Strike Gold in Honduras

[Capstone]

Well sure it depends on how old the girl is. If you're talking about a girl in her late 20's or early 30's I'm sure she'd have a preference for a guy a little older than her and well established. I was thinking more in the early 20 age range (that I'm looking in) in which case I think a guy say in his mid-20s is going to be more appealing than a guy in his mid-30s. Do you remember how old 30 seemed when you were 20? It wouldn't be a huge advantage. My original point was that a guy in his 20s is not at a disadvantage. I suppose it depends on the girl and what she's looking for in marriage.

As far as real estate being a good investment, I think it depends on where you live. Where I live you may be able to cover a mortgage payment with rent money, but then you have to pay taxes, maintenance, etc. It just doesn't seem worth it here. I get into a lot of people's finances due to my work and I'm not sure I've ever seen someone whose rent covered the mortgage, but have seen some people with second mortgages that paid for tenant damage. Right now the market is great though so I figure it's a pretty decent investment at this point.

My experience is that many many young girls in China are married to men who are 5-10 years older than them. My wife says that is pretty normal and is what she is also comfortable with - she likes an older man who is mature and stable but not someone who is old enough to be her dad - LOL!!

Even if you don't want to rent out a property, buying a house at today's prices is a good investment. Paying rent is just throwing your money away while buying a piece of property at today's prices is good business.

[Capstone]

Capstone, I was into rentals as well although I sold most everything in late 2005.  Passive income was great at the time, but I chose the one time payout instead.   In what state are you owning rentals? 

FT,
Right now I have rental properties in Alabama where I am currently living, and also in San Antonio. I have actually been making more income on my rentals during the recession than I did before the economy went south - there are a lot more people renting now than there were 5 years ago and so I can be very selective to whom I rent to and can charge a higher premium.   

[fathertime]

FT,
Right now I have rental properties in Alabama where I am currently living, and also in San Antonio. I have actually been making more income on my rentals during the recession than I did before the economy went south - there are a lot more people renting now than there were 5 years ago and so I can be very selective to whom I rent to and can charge a higher premium.   

I can see how that makes sense, since you already have the properties it makes sense to keep em at this point.  Here in S. CA the market is flooded with rentals.   A lot of people are doubling up or moving back in with mom and pop.  It doesn't seem rents are moving up as of late.   One good thing about owning a house is if we do get slammed with heavy duty inflation, the house has a chance to inflate along with all the other hard assets as the dollar loses value.

Fathertime! 

[jm21-2]

The housing market here is pretty stable since about 50% of the population is employed by the government. The prices for cheap houses here (under $300k) have not gone down a whole lot here but with the interest rates and tax credit it's a pretty good deal, especially if you can find a good short sale or foreclosure. I wouldn't say a house is always a good investment though. I have seen so many upside down mortgages...and real estate increases in value relatively slowly compared to other investments.

This thread should receive some sort of award for being so off-topic. In the latin board talking about Chinese women and rental properties, lol.