What's bugging you? ~ 2022 ~

[Samurai Bucky]

On 11/16/2022 at 4:55 PM, jerichoholicninja said:

Since when did it become a thing to start saying you got an "offer" to play D3 college sports? I see high school kids tweeting these pictures of them signing fake papers "accepting offers" from D3 schools all the time now. I played D3 baseball. There is no letter of intent or scholarship. If you pay your fee you're on the team.

Why are they "fake papers?"  It is a paper saying that they are committing to play at that school.  Better yet, there is direct intent to play at that school.  Has this tradition changed recently?  Sure.  Did the D3 kids "earn" the right to receive money from a college institution in the form of an athletic scholarship?  No.  So, if the definition of signing a letter of intent is to "intend to receive money in the form of an athletic scholarship to attend [insert school here] and participant in [insert sport here]..." then, yes, it is "fake paper."

Do you think that some ordinary Joe or Jane can simply walk onto a D3 program?  With the competitiveness of (at least) baseball, coaches are in contact with these kids ahead of time.  I know a lot of other kids who play D3 football and basketball who were in frequent contact with their college coaches.  I know that D3 coaches still have to work hard to keep their jobs.  Not only do they want to keep their jobs, but they may be looking to make a good impression and move up the ladder.  I know a coach for a D3 baseball school who was recruiting kids to come out from California to play.  Typically, those kids are not looking for a Major League contract, but are looking for an education.  If they choose the right school, money can be found for them in other forms.  Really for the D3 kids, they are all walk-ons.  If they really suck during the tryout camps their freshman year, they could be cut. 

By the way, these D3 kids do not get training table, specialized tutors, or may of the other amenities that come with a D1 school.  That is understandable and expected.

The experience of signing the "fake paper" is not only a commitment by the player, but also a reward for the hard work that many of these boys and girls put in.  Also, I don't think these letters can simply be downloaded from the Internet and signed.  The ones I have seen were sent to the player by the D3 coach.

I have a feeling that things are much different than when you played D3 baseball.  From what I have seen, it is not like that.  Things are certainly a lot different than when I tried to walk on with Wisconsin... that's for sure.

[MrTPlush]

So today I had a repo guy show up to my front door. Tells me he is looking for a Lauren...so I am like no I literally don't know a single Lauren. After saying this, the guy has the audacity to show me a picture of the car he is looking for (a luxury Alfa Romeo) and say "two people have confirmed this car is parked in this driveway all the time". I am guessing this was total BS statement because I never even have cars parked in my driveway and I live on a Cul De Sac...who would even confirm this? I presume this is just some classic line to act like they have information that they really don't to trick the person if they do have the car. 

Kind of ticked me off. I have no idea how he ended up at my door regardless, but I told him to basically screw off and never come back or I will have him trespassed. 

[wallus]

I have had a rental unit listed for rent for about 2 weeks. I have had a TON of interest and have showed it a lot. I have also received a lot of completed applications.

Not one single completed credit report. I even called to make sure the credit report website I use was not having issues. Nope, they are not. Yes, I have on the ad that I do credit checks.

Are people with crappy credit hoping that landlords won't check? Why waste everyone's time? My unit is on the more expensive side in a very nice part of town too. This is annoying.

[AKCheesehead]

I don’t know what difference credit score would make. That just shows you someone borrowed money and paid it back. I would think your ideal renter has a steady income and doesn’t need to borrow. 

[wallus]

4 hours ago, AKCheesehead said:

I don’t know what difference credit score would make. That just shows you someone borrowed money and paid it back. I would think your ideal renter has a steady income and doesn’t need to borrow. 

Credit score shows your history (among other things) of paying debts on time. When you rent out a place to live, you are extending credit. Steady income doesn't mean anything if you have more loans than you can afford.

[MrTPlush]

Credit history shows responsibility and ability to manage money. Let’s be honest, most Americans have loans in some form or another or had them recently. Ones that don’t are usually super smart with money and know how to use credit cards to make money. If someone is so smart to not have loans and not care to use credit cards to make money…they don’t rent…or have so much money they flash their bank account and have the place.

I don’t think landlords are looking for a 800 credit score. If someone is hiding their credit score, they probably have pretty bad credit. Which reflects irresponsibility. 

[wallus]

52 minutes ago, MrTPlush said:

Credit history shows responsibility and ability to manage money. Let’s be honest, most Americans have loans in some form or another or had them recently. Ones that don’t are usually super smart with money and know how to use credit cards to make money. If someone is so smart to not have loans and not care to use credit cards to make money…they don’t rent…or have so much money they flash their bank account and have the place.

I don’t think landlords are looking for a 800 credit score. If someone is hiding their credit score, they probably have pretty bad credit. Which reflects irresponsibility. 

You are 100% correct. I have had 2 sets of credit reports turned in and the highest credit score was 514 which I just can't rent to. Let's just say the credit reports were littered with collections.  Someone with 600 or higher and no evictions is likely going to get it.

