Man, I Need a Real Job Or Something

This is the month. I’m at the end of my rope.

The $3,000 that I borrowed from a friend got us through last month. Now that’s all gone. (Oh and I have to pay him back one of these days too).

It’s already the 9th and we haven’t paid the $500 rent to my sister-in-law who we’re living with. She has been patient with us but that welcome is starting to wear out.

It’s already the 9th and we haven’t paid the $1,000 worth of my wife’s minimum credit card payments. Somehow we’ve managed to keep her from getting any lates on her credit so far. We have been hoping to save her credit through all this. (Though, now because of the foreclosure, I guess that may be a lost cause).

And I’m not even talking about any of the other bills - cell phones, internet and medical/auto insurance.

The nine-to-five “job” with my local Rich Dad is not really picking up as fast as I hoped. I have been too scattered / distracted to work on bringing any deals to him. I am still hoping to help him sell some of his inventory for a commission. But that takes time and no guarantees.

As much as I want to say that I will never go back to a real job, I sure am starting to miss the stability of it.

My wife has also been wondering about my promise to her:

“I will take care of us, just go to school and don’t worry about money.”

She has interrupted school in the past several times in our marriage because of financial instability. Now she is determined to stay in school, no matter what. That means I have to provide stability for her, no matter what. Lately she has been saying:

“Where is the money, honey? I thought you said I would have nothing to worry about!?”

I hate hearing those words because I know I’m failing to deliver. The pressure has been really getting to me. I want to be a good husband and provider. She has been so committed, loving and supportive of me throughout our 2.5 years of marriage, and especially through this current financial storm of facing foreclosure. I’m sick and tired of letting my wife down!

So I have been thinking of getting a full-time salaried job. A real job, no more “commission-only”.

I have just three criteria for the job:

1. It must be in the real estate industry so that I can keep my foot in the game.
2. It must make at least $3,000 per month so we can cover our basic living expenses
3. It must not take more than 40 hours a week so I can have time for blogging and side businesses

The good thing is that I’ve been talking to a local real estate company about a job of some kind that may meet the above criteria. We’ve been talking on and off for a few weeks. I wasn’t ready to move forward before. But this week I decided to stop messing around and get serious about it. I picked up the negotiations back up. I’m hoping to have the job secured later this week and hopefully start on Monday.

Another good thing that happen is we bought a quality cheap car today. There is even some insurance money left over because we didn’t spend the entire $5,000. That’s a good thing. Maybe we can save the money and buy a second cheap car a bit later. Will try to post some pictures of it tomorrow.

The timing of both the job opportunity and buying a car is perfect. We’ve been blessed.

Filed under goals, finances / income
Have You Been Foreclosed Upon?
One of Those Days :-(
130 Comments

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1. Sean
November 9th, 2006 at 3:10 am

You could work as a real estate agent, it doesn’t take too long to get accredited. I know a mortgage broker in the US who, after a number of years, has her own business and makes very good money. So, if you like number crunching, you could become a loans officer — that’s if it doesn’t give you flashbacks and nightmares from the mortgages… I believe sub-prime brokers make pretty good money in the US.

Bear in mind that the market is turning down at present, sales are thin on the ground, and there could be a major shake-up in the industry where a lot of recent realtors have to shut up shop. However, people always need houses, so sales will eventually pick up, albeit most likely at a lower price.

You’ve been lead to believe by the seminars that any and all property is a gold mine just waiting to be exploited — it ain’t necessarily so. If you’re a developer in the right place at the right time, it can be, although Toll Bros etc are facing a major correction and slowdown in housing starts also.

One way or another, you’re going to have to work for a living, though. (In Australia, you can go to university virtually for free — tuition used to be free, now you have to put a small amount towards it, but you have the option of paying it back after you graduate through the tax system on a threshhold basis — you pay a slightly higher tax rate once you’re earning enough until it’s paid off.)
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2. Sean
November 9th, 2006 at 3:13 am

Just to follow up, I think the spell of the property seminar gurus may soon wear off through bitter experience. Perhaps you should think more widely about careers you would like to pursue than just the property industry…

I know a middle manager on a good salary who was lead to believe property was the only way to go in a seminar, and quit his job to become a real estate agent. He now makes less than he did in his old job, lost all his cushy entitlements, and leads a much more precarious life from sale to sale. Definitely a step backwards. The gurus really don’t care much about outcomes for any of their ‘graduates’, truth be told — as long as they got your money up-front.
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3. What's REAL
November 9th, 2006 at 3:36 am

Hello Casey Serin,
I am responding to your statement “So I have been thinking of getting a full-time salaried job.” Choosing one incessant job from another can be an increasingly difficult task. You are overwhelmed with a need for money at this stage of the game or “blinded by the light” as some might say; however, you shouldn’t let your momentary need for money drive what you will do for the rest of your life. Instead you should forget about you’re your problems, then wake up tomorrow morning and ask yourself what would I do with the rest of my life if was already rich. In other words what line of work would you have to pursue out of pure passion and desire because I’m sure real estate wouldn’t be it. Anyways, you only get one go around on this Ferris wheel, and you haven’t fallen off yet.
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4. Stan
November 9th, 2006 at 3:59 am

You could help the mob set up crystal meth labs in empty houses.

Seriously, at this point only a career in crime would meet your criterias. Besides you are already involved in crime (lying on load applications).
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5. ERIC J HERRHOLZ
November 9th, 2006 at 4:21 am

Casey, edit the commission part or you and your buddy’s dad could definitely get some heat !
Your not a real Estate Agent so receiving a % would be construed by the department of business and Professional regulation as a violation of the law. receive a stock dividend or compensation along the lines of no licensure as beneficiary ! You have my # , stay in touch and I will teach you the Real game of Foreclosures ! N.P.L’s
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6. ERIC J HERRHOLZ
November 9th, 2006 at 4:23 am

Hey casey call me about my site having a link. Give your readers some product to buy! Not books, or mentoring, throw them in the game , then see how they comment wearing your shoes !
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7. Frank Beamer
November 9th, 2006 at 4:52 am

Casey,
What you need is to face facts - you are no longer in a position to be selective about your “real job.” It’s because of this delusional bs that you’re in the position you’re in today. As much as I hoped this was a work/viral marketing campaign it isn’t and as much as I hate to say it - it’s depressing.

