Dealing With Unpleasant Negotiators

Writen by Raynor James

Selling your house yourself can be intimidating if you’re doing it the first time. Here’s how to deal with unpleasant negotiators.

Unpleasant Negotiators

Sometimes you encounter someone who is not going to be happy unless he maneuvers you into accepting less than your home is worth or doing things for his benefit that are unreasonable. Then what? Well, first let’s discuss the most common forms these nasty types take and then we’ll talk about what to do with them.

One frequent form the unpleasant negotiator takes is the person who tries to intimidate you and disparage your property. Red flags should go up if someone works hard at trying to get you on the defensive. I’m not talking about an occasional negative remark. What I’m talking about is a whole string of them and the attitude that goes with it. Even if it’s cloaked in the appearance of classic good manners and charm, you’re dealing with a rascal.

The second typical form an unpleasant negotiator takes is the “nibbler.” You think negotiations are over and that the two of you have come to a mutually acceptable agreement. Then at various points as you progress toward completion of the sales process, the other person “nibbles.” They usually pretend they had no idea that the carpet needed to be stretched, the roof needed to be replaced, the crystal chandelier in the dining room did not convey, or fill in the blank, and use that as an excuse to change things. This process can and does continue right up to the point of settlement or the point the deal falls apart, whichever comes first!

The Walk Away Secret

Sometimes you get these two nasty types in one negotiator, but don’t despair. You can cope with them. The first thing you need to do is to stay in a calm, evaluating frame of mind. At each step along the way, ask yourself, “Is this reasonable? Am I willing to do this in order to make a sale?” Proceed as long as the answer is “yes.”

Be willing to walk away if the answer becomes “no.” I cannot over emphasize the power of “being willing to walk away” from negotiations. Don’t read that phrase too quickly. Be “willing to walk away.” It is one of the strongest negotiating tools on the planet. It’s simple. It does not require being nasty. However, what it does require is that you not consider your home sold (or bought, for that matter) until all negotiations are really over.

Think about it. You put yourself in a “losing posture” with a nasty negotiator the moment you emotionally consider your house sold. So long as you’re willing to walk away, you have power that is as strong as the buyer’s wish to buy. If such a “deal” blows up, so be it. You weren’t going to get what you wanted from it anyway.

Now, a word about “nibbles.” There is a civilized way to cope with this. Don’t hop into doing it until you really feel it is a nibble or you become a nasty negotiator yourself. However, a nibble can be dealt with by inquiring blandly, “If I do that for you, will you do ‘fill in the blank’ for me?” Your goal is to convey to the nibbler that each successful nibble will cost him something. Make it something significant relative to the nibble request.

If you don’t think fast on your feet, you can always say, “I’ll get back to you on that.” Don’t allow yourself to be rushed if you think best when you mull things over.

Stay calm and thoughtful. No one can force you to make a sale or purchase that’s not in your best interest. Keep evaluating the situation, and stay open to the possibility that you may need to walk away until the sale is complete. That way you won’t force yourself to do what’s not in your best interest either. It’s not easy, but it’s very simple. Stay in control of yourself.

Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org providing FSBO homes for sale by owner. Visit our “sell my home” page at http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to list and sell your home for free for one month. Visit http://www.fsboamerica.org/buyer.cfm to see homes for sale by owner.

You Don’t Need Health Insurance!

Writen by Wallace Conway

Seems almost every situation in our lives is centered on communication. Good or bad, the way we express our thoughts, wants, and needs to each other determines how we live, love, and learn together.

As a guy who is a regular on the seminar circuit, does a live radio show, an HGTV television show, writes books, columns, and articles, and all the while runs a thriving home inspection company, I get to do a great amount of communicating. Some of that communication is by transmitting; some of it is by receiving. After much reflection, I have come to the conclusion that nothing is learned when we transmit, but great gains come from receiving. That is to say, we learn when we listen, not when we speak.

Not a day goes by that I am not listening to Realtors. Most days I listen to more than a few, some days more than a dozen, and on occasion, I listen to hundreds at a single seminar sitting. The things Realtors tell me help me get better. Better at home inspecting, better at dealing with customers, better on the radio, just better at every aspect of my professional life! But all that input is not without moments. Those moments range from the amazing to the zealous, sad to humorous, and brilliant to well, less than brilliant!

