July 3, 2015

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 3, 2014, the Nissan Figaro.
Five years ago today: July 3, 2010, let’s see some ID.
Six years ago today: July 3, 2009, the hamburger economy.

MORNING
           An amazing quantity of events today makes it iffy to pick out which was the most qualified for top spot. I expect mixed reactions on this one and even then, I am restricted on what I say. The sufficient explanation is that I am not the modern military, in that a politician does not get on TV and announce to the world when and where I will place my forces. I mean, doing that is ridiculous. Here’s a photo of JZ just about to enter the Serenity Coffee shop in Okeechobee this morning. We were out that way, I’m not specifying where.

           It’s not so much that some people don’t listen when I say I have experience living in small towns as they assume the wrong things. For instance, many think I mean that I learned how to sit around and gossip and how to act just like all the other people in town. No sir, that would make me as dumb as they are and would never leave one prepared for what comes next. What I mean is I have an uncommon depth of appreciation on how the small-town mind processes information. This is a skill that requires a deft and even touch. You must know the very soul of how stupidity operates, but never show it.
           And the trip up country was worth and immense amount of useful knowledge. Without specifying a destination, we checked out four towns worth of distressed housing and found a gem or two. I will say we were in what Florida calls the “Heartland” or nearby it. Much of our discussion during this half-day trip centered on Deland. It is too far away, contends JZ.

           Stopping at the Serenity is now an institution. I stay long enough to find one piece of the jigsaw puzzle they have going at one of the tables. The thrust of this trip was to check out some of the areas of towns that we knew were to be avoided, but could not get any help with. Nobody wants to live in a high crime area and it seems real estate law has changed to the point where they are obligated to mislead the customer about this factor.
           To follow along at this point, I feel obligated to remind the reader that I am not an evil person, but yes, thirty years ago I realized the majority of my competition was driving house prices out of sight by buying with borrowed money. I had a choice to play that game and sign my life away to working drudgery to pay off a house. Or I could spend my money living a fulfilling life knowing in the end, at least some of these bragging big-shots would default on their loans and I would scoop something for peanuts. This was a valid business plan to not compete by borrowing money--and I've been waiting a long time for my turn.
           And now that those circumstances have been largely realized, it is wrong to blame me for the hardships others brought upon themselves. That is, the damage was already done when I arrived on the scene and I should not be expected to pity people who don’t pay back what they borrowed. They never considered the effect of what they were doing on others and are reaping what they’ve sown.
           The other significant change is that I am now looking closely at leveraging my money into much more value without borrowing. And that means the auction. We recently discovered (from an auction expert) that we now have more than enough money to be a fearsome opponent to many buyers up country. Hence, this trip was a bit of a last minute rush because there were some things we needed to know before risking a penny. I'm satisfied we are to be reckoned with.

NOON

           “If you ain’t makin’ dust, you’re eatin’ it.” ~Texas wisdom

           Take a close look at this photo I and compare it to the evening photo of last day. The major difference is the other one is off the Internet, while I snapped the one shown here myself this afternoon. This was not the only property I’m about to discuss, but will give you an idea of the potential scale of what could very well happen here in the near future.

           As we pulled up, the owner came running down the steps and onto the street to inform us that this house was no longer foreclosed. That the real estate ad had not been updated and his wife had signed the documents just days ago and settled with the creditors. To be helpful, he directed our attention to the house next door as a far better deal and he knew they would sell for half the asking price of $55,000. But as for his place, we had wasted the trip. He even showed me the document, see addendum.
           Normally that would be the end of it. The rub is that some people have already forgotten that I said I have small town experience. I instantly knew the guy was lying through his teeth because I had not gotten the foreclosure information from a real estate agent, but from the courthouse. Once there is foreclosure, he has exhausted all avenues of recourse and short of coming up with the money, there is nothing his wife could have signed to save the day – he was obviously trying to frighten me away so he could continue living there free as a squatter with his wife and dogs. I smiled politely, thanked him, and drove away.

