Fake, Fake! It's Just a Joke!

You will not believe the search that has brought traffic to my blog: "fake foreclosure"! This must be some kind of a joke. Who would search for a fake foreclosure?

I mean, when I blogged about the businesses that I would start if a venture capitalist gave me a million dollars, it was all in good fun. I was merely creating the most absurd business ideas that anyone could ever think of (if I were serious, why would I blab them to the world?). I really had no idea that someone would need or request a fake foreclosure. Why do you think they would do that? Maybe they're trying to get their spouse to divorce them and, instead of splitting their assets, want to be spiteful by losing everything. Maybe they were researching for companies that "rescue" homeowners threatened with losing their homes and they meant to find "fake foreclosure companies". Whew! Maybe it was just a fluke.

The negativity in real estate can be overwhelming for people who approach it with integrity. There are so many dishonest and illegal activities that it almost makes me never want to do another real estate transaction again . . .almost. At least I can sleep well at night knowing that I have never been a part of these shenanigans. Heck, I never even knew they existed until recently. I can see now how someone like me can get eaten up alive in this business. I think the commercial market takes it up a notch. The piranhas are strictly out for themselves. I'm glad that I made it out alive and financially solvent. That happy ending was a true miracle.

The one positive note from all this stuff is that I'm grateful that we lost only what we did and nothing more--especially our souls. I should thank these people who searched for "fake foreclosures" and stumbled onto my site instead. They have given me more optimism, humor, and hope than I could have ever accomplished in such a short period of time.

However--and this is the sad part for me--if my site continues to be a magnet for those who are contemplating or performing illegal and immoral activities, I will have to reevaluate the direction of my blog. My purpose was to bring investors of all kinds together for moral support--and some fun--but only the Internet can twist such pure intentions and expectations into something so underworldly and lurid.

Everyone wants to leave their mark on this world. I am no different. However, if I simply raise my children right and be a good wife to my loving husband, then I need do no more. With seven kids and the hope of a large progeny, I will make an impact on the future, regardless of what happens here.

You may be thinking that I should just remove the undesirable key words that make my blog detectable by search engines. But, frankly, I won't be censored. I don't want to put myself out, as I have been for the last 101 posts, and worry about what someone will think or do, and try to predict the sickness that will be attracted to my site. I won't allow people, who I don't even know, to dictate what and how I write.

I make no income from this. My life would be much easier if I were to discontinue sharing my experiences and (very expensive) education with you. I've enjoyed myself immensely, but I've also taken on this responsibility as seriously as I would have a paying job. I think you can sense my level of commitment by what I've put before you. I am a writer, and this was a great way of turning something negative into a powerful learning experience for all of us.

My favorite part was hearing from all of you--even the negative doom and gloomers. Exposing their ignorance and hatred was so fun, wasn't it? I really don't care what those kinds of people say or think about me because if they wanted to obsess about me, when I didn't even know they existed, then more power to them. You know what they say about negative publicity. They did more for bringing traffic to my blog than I could have ever paid a public relations expert to do.

Anyway, this is the deal: If I continue to get hits on my blog from searches for fraudulent and illegal (I know that's redundant) activities in the next few days, I will reconsider continuing. I want to stay with you, but, in the end, I never desired to be associated with something evil. My goal was to educate and entertain. And I hope that, to some extent, I have met or exceeded that mission.