Get a real job, don’t wait around to find something that “fits” your criteria, and don’t think working 40 hours a week is going to help you out. I work 70 hours a week (at an average of $32/hour) to pay off my medical bills. That you think you’re entitled to work only 40 hours a week and everything work out is seriously delusional.
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8. Kincaid
November 9th, 2006 at 5:20 am

Well that’s good you’re waking up to the reality that you need a steady job… however I think you’re criteria is a bit too demanding. After takes you’ll need a job that pays (rough estimate) $55,000 a year since taxes will take a huge chunk out of that. Maybe there are some tricks you can pull with taxes in your situation to help that. And I don’t mean cheating on your taxes either. And to want a job like that to be no more than 40 hours? Some people work 60 hours for less than that. In the situation you’re in you need to take work wherever you can find it.

And as for wanting to be in real estate. Blogging about how you blew things before in real estate might not help your odds of a firm hiring you.
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9. Editor
November 9th, 2006 at 5:55 am

I just love the job criteria! Good job! You haven’t lost your touch.

IIRC, don’t you have to turn your friend’s $3K into $30K (10x)?
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10. Lou Minatti
November 9th, 2006 at 6:18 am

“Man, I Need a Real Job Or Something”

Indeed, young Master Casey. It is what millions of us do every day to pay the bills. Try it! Work is always a noble thing, whether it’s digging ditches or running a company. The only (ig)noble thing to do is leech off others or scam your way to prosperity.
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11. Unbelievable
November 9th, 2006 at 6:26 am

You’ve needed a job for months idiot.

I think they are paying 14 cent an hour in prison these days.
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12. dp
November 9th, 2006 at 6:44 am

Casey -

Ever considered trying to balance transfer some of the credit cards onto cards with lower interest rates? It may not make much of a difference, but when you’re talking thousands upon thousands in credit card debt, it can’t hurt.
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13. star
November 9th, 2006 at 6:46 am

“I have just three criteria for the job:

1. It must be in the real estate industry so that I can keep my foot in the game.
2. It must make at least $3,000 per month so we can cover our basic living expenses
3. It must not take more than 40 hours a week so I can have time for blogging and side businesses”

Once again, your self-sabotage comes into play…

Dude, get real. Forget the freaking RE biz for a while. Look what it’s done for you so far. When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. You think you can bottom-fish your way out of your steady downward trend? It’s not going to happen. The sooner you give up on that “dream”, the better off you’ll be.

The markets will ALWAYS be there. No matter what happens.

If you need to make 3k/month, then you work whatever you find as much as it takes. You are young and able enough to work 2 fulltime jobs M-F + another on the weekends.

Just think if you went to prison, which very well could happen. I bet you’d gladly trade that for working night and day every day for a year. If you can’t hack that, then you aren’t cut out for running your own biz.

F*** your blog if it cuts into making a reliable income. Honestly, you could easily spend only 20 minutes per day on this blog and get the same results.

Side biz? What side biz? Casey, you need to get “biz” out of your head because I have yet to see you do anything worthwhile in relation to “biz”. Revisit it in a year after you have cleaned up your current “biz” mess.
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14. Mort
November 9th, 2006 at 7:08 am

My guess is that you’ve never been through hard times. There is a reason prudent people don’t go through money like you do. All this pie in the sky “I wish I could find a great job where I don’t have to work very hard” may not be realistic. You may find some book deal or make it as a big time blogger but the chances are slim. The school of hard knocks is a tough teacher and class is now in session.
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15. Kevin
November 9th, 2006 at 7:35 am

Get a job as a translator - you don’t need to work for government; there are plenty of private cos. that need them. You can be one at the local court. You can do this part time, fi you still want to waste your time in your RE business.
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16. shadash
November 9th, 2006 at 7:38 am

You don’t know the meaning of work. All you do is cry, moan and say poor me.

The last time I was out of work was right after 9/11 and before that right after the .com collapse. Both times I was caught looking for computer work when none was to be found.

Here’s what I did to get a job.

1. I sent out 15-20 resumes a day. I made a custom cover sheet for each one.
2. After I sent out the resumes I would start walking from company to company handing out resumes.
3. I talked to every person I knew mentioning that I was looking for work.

Eventually (3-4 months) a recruiter found my resume and I got a job that I’ve been with for the last couple of years.

This is how I got a job in computers in a down market.

Regarding Real Estate…

Can’t you read the writing on the wall? The market is falling appart. Sales simply aren’t happening. Not that it would matter to you. You don’t even have a Real Estate License to sell homes. The only and I mean only way you can make money right now is if you specialize in foreclosures.
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17. Sir Cornholeo
November 9th, 2006 at 7:57 am

“Another good thing that happen is we bought a quality cheap car today. There is even some insurance money left over because we didn’t spend the entire $5,000. That’s a good thing. Maybe we can save the money and buy a second cheap car a bit later. Will try to post some pictures of it tomorrow.

The timing of both the job opportunity and buying a car is perfect. We’ve been blessed. ”

The DA is going to love that you allowed a house to go into foeclosure and th NEXT DAY bought a car for CASH.

I would call you a retard, but that is insulting to retards.

You’re going to prison for a long time. Better butch up.
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18. Gustavia
November 9th, 2006 at 8:03 am

I just caught a glimpse of the headline and was instantly cheered that Casey had faced the harsh reality of his situation and finally had a real plan.

