If I ever run for President, I will run as a Republican because they believe everything that Fox News tells them.

To me, it is astonishing to realize just how uninformed the majority of US Voters truly are.

In 1998, Donald Trump said, "If I ever run for President, I will run as a Republican because they believe everything that Fox News tells them."

Unfortunately, Don was correct.

In the 2016 Presidential election, out of all the US Counties, Don won 3,100 plus! (I still don't know why these county residents were swayed by the Trump/Bannon hateful rhetoric.)

But, what most people don't realize is that counties Trump won in the US election are the lowest producing economic counties in the US.  The one lone exception that stands out to me is: Maricopa County, AZ.

The sad thing is, Clinton carried the counties, that combined, make up 64% of the US GNP.  Which means that the 57 Counties who voted for Hillary Clinton are more prosperous than all the of counties that Trump won.

Counties with highest GNP

This leads me to know that if a county is that prosperous, and they supply so much economic value to the country, why don't the other counties that are poorer, follow their lead?

I realize that most can't do what most of the more prosperous counties do.

And I believe that the reason is, they don't look beyond their horizon.  They don't see the forest for the trees.  They keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.

They (foolishly) believed that an arrogant, narcissistic man who said he will bring their jobs back, when in fact 60%+/- of those "lost" jobs (since 1979) never, ever left the country in the first place. (Automation was cheaper for the factory than the human.)

But, instead of re-tooling; instead of looking ahead; these (now old) factory workers longed for their widget making job back.  (Massive mistake.)

So, if 50 counties have more economic power than all of the counties that Trump won, why don't those 3,100+ county leaders do something about it.

Could it be even the leaders of those counties can't get out of their own way?

The bottom-line is:

Trump is NOT going to bring back any of those lost jobs.
Trump will waste money building a "wall" along the southern border when in reality, it is not necessary.  (90% of Illegal Immigrants overstay their visas.  They don't stupidly attempt to cross 100's of miles of open desert.  It is a deadly thing to attempt. I don't care what the Reality TV shows indicate.)

Trump WILL increase the US National Debt by doing things that cost money, without a means or way to pay for them.

Sure.  Trump can cancel overpaying for a new plane; Trump can sign lots of 'Executive Orders' banning Muslims from entering the country (Out of ALL the Muslim nations, he selected the 7 nations where he doesn't currently have a business or operating hotel interest.)

Yet, Trump doesn't know how to play well with others.  Leaks from the White House indicate there is a pending massive exodus waiting to happen.  (And, he has only been President two weeks!)

You can only invalidate some so much before they lose respect for you as a person and/or leader.

(Trump, I believe, thought being President amounted to him just issuing orders; and Congress goose stepping along with those orders without questioning him.)

Sooner or later, (I hope sooner) the non college educated voter will realize just how stupidly they were selecting the man with the big mouth spewing hateful rhetoric.

And I hope and pray somewhere within the walls of Congress, an impeachment process is lingering.

If Obama had tried to do any of this stuff that Trump is trying to do, the GOP would already have begun the impeachment process.

Democracy was never intended to be efficient!

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

And that is the way it should be!!!

The Nevada Supreme Court upheld the HOA's right to foreclose on a property which voids any and all mortgage liens that affect the property.

If you are a lender, bank or investment company, and you don't keep an eye on your investment, then losing your interest in that property is the end result.

HOA Auction Story

A few years ago, I went to one of these HOA auctions to check it out.  I soon learned that I didn't have enough money to compete with 99% of the investors there.

But, I watched, listened and learned just what these investors already knew.

Acquiring a property (usually a SFR/condo home) at an HOA sanctioned auction was the best way to acquire one for under market value. (Please keep that between you and me!)

And, the winning bidder receives the property for cash free and clear.

When I was there, two investors continually tired to out bid one another for a home.  The property was eventually sold for $151,000.  I learned that the losing bidder just hadn't brought enough money to the auction.

Later, I looked the address up and discovered it was a Summerlin mansion that the owner couldn't afford the HOA payments on anymore.  The HOA foreclosed, did their necessary disclosure work, held the auction and the bank was out!

And, while there, I noticed that a lot of the homes being auctions off were already bank owned and the banks simply just didn't pay the monthly HOA fee.  Thus, the bank had foreclosed on a property, added it to their asset list and simple stop maintaining the HOA monthly fee.

Well, the HOA needs that Monthly assessment to maintain their communities. So, too bad, Mr. Bank.  I truly don't feel sorry for you for any bank or mortgage company that created and funded those horrible loans 10 to 12 years ago -- just to sell loans on the Secondary market.

And now the bank are considering bring them back, again?  Obviously, the lesson wasn't learned.

Sure, let's buy a home (we can't afford) on a 100% LTV stated income loan!  Stupid is what it is.

Now, hopefully, I will close a few more deals; and then, I will have a little more extra cash to try the HOA auction process again.

See you there!

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

Could Vacant Malls be Renovated into Schools/Classrooms?

As I await for the continuation of the NFL Playoffs, I was cruising the usual Internet sites and came across an article about Department Store CEOs who are being replaced because of poor retail sales.
(Of course it is exciting to me!)

Anyway, with Amazon and e-bay taking rather large bites from this sector, and the fact that stores and malls are closing left and right, it got me thinking: (I know, not a good sign.) Since most communities still need schools, and most communities can NOT afford to build new schools, why aren't those school districts taking these already built and ready for (their) Tenant Improvement buildings and converting them to schools?

I'm sure that the banks would sell cheaply; or, they would lease to the school district cheaply in exchange for them taking care of the property while the bank tries to figure out what to do with the property next.

It has to be much, much cheaper to place a school into one of these buildings because the big box buildings could be divided into classrooms, auditorium, and gym; they already have the essential elements needed to supply children, teachers and administrators what they need.  Especially the smaller retail stores could be classrooms, etc.

Malls have built in Food Courts, Bathrooms, Hall Ways, Indoor Gathering Areas, Outdoor Gathering Areas, Ample Parking, and ease of access to and from the grounds.

The question I have: Why hasn't anyone else thought of this before?

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes