It's rare that I leave my house without "getting ready". I'm sure the definition of that phrase is different for everyone. For me, it means putting products in my hair, dabbing on a little make-up, and dressing so that I don't like I just rolled out of bed.
The entire process usually takes me about seven minutes. Actually, it could take me much longer, but I only get seven minutes to complete my routine.
Well, yesterday, I didn't even have one minute, and I was elected to take my son to his soccer practice. Luckily, his coach isn't our friend who coaches the other two boys. I don't know anyone on this son's team and am not too eager to introduce myself for an eight week season. Besides, when my husband told one mom that we have seven children, she looked disgusted and said that, if she had that many, she'd slit her wrists. My kids just don't get it. What's so bad about constant playmates and babies around all the time for perpetual entertainment? Anyway, my point is that I didn't feel a need to get all dressed up for these people who I don't know and will never see again after soccer is over.
Before we left for practice, I ran my fingers through my hair and changed into sweats. I intended to drop my son off and stay in the car to do some work, but I decided that it would be best to walk him to the field.
As I was on the sidelines watching him interact with his teammates, I suddenly became self-conscious of my appearance. The wind blew my long curly hair away from my face. The glare from my unpowdered skin must have blinded the parents standing on the other side of the field. I was so grateful for sunglasses. At least my bags were covered by something besides concealer. I wore a big black coat (because it's freeeeezing!) with a hood that I pulled over my head and down to my chin, trying to hide in plain sight. The other parents probably were whispering, "She must be that mother with seven children. No wonder she looks so bad." It really isn't fair to blame my uglies on the kids.
Those were the people who I'd never met. I was afraid of seeing someone I did know as I hurried back to my car. The last time I tried to pull a stunt like this at a grocery store in San Diego, I bumped into my old college roommate, who I hadn't seen in 10 years. I could imagine that she was thinking, "Poor Carol! She sure has let herself go."
As I rushed back to the car yesterday, I bowed my head low and came within inches of tripping a jogger. I raced over to the tiny opening in the fence, designed to keep out bicycles, only to come face to face (I know, I felt bad for her, too) with a woman trying to squeeze herself and her chair through at the same time. "I'm sorry," I mumbled, as I stepped back to let her through. I didn't apologize because I was in her way. It was for the fact that she got a good look at my face and my sick-at-home-with-the-flu clothes.
Next time I'm tempted to cut short my routine, I think I'll let the baby cry at the door for seven minutes in order to save the world from a lifetime of flashbacks and intensive therapy.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Whine Country Deals
I owe an apology to a reader who left me this comment a few days ago:
Another Investor said...
OK, so how much does a decent horse property in Whine Country cost now? THAT would be worth moving for...I meant to respond, but then I forgot. So, to make amends, I'm giving the comment its very own post--right here, right now.
I have many items to write about lately, and I try to put my ideas down as drafts on my list of posts, but some things just slip through the cracks.
Do we have deals here in Whine Country Temecula! How about two kids for the price of one! I'm just kidding. Don't write that I sound bitter and trapped. Everyone who knows me knows that I would never give my kids away--not that cheap, anyway.
Decent horse property would be in the range of $800,000-$1,000,000. That would be for a house between 2,500-4,500 square feet on up to five acres that's less than 15 miles from the freeway. These types of properties had been selling for between $1.6-$2M. I know. I've been tracking them for two years now.
Remember this house that I told you about two months ago?
39030 BELLA VISTA, TEMECULA, 92592, CA
Price $1,200,000
Well, here is the listing now. It's still in great shape, too--at least on the outside. The grounds appear to be meticulously maintained.
If you're moving to Whine Country from, let's say, New York or San Francisco, the prices of the homes here are chump change compared to real estate values where you live. You probably like your area a bunch, but nothing compares to the beauty, serenity, and privacy of living out here.
