Greetings!
I hope this email newsletter finds you well and provides some sort of worth while entertainment.
Many exciting events this month that I hope you're able to participate in. Please visit my blog's calender and/or join the meetup.com group that I've started to better stay in touch with such events.
May 31st, I'm helping to host a FUNraising/auction event at a cafe in Long Beach that I hope many of you will be able to attend. Money raised will fund a small solar system for a school in rural Nicaragua. We're still looking for more silent auction donations and pledges towards the project.
Sincerely,
Evan |
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Flip and Grow Poor |
Many of you have seen the fun house flipping TV shows where someone gets in way over their head and losses their ass or the master "house flipper" who has made a cool hundred thousand dollars in 3 months.
The majority of "house flippers" should be called market riders. Simply because they're riding the real estate market to victory or defeat, not generating their financial future on their own. Either they'll spend too much money in the wrong neighborhood with too low of an appreciation rate for a loss or make a few bucks and dump it into their next investment deal with their fingers crossed. Eventually, when the market turns South, like it has, they'll no longer be able to generate income and most likely be stuck in a financial headache of some sort.
THE RAPE OF REGRESSION:I cringe and cheer for the homeowner that dumps hundreds of thousands of dollars into his home in the  wrong neighborhood. It's a great thing for the neighbors and can help turn a neighborhood around if it's become less desirable. However, more often than not, it's a terrible financial move. The market value of a residential home is based off the homes in the neighborhood. If you are the most lavish home on your street, chances are that the value of your home is being pulled down by your neighbors. This is called regression in the real estate world and it's not your friend. Although not so bad for a long term investor who has selected the right beat up, old neighborhood that's beginning to come back around, building a castle in a village is financial suicide for a short term house flipper. read more... |
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Grey Water Systems are NOT Illegal |
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About two months ago at a "green" building presentation, the president of Living Homes become the 2nd person to tell me that residential greywater systems are illegal in this area. They had tried to do one on a project of their's, but were prevented by the city. A few weeks ago, I heard the same thing from the gentleman who took me on a tour of Orange County Water District'sGround Water Redistribution plant. Not that he should be an expert, but the story seemed to be consistent that greywater systems are illegal.
Up until last Saturday when I met Stephen Bilson of ReWater Systems at Santa Monica's Alt Build Expo. It turns out that Mr. Bilson assisted in writing the California greywater code. This disappointment across his face when he heard of how many people were ignorant to his work in greywater systems is easy to imagine.
The payback on a system like he had displayed was as quick as 3 years in some circumstances. Extremely cost effective and just about any investment in water conservation is a no brainer. People aren't saying that the wars of tomorrow will be fought over water and not oil just for kicks. read more... |
