tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60316524174411741732024-02-02T14:16:53.723-05:00Leaving Work BehindGetting more "life" into the work/life balanceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-75352237860440988332011-11-27T00:19:00.001-05:002011-11-27T00:19:49.370-05:00Finding a Renter Tougher Than ExpectedEverything was all planned out. Up-front research showed that rents in the area were between $1145 and $1200, so setting the asking rent at $1150 seemed appropriate.
It should rent within a couple of weeks - tops. Yeah, right.
We started advertising on Craigslist several days before we closed on the purchase. Then, we put a sign in front of the house. A couple of weeks Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-23383774262837890012011-11-17T15:18:00.000-05:002011-11-17T15:18:49.608-05:00Corporate World Chews You Up, Spits You OutJust read a fascinating - okay, maybe frightening - article on Forbes.com called Why Millennial Women Are Burning Out at Work by 30. Though the article's focus is on younger women, the corporate world poses problems for both women and men.
Choice quote from the article:
“They expected things to be better now that they’ve arrived and made it. But instead they are starting over on the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-78520202385145044122011-11-08T18:05:00.000-05:002011-11-08T18:05:21.287-05:00Got it! First House PurchaseIt's been busy since my last post! We settled on a price and closed the purchase. Here's the update. The house below was listed at $99,900 and we put in an offer and negotiated per the prior posts.
It was a really FAST process. We put in the first offer of $85k (they listed for $99,900) on a Tuesday and by Friday, we had an agreement on both sides to buy the house for $Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-16190681395999652792011-10-13T14:14:00.000-04:002011-10-13T14:14:50.092-04:00Playing Ball, but BuntedHeard back from the seller of the property we put an offer in on. The good news is that they're playing ball!
The bad news is that they're playing small ball - they're not swinging for the stands; they bunted.
Here's the scoop: 3/2/2 house is listed at $99,900 and we submitted an offer at $85,000. The counteroffer that came back was at $98,000, but that they also would not Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-48777557069996674032011-10-13T09:35:00.000-04:002011-10-13T09:35:29.736-04:00Offer is in!Back from Omaha! It was a great trip and I accomplished one of my major goals in going - identifying the neighborhoods where I'd look to purchase rent houses.
I also accomplished another major goal, which I didn't fully realize I should be aiming toward until it dropped right in my lap: I met a realtor in Omaha that has 40 rental units in his own portfolio. Now, I didn't Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-49009088391110610192011-10-03T13:17:00.000-04:002011-10-03T13:17:37.159-04:00Headed to OmahaSo, I've talked about investing in a partnership. And we've identified some candidates online in and around Omaha, Nebraska. Well, seeing in person on the ground - especially starting out - and seeing online are two very different things. So, this weekend, I'll be heading out to Omaha in part to see some properties and neighborhoods. I hope to...
...discover the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-33767710914398086512011-09-14T21:59:00.001-04:002011-09-14T22:02:30.090-04:00A candidateMy brother-in-law and I have identified a couple possibilities. One is a house in an Omaha suburb called La Vista. It's a bread-and-butter 3 bed 2 bath house that is a foreclosure property. Other homes in the area sell for about $110k to $130k and it's listed for $80k.
I think we can get it for less, but what I'm realizing is that the most difficult part of the offer phase is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-22562463729911144972011-09-02T14:39:00.001-04:002011-09-02T14:46:49.320-04:00The WhyExploring ways to increase readership of this blog, I joined StumbleUpon today (this is also one of the icons in the "Share" box to the right). If you've never checked out StumbleUpon, it is essentially a website recommendation service. I checked a few boxes for my interests and entered the site.
It automatically took me to a video posted on a website named Ted.com. The video Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-32356454214938417622011-08-31T13:55:00.000-04:002011-08-31T13:55:05.751-04:00Plan Starts to Take FocusOne of the biggest obstacles for my investment strategy in single family rental homes is that I live in New York City. Not only are the prices here outrageous, the competition for a "deal" is very difficult also. And that also goes for the general metropolitan region.
So, instead of giving up, I asked myself how to get around this problem.
By prevailing over all obstacles and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-57451579665828473672011-08-28T23:26:00.005-04:002011-08-30T14:13:06.252-04:00Savings?I've been diligently saving money the last several years. I set an automatic transfer to occur each payday so that $500 goes from my checking account to my money market account. When I started out many years ago, it was $300 and it grew as my salary did.
I put the max in my 401(k) each year.