One of my favorite Realtor quotes follow, complete with my thoughts and commentary. A disclaimer before we begin, if this particular quote sounds like you, know that none of what follows is from a single source, but representative of things I hear on a near daily basis.

“You don’t need a home inspection, you’re getting a home warranty”.

Seems to make sense to some that if items are warranted, their condition is of little importance. But among the problems with this thought are:

1. All items that might fail may not be warranted, and
2. Items presently not functioning would be exempted from coverage as an existing problem.

When explaining the relationship of the home inspection to the home warranty, consider the home inspection to be a physical exam and the warranty to be health insurance. Would you ever expect to hear someone say, “you don’t need a physical exam, you’ve got health insurance”? Doesn’t seem to make much sense, does it? That is essentially what we are saying to our customers with the “you don’t need a home inspection, you are getting a home warranty” comment!

Let’s flip it around now. How about “you don’t need a home warranty, you are getting a home inspection”. Here’s the medical equivalent, “you don’t need health insurance, you just had a physical exam”!

Insane!

In so many instances, when I have been able to explain a new or complex home related issue to a customer in equivalent medical terms, they suddenly get it. They seem to understand and are now comfortable. Clearly, most homebuyers are not in the medical profession, but the language is familiar to them. Must be from watching ER or Marcus Welby reruns!

So be clear in your communications with your customers. Be ready and able to clearly articulate a compelling argument for anything you wish to say. And above all, EDUCATE your customers. Educate them on why they need a home inspection, a home warranty, or whatever the subject is. Teach them how to choose a qualified home inspector. Teach them how to make a good decision on any real estate subject or issue. They will love you for it!

This subject and more about the interactions and relationships in real estate are discussed in Wally Conway’s book, “Secrets of the Happy Home Inspector”, available at GoHomePro.com or Amazon.com. As a speaker, writer, instructor, and host of The Happy Home Inspector radio show every Saturday at 3 PM on WOKV 690, Wally blends the right amount of up to date information with just the right amount of humor, insight, motivation, and real world application.

Visit WallyConway.com or GoHomePro.com for more information!

Log Homes What is the Log Home Lifestyle?

Writen by Al Hearn

Typical log home company advertisements in popular log home magazines talk about the “log home lifestyle” or “it’s not just a home, it’s a lifestyle.” What does this mean? What is “the” log home lifestyle?

It’s often difficult to discuss the particulars of log home living without also talking about where the log home is located. It all goes together. A house on the side of beautiful mountain certainly offers a different lifestyle than the same house in a city.

Therefore, the log home lifestyle is actually induced by the combination of the attributes of the house and its location. If the location is one of natural beauty and serenity that creates a feeling of closeness to nature and escape from the pressures of everyday life, the house should complement and enhance those feelings. Everything should fit together as part of the lifestyle “package.”

For many people, logs and stone represent a return to a simpler natural lifestyle. Log homes are often described as warm, cool, quiet, cozy, relaxing, enchanting, secure, or comfortable. Often, a pleasant childhood memory or experience in a vacation log cabin or log lodge helps build these kinds of feelings.

A log home’s features and furnishings also contribute to the lifestyle. A screened porch overlooking a babbling mountain stream, spacious ceilings with exposed timber beams, roaring fires in a natural stone fireplace, a wall of large windows offering a view of the morning mist over the lake, comfortable “country” furniture that invites a long restful sit, a rustic staircase climbing to a cozy loft, large rocking chairs on the front porch from which to view the sunsets, and maybe a relaxing hot tub that, together with a glass of mountain wine, dissolves all the troubles of the day.

Many people start with a small weekend cabin and soon realize that they love the lifestyle so much that they want to live it permanently a kind of “try before you buy” approach.

Log homes can also be considered a form of connection with ancestors who may have lived in similar structures long ago a way to turn back time and live a bit of the old lifestyle with modern comforts and conveniences, of course.

Al Hearn is owner and operator of http://www.LogHomeAdvisor.com, a web site for log home enthusiasts. The site provides comprehensive information, resources, and advice about log home planning and building.

Home Hunting and the Internet

Writen by Sameer Panjwani

So, it’s home hunting time. Where do you start? Who do you contact? Well, home hunting has been made much easier with the advent of the Internet. There are plenty of websites these days with huge numbers of real estate listings, which make the task of finding a home so much easier. You can now browse through home listings, compare prices, compare the specifics of each home before deciding on which home you wish to see. Not only do you save on a lot of time but you get to choose from among a variety of homes hence not missing out on any home you may regret not having seen earlier. In addition, you also stand to benefit when it comes to negotiating for your new home as you have access to details of other homes and their prices and these comparisons can be put forward to the home owner.

