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As longtime readers of this blog know, my goal for DBNR Investments has been simple: to put people into homes who want them, can afford them, and will improve their situation in life through home ownership. Without apology, there is more than a little altruism there, a throwback to the philosophy espoused in that Christmas classic It’s A Wonderful Life.

I believe, as Jimmy Stewart’s character George Bailey did, that at the heart of all our actions is simple human decency, however you characterize it - as a concern for humanity or the planet or people or just making a difference.

In this business, however, that philosophy sometimes collides with another strong American philosophy, capitalism. (Or, as it was described in that other Christmas classic, Miracle on 34^th Street, “Make a buck, make a buck, don’t worry about the other guy.”)

Don’t get me wrong - I have a strong profit incentive here, and my commitment to getting property back into the hands of people who need it is carefully balanced with the profitability that a business and its investors require.

But what I’ve been noticing recently - perhaps in counterpoint to the holiday season just passed - is that the conversations I’m having with potential buyers relate more to the idea of revenue and profitability than with our original goal. I understand that, but I miss the background element that I had hoped would drive the conversation. I’m looking for George Bailey and the people I’m meeting are Mr. Potter, the money-grubbing skinflint of Bedford Falls. I worry that we are losing sight of what we’ve committed to.

I’m looking for that same altruism in my colleagues as well. I was talking to my brother, who’s doing some sales work for us. He and I are a lot alike. While we acknowledged that there has to be some income for him to continue with this project, given how much time it takes, we also agreed that you don’t get wealthy simply by looking for ways to generate money. You get wealthy doing the work you’re passionate about, and that’s what pays you well. He’s going to continue, of course, because he believes. As Natalie Wood said in Miracle on 34^th Street, “I believe. I believe. I know it’s silly, but I believe.” She was talking about Santa Claus, but the theory still holds.

As the new year dawns, I’m going to keep believing, keep having faith, and keep looking for the George Bailey in everyone.

The late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill used to say, “All politics is local.” That used to be true about the real estate industry too. In order to make investments, you needed a local expert, someone who understood the market and could guide your way.

The evidence continues to mount that the world is changing in that regard. I’ve talked frequently about the increasing number of opportunities for private individuals to invest in real estate anywhere, circumventing the need for assistance from traditional players in the real estate and financial community.

Part of it is, of course, the reach of the Internet, and the ability of anyone to track comparative housing prices through sites like Zillow, Cyberhomes, Eppraisal, Realtor.com, or to check advertising in multiple cities through sites like Craig’s List or Backpage. But that’s not all — low-cost travel through airlines such as Southwest is changing the landscape too.

Let me use just one woman I spoke to as an example. She was from Maryland, and had called regarding a property we have in Syracuse. She told me she had 15 properties in various states, though primarily in New York, Florida, and Ohio. The properties represented $1.2 million in property value and about $9,000 in monthly income (so-called “passive income,” the amount she gets after paying the mortgages). She wanted to know more about the property because she was flying to Syracuse to look at it the following day.

This is how she spends her time — talking to people in real estate, especially in the areas where she wants to invest, and traveling to see the properties herself. She ended up not pursuing the Syracuse property because it didn’t match the parameters she’s set for her investments. She calculated that it would have a market value after repair of $50,000 in the current market conditions, but that it would take as much as $25,000 for those repairs. Though we paid $7,000 for it, we were going to sell it for around $12,000. She said she likes to have no more than 70% of current value invested, so she passed. But she wants to stay in touch with us.

This woman and people like her are changing real estate investing. Now, you still have to have a title company involved to make sure title is transferred properly, and you need to know about the regulations real estate agents are familiar with. But by taking real estate agents out of the mix, you can save anywhere from 6-10% of your costs. Add to that the opportunity of finding growth areas beyond your own back yard, and the opportunities are staggering.

One of the hardest parts about starting a business, I’ve learned over this past year, is balancing the mundane with the mission.

The mission, of course, is being successful. To achieve this, we’re engaging in planning sessions for 2010, setting strategies and mapping milestones. Our goal for 2010: becoming wildly profitable.

Unfortunately, most small businesses don’t do this. It’s difficult to keep your eyes on the horizon because the items on your desk need attention too. Each one is a distraction to the other, but each is necessary. Admittedly, sometimes I get bogged down in my little to-do list. All of those items are important, relevant, and need their space and my time. And if I don’t focus on them, the whole never makes it into existence.

But we do set aside time for strategy twice a week. My partner Bob and I will frequently have conversations over lunch, but it’s something I need to put on my calendar, so I’m committed to it.

Even more difficult for small businesses, however, is the concept of flexibility. They frequently need to shift their strategy, tweak their tactics, and then communicate that to the rest of the staff. As situations evolve differently than we anticipated, we then face the question: what now?

If we ignore reality, we may suffer financially. If we incorporate the new reality into our tactics poorly, the business becomes a mish-mash with no real purpose. Such situations must be addressed.

But that’s the way life occurs in its natural habitat. It never goes as expected. There are unimaginable variables. Real leaders — which we’re learning to become — have the ability to flex with what happens, keep moving, and maintain their eyes on the far horizon. When life goes a different way, alter the plan and keep on going.

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman frequently talks about how technology has “flattened” the world, which both makes connections easier and business models more fragile. This is nowhere more true than it is in residential real estate, which used to be local and, thanks to distressed property programs such as ours, is now shifting toward something broader.

But even in an electronic world, when all you face is a computer screen and all you hear over a telephone line or a Skype connection is a disembodied voice, participants must trust who they’re dealing with. I’ve made some interesting connections this past week that show both the potential and the pitfalls of this new flat world.

As regular readers know, I participate frequently in the forums of a Web site called BiggerPockets.com, a social networking site for real estate investors. I got a call from another member on the site, a young man with a South American accent but clearly fluent in English. He has a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State in business administration, and like me, has worked in both real estate and as a mortgage broker. He has big dreams, and he’s savvy about the Web.

He unabashedly told me he was intrigued by what DBNR Investments is doing and asked if I would be his mentor. Although I usually associate the word mentor with someone who’s a celebrity in one’s field, I realized doing that has some of the same characteristics as being a coach, which I’ve certainly done before. However, I’ve always charged for coaching services; I’ve never known anyone to charge for being a mentor.

It’s conceivable that I could be teaching this young man everything I’ve learned over the past few years, only to find out that he’s struck out on his own and become a competitor.

The second connection came from one of those unsolicited e-mails that pop up in your electronic in-box with annoying regularity. But this one was intriguing. It was from someone in Las Vegas offering assistance in navigating the morass of grants and loans the federal government was offering small businesses for the acquisition of assets — including real estate.

I spent 15 minutes on the phone with this person, who turned out to be a grant writer. He offered no promises regarding the money, only his assistance in navigating the nightmare of red tape that was potentially involved.

Will working with each of these individuals be sinkholes of time and effort that will come to naught? I don’t know. I do know that the structure for trusting people is the same whether the world is flat or you never venture out of your neighborhood. I converse with them. I take notes. I compare their ideas to others I’ve talked to. Are their ideas concise and logical? Do they have conviction about what they’re doing? Are they confident about their skills? Most important, do they deliver what they say they will?

I consider establishing a connection with these people a low-risk effort. Finding connections in the business world may come from longer distances and be stranger than ever before, but over time, when both sides deliver on what they said they will, trust will always develop.