The decision to buy or rent a home is big one, especially if you’ve never purchased real state before. Here’s my story about how I decided on buying a home vs renting. For me, the decision came up one rainy winter. Rain during the winter in San Francisco means lots and lots of snow in
How To Decide Whether To Buy Or Rent A Home Read More »
The FS20 property indicator is a way to help you buy a house with more confidence. Given the relative illiquidity of real estate, there is huge room to get your property transaction right or wrong. My hope is for all of you to get maximum value whether you’re buying or selling. There are many variables
FS20: A New Property Leading Indicator That Gives Buyers Confidence Read More »
Want to get rich or feel rich? You might as well take advantage of rich people! OK, I’m not trying to be insidious. Hear me out in this post. For background, I retired with a $3 million net worth in 2012 at age 34. Today, I’m 47 with an eight figure net worth thanks to
How To Take Advantage Of Rich People So You Can Get Rich Too Read More »
Getting a hot tub (spa) has been the absolute best splurge I’ve ever made. The second best splurge is building a deck. Once the global pandemic hit, I went from going to my hot tub once or twice a week to three or four times a week. Having a hot tub has been a life-saver!
Hot Tub Economics: The Cost To Own And Maintain A Hot Tub Read More »
If you want to buy a house in this housing market, know that it’s hard to get a mortgage nowadays. The lending market is incredibly tight and only borrowers with the best credit are getting the best rates. Further, mortgage rates have risen substantially since the beginning of 2022, making affordability more difficult as well.
Why It’s So Hard To Get A Mortgage According To A Loan Officer Read More »
I’ve written a pretty detailed post about analyzing whether it’s better to invest in stocks or real estate. Check it out if you’re wondering where to put your money. I tried to be unbiased in my analysis, but due to my experience investing in both asset classes for over a decade, I came to the
Stocks Versus Real Estate: It Depends On Your Luck Read More »
Timeshares are often thought of as very luxurious and accommodating vacations. Timeshare salespeople make the pitch the vacation can even end up costing you less than traditional hotel vacations. Let’s take a look at the state of the timeshare industry. Despite how wonderful these luxurious vacations are, the COVID-19-induced recession led many timeshare owners to
The State of the Timeshare Industry Read More »
Although it seems absurd to pay a 5% commission to sell a property in the internet age, a great real estate agent with good connections may be worth it. Let’s say the best price you thought you could have gotten for your property was $1 million. But your real estate agent was able to work
How A Bad Real Estate Agent Can Kill Your Chances Of Getting The Best Selling Price Read More »
One of the most gratifying investments I’ve made is landscaping a fixer I bought in 2014. Great landscaping can really improve the value of your property. Not only does good landscaping make the property look great, it may create more useable space. What’s funny though is that when I was in my 20s and 30s, I
Landscaping As An Investment: Focus On Aesthetics And Functionality Read More »