So where do you begin searching for a home? Which are the websites you should start with? Realtor.com is popular for its huge database of real estate listings by agents all over the country. However, you may want to check out a few “for sale by owner” websites first as homes being sold by owners may fetch you a better bargain, a much better bargain if you consider that owners have to shell out up to 6% of the final sale price in commissions. To name a few such websites, ChoiceOfHomes.com and ForSaleByOwner.com have a number of real estate listings of homes for sale by owner all over the country. So browse through these sites and hopefully you’ll find the home of your choice!

Happy Home Hunting!

Sameer S Panjwani is the CEO and Founder of ChoiceOfHomes.com Real estate listings of homes on sale and rent.

Pretend Investors Losing Their Shirts

Writen by Bill Carey

Into this new year of 2006 we are now seeing the bad decisions made by pretend real estate investors from 2005. There are too many untrained or poorly trained real estate investors in the marketplace today. January 4th 2006 we inspected 3 homes in pre foreclosure or foreclosure that were purchased by investors from the bank in 2005. These were all good money deals for knowledgeable real estate investors but not these guys.

Deal #1, Investor buys a house for $112,000. The bank foreclosed on the property for $91,000 two months prior. We passed on the deal our highest offer was $84,000 a big difference from $112,000.

Here’s why: ARV is $135,000

Our profit is $20,000 notice we take our profit out first

Repairs were $19,000

Carrying & Sales Cost $9,900

Miscellaneous $2,100

Highest Offer $84,000

Pretend investor pays $27,900 too much, and now is trying to unload his mistake at pre foreclosure for $149,000 on a poorly finished and under funded house.

Deal #2, Investor buys a house for $172,000. A pre foreclosure deal we didn’t even see this one coming. It was a good deal the ARV is $295,000 plenty of room to make a good profit.

The problem is this investor had too many deals in process at the same time. 3 other projects underway when he picked up this deal used the same bank on all 4 deals and personally signed each note and took title in his and his wife’s names. I don’t know how the other deals fell apart but this one could have been flipped for a small profit ($10,000 to $15,000) to another investor and maybe save the others.

Mistakes on top of mistakes never take title in your own name use a separate land trust, an LLC or a Corporation for each property. Never personally sign a note on an investment property to a bank. Use hard money lenders, use private lenders, use your Roth IRA, use your wife’s Roth and kids educational IRA these will fund your retirement or the kids education.

Deal #3, Investor buys a house for $28,000. His first investment with an ARV of $65,000 and repairs of $11,000 the plan was to rehab, refinance, hold, and rent the property. Rental rate in this area for a 2 bedroom, 1000 sq ft houses is about $575.00 a month. Which is a small monthly income to cover your cash flow or cash on hand for your family and your business but there is more to this problem. Here with $11,000 in repairs the investor tries the cheap way to complete the job. He hires a part time general contractor who takes over 3 months to mostly complete the project. The contractor left some supplier bills unpaid and work incomplete before he quits because he wasn’t paid on time. After hiring another contractor to finish the job and paying all the bills the final cost of repairs is $19,500 and 4

Lansbrook Real Estate Luxurious Living

Writen by Robert Lipply

Lansbrook is an extraordinary community to call home. Consisting of 19 awesome unique subdivisions, Lansbrook is one of the most popular developments in northern Pinellas County. Located in the city of Palm Harbor, this exceptional community features town homes, small homes or even luxury estates. The lush green landscaping, soaring trees and breathtaking fountains show a taste of the allure this community provides. Many residents of Lansbrook enjoy golf course views from the Lansbrook Golf Club course which is not only scenic, but a challenging game as well. With its 18 hole golf course, driving and chipping greens and a driving range, it’s a golf lovers paradise by membership or on a daily rate.

This community has recreational amenities that are sure to attract homeowners of all ages. At the far end of this community sits the Lansbrook Lakefront Park which overlooks beautiful Lake Tarpon. Local wildlife can be viewed from this scenic location which has walking trails, volleyball courts, a pavilion and playground. The Lansbrook Commons Park is a great place to visit with neighbors while watching sporting events such as soccer, volleyball and football as well as another children’s playground.