So what if we have to cohabitate with every species of rodent and insect known to man. At least the kids are constantly entertained. Yesterday, I noticed that my four-year-old was missing somewhere inside the house. As much as I was accomplishing in her exile, I knew that I'd better find out what she was up to before I regretted it (her long absences usually mean major clean up required). I found her sitting on the floor in her bedroom. When I asked her what she was doing, she said, with eyes as big as bowling balls, "I found a baby cricket, but it jumped away and now I don't know where it is!" You have to imagine that voice in a high-pitched whine. Maybe the bug will return to entertain her again at another time.
Well, if that little anecdote didn't encourage you to rush out here to lessen the Whine Country inventory, then maybe these listings will. I make no representations as to their locations (check out the interior of the ugly one! Note to agent: give the exterior a coat of paint other than yellow).
Personally, I've lived near the beach and all over San Diego, which I consider to be the city of paradise. But, you could never convince me to move away from where I am now.
I'm home.
Another Investor said...
OK, so how much does a decent horse property in Whine Country cost now? THAT would be worth moving for...I meant to respond, but then I forgot. So, to make amends, I'm giving the comment its very own post--right here, right now.
I have many items to write about lately, and I try to put my ideas down as drafts on my list of posts, but some things just slip through the cracks.
Do we have deals here in Whine Country Temecula! How about two kids for the price of one! I'm just kidding. Don't write that I sound bitter and trapped. Everyone who knows me knows that I would never give my kids away--not that cheap, anyway.
Decent horse property would be in the range of $800,000-$1,000,000. That would be for a house between 2,500-4,500 square feet on up to five acres that's less than 15 miles from the freeway. These types of properties had been selling for between $1.6-$2M. I know. I've been tracking them for two years now.
Remember this house that I told you about two months ago?
39030 BELLA VISTA, TEMECULA, 92592, CA
Price $1,200,000
Well, here is the listing now. It's still in great shape, too--at least on the outside. The grounds appear to be meticulously maintained.If you're moving to Whine Country from, let's say, New York or San Francisco, the prices of the homes here are chump change compared to real estate values where you live. You probably like your area a bunch, but nothing compares to the beauty, serenity, and privacy of living out here.
So what if we have to cohabitate with every species of rodent and insect known to man. At least the kids are constantly entertained. Yesterday, I noticed that my four-year-old was missing somewhere inside the house. As much as I was accomplishing in her exile, I knew that I'd better find out what she was up to before I regretted it (her long absences usually mean major clean up required). I found her sitting on the floor in her bedroom. When I asked her what she was doing, she said, with eyes as big as bowling balls, "I found a baby cricket, but it jumped away and now I don't know where it is!" You have to imagine that voice in a high-pitched whine. Maybe the bug will return to entertain her again at another time.
Well, if that little anecdote didn't encourage you to rush out here to lessen the Whine Country inventory, then maybe these listings will. I make no representations as to their locations (check out the interior of the ugly one! Note to agent: give the exterior a coat of paint other than yellow).
Personally, I've lived near the beach and all over San Diego, which I consider to be the city of paradise. But, you could never convince me to move away from where I am now.
I'm home.
Monday, April 7, 2008
GreenPoint Wants to Know: Trouble With Your Payments?
This is on the GreenPoint Mortgage service web site (GreenPoint doesn't exist anymore, but Capital One offers access to that site to continue it's financial services, like paying your mortgage online):
Are you having trouble making your mortgage payments?
Are you having trouble making your mortgage payments?
We may be able to help. ; )
If you are having difficulty making your mortgage payments due to circumstances beyond your control (like the inability to control your spending habits), we may be able to help. We have a number of ways to work with you during these difficult financial times that may help you keep your home (like calling you 24 hours a day in order to scare you and your children into taking on two more jobs so your income will equal the amount on your loan application). If you are having trouble, please do not delay in contacting us (so that we can obtain your updated contact information and harass you some more).
Options to Keep Your Home
Repayment Plans
If you have the ability to resume making regular monthly payments in addition to a portion of the past due payment(s) , a repayment plan may be the answer for you (so, if you were never able to afford your mortgage in the first place, and are behind by $15,000, we will help you keep your house, if you promise to pay that all back and to make the unreasonable monthly payments on time from now on. No need to thank us for our altruistic offer).
