Nah, I am always the one who buys the flowers.

Pisces

Here in Sydney there is at least one place which sells repossessed cars on behalf of the finance companies.

In Victoria ? I don’t know.

What about buying a paper tomorrow and looking at the advertisements ?

Pisces

Yeh, I just gave my wife a nice Easter present, a dozen (small, the size of a hen egg) chocolate eggs in a nice bag.

Now I know she doesn’t eat chocolate but it is the gesture which counts. It even cost me
less than five dollars all up.

The good part is that I will finish up eating them and do not have to feel guilty as I didn’t buy them for myself. [cowboy2]

Pisces

>>Not till the Fat Lady sings<<

Daaj, who are you alleging is the ‘fat’ lady ? [wink]

Minnie, Kay, … ?

Daaj ?

Pisces

I wonder how many people who responded on this thread spouting their opinion (including myself) have as yet actually read the Mini-Budget Speech delivered by the Treasurer ?

How many of those have read it before spouting their opinion ?

(Go to the very first post in this thread and click onto the Mini Budget button if you haven’t read it yet)

Pisces

Gatsby, pleeze take a deep breath every now and then.

I get dizzy reading that long, one paragraph, post. [wink2]

Pisces

Unfortunately most, if not all, of us hear something and then ‘translate’ it in our terms in the process completely distorting what the speaker or writer actually said.

I have been around real estate for many years and have had lots of experience in both residential and retail properties.

It is clear to me that the people who are critical of the achievements of the people in his MAP program have misread what was being said.

I would actually be most surprised if any of those people who are so critical and condemning have any idea or appreciation what is involved in acquiring property, arranging loans and dealing with tenants.

It all takes time.

With the experience I have gained over the thirty odd years of having been involved in real estate I would consider the first year of those MAP people more as being a time to learn rather than a time to make money.

So if, on top of gaining some learning experience, they happen to achieve the apparent ‘general’ goal of controlling $ 1 M worth of property well and good.

If not, it doesn’t mean at all that they have failed as everyone works at their own pace.

To attach blame to Steve for what ultimately is each person’s personal goal is absurd.

From what I understand from talking to someone who is in the MAP program, yes, it is true that Steve selected the MAP participants (though I don’t have any idea what criteria he used – perhaps he just put their names in a barrel who knows ?).

I was also told that apart from providing the venue and apart from talking a lot during the very first meeting neither Steve nor his partner at any subsequent monthly meeting speaks for more than ten minutes and the balance of the meeting consists of everyone sharing their experiences and ideas with each other during that day.

I also note that the meetings are held in Melbourne and some people travel from interstate to attend !!

However, Steve as such has no control over the ultimate performance as the individual’s personality, motivation, smartness and ability and preparedness to work hard are all inputs which haven’t got anything to do with Steve as such.

I have no idea how they, as a group, have performed. I only know what was shown on the TV program recently.

That showed (I think) that one party of two (husband + wife team ?) had over the previous six months already acquired $ 1 M worth of properties.

Another one had bought a property with about 24 rooms in a town of about 30,000 people for $ 340K (I think), found a tenant and stands to clear, after making P&I payments, some $ 600 per week.

Not a bad effort, is it now ?

The others in the program, I have no idea but, anyway, they aren’t competing with the other people so much as competing with themselves, to do the best job they can.

Yes, some have dropped out (for whatever reason). No shame on them either.

The results sofar are excellent the way I see it. So what is there to bitch about ?

BTW, at last night’s meeting at Five Dock (NSW) one new member showed up sharing with us that less than two years ago he bought a unit in London for 140K Pound Sterling with payments (including management fees and maintenance) coming to 700 Pound Sterling a month.

He bought that unit without any prior experience, was brave (read ‘foolhardy’) enough to buy it with no deposit (with the assistance of a personal loan) and, more than anything else, was a bit creative in making some changes to the unit.

The rental income is about 1,600 Pound Sterling thus giving a surplus of 900 Pound Sterling a month.

Not bad for an investment of about A $ 280,000 which was bought with a bank loan and a personal loan for the deposit and NO cash input.

Just one $ 280,000 property and about enough surplus to live on. Oh, he is only 22 years old !!

Pisces

Dallas & Kerrie said : : ‘jewish business people (makes no difference if they were jewish of not) offering to buy peoples bank books.’

My memory of that occasion is that the majority of these bankbook buyers were Mormons, black and brindle ones at that.

I would have thought that if it doesn’t make a difference then why do you feel the need to mention the word ‘jewish’ ?
Were you there at the time ? Did you identify the buyers yourself ? Or have you read that story somewhere ? Or do you perhaps belong to a bashing group ?

Lifexperience said : ‘Have you considered making your properties a separate country. I have heard of a guy doing this in the gippsland area, don’t know details. All we would need would be a barter system for dealing props, and visas for renters.’

Mr Lifexperience, you are at least seven days late with that post.

Elves said : ‘So what has anyone done so far besides whinged? Have you contacted your local members? have you bothered with Carr’s office? Well if you say nothing to them they wont know will they?’

That approach would be a complete waste of time
I would say.

Hitting them where it hurts most is to obtain direct representation in parliament (and hold the balance of power).

Perhaps the solution is what Shushar suggested i.e. join the NSW Property Owners Association and start agitating from there.

Pisces