Houses Are Free

I wrote this book to explain how I retired at age 56, moved to Florida from New York and spent the next 20 years enjoying life. While the basic ideas are mine I did have the help of my son in putting it into a readable form. This is “no get rich quick” millionaire book. I think there are far too many of those, all of which I believe are impractical to some degree, especially for those who start with little or nothing. It is, though, about the creation of a comfortable, easy going life. A life where you can have the time and money to enjoy yourself and indulge in your favorite pursuits, just like me. Creating and living a comfortable life is an ongoing process. My son and I have nearly completely different views on what is “comfortable.” In fact, we agree perhaps on very little about what is a comfortable life. Yet, we both are very comfortable in our own way. Only you can determine what is comfortable for you. This book is, therefore, part memoir and part how-to book. It shows how anybody in America can achieve similar results. This book is about my experiences buying, renting out and selling houses. It is not about flipping houses, or even making a million dollars. It is about becoming comfortable financially and giving yourself time to pursue your hobbies and favorite activities while living off that so-called “nest egg.” And doing so long before what is considered retirement age. Throughout it ideas are presented that will work for you as well. I use the houses I bought, rented out and sold only as examples of what anyone can do. Over the years, when telling people what I did, some said “you should write a book.” Those who most encouraged me were those who followed my advice and experienced similar results. Others dismissed the whole idea as “pie in the sky” dreaming. They are the ones, though, who never seem to have money or time to pursue their dreams. Many of them still have to work to make ends meet. Indeed, I think many people in America do not lead comfortable lives. Surely if you listen to many politicians, financial experts and to news reports most Americans are very concerned about their lives and financial condition. They are in debt, they are stressed, they spend (waste) too much money, and they are living paycheck to paycheck. They seemingly have very little to show for their efforts. Many people are apparently merely muddling through life. For others life is rough, even unbearable. Perhaps you are one of these people. If so, then this book is for you, for it will help you get out of the situation you are in. Perhaps my views are iconoclastic, out of the ordinary, even strange. My title alone is evidence of that: Houses are Free! Yes, that's right: House are free. I can't say it often enough! I know more than a few “experts” who told me that I am wrong and what I did “can't be done.” The newspapers, TV financial shows and magazines do not present what you will read here. In fact, they all seem to say that the idea expressed in my title is not true and my methods cannot work. So be it. I believe they are wrong, however, for I do live comfortably; by my reckoning or anyone else's. For those with a plan and a dream, achieving comfortableness is relatively easy following my methods. This book will explain more than how to look at house ads and how to buy, rent and sell them. It will also show you how to think about earning, saving and investing money. Perhaps just another "how to book" that uses money instead of muscles, but not one that promises you millions of dollars, just a comfortable life. You do not need millions of dollars to have a comfortable life. There are plenty of books on how to become a millionaire; this is not one of them. This book tells how you can become secure and comfortable, an often overlooked goal in our mega-millions-earning celebrity and sports player driven society. The reason I went into real estate was rather simple. I was employed for many years at various companies as a lithographer, making negatives for offset printers. In 1971 I started my own lithography business. This was what I knew. By the late 1970s, however, I began to notice a declining volume of business. Computers were slowly taking away my livelihood. By the late 1990s nearly the entire industry was gone. Lithographers simply could no longer support ourselves with our skills. We were just like typewriters, record players and LPs, and the companies that made them: dinosaurs headed for extinction. Just like candlestick makers and blacksmiths disappeared as technology moved ahead in previous decades, lithography was a dying, soon to be dead, industry. I was approaching 50, newly divorced, and was no longer needed in almost any place where I could make money. It became imperative to find another way to earn a living. So what was I going to do? Go back to school to learn some new trade? Even if I had learned computers that would not have been enough. This new industry wanted young people who were not burdened with preconceived notions about how to do things. In the early 1970s I began reading books about how to get rich with real estate. By the end of the 1970s I realized that about the only way left for me to earn a living was to be in real estate. I was a so-called “average American,” making an average salary. I worked 2 jobs for about 20 years just to pay bills and have a few extras. I didn't start my real estate ventures until I was 46 years old. When I tell people how and why and what to do they come up with all kinds of excuses as to why they could never do what I did. Yes, I had plenty of anxiety at first, and lots of misgivings, especially just after a house was bought. Frankly, until they were rented out I was panic stricken. You will probably have similar misgivings and go though similar experiences. Yet, what's really amazing is that there is always someone willing to rent. But don't worry about that, for that person will come to you. I am not a handy type of person. I don't do plumbing. I don't do electrical work. I don't do roofing. There are many things I can't do, don't do and won't do. Many years ago I tried to fix my own toilet tank to “save money.” It took me a whole weekend, several bruised fingers, along with plenty of aggravation and frustration. It still leaked. On Monday I called a plumber and he fixed it in 20 minutes for the price of a service call and a few parts. I never attempted plumbing again. Once I tried to make a molding around a window. After buying enough molding to do 2 windows I began by mitering the corners. Every corner came out crooked. After cutting each corner 2 or 3 times I finally filled in the corners with wood filler, but it never looked right. Another time, watching a relative trying to fix a ceiling fixture, there was a loud pop and sparks. He was thrown off the chair. I never tried electric work after that. As for fixing roofs, I keep remembering a story about a man who was helping his neighbor repair a roof. He fell off and became a paraplegic. That scared me away forever from getting on any roofs. There are plenty of licensed, insured and trained professionals for every job. Find and use them. The only thing I can do is paint and clean. Soap, water and paint is what you need after buying the type of home I'm going to recommend that you buy. Painting a house is very easy. I sort of hate it myself but it's not so bad. The house looks nice when you're finished. It gives a lot of satisfaction. Home Depot and Lowes have classes on painting, tile repair and other simple home repairs. If you have a cooperative significant other or teenagers to help, it's much easier. I have a fear of heights. I cannot go above the 14th rung, or about 15 feet. Guess who does go up that high? My significant other does! I once hired a painter to do only the second story of my house. I did the first floor.