More Chinese Products, for the Galley This Time

Well hell, pack em in motor oil and ship em out

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by Kai Nui

Well hell, pack em in motor oil and ship em out

New or used oil? Might have problems with the Free Trade Act shipping new oil over the border!

Far as I know, no oil embargo with Canada. Yet

[hellosailor]

My mother used to drive past the house her father hadn't bought pre-WW2 for $5000 or so and remark how much it was worth "today". Funny thing is, one year I fired up a spreadsheet and put $5000 in a "bank" at the usual interest rates, adjusted them for the years, and the huge sum the house was worth had just kept up with inflation. Or money in the bank. So, don't let the monopoly money deceive you, real estate is NOT always a winning market.

KN, Dave-
I was very active in my alumni boards for a while, and the questions of where education was going and how we would steer the university were always an issue. Needless to say with plenty of professional educators and administrators in the mix. And there's no doubt, no debate, that the US mandatory school system was designed and shaped by 19th century industrialists in order to provide obedient cannon-fodder for their sweatshops and factories. Can't hold you bladder? Too bad, sit down, shut up, be a good little droid and maybe we'll recognize when you hold up your hand. Think the teacher's wrong? Sit down, shut up, we'll subject you to mass ridicule to discourage your creativity. All designed to produce late 19th century industrial line workers--nothing more.

The system has changed, sometimes, in some places, in the last 30 years. There are a number of very loud voices that have been shouting for the changes, but they are facing a lot of entrenched interests. Things don't look good, it will take a combination of high pressure from the feds and good guidance to makea better change--and you wouldn't want to take those odds to Vegas.

"They have to somehow come up with $20000 or $30000 to even think of buying a home. A daunting figure when you make $8 an hour. "
But there are immigrant families that do it. A $5 20lb sack of rice will make lunch and dinner for nearly three weeks all by itself. What, no MacDonalds? No, that's a hard choice but that's one way some immigrant families get ahead, and folks in the US refuse to.

"the deal's are increasingly difficult, but they can be found, and they are there if you want to make sacrifices, "
On the one hand, every time someone cashes in by selling seminars and books, it increases the competition and makes the deals harder to find. Even worse, it gives people crazy ideas that sucker them in over their heads, tainting the wells while bankrupting the suckers.

And then even in the schools, the kids are still taught to be consumers, they'll come home crying if they don't have the right logos on their sneakrs and hats. That's a nasty hard pressure to resist.

[ssullivan]

Ahh... the grinder. Forgot about that thing.

I spent 4 hours yesterday cleaning with a dry rag, then Q-tips (there are maybe 80 holes where the meat comes out that also had used motor oil), then washed in soapy water and finally bleach.

Seems clean now. I re-oiled with Canola (Canadian oil Knotty *could* use.. haha ha)

The eBayer, who had a good reputation agreed to refund half of the $40 cost of the item. Reasonable guy... bad supplier he has in China. I haven't ground any meat yet with it, but I'll be doing so with a shoulder of venison on Thursday.

Sounds like an amicable solution. I have to say, I have no bad feelings toward a vendor who is willing to make an effort to make a satisfied customer. His product is what it is. If he believes it is being accurately represented, and the consumer does not, the best that could be expected is for that vendor to try to make adjustments so that the consumer feels he got his money' worth. Sounds like that was the end result.

[seafox]

"They have to somehow come up with $20000 or $30000 to even think of buying a home. A daunting figure when you make $8 an hour. "
But there are immigrant families that do it.

That is right Hello Salior.

Three years ago I used to sell Real Estate. Families would come to NZ with nothing (from South Africa, Iraq etc etc). Within a few short years their kids were doing well at school, they had bought a house and were running successful small businesses. There is no excuse for someone born here to moan about how hard it is. If getting ahead is important to you, use your body and brain and get ahead. If it aint, move on and don't moan about the people who have.

[ssullivan]

And just how did the immigrants do it??

I know how: They piled 3 or 4 generations of their family into a small house, sharing rooms, etc... I live among them now and my wife works with them. This is how they have done it. That, and some we know were prostitutes to pay the mortgage for their families. No lie.

It is possible to do anything if you are willing to make a sacrifice like that. Just seems like if my parents and grandparents were able to live in their own homes and raise families on a single income, my generation should be able to do it with the same ease they did - or at worst with two incomes. That is what's so different from the past couple generations.

Anyway, Kai Nui is right. That is why the eBay seller had 12,000 positive comments. He is a fair and resonable guy. What bugs me a little is the number of people on here who said I was a cheap SOB for buying this guy's product. It was more expensive and looked better built in all the pictures. I actually bought the grinder that looked like it would last a lifetime. Anyway... all's well that ends well.

[cat man do]

Just had these come down the line to me.

Positive Geared Cashflow Properties - cash flow investment property specialists

Positive Geared Cashflow Properties - cash flow investment property specialists

Positive Geared Cashflow Properties - cash flow investment property specialists

Positive Geared Cashflow Properties - cash flow investment property specialists

Positive Geared Cashflow Properties - cash flow investment property specialists

This is just a few that were sent to me from a crowd in Australia.

I have no intention of buying US as I don't know the market, but it would seem that some of these could have the owner live in part and rent out the rest to help service the debt.

Like the bag of rice comment "Hello Sailor'' we love asian food and sitting not 10 feet from me is a 25 kg bag of jasmine rice, and we haven't eaten at McD's for at least 5 year's.

