All Forum Posts by: Shane M

Brenda W Smith, CPA

If you are looking for a smaller low-key, low-pressure CPA. She is still very professional, I told her she needs to update the website though!

Originally posted by Tim Wieneke:

Originally posted by J Scott:

Actually, Jews generally don't believe in hell. In fact, they don't much given any consideration to the afterlife at all...instead, they focus on the living world...

Yes they do but it is referred to as the pit or sheol. The difference is it isn't referred to as a place of torment, it's a place of death and it distinctly separate from Heaven thus separate from God. Christianity portrays hell as a place of torment because the salvation Christ offers is eternal life rather than death. Your selection of eternal death over eternal life and it's resulting separation from God is the torment.

Most Christians believe in the fire and brimstone pitchfork Satan Hell, thank John Milton and Paradise Lost for those images! Well some of them.

When it reality the only Biblical Hell is literally "separation from God".

But what most people don't realize is that to be part of God is to lose your individuality and to become one. People think of heaven as this happy place where you see all your friends, yada yada but that is only a reaction to the fiery evil Hell image that has been created. In reality you don't know your friends in Heaven because you are your friends. It is a very Buddhist principle when you think about it.

The social and political advantage of a culture that de-values individuality is a large group of sheeple that you can lead to do pretty much anything you want. Religion has been used as a tool of war, politics, etc historically for almost forever. God told me to kill the infidels. God bless America for pete's sake! Got to rally the peasants some how!

Last one was a little harsh, I apologize for getting slap-happy, I need to go to sleep!

Originally posted by jawsette:

There is no sin that is unforgivable while we are still in this human form.

Why is it that the rules only apply while we are alive on the earth? So the minute that you are dead (although time is a concept only known by the living) or shortly thereafter you will be judged by God. If at that point you (as an Atheist, Muslim, Environmentalist, etc) realize that you have been wrong your entire living life. And then say, ohh my God (no offense) I can't believe it, well I guess I was wrong because here it is staring me in the face (well not face, soul I guess because your face is physical entity, or was). I apologize to you Lord, for being such an unbelieving a-hole (sincerely) it won't matter?

It seems very convenient that the organizations that are supported by philanthropy from their flocks can only benefit from their flock in the physical world. And that the rules only apply during the period of time that they will actually benefit. It also seems convenient that most of these religious doctrines have various clauses that specifically declare it a sin to either question or test their belief system. "Do not test the Lord your God" for one.

Am I joining or religion or signing a real-estate contract here? (poor attempt at a RE joke).

Originally posted by Mr_Investor:

Yes there are different religions believing in different aspects but for me the truth always lies in the Bible. Whenever I get confused I look to the Bible for guidance.

Various religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism) look to different parts of the bible and pick and choose what they believe. Even various sects of Christianity like Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic selectively ignore certain books of the bible (that is what they use to create their own internal doctrine, as approved by the church authorities and ultimately what they preach as okay and not okay).

I have no problem with people admitting that they pick and choose their belief system, isn't that what everyone does? But if you question some of the validity of the teachings in the Bible, you have to question all of it. How about selling your daughter into slavery being okay? (Exodus 21:7) Or it being a sin to boil a baby goat in it's mother's milk? (Exodus 34:26)

I know those may seem extreme or even silly, but why is it that we are taking these extreme and silly things to be the infallible word of a Deity?

I have nothing against learning for the sake of learning either, and don't judge anyone that decides college is right for them, hopefully I didn't come across that way.

Hindsight is 20/20, I look at my student loan debt and think, damn, what a waste, I could have invested that money in a business (real estate or otherwise). But without going to school for 2.5 years I wouldn't have to come to the realizations that I have come to presently. I should be glad that I got to where I am, even if I have some debt to show for it. It could be considerably worse, I could have finished my degree and compiled even more debt!

The debt has made it more difficulty for me to obtain financing in my endeavors (of course I happened to become an entrepreneur right when the credit crisis hit), but ultimately I think I will come out for the better, especially being able to survive the downturn.

I am a little bitter towards the higher education industry for taking advantage of my parent's never having had a college degree rationalizing to them that debt was an acceptable and normal way to pay for higher education for your children. And I, being ignorant as well, signed on all the dotted lines. But you live and you learn.

I think Mark Twain said it best:

"I've never let my schooling interfere with my education"

You can learn more by reading books (and learn it faster) than by taking classes at a university. I would say the same by trying things, failing and then trying again. If you become successful on your own, you don't need a degree, the paper is meaningless (except for bragging rights I guess).

And to rap it up, BP has proven far more useful than most of the RE books I have read, but I've read a considerable amount of posts on BP and have asked a considerable amount of questions.

I am currently going through the 203(k) program and will continue to report on the process I experience. But you mentioned something of note that I was not aware of:

Homebuyers who purchase a property with cash can refinance the property using 203(k) within six (6) months of purchase, the same as if the buyer purchased the property with a 203(k) insured loan to begin with.

That means you could refinance a hard money deal or any cash deal? That could prove very useful.

Red flags seem to be flying!

Great information on taxes Scott, just pointing out the complexity alone is worth noting, especially considering how much it can throw your cashflow off. Or how much it can add to your holding costs.

Welcome Ryan, I too am in SE Michigan!

Great deal number crunching here, no surprise Mike and Jon are behind them!