Thought for the Day

Money has no character, no personality, no values. Its actions only reflect the desires of its owner. 

Miters for your Mouldings

Family Handyman is a great site for good information for non-professionals (like YOU!).  Here are some tips on mitering corners if you follow the link.

Link:
http://www.familyhandyman.com/carpentry/trim-carpentry/how-to-tips-for-tight-miters

Thought for the Day

Don't compare your progress with that of others. We all need our own time to travel our own distance.

Kelly Ripa Sells Her NY Place

Living room of the penthouse, featuring a great staircase.

Kelly Ripa and her husband have sold their New York penthouse for $20 million.  I'm not going to go into all of the details (that's what links are for), but I will put up a gratuitous picture of Kelly.

Link:
http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2014/09/22/kelly-ripas-nyc-penthouse-sells-for-20-million/?cps=gravity

Thought for the Day

Sometimes it is wiser to join forces with opponents than to fight them.

Fear the Professional Tenant

There are unscrupulous tenants out there who will game the system and make life miserable for you if you rent to them.  Even though you treat them fairly and are honest, they will lie to your face and use legal delays to live rent-free in your place until you can finally get rid of them thousands of dollars later.  Then they will move on to their next victim.

I had a bad experience with one of these, although he was more passive and played on my sympathies for his family than anything else.  He just wanted to live there as cheap as possible and did, until I got a court order to evict them.  Sadly, future tenants needing a bit of understanding will pay the price for his manipulations.

A landlord and attorney in Massachusetts with some experience in these matters offers some helpful hints on spotting these people before they get approved to live in your place.

I'd be interested in hearing from the other side of this,  Anybody want to share a bad landlord story?

Link:
http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2014/08/30/professional-tenants-and-how-not-to-fall-victim-to-them/

Thought for the Day

Instead of complaining about what you don’t like about your job, start commending what you do like and see how quickly it improves.

Metro Detroit Home Prices Soar, Especially in Hot Spots

This nice couple from South Lyon are in the middle of a real estate
market upswing more dramatic than we are seeing Downriver.

It's no secret that Metro Detroit real estate prices are going up, and have been for a while.  After the big crash in the second half of the last decade, up is about all they could go.

What is not so apparent, but should be known, is that not all areas are going up uniformly.  Some areas lead the pack and some areas lag.  In our area, we have no leaders, at least according to the article.  We do have a laggard, Romulus.

Statistics don't lie.  I am not shocked that the Grosse Pointes are once again in vogue.  What I don't understand is why more people do not realize the great neighborhoods and cities Downriver and give them a little love.  Our area gets an unfair rap, in my humble opinion.

Oh well, read the story in the Free Press anyways.

Link:
http://www.freep.com/story/money/real-estate/home-sales/2014/10/12/real-estate-hot-spots-michigan-housing/17107651/