I thought it said:

Man, I Need a Rope Or Something
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19. a story for you
November 9th, 2006 at 8:14 am

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a
well. The animal cried piteously for hours as
the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the
well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and
help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began
to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the
donkey realized what was happening and cried
horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he
quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally
looked down the well. He was astonished at what
he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his
back, the donkey was doing something amazing.
He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel
dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it
off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey
stepped up over the edge of the well and
happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds
of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well
is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of
our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out
of the deepest wells just by not stopping,
never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.

Live simply and appreciate what you have.

Give more.

Expect less

NOW …………

Enough of that crap . . The donkey later came back,
and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected and
the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

MORAL FROM TODAY’S LESSON:

When you do something wrong, and try to cover
your a** , it always comes back to bite you.
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20. J Delagado
November 9th, 2006 at 8:16 am

Casey,

I don’t know if you should be getting a SAFE, SECURE job as then you would be seeking security vs. acquiring FREEDOM as you have been working towards with the real estate.

Most of the people posting here have SAFE, SECURE jobs with 401k’s. They are passive investors, so their advice come from their OWN fear of doing anything else except DIVERSIFIYING and handing their money over to so-called financial advisors… they are the LOSERS of investing.

Be creative, forget what these job lovers are saying, and continue to work towards FREEDOM….

JDelagado
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21. edward allen
November 9th, 2006 at 8:35 am

Tip: Get Prlinkbiz to introduce you to her husband. He has hands-on experience in RE. He’s a house painter. There should be plenty of $20 an hour work out there working with flippers making cosmetic changes to houses so they can make a quick buck.
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22. Jim
November 9th, 2006 at 8:56 am

“Arbeit Macht Frei”

(I’m sure a few of your Russian ancestors learned this, too.)
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23. I've Figured it out!!!
November 9th, 2006 at 9:16 am

This blog is both fact and fiction. Please allow me to explain…

Do any of you go in the craigslist.org housing forum? It is a constant battle between “housing heads” and “bubble heads”, the two groups who think housing will go up or down, respectively. A big part of the debate there is trolling, which is basically posting incindiary top-level comments to irritate the opposing camp. This is where Casey comes in!

Yes, he’s a housing head. Yes, he’s for real - he bought these homes, he owns them, they are getting foreclosed on, etc. But with comments like this:

“I have just three criteria for the job:

1. It must be in the real estate industry so that I can keep my foot in the game.
2. It must make at least $3,000 per month so we can cover our basic living expenses
3. It must not take more than 40 hours a week so I can have time for blogging and side businesses”

It has simply become clear that Casey is the WMD of the craigslist.org trolls. He is being paid off by the bubble heads to further their case, and to provide an example of everything that has been wrong with the real estate market of the past six years.

No one could be this utterly clueless. I think he’s decided to take his misfortune and run with it to further the bubble-head cause.

That’s my theory, anyway.
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24. Brooklynite
November 9th, 2006 at 9:17 am

Man up and join the Army before you get charged with fraud.

The US has military bases in Uzbekistan if I’m not mistaken. If you are truly bilingual, you can probably score a decent signing bonus.

If not that route, maybe you’ll get deported back there anyway. Might as well do something noble for once.
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25. Jeff
November 9th, 2006 at 9:35 am

Casey,

I’m going to keep myself from writing anything mean. “If you have nothing nice to say… ” and whatnot.

BUT.

Duh!

Of course you have to get a real job! Don’t get a job in the real estate industry because you have amply demonstrated that you are no good in it. Get a Real Job ™. Go back to web programming. Or work in the grocery store. Anything. Just get a real, honest job like the rest of us, and quit complaining about how you’re not making ends meet despite not putting in any real work.

… Otherwise, nobody is going to have any sympathy for you. Right now, sympathy is all you’ve got.
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26. Mort
November 9th, 2006 at 9:43 am

You “own” five houses and you live with your in-laws? That’s rich! Mr. big time real estate scamster hamster, er, I mean investor, yeah, that’s the ticket!
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27. Reno
November 9th, 2006 at 9:44 am

Real estate will always be there. You don’t need to work for a real estate company to make money. Trust me, I’m a small real estate investor on the side, while my job with the government is my main income.

I consider myself in real estate even though my day job is not. Just make some money honestly Casey, regardless of industry.

You are young, you have made mistakes. Everyone who has commented on your blog has made mistakes due to youthful exuberance. There comes a time when you realize that mistakes cannot be repeated - now is your time to realize this.

Don’t wait, get a job and forget your criteria. It’s not the time to be picky if you want to save your marriage. A credit report is a credit report, but your marriage should be your top priority. Working for a living is not a bad thing, and will help you get out of your hole.

I hope you follow this advice.
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28. Sputnik the Cat
November 9th, 2006 at 9:49 am

Today it’s Sputnik_the_Cat’s money-making idea number 327:

[Copyright 2006 Sputnik_the_Cat]

Publish the contract from that s**** -ho Prlinkbiz. It’ll be more lurid enterainment for all of us, in return we’ll each put $1 in your tip jar.

Ahhh…time to go take a nap in a warm spot.
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29. Anomalous Blowhard
November 9th, 2006 at 9:57 am

“She has interrupted school in the past several times in our marriage because of financial instability. Now she is determined to stay in school, no matter what. That means I have to provide stability for her, no matter what.”

Casey, you idiot! What were you thinking?

I’ve held off on saying that so far, but I just can’t any more. If you had promised to provide finanical stability, you had no business quitting your job and taking on risky investments.

As for your requirements for a job, stuff it. You can’t afford to hold out for the perfect opportunity. Take the best-paying job that’s available right now, regardless of what field it’s in. If that’s not enough to cover your payments, get a regular 9-5 job plus a night job unloading trucks at Target. That’ll give you enough money to get by.

It is highly unlikely that you’re going to be able to dig out of this mess while working 40 hours a week. It’s time for you to do like we’ve all had to do at one time or another and buckle down.

