MOSSING, Doug(las) 1952-

PERSONAL: Born August 9, 1952, in Toledo, OH; son of James (in the construction business) and Jean (a dental assistant; maiden name, Waldron; present surname, Guildford) Mossing; married Wanda Newell, May 18, 1987 (divorced September 13, 1993); married De Anna Ward, June, 1994 (divorced, January, 1999); married Cheryl Ciarelli (a hospital laboratory supervisor), November 12, 2001; children: (first marriage) Melissa. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Attended University of Toledo, 1971. Politics: Independent. Hobbies and other interests: Playing jazz saxophone, raising Nubian show goats, working with a 4-H Club youth group.

ADDRESSES: Home—6843 South 64th Ave., Laveen, AZ 85339. Offıce—P.O. Box 115, Laveen, AZ 95339; fax: 602-237-8963. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Worked as independent bookkeeper in Ohio and Michigan; Greenberg Jackson Certified Public Accountants, Hollywood, CA, accounting apprentice, bookkeeper, and financial consultant, 1974-80; construction laborer in Cincinnati, OH, 1980-81; Office of L. Z. Buttrum (certified public accountants), Phoenix, AZ, accountant, 1981-84; Moss Corp., Phoenix, president, general manager, general contractor, and real estate broker, 1983—. Youth baseball and softball coach, 1987—.

AWARDS, HONORS: Merit Award, City of Phoenix, AZ, 1990, for sports program.

WRITINGS:

Successful Real Estate Investment in an Ever Changing Market, Cypress Publishing (Leawood, KS), 2002.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on economics.

SIDELIGHTS: Doug Mossing told CA: "One of my co-investors, David Munger, encouraged me to write a book for several years. He was aware of my knowledge and experience in real estate investment, and he was impressed by my written words to him and other investors. The final inspiration occurred during a vacation to Florida when I visited Ernest Hemingway's home in Key West. While touring the home and hearing about Mr. Hemingway's life and adventures, I resolved to write the book Dr. Munger and I had discussed.

"I began writing within a few weeks of my return home. I had no illusions that the book would be successful, and I doubted that it would even be considered for publication. I had a few friends with much more writing experience than I, and they had written books without any success. I had no formal training except that I was an avid reader of the classics, and I knew what I liked. For all practical purposes I thought my efforts would be futile.

"As I began writing the first page of the book, something spiritual occurred. I became intently focused on writing to the exclusion of any other activity or thought process. The phone rang sometime later and I glanced at the clock and realized that four hours had passed. I could not believe it; it had seemed like one hour.

"I wrote for another hour and decided to quit for the day. I patterned my writing process after Hemingway to some degree. He wrote 500 words in the morning, and he was done for the rest of the day. I wrote no more than five hours and quit. He wrote in seclusion over his garage with only a catwalk to reach it; I wrote in seclusion. I felt exhilarated and refreshed with a sense of fulfillment. Each day I wrote ended with these same feelings. I did not care if I was successful, I was enjoying myself.

"Early on I decided that I would be honest about my profession and experience no matter how bad it appeared or what negative images I presented of myself. Experienced investors have a 'leg up' on new investors and often choose not to share information because opportunities for excessive profits are reduced. Some experienced investors choose to conduct expensive education programs to enhance their incomes. They often have bad information. I, on the other hand, decided to share my experiences, good and bad, for the cost of a book. Educating and sharing ideas with others is an honor and is more valuable than money.

"Much to my surprise, two publishers sent me a contract.

"Do I anticipate significant success from my first book? No. But I didn't expect to be published, either."