The major import is oil.

The US BK facilities are there to protect all as an orderly restructuring can be better than a fire-sale when demand is not there for what is being sold.There really are two sides to the conversation.Some of Wall Street is against this as some trades are really bets using an index that loans will default.

Everyone has heard that oil companies don’t want us to develop alternative sources of energy because of the astronomical amounts of revenue and profit that they stand to lose.

For my non real estate investments I have some IRA money in oil royalty trusts and in natural gas pipeline companies.

Im thinking of putting maybe half of it in stocks and other half in real estate.In bangkok, a newly built mid-end condo, with modern facilities, carparks,for a 1 bed, 40 sqm in good location, fairly near sky train and fully furnished is maybe around 3m-4m baht. agency says i cud get around 22k-25k baht a month but im guessing its prob more like 15k-20k baht. most Thai wages will not be able to afford the rent, but its ideal for expats working in bkk. so the return is maybe around 6% before all costs, vacancy periods and appreciation/depreciation.ive been reading a lot of negative and pessimistic views about condo as a buy-to-let especially in bkk. there r so many condos in bkk and many being built as land is not scarce yet cos old buildings can be cleared and new projects started easy. and other factors i dont know. also traffic is a nightmare and the condos that are centrally located (and most expensive) have one of the worst traffics (altho it wud prob be near sky train or underground which would be ok for expats.keep in mind that i ll be paying in lump sum, wouldnt mind to gain some real estate exposure (im fairly interested in the industry),do you think its worth it to buy a condo in bkk as a buy-to-let?

Mike, I've always wanted to get into self/mini-storage facilities.

Offers a ceiling fan or dishwasher, for a slightly higher rent and gets it some of the time...On the insurance front, some firms, like the snake oil salesmen at State Farm, will refuse to do anything other than replacement coverage, as it pays them more.

My tenants oil furnace went out and they could not get it to fire back up.

I was pushed into full time due to job cut backs(I worked in the oil refining business).

Most are oil stain and will require a good oil primer like Kilz for the paint to adhere properly.With all rehab decisions, like Ann said, do what the majority of buyers will like in today's market.