Welcome to Chez Cliff!

Lately, the MLS has been on my browser quite often.  Rather than read some newspaper, telling me what to think I’ve delved into the data; trying to get a feel for what is happening in my immediate area.

During my meanderings, I stumbled across one listing.

It was listed 9/17/2007 at $860,000.  Today, it’s listed at $775,000.  Within a four month time span, the asking price has dropped nearly $100,000.

Is that what desperation smells like?

The accuracy of Zillow is still in question.  But it’s usefulness as a barometer, regarding housing values, provides a decent "z-estimate".  I found it interesting that 6 houses in that same area, same size were averaged at $735,000.

People’s opinion, regarding houses that stay on the market too long, seem to point to the same question:  What’s wrong with it?  The question going through my mind with this listing is:  Does the seller and agent have a clue as to what’s going on?

From my standpoint, I’d rather keep the property and the $100,000 rather than just try to offload it.

Yes, there could be any number of reasons.  Divorce or maybe it’s an inherited piece of property.

Curiosity states I must keep tabs on this one.

Tax season is upon us.  And I’m getting ready! 

Last year, I was all fired up about tax season.  This year was no different . . . until I read this:

"If you operate a business or own rental property, you may be required to issue 1099 forms.  The law requires you to issue a 1099 form to any individual or firm to whom you paid at least $600.00 for services or business rent during last year.

Forms must be issued no later than January 31st.  There is a $100 penalty for each 1099 that is not filed."

To be honest, I’m not very excited about issuing 1099’s.  The thought of communication with Cabinetman has me a bit nauseated.  Off the top of my head, I believe I would have to issue four 1099’s.

Is this right?

Has anyone else done this or even heard of this?

Bookstores are great.  I can spend hours, browsing Barnes and Noble with my steamy Americano.  No matter what topic, something can be found that piques my curiosity.

Of course, the real estate section is on my path. 

Tyler Hicks "How to acquire $1 million in real estate in one year using borrowed money in your free time."

Here’s my book report.

Yes, the author wants you to buy more of his books.  Yes, the author has a news letter he wants you to subscribe to.  Yes, the author has new career opportunities you can pursue for only $100. 

Which author these days doesn’t? 

Get over it.

Some people argue if you can glean one or two good pieces of information from a book then it was probably worth it.  I agree with this statement.  Most books I pick up are filled with a bunch of information I already know.  What I look for are topics or maybe chapters of information that I don’t know about.

In this book, I found that.

There’s a chapter in this book dedicated to financing.  I had no clue that there were 49 different types of mortgages.  More importantly, there are more than 49 different types of mortgages.  He outlines them all in his book, listing the pros and cons of each and examples.

For me, I only knew of 2 or 3 different types.  But forty nine?

Each loan type of interest, Lord Google provided all kinds of information including which lenders deal with those specific loan programs.  Suddenly the world of financing future deals became much brighter.

The reviews on Tyler Hicks were quite harsh.  It seems people are upset because Mr Hicks doesn’t tell them exactly, step by step, what they need to do.  They are also upset because he has a news letter subscription he wants you to buy.  But these reviews don’t discuss the content of the book: financing.

Anyway the next time you’re at the book store, pick this one up and skim through it.  If you find some things of interest, you can always write them down and leave the book.  But for $10?

During the third week of the month, one day is dedicated to paying bills.  One method of paying bills is the internet.  This is my preferred method.  It pleases me that a few clicks of a mouse button can pay a bill.

Imagine my surprise when this popped up: 

Lord Google seems to have this feature where people can identify fraudulent sites.  I knew there were crafty people out there but this takes the cake!

I’ve read articles, discussing how people get redirected to websites that ask for login information.  Then as a "second step", they ask for verification of your Social Security number.  People blindly type this in, without thinking.  For any bill paying service, I would never, ever enter my social security number.

It took me 10 minutes to verify the site I went to was legit.  I informed Lord Google the website was indeed a real website, not a fraud.  I was thanked, sent on my merry way.  However the error warning is still popping up.

This feature is appreciated.  If I fat-finger a website name and it redirects me to a fraudulent site, its nice someone will bounce up and force me to check.  But after I identify it as "non fraud", this warning should go away. 

Apparently, Lord Google knows better than I.

One of my immediate objectives was to switch banks.

The credit union has been my staple.  The low fees and prime location made this a no-brainer.  The service has always been nice.  They helped me climb out from under the crushing credit card debt I had.

My loans are through Wells Fargo.  I thought it prudent to change my banking and work with them. 

Because my mortgage, I now have the top of the line checking account with all the bells and whistles . . . for free.  No fees whatsoever.  No penalties for minimum balances below 50 cents.  No fees for online bill pay.  Also I get to use their version of eTrade or Ameritrade at a reduced price. 

If there’s more than $5,000 in my checking account I get 3% interest.  When was the last time that happened?  The credit union gives, I think, 0.00247%  Also, I can open their equivalent of a money market account which is currently giving 5% interest.  I’ve been using INGDirect which is 4.5%.  This would be perfect for my "3 months of living expenses" money.

And with the Wells Fargo Credit card, my mortgage and HELOC can be paid with that.  Why?  I’m glad you asked.  I get points when I use my credit card.  These points translate into Frequent Flyer miles.  Every month, I’ll now get a jillion frequent flyer miles which will help defray the cost of my French Fantasies.

The feature deserving high praise is now I can see all my investments in one place.  Once online I can instantly see all my mortgages, loans, investments along with payment history, interest payments, etc.  This is visibility I’ve never had before and it is very, very appealing.

BUT that’s not the best feature.  The best feature is the free stuffed pony they gave me.  Here horsey horsey! 

(Bugsie sold separately)