Has anyone been watching the news lately? Me neither. I don't watch the news because they don't give me information for what I need to be successful. I don't need doom and gloom in my life. While not watching the news or reading the newspaper, I still manage to get all the relevant information and make great business decisions. Yes, I do know about the financial market meltdown and what's going on and that's what I want to discuss here. This is something that will affect all of us and brings up a great question, "Where is your money invested?". But before we get to that… Here's a great article on the AIG Bailout might work well for taxpayers explaining that the government lending $85 Billion to AIG might not increase taxes because they're charging a high interest rate. My question is, ... 09/18/2008

Everybody in there life at one time or another wishes they would have done something.  OR that they missed out on a good investment because they waited too long or didn't have the money. Well now is a great time to buy Metro Detroit real estate!  Metro Detroit Homes have gone back to 1990 prices. Do you really know where the bottom is?  If I knew that or other people new that we also would have know the the bubble was going to burst.  Nobody knows how to time the Metro Detroit real estate market.  Nobody knows when the market is going to turn.  I have heard for months that the market is going to turn.  I have heard from economist, realtors, and other experts that the real estate market is coming back.  I myself don't think so, not yet. But what I have to say to anybody waiting for the b... 09/11/2008

All Waste Dumpster Rental contributes a portion of their proceeds to a research foundation working to find a cure for breast cancer    Detroit, MI--Sherman Rogers, president of All Waste Dumpster Rental, and his wife, will be doing their part to support a fund raiser for the Michigan Three Day Breast Cancer Walk which will be held on September 26 - 28.  Participants will travel more than 60 miles over the course of 3 days to raise money for research to find a cure for breast cancer.   Sherman was recently interviewed and he shared, "We have a team of 7 with a goal to raise at least $2,200 each for research.  My personal goal is to see this disease wiped out during my lifetime."   Sherman shows the same care for his customers as he does for his community support projects.  Sherman remind... 09/11/2008

It's fall clean-up time-All Waste Dumpster Rental serving Detroit Metro Area, has a variety of dumpsters rentals to serve your needs, no matter how big your project    Detroit, MI --There are many reasons homeowners might want to rent a dumpster. One of the main reasons people rent dumpsters is for demolition or remodeling projects that require a place to throw away a lot of trash. Dumpster rental containers are also good if you have a large yard clean-up project that results in a lot of yard waste from trimming, pruning or mowing, and also for other spring or fall clean-ups.   Sherman Rogers, president of All Waste Dumpster Rental, is happy to explain dumpster rental options to residential customers who may not be familiar with specific terms such as dumpster sizes (measured in yards),... 09/11/2008

  Sherman Rogers donates a portion of his proceeds to breast cancer research in hopes of seeing a cure for this disease during his lifetime.  Sherman's wife, a survivor of breast cancer, also works hard to support causes that promote breast cancer awareness.  She, and her team of 7, will take part in the Michigan Three Day Breast Cancer Walk which will be held on September 26 - 28.  Participants will travel over 60 miles over the course of 3 days.  The team has set a goal to raise $2,200 each for breast cancer research.  In 2006, she was unable to do the walk, due to illness, so Sherman showed his support by painting dumpsters pink and decorating them with pink ribbons.    All Waste Dumpster Rental was formed in 1998 to provide customers with an honest company, competitive prices and r... 09/11/2008

How many times do you talk to a "real estate investor" whether you are an investor or you're a real estate agent showing investment properties that just does not understand a cash flow calculation?  Do you ever talk to people that forget to add in such important calculations as insurance, property management, vacancy, and maintenance reserve?  I've talked to my fair share and when I first started out for awhile I didn't get all of this. I've seen expensive software, spreadsheets, and calculators that don't even do a good job of keeping track of all of your property details separately.  Well, we've taken our Cash Flow Analysis Spreadsheet and our Property Analysis Calculator and put them together for our investors.  We know that by properly educating our investors on cash flow properties... 09/07/2008