Modification
If you can make the regular monthly payment on your loan, but do not have enough money to bring the account current, a modification of your loan may be necessary (in other words, if you miraculously can afford your payments now, we will add what you owe to the principal amount, charge interest on it, raise your monthly payments, and watch you go into default all over again).
What To Do Next
To start the process of determining if you are eligible for either a repayment plan or a loan modification, we may ask you to update the financial data that we have on file for you (please tell the truth this time so that we may compare the information against your original loan application and have you convicted of fraud). If a link appears below, please click on it and follow the instructions on the form. Otherwise, please contact us at the number provided below.
We understand that difficult financial times can happen to good people (and good lenders like us, who, technically, no longer exist--and it's all your fault).
Let us show you how we can help you pay for all the grief and expense that you have caused us.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Beans, Beans . . .
I had a more serious real estate post for today, but, frankly, I'm tired of being so somber this past week. I've been wanting to tell you about a new addiction that my family has--especially my young children and my husband.
It's not a computer game. It's not Sudoku (my husband got over that as soon as I bought him the giant book full of puzzles). It's not a toy. It's not drugs or alcohol, thank God. And it's not candy.
We've become addicted to green beans. I had never cooked them before, and just did my best to stay away. But, after Christmas, we were invited to dinner at a friend's home and one of the side dishes was green beans. My baby was hungry, so out of desperation, I handed her one until I could cut up her chicken. She ate it before I moved my hand away from the tray. I actually tasted one and didn't throw up. The kids had some and asked for more. I thought I was in the Twilight Zone.
I had never had an occasion to steam a vegetable before. I noticed that my friend had one of those steamer trays inserted in a regular pot. I've had one since our wedding, but never knew what it was for (yes, seriously--we like raw veggies, what can I say?). I almost threw it away when I was cleaning out the drawer. Anyway, my husband showed me how to use it and I've been steaming green beans regularly ever since.
We've been so addicted to them that I bought some seeds to plant in our garden. Unfortunately, when I read the label again as I was placing them into the soil, I noticed that it said "snap peas". Doesn't matter, though. It's the only seed we planted that didn't grow--at all. Everyone knows that, if you want to give a child an exciting horticultural experience, have them plant a bean seed because they sprout in a week and are a hardy plant. Not here. My garden is the kiss of death to a seed which millions of kindergartners have successfully sprouted before they ever learned how to read.
Our lives seem to revolve around how quickly I'm able to steam the tender pods before the baby starts screaming for them (I try to cook extra so that I just need to reheat, but I seem to run out after every batch). As soon as she catches sight of them, she starts to holler.
Recently, we found another bean that's been making us howl . . . and even cry at times. A friend sent me this:
Now that I have high speed internet, I'm able to download these types of videos and watch them before the next day. We rented Mr. Bean's Holiday a few months ago. It was funny if you like movies with no dialogue and a main character who resembles a cross between Monty Python and a sighted Mr. Magoo.
No one in the family seemed too impressed by the movie. But, when I played the link my friend sent me for my kids, I thought that my teenager was going to pee in his pants. He was laughing so hard, I peered over his shoulder just to make sure that it was the video that I had just previewed and not Brian Regan (again).
Now that we can download the skits, we crowd around the computer at night before bed and bond over Bean. He may be ugly and silly, but it's an addiction, like green beans, that we don't mind having.
It's not a computer game. It's not Sudoku (my husband got over that as soon as I bought him the giant book full of puzzles). It's not a toy. It's not drugs or alcohol, thank God. And it's not candy.
We've become addicted to green beans. I had never cooked them before, and just did my best to stay away. But, after Christmas, we were invited to dinner at a friend's home and one of the side dishes was green beans. My baby was hungry, so out of desperation, I handed her one until I could cut up her chicken. She ate it before I moved my hand away from the tray. I actually tasted one and didn't throw up. The kids had some and asked for more. I thought I was in the Twilight Zone.
