Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to read this letter. I have a proposal for you. I plan on certifying for a General Appraiser’s License from the Tennessee Real Estate Appraisers Commission, but before I start the required courses I'd like to find an appraiser willing to supervise me.

As you may already be aware, the current requirement to qualify as a General Appraiser is 3,000 hours, including at least 1,500 hours of non-residential appraisal experience (+Bachelor’s degree or higher). If you are not certified as a General Appraiser then I would still be interested in having you supervise me while gaining the residential appraisal experience. I understand that some companies / appraisers take on this supervisory role and pay the trainee; I am willing to work as your trainee without pay. I would also be willing to pay you a cash incentive of up to $1,000 on a pro rata basis; that would mean $1,000 for all 3,000 hours or $500 for 1,500 hours of supervision.

If you're interested in my proposal then please contact me at your earliest convenience at 000-000-0000; if you can’t reach me at that number then please leave me a voicemail or an email me at nanana91@yahoo.com. I look forward to discussing the possibility of us having a mutually beneficial working relationship in the near future. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I haven't written about the SSE in a few days, so before I simply run out of steam, I want to write the conclusion to the SSE saga. I've met many more colorful characters in my career, and I don't want to focus entirely on one asshole. There are many more stories, but I'll save them for later. For brevity, my newly introduced character, Marketing Director, will be abbreviated MD.

MD had one of the most difficult jobs in the company: he had to deal with the clients face-to-face. This meant that all of the SSE's shortcomings were felt hardest by the MD. Every day, the MD would barge into the office, and ask "Where's my product?!" The SSE, as always would say "two weeks".

When I first worked on a project with the MD, it was for a new website for the company. As a result, I wound up getting "Where's my website?!" everyday. Unfortunately, he was so used to dealing with the SSE, he felt that applying pressure was the only way to get things done.

A major client finally decided they were going to go live with a product. When the news was broken to the office, the SSE freaked out. "But the software is not ready!"

The MD started applying more pressure. "You keep saying two weeks. In another two weeks, you'll say two weeks! And nothing gets done!"

One day, I said that a task would take 5 minutes. Sure enough, I was done in 5 minutes. The SSE gave me a pearl of wisdom: "I know from experience that if a task takes 5 minutes, say a half hour, just in case things get more complicated." "So what you're saying is to lie to my employers as opposed to being honest and updating them if it takes longer than usual?!" This was his strategy: say it will take longer than it needs to, go on Yahoo, etc.

Finally, he couldn't keep doing it. This client was about to go live. He quickly sent out his resume to other companies, accepted a job elsewhere, and quickly made his exit before the go live.

Before he left, he gave me his last pearls of wisdom. He said to me three things: 1. I should be more sincere with my work. 2. I should stop confusing people with technobabble. 3. If I'm given the code to the iPhone application the company owns, take it over and I'll have job security. He then revealed to me that the MD was the reason he was leaving. This wasn't true. He was leaving because he knew he would be fired upon the failed go-live.

With that, he left.

Epilogue: This is the sweet part of this story. What goes around, comes around. What happened? He marketed himself to other companies as a "project manager", and he landed a project management position. Soon, he was "laid off", and was out of a job. He desperately came back to the company asking for projects for consulting work.

He resorted to his usual bullshit, even when desperate. He submitted to us a project that was a template found online and a series of comments. Needless to say, we stopped giving him projects.

He would often talk about the importance of owning real estate. So he went out of his way to put down mortgages on several apartments. Long story short, without work, he was unable to afford to keep these apartments, and likely defaulted on the mortgages.

When he left, my manager and great friend moved up the hierarchy, and turned the company around. Now the company is doing incredibly well, and they're taking on more and more ambitious projects.

Last I talked with the SSE, it was via chat. What he didn't know is that I knew he was still begging for projects from the company, despite them not handing him a project in over a year. I knew he was lying through his teeth when he told me that he was maintaining a global team of 29. I simply said, "Well! I guess you have no shortage of work then!" With that, he signed off.

Tensions and animosity between team members eventually evaporated. I've worked with the MD since. He trusted me enough to bring me along to a meeting with one of the partners of the company to work on materials for an investor. When I worked on projects with him, he didn't ask me when it would get done. I would simply say when it would get done, and get it done by then.

The subsequent years I worked there were some of the best in my career. Had I left because of the SSE, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy working with the amazing team that grew out of it. I guess the moral of these stories is A. no matter where you go, you'll find an asshole like this, and B. they lose in the end.

BEWARE, there is clearly a new scam going on in the CL housing for rent.