As a result, I have a pretty good amount of savings. I know most people don't, so I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-76077679117922347432011-08-26T23:58:00.003-04:002011-08-30T14:14:15.327-04:00How, Exactly?It's great to start a blog with the stated purpose of building your non-job income to the point that it allows you to leave your daily job.
But then pen meets paper. The rubber meets the road. The cars revving at the stoplight have to throw into "drive". You get the point.
How, exactly, will I accomplish my stated goal?
For me, it will involve real estate. I love Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-66514776803478269512011-08-24T22:46:00.004-04:002011-08-29T12:26:47.255-04:00RevisitedI initially started this blog back in 2007. It was an interesting year for me - I was nearing the end of one job and about to start another. I was feeling out of balance and ready for something different.
I started a new job in January 2008 and promptly stopped blogging. I had found my thing thing, my new j-o-b. And it was great. Wasn't it?
As I reflect back on Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-9522977823767491652007-08-21T16:09:00.001-04:002007-08-21T16:15:00.596-04:00Beach, While you CanAh, it's a cool day in New York City. Fall is officially coming. Coworkers and clients are heading away for vacations before their kids start back to school. It's time to put together a last minute trip! Do you need to get away? Yes, you do. Everything is busy after Labor Day! Take your time while you can. You'll come back more relaxed and ready for it all. I'm heading away as well and will Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-20011599438754134192007-08-17T17:49:00.000-04:002007-08-17T17:59:35.676-04:00Give Back for a Fuller LifeMaking a life - a fulfilling life - outside of your job has to include some form of giving back. It is only through volunteer efforts and charitable actions that some of our cities' most effective organizations work and strengthen our communities. Now, let me disabuse you of the notion that I'm an exemplar of this philosophy. I get busy just like anybody else and would most of the time rather Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-20334653377610111332007-08-16T13:30:00.000-04:002007-08-16T13:36:39.468-04:00Sleep Your Way to Success Oh, get your mind out of the gutter! At this point in a long week, you've put in long hours. It's been stressful! But the weekend is right around the corner - a new start and time to rest. That's why I thought it was appropriate to focus on one of the major things that you can do to improve your health - sleep. No, I'm not taunting you. I'm victim of it too - working late, caffeinated, restlessUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-34262536563025150262007-08-15T13:12:00.000-04:002007-08-15T13:13:46.221-04:00The Gulf between Golf and WorkWhat a beautiful Wednesday! It is such a shame to be inside on a day like today - it's sunny, warm, but not too hot. In fact, if I were a better golfer and if I could say "to hell with it", I'd be out there hitting a few golf balls. Well, to be honest, I'd probably miss a few too (I view it a little like t-ball - I get a few strikes before it's time to give it a rest). In honor of those who are Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-79867167670671457642007-08-14T13:32:00.000-04:002007-08-14T14:59:31.158-04:00Leaving Work at WorkMost of us work hard - and for long hours. If you're anything like me, you're at the gym in the morning, arrive to the office around 9am and leave - give or take - about 12 hours later. That leaves only a couple of hours at the end of the workday in which to kick back and relax, see the wife or husband and do parental duties with the kids. With all the pressure to climb the corporate ladder, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-10741857608013254542007-08-13T13:06:00.000-04:002007-08-15T13:19:54.535-04:00Airplane Books for Late Summer 2007During the workweek, my reading is pretty much limited to online articles and magazines during my train or bus commute. But on the weekends or vacations, I always try to read something more entertaining - a mystery or thriller to take my mind off of everything else. The best ones are difficult to put down, the story sucks you in and the plot moves quickly.My father calls fiction paperbacks like Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-35545614423558743972007-08-12T23:10:00.000-04:002007-08-12T23:53:31.423-04:00Gettin' out of DodgeBefore August ends, jump in your car, onto a plane or a train and get out of here! Or plan ahead for the fall. Either way, it is important to get out of the office and take some time for you. It'll make you happier, which will make your boss happier. All Work and No Play Makes a Company...Unproductive: A reason to get away.Travelblog: A great website offering travel blogs, journals from Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031652417441174173.post-39754164302757938862007-08-12T22:21:00.001-04:002011-08-24T23:39:41.139-04:00What we're aboutThough it sometimes seems like it, there is more to life than work. But to live and work in America today, you would not believe it! We will give you the latest news, updates and tips on travel (pleasure, not business, thank you), volunteering opportunities, making the most of family time and many other things that affect how you live - the things outside of your work life that will make your Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0