Live & Flip

Self-Analysis part 1

I have listened to the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill 3 times now and I'm about to start reading it. This book is a must for every investor and should be a stable in any business library. One topic mentioned in the book is an annual self analysis. I feel this is important and I am about to do my first true self analysis. Kinda scary to think I have spent nearly 1/3 of a century on this planet and never once stopped to take a true accounting of myself. 2010 is a golden year for ...

Short Update

Its amazing how life can get hectic.  Ive been accomplishing quite a bit lately, but never as much as I want too.  Seems like the to do list grows faster then the accomplished list.  Ah well.  I will add an 09 review and my goals for 2010 soon.  I think this is very important to do every year. I'm still getting letters in.  I've got a way to go to catch up to Scott's 150+  I'm at a mere 26.   So be it.  Its always good to shoot for the stars.  I was finally able to get a list for Denver count...

Probate progress

In the past few weeks, I have gotten quite a bit done. -I figured out mail merge for envelopes and letters saving me countless hours down the road. -Spruced up my letter a bit with the help of my fiance.  She sends out letters quite often and has to polish them up. -Contacted my buyers agent and setup a deal for submitting offers on properties.  I should also be able to tap into his very large buyers list. -Sent out 8 letters so far.  I know its not many, but its a great start. Lo...

House Repipe

Apparently repipe is not a word according to Microsoft word, but that’s essentially what just happened at my house yesterday.  I mentioned previously that much of the 55 year old piping had corroded to the point it could not be removed or added to very easily.  I decided to do a complete house repipe.  I talked the contractor down to a very good price of $1800.  While that may seem ridiculously low, I should explain a few things. First he used a new pipe http://www.pexinfo.com/.  Its been around...

Bids, Bids, Bids

I decided to finally get some contract work done on my house.  Window replacement and moving the washing machine out of the kitchen and into the utility room. For the windows I have 11 windows to replace with 2 actually becoming one picture window with side single hung sliders.  I called 3 companies, Home Depot, New Windows America and Renewal by Anderson.  The bids came in at $6000, $3700 and $12000 respectively.   Its still amazes me how much money you can save by getting multiple bids.  ...

Thank you burgular

This post is a shout out to the crooks in my neighborhood.  Thank you for breaking my backdoor window.  Had it not been for you I would have never even thought to replace it.  In my quest to fix the broken window and every window replacement company quoting me close to $200 for a 19 inch by 15 inch double pane window, I started searching Lowes.  I happened across the same exact door that I have.  Only this door had a full window with mini blinds in it.  Noticing it was an insert, I promtly order...

No Third Rental Yet

I was unable to refi on my third rental.  I needed another 13k in liquid assets in order to make this happen.  To be honest, I'm not entirely disapointed.  What started out as a good deal has really turned into a sour one.  Mostly due to the amount I would have to bring to closing.  Originally it was just closing costs.  Then fannie mae dropped refi from 80% to 75% and during the long delay to refi the house dropped 10k in value.  Mostly due to investor interest and flippers in my rental area.  ...

Lots going on

I'm failing a bit at my goal for one blog post a week.  I really just need to set time aside each week.  Lately my time management has not been great.  SO I have to resort to an  update again.My rental is still vacant, but I have a section 8 tenant that is approved and nearly ready to move in.  This is a little property and my new property manager handles plenty of sec 8 tenants.Speaking of property manager, they have taken quite a headache and time sink off my shoulders already.  I estimate I s...

Snowstorms and Property Management

This is just a quick update on what is happening. On my rental that had the water leak, I had another issue.  A 30+ year old Russian olive tree couldn't take the weight off a recent very wet snow storm.  The whole tree fell over.  It appeared to be rotted near the center of the trunk.  I have spent my evenings doing tree removal.  It has taken 3 trips so far and I have removed about 2/3 of the tree.  I went out and bought an electric chainsaw.  Don't laugh, that little 3 Hp bugger has gone th...

Playin in the Dirt

Now that springtime is upon us I can't help but play in the yard.  Yard work drives me.  Inside the house is ok, but my time is best spent in the yard.  In my backyard I have two cloths line poles that are likely original.  There is also a concrete path that follows the lines.  The layout is similar to most homes in the area.  Since I have a modern dryer in the house, there is no need for the line.  If I ever had to dry closes outside, I have string and a tree.  One pole is near the house and wi...