Welcome to Chez Cliff!

Recently I was asked to perform a "paradigm shift" on someone.

No, this is not like an exorcism.  No casting out of demons or removing evil spirits.

This was more along the lines of "Hey, what you’re doing isn’t working" type situation.  And since I’m a friend to the "victim", it was decided I would be the logical choice to say something.

I refused.

The lens of the glasses we use to view the world, our paradigm, is often jaded to present the facts a certain way.  This explains why two people can read the same news article yet one find it full of good news, the other full of bad news.  It is dependent on the lens worn that day.

Sometimes, these lens  are something picked up through the years.  Whether learned in college or the work place, these are often times the easiest of lens to change.  Other lens, the lens we picked up from childhood, are the most difficult.  These are the lens which most people build their entire life upon.  And this is not a far-fetched concept to grasp.  It is no surprise that child-molesters were molested as children; alcoholics beget alcoholics; cold and unemotional environments produce cold children.

Putting the criminal element aside, I was being asked to change the lens of someone that they have probably carried with them since childhood.  And these are the most difficult, if not most dangerous of lens to change.

The reasons for the change are good.  It is believed the person could benefit from it drastically.  However experience shows that people need to be willing to put down their lenses before picking up a new pair.  If this person is perfectly content with leading their life the way they see fit then who am I to suggest differently? Who is the one that dictates that the lenses I am offering are better than the ones already being worn?

The answer: not me.

This is not some vague attempt to dump my responsibilities as a friend.  Rather it is a round about way of saying that this is why we accept friends the way they are.  Trying to change someone’s core beliefs only drives them away.  Accepting them for who they are, no matter how weird they may be, is what draws us together.  And it is this acceptance that allows for growth in the future, should that day ever come.

Not that I’m harping on "Lowes Kitchen Cabinets" as the best but rather I’m sharing some cost saving tips I learned less I forget.

Once again.

The first time Elder provided me with a quote on the Shenandoah Cabinets, it was $5500.  Remember my budget was $5000 (including tax).  Inquiring of Elder what can be done to reduce this cost, she simply stated "Change the finish."

Even the pre-fab cabinets have various finishes on them.  Not that I could really tell by first glance.  The type of wood I picked out was called "Maple Coffee Glaze".  To my limited knowledge of naming conventions, I thought "Coffee Glaze" was like "Quiet Splendor".

For Elder to say "Go from Coffee Glaze to Spice Coffee" is the equivalent of saying "Well go from Quiet Splendor to Noisy Splendor"

What’s the difference?

About $1000.

Along with a measurement mistake on my part, the actual price fell to around $3800.  Delivered to my door.

To my naked eye, I could not perceive a difference between the two samples in the store.  Unless a perspective tenant uses a 5,000 Watt spotlight to careful examine the cabinets I doubt highly if they will notice the difference.

If they do, I’ll ask them to leave before their miniature "sun" burns a hole in my cabinets.

Last time I went to Lowe’s, Blonde Employee deflated my master plans of a $5k cabinet install.  With a quote nearing $10,000 I thought I was doomed.  Kitchen Cabinets are expensive.

Next was the quote for $6600.  It was in the ball park and serious consideration was given in pursuing this avenue.

Walking through Lowes I realized the "off the shelf" cabinets looked just as good as the $6200 cabinets.  So I figured "Why not?" and decided getting them at Lowes may be cheaper.

Armed with dimensions for the kitchen, Lowes was my target.  Cabinets lined the shelves.  My particular desire, maple, was found everywhere.  Thus began my quest to fill the spaces with pre-made cabinetry.

Until I couldn’t find the first piece.

Lowe’s only has 36 inch corner cabinets.  Thirty four was my maximum.  Ugh.

"It looks like you’ll have a dead space in your corner," crackled Mikki’s voice over my cell phone.

Dead space?  Unacceptable.  My objective was a nice kitchen.  No "white trash" allowed here!

So I did what any grown man would do: temper tantrum.

When I had calmed down, paper sketches of failed kitchen designs laid around me.  Every possible combination had been exhausted.

"Do you need some help?" a sweet voice asked.

My quivering voice, "I need all the help I can get."

"We know.  We’ve been watching you and laughing."

Simply known as "The Elder", this Lowes Employee was sympathetic to my cause.  My ears perked up when she informed me I could have pre-fabbed cabinets delivered to my house per my specifications within two weeks.

Price tag:  $4500 (including tax)

My objective:  $5000

It seems there are three tiers of cabinets at Lowes.  First, there is the low-end, off the shelf, ebay destined cabinets.  Then there is the higher end, pre-fabs only available in variety of dimensions.  Last, but not cheap least, is the custom cabinets made to fit any kitchen.

Anger filled me as the Elder explained this to me.  Why didn’t Blonde mention this before?

You know something?  When you’re really angry  you can’t feel yourself ripping your hair out.

There is a positive side to not being good with color: I know someone who is.

The interior colors were chosen by someone else.  And so was the stain for the floor.

The wood is oak.  Being sanded as we speak.  FloorGuy asked what color of stain I wanted.  Last time with the floors, I didn’t have a choice.  The stain was chosen and applied.  Not that I’m angry; the floors turned out great.

For this time, I was not sure I could pick out a stain.

FloorGuy, sympathetic to my dilemma, put three stains on the floor and let me pick.  Sort of.

Over the years, various animals and people have felt this need to relieve themselves on the floor.  Dark spots are present everywhere.  Unfortunately, sanding can’t remove these bodily fluids from the floor.

In the end, coffee stain was chosen.  Not because it was the prettiest.  Rather this dark stain did an excellent job of hiding the spots.  At first glance, one could never tell the living room once doubled as a public restroom.

A peculiar trend has occurred in my thinking.  I want to toss out and see what others may think.

Kind of a theory which fits the facts.

In college, my world consisted of twenty dollars.  Everything was in terms of twenty.  Twenty dollars would feed me for a week.  Twenty dollars would fill my car up with gas.  My paycheck, as paltry as it was, provided me with a bunch of "twenties" with which to maintain my limited college lifestyle.

After college, my world expanded a tiny bit into the "hundreds".  My student loan was in the hundreds.  My car payment, credit car payments, etc. were all in terms of hundreds.  My paycheck was broken down into hundreds to pay for all of these bills.  My greatest challenge was to ensure I had enough "hundreds" to cover all the "hundreds" going out the door.

Now with these two pieces of real estate, I think in terms of thousands.  Everything I look at is in terms of thousands.  My mortgage payments are in the thousands, my rental income is in the thousands. 

I feel myself scraping against the "ten thousand" point.  With the purchase of the next set of properties, sometime early 2008, my finances will move me right against the realm of the "ten thousands".

It is no small stretch of the imagination that advanced real estate investors, like Donald or Steven Wynn, are moving in the "millions" frame of mind.

Thoughts?  Opinions?

What frame do other investors deal in?