If you search in Vancouver, WA on the Portland CL, for "Absolute Charmer" you will get one ad from Apr. 21, from a legit Realtor entitled $99900 / 2br - 710ft² - Absolute Charmer! (Vancouver) under "real estate by broker". You will also get an ad from Apr. 23, entitled "$900 / 2br - 710ft² - Absolute Charmer (Vancouver)" under apts/housing for rent and a Yahoo mail address. My roommate who is looking for a new place emailed them and got a very suspicious email in reply. Then we found the other ad.

This must be the newest scam. It is so fucked, because if they success, they will very possibly be rendering their victims homeless.

Here is the link to the search so you can see the two ads:

http://portland.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=9&subAreaID=&query=absolute+charmer&catAbb=hhh

This is the second time we've encountered something like this here in Vancouver. The first one, the guy actually had "goodhome" as his yahoo account. Here is the email exchange from the first one, I redacted the name the scammer used because it turns out, he is the titled owner of that property. He is no doubt a victim as well:

----- Original Message ----- From: Good Home Sent: 04/19/13 03:44 PM To: XXXXX Subject: Entire Family has Accepted you as our new Tenant, Get Back with Your Delivery Details ASAP..

Hello XXXXX,

Thanks for your pleasant response... Well, I understand how you feel and all you have said,but i want you to get your mind relax and have FAITH IN GOD ALMIGHTY okay... This's a moment of truth,what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and looses his/her life,i so much thank GOD that you are a capable and also responsible person. This is what i am also afraid about, that is why i have been praying about this and i know GOD brought us together so just get your mind relax here,i am a missionary man that always keeps to his words and i can never tarnish my image just because of vain lively things that is vanity,i will always pray for you so be rest assured that my house is given to you already cause my family is so excited to have you as our new tenant so we hope you do not let us down...

I have been disappointed before,by some peoples i trust in the state. So the only person i trust in the state right now that you can meet,has informed me that he has travel to GERMANY for professional course... I want you to know that i have make an arrangement with the shipping company on how to ship the keys/documents of the house to your doorstep ASAP after your deposit fee have been confirmed right here,and they have registered the package for shipping with your name and address so i will like you to cross check you current house and send it back to me so i can preview it ASAP....

Well, i want you to get your mind relax and have (FAITH IN GOD ALMIGHTY) As i said. Because the BIBLE SAYS IN HEBREWS 11:1-2. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,the evidence of things not seen. (2) For by it,the elders obtained a good report... So i want you to have it in your mind that you will be the elder that will obtained a good report from me,by shipping you the keys/documents of my house by FAITH. Like-wise what i believe, that i will also be the elder that will obtained a good report from you,by taking very good care of our house like your own okay, ... I look forward to hear from you ASAP, to know the next step to take..

Thanks And Remain Blessed.

--- On Thu, 4/18/13, XXXXX @mail.com> wrote:

From: XXXXX Subject: Re: Entire Family has Accepted you as our new Tenant, Get Back with Your Delivery Details ASAP.. To: "Good Home" homegood830@yahoo.com Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013, 7:00 PM

Please use the information in my previous emails, you have my name and address and phone number.......there is also no question below to answer. If you can't call me on your phone Mr. YYYYY, I'll consider this another scam from Africa........ Thx

----- Original Message ----- From: Good Home Sent: 04/18/13 06:47 PM To: XXXXX Subject: Re: Entire Family has Accepted you as our new Tenant, Get Back with Your Delivery Details ASAP..

I will also need you to confirm your delivery details and also to answer the below questions so as to certify my worries about you taking charge of my house:

Delivery Name: Delivery Address: Phone #:

You can call us on (+234-704-584-4483 OR 011-234-704-584-4483)

I will await reading an email from you soonest for further discussion and arrangements.

Regards. YYYYY And Entire Family...

--- On Thu, 4/18/13, XXXXX wrote:

From: XXXXX Subject: Re: Entire Family has Accepted you as our new Tenant, Get Back with Your Delivery Details ASAP.. To: "Good Home" homegood830@yahoo.com Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013, 6:34 PM

Great, give me a call at my phone number and we can talk about it. Ill be able to send you a check as soon as I can see the house and the rental agreement and have my lawyer go over it. I'm ready to move as soon as I can see the house and some paperwork. Thanks XXXXX ----- Original Message ----- From: Good Home Sent: 04/18/13 06:27 PM To: XXXXX Subject: Entire Family has Accepted you as our new Tenant, Get Back with Your Delivery Details ASAP..