Dumpster Divers are proud of their ability to provide for themselves and their families, without being forced to beg or steal.  There are several different types of dumpster divers; some are actually looking for food!  Others are looking for broken or discarded items that can easily be fixed and sold or traded.  Some dumpster divers work alone; others team up in case help is needed getting to the bottom of a well packed dumpster.  Dumpster diving is growing in popularity and is most commonly witnessed in urban areas.  Many homeless people have their favorite dumpsters to hit at various times.  They may not be able to afford to eat at your favorite restaurant, but you can bet they know exactly what time the establishment will be closed and what time the unused portions of prepared food i... 09/04/2008

Do the neighbors get an eyeful of rubbish every time you open your garage door?  Would you start an avalanche if you were to reach up and pull one item down from the rafters?  It sounds like your garage is in need of a good Fall Clean-up.  You will need a large dumpster to throw the trash into.  Otherwise, there will be an unsightly pile of garbage in front of your nice clean garage when you finish the job.  When storage space for seasonal items becomes packed with other items, like things you mean to fix or repair or materials for unfinished projects, outgrown clothing, items the kids left behind when they moved out and many other things that accumulate over time, the job is often much larger that it looks.  Be sure to plan ahead before tackling this project; allow twice the amount of ... 09/04/2008

Garbage, litter, trash and debris can be a problem in large cities and areas where there are a lot of people, including tourists and local citizens.  There will always be people who ignore the ash cans and trash containers that are provided in many public places.  Hotel and resort owners know how important it is to maintain the outside of their establishment.  First impressions are very important so litter and debris, spread all over the parking lot or front of the hotel or resort will not look good.  Unsightly, overflowing trash cans don't do much for the look of the place either.  To keep things looking neat and orderly, business owners should provide the appropriate trash receptacles where they are needed.  Guests will appreciate a convenient place to pitch their trash on their way i... 09/04/2008

  This questions gets asked of me more than I care to count. Unfortunately whenever I mention the great investment opportunities for foreclosure real estate that we are doing in Detroit, I get the wince. For those of you that may not have seen it, I liken it to someone that just realized they have a very intense pain deep in their gut. Now, do I tell you this to impress you? No, I'm sure I should be telling you that literally everyone else is investing in Detroit Real Estate except for you in order to get you coming to our fair city. Well, that's just not true. The media and just plain fear advocates have done such a good job at selling Detroit as the worst city and communities ever to hit earth, that people who know not a single thing about Detroit are dead set against it. That's why I... 09/04/2008

How to be at Top of Google with no Web Site, Plus How to use MySpace to Promote "Meeting July 11th, at down town campus of WCCC" Two part meeting: Part one: This meeting will show you how to put your self at the top of Google for Free! Part two: How to market on My Space from a My Space – to get business and customers Part one: How to be at Top of Google with no Web Site Ralph Mark Maupin will show you how to write a free Classified that will have you on the first page of Google search for you or your company. You do not need to have a web site to be a top of Google. You can do it with free classifieds ads. Write an ad for you or your business. We will work with you to show how to post it all over the internet for free and get you to top of search engines. We will show you how write you... 09/01/2008

Learn how to set up your own Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) Small Business Round Table at Wayne County Community College Learn how to set up your own Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) Richard White, Contract and Real Estate Attorney and Noted Author will be showing attendees how to set up a limited liability company. Richard will be showing guest how to avoid costly mistakes when setting up a LLC. He will be going over how to find name for your company and making sure it is available. Mr. White will also show you how to fill out all the paper work for the State of Michigan. Richard will show you how to get your federal ID # and how to fill the paper work out. He will be going over operating agreement for the LLC. Mark Lang, Provost of the Entrepreneurial Department of Wayne Comm... 09/01/2008

"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn."  ~Author Unknown       Change.  We hear about this word so often in one form or another it almost just blends into the background.  We all hear about change and how we need to change ourselves or we'll become outdated but it doesn't always seem to sink in with everyone.  How many people do you know that refuse to change for one reason or another?  How many people have you heard say that they've been doing it this way for the past 10 years and they're not about to start doing it differently now?  While this attitude seems to be the default for human nature, it's not helping anyone.    In long periods of economic booms and wealth building, you find that people and companies become content in doing just "g... 08/28/2008