Getting a job is nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, hard work is far more honorable than what you’ve been doing so far. It’s also the only 100% safe investment there is.
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30. THE HATER FROM HARLEM
November 9th, 2006 at 10:10 am

why not just settle down into a 2 family house, rent out the upstairs and start small?

i really dont understand how you got into this mess, except it seems you bit off more than you can chew..

i forgot the proverb but the chinese say something like: the wise man is wise because he admits he knows nothing..

anyway i wish i could say goodluck, but since you lied and seemed to be defrauding ppl you sux
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31. Cow_tipping
November 9th, 2006 at 10:23 am

Oh no … You dont need another job … that’s for suckers … the rest of the 99% of the world suckers …
You need a new idea that will net you the 200K you are under and some extra lets say 300K extra living money till the market perks back up … and it will very very soon … maybe even next month …
OK Here is the revolutionary idea that will net you the 1/2 mil you so badly need … and its all perfectly legit …
Go back and sign a deal with Prlinkbiz … and then make a deal with OPEC or the american govt or a large oil company or something … You can scrape the oil off her face and sell it to them … heck it will even benefit the general population by building the oil reserves and we dont have to rely on mid east oil. Isn’t that so nice of you and her.
Cool.
Cow_tipping.
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32. Rodent
November 9th, 2006 at 10:27 am

Personally, if I were in your shoes I’d realize I was screwed so I’d go gamble even further. I’d go look for the most sure-looking bet in a derivatives market somewhere, get way over-leveraged, and bet everything I have on it.

A job won’t save you. Only the lottery or a hail-Mary will.
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33. T
November 9th, 2006 at 10:38 am

……OR SOMETHING?!

Are you serious? Casey, Casey, Casey… you are some piece of work.
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34. edward allen
November 9th, 2006 at 10:45 am

Was that contract you signed with Prlinkbiz the same as the ones models sign before their pix appear on alt.binaries.xxx?
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35. Johnson
November 9th, 2006 at 11:30 am

What in the world makes you thinkthat you are in the driver’s seat and can call the shots on what kind of job you will take?
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36. andreeva
November 9th, 2006 at 11:30 am

You should be writing books, you seem really goot at it. Just look at this blog, that’s a good start for a story..
I can’t beleive you sill have criteria for a job??!!! I do agree with a lot of previous comments, you need a job! Fast! Any job to survive! You need money, and not be stpending time looking for a job of your dreams! You can do that later…. C’omon! common sense! There is something that’s called responsibility…
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37. Jman
November 9th, 2006 at 11:33 am

I vote for getting “something” as opposed to the job.
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38. Legion
November 9th, 2006 at 12:06 pm

I am done with this web site just like everyone else who has left..this guy is hopless.

By the way Casey, just so you know that there are other avenues out there for making money…

I bought SIGM (that’s a stock symbol) in mid October for like 15.21, I bought 10,000 shares with money that I had EARNED and saved. I just sold it today at 22.22..so let’s see, in about 3 weeks I made…70K. I kept my risk to a minimum by using trailing stops.

So for all the people that complained how some of us having dead end jobs in cubicles (lol well I guess I kind of did, I did this all at home) and don’t know what it’s like to take risks..ah go screw yourselves..the difference between Casey and I however, is that I HAD this extra money which I could afford to lose. It wasn’t borrowed money that I would have to pay back, and no, trading isn’t my job..I have a secure job which pays the bills every month. I always have a backup job to fall back on for my more riskier undertakings.

Later
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39. UncleC
November 9th, 2006 at 12:09 pm

“Love flies out the window when poverty comes in the door” (old Irish saying). Good thing you just got that new car ’cause you might be living out of it rather soon…. Or perhaps you could crash in your office at RD’s?
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40. Aaron
November 9th, 2006 at 12:28 pm

Josh,
you forget. Casey is not motivated to do it your way. that requires WORK. Casey thinks all you do is buy a house, throw some money at it(repairs, upgrades, etc) and then resell it for a quick profit. What he any many other flippers don’t understand is that the age of flipping is over. At least in terms of living off of it. houses are not turning over like they were, prices are declining and folks like casey are going to make it worse.

Josh you seem to have the right idea. I checked out your website. At 24 you are doing it the right way. Casey can’t get his properties to generate positive cash flow b/c of his ridiculous IR and the fact that he overpaid.
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41. Drew
November 9th, 2006 at 12:33 pm

Hey Casey,

I know your trying to follow this dream of being a successfull Real Estate Investor, but you kind of went about this the wrong way. Cut your losses and concentrate on getting through this financial mess. If these properites aren’t moving then you need to talk to the lender about a deed in lieu of foreclosure without a deficiancy judgement. So when you turn the property back to the lender and they auction it off for less than you owe they cant hold you liable for the difference. Then you may want to consider filing for a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy to clear your remaining debt. This will give you a clean financial slate to try to rebuild your credit. I’ve been a Real Estate Investor for 6 years with about 30 profitable deals (2 in the six figure range) and a Loan Officer for 5 years. There are many great mortgage programs for individuals one year out of a BK or Foreclosure. Go back to your day job full time and get some financial stability and maybe try to wholesale some property in your free time or birddog for another investor. Once you get the finances back in order (THEN) you may want to give investing another shot. (IF) you get to this point take your time and invest with solid fundamentals, keep a close eye on your leveraged position, and expand at a pace that wont break you. You broke a lot of cardinal rules this time around and you got spanked. Don’t make the same mistake twice. Email me if you have a comment or question regarding this post. I hope you head my advice.

Drew in MD
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42. Nigel Swaby
November 9th, 2006 at 12:40 pm

Casey,

Good luck with the job with the real estate office. If they offer something, take it! From what I’ve been reading, real estate employment has been contracting in California. The big lenders are laying off hundreds of people and real estate agents are leaving the business. If you can get in now great, but be aware all those laid off experienced people will be competing for jobs.