[zurch1818]

Just curious, what would you do if they didn't have a credit score? Would you look at their paystubs and their past rent payment history or would you just deny them?

[wallus]

8 hours ago, zurch1818 said:

Just curious, what would you do if they didn't have a credit score? Would you look at their paystubs and their past rent payment history or would you just deny them?

I would check CCAP to see if they have any evictions or small claims judgements against them. They probably wouldn't because they have no credit score. If they were young, it would make sense and I would require a co-signer with good credit. If they are older with no credit score I would honestly consider it to be a little bit of a red flag but wouldn't be a deal breaker.

[AKCheesehead]

I was just thinking of it from my own perspective.  I don't know my credit score, it can't be much.  The only loan I ever took out was a student loan and I paid it off early because I had saved some money up and the company Great Lakes had really pissed me off.  Yet I'm about as good of a renter as anyone could ever possibly hope to have.

[wallus]

2 hours ago, AKCheesehead said:

I was just thinking of it from my own perspective.  I don't know my credit score, it can't be much.  The only loan I ever took out was a student loan and I paid it off early because I had saved some money up and the company Great Lakes had really pissed me off.  Yet I'm about as good of a renter as anyone could ever possibly hope to have.

Have you paid for a phone plan? Utilities? Credit cards? Those would all be a part of your credit score.

[nate82]

45 minutes ago, wallus said:

Have you paid for a phone plan? Utilities? Credit cards? Those would all be a part of your credit score.

Utilities and phone plans only show up on your credit report if you do not pay them.  If you pay them they don’t show up.

Basically only lines of credit show up as positives in your credit report.  It is possible that someone has a below 600 credit score and are not as risky as someone who has a 650 score but a lot of missed payments etc.

If you have no credit in the past then your score will be low by default since there is no history.  Best way right now to get a good credit score is to get a prepaid credit card or one that is linked to your bank account.  Those can actually fluff up your score if you have very little to no credit history.  These are also good ways to improve a bad score if you have a recent bankruptcy or mismanaged your credit in the past.

[zurch1818]

I concur with those bills not showing on your credit score as you didn't borrow money and pay it back. 

5 hours ago, AKCheesehead said:

I was just thinking of it from my own perspective.  I don't know my credit score, it can't be much.  The only loan I ever took out was a student loan and I paid it off early because I had saved some money up and the company Great Lakes had really pissed me off.  Yet I'm about as good of a renter as anyone could ever possibly hope to have.

My guess is if you have no lines of credit open (including a mortgage), your credit score would be undefined. You can't divide by zero.

Fun fact, if you lump sum pay something off (ie car/house), your credit score can drop 75 to 100 points. This is what mine did when I paid my house off. It's been about 9 months since I did that and my credit score is now starting to creep back up. It's such a stupid arbitrary number that just doesn't make any sense to me.

My credit rating was always good/excellent this whole time, so it wasn't that big of a deal...plus I have no intentions of ever going into debt again.

I just started a Mint account and I see that you can get a free credit score from them. It is pretty nice being able to see all transactions in one app.

[LouisEly]

If they don't rent, they likely have a mortgage... which is a loan.

My property management company sets a minimum of something like 620-640 for my rental properties.  That's basically the baseline for anyone who doesn't have a bad credit history; less than 600 and you have a number of missed payments/defaults. 

And if someone doesn't pay rent, it can take months to evict them.  That's months that you don't get rent to pay the mortgage on that property.  In some jurisdictions you can't even begin the eviction process until after 90 days.  Then you're dealing with legal fees/court costs, and even if you get a judgment in your favor, good luck actually seeing that money.  When you actually do evict them, they trash your place, costing you even more money. 

Side note - it's worth paying a property management company to handle that stuff.  Mine takes 6% of each month's rent (plus any repairs that they need to make) and 35% of the first month's rent for moving someone in.  Well worth $200/month (that I also can write off on my taxes) on ~$3,400 in monthly rent collected.

[Baldkin]

Going to have to find a new place to live, as my new downstairs neighbors believe that there is no problem with playing bass so loud it shakes my floor for 10+ hours a day.

I work from home, I've asked them to keep it down, I've told the landlord about it and nothing has changed. 

So, I'm gonna move. 

[nate82]

33 minutes ago, Baldkin said:

Going to have to find a new place to live, as my new downstairs neighbors believe that there is no problem with playing bass so loud it shakes my floor for 10+ hours a day.

This would be my playlist on a loop while I wasn't home for them to listen to:

Baby Shark, Crazy Frog Song, Never Gonna Give You Up, Gucci Gang, Manha Manha, Earth Song, Friday, Call me Maybe and I Love You. 

Put that on repeat while you are away and they will be begging you what they can do to make it stop. 

