Dec
5
“Hello, My Name is Seth, and I’m Addicted to Scheming”
December 5, 2007 | 4 Comments
“Scheming” is a bit of a strong word and carries some negative connotations, but it pretty much fits the bill. I could sugarcoat it and say “Entrepreneurial” instead, but, well, hell, who I am kidding. I’m not trying to sell you a book or some ginormously expensive class so we’ll just stick with “Scheming”.
I still get […]
Dec
4
Mortgage Bailout Plans and Schadenfreude
December 4, 2007 | 2 Comments
My wife had an interesting tale to relate from a weekend of Christmas shopping, which basically boiled down into bumping into the mortgage banker that we used for the last two loans at a local retail outlet. Except, umm, she didn’t recognize him at first, as he was working there, not shopping.
Which I suppose is […]
Nov
30
Make That a Boatload of Money AND a Boatload of Time
November 30, 2007 | 1 Comment
Gearing myself up for making a serious run at House #2 in the next few weeks, as far as putting in many, many hours over there. I’m going to be in Las Vegas December 12th-19th for another poker reporting gig, and I’m hoping to have all the work I plan on doing personally finished by […]
Nov
29
If I Only Had a Boatload of Money
November 29, 2007 | 1 Comment
The buyers had House #1 inspected yesterday and requested only a few small repairs, didn’t ask for a price reduction, so things thankfully seem to be on track there.
I finally, finally should have electricity at House #2 now, as the electrical work was done yesterday, passed by the city inspection department, and I submitted the […]
Nov
20
I Is Tired
November 20, 2007 | 6 Comments
Many thanks for the comments on my last contractor rant, and I can tend to be self-absorbed and view situations like that solely from my vantage point. I’ve been on the other side of that equation before (mostly as a house painter) and it’s definitely just as frustrating dealing with flaky clients or people who […]
Nov
16
A Sure Fire Business Plan Guaranteed to Make You Millions
November 16, 2007 | 4 Comments
Step 1: Offer a service that people need, which they cannot complete themselves either due to lack of skill, motivation, or licensing (plumbing, electrical work, construction, etc.) Pick a market where you can charge a hefty premium for your services (plumbing, electrical work, construction, etc.)
Step 2: When they call you, answer the phone. When you […]
Nov
6
Not Dead
November 6, 2007 | 2 Comments
Sorry for the lack of updates of late, but I was off on another poker reporting gig from October 24th-November 3rd, and have been pretty insanely busy of late in general.
Still plugging away on House #2. Still can’t get any contractors lined up. It’s reaching the fairly ridiculous stage, as far as finding someone willing to frame […]
Oct
12
Saving on Closing Costs for Title Insurance
October 12, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Closings costs are typically a necessary evil when it comes to investing in real estate. Everyone wants their own pound of flesh, so in addition to whatever purchase prive you agree to pay for a particular property, you’ll also get hit for additional money in closing costs, as far as paying for title insurance, loan […]
Oct
5
When Upside Down is Right Side Up
October 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I have to admit that I’ve been following the economic news of late with an increasing amount of attention, mainly trying to sort through all sorts of conflicting data to get a sense of just how screwed this country is in the short term. I think the long term economic future is pretty bleak (when […]
Oct
4
Finding Good Flips on the MLS
October 4, 2007 | 1 Comment
Not much in the ways of noteworthy news to relate. Still getting estimates from contractors for House #2 rehab, but I hope to wrap that up by Monday and to get cracking with the major work. The endless process of trying to wrangle people out to give estimates for work is about my least favorite […]