Have you considered something in the construction field? You can learn re-hab skills while making contacts for other repairs on your houses. It’s not glamourous, but you’ll get paid well and learn a lot.

Nigel
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43. Legion
November 9th, 2006 at 12:46 pm

“The timing of both the job opportunity and buying a car is perfect. We’ve been blessed.”

How do you think his friend that lent him 3K is going to feel knowing he is out 3 grand while Casey rolls up in his piece of s*** car? Don’t you think you should pay off your friend first Casey. The funny thing is your friend was a victim of a Ponzi scheme, except he was the only investor.

“Here Casey, here’s 3 grand.
Casey hands him back money the next day..see buddy, look at that, I’ve already paid you back 1 thousand PLUS 100 dollars, 10%. You just made a 10% return in 1 day!. See, I’m good for it..imagine how much you could make if you paid me 10K! I’d pay you 2200 tomorrow!!!”

He’s gonna be blessed with a foot up his a** .

NOW I’m done
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44. Of Mountains & Molehills
November 9th, 2006 at 1:02 pm

It seems the one thing you have going for you is your ability to drive a lot of internet traffic. It’s obvious by the number of comments you get that you’re getting hundreds of hits a day.

Use that to your advantage, my friend.

There have got to be some companies out there that would like the kind of traffic your site could send them. Maybe some companies that repair credit or do foreclosure buyouts? Tell them you want a job in exchange for some major marketing mojo.

You need to use your assets to your advantage, rather than being so passive about it. Right now, all I’m reading is how other people are trying to use you to their advantage. Obviously, all these mentor offers were being made quid quo pro. They weren’t doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, no matter what you want to believe.
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45. Joe
November 9th, 2006 at 1:09 pm

No one feels sorry for you, so quit trying to get any sympathy. At this point, if McDonalds offered you a job, you best take it. How much money are you bringing in a month now? Some is better than none. Your “dreams” are what got you into this mess. Smarten up, idiot.
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46. Joe
November 9th, 2006 at 1:19 pm

Why don’t you look into public speaking. By no means will anyone listen to you give advice on how to invest, but people will listen to train wrecks. You’ll travel, get paid and hopefully come to understand how idiotic you truely are.
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47. Boris the Blade
November 9th, 2006 at 1:40 pm

Have you considered the French Foreign Legion?
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48. Mac
November 9th, 2006 at 1:48 pm

Realestaters have a saying: “Every morning I wake up unemployed.” So… How has that worked out?
By the way, UPS has great part-time jobs with full benefits. These jobs will also keep you in excellent physical shape; I used them to pay my way through college. There’s only one caveat: 80% of the people they hire are gone within three months. So some true commitment is required.
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49. David
November 9th, 2006 at 2:05 pm

I’ve been there, but I didn’t beg my way out of debt. I worked hard at anything I could find.

Except begging.
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50. Jobu
November 9th, 2006 at 2:22 pm

“What kind of deal did you get on the car? I hope you didn’t lay out cash because car loans are under 6% and you could use cash reserves.”

You think this clown is going to get a car loan at under 6%? Even though it’s easily repossessed, with credit like his, he’s looking at double digits for sure.

Casy, IF you ever get back into purchasing real estate, you are probably looking at hard money lenders only with what will most likely be multiple foreclosures on your report. The dregs of subprime lenders will probably not even work with you and your score will most definitely be below the 500 minimum needed for ANY loan outside of hard money.

“I don’t know if you should be getting a SAFE, SECURE job as then you would be seeking security vs. acquiring FREEDOM as you have been working towards with the real estate. ”

This is the dumbest thing posted here by anyone besides Casey. Ha ha.
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51. Chris Johnson
November 9th, 2006 at 2:32 pm

I understand your job criteria, and like you, I ONLY have three. Here are mine:

It must be in the entertainment industry so that I can keep my eye(s) on beautiful people.

It must make at least $20,000 per month so I can cover my basic living expenses, including preventative maintenance on the two Ferraris. (They’re investments, not fun, really. They’re one of my many successful “side businesses”. More on how I define “successful” later.)

It must not take more than 25 hours a week so I can have time for skiing, happy hours and, oh, my side businesses. Again, more on those later, but they’re sure to pay off. Really.

I’ve got a lot of negotiations for this perfect job going on right now, but have unfortunately not made a definite deal despite my 15 years+ negotiating for same. Anyone care to help, or donate to my tip jar? Remember, I respectfully request a minimum donation of $500, credit cards accepted. I doubt it’s tax deductible, but I’ll tell you it is.

God bless,
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52. Dave S
November 9th, 2006 at 2:50 pm

You should consider that most employers now check credit records and you are basically unemployable.

You also have got some nerve stiffing your sister-in-law for $500 and your “friend” for $3,000 while you have $5,000 cash on hand. I will repeat: you are a scoundrel.

The one good thing about your story is that we all know that it will have a happy ending: you will get the felony conviction you so richly deserve.
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53. Jip
November 9th, 2006 at 2:57 pm

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I think you are finally beginning to see the light.

Here are a few other tips

1. You do need to get a job with an actual paycheck. With the foreclosure on your record (and the ongoing Housing Market Implosion), I doubt that any RE sector jobs will be available.

2. Once you get a paying job, you need to get some fiancial discipline into your life. I suggest you Mary Hunt who runs a newsletter called Debt Proof Living. No get rich quick scemes, it’s just old-fashioned discipline.

3. Repeat step 2 forever

Sadly, as they used to say a long time ago; “You REALLY screwed the pooch” on this one.

While I do not condone your actions, I am also saddened and discusted at some of the negative postings here. Heck, as someone who has been basically priced out of the market because of BS like this, a great deal of the hateful comments (like suicide suggestions and prision rape jokes) are TOTALLY uncalled for.