The names of the Lansbrook subdivisions in alphabetical order are: Aylesford, Berisford, Devonshire, Ellinwood, Fallbrook, Golfside, Highgate, Ivy Ridge, Kylemont, Lynnwood, Myrtle Point, Northfield, Oakmont, Preserve, Presidents Landing, Quail Lake, and Robinwood.

Residents of Lansbrook have a homeowner’s association which provides simple rules for each homeowner to follow to ensure the high standards of this neighborhood are upheld and property values continue to soar. Homes in Lansbrook range from small to large and are priced as low as $300,000 but can easily go as high as $3,000,000 for wide open Lake Tarpon waterfront views. These prices have dramatically risen in recent years and that is partly because it has remained a stunning neighborhood which residents are proud to call home.

Lansbrook is conveniently located off East Lake Road and is a short drive from Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Tampa. Tampa offers great attractions such as Busch Gardens, Adventure Island and The Florida Aquarium, as well as home to Super Bowl Champions: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Orlando is approximately 90 minutes away and provides such exciting attractions as Disney World and Universal Studios. Living in the East Lake corridor of Palm Harbor allows these residents to have convenient access to a large city, without living directly in the hustle and bustle of life.

Lansbrook is truly a community you must see to believe. The tranquility these homeowners enjoy is something not generally found in such a prestigious neighborhood. The developers of Lansbrook took special care to ensure a high level of preservation of the natural beauty surrounding these homes. Each home sits on a sizeable lot, many of which have a golf course, lake, or conservation view. These are some of the things that make Lansbrook so special.

Bob Lipply is a top Real Estate Broker Associate in the Tampa Bay Florida Real Estate area. He and his team have been helping families relocate to Florida and on the selling end get top dollar for their homes with great success. Lipply Real Estate also specializes in Lansbrook Real Estate, visit his website where you can search the MLS for up to date available homes for sale.

Why Should Sellers Be Absent During Showings?

Writen by Scott Boulch

If only there were a way to sell your home without letting all those people come through. Unfortunately, the reality is that homes must be shown in order to be sold. Also, few buyers commit to purchasing a home without first spending some time there. Some buyers need to spend a lot of time in a home before they decide to buy it.

Most experienced agents recommend that sellers vacate their home when it’s shown to prospective buyers. This is usually inconvenient for sellers, but there are reasons why it’s best for sellers to be gone when their home is shown.

Ambivalence, or the approach avoidance syndrome, is a major theme in many home buying sagas. Here’s how the scenario often plays out: A great listing comes on the market. A buyer sees it, falls in love with it and seriously considers buying it. Then the buyer get nervous about making a commitment, has second thoughts, decides against it and moves on to other listings.

Before deciding to buy a home, buyers often must go through the process of picking the place apart. They need to look in every closet, nook and cranny. They need to discover everything they don’t like about a home before they can make a decision to go ahead and buy it.

Most buyers won’t scrutinize a home in the presence of the sellers. Buyers are often too embarrassed to look inside closets if the sellers are home. They may hate your green carpet, but they’ll smile and tell you how much they love your place if you are there.

Accomplished agents can help buyers get past their objections to a home. But to do this agents need to have the opportunity to analyze the home with the buyers in private outside of the seller’s ear shot. Green carpet can be changed. It may even cover beautiful hardwood floors.

It’s natural for sellers to want to know what buyers think about their home. You probably won’t get a straight answer from the buyers themselves. Nor is it appropriate to call the buyers’ agent and ask him or her for feedback.

Your own agent should follow up on each and every showing of your home and report back to you with feedback from the buyers. Often useful information can be gleaned from your agent’s follow ups. You may discover a common complaint, and it may be something that you can remedy. For example, if every buyer that looks at your home likes it but can’t stand the green carpet, you have the option of changing the carpet if the home isn’t selling.

Not all agents routinely follow up on showings and report back to their sellers. Let your agent know that this is something you expect as part of your marketing plan. Also, don’t blame your agent if the reports are not 100 percent positive.

First Time Tip: Some sellers never leave when their home is shown. This may be due to the sellers’ natural curiosity, or perhaps their agent didn’t counsel them properly. If you are going back to see a home you’re interested in, and the sellers have always been home, have your agent request that the sellers leave this time. This will give you the opportunity to evaluate the home without being inhibited by the sellers’ presence.

The Closing: Sellers who can’t leave during a showing should make themselves scarce. Sit in the garden, or hide out in your home office. Greet the buyers courteously, then disappear. Under no circumstances should you follow the buyers around your home, hovering while they look.

For More Information on Selling your home quickly visit http://www.webuyhouseshome.com Unlike other so called We Buy Houses websites, Rescue Real Estate gives you every available option for selling your home. Simply complete our short 1 page form, and get anonymous online access to our team of specially trained REALTORS

Costa Rica Real Estate Investment - 6 Reasons Why Capital Growth Will Continue

Writen by Sacha Tarkovsky

Real estate investment in Costa Rica is starting to grow dramatically as the attractions of the living in Costa Rica and owning a second home are being promoted more by the media.

This means huge profit potential ahead, there are solid reasons why this market will continue to see huge capital gains in the years ahead and offer conservative investors great returns on capital including:

1. Government encouraging investment

The government has implemented a seven year expansion plan complete with substantial tax breaks to make sure investment in Costa Rica real estate continue to grow - and this means big profit potential

Prices are already up on average 300% in the last ten years and many investors buying in the right location have doubled or tripled their money in just a few years.

2. The growth of eco tourism

Now the appeal of Costa Rica real estate is reaching a wider audience as the country grows in popularity means Costa Rica is seeing a huge boom in people wanting to buy Costa Rica real estate either second homes or retiring people wanting to live their.

And the good news is

3. Costa Rica real estate is cheap

At 70% less than similar properties in Florida and Arizona, a growing number of Americans are looking at it now, to retire, buy second or holiday homes as prices are cheaper and growth rates are solid

The beauty of Costa Rica is considerable and diverse with stunning beaches, a coastline that borders both the Pacific and Caribbean oceans, towering mountains, rain forest and rolling hills. For a small country Costa Rica has it all.

The best properties for capital growth

Investment is required into accommodation and general tourist facilities and the Costa Rica government are making it as easy as possible, to keep the money flowing in.

An investor interested in commercial property opportunities in Costa Rica should look into the tourist sector.

Alternatively, a Costa Rica real estate investor can cater for any of the following:

1. Self catering properties for short term rentals

2. The growing number of people retiring to Costa Rica

3. People looking for holiday homes for sale in Costa Rica.

The resorts on the Pacific Coast have seen the biggest gains and currently offer an investor the best rental yields available in the country as well.

4. A Safe Secure Investment

In terms of safety of investing in Costa Rica real estate the country has been politically and economically stable for many years.

The country has strong ties with the US, which makes it a safer emerging market for property investors than many in Central America.

Why take the risk of less established nations that are politically volatile and don’t have a track record of gains?

Costa Rica real estate offers peace of mind.

5. The economy is expanding

The economy has been gaining strength since 1997.

The government is committed to maintaining the growth of the economy by attracting more overseas investment and this is paying dividends for Costa Rica and those investing in real estate as investment soars and investors make money.

6. Big gains still to come

How much can you make?

This is difficult to answer, but we have had good growth in the past with 300% Average growth in 10 years and many investors making more.

These gains should continue for reasons outlined above.

Importantly, investors in Costa Rica real estate know that they are investing in a market that is safe and stable and growing, and this gives it the edge over many other emerging Latin American countries.

For the best locations to buy and for everything you need to know about making huge gains in Costa Rica real estate, get a FREE info pack and the chance to win a FREE holiday to this beautiful country at: http://www.net planet.org/costarica.php

A Simple Step by Step Aproach to Fail Your Way to a Million Dollars

Writen by Mike Makler

If You want to be Financially Successful you need to Learn to Fail

At a Robert Allen Seminar he said the difference between successful people and unsuccessful people (Financially Successful) is that Successful know how to fail. He went own to say that in order to be successful you need to learn to fail, Unsuccessful people fail to get that 9 5 Job that pays $25,000 to maybe $90,000 a year and when they finally succeed what do they have a 9 5 Job. Successful People fail to buy that Property with a positive cash flow but when they succeed they have bought another property with a positive cash flow.

When you look around at Some of the World’s Wealthiest People. Donald Trump, Lakers Owner Dr Jerry Buss, Clippers Owner Donald Sterling, Robert Allen and the List goes on they all have one thing in common they made their Fortune in Real Estate.

Let’s contrast these Financially Successful Americans with the American Dream. The American Dream is to buy a House with a 3.4 Bedrooms and 2.7 Baths with 2.4 Cars in the Garage. Most people are very happy to Buy their “Dream Home”. Once they buy that dream home they want to pay off the Mortgage so they can now own their Dream Home Free and Clear.