I had never had an occasion to steam a vegetable before. I noticed that my friend had one of those steamer trays inserted in a regular pot. I've had one since our wedding, but never knew what it was for (yes, seriously--we like raw veggies, what can I say?). I almost threw it away when I was cleaning out the drawer. Anyway, my husband showed me how to use it and I've been steaming green beans regularly ever since.
We've been so addicted to them that I bought some seeds to plant in our garden. Unfortunately, when I read the label again as I was placing them into the soil, I noticed that it said "snap peas". Doesn't matter, though. It's the only seed we planted that didn't grow--at all. Everyone knows that, if you want to give a child an exciting horticultural experience, have them plant a bean seed because they sprout in a week and are a hardy plant. Not here. My garden is the kiss of death to a seed which millions of kindergartners have successfully sprouted before they ever learned how to read.
Our lives seem to revolve around how quickly I'm able to steam the tender pods before the baby starts screaming for them (I try to cook extra so that I just need to reheat, but I seem to run out after every batch). As soon as she catches sight of them, she starts to holler.
Recently, we found another bean that's been making us howl . . . and even cry at times. A friend sent me this:
Now that I have high speed internet, I'm able to download these types of videos and watch them before the next day. We rented Mr. Bean's Holiday a few months ago. It was funny if you like movies with no dialogue and a main character who resembles a cross between Monty Python and a sighted Mr. Magoo.
No one in the family seemed too impressed by the movie. But, when I played the link my friend sent me for my kids, I thought that my teenager was going to pee in his pants. He was laughing so hard, I peered over his shoulder just to make sure that it was the video that I had just previewed and not Brian Regan (again).
Now that we can download the skits, we crowd around the computer at night before bed and bond over Bean. He may be ugly and silly, but it's an addiction, like green beans, that we don't mind having.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Smokin' Deals
(If you've accessed this blog for the first time today because you've heard that it's entertaining and witty, DO NOT read this post! Click on any other link in the Archive column on your right.)
I wrote another reply in the thread about my blog on the San Diego Creative Investors Association yesterday, and someone asked me for examples to support my statement about breaking even or flowing properties in Riverside County. Ugh! Are you gonna make me do all that specific research when I'm not even in the market? I've just been playing with the numbers--nothing serious. Well, because I'm the kind of person that I am (no snide comments, please), I threw some quick listings and links together for your perusal and reading enjoyment. (Please note that none of my links are sponsored.)
These numbers have not been verified by lenders (interest rates), listing agents (HOA fees), or taxing authorities (tax rates). I've estimated using what little knowledge I have of the areas highlighted. If you find an error (because I write my posts in the middle of business calls, making meals, doing laundry, wiping bottoms, and a variety of other non-real estate related tasks), please be kind enough to let me know, and I'll edit the post to reflect accuracy.
Here's a house in Murrieta. As stated above, I'm going to guess on these numbers (if I were serious about buying, I'd have them all down to the penny). Let's say full price (I know that's crazy, but just to be safe) with 10% down at 6%, so your PI is $1,079. Maybe taxes there are a low 1%, so that's another $167/mo. Insurance would be high at $50/mo. Let's put the HOA at $100 and the management fee at $150. Total payment: $1546. Rent can be anywhere between $1,500 and $1,595 ($1/sf for these small houses in Murrieta is on the high side, but not unusual). If you want a zero vacancy rate, you offer them $160,000, and your PI drops to $863, taxes down to $133, PM fee becomes $140. Your payment and expenses are $1,286 and your rent is $1,395.
You can find rentals ads for most areas in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties on this Press Enterprise link.
There's a plethora of condos, but the HOA's can be $250 or more. That bugs me, so, until I can get past that sticking point, I won't consider them at this time--even though they can make sense.
Here is a house on a postage stamp lot. We owned two in Temecula very similar to this one. We sold one for $385,000 and the other for $405,000 in 2005. We would get anywhere between $1,595 and $1,695 for rent back then. Go back to the newspaper link above to see what the rents are like now.
