All Forum Posts by: Robert Lorenz

oh and just to clarify, tar is what sticks, it's all the other crap carried by the tar that makes the smell

I also have a lot of personal experience with this... look at your fingers after smoking and holding a burning joint.  Look at the inside of your pipes and bongs.  The tar is there, and it absolutely does stick to your walls and anything else it contacts.  It is smoke, and most smoke will leave residue.  Just because nobody called you out on it doesn't mean you didn't reek of weed. I personally just wash my hands and toss back a cup of coffee, and that pretty much does it.  When I was a smoker, I could do the same thing to cover the cigarette smell. I am not against it, and I personally like the smell of good ganja.  I also agree that the stench of cigarettes is much nastier and more potent, and a lot harder to get rid of.  I am one of the people that voted on your posts, and have held a medical marijuana license in the last year.

If you're smoking that much volume in an enclosed area without ventilation: first off, that's dumb.  Open a damn window.  Second, even if you sit around and smoke all day every day (and actually get stuff done somehow), I'm still going to argue that you don't match a multiple-pack a day cigarette smoker, especially not a smoking couple or family with multiple smokers.  Chain smokers like that are lighting up again withing 10-15 minutes of putting one out.  If you are smoking weed that frequently, buy better weed because whatever you're smoking clearly sucks.  I grew up in a home with two 3+ pack a day smokers, plus I smoked, my brother smoked, my sisters smoked...  there's no way you can seriously claim to smoke more weed than that.  Most people who smoke cigarettes indoors habitually aren't alone in their habit. Similar examples of marijuana smokers who truly match that kind of volume are rare indeed.  Now anyone who wants to demonstrate what I'm talking about can simply grab a coffee filter or white t-shirt and blow a puff of pot smoke through it.  One is enough.  Anyone who doesn't think smoke leaves residue on walls, check Google Images for "smoke residue on walls and ceilings."  I concede that most of the images that pop up are cigarette and housefire smoke related, but you can look at the inside of your barbecue if you want to see cellulose smoke residue  (from wood if you know how to cook), and like it or not marijuana is mostly cellulose, and cellulose does not combust cleanly and completely.

Just wanna poke my head in and say the latent smell from cigarettes AND marijuana is from the accumulation of TAR, not nicotine.  The reason there tends to be less accumulated/leftover stench from pot is because the frequency and volume is much much lower than cigarette smoking.  If you sit around your apartment smoking weed as much as the average smoker smokes cigarettes  (think 20+ joints PER DAY, every day, indoors, for months or years) then you will absolutely have odor and tar stains to deal with. By the same token, if you only smoke 3-4 cigarettes a day inside your home, a few times a week or whatever, the smell you're likely to encounter later will be a lot less nasty and intense, and much easier to eliminate.  It's all about exposure.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/ener...

http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/ener...

The utility companies are trying to do away with net metering and charge additional fees or different rates to solar-equipped customers.

I am surprised I didn't see anything more about it on this years ballot... perhaps they're pushing it through without voter approval?  Yay AZ Corporation Commission....

Brenda there are options besides FHA.... check out Wells Fargo and Quicken Loans, they both have low-down non- FHA options. I also Agree with Denny about looking a little closer around here. 360k for a 4-plex is about what you're paying for a nice one in a nice area in Phx, and likely isn't cashflowing well. If you're just in it for the return, look towards Glendale, outskirts of downtown, and south Phx. Plenty of deals still to be had in those areas. Also, AZREIA is great for networking, and we're making strides in our educational offerings. If you're looking for funding options, come to Phoenix Real Estate Club meetings. It is there that you will have the opportunity to ask for and meet with the people that can help you best, including private money lenders that just want a safe place to stick cash that's languishing in low-interest accounts. There are also note investors that can help facilitate the process. Go to azreia.org for details on the next meeting.

The Phoenix Real Estate Club and AZREIA will be conducting meetings throughout that time.  Check out the full schedule at aazreia.org.  I recommend the Beginning Investors subgroup and the Millenial Investors subgroup, and we may be instituting a couple new subgroups for Cashflow 101 play and a more advanced version of the Beginners group.  PM me when you're in the valley and we'll work something out if you're interested.

BTW Ryan & Rachel AZREIA is the place to be locally.  The Millenial Investors subgroup and the Beginning Investors subgroup are both pretty good, always engaging and educational.  If you haven't joined yet, your first subgroup meeting is free.

You're officially uninvited, Ron :P

The utility companies out here have pushed legislation through that makes solar much less attractive (yay politicians, outstanding job yet again), and in my experience advertised rent is actual amount paid. Property taxes and HOA fees should be incorporated into that amount. Seperate bill-back for water or power isn't rare, nor is it common... though most rentals are set up for separate electrical billing. Water/trash/sewer can go either way, though most buildings I've seen aren't set up for seperate metering. Property management fees vary with the management company, and service quality varies widely even within the same fee range. Shop around... depending on the area, there are probably a few people here on BP with solid local management experience, and even a PM company themselves.

This guy is pretty popular, and I've heard him speak on at least one podcast recently... seems legit:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/214...

Good luck.... oh and join AZREIA :P

I was at the meeting tonight... our guest speaker cancelled at the last minute but we were all invited to sit in on a John Burley presentation, so it worked out.  Next up is our Millenial Investors subgroup coming up next week.  Jay and Samara have a special guest coming in from out of town, so it should be pretty aawsome.  Check the out on FB @ AZREIA Millenial Investors