Hello XXXXX,

How are you doing, Hope great you can go ahead drive by the home and get back to us .. My wife and I sends our heartfelt appreciation and warmth greetings to you. We went through your application and Most especially your mail, You gave us an inner peace of Mind that really got us going. Your Re-assuring mail that our home will be taken care of well as if it were yours is something that makes me want to rent to you.To sustain the Life we do not really require much. It takes only a little food,something to wear and a place to" lie down". The rich might have an abundance of this things,and the poor may have to struggle to obtain what they need.What difference there is, however, is equalized when life comes to its end-everything comes to naught.(Eccl.9:5,6).Thus Life to have meaning and worth, it cannot and should not simply consist of things that one can acquire or possess.Whether we are rich or poor,we do not have complete control over how long we may live or whether we will even be alive tomorrow.The bible clear shows that Only God alone is the source of life and only he can grant faithful ones the real life or everlasting life without end in Heaven. You are just an accurate example of the fulfillment of psalm 23..which God has promised to make you lie down in grassy pastures and he further says :By well watered resting places He shall conduct you, verse 6 says surely Goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life; And you will dwell in the house of the lord forever and ever.I would like you to know that we are in need of tenant that would be capable of paying the Rent,is that okay now? so we suggest you come up with the refundable security deposit in order to proceed with keys and other documents so when you move in then you'll be able to send the first month rent..

Below are the contents of the document that will be shipped to you Via FedEx mailing service to the address you gave to me in the Application Form.

1) Entrance and the rooms Keys 2) Paper/Permanent house form(Containing your reference details) 3) The house documentary file. 4) Letter of Access 5) Payment Receipt. 6) Full address and driving direction/description of the house.

I will also need you to confirm your delivery details and also to answer the below questions so as to certify my worries about you taking charge of my house:

Delivery Name: Delivery Address: Phone #:

You can call us on (+234-704-584-4483 OR 011-234-704-584-4483)

I will await reading an email from you soonest for further discussion and arrangements.

Regards. XXXXX And Entire Family...

--- On Thu, 4/18/13, XXXX wrote:

From: XXXXX Subject: Re: Home To: "Good Home" homegood830@yahoo.com Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013, 6:19 PM

Mr. XXXXX, My name is XXXXX. I currently live at XXXXX Vancouver, WA, XXXXX. My phone number is XXXXX XXXXX. I'm not married at the moment, I have 2 kids, both boys and both grown. I don't have a pet at the moment, but have been thinking about rescueing a dog from the pound. I work for a non-profit group called XXXXX that works on social justice and economic issues in the state of Oregon. My job is to direct a group of people who contact the community about our organization and build our membership base... www.oregonaction.org
I will be the only one living at the house, though I do have a friend from Philly staying with me now, till he heads back home. My landlord sold the home I'm currently renting, he's getting out of the rental business and is selling all his rentals. This one sold quickly. I am looking for at least a years lease, maybe longer if need be, we can talk. I can move in at the end of the month or at your convience, my current landlord is flexable and will work with me. My birthday is XXXXX and I will attach a picture to this email. I can pay the first months rent and the security deposit as soon as I see the house and sign the rental agreement of lease. I would love to be in by the end of the month, or sooner....just let me know what's needed on my end. It could be as early as next week, with the end of this months rent prorated, if you want. I'm flexable and want to stay in this part of Vancouver.

Thanks for your time and consideration and I'm glad to hear your wife's felling better. Sincerely, XXXXX ----- Original Message ----- From: Good Home Sent: 04/16/13 12:13 PM To: XXXXX Subject: Re: Home

Hello

Thanks for your interest and sorry for the late response.it was due to my wife illness but i thank GOD she is getting better.I must confess that I am very very new in this landlord business..However, My name is XXXXX,I own the house located at (8515 Mt Olympus Ave Vancouver, WA 98664).Due to my job as a missionary I spent less time in the States so I could not get a hold on any Realtor to handle this rent issue, although it was when I knew how long we are going to stay in Africa that I decided to rent out the house and i will be here for (4-5 years)..How ever,the initial plan was to sale out the house which I tried, but some times the agents inflates the prize and it takes longer to sell i am telling you this in case if you find the house on another website,that is the old advert. because of this reason and more we need a responsible person (With good credit) that can take very good care of it as we are not after the money , but want it to be clean and for you to take of it as if it were yours The rent is $550 and $550 for Security Deposit...Utilities such as Air Conditioner Dishwasher Walk-in Closet Refrigerator Vaulted Ceilings Washer/Dryer Cable etc are all included in the rent...Here is my phone number (+234-704-584-4483 OR 011-234-704-584-4483)

 PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF 

1)Your Full Name________________________ 2)Current Address_______________________ ______ 3)Phone Number (_____) 4)State_____________ 5)City__________________ 6) Zip______________ 7)Are you married______________________ 8)Do you have Kids__________ 9)Do you have a pet______________ 10)Do you have a car______________________ 11)Occupation______________ 12)How many people will be living in the house___________ 13)Reasons for Leaving present home_________________ 14)How long lease are you looking for______________ 15)How soon do you intend moving in________________ 16)Date of Birth________________ 17)Numbers of Cars________________ 18)A picture of occupant________________ 19)How soon you make the payment________________ 20)How soon do you want to recieve the keys/documents________________ ============================== ============== ========= Application Comment ============================== ============== ========= Please make sure this questions are fill correctly because the best way you answer with your comment will impress me the more to accept your applications.I know you would want to see the house before making any kind of rental payment , which is understandable.We can make arrangement for the keys and documentation including an Authorization letter to be shipped to you,this will give you the opportunity to view house.

Regards XXXXX And Entire Family.

Here's the email he received from the second one:

----- Original Message ----- From: YYYY Sent: 04/24/13 11:32 PM To: XXXX Subject: Re: $900 / 2br - 710ft² - Absolute Charmer (Vancouver)

Hello, Thanks for the email. Yes, the House is still available and will only be given out to the right person that will take very good care of the place and the facilities.Well i must let you know that the house has a lot of facilities like laundry facilities,air condition,internet and telephone access and car garage and other necessary facilities.I have really decided to give out the house as a result of my transfer to Alabama my new place of employment.

I will be renting out the house for $900 (Including Utilities) water,gas,electricity and garbage and a security deposit of $700 (refundable) $200 for each pet as pet deposit (negotiable) and I need to inform you as well that money is not the major reason why I am renting it out but want someone who can take care of it as if he/she owns it,let me know as soon as possible if you can take good care of it, so that we can discuss the rent further.

House Address: 2422 E 26th St, Vancouver, WA 98661

Utilities Included in the rent are water ,Gas and electricity Pets allowed are DOGS and CATS Drive by Immediately and see it !!!

Thanks and God bless you amen YYYY

From: XXXX To: YYYY@yahoo.com Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2013 1:00 AM Subject: $900 / 2br - 710ft² - Absolute Charmer (Vancouver)

Hi! I'd love to see the house! I'm currently living in the Hudson Bay neighborhood and my landlord sold my house. Need to move soon and I saw your cl posting. I work for a local nonprofit, would be renting the house by myself and can be reached at the number below or this email. Thanks

XXXX

I started a new service business in November. Have you heard all of the Condo and HOA horror stories? We aim to reduce (or try to prevent) the horrors.

I provide Due Diligence of the condominium and homeowners association on behalf of the homebuyer, real estate agent, appraiser, etc.

Through the Due Diligence process, I determine the financial health of the association and also look for any potential livability issues (such as pets, parking, garden, etc).

We basically help homebuyers reduce their risk. It's similar to a property inspection - which is a standard part of the process now.

This service is available Nationwide. I have no competition. There is no overhead.

I know (and have been told by many) that this service is sorely needed. My problem is getting the word out to thousands.

I have written for real estate web magazines, local papers, monthly newsletters, etc. I'm also active on linkedin, twitter, pinterest, and more.

To get the word out on the level that I need it to, I need some help.

I spent the last few months trying to get some real estate reporters to take notice - and write about this concept. I haven't had much luck. This would be the best situation - as advertising is very expensive.

This is what I need help with:

1 - Does anyone have any contacts with reporters in the real estate industry? I'd be interested in Huffington Post, Aol real estate, yahoo real estate, Inman real estate, ny times, wall street journal, washington post, or any other major publications.

2 - Do you have any other contacts that might be interested to help me "run with it"? I'm pretty sure this idea/service can eventually be franchised.

3 - Ideas to help me raise funds to pay for advertising/marketing (last choice)

I would appreciate any advice as well.

I tried angel investors - but they seem to be only interested in tech startups.

Thanks! website is: Condo-Smart.com Company is: Condo & HOA Smart

So far mine is Yahoo! Finance. Anything better/different out there?

Throwaway because I'd like to sell my place and don't want the Yahoos on my Association board to discourage buyers.

I own on a Condominium in Ohio. There is a COA bylaw for our small community that demands that ANY and all real-estate signage be placed inside unit owner's windows -- which is all well and good, except that the west-facing units face an empty field, the condo clubhouse and an untravelled construction site (where brand new, albiet smaller condominiums are about to be built). After writing a petition to the board with a suggestion to either allow owners to place signs in the grassy area adjacent to the well-traveled road running parallel to the units, or to place a sign listing for sale or for rent units in a visible, well-traveled location, I was told that the board would not consider putting an amendment forth to the owners because they had been advised by their COA lawer that such a sign would be "unneccessary clutter" on the property in the day and age of "internet searches".

