Mark P Knowles :: Don't Panic !

One thing I get sick and tired of is spam. It is the bane of everyone's internet life. Especially as I want to be able to be contacted. If I write something on one of my blogs, or on any of the other blogs I have been paid to write at, I am not bullshitting. If that is what I wrote, then that is what I think. Therefore I like people to be able to tell me what an asshole/genius they think I am if they agree/disagree with me.

And if you want to advertise on one of my blogs, I want you to be able to contact me. Simple. So, I put myself in a position where I can be contacted. Which means -

I get sent all sorts of shit I don't want. Spotting the "Dear wonderful person, I am in a position of having to dispose of the sum in $150 million and I am needing your help," takes a few milliseconds a day, and I am unlikely to waste any further time than that.

But I was recently sent what seemed to be genuine inquiries and spent time responding. Which pisses me off when they turn out to be a waste of fuckin' time!

I am not going to give the latest one the benefit of a backlink, but I was written to by a company by the name of Property Options LLC, which is starting a real estate site called findire.com. This is supposed to be some sort of search engine to find real estate agents around the world. They wanted to exchange links with me at my Property Investment blog, so I wrote back to them and said sure. Next thing I know I get an email telling me to add a link to them and then go and add a link to my own site at their shitty link farm which has zero pagerank and is not reachable from their own site. Why on earth would I want a link from their self-service link farm. What a bunch of scammy, spammy wankers.

On top of that, they shared my email address with a bunch of other spammers and I am now getting their original email several times a day despite having asked to be removed from their spam list several times.

If you come across this website - avoid them like the plague. And in the words of Monty Python:

Dracula’s castle, Transylvania is on the market for around $80 million. Seems like a bargain to us, as long as there are no incumbent tenants and some of the strangest most unusual real estate for sale

Vatu Vara island is claimed to be the most expensive freehold island in the world. If you have to ask, you can’t afford it. It is often nicknamed Hat Island because of its unusual shape — the top of its peak is flat because it was once at sea level. It is part of the Lau group of islands and its peak dominates the surrounding skyline. It is said to be one of the last four freehold islands to come on to the market in Fiji.

When people talk real estate these days, there’s a whole bunch of ominous terms being bandied about. With some northern US states hit so hard by the housing downturn that over 30% of their houses are empty, and south Florida leading the state , if not the country in foreclosures, the increase in anxiety is to be expected. But homeowners need not panic, there are alternatives to foreclosure.

Getting in over your head financially doesn’t have to mean losing your home investment. You should always try to work things out with your bank first. Contact them as soon as you’re having trouble making your payments. Banks don’t like foreclosures and you may be able to make a deal that will make your payments bearable and allow you to keep your home. There are also some programs though HUD that can help you stay put until the market balances out.

Once you’ve exhausted your options, you may want to try and negotiate a short sale.

WHAT IS A SHORT SALE?

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