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT Sunday, March 12th on ABC. As always, the Oscars are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. After the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) awards last month, there is a clearer vision of where the Academy is heading.
Matt at the Movies: Top 10 Films of 2022
Spoiler alert: year end lists are silly and idiosyncratic. This year, I tried to see as many films as possiblewithout alienating my wife or my friends and coworkers. However, I do hope that you’ve enjoyed our last two months as Hollywood and beyond hit us with a true onslaught of quality movies. As I look through my top ten, I see a group of auteurs with unique vision.
Matt at the Movies: Crème de la Cramer
What a year in cinema! Despite post-COVID uncertainty and long draughts at the box office, the cinema flourished again in the final two months of 2022. There were plenty of engrossing stories, compelling performances, and breathtaking experiences to be found if you were willing to head back to the big screen. With plenty of streaming options and VOD at the tip of your fingers, many have chosen to stay home with their state-of-the-art home theater setups to avoid the hassle of picture houses.
Key steps for wind turbine power performance testing
Contributed by Matt Cramer, ArcVera Renewables Running power performance tests (PPTs) on operational assets is a highly complex task that requires a significant amount of experience. When should I carry out power performance tests? Power performance testing is carried out to determine the economic value of a wind project and to ensure that projects are performing to expectations.
Fake Out: Spotting Counterfeit Speed Parts
Story by Matt Cramer, Photography as Credited Copycat products have been a fact of life in the performance parts industry for decades. And for a long time, makers of these knockoffs ranged from above-board to sleazy yet legal. There was an ethical line in the sand that even the shady manufacturers just didn’t cross: pretending the fake parts were the genuine articles, taking advantage of a brand’s reputation for quality to sell a cheaply made clone.
The truth about LS swaps: Addressing Internet myths
I'm telling you guys, VQ35 is the next hot swap for smaller project cars (ahem Miata) now that G35's are entering beater-car territory. Just under 300 hp, high revving, lightweight, compact accessory drive, RWD, manual options, strong aftermarket due to 350Z, and still pretty narrow size with the 60deg V angle. It's a tall motor, but that goofy flat intake keeps things low.
BangShift.com Teenage Gearhead
We hear it all the time. “There are no cool cars available that kids can afford.” Well, that depends. Clearly you have to keep your standards within reach, and also be realistic about the cool you can afford, but if a teenager wants it they can roll a first project that nobody will be ashamed of. Our buddy Matt Cramer sent an email to us saying that he wanted to write a blog item on this very subject, and it has sparked a lot of discussion here at BangShift.com.
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