Monthly Archives: October 2007

October 7, 2007 · 8:58 am

Am I The Only One Who Didn’t Know?

Okay, so yesterday I wrote about how mad I was about the way tickets disappeared in 30 seconds or less. Check the time of my post and I think you will see that it was just minutes after 10:00 am. After having done so I made one last pathetic attempt to find tickets on Ticketmaster.

No such luck.

So imagine my surprise when I open the paper this morning and find that they sold out 9 shows. They must have made the announcements moments after I turned off the computer and went out to live the rest of my life. I didn’t know I had to hang around and monitor for more shows. I thought they would announce them later.

I’ve since tried again this morning hoping for a secretly announced 10th show. I must be destined to not see him this time around. Oh well, I’ll have fond memories of the show I saw in the Cap Center outside of Washington, DC. There all I had to do was make a phone call.

Sprint Center + Ticketmaster = Corruption

Okay, so Garth Brooks tickets went on sale 6 minutes ago. By 10:00 they said no tickets available online. Now I have 3 computers all refreshing by the second and a phone dialer (who never got through) and we’ve been doing this since 9:58 am as I’m sure thousands of others were. But are you telling me that at 10:00 am when the tickets went on sale that they were already sold out?

How exactly is this thing working? How do you sell 18,000 seats in less than 30 seconds? Were 18,000 really available or was it like the Hannah Montana fiasco where they only made 4,000 available to the “regular” people?

I’m sure Brooks will add concerts. But will the public have a fair shot at them? Or will they go to people hand picked by the Sprint Center, Wal-Mart and Ticketmaster from out of town. My guess is the latter. It will bring in great tax revenue for the city. But the people who voted to fund this thing really don’t have much of a chance. Granted, I live in Olathe so I didn’t vote or pay a tax (yet, they’ll get me at the Power & Light District) but it’s still frustrating.

Kansas City Part of Quiet Boom?

Will Kansas City be part of a quiet boom due to the commodities that flow through our region? I really hadn’t thought about it but after having read this post by THE GNOME OF ZURICH INVESTOR my gut reaction is that he may be right. I’ll have to think about it a little longer.

But let me say this. Since Kansas City is a central railway/trucking hub and transportation is a huge part of our economy along with all the agricultural products that come through our town, it does make sense. Think on this and let me know your thoughts.

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October 5, 2007 · 12:49 pm

Investors Say They Were Duped In Real Estate Scam – Part 1

It’s one thing to say you were duped. But am I to believe that each and every one of these people did not read their loan application? No, I don’t believe it.

As for the mortgage guys I hope the state banking commission will go after these guys full force.

Never forget that any fudging on a loan application will only lead to trouble down the road. Just don’t do it.

And here is a tip: If you make $35,000 a year and are getting approved for $2,000,000 in loans…something might be up.

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October 5, 2007 · 8:45 am

House Alarms: Annoying or Helpful?

Am I the only one who finds house alarms more annoying than helpful? Seriously, I fear nothing more than opening the door for a client and not having been told that there is an active alarm.

This actually happened to me once. The sellers forgot there was going to be a showing and set their alarm. An honest mistake to be sure. But a gigantic waste of time for both myself and my buyer as we stumble around trying to figure out what to do.

Should we wait for the police? Whom do we call? Darn, the seller isn’t answering! Now what? Do we just leave? Sorry, it’s hard to see the features of a house when a horn is blaring in your ear.

I’m quite certain that alarms have saved people’s lives…somewhere. Usually they just go off on accident and annoy the neighbors whose baby was trying to sleep. At least that’s been my experience here in Johnson County, Kansas.

Next subject: Why does Tulsa (how crime ridden can it be?) have so many gated communities?

Shouldn’t This Go Without Saying?

So I had some time to kill over lunch and I needed to pick up a signed contract and earnest money from a client who works at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas. (Fairfax) While there I decided to use the “facilities” and was amused with these signs on the wall for everyone to read.

Shouldn’t this just go without saying? Do I really have to put myself in the position of hearing this question coming from behind a closed stall door?: “Does anyone have any extra toilet paper…and a cheeseburger?”

SPECIAL NOTE TO ATHOL KAY: Disclaimer, really. I didn’t have a camera. This was taken with my Treo Palm in a low lit (fluorescent lighting) bathroom. So get off my back about the quality and focus!!!! 🙂

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October 4, 2007 · 7:15 am

Building Real Estate Wealth in a Challenging Market

Anyone that has talked to me about real estate investing knows that I really like John Schaub’s book . Mr. Schaub has a new book out concerning real estate investing titled Building Real Estate Wealth in a Challenging Market.

I’ve only just begun the book. (Chapter 4 at this point.) But once again I have to say that I am happy with what I’m reading. As reasonable adults with differing opinions I stress that I don’t endorse 100% of Mr. Schaub’s thoughts and ideas. But by in large, it’s right on track with my way of thinking.

From the Introduction…

For 35 years I have adapted my investment strategy to change. Recessions, tax law changes, and fluctuating interest rates have all taken their best swing at the housing market. Through it all an din spite of periodic predictions of a housing collapse, house prices have continued their steady climb.

Today the stage is set for a wave of distress selling and a new era of buying opportunities. Lenders have long forgotten the collapse of the real estate market in the 1980’s. New young lenders are making many high-risk loans. Some of today’s borrowers will become tomorrow’s distressed sellers. The next few years will bring the opportunity of a lifetime to buy quality properties at bargain prices.

It should be noted that the copyright on this book is 2007. Meaning he wrote those two paragraphs at some point in 2006 BEFORE the mortgage crisis. Nothing beats experience.

Building Real Estate Wealth in a Changing Market: Reap Large Profits from Bargain Purchases in Any Economy

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