photo credit: Stepheye

When I agreed to write about my property investments gone wrong situation, I couldn’t be sure that I would have enough material. Then the post arrives followed half an hour later by a knock on the door - both make me paranoid - and new material ‘et arrivee’.

If this is happening to you – you have my sympathy - It would be easy to buckle and declare myself bankrupt. However: I have a feeling that I can get through this (and so can you) without falling on my sword. I might be totally wrong in my assumptions here – but so far - nobody has pushed the big ‘B’ button, which makes me wonder why.

Go ahead - shoot me

I think the real answer is money. Basically it costs the creditor money to file for a debtors bankruptcy. Unless the creditor is quite sure that bringing this action will give them some, if not all there money back, they probably won’t bother as they will throw good money after bad.

I like to try to put a positive spin on most things, but bankruptcy isn’t one of them. If I could do that – my next job would be with Saatchi and Saatchi, or in the Cabinet. However – like most threats they are only effective if you have something to lose, and frankly – I don’t. Which I feel has put me on the high ground - yeh right!

So if one of my creditors does decide to push the ‘B’ button, they will lose as I really haven’t got anything left to give.

The letter

Just like the fat bloke in the first Harry Potter film, I’ve grown to love Sunday – why? No mail. I believe the Royal Mail is considering stopping weekend mail altogether – Hurrah! I nearly cried tears of joy. It’s another one of those – we’ve just given away your property for nothing letters – asking me to make up the difference. I tell you – The Sultan of Brunei couldn’t make up the difference. This is the start of another round of phone calls with half wits no doubt. ‘Phone calls with half wits’ - could this be a hit TV series?

The Knock at the Door

It’s a chap I’ve grown to know and like, who has to serve me with more papers to attend court and explain why I haven’t made a payment on some other property that was given away. A day out - hurrah!

Technorati Tags: property, property investment, real estate, real estate investing

photo credit: Dr Tran!

While we’ve all been harping on about how amazing Vegas is, we appear to have overlooked a hot property investment opportunity right next door. The desert. That’s right, the cactus filled, dying of dehydration, scorching hot desert. And you thought it was just sand.

The US federal Bureau of Land Management recently lifted a suspension on new applications to build solar power plants on the 258 million acres of desert that it manages, creating a ’solar land rush’ in America. The Nevada desert is now a prime target and land that has long been considered useless is becoming a battle ground for companies wanting to build their solar power plants.

Vultures? What Vultures?

But it’s not just corporates who are targeting the land - private property investors are also vying for space. According to CNN, some are paying over $10,000 (£5,000) an acre for desert dirt which would have cost just $500 (£250) a few years ago. It seems the potential profit to be made from energy efficient solar powered property outweighs the thought of vultures circling your body at the edge of Death Valley.

‘Dubai has done ir’

Maybe I am being a bit extreme - desert property has been shooting up for years - look at Dubai - and the aforementioned Vegas sits happily in the middle of all this land. Investing a few thousand in an acre of land seems like a pretty good deal if you can turn it into viable property, even better if you grabbed it at a fraction of the price years ago.

So, sun drenched property paradise or burning hell hole? You decide.

Technorati Tags: real estate, real estate investing, property, property investment