Anyhoo, I hope everything works out for you.
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54. Vortex
November 9th, 2006 at 2:59 pm

Great time to get into the CA RE business…

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld.....852383.htm

“Anecdotal evidence indicates real estate and mortgage industry employment is starting to shrink.”
…NOT!
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55. Rafer Hoxworth
November 9th, 2006 at 3:14 pm

This’ll probly answer a lot of the questions posed here:

http://www.mortgagefraudblog.com/
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56. Sac Realtor
November 9th, 2006 at 3:21 pm

Why get a “real job” when you can make so much more flipping homes?
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57. Tbone
November 9th, 2006 at 3:27 pm

Casey,
Since you are set in getting a job in real estate, why not use the computer skills you have and combine the two.

MLS listings need to be more accessible and transparent. If you have any XML skills, perhaps look into what Zillow or Redfin are doing.

The Real Estate industry is prime for receiving a bulldozing on the internet such as the Travel Agency industry received a few years back. If I were you, I would look into this…and I bet that there is a lot of money floating around to do this…

Tbone
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58. smart enough..
November 9th, 2006 at 3:39 pm

Casey,

I’m impressed you could get away with such a BS story in order to make this blog. I guarantee NONE of this housing stuff has actually happened to you. But considering the trouble so many people really ARE in because of the housing bubble, I can also guarantee you get plenty of traffic to this website. Therefore, I’m sure you make a pretty healthy income with all the ad revenue here.

Pretty smart man. I’d sure as hell do it in order to avoid a 9-5 job had I thought of it. Any idea that can generate ad revenue; even if it is all a complete lie. But wow, to also fool the big news companies into believing it as well; that’s impressive. Plus it boosts your site’s traffic even more! Awesome!

Good luck, hopefully my comment won’t ruin all of this for you. I doubt it will.

PS. I would have just emailed you this comment, but I couldn’t find an address on your site. Oh well.
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59. Fran
November 9th, 2006 at 3:45 pm

When my husband has been laid off from jobs, he heads to the temp agencies and signs up. With his skill set he would have work in less than 5 days. Because he worked hard the 2 week gig would often turn into 3 months.

Give it a try. There are many good ones in the Sacramento area.
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60. Credit info
November 9th, 2006 at 3:50 pm

This reminds me of an episode of Jackass, when Jonny Knoxville was trying to take pictures of celbrities and include them on a calendar. They would ask what is it for? And he would reply “It’s to help underpriviledged blind children……or something.”

Needless to say the ‘or something’ raised a lot of skepticism. Which is totally unlike this blog, where the or something was expected.
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61. TWIT
November 9th, 2006 at 4:11 pm

This is astounding. I’ve been reading on and off for a few weeks and have been speechless.

First, unless this blog is bringing in the $3,000 a month you require, stop it. You post, find pix, arbitrate comments, etc. That takes time, and time is money. Focus only of getting the money you need to survive. You dreamed your dream and it turned into a nightmare for you and everyone around you. Wake up.

Of course you need a ‘Real Job.’ Any type of self-employment does not produce steady income. Most take cash reserves to get to the final payoff. You need something that’s going to give you cash NOW. That why so many people are employees.

You need to make $55k a year to meet your cash requirements. Find a job that pays $15 and hour and work 70 hours per week. But that lets you survive. The millions you owe are not going to go away. To even begin to make a dent in that you are going to need to make $250k a year. Perhaps there’s a mid-size company or brokerage who need someone wiht your skills.

Yes, Casey, you need a job. File for BK, get rid of as many of your debts as possible. Get a job. Work like a madman for the next 10 years to fix your credit and repay the portion of the debt that can’t be cancelled. Then, if you still like real estate dream, get back into the game. I’ll bet that the sweet smell of success has soured by then.

Get a job flipping burgers. If something better comes along, take it, but just get going, do something.

OK, you tried this blog. How’s it working out for you? Making what you need to survive? No? Then quit it. It is a perfect example of your desire to self destruct. The comments here are bitter. If I had to read these things about me it would be so demoralizing that I’d put my head in the oven.

ARRRG, I could go on and on, but I’m sure when I tune in next time you’ll have ignored all the good, pointed advice posted here and made another bonehead move.
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62. Me
November 9th, 2006 at 4:26 pm

The Casey Serin Anti-Meme.

I’d take the book deal right now, myself. I think this site traffic is peaking out -

http://www.realmeme.com/roller.....asey_serin
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63. Chef-d
November 9th, 2006 at 4:27 pm

Sucks to be yuo, opie.

Chef-D,
Born wiff madd loot
Knows how to play da market
Always on the winning team (No, I don’t take prisoners)
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64. Blah
November 9th, 2006 at 4:40 pm

No one who is in the RE industry has not heard of you and your complete and utter failure in this field.

Who in their right mind would hire you? You’ve shown no professional ethic in the past, and even more recently you have shown no ability to act like an adult and be professional.

Good luck with staying in the RE field.
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65. Change the title
November 9th, 2006 at 4:40 pm

From

I AM FACING FORECLOSURE

TO

I AM FACING JAILTIME

OR

I AM FACING A DIVORCE

OR

I AM FACING BEING BROKE
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66. J Delagado
November 9th, 2006 at 4:42 pm

Casey,

Again, getting a job will NOT solve your money problem, EVER.

Don’t do it. Get creative. Let the other losers here stay at their SAFE, SECURE jobs….. you are above them on this and have done things they’d never do since they are employees…..

Don’t do it.

JDelagado
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67. william howard taft
November 9th, 2006 at 4:44 pm

No offense,

But the Real Estate agent career is NOT something likely to give you any success. There has been a slight boom in the past 5-10 years where agents made easy money…

But in all the years before that, Yes, there were people who were Real Estate agents, and some of them actually made money….BUT there were the Vast Majority of “licensed agents” who did NOTHING but waste money on the training courses and got no benefit.

