All Forum Posts by: Jay Young

Habib:  We are in the armpit of Decatur, so I don't think our experience will apply.  It's a terrible run down slum neighborhood.  High crime, drug house next to us.  A murder across the street last week.  Last month city established a tax incentive district on neighborhood.  When I complained to the city about the alley having three kiddie sized swimming pool holes, city refused to make repairs and then trumped up fines against me up to $1,000.  Ain't government grand!  Yes we are fools who bought a shack in armpit hell.  But honestly it's the only property we have that doesn't have a mortgage.  It's a place to run to when all hell breaks loose in the U.S.

Sorry Gino, but I just don't agree.  YOU may have "money soldiers," while I and most of the rest of the world do not. Regardless of whether they "soldiers" are babies or adults.  As I wrote in my post WE ARE the "money" soldiers of a preordained American and global system.  We are taught and automatically born into a system that turn us into "financial slaves" or "financial soldiers" of the system.  That system is governments, corporations, education and even familial.  Those systems were created and established long before any of us appeared on the earth and we are automatically born into them whether we like it or not.  We are then "raised" to respect those systems and function within them.  So if you managed to create a "system" outside of the ones the rest of us are ruled by, one in which you found some "soldiers" that you are able to be general of and command, bully for you.  But sorry I do not believe it.  The lucky few who have "financial freedom" are trust fund babies, inheritors or outlandishly lucky by creating businesses that run themselves like:  Gates, Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, Buffett.  The rest of us ARE the money soldiers, providing money and our life energy to feed the system.

Our educational system is designed to create material soldiers, not free people.  American children and students are taught how to develop themselves to be desirable to an employer, how to pay into the system and work full time or double time to until they either drop dead or live long enough to "retire."  Our financial and societal systems set us up (essentially for a form of financial slavery) long before I ever incarnated on earth.  If I had understood all this early on, I would have set myself up to be financially free.  Unfortunately I did not understand how our systems work until AFTER retirement age when it's too late to do anything about.  If you start with that knowledge early you have time on your side to develop financial freedom, as in 30 plus years to plan, accumulate and earn.  My immigrant family had none of this knowledge and the school system certainly wasn't going to explain it to me.  They are set up to serve government and corporate structures to create obedient worker bees who die more or less just when they are eligible to get something back.  This is a fact.  Look up the history of the creation of Medicare and Social Security.  I always worked for small businesses and never had the opportunity to participate in any form of a retirement fund.  This has changed in recent years, AFTER it was too late for me to participate.

May I ask which property management you use?  In a few months I need to rent out my Decatur house and prefer one that's recommended, rather than stabbing in the dark.

Thanks,

Christina

Hello TJ:

Got a SFH in Decatur that we are currently rehabbing. How are your tenants? Your post says you have eight of them. Investor who bought house next door to me said he is having difficulty finding "good" tenants. Since I am rehabbing, I am not at that stage yet, but since you have 8 you probably have a lot of experience with Decatur tenants. Do they pay on time? Do they trash your properties? Are they hard to find? Do you use a property management company? Would like to connect and share notes.

Please define "done well."  Does that mean profitable rent income?  Profitable flip?  Property value increase?  Equity increase? Good tenants?  What does "done well" mean?

Does anyone own rentals in Decatur, IL? Or is anyone looking in Decatur?  I just put in an offer on a property and now I'm having buyer's remorse. Its location is in the armpit of Decatur and I have been warned it will probably only rent to Section 8 folks.  I would love to read comments, experiences and suggestions from anyone in the know.  Thanks!

I have two SFR residences I would like to sell. Both are rented and in top condition. I want to list them for sale on the MLS, but real estate agents refuse to list them because I don't want showings. The last time I listed a property, I had a stream of lookers who dirtied up the house, used and dirtied the bathroom and agents left it unlocked and doors open many times. Police were called. On the few times I was present lookers asked absurd insulting questions. I want to show the house, AFTER there is an offer, an email or verbal is fine. I don't want folks looking for decorating ideas, the competition or a place to pee. Tell me where and how to do this, please.

Hello Chris C and Chris T.    I am a rehabber  will join you at Emmett's, please watch for me and introduce yourselves.  I will be a first timer.