What can I do, legally, to get through to my Association, which seems hell-bent on allowing the current bylaw to stand? Is there any way I can legally force their hand by getting a majority of the owners on-board?

Anyone dealt with a similar situation in the past?

I just went to the site for the first time in years and it's still just as I remembered it... bloated and ad-ridden. CitiBank bought like 1/3 of the real estate on the main page using what was likely government bailout money and the entire page appears as if a 5 year-old put it together based on what people were discussing on the playground... horoscopes and an "OMG" section inexplicably included. Large pictures of markedly obese airline passengers and an international perspective on Kate Middleton's informal blue jean selection visually supersede the global news/conflict headlines in a big way. And their search optimization (pulling relevant search results) still isn't what most people expect and perhaps deserve. I'm a pretty laid back person... and tolerant, at that. But seeing this (and assuming they still have regular users?) makes me feels like a large percentage of my national population is now eating styrofoam peanuts in their spare time. It frustrated me outright so I thought I'd pose the initial question(s).

Also, I'm sorry if this post encouraged you in any way to actually go to yahoo. That was not my intention. Contrary to what you might think, I am not a cruel person. I'm going to bathe in the sweet River Google and forget I even mentioned it. Sorry again. I feel dirty and am ashamed.

FIRST - please refrain from telling me i was stupid or idiotic for anything. I already know, but now I'm wholeheartedly trying to bring about justice and shut them down.

Was trying to rent a house i found on Craigslist (yes stupid i know. again, no need to remind me) found one I really liked. contacted the renters through several emails. Informed that they were missionaries currently in africa renting out the house (AGAIN. I KNOW... STUPID... just desperate for a house)

anyhow i realized it was a scam before i gave them anything other than my phone number and Email. Currently getting calls day and night from a number tracked to africa. (i know this can be faked) and using the IP adress (197.242.101.61) from the email (homefrent35@yahoo.com), i looked up on Geobytes and it is "From" nigeria.

is there any way i can put an end to them? I have reported the issue to the real estate company the house is through to make them aware that their property is being used in a scam. they thanked me. Then i tried to report it to Yahoo but the guy clearly didnt understand and assured me he would help me figure out what was wrong with my email account.

please help Reddit!

Ok, reddit, first real interaction on here but ive seen some pretty good advice on here and I'm at the end of my rope. I dont want to put up too many particulars because im not familiar with every rule, and I will also likely have a court case pending soon and dont want to make any missteps.

So Here's the breakdown,

Back in June a few friends and I did our quarterly(sometimes half year) trip to somewhere scenic to hang out, drink, have a cooking contest, smoke cigars, play games, and just basically be merry. In the spirit of the summer we decided to rent a lake house. We usually nominate someone to do the brunt of the planning, and this time my pal Jay got the nod. Jay looks around and find's a property that looks really sweet, the pictures look amazing. Were about to book it when one of our friends notices some sketchy reviews( on yahoo though, which is less than credible, usually). We brought them up to Jay and he called the guy and talked it out with him, apparently everything seemed in order because he pulled the trigger on it.

So we get to the house, its pouring rain so we run in and were just happy to be dry, and everything looks great at first glance. Then after about twenty minutes, we start to notice things. First thing, the hot tub, which the ad said "take in the gorgeous lake from the brand new jacuzzi tub" , was full of worms and bugs, and hadnt been ran in forever. The second thing was the fish tank, we noticed it had no fish...whatever, who cares about fish, then we notice, there is an island of algae floating on the top of the water, oh, and it was inhabited by a roach. ( Im not kidding, we have pictures). So aside from the musty sheets, filthy kitchen and numerous other problems we attempted to enjoy ourselves anyways. Jay tried to call the agent on saturday to see about getting the hottub up and running, he didnt answer. Did i mention, the guy was also our contact to rent watercraft? theres goes pontoon day...sigh... you know what, we still all had a good time, we drank apple pie moonshine, had a cooking contest, played board games, swam in the lake, all that good stuff.

Ok cool, disaster averted, though, bad taste still in mouth.

Now for the small matter of our $600 deposit.

We left the house, 100% cleaner than we found it. I called him up about a week after we checked out and he said everything was cool with the house and the check would be in the mail monday.

That was five weeks ago, he has since severed all contact, Texts, Emails, Call's, everything. Weve tried him from different phone numbers, he predictable responded, hoping to rip off some other rube. So the contract was in jay's name and i fronted the deposit, weve both been calling this guy, myself more so. He has made it clear he has no intention of paying, ive done more research, this guy's trail basically goes in a circle...of scams.

