Save, invest, prosper with My Own Advisor. Weekend Reading – Tuning out the investing noise Hey Folks,  Welcome to a new Weekend Reading edition, back from vacation, with tuning out the investing noise on my mind. I’ll share more details about my trip to and from lovely Belize over the last couple of weeks in a future post. Our view for the… Join the million dollar portfolio journey. The article Weekend Reading – Tuning out […]

I realize the many posts on the house and the delay in things happening and posts going live has caused a bit of confusion. This is a synopsis post of what has happened to date and where things stand as of today. Late January/Early February I requested referrals for real estate agents on Facebook. I interviewed 5 by phone and had 2 of those 5 come to the house. Both of them showed up with printed comps based on our phone conversation. I was very transparent about my plan to list FSBO, but then pass off to an agent when I left town. February 10th House went on the market FSBO. I listed it on Facebook Marketplace and Zillow. (No cost for either.) And everyone (local to me) I knew was gracious enough to repost it on their Facebook pages. It was listed for $210,000. (The housing market where I live is pretty hot especially for homes that could be rentals. Investors are buying them up quickly.) February 12-18 Local buyer who moved here last April from Turkey viewed the house and gave me a verbal offer (no agent) for $205,000. He had a pre-approval and planned to put $70,000 down. He backed out on 2/17 or 2/18 via a text message because his son wanted to live “close to markets.” (I found that funny seeing as this is a tiny town, there is definitely nothing I would consider a market.) February 20-March 3 Had an agent showing on 2/20 evening. They came again on 2/23 and sent a written offer that evening. There were required to provide proof of preapproval for this offer as well. On 2/24, I countered and they accepted.  Written contract with buyer agent. Closing date was to be 3/24. On 2/28, I left town with house under contract. I had not signed with an agent. On 3/3, inspection happened and buyer pulled out. No reason given. March 4-6 First thing I did was update my Zillow listing with some of the new images. And change the listing price to $207,000. I contacted a different agent on March 4. Before you jump down my throat, the agent I had originally selected gave me an attitude when the house went under contract. (I was very open about my plan.) And it really took me back, some of things she said. Not only that, during this “rant” via phone, some of the things she stated had me second guessing using her. She’s a nice person, but I don’t believe I would get the best offer I can get using her. So different agent. He went and looked at the property on Thursday (3/6) after I laid all the cards on the table about the challenges and what i was looking to get. He highlighted some red flags. But didn’t immediately dismiss my “bottom line” as unattainable. I’m waiting for him to get back to me. On March 5, two other agents reached out to me about

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One of the fringe benefits of being a jet setter is the experience that’s developed over time. Knowing the ins and outs of traveling saves money, time, and effort. There’s a lot to learn from the wealth of knowledge these travel experts have, especially these tips that fly in the face of conventional opinions. 1. … Read more

What caught my eye this week. Nobody asked for it and now it’s here – the new Monevator shop is open, offering in-joke themed investing T-shirts and vaguely punny sweatshirts to all. Perhaps you’ve already spotted Monevator members striding about town sporting fancy wares like this: Yes, those cool cats got early access. Thanks to everyone who bought something and so beta-tested the new store for us. Now to repeat what I said to them, being […]

After a 3-month hiatus, I updated my books for the end of February and as much as everything in the world has changed, not much changed at all. Still – as with a rollercoaster, you end up back where you started! Spreadsheet Update For 3 months I was without my beloved excel and access to my spreadsheets for our Family Finances. Part cheapness, part laziness – I did without. But I gave in recently and […]

My Sweet Retirement Great SP Endowment Plan GREAT SP endowment plan is a short-term single premium non-participating endowment plan that provides a guaranteed returns of 2.00% per annum at the end of 2 years. The plan is offered by Great Eastern. Similar … Great SP Endowment Plan My Sweet Retirement

[EDITOR’S NOTE: If one of your goals for 2025 is to learn about how to invest in real estate, WCI has a FREE resource for you to get started. Welcome to the Real Estate Masterclass, where we’ll email you a series of videos from Dr. Jim Dahle about real estate investing that will show you how to start in this asset class. You’ll learn about important real estate subjects like 1) incorporating real estate into […]