Bricks, Mortar, and the Myth of Easy Clones
Yet for ordinary investors, piggybacking on this trade is fraught with hazard. Copying Berkshire’s portfolio is rather like taking a rowing boat out into choppy seas just because you saw an aircraft carrier navigate the swell without spilling its tea.
Time horizon is an expensive luxury.
KB Home’s margin caution is not an optical illusion. When borrowing costs remain stubborn, prospective buyers vanish or demand eye-watering incentives. Throwing in upgraded kitchens or paying down financing rates inevitably chips away at builder profitability.
Could Lennar and its peers ultimately compound capital as the chronic shortage of dwellings bites? They might indeed. But the road could easily be littered with quarterly disappointments, stubborn inflation, and soggy order books.
I suspect Berkshire knows this and simply does not care about the near-term wobble. They are buying the orchard, not this season’s bruised apples. If you choose to follow them into the mud, do so with open eyes. Realising long-term value often requires enduring a thoroughly miserable short term, and there is never a guarantee that the market will reward patience on your preferred timetable.