[TURBO]

54 minutes ago, Baldkin said:

Going to have to find a new place to live, as my new downstairs neighbors believe that there is no problem with playing bass so loud it shakes my floor for 10+ hours a day.

I work from home, I've asked them to keep it down, I've told the landlord about it and nothing has changed. 

So, I'm gonna move. 

Call the Police.  Maybe the possibility of a ticket will turn that music down?

[TURBO]

This is going to seem weird, but every time I see it, it pisses me off.

Have you noticed the WI License plates that are peeling, and you can't even see the letters or numbers?

First off, why did they go to this rather than the old style of the painted/printed letters/numbers?  Has to be the cost, there is no other explanation.

Secondly, isn't the point of the letters/numbers so your car can be identified?  If a car is involved in an accident or whatever, and someone needs to get the plate number, it will be impossible.  I would think that the police would be pulling these cars over and telling them to contact the DMV for new plates.  I mean, the plates benefit the police more than anyone, right?

I am seeing it more and more and it just irritates me to no end.

 

[wallus]

On 12/22/2022 at 2:58 PM, LouisEly said:

If they don't rent, they likely have a mortgage... which is a loan.

My property management company sets a minimum of something like 620-640 for my rental properties.  That's basically the baseline for anyone who doesn't have a bad credit history; less than 600 and you have a number of missed payments/defaults. 

And if someone doesn't pay rent, it can take months to evict them.  That's months that you don't get rent to pay the mortgage on that property.  In some jurisdictions you can't even begin the eviction process until after 90 days.  Then you're dealing with legal fees/court costs, and even if you get a judgment in your favor, good luck actually seeing that money.  When you actually do evict them, they trash your place, costing you even more money. 

Side note - it's worth paying a property management company to handle that stuff.  Mine takes 6% of each month's rent (plus any repairs that they need to make) and 35% of the first month's rent for moving someone in.  Well worth $200/month (that I also can write off on my taxes) on ~$3,400 in monthly rent collected.

Lots of good information here. I laugh when people say "laws favor landlords".

I am pretty fed up with it and will put my duplex on the market if I don't find a decent renter soon. It is worth good money and I can cash out and not have the aggravation. 

[NeedMoreFans]

10 hours ago, TURBO said:

This is going to seem weird, but every time I see it, it pisses me off.

Have you noticed the WI License plates that are peeling, and you can't even see the letters or numbers?

First off, why did they go to this rather than the old style of the painted/printed letters/numbers?  Has to be the cost, there is no other explanation.

Secondly, isn't the point of the letters/numbers so your car can be identified?  If a car is involved in an accident or whatever, and someone needs to get the plate number, it will be impossible.  I would think that the police would be pulling these cars over and telling them to contact the DMV for new plates.  I mean, the plates benefit the police more than anyone, right?

I am seeing it more and more and it just irritates me to no end.

 

Yep!  Mine are terrible right now.  The DMV is aware and is in the process of replacing plates: https://www.fox6now.com/news/peeling-license-plates-wisconsin-replace

What's strange is my wife's plates are 12 years old and are fine, mine are 10 and needed to be replaced 5 years ago (so much for the 10 year lifespan mentioned in the article).  They are also just replacing them with basically the same plates they have now, so aren't the new ones going to start peeling in 5 years?  Seems like other states have it figured out, but not WI.  

[Thurston Fluff]

Waking up Christmas morning without heat. It's zero outside and 42 inside.

[nate82]

1 hour ago, Thurston Fluff said:

Waking up Christmas morning without heat. It's zero outside and 42 inside.

I sleep with my window open here in AZ and it gets down to about 35-40 at night.  I don't turn the heat on at all. 

[stoutdude04]

On 12/24/2022 at 7:14 AM, NeedMoreFans said:

Yep!  Mine are terrible right now.  The DMV is aware and is in the process of replacing plates: https://www.fox6now.com/news/peeling-license-plates-wisconsin-replace

What's strange is my wife's plates are 12 years old and are fine, mine are 10 and needed to be replaced 5 years ago (so much for the 10 year lifespan mentioned in the article).  They are also just replacing them with basically the same plates they have now, so aren't the new ones going to start peeling in 5 years?  Seems like other states have it figured out, but not WI.  

Mine started to peel this year - I've had them for like 10 years. It annoys me.

[Thurston Fluff]

22 hours ago, nate82 said:

I sleep with my window open here in AZ and it gets down to about 35-40 at night.  I don't turn the heat on at all. 

o

Our windows were closed but the furnace wasn't working. Took until noon and $800 to get it back on. Not complaining though. Just thankful that we can afford it and it could be fixed.

[LouisEly]

It bugs me that there still are license plates and that we're still using that 100-year-old technology.  I think that's something that's ripe for innovation over the next 10 years (considering anything that is completely new today won't be in a vehicle for at least 3-4 years).  Way too easy to steal and way to difficult to read to identify a stolen vehicle.