Let's move to the deals in Lake Elsinore, where it seems that 99% of the houses are vacant foreclosures. This area was hit hard--and I have a rental there now.
This huge house is in north Lake Elsinore (not as desirable as the southern part). Let's say you had a brain freeze and bought it for full price, putting 10% down. Your PI would be $1,349. Insurance at $50. Your taxes will be higher than an older neighborhood in Murrieta--anywhere between 1.5 and 1.9%. At 1.9%, they're $396/mo. Doesn't mention an HOA. At this point, the payment and expenses are $1,795. You'd have no problem renting at $1,995. Add in the 10% PM fee of $200, and you're breaking even. However, you're not buying at full price, so your payment and taxes go down, rent stays the same, and HOA is still up in the air.
There are too many in Lake Elsinore to list. The investors will start coming in there again and there will be a glut of rentals, but that will smooth out as they become occupied. Just remember to set your price limit on each house so that you have wiggle room to reduce your rents to below market.
Here is one more for the road because it's just too good to pass up. You can probably snag this little puppy for around $200,000. PI: $1,079, Taxes at 2%: $333, Insurance: $50, HOA: $100, PM fee: $175 on rent of $1750. Expenses: $1,737 (taxes and HOA are estimated high).
Remember, this was a peek at Riverside County. If you move up to the high desert of Victorville and Apple Valley in San Bernardino County, you may find some that work up there, too. Also, the prices don't appear to be headed anywhere but down, so I would play hardball with the banks, and move on to the next one, if they're not willing to negotiate.
Note to agents: Please stop with the "At this price, it will go quickly." A) It's not going anywhere any time soon and B) Nothing is moving quickly, if at all. (While I'm at it, "separate" is spelled with an "a" after the "p". Remember, you never separate the "pa" from the rest of the family.)
I wrote another reply in the thread about my blog on the San Diego Creative Investors Association yesterday, and someone asked me for examples to support my statement about breaking even or flowing properties in Riverside County. Ugh! Are you gonna make me do all that specific research when I'm not even in the market? I've just been playing with the numbers--nothing serious. Well, because I'm the kind of person that I am (no snide comments, please), I threw some quick listings and links together for your perusal and reading enjoyment. (Please note that none of my links are sponsored.)
These numbers have not been verified by lenders (interest rates), listing agents (HOA fees), or taxing authorities (tax rates). I've estimated using what little knowledge I have of the areas highlighted. If you find an error (because I write my posts in the middle of business calls, making meals, doing laundry, wiping bottoms, and a variety of other non-real estate related tasks), please be kind enough to let me know, and I'll edit the post to reflect accuracy.
Here's a house in Murrieta. As stated above, I'm going to guess on these numbers (if I were serious about buying, I'd have them all down to the penny). Let's say full price (I know that's crazy, but just to be safe) with 10% down at 6%, so your PI is $1,079. Maybe taxes there are a low 1%, so that's another $167/mo. Insurance would be high at $50/mo. Let's put the HOA at $100 and the management fee at $150. Total payment: $1546. Rent can be anywhere between $1,500 and $1,595 ($1/sf for these small houses in Murrieta is on the high side, but not unusual). If you want a zero vacancy rate, you offer them $160,000, and your PI drops to $863, taxes down to $133, PM fee becomes $140. Your payment and expenses are $1,286 and your rent is $1,395.
You can find rentals ads for most areas in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties on this Press Enterprise link.
There's a plethora of condos, but the HOA's can be $250 or more. That bugs me, so, until I can get past that sticking point, I won't consider them at this time--even though they can make sense.
Here is a house on a postage stamp lot. We owned two in Temecula very similar to this one. We sold one for $385,000 and the other for $405,000 in 2005. We would get anywhere between $1,595 and $1,695 for rent back then. Go back to the newspaper link above to see what the rents are like now.
Let's move to the deals in Lake Elsinore, where it seems that 99% of the houses are vacant foreclosures. This area was hit hard--and I have a rental there now.
