Always on the lookout for a good bargain, this listing has appeared in the media a lot over the last day or two. Called the Hiram B. Scutt Mansion and located in Joliet, Illinois (not all that far from Chicago), this impressive building was constructed in 1882. The three-storey, 4,960-square-foot red-brick mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been listed at an amazingly low US$159,000 after the property was foreclosed on.
There is always a catch with something that appears to be such a good bargain though. Just looking at the marketing pictures would be enough to raise an eyebrow about the potential for some ghostly history in this place, investigating the building’s history just confirms it! Listing two murders as well as two other mysterious deaths within it’s walls, some say the original owners are still there and ghost hunters (a respected trade and career) say the place is haunted. There have been séances and searches throughout the mansion and the videos below give a better overview of what it’s like inside now (it certainly requires some work) and also some idea of the supposedly supernatural elements that may still be hanging around!
And here is something much more reputable from the Paranormal Anomaly Search Team. Any place that is full of old dolls always indicates haunted to me. Be sure to put this on your list of assessment criteria for any future investment properties of your own!
Happy new year everyone! For a lot of us the start of a new year brings us the opportunity to evaluate what we’ve been doing and kick off with a few New Year’s resolutions. For some it’s giving up cigarettes or losing weight, for others it might be to do with family or financial matters. If you’re thinking about taking the first steps to getting onto the property ladder or mak
The article below appeared today in the news.com.au real estate section and is a timely reminder of the financial drain that some people can find themselves in over the Christmas period. When it comes to weighing up between the many costs of surviving Christmas or paying rent on time the landlord can often be the loser ending up with a nasty new year surprise! The key lesson mentioned in the article and one that I fully support is to ensure that you utilise the services of a professional property manager, they are are worth every cent when something goes wrong and they know exactly what to do about it, after all, that’s their specialty. Read on below or 
In the news this week we’ve seen a report about a French tenant who decided to let loose in his landlord’s apartment after his landlord refused to return his $2,500 deposit. Not only did he do some major damage wielding a sledgehammer but cleverly (read: not clever at all) recorded himself doing the damage and then posted it on YouTube. The video is titled “vengeance d’un locataire” (revenge of a tenant) and shows him doing his finest work to the bathroom toilet, mirror and shower before moving into the living area to do a bit more impromptu demolition. Whilst we don’t know the background story to this situation, the response by the tenant might be seen by some to be a touch extreme. I think we can also safely guess that not only will he now not be getting his deposit back, but with video evidence plastered all over the internet this outburst is likely to end up costing him a whole lot more than $2,500.
When it comes to investing in property everyone seems to be an expert and is full of advice, both good and bad. You’ll hear disaster stories by the bucket load and I often suggest that a lot of this information comes from people who have not experienced property investing themselves. You’ll hear “I have a friend that had a terrible experience when…” etc, etc. So going on this philosophy you’d be inclined to think that advice from someone who has done it before would be a lot more useful. Often it is, but you still need to approach it with a critical eye and always ask yourself when receiving advice from someone, what’s in it for them? This, I’d also strongly recommend when attending one of the many property investment workshops or seminars that are frequently marketed to the masses. There are lots to choose from and whilst some are very informative and useful, there are also ones out there that are simply a sales pitch.
Landlordism 