When I grow up, I want to own a place at the beach. It turns out that if I’m not too picky, and don’t mind being within a mile of the surf, I might be able to swing it. Here are the “Cheapest Places to Own a Place at the Beach in the U.S.” People living there had better pay their property taxes, but it’s no surprise that more than $14 billion in property taxes go unpaid each year, according to the National Tax Lien Association (who knew there was such a thing?!). Each year, the average American household spends, if they pay it, $2,690 on real-estate property taxes plus another $444 for residents of the 26 states with vehicle property taxes. WalletHub's 2023’s Property Taxes by State report reveals that Hawaii has the lowest real-estate tax, $700, while New Jersey is highest at $6,057. Twenty-six states levy some form of vehicle property tax. “Blue” states have 30 percent higher real-estate property taxes than “Red&#
If I had a dollar for every time someone called me a boring nerd, I'd have a mean daily income of $5.64 with a standard deviation of $1.25. Turning “boring” into “interesting” is something to be proud of. How about a hand-held miniature chainsaw or a shopping cart with a magnifying glass attached for reading labels? For loan originators, new and old, who think creativity has vanished from residential lending, maybe they should focus on the basics. This eBook has been recommended to me: “The Ultimate Borrower Communications Strategy for Mortgage Lenders.” I recently received this note from a successful loan officer. “Rob, my commissions in 2020 and 2021 were over $500k each year. In 2022 they dropped about 50 percent to about $250k. 2023 promises to be even lower, and I’ll be lucky to make $200k. Are you seeing this everywhere?” Yes, I am. But keep things in perspective. In the U.S., and certainly in the world, $200k