I will provide a few vague details of the transaction, and can go more into detail privately if someone thinks they could help.

1. We wired him the money via Bank of America xfer (member to member)

2. There was a contract specifying our deposit would be returned in a certain amount of time(it passed 2 weeks ago)

3. He said he was a real estate agent

4. Research has turned up that he owns the house and is current on his taxes, the house is appraised at nearly a million.

5. This happened in North Carolina, i hear enforcing judgements are difficult here.

6. I feel that he committed fraud, he obtained money meant for something else with the intent of just keeping it, (wire fraud?)

Im sure there's more descriptive things i can help with, ask me some questions~! HELP PLEASE!

My parents have been married for 20 years this year, my dad also turned 50.

I noticed my laptop was running low on disc space and I wanted to download a torrent of 4GB so I decided to use my father's PC since he is working late today. Once I started his PC I noticed that he was logged on to Yahoo chat with a name I didn't recognize. I shrugged this off and opened Chrome to search for the torrent but I noticed that he has facebook as a bookmark, with the same name as the Yahoo account.

This is where it gets weird.

I checked the public facebook profile- his profile picture was of himself in a wheelchair. Where the fuck he got a wheelchair, beats the crap out of me. I checked his Yahoo again, he only has once contact, a woman who's profile picture is a short, fat woman lying on her bed, completely naked and missing both her legs.

I was sick to my stomach. Maybe there is a reasonable explanation but nothing comes to mind.

Anyway, it's been a few hours now and I've thought through the options. Should I confront him about it? I'm afraid he'll get violent if I do. Should I tell my mother? I don't want them to divorce or anything because as sick as he made me, he still provides income etc.

Background: I have a younger brother and an older sister. I'm 17. He has worked as a real estate agent for as long as I can remember. His PC is in his "office" at home which is really just a small room with a desk and a PC.

I really need some help now. Anyone have any clue what to do?

TL;DR: Dad uses fake name and facebook account to (possibly) cheat on my mom with a woman who has no legs. Need advice on what to do.

Hello all, recently my family has listed our house for sale legitimately through real estate agencies, listings, etc.

The thing is, someone on Craiglist has posted that the house is for rent for a low number per month and he even went so far as to make an email account that was my fathers full name @yahoo.com We only know about it because we have been receiving calls directly to our house inquiring about the availability of the house for that rental price. This is probably the result of people looking up my father's name in the white pages and trying to contact him directly, but we are concerned about the cybersecurity/identity theft issues here. I'm guessing that the scammer is trying to make a quick buck then run away quick with the money before the renters know what happened.

Is submitting the complaint directly to Craiglist enough? Or are there other measures that we should take?

Thanks a lot to everyone who takes the time to respond.

List So Far (from my previous post, the sidebar, a few other posts and my bookmarks):

There was Google Real Estate that interfaced with Google Maps, but it's dead now. You might be able to get a feed from some sites to overlay in Google Earth. Some property managers to disseminate KML files to give people information on the location of a specific property or lists properties.

http://realestate.yahoo.com - Information on specific homes, news

http://www.zillow.com - Index of homes and information

http://realestate.ebay.com - eBay Real Estate Section (I wish there were more places that sold like this)

http://trulia.com -like zillow, with innovative features ie: you can set it to email you every time a house comes up in the same area/price range desired. helps you keep an eye on what's going on with house prices in my area. and when new listings pop up.

example search on Trulia's map search (big map): http://www.trulia.com/for_sale/x_map/photos;d_sort/San_Antonio,TX/x_map/

Index of homes and information For VA or non-VA Vendee loans, there's https://va.equator.com/ and

information For VA home loan benefits http://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/veteran.asp

http://www.realtor.com - Information on licensed realtors (it's an organization)

Maps that I've found good when researching:http://maps.google.com and surprisingly, the aerial view on Bing maps is sometimes better than anything Google offershttp://www.bing.com/maps/explore/

and of course, <cityname>.craigslist.org/hhh (housing) -- search with for example: site:sanantonio.craigslist.org/hhh 5 bedroom 2 bath

New startup in Canada. www.clickrealty.ca.

http://hotpads.com/ - Real estate listing for the US overlaid over Microsoft virtual earth engine.

http://www.globrix.com/ - UK listings using the Google maps engine.

http://www.terraserver.com/ - Online topo maps. Handy for researching the actual elevation of a house or a piece of land.

http://www.homepath.com/

http://homesteps.com/

http://www.redfin.com

http://hudhomestore.com/HudHome/Index.aspx

Ah, also real estate auctions @ http://www.auction.com (the whole site is dedicated to real estate auctions).