Here it is Labor Day and another summer has passed.  With the slower real estate market in Metro Detroit area I have been working harder than ever.  Some of my buyers just want to keep on looking as they can't find what they want.  I can not wait for this holiday weekend as the Labor Day weekend is going to be a rest for me.  Hard to imagine a workaholic taking Labor Day as a day of rest.  We will be on a lake one of the days just floating around on a Pontoon boat with family.  We will be barbecuing some ribs.  I can smell them now. There are lots of things going on in Metro Detroit but you can find inexpensive things to do.  You can play ladder ball, horseshoes, or bocci ball with friends. Barack Obama and Senator Biden will be here in Metro Detroit at the annual Labor Day Parade.  The... 08/28/2008

Detroit Real Estate Is Unique for Investment Properties Detroit is a great place to invest as I'm sure you know.  That being said, there are many things you need to keep in mind when investing in our area.  The profit potential and cash flow is amazing here and you can take advantage of all of it if you follow some simple rules.  First off, always make sure you use professionals and get recommendations from other investors that have used these professionals such as contractors, project managers, and property managers from other investors that have used them before.  I have heard countless stories of investors (out of state and in state) getting ripped off or getting shoddy work from someone that they never got a recommendation on.  Believe me.  I have gone through the contractors that ... 08/21/2008

   Here is more information on the care and maintenance of your clothes dryer vent. Who needs dryer vent cleaning? Commercial laundries Town homes Condominiums Apartments Duplexes Single-family homes Spring and Fall are ideal times to schedule a dryer vent cleaning. Your Dryer Vents are All-Important There are many things that contribute to the proper operation of a clothes dryer. The venting is perhaps the most critical. Below we describe a dryer's functions and how its venting plays a part. Moisture One of the most important functions of a dryer is the elimination of moisture recovered during the heating of damp clothing. This moisture is held in the warm air produced by the dryer as humidity, and is normally expelled to the outdoors through the dryer's vent. If this air can not be ad... 08/16/2008

The thoughts and Ideas below are my beliefs and opinions.   I was told by another active rainer to read this blog http://activerain.com/blogsview/639950/Looking-for-Hard-Moneyand tell him what I thought of this blog.  I left a few comments on this blog but I want to know what you think. I believe that this scenario that this agent is proposing is a far stretch to do well.  But what amazed me is that I went to Michigan's real estate agent license search and could not find this guy or his companies license.  Maybe I typed in his name wrong or the site is not updated.  But.  I want to know what would you other active rainers do.  Would you: contact your local real estate board? contact the FBI? contact the state licensing bureau? contact the state mortgage division? My take on this is that... 08/13/2008

220,000 homes were lost to bank repossessions in the second quarter, nationwide Sales of new homes dropped in July by the largest amount since February (4.3%) nationwide Inventory of unsold homes climbed to a record high last month according to the National Association of Realtors 13,979 Michigan foreclosure filings in July.  a 39% spike from June.  One in every 137 Michigan households received a foreclosure filing during the 2nd quarter of 2008, ranking Michigan the nation's 7th highest state foreclosure rate.  5 states accounted for more than 1/2 of the foreclosure filings in July.  The states were California, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, and Georgia In Michigan 1.9% of homeowners recieved a foreclosure filing in 2007. 4.9% of households in the Detroit area were in some stage of foreclosu... 08/10/2008

Do it Yourself and Die Trying There's a long time business owner I know that I highly respect. When he was 16, his first vehicle he bought was a dump truck to start his construction business. Since then, he's been able to grow a great construction company and get into play on various business transactions that's helped him build wealth. That's a good person to follow. Entrepreneurial and wealthy. Well, I thought so as well until I realized that all this person does is work. 80 years old and they're still out there working every day. I'm not talking supervising or sales but down-right hard work with a shovel digging out trenches and moving dirt around. I have to say, hard work is an admirable trait and many entrepreneurs wouldn't be where they are without it. What we have here is the cla... 08/08/2008

What type of Detroit Investor are You?I talk to a lot of investors each week and everyone I talk to knows about different types of investing for different markets. For the most part if you're investing in California, or some other high value highly appreciating (at times) area, you are investing for equity. If you're investing in a low price point area that hasn't seen a run up in appreciation in the past few years, you're investing for cash flow. This seems pretty intuitive because rents in hot areas in California, like San Diego, don't move on a linear path with the value of the home. In other words, the value or price of the home goes up much more than the increases in rent can cover. Many people find they're in a negative cash flow situation in these areas but they have significant ... 08/01/2008