All Forum Posts by: Richard C.

Bandit signs are specifically prohibited by Section VII of the Methuen Zoning Ordinance. So they would work perfectly, if by "work" you mean "cause me to pay fines to the city for cluttering up the right-of-way, being a bad neighbor, and general dirt-bag-ery."

Buy some postcards.

Lots of good stories. Some don't match the thread title, though. There is nothing dumb about trying to negotiate terms. It is no more "dumb" for a prospective tenant to try to negotiate a lower rent than it is for a prospective landlord to attempt to negotiate a lower sale price.

This. Times 1000.

People have given great advice, and a couple very gently touched on a very significant risk for you. I'm going to do it much less gently, not because I am mean, but because it is really, really important that you get it.

At this point, based on what you have written, the biggest risk for you is something J. Scott and Bill Gulley both mentioned: lack of education. I'm really not trying to be mean, but the fact that you needed someone to explain how you can sell a home with an outstanding mortgage means that you are a long way from being ready to jump into real estate.

Don't spend a dime, on real estate or any courses or "programs." Read here, a whole lot. Read books. The Wall Street Journal publishes a guide to real estate investing that, while dated now, is a good starting place. Go to the Equifax website and buy a copy of your FICO score. Educate first.

Different customs in different places.

I don't doubt any of the stories above, about how they have done business.

I can tell you that any agent who insisted on an in-house pre-approval, resulting in hard pulls on my credit reports, before showing me any properties would get nothing from me but scornful laughter as I walked out the door, on the way to her competitor's office.

By the same token, I cannot imagine a local agent ferrying around a local buyer. We meet at the property.

That's absurd. Why do you give people advice like that?

They won't "turn him over to collections" because if they did, then as soon as he brought a lawyer in, they would be writing him a large check.

Christ.

This is about to be real. People have pooh-poohed it for a long time, but the technology is nearly market ready.

http://mashable.com/2014/04/28/3d-printing-houses-china/

My question on this one is this. As buildings of this sort become common, what will happen to the demand for traditionally-constructed housing?

Drop "training" from both your spoken vocabulary and your mental thought patterns. You are dealing with adult human beings, not children or dogs. Treat them with respect, expect and demand the same. It isn't hard.

Also, granite is an EXCELLENT countertop material for rentals. Not sure how you got the idea that it isn't.

Are you including the management fee in that $900? I realize that you are self-managing, but if you are using the 50% rule, you should account for that out of the right 50%.

Credit score is almost worthless, for exactly the reason you mention.

Stable employment history, on the other hand, is priceless.