Crime Maps:

http://www.spotcrime.com

http://www.familywatchdog.us

http://www.trulia.com/crime

Area Information:

http://www.bestplaces.net

http://www.city-data.com

Recommended reading from Reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/op062/looking_for_some_advice_from_the_guys_that_know/

Other Information:

Is It Cheaper to Rent or Buy? Calculator: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/business/buy-rent-calculator.html

Investment Property Formulas to Familiarize Yourself With:

CAP Rate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalization_rate (also see this article) http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2008/03/03/determining-the-value-of-an-apartment-building-investment-using-cap-rates/

Gross Rent Multiplier http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_Rent_Multiplier

Net Operating Income http://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/noi.asp#axzz1ey31Q0HO

Vacancy Rate http://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/vacancy-rate.asp#axzz1ey31Q0HO

Spreadsheets to assess investment properties: http://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/gm5cj/does_anyone_have_some_really_useful_excel/

BTW, in general for finance and business information, http://www.investopedia.com is great.

UK Agent (I believe that's what they call a broker, there) review site: http://www.allagents.co.uk/

Hi there folks,

Please submit what you can. I'll add what I can if no one else does it. This isn't an explain it like it's 5 resource list, but I figured I should be as straightforward as possible.

To start:

There was Google Real Estate that interfaced with Google Maps, but it's dead now. You might be able to get a feed from some sites to overlay in Google Earth. Some property managers to disseminate KML files to give people information on the location of a specific property or lists properties. http://realestate.yahoo.com - Information on specific homes, news http://www.zillow.com - Index of homes and information http://realestate.ebay.com - eBay Real Estate Section (I wish there were more places that sold like this) Trulia - Index of homes and information For VA or non-VA Vendee loans, there's https://va.equator.com/ and http://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/veteran.asp http://www.realtor.com - Information on licensed realtors (it's an organization)

Maps that I've found good when researching: http://maps.google.com and surprisingly, the aerial view on Bing maps is sometimes better than anything Google offers http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/

First Giffords, now this!

Trying to bring together all my posts on reddit related to the triple catastrophe; many links are dead by now but my issue account could have them.

My collection of PDFs created from articles

My related postings on reddit:

Miyako City newsletter with tsunami photographs proves popular

Video from within a car caught in the tsunami, the driver survived and recovered the memory card, translated timeline

Arnie Gundersen Interview: Protecting Yourself If The Situation Worsens

A Fukushima rescue worker FINALLY tested, 30.000cpm

PDF-Data of the WSPEEDI Forecasting Finally Released by the Government: Wide Area including Tokyo Possibly at the Level of Radiation Controlled Area of Chernobyl diseppeared

Time lapse [before-after] of Tokyo darkened to save electricity

Geiger Counters, Dosimeters from US, France, Canada Still Sit in Narita Warehouse

東日本大震災：福島第１原発事故 １号機空だき１０時間以上 専門家「公表遅すぎる

Original plan to cool Fukushima nuclear reactor to be scrapped

TEPCO to build a plastic sheets cover above Fukushima's Reactor N°1

Home video shows Kawasaki's radiation at 6000cpm

Documentary Nuclear Ginza, with English subs

Fukushima's reactors #5 and #6 buildings are slowly getting inundated

Radiation spread around the world from Japanese exports

The Future Children of Fukushima

A 2004 Swiss film documents the battle between doctors and scientists vs. the IAEA

Japanese complain after French Puppet show uses Mario and Luigi help at Fukushima

Report from a field trip April 1st to 5th, Damage Assessment following the earthquake and the tsunami, Pacific Coast of Tohoku

Moving companies refusing to take Fukushima evacuees as customers

So long DASH村, thanks for everything

A peek inside the gymnasium used as dormitory by the Fukushima rescue workers

Decentralizing Tokyo may save the nation

3D Model of dispersion in seawater of radionuclides emitted by the Fukushima nuclear plant

U.S. Experts Blame Fukushima 1 Explosions and Radiation on Failed Venting System

Japanese government has moved to crack down on independent reportage and criticism of the government’s policies in the wake of the disaster by deciding what citizens may or may not talk about in public

Morgan Stanley Defaulted on a Loan and Walked away from Offices in Tokyo

Secret Weapons Program Inside Fukushima Nuclear Plant?

Two Japanese may be deported for joining anti-nuclear rally

Japan radiation fears prompt firms to move employees

TEPCO said it aims to bring the crisis under control within six to nine months

Israeli firm’s cameras recording Japanese nuclear core

Graphing Earthquake, Radiation and Water Data in Japan

IMF needs Japan growth reality check

Clean-up Lessons from Three Mile Island for Fukushima

Follow a JSDF member tweeting from Fukushima

Fukushima Refugees Rejected Amid Radiation Fears

This is a work in progress, yet to go beyond page 5.