Perhaps you remember that TV Show All in the Family, from the 70s they still play it late night on cable. They had an episode where Archie and Edith had a Mortgage Burning party after they finally paid off the mortgage. There was another Episode where Archie took a loan against the House to Buy a Bar and was Edith ever angry at him.

Many people look at American Dream as Sacred. People are so blinded with the notion you buy a that dream house and pay it off that they fail to see the Big Picture. They Fail to See the possibilities that would open up to them if they would just unlock the potential in their homes. Many People are sitting on $50,000 to $500,000 in equity and are just letting it go to waste.

Let me ask you a Question. If you own a $400,000 house Free and Clear and it appreciates 10% a Year how much will it be worth a Year from now? If you have a $300,000 Mortgage on that $400,000 home how much will it be worth a year from Now? In both cases the answer is the same $440,000. The value or appreciation of your house doesn’t change based on the size of the loan you have against it. The only thing that does change is the amount of Equity you have.

A Typical Homeowner has a $150,00 Mortgage on a property that is worth $300,000. Many lenders will give you a loan for up to 90% of your homes Value. If you were to borrow $270,000 you would be able to put 120,000 cash in your pocket. In St Louis MO you could Buy a 3 Bedroom Home in a nice neighborhood for between $70,000 and $90,000.

Now take that $120,000 cash and Buy 6 Rental Properties for $480,000 ($80,000 each). You take the $120,000 and use it as a down payment and borrow the other $360,000. Now rent Each of these Properties for $700 a Month and you have a monthly income of $4200. Your total loans are $730,000 and at a 2% interest rate your monthly payment would be about $2700 a Month. You would have a Net Profit of about $1500 even after the rental income pays mortgage the on your dream Homee.

Before

• $ Value of Real Estate Controlled $300,000
• $ Value of Equity in Real Estate $150,000
• Positive Cash Flow after Paying Mortgage $0
• 1 Year Gain at 5% = 15,000
• 5 Year Gain in Equity at 5% = $83,000
• 10 Year Gain in Equity at 5% = $189,000
• 20 Year Gain in Equity at 5% = $396,000

After

• $ Value of Real Estate Controlled $780,000
• $ Value of Equity in Real Estate $150,000
• Positive Cash Flow after Paying Mortgage $1500 (Monthly)
• 1 Year Gain in Equity at 5% = 39,000
• 5 Year Gain in Equity at 5% = $215,000
• 10 Year Gain in Equity at 5% = $490,000
• 20 Year Gain in Equity at 5% = $1,289,000

Looking at the Before and After in the Above Chart Some Numbers Stand out. You still have the Same $150,000 Equity but now you control $480,000 more Property. Instead of paying your Mortgage monthly on your Dream house your tenets are making your mortgage payments on all 7 properties and you have a $1500 monthly positive Cash flow. Using a conservative appreciation of only 5% a Year you would earn an extra $24,000 the first year alone in Equity appreciation. After 20 Years your Gain in Equity is almost $900,000 More.

If you do nothing more for 30 the next Years but collect your rents and pay off your 7 Mortgages at a 5% appreciation rate your 7 Properties would be worth over 3.3 Million Dollars even at an Ultra Conservative 3% your Net worth would be over 1.8 Million Dollars. Wow You just Failed your way to over 1 Million Dollars (This does not count the $1500 a month in positive cash flow or any Rent Increases.)

You can get a Loan with fixed payments fixed for 5 years based on a 1.95% interest rate Their are loans available with interests rates as low as 1.25%, through national lenders many of whom will approve you online

What would you do with an extra $1500 a month? A couple of car payments, a Dream home, that boat at the lake? What would you do with an extra $24,000 a year in appreciation?

About the Author
Mike Makler is a Financial Consultant in the St Louis Missouri Area Specializing in Real Estate Loans and Annuites. To Learn More Call Mike at 314 398 5547 or Visit Mike’s Web Page: http://ewguru.com/finance

Get Mike’s Newsletter Here http://ewguru.com/fin news

Copyright © 2005 2006 Mike Makler

Mobile Home Parks Have No Rent Control Updated

Writen by Linda Meckler

One of the big issues in front of our State Legislators today is the sales of the Mobile Home Parks.

