All Forum Posts by: Renee Allen

Thank you all so much for your input. I am going to get this done if it kills me!!!!! I am going to get my non profit status. There is a lady that is going to do a story about it on one of the world news stations. Maybe that will get some money flowing!!!! I have thought alot about what each one has posted. You have been a big help to me. I started this over a year ago but since I have joined this website I feel like I have learned more in a week than I have the entire year and a half. The one thing I have learned before now is there are alot of people out there that are trying to make a buck and say they will help and then you get nothing. I was to the point I thought I could not trust anyone until I came in here. Thank you all for all your ideas. I appreciate you all. If you come up with anything else please let me know.

I did have a local bank that was going to loan me the money but my plan was to start it in my house in the middle of town. I had to go infront of the planning commission. There was a local reporter there and she just had to put it on the front page of the paper- not good. Everyone in town threw such a fit over it, the bank had phone calls from some of the "higher ups" in town telling them to not loan us the money. What a can of worms that whole ordeal was!!! But there is more than one way to skin a cat, I have found a way to get around all of the red tape. I am going to build in the rural area outside of town. And as far as the houses intown I am using for after care, the city attorney informed me that you can have up to 6 people not related to you living in your home. I know every person in this town that called to the bank and complained and more than one of them has a child that is in desperate need of our services! These people think if you dont speak it it is actually not happening. I guess they would rather these kids ruin their lives than actually admit that we have a major epidemic here.

But should I go with hard money lenders or should I go with angel investors? Which route would be the best with this type of business and my situation?

When I first started appraising about 10 years ago, there was this new subdivision in Lowell Arkansas. This subdivision was your typical cookie cutter subdivision, the houses were around 1200 to 1400 square feet new homes typical 2 car garage vinyl exterior some had fireplaces, etc. At the time they were selling around $70,000 to $80,000. Then one day some stupid guy goes and buys one of those cookie cutter houses for $120,000. What was he thinking????? What was the appraiser thinking??? Anyway, to make a long story short, the deal actually went through. So, the neighbors think... well if they can sell their house for that then I have a deck instead of a patio so mine is worth $125,000 and they put it on the market and so on. Not long after that is when the market went baaaazerk!!!! Now look at it.... I blame the one stupid guy and the sucky appraiser for the whole mess that we are in today.

A while ago I would have said my area, Northwest Arkansas. For a few years we were the fasting growing area in the United States. It was almost like we were in a race with Las Vegas. Now, sad to say, they have over built in the larger areas where I appraise (not in the town where I live but in Fayetteville and Bentonville). There are a lot of empty new houses and empty lots. The Bentonville area still has some life in the market because of Walmart. I have heard stories of some builders going into the bank with keys upon keys of homes and saying here do with them what you can. It is so sad. There was one builder that caused a small bank to go under because of he had over built. One of the better builders in the area filled bankruptcy the other day and he built some of the most beautiful homes I have seen, and it takes alot to impress me! The lady I work with has been an appraiser for over 25 years and she said she has never seen so many empty homes and REO's ever, not even during the whole S&L bomb.

My opinion would be after you find a good place, adverstise for a custom built home if possible. Then you are guaranteed it wont sit for ever.

What can I do to make my business plan more inviting? I have an idea for a business that is a money maker but I can not get anyone to invest in it or give me a loan. I am not understanding what I am doing wrong. Is there some sort of advice any of you can give me to help my business plan "pop". It needs to scream SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!! The business would operate at 100% capacity from the minute it is built. I think my major problems are 1: no money for colatoral; 2: not a very good credit score at all (but my partners arent bad!) 3: no actual experience in the field I am wanting to persue (but I do have the knowledge to hire the right people that can do the best job, my job in it would be making sure the place is running at full capacity) and 4: NO MONEY!!! I know, I know, it takes money to make money. Would someone be willing to look over everything I have and see if they can help me fix it?

i have a 2001 GMC Yukon with the Southern Comfort Package. It has a tv, vcr, dvd, gaming system, etc. With three kids you would think it would be perfect. I call it the puke mobile. That is all that extra is good for, making your kids sick! Thank God it has leather seats! Then I also drive a 2006 Chevy Impala SS. I call it the red rocket! I looooove that car! Highly recommend it to anyone who drives alot like I do. I call it the car for dummies, it tells me when my tires are low and when to change my oil (I have a hard time remembering that one). When I drive it I feel like I am in one of those car commercials. Must be why I have had 2 tickets in it in a year and a half, my first in about 10 years or so. (Maybe I should stick with driving the puke mobile.)

Which is better? Do you actually make money in a non profit business? If so how? Why are most "charitable foundations" so stingy? Anyone have any answers for me?

Why is it that a scammer seems to sniff out newbies and reek havoc on everything that is good? Who are these people anyway? What kind of monster preys on the innocent people of the world just to make a dime? And some of the scams they run... these people are so "intellegent" it is almost scary. They should take their energy and minds and put it to some good use instead of ripping people off. And why are most of them from Nigeria and the United Kingdom? Do they have jobs there or are they just breading like rabbits? Do they teach them this in school? My opinion... there is a special place in hell for these people.

But you know who the blame is going to fall on dont you? The appraiser, just like with the Savings and Loan bust up. Alot of us do our job as best we can and follow the rules to a T but that is not going to matter because :badwords: rolls down hill and the appraiser is at the bottom of the pile. Some people can not help the fact that they are having financial problems but alot of this mess is the younger people taking payments they can afford now with an adjustable rate not realizing they cant afford it later. Alot of the gimicks that were used to get loans were bad ideas to begin with also. Now the older people who are living on intrest is paying for everyone elses mistakes.