CHAPTER 29

THE RESULTS!!!

• Federal deficit shrank 8% year-on-year.

• Financial reform has ‘strongest consumer financial protections in history

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/15/obama-weekly-address-says_n_577432.html

• Wall St reform designed to end taxpayer bailouts

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/04/obama-slams-enormous-irresponsible-risks-wall-street-firms/

• Six-month report card: exports in the first four months of 2010 were 17 percent higher than in the first four months of 2009

http://washingtonindependent.com/91028/obama-says-exports-on-track-to-double-in-five-years

• Job loss exploded under Bush, improves under Obama

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2010/02/house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-compares-job-losses-under-presidents-obama-and-bush.php?page=1

• 682,370 jobs created under the Recovery Act Between January 1 — March 31,2010

http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/21/obamas-job-number-one-mor_n_430988.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35012442/ns/business-economy_at_a_crossroads

• New jobless claims tumble

• March payrolls surge by 162,000

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/04/03/march_payrolls_surge_by_162000_us_says/

• March jobs data showed biggest growth in three years

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/04/march-jobs-data-shows-biggest-growth-years/

• U.S. economy added 90,000 jobs in April

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37014475/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

• Jobless rates dropped in 34 states and DC (AP)

• New-home sales saw biggest jump in 47 years

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36735173/ns/business-real_estate/

http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/18/news/economy/housing_starts/index.htm

• Foreclosures fall 2%

http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/13/real_estate/april_foreclosures/index.htm?hpt=T2

• U.S. Economy: Manufacturing grew by most since 2004

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-03/u-s-economy-manufacturing-grows-by-most-since-2004-update1-.html

• U.S. GDP up 3.2% in first quarter, consumer spending showed biggest rise in 3 years

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/us-gdp-up-32-percent-in-f_n_558286.html

• Orders for most durable goods rose

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36734329/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

• Wholesale inventories and sales rose in March

• Consumer confidence highest in 2 years.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Consumer-confidence-rises-in-apf-1361401441.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=7&asset=&ccode=

• Start-Up activity now higher than it was during the dotcom boom

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/26/start-up-activity-higher_n_590403.html

• Study: almost 5 million charging stations by 2015

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20006007-48.html

• Wind power growth up 39% due to government stimulus

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/26/wind-power-growth-up-39-d_n_437168.html

• Poll: world’s opinion of U.S. has “improved sharply” under Obama

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/19/worlds-opinion-of-us-has_n_542598.html

• 47 nations rise to Obama’s challenge at US nuke summit and agree to four years of non-proliferation efforts

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/04/47-nations-nuke-summit-agree-years-nonproliferation-efforts/

• U.S. jail population declined for first time in decades

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Media/us-jail-population-declines-time-decades-department-justice/story?id=10814247

I seriously don't understand why anyone (and it kind of seems Microsoft is trying with Bing) is not flat out copying Google's core mission/revenue model.

Yahoo has been going on and on about needing to make changes and changing their focus to bla bla bla. The same thing happened for AOL. Meanwhile, you have a company in Google that makes much much more money than they do and Google has a clear mission on how to make revenue and increase advertising costs on its network and know one (maybe Microsoft with Bing) wants to follow the leader. It makes no sense and I can't understand how all of these smart (supposedly smart) people at Yahoo or AOL have not had that "lightbulb" moment where someone said "Hey, lets be more like Google and focus on search, AdWords, and Adsense like products"..

It makes no sense that there is no close competitor to AdSense. As a web admin I run a site that gets about 5,000 page views a day and I wrote to Microsoft Publisher to become a publisher for MS ads and I got no response. Yahoo does not have a functioning publisher network anymore and know one is even close to AdSense or AdWords. It seems Yahoo and Microsoft would have been smart to combine their web real estate (Yahoo Search, Bing Search, Yahoo News, etc.) into an AdWords like product that could have driven their advertising rates to advertisers higher (As advertising with their joint venture would have reached both company's website properties)

ok, does anybody have any thoughts?

It's worth noting that Syracuse and Buffalo also broke the top 10.

EDIT: I clearly failed at attaching the link (thanks to constipated_HELP and KorgRue for filling in the blanks). For posterity:

Slideshow of top 10 cities: http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/best-places-family-lifestyle-real-estate-cities-kids_slide_2.html

Yahoo article summarizing the Forbes ranking: http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/americas-best-places-to-raise-a-family-2010