This huge house is in north Lake Elsinore (not as desirable as the southern part). Let's say you had a brain freeze and bought it for full price, putting 10% down. Your PI would be $1,349. Insurance at $50. Your taxes will be higher than an older neighborhood in Murrieta--anywhere between 1.5 and 1.9%. At 1.9%, they're $396/mo. Doesn't mention an HOA. At this point, the payment and expenses are $1,795. You'd have no problem renting at $1,995. Add in the 10% PM fee of $200, and you're breaking even. However, you're not buying at full price, so your payment and taxes go down, rent stays the same, and HOA is still up in the air.
There are too many in Lake Elsinore to list. The investors will start coming in there again and there will be a glut of rentals, but that will smooth out as they become occupied. Just remember to set your price limit on each house so that you have wiggle room to reduce your rents to below market.
Here is one more for the road because it's just too good to pass up. You can probably snag this little puppy for around $200,000. PI: $1,079, Taxes at 2%: $333, Insurance: $50, HOA: $100, PM fee: $175 on rent of $1750. Expenses: $1,737 (taxes and HOA are estimated high).
Remember, this was a peek at Riverside County. If you move up to the high desert of Victorville and Apple Valley in San Bernardino County, you may find some that work up there, too. Also, the prices don't appear to be headed anywhere but down, so I would play hardball with the banks, and move on to the next one, if they're not willing to negotiate.
Note to agents: Please stop with the "At this price, it will go quickly." A) It's not going anywhere any time soon and B) Nothing is moving quickly, if at all. (While I'm at it, "separate" is spelled with an "a" after the "p". Remember, you never separate the "pa" from the rest of the family.)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Who's Paying Your Blogger?
In my posts, I frequently give you links that apply to the topic. I imagine that you click on them to see what the heck they're about (if I didn't tell you already). If I ever promote a product or service, you may think that I really believed in it. But what if you found out that I was getting paid to slip those links into my blog . . . and I didn't tell you?
This recently came my way:
Our company’s name is Blog Distributor. We take orders from companies that need Blog Postings for their clients and match them to Bloggers like you. We pay you via PayPal weekly. You can probably make more money with us than any other Blog Firm.
Hmmm. I may be naive, but this seems kind of sneaky to me. So I continued to read more, just in case I had the wrong impression. On the Blog Distributor FAQ page, I found this:
Sorry, folks, but I had no idea that average bloggers have been paid to promote products and services, all the while convincing their readers that it's something that they truly believe in. This makes me question many opinions that I've read. Writing a personal blog post for money, when your readers don't know about it, smells bad to me. When you trick people in order to pad your own pocketbook, it'll never be "pure" or "quaint".
I wondered how wide-spread this "business" is, so I did a quick Google search and nine companies came up on the first page. I didn't need to look any more.
Maybe this has been going on for some time. Maybe you already know that you can't trust a blogger who plugs a certain product or service. Maybe I just won't read any more blogs because the fresh perspectives that I thought existed may be merely the opinion of a paid advertiser. Ewww. It seems that more than just a real estate bubble has burst for me.
This would never be a consideration for me. Why would I expect you to read my musings if they are influenced by someone who's paying me? How can I say what I really feel if my words will be reviewed and rejected if they don't present the right image? This just doesn't seem right. I don't run Ads by Google because of my lack of control over the content (you have some say, but not much). But, at least with the Google ads, you know that you're looking at, and linking to, a paid sponsor when you click on them.
So, I ask you, who's paying your favorite bloggers?
This recently came my way:
Blog for Pay
We would like to pay you to write Blog Postings on your Blog, for our clients.Our company’s name is Blog Distributor. We take orders from companies that need Blog Postings for their clients and match them to Bloggers like you. We pay you via PayPal weekly. You can probably make more money with us than any other Blog Firm.
Our system is superior to all other Blog Firms, for both Bloggers and buyers of Blog Postings. Our unique capabilities make us very attractive to our clients, which means that we will have a lot of jobs for you if your Blog matches our criteria (most do).