Now when the owners want to sell their Mobile Home Park they find a willing buyer and sell. The homeowners that live in that particular park do not hear about the sale until after the fact.

THIS MUST CHANGE:

THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN MOBILE HOME PARKS HAVE A RIGHT TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN PARK. After all they live there. If a new owner comes in the first thing they usually do is RAISE THE RENT.

Who better to maintain their own park than the Mobile Home owners that live there!

Mobile Home owners are usually on a fixed income; especially, in a Senior Park. What is happening in these Mobile Home Parks is scandalous. Taking advantage of people who have their entire world tied up in their home.

It is not just the Senior Parks but the family parks as well. There are more mouths to feed and many more expenses. What is a family to do?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CAN’T AFFORD THE RENT?

(1) You sell your home and move.

(2) You move and still continue to pay rent space.

(3) You abandon your home and move.

It feels like a gigantic wave has entered the Mobile Home Parks and is washing away their owners. Their homes are being abandoned at higher rates because of the rent increases.

RENT INCREASES ARE ON THE MERCY OF THE OWNERS OF THE MOBILE HOME PARKS. THERE ISN’T ANY SEALING OR FREEZE ON RAISING THE RENT. IT CAN BE RAISED ANY AMOUNT AT ANY TIME.

DOES ANYBODY CARE?

I don’t think they do. Somehow, I get the impression when you say you live in a Mobile Home you are a second class citizen. I own a small Mobile Home. I love it and I love my park. But with the rent increases who knows how long I will be able to live there.

Our State Legislature, who is supposed to be working for us, needs to take a good look at Mobile Home Parks. The reason I hear the State Legislatures have abandoned Mobile Park Owners and all their problems is:

(1) They do not receive any feed back from Mobile Home Owners: therefore, they think we are happy and thriving. But this is not the truth.

(a) There are many very old Senior citizens in the Mobile Home Parks. They are confused about the issues and only know to complain to the park managers.

(2) There are many people that complain and never follow through. They think that they can’t write a proper letter of complaint. But listen to this you do not need to write a proper letter all you have to say in your letter of complaint is this:

(a) Stop raising my rent. I can’t afford it!

(b) Give my Mobile Home Park the option to buy our own park first!

All Mobile Home owners are capable of writing these two lines and if you can’t, find somebody who can.

(3) Most people do not know who their State Legislatures are or who are the people in charge.

(a) If you receive the Compact Chronicle monthly call them. They are our representatives. We must all stick together.

Maybe, the Compact Chronicle can post these representatives so we can all utilize this valuable information.

Another way we can all unite is through a very powerful website www.comocal.org. This website puts out a monthly newsletter that explains all our legal rights and what we need done in the future.

Also, another way to keep informed of this valuable information is through your Home Owner’s Association. They should have all the information you need to contact your State Legislatures.

With this information, I suggest, if you have any opinions at all about the future of your Mobile Home Park, Write, fax, email or call your State Legislature representatives.

STATE LEGISLATURE:

Because you do not hear from us the Mobile Home Owners in Bulk please do not think we are not there in force. Please see the four items listed below:

(1) We want to be informed when the park is to be sold first.

(2) We want to be able to make an offer.

(3) We want to know that our homes are protected and we won’t be taking food out of our mouths to pay the rent.

(4) We want a sealing/freeze on rent increases.

This is all in your hands now State Legislature. Please do not forget the thousands of people who vote for you.

(a) Please Freeze/Seal the rent so we can feel safe in our own homes.

(b) Give us the first option to purchase our own park before a third party is involved.

I am mailing a copy of this article and my other article to my state legislatures.

Please feel free to check out my other articles.

Mobile Home Owner Outraged

Mobile Home Owner Put On Alert

I hope after writing these two articles on Mobile Home Problems, you will stand behind me if my rent gets raised.

Copyright 2006 Linda Meckler

Linda lives in a Mobile Home Park.

Currently she is the author of “GHOST KIDS TRILOGY,” three books in one book. Christy, 12 and her brother, Brad, 16 move into an old house on a mountain and meet two Ghost Kids. Meet Uncle Charlie who lives in a Magical Blue Vase. Join Christy and Brad on a Pirates’ Treasure Hunt. Love, Family Values and Charity burst off the pages. Visit my website at http://www.lmeckler.com to order my book. If you can’t urinate sitting down or are wheelchair/bed confined check my website about this amazing product, “Instant Bladder Relief Urinal.”