# Entrepreneur of the Week Eyal Hasson # Post 1
What do wine and real estate have in common???
It sounds like the beginning of a riddle or a joke - in my case it's the essence: people, relationships, relationships, friendships that envelop businesses.
Very pleasant, I am Eyal Hasson, 55, married to Sima and the father of Gil and Inbar. Lives in the center and has lived in real estate for almost 20 years.
Past forward - for 2003. The days, the days of innocence .. The Internet and the information revolution are in their infancy, we have not heard of Facebook and we are still under the perception that you need to buy an apartment in Israel, take a decent mortgage because… That's how it should be.
I get a wine tasting of Burgundy wines (we'll get back to that soon…) and meet an Israeli guy who has lived in the US for years who has opened a window for me (what is a window - a huge window to the ocean) into the real estate world in the US. He tells in a typical nonchalant that he owns hundreds of houses in different countries in the US, that he deals with it (what does that mean I ask him?
My first reaction was - as expected - what, how, why? It's far, what are we missing here in the Holy Land? On the other hand, something in me said "listen to him".
I return home, tell Sima about the call and we decide to meet the guy who is in the country for a short time. A few conversations and meetings and we jumped into the water.
And from there - it all started ..
I'm learning about the US sun belt countries and decide to focus on them - and my first deal - building a private home (SFR) in desert Arizona, including (of course in those days) an American mortgage.
For years I have made real estate investments in parallel with my current ongoing work in the field of wine and food. After several years and a number of properties I bought and sold (including exposure to the Great Depression between 2007 and 2009) and performing a number of flips alone, I decided I did not have enough time to engage in real estate that I love so much just as a hobby and in recent years joined my great partners. Anat Cohen Specht has joined us - and in the joint company we currently make mainly group investments of multi-family.
Remember the wine from the opening????
So, I have been a wine lover for nearly 25 years, a collector, taster, I have visited most of the wine regions that are considered in the world several times, constantly know winemakers, wine lovers, collectors from the country and the world. I have the regular tasting groups and there are the changing sessions - in short, "another job" that is done with great fun.
In the past I have also set up and run a number of local and international wine ventures.
What is the connection to real estate you ask?
Wine always has something to learn and re-experience - like in real estate.
Wine connects me to people with a similar passion - like in real estate
In wine, too, there are disappointments that teach you what is right for you - like in real estate
And finally - the passion and love for engaging in a field that is second to none.
This week will fly (literally) between continents?, fields and instructive experiences I've had - I'll try to share the insights I've gained on the journey, good experiences and a little less and I hope you enjoy it.
What to expect ..