[Diego Mamani]

[quote=utcsox]http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-j-samuelson-romney-and-the-welfare-state/2012/09/19/14324ce2-0281-11e2-91e7-2962c74e7738_story.html?hpid=z3

“Actually, the share of people who receive federal benefits exceeds Romney’s 47 percent. Based on its Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), the Census Bureau estimates that in mid-2011 — the latest available figures — the number of people with benefits came to 149.8 million, or 49 percent of the population. But this figure is too low, because SIPP doesn’t include several major programs (farm subsidies and college loans and grants). With these, the total probably exceeds 50 percent.”[/quote]
The problem is not so much the figure he gave, namely the 47%. The problem is that he said that the 47% have a victim mentality, believe are entitled to handouts, and take no personal responsibility.

[Diego Mamani]

If you’re quite confident that your evil step mom is not in the drug business, or not trying to frame you… and if you really like the coach as you said you do, then it shouldn’t be that hard.

Can’t you rent a pick up truck from Avis or Enterprise and then go pick it up yourself? You could ask a friend to go with you, or if not, once there, you could probably offer $10 to a local kid to help you load it.

The only problem I see is that US border agents may want to give you a hard time for bringing merchandise. Anyways, I think that as a US resident, the first $400 you bring in is exempt of tariffs and taxes. Worst case scenario, if customs believe that the couch is worth more than that… then you may have to pay.

This scenario just made me think of something: on the way to Rosarito, stop at the border and ask the customs people what the procedure is.

Also, if the coach looks like an antique, the Mexican border agents may not let you take it out of their country without additional documentation.

[Diego Mamani]

I tend to agree with Squat250 on this… today may not be the absolute peak, but we’re probably within 5%-10% of the peak for 2011-2013.

His senior citizen relative is buying high, unfortunately, and when the market turns down in a few weeks or months, he/she will panic and sell low.

[Diego Mamani]

Call Vanguard and put roll all the money into an IRA, with 100% of the funds going to either the Vanguard 500 fund (mimics the S&P 500 index), or a “target retirement” fund based on your spouse’s (or your combined) expected retirement date. The latter choice maybe less risky; both have low fees.

The main choice is whether to go for a regular rollover IRA, or a Roth IRA. There’s no right or wrong choice. I suggest the latter, pay taxes now, and don’t worry about them when you start withdrawing in the future.

There you go, low cost, moderate risk, and you can leave the money on auto pilot.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=JohnAlt91941]The landlord should pass along the credit to the tenant.[/quote]That’s #4

Something we didn’t consider is asking the tenant whether he really uses the Internet. Depending on his age, line of work, etc., he may not use it all.

[Diego Mamani]

First, inform the tenant (that is, 1 and 2). Then, tell him that you give him the choice of 3 or 4.

[Diego Mamani]

FLU, I hope you’re kidding… The more I read your posts, the more convinced I am that landlording is not for you. If a fridge is leaking water, you do want to know about it. Water can damage your asset (house)! “Never bug me again” is not the proper strategy (unless they are bugging you about really trivial stuff).

I know, elsewhere you wrote “no problem, I just dock their security deposit.” Water damage, and many other kinds of damage can be costlier than a 2-month rent deposit. More generally, as a landlord, you shouldn’t be fostering an antagonistic relationship with your tenants, especially as long as they pay rent on time and are not complete pigs. One should never befriend a tenant, but that doesn’t mean he’s your adversary.

I do agree with your points about having a simpler fridge; however, if the house is in a nicer neighborhood, it’ll be hard to rent if you don’t have a relatively new fridge with ice maker and water dispenser.

A solution for some landlords is to exclude a fridge from the house, but offer to rent one out to the tenant for, say, $40 a month. If the tenant doesn’t buy his own fridge, then you can buy one cheap from Craigslist. If it breaks down, then just buy another used one.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=desmond]Everybody has a opinion and if you don’t follow theirs, your wrong.[/quote]
Your wrong what? Hey, don’t leave us hanging!

[Diego Mamani]

You’re welcome

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=flu][quote=Diego Mamani]Thank you UCGal!

If the tenant is dirty and has food leftovers all over the house (attracting pests), then the one who is SOL is the landlord… Same thing if the tenant will keep quiet and not report minor breakdowns/problems to avoid having to shell out the 70 bucks.[/quote]

That’s were docing the security deposit comes to place.

My tenant reports everything, For things like appliance breakage/water leaks due to things just breaking, I don’t doc the $70 if I think it’s reasonable it just broke.[/quote]

That’s a good strategy; if the tenant knows it won’t cost him a dime to report problems that are due to normal wear and tear, then that’s fine. But the way you described the lease clause at the beginning made me think otherwise.

[quote=flu]I’m just was wondering if “ants” is more of the tenant’s responsbility than the landlord.[/quote]
This is tricky b/c ants could be due to the tenants’ being filthy or careless with water, or just a seasonal thing. I had ants as a tenant, and I think I kept the house clean enough not to encourage them to move in. Anyways, I didn’t call the landlord, I took care of it myself. Also, once the kitchen faucet system broke and I just fixed it myself–the landlord, who is the accidental type, is a FB and I got a sweet below-market rent, so I was happy to do so.

[Diego Mamani]

Thank you UCGal!

If the tenant is dirty and has food leftovers all over the house (attracting pests), then the one who is SOL is the landlord… Same thing if the tenant will keep quiet and not report minor breakdowns/problems to avoid having to shell out the 70 bucks.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=flu]
3) The[re] is a clause in the rental lease agreement that says tenant to pay first $70 of all repairs and service calls.[/quote]
A problem with this clause is that it gives the tenant an incentive not to report problems unless they are urgent. As a landlord, you actually want every minor issue to be fixed before they become larger and costlier to fix. I’m a landlord too, BTW.

[quote=flu]Me thinks tenant is SOL, and anything landlord does is at goodwill.[/quote]
What is SOL? I’ve searched online using ‘tenant,’ ‘landlord,’ etc., as keywords but no luck.

[quote=flu]Then again, to keep a tenant happy, might not be worth arguing over.[/quote]
If the tenant pays rent on time, and appears to keep the house generally clean and in good shape, then I’d just buy plenty of ant bait stations and deploy them myself. Good tenants deserve to be treated accordingly.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=abell]Insurance agents are funny when you ask them about amounts for life insurance. The one that worked with us suggested we insure my husband at a level so that if my husband died so that I remain a stay at home mom. I thought that was crazy, as at that time I was pregnant (and had a 2 year old), and I was not going to add up 18 years of my husbands income to determine the amount on top of everything else we wanted to include (we put two years of current income just to give me time to adjust and find work).[/quote]
I figure, if my savings already exceed two years of current (after tax?) income, then I’m all set and I don’t need life insurance, right?

I’ve seen many “insurance calculators” online, where you enter your age, your income, etc., but they never ask for your current level of assets or net worth. If you’ve saved plenty, then maybe you don’t need life insurance, right?

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=Jazzman]The biggest of all Feng Shui principles is a home that is good value for money. That makes most homes Feng Shui unfriendly. In fact, the bubble was caused by a total disregard for its principles. So to free the positive spirit of your home, and drive out all negative ‘chi’ you must lower the expectations of its value (25-50% will do), and take the lowest offers. This will create great harmony, especially with your neighbors and realtor.

The force be with you![/quote]
LOL! Good one, I love it!

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=jimmyle]Also, I would avoid buying a house with the sink and the stove directly facing each other, this can lead to arguments and conflict within the family.[/quote]
Why? How does the sink and stove relative positions affect your arguments and conflicts?

[Author]

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