All Forum Posts by: Jim S

Unbelievable.

http://gma.yahoo.com/colo-family-tries-regain-home-occupiers-192530141--abc-news-money.html

That house rates pretty high on the ugly meter.
He is 77 and she is 46. Sounds like she fell in love at first sight (with his money).

You can get 3.5% on a 30 year loan. It's crazy not to lock it in at these historically low rates.

In my area, $400 seems to be the norm for residential appraisals.

I guess you can liken it to a blind date. It could be a nightmare or it could be....well you know.
The granite company we use came thru a recommendation from a friend. They have a fast turn around, they show up when they say, and their work always looks good. My workers always make sure that the cabinets are level and well supported for the granite to ensure a great install. I would guess that most granite companies can do the install in a reasonable manner. What seems to separate the good from the bad is proper measuring, accounting for not perfectly square wall corners and being able to adapt on the fly for funky cabinet levels.
I always bring a bottle of their favorite vodka to their shop after the job is complete and tell them it was for a job well done. It seems to have created and established a reward system for perfect work that seems to work for us.
PS if you like my post....a nice Cab Sav wine would do me fine :)

Having granite installed is a lot like carpet. You can always find someone to do it cheaper but you won't find out how good they were until the install is complete. And then you might have a mess on your hands.

Find a local granite company that is motivated to get rid of their in stock granite. The company I have been working with usually has 4 good choices. Usually costs about $30 per sq ft. That price includes a kitchen sink. I pay him in cash and usually have a bottle of Vodka for him. Most of my kitchens have cost between $1200 to $1500.
As a side note, I don't do a granite backsplash in the kitchen. We use a 3x6 travertine subway tile. Costs $5.49 sq ft and looks incredible.

First of all it's hard to think of an organization more dysfunctional to do business with than HUD. Although B of A does get runner up honors.
I am in the process of trying to sell a freshly redone townhouse. The original closing date of 6/15 was delayed for two weeks because the buyer lost their W2. The last few days of June rolled around and as I was waiting to be notified about a closing time, we were notified by the buyers agent that they needed 21 more days due to their title company moving. WTF? They must have been moving to Alaska.

Hang in there and be persistent. You might be rewarded in the end.

Property Wars looks like it is produced by the same production company as Storage Wars (the storage locker auction show). They follow 5 guys around who constantly bid against each other and do things to irritate their competition. They then show the properties that they each bought.

I have used many times and really like Emerald Title in Gaithersburg. She will come to your location of choice and she works with and understands investors. Two thumbs up!

Michelle J. Hoskam
Emerald Title & Escrow, Inc.
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Phone: 301-947-9080
Fax: 301-947-0675
[email protected]