           Within five minutes, I had all the neighbors gossiping with a friendly guy like me. I have the name of the only other party possibly interested in that property, and knowledge that he does not have a fraction of the resources I do, nor is he anywhere near as organized and ready for action. In twenty minutes, I essentially found out how much I should bid for this place and against whom. I even know at what number my competition will run out of money. Did you know it is perfectly legal for me to give him $5,000 on the courtroom steps to quit bidding against me?
           These people have no idea, repeat, no idea, who they are up against. Even you don’t know how well I can play the victim if anything goes wrong and how well they know I wouldn’t hurt a fly but I need a place to live myself and it isn’t my fault the bank caused the other guy some problems. I mean, he lied and tried to scare me off, I don't owe him the time of day. Don't hand me that he's just trying to save his house. He had his chances to do that long ago. Think eggs and omelets. I don't know of any home-owener before 2006 that didn't brag that time had proven him a financial genius and it isn't his fault you missed the boat.
           In the end we saw eight properties in four towns, but this is the one that caught my fancy. That fireplace is real and it was formerly a non-symmetrical duplex. I could see from the road there is one big-ass room in the back, the size of a small meeting hall. To me, that spells indoor workshop. Hell yes, I would evict the guy, but in a way that he would thank me. I met five such people today, all of whom thought they were home-spun smarter than me, the dumb city-slicker. Really?
           JZ, watch and learn.

NIGHT
           So you’ll know, I had a major bout of sleeplessness, so excuse if I get distracted. I’m tired and this excursion (to middle Florida) was not exactly cheap. No, moneywise, I did not get any help. I do believe there is such a thing as beginner’s luck. We really can’t be any more than ready for anything except that which, in our limited experience, we can anticipate. Just don’t underestimate what we can anticipate.

           I’m exhausted, but that did not stop me from listening to the interviews with Trump for president. Most interesting was how so far 100% of the so-called professional interviewers who ask him a question will not allow him to answer it. They continually jump in before he has finished the first phrase. I’ve been the victim of this tactic and don’t like it. Some of the answer are complicated, so we don’t need the asker jumping in on an incomplete answer and scoring brownie points.
           Take this moron. Some of you probably know who he is, because I see the Fox news symbol in the corner. But nobody over here has any idea what his name is, any more than those who know his name know anything about, say, how to find their own latitude. But he would not let Trump finish a single sentence. I don’t like Trump, but I’m beginning to dislike these media jerkoffs even more. How would Trump deal with this or that, they keep asking. Maybe he won’t deal with it. Ever thought of that?
           For example, simply pull out of Af-uh-ganistan. Pack up and leave. Why does Fox news need to know where Trump, or anybody else stands on that? Is it even their business? Just walk away from it, that's the answer. So Americans can focus on threats nearer to home. Quit acting like some issue over in BF-istan is more important than securing our southern border. One thing at a time and let the elected leader, not Fox, pick the order. And my advice is that you don't start any fights over whether people who watch TV or us know more about what's going on in the world. Do not go there no matter how many hours a day you may watch TV.

           [Author’s note: I sincerely have no idea who the guy in the picture is. If that surprises you, nobody here wants to hear about it. We need educated people, not people who memorize TV personalities. I’ve seen him before, but that is about it. These people are completely unimportant to us. We only know he is one piss-poor interviewer because he keeps butting on on the answers. Boo!]

ADDENDUM
           Dang, so much happened today I cannot recall the name of the company that mailed that "stop foreclosure" document. But I instantly spotted it to be a fake. It was designed to look to the unwary like an advocacy group stepping forward to help people avoid foreclosure under that Florida Homestead Act. That act is one of the most powerful in the country that protects homeowners from certain types of foreclosure.
           This one even had a clever but lame logo designed to look like the Florida Seal. It basically suggested it was a group of lawyers to had stepped in at the last moment and determined the house was protected, and all you have to do is sign here. I figure it must be some sort of rip-off group that offers to pay out your mortgage or something, eventually taking the house for themselves.
           I said to the guy, "This document is not good enough. This document is not official."
           So if he believes them instead of me and does nothing, he didn't take my good advice. That would be tough luck for him. Because right now, chances are that I will be at that auction. I don't twiddle my days away wallowing in self-doubt. I want a house.


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