You have this idea that you will “Make Money Fast” with real estate.

You will Need to work to support yourself.

Any idea that money will “Roll in” without a lot of effort is either (1) a Dream, or (2) means you MIGHT in some Very Small Chance actually MAKE the big money…but you could also win the lottery too.

Maybe if you come up with some Unique idea, and a way to market it….

BUT don’t let Foolish Pride get in the way of supporting yourself and your family.

William Howard Taft

Editor, www.popularparanoia.com
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68. chronic
November 9th, 2006 at 5:18 pm

Grease up, monkeyboy, it’ll be less painful.
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69. Jip
November 9th, 2006 at 5:22 pm

PLEASE listen to Mr. Taft….
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70. Mort
November 9th, 2006 at 5:23 pm

Forget all the negativity. Now would be a good time to start a family. Have two or three children, that will cheer you up.
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71. moom
November 9th, 2006 at 5:59 pm

Yeah it is weird that Casey is paying rent when he owns a house in Sacramento. I guess that makes about as much sense as why he didn’t try to rent out any of the other houses.
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72. James Kew
November 9th, 2006 at 6:12 pm

“Let the other losers here stay at their SAFE, SECURE jobs….. you are above them on this and have done things they’d never do since they are employees….”

Yeah, and that’s worked out well for him, no?

If Casey had stayed in his SAFE, SECURE web-dev job and started building his RE interests in his free time — as Josh and Reno described in their comments above — do you think he’d be in the same situation today?
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73. John
November 9th, 2006 at 6:15 pm

“I am now facing foreclosure on 6 5 houses.”

Isn’t it time you updated the counter. Really Casey, this blog is your job after all isn’t it?
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74. shecoton
November 9th, 2006 at 6:16 pm

I just read the article about you on the news. The first words come out of my mind - “This kid will be success.” You are ahead of games.

Almost all most richest money lost money during the processing; almost all poorest people never lost a dollar.

I am a real estate investor and real estate broker in Seattle.

Like to meet you someday.

PS. Foreclosure and BK will go away by themselves. Nothing to worry about. What you had done to yourself is building a foundation / stepping stone for next move.

Good Job. by the way, you are very smart and you are take action and you are honest and ethical.
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75. Rob P
November 9th, 2006 at 7:45 pm

I love Sac Realtor! If Sac Realtor did not exist, the cause of comedy would require that Casey invent him/her (hmmm….come to think of it…..)

It’s like Bob, of Jay and Silent Bob. He hovers in the background, surfacing unexpectedly to offer up some pithy inanity about the RE market as if it were received Truth. Today (at 3:21 PM) he urged Casey to forgo a “real job”, because he can make so much more flipping homes.
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76. Unbelievable
November 9th, 2006 at 8:01 pm

Shecoton

You are joking of course ?

“The first words come out of my mind - “This kid will be success.” You are ahead of games.”

This kid has failed miserably………he isn’t “ahead of games”, he is behind the eightball.
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77. Children are the answer
November 9th, 2006 at 8:14 pm

I agree with Mort.

When the going gets tough, the tough start breeding.
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78. TheJudge
November 9th, 2006 at 8:15 pm

For those of you who said that he should have done this under a LLC or Corp so they go after it and not him………

Well EVEN if LLC worked that way 100% it would not matter, “Corp Veil” is pierced on fraud……….
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79. NLG
November 9th, 2006 at 8:26 pm

Mr. Taft is a smart man…

Shall we start a pool on how long until Casey signs up for a real estate sales course? Seems like he has an issue doing the opposite of what makes logical sense.
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80. Richard
November 9th, 2006 at 8:46 pm

This might help a bit. Find a mortgage company/realtor company that would mentor you. I work as a loan officer and it’s basically “set your own schedule”. You don’t close loans, you don’t eat. Get another job. Something stable. Put in your hours (at this point your looking at 40+hours/week) Work on getting leads through your job, and network like crazy. Pass out business cards, do anything. My boss has a pin that says “I SELL MONEY” lol but it works. Anything to get people to close with you for the comission.

Though I think your a scumbag for lying on your mortgage application and not feeling any repercussion, I feel sorry for you. That’s what kind of trouble your in now, past the people being angry and wanting to hurt you to feeling sorry for you because your lost.

I was hesitating to give advice regarding becoming a loan officer, but I feel you have the drive and determination, and your a young guy. You’ll make it out (I don’t know how) but when you do you’ll never forget this.
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81. dont beleieve da hypeness
November 9th, 2006 at 9:00 pm

so if i started a blog about how much i lost in investing in the stock market chasing leads and get rich quick scams and all the money i lost on stock market investing seminar scams…
and if i told you i wanted a cushy job in the investments/stock business so i can keep a foot in the door…so i can bounce back with another scheme(gamble)etc…

get the picture?
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82. yneone
November 9th, 2006 at 10:10 pm

I’m at a lost for words. Casey, please tell me there is a method to your madness. You did not just spend $5k on a car. Why??? You need some supporters on your blog Casey. Don’t lose the ones who are rooting for you and praying that things work out. Don’t lose the few people who actually care.
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83. Mr. Flipper
November 9th, 2006 at 11:05 pm

Aaron wrote:

“Josh…What he [Casey] and many other flippers don’t understand is that the age of flipping is over. At least in terms of living off of it.”
—————

Um, Aaron, uh, how long have you been in the flipping business? Have you ever lived off real estate flipping? You seem very certain of your opinion.

The reason I ask is, I’m beginning to doubt myself. Yep, I’m thinking that the $65,000 chunks of cash I get are just figments of my imagination; that maybe I’m delerious, that no sellers are actually calling me to buy their crap; that I’m in a dream.