Dave

[hellosailor]

Cat man, " have the owner live in part and rent out the rest " That's illegal in most of the municipalities in the US. You'll find most single-family homes here are in areas where the zoning laws do not allow tenants. Which is not to say that illegal tenants aren't common in many areas.

One county over from me, the tax assessors have gotten creative about that. They've been going after illegal rooming houses (where there may be 4-10 illegal tenants, not just one) by the simple expedient of documenting the comings and goings, and then re-assessing the property at a full commercial rate on the next tax bill. Oh, and asking for back taxes at that rate as well. I give them credit, it's ingenious.
I only wish they'd go after *all* the illegal sublets that way.

I'd put that cashflow site on the probable scam list. When they don't say where the property is, or what the prices are, all they are doing is selling "memberships". Any realtor in the US will give you more information than that, free for the price of an email.

[seafox]

They work hard and save, dont spend their money on beer, nightclubs, fast cars, computers and flatscreens.
I used to go and visit some of them and was surprised at how simple they could live.
There are too many things for families and young people to spend their money on these days that did not exist years ago. Also easy credit, buy now pay later does not help.

[cat man do]

I'd put that cashflow site on the probable scam list

This crowd can usualy access this style of thing in OZ before it get's listed to the general public.

You are correct, they do ask for a couple of grand membership, but they will specifically source the style of property that you are after and as many times in a year as you want.

Some people don't have the time to spend the week's required to get on the RE agent's short list of worthwhile properties.

The area's I look for property, I get the call from the agent before it goes in the window, Cashflow Properties probably get the same call.

Most good deal's don't even appear in the agent's window or on the net, and would usually have a contract on them within 24 hour's.

Cat man, " have the owner live in part and rent out the rest "

A few of those link's were for flat's/unit's, surely they can legally have an owner tennant arrangement?

Also I might add I in no way endorse or have anything to do with this crowd

Dave

[ssullivan]

Huh.... that's how I have to live too. My wife and I live exactly like this: Drive a Hyundai, live on a boat because it's cheaper, don't go to restaurants or out to drink, don't have much of anything most people have. (our exception is we each have a computer).

This is my point... saying it again. Why do I have to live like an immigrant, when my family has been here for 2-3 generations and has had a better lifestyle than my generation has?

Herein lies the problem.

Originally Posted by seafox

They work hard and save, dont spend their money on beer, nightclubs, fast cars, computers and flatscreens.
I used to go and visit some of them and was surprised at how simple they could live.
There are too many things for families and young people to spend their money on these days that did not exist years ago. Also easy credit, buy now pay later does not help.

[hellosailor]

Cat man-
Here, any real estate agent that does not put a property "in the window" in order to get the highest bid, can be criminally convicted for failnig to do his legal duty to the seller. The quiet under-the-table bank sales of foreclosure properties pretty much ended 20 years ago, when the bankers got overwhelmed byu the number of folks offering to pay them off to get the listings. There's just too much market competition in most markets. Then again, there are still some like the small town banker that went to jail over the way he dealt with my friend's relatives. He arranged a failure and sold the property off again cheap to his buddies--and did it once to often.

There are a lot of hungry brokers here, if you tell them "I'm looking for ___ in the area of ___ in the price range of ___ they'll call you whenever it becomes available, if they think you're a real bidder. They want every real bidder. If they think you're some flake 12,000 miles away who is asking them about properties at half the market listing...no, they won't call. They'd rather sell direct than put a property in the MLS and split the commission. In most markets, they're only too glad to keep lists of buyers rather than use the MLS.

Rental properties are common. The one URL I looked at looked like a single family home, what's called a "ranch" here. (Meaning, all on one level.) There have been some pieces on the media here about internet real estate "bargain" scams, and one of the many problems are that they'll advertise a unit as being good for rentals--when the zoning prohibits it. And, you'll need to meet other rules, bring the property up to code, etc. Then you also have the problem of the tenants, learning how to get good ones is a while other ball of fish. Doing that from far away, increases the risk again. I'm not saying it can't be done or isn't--just that it isn't a sure thing. Finding a property manager, contractors for repairs...all these things are hard enough if you are here in person. Awfully hard by remote control.

An example? One friend of mine asked for bids from a half dozen fencing companies at a home show, where they paid money to come and exhibit and solicit business. Not a *one* showed up to make the estimate on the property. That's sadly typical here, for painters, glaziers, electricians, flooring...you make the appointment, they just never show. Must be a great way to do business, because it is so popular. (I'd like to buy the book on how to do THAT one.<G>)

[cat man do]

Hellosailor, I know where you are coming from.

Can't get tradies to show up over here either.

We are obviously lucky, cause I can go out and rent a room in my house tomorrow if so inclined to help pay of my debt.

I cant legaly just split up a house and rent out seperate room's though as it would have to have unit or duplex approved site status.

Unfortunately most of the RE agent's over here seem to have it easy at the moment and aren't interested in actualy doing any work, infact some of the houses we have purhased we actually had to drve the 800 klm up the road and go doorknocking and make offer's and purchase ourselves.

We do get a bit of that REA's selling to their mate stuff as we'll and it is illegal if it can be proved, but usually just frowned on.

Needless to say that most of the devlopment in boom areas is done by the principal's of Real estate offices.


Shark's aren't just in the water, or Native to the US

Back to the meat grinder

Dave