Your Blog can focus on a particular subject or be very general. You can be located anywhere in the USA or Canada. The more popular your Blog is, the more we will pay you per Blog Posting, but every Blog has value to us (minimum of $5 per Blog Posting).Your Blog must be in the English language and comment about life in the USA or Canada.
Hmmm. I may be naive, but this seems kind of sneaky to me. So I continued to read more, just in case I had the wrong impression. On the Blog Distributor FAQ page, I found this:
How does Blog Distributor feel about Blog Postings having notes on them, stating that they are paid for or sponsored?
When you think about it, there are no notes on links coming from websites or directories that state that they are paid for. So it does not make sense to single out Blogs and demand that they have notes on them about being paid for, when this is not happening to the other types of links.
Years ago, there was a lot of buzz about the sinfulness of using the Internet to make money, because that wasn’t “pure”. Now that whole concept seems “quaint” and old-fashioned. We believe that the day will come, when the idea that doing Blog Postings for money is not “pure”, will also seem “quaint” and old-fashioned also.
Sorry, folks, but I had no idea that average bloggers have been paid to promote products and services, all the while convincing their readers that it's something that they truly believe in. This makes me question many opinions that I've read. Writing a personal blog post for money, when your readers don't know about it, smells bad to me. When you trick people in order to pad your own pocketbook, it'll never be "pure" or "quaint".
I wondered how wide-spread this "business" is, so I did a quick Google search and nine companies came up on the first page. I didn't need to look any more.
Maybe this has been going on for some time. Maybe you already know that you can't trust a blogger who plugs a certain product or service. Maybe I just won't read any more blogs because the fresh perspectives that I thought existed may be merely the opinion of a paid advertiser. Ewww. It seems that more than just a real estate bubble has burst for me.
This would never be a consideration for me. Why would I expect you to read my musings if they are influenced by someone who's paying me? How can I say what I really feel if my words will be reviewed and rejected if they don't present the right image? This just doesn't seem right. I don't run Ads by Google because of my lack of control over the content (you have some say, but not much). But, at least with the Google ads, you know that you're looking at, and linking to, a paid sponsor when you click on them.
So, I ask you, who's paying your favorite bloggers?
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Biggest Loser
I thought that, once our CPA completed the taxes, the total of how much we lost would be clear. Well, it's just not that simple. After seeing what he had to do, it confirmed for me that I would never try to fill out my own returns again (I used to do it before we started buying rentals). It's not just the fact that each of our returns (for various LLC's, state taxes, business, personal, other rental) seem to be 500 pages thick, but they seem extraordinarily complicated this year. We traded four houses for two apartments (not evenly split), and then sold the apartments and cashed out (that's an overstatement for our situation). So, our accountant had to recapture the 1031 funds plus all the depreciation that was taken off for the houses and for the apartments (this is only a guess as to why they were so complicated--if I could articulate it well, then I would have been able to complete the returns myself).
Anyway, I thought we'd have this total that I would be able to pass along to you, but it didn't work out that way. So now my husband, who's running a profitable business, must take time out to add up our losses using his Quick Books program so that I can report them to you on this site that generates zero income. He indulges me so (and that's no April Fools). I hope to have that for you soon, but I make no promises as to when. (Speaking of this site not generating any income, you may be interested in tomorrow's post.)
In the meantime, I've found someone who, I'm sure, lost more money than we did (although our losses were hard cash and his was just on paper).
Do you think we should start a collection for him?
Anyway, I thought we'd have this total that I would be able to pass along to you, but it didn't work out that way. So now my husband, who's running a profitable business, must take time out to add up our losses using his Quick Books program so that I can report them to you on this site that generates zero income. He indulges me so (and that's no April Fools). I hope to have that for you soon, but I make no promises as to when. (Speaking of this site not generating any income, you may be interested in tomorrow's post.)
In the meantime, I've found someone who, I'm sure, lost more money than we did (although our losses were hard cash and his was just on paper).
Do you think we should start a collection for him?
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