I have learned over the years to “Trust but Verify” anything that I think I know about a property. 
I like Real Estate. It keeps me on my toes. Always on my toes. 
Above are some pictures of a property that I was renovating that gave us a fun little surprise. 
The back story is that the Seller told us that the old septic system was somewhere near the front. It was a fun day when we found out it was, in fact, not near the front. Thankfully our skid steer didn’t fall into the (you know what) too deep. 
So what was the lesson learned? I trust things that Sellers have told me over the years about properties but I have learned to verify them as well. Everything from condition, info on history of damage, age of stuff, whether someone is buried under the trailer (if you read my last story – LOL), to the location of septics, etc. I think this applies to life too. There is soooo much out there information wise. So many highlight reels being shown on social media and it’s hard to tell what is reality from what is fake.
I’m a big fan of the idea of “proof of concept”. Google defines this as, “evidence, typically derived from an experiment or pilot project, which demonstrates that a design concept, business proposal, etc., is feasible.” When I first started building one of my businesses, I started off on a shoestring budget hoping to prove the proof of concept that this model of business would work without sacrificing a ton of capital to get results. On a frugal budget, I put in the hard work day in and day out. Over time, I started to see results. Once I felt that this was a feasible and viable option for me to grow a business, I then put my foot on the gas, expanded my budget, and added fuel to the fire of the work I was doing. I’m so thankful in hindsight that I went that route. I see so many people today throwing money at a business in a box thinking that it will equal success when in reality, very few things work if you don’t.
If you are exploring something new, consider sticking with it for a while and see what types of results you get with it. When someone tells you something, whether it’s about current events, investing, or about a property, consider checking into it yourself too.
Trust but verify, y’all. Trust but verify. And for Pete’s sake, if someone tells you that the old septic tank is in one place, go check it out before you drive a machine over it.