BY TAMECA JOHNSON
Freelance Writer

Situations can turn on a dime.  No one knows that better than Larry Wood, a real estate investor who took advantage of the buying boom several years ago, only to lose all of his properties, including his primary residence, to foreclosure.  He had no idea $30 would help turn his life around.

Larry Wood

Wood, like hundreds of others, bought a $30 ticket to attend Kenny Rushing’s Buy American Real Estate Tour May 6-8 at the InterContinental Hotel on Kennedy Boulevard.  The three-day event gave attendees the opportunity to hear from some of the nation’s best in the real estate business.[private]

Speakers included former Tampa mayor Dick Greco, real estate and business mogul Bob Gries, Rev. Willie Dixon and Rushing, a well known Bay Area real estate investor.  Those men and two dozen other experts gave in-depth tips on the best ways to profit in today’s market.

“I was expecting to go there and try to get information from all these people who managed to succeed when everyone else was failing,” says Wood. “Just meeting the right person can change your life.”

Wood’s life was indeed changed, in ways he never imagined.

On the final evening of the seminar, Rushing held a drawing.  The person whose number was pulled was guaranteed to win a move-in ready home, free and clear.  Wood thought his chances were slim, after all, he says, “I’ve never really won anything.”   There’s always a first time. Wood’s number was called.   “I was just elated. I could not believe it!  I just started jumping up and down and shouting for joy.”

Wood plans to take full advantage of this break he’s been given.  He will use the property as a rental to generate more take-home income.[/private]