Yes…I can feel it now… Can you feel it, too Aaron? ….dreaming, yes a cloudy white landscape of trash cans and dumpsters lay across an empty parking lot. Each container has little arms waving and reaching out for my cash…. It’s not real money I say. It’s fantasy money. I’m really not flipping property and turning a buck… because Aaron said so…

oooh, aahh, yes there they are…the giant dream killers…gently whispering, “you’re a loser”, “you can’t possibly make it…there’s no such thing as flipping in this market…

SCRREEECH!!!!

“Mr. Flipper, line one. It’s the Winchester Rd. project. They want to schedule the closing date.”

Wah…what? We just bought that two months ago! Hmm. Thank goodness it was only a nightmare that the age of flipping was over.

Whew, back to counting my money.
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84. John
November 9th, 2006 at 11:11 pm

Dude, when I was on the ropes, I swallowed my pride and took a job at $14/hr. Before the recession I made $60/hr, and now I make that again. I never for a moment had these romantic notions of magic wealth creation wands. Suck it up and take the best job you can find. If it’s not enough, at least you’re spending 40 hours each week focused on SOMEONE ELSE’s problems. This is good for your mental health. And deals still have a way of working out during this time. My own buyer backed out during my $14/hr job, because I shook them off. I had a tiny bit more leverage and I knew it. The next buyers were much more appropriate.
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85. Mr. Flipper
November 9th, 2006 at 11:19 pm

HA38349,

I know you’re joking about your game, but I thought for second you were describing Cashflow 101.

I bought and played Cashflow with my neices and nephews last summer. It was a real eye-opener for them.

I was reminded how important it is to be financially literate. We had a blast. My cousin’s son came out swinging like The Donald in the end — after nearly bankrupting himself.

He outwitted everyone, by deciding to borrow his way of out of trouble! It was fun!
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86. John Daniels
November 10th, 2006 at 5:59 am

Well…get a job with a major real esate companies website, maby feature properties because marketing is becoming increasingly important with the slowdown. You may actually pull 3000 per month, which on a salary, working for the Devil, brother, aint easy.

your best chance is to incorporate your web skills into a real estate corporation, for now.
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87. Voice of Reason
November 10th, 2006 at 7:45 am

Casey - I’d recommend you stay with “or something else”. Real jobs suck - you have to get up early, do what others tell you to do, and it really limits the amount of your day you can web surf and blog.

You’ve got a sweet deal with Sac richdad - help him close some deals and you can make $5-10K for a few hours work. That real money.

Jobs are for “loosers”.
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88. Sam
November 10th, 2006 at 9:27 am

Dude,
Get a life.
You should be working at least 12 - 18 hours per day, 7 days a week.
You are in a DREAM WORLD.
Who do you think you are???
Go to McDonalds or WalMart, they are always hiring.
You show just what is wrong with so many young people, you think the world owes you something. Just from reading some of your posts, you have already been given more freebees than anyone deserves.

GROW UP AND BE A MAN, or go back under the rock you came out from under!!!!!!!!!!
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89. Sam
November 10th, 2006 at 9:38 am

OR you could kill yourself!!!!
and end this bull sh*t blog.
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90. Jobu
November 10th, 2006 at 10:30 am

Casey likes playing at being an entrepreneur. ‘I am not a real entrepreneur but I play one on the internet.’ Unfortunately, he has not realized that playing in this arena is not a good if you don’t know what the f*ck you are doing.

My newest advice - You are Costanza. Do the opposite. Every decision you have ever made has been the wrong decision. From now on, you will do the opposite. Up is down, black is white. Instead of tuna salad on whole wheat, have chicken salad on rye. It’s time for you to march into Mr. Steinbrenner’s office and tell him what’s wrong with the Yankees.
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91. Bubble Watcher
November 10th, 2006 at 2:48 pm

If I’m interviewing you and I hear your criteria of “no more than 40 hours a week”, I will never hire you.

If you want only 40 hours a week, I suggest you try retail or fast food.

No offense, but the housing market is going to be ugly for a few years, so don’t worry about keeping your “foot in the door”–you can always walk back into the buzzsaw the same way you did before. Your criteria for a job should be:

1. Earn as much money as possible, doing whatever it takes and working as many hours as it takes without killing yourself or engaging in criminal activity.
2. The paychecks don’t bounce.

It’s not hard, it’s called being an adult and doing what it takes.
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92. Chad Okere
November 12th, 2006 at 7:39 pm

You’re website has broken an 80k alexa rank. Ad some news and stuff about the RE market, etc. You could theoretically make money off the site itself.
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93. segfault
November 16th, 2006 at 9:03 am

Oh, yeah, you can’t settle for any job that won’t let you “keep your foot in the game.” Can’t put the bottle down, can you?
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94. Kiyosaki Is A Fraud
November 22nd, 2006 at 10:26 am

To Casey_has_no_common_sense:

Great post! You hit a home run there.
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95. Money and Personal Finance Blog In Silicon Valley
March 7th, 2007 at 4:29 pm

Remember though, no matter what you decide to do, just remember that it’s a small world, even in the realm of business, and that it’s best to go out under the most positive terms you can muster. < By the way, this post is part of our Casey Serin (I Am Facing Foreclosure) Theme Week. Check this introductory post for the week.> < Source: MonsterTrak, About.com, Bankrate. > Tags: money, business, finance, personal finance, career, job, employment, casey serin
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96. Blog about a blog about a blog about a blog
April 25th, 2007 at 12:10 am

sites like this where the commenters fall into two camps. What would happen is that the cheerleaders would end up getting flagged by trolls, and Nigel would get flagged off of the face of the earth by everyone. 304. foobecaApril 20th, 2007 at 8:08 pm http://www.iamfacingforeclosur.....something/ Over 5 months ago you said, “Man, I Need a Real Job Or Something This is the month. I’m at the end of my rope.” Why haven’t you gotten a job yet? Yes, something’s gotta give. GO GET A JOB! PLEASE. But don’t do it for my sake!