I need a good investment idea

Thanks for the thought, Cav, but some guy just offered to sell me the Brooklyn Bridge. I've narrowed my choices down to either that, or the mayonnaise farm idea.

I'd buy $25K worth of Kmart stock. Or penny stocks.

Hey kickycan, I found the ideal investment idea for ya.

*LOL*

http://www.realdoll.com/intro.asp

LOL!

Caprice, I heard about that before. It was a topic of conversation for a while on Howard Stern. Very sick!

They were profiling the guy who makes these dolls on a show on Discovery that was on. I saw it and thought of you...don't you feel flattered?

I have no idea. It's a lot if you don't have it and not much if you do and try to see what you could do with it. I might use it as a house down payment. Where I live, it would alllllmost do it, you can still get some interesting property in california for around 150,000. Course then you'd have to live there or manage the rental.

I agree with whoever posted about college, but I am surmising you have been through college.

Ok, go to italy and have a wonderful time. Take the remainder and invest in my custom dog house idea... (kidding, it would take more moolah than that, I think.)

Yeah, that was nice that you saw plastic f*ck dolls and thought of me. Who wouldn't be flattered by that?

Although I do believe that any business involving boobs and/or sex is probably going to make a lot of money, I don't know if telling women I make "real dolls" would get me any action. Then again . . .

Osso, the real estate idea is good, but living in Manhattan, that ain't even enough for a downpayment on a studio apartment. :sad:

I am not talking Manhattan, buby.

I guess I should explain I am not a real estate person. I am financially clueless, but I have noticed that land in california seems to go up, even if the line is jagged. Not so you could count on it for dividends routinely.

I know what you mean about real estate. A studio apartment in Manhattan that went for $150,000 about five years ago is worth well over $200,000 today. That is a pretty nice profit in only five years. The problem is that it costs so damn much to begin with. I'd do that if I had the money and wanted to be a landlord.

I dunno how it works stateside, but in Canada you only need 5% down. Although that was a change made within the last, oh, maybe 10 years? I know it used to be 10%.

If you have 25 G's, I would think that is enough for a down payment on someting that is $200,000.

Any real estate people out there?

How did you manage to save that much living in Manhattan? Aren't rents sky high?

Re: party dolls or whatever they are...glad you feel flattered!

*heeee heeeee!*

Most down payments are twenty percent, ergo the property would be around 100,000. Not a lot of that left in key cities, but there is some. I wouldn't just dive in, but I didn't pay attention to real estate for decades and that was dumb. I should have bought even low level real estate instead of new cars....

Wow, really 20%?? Yikes! Is that all across the country?

That will be my next major purchase...real estate. I'd like to learn more. Just watching some of these shows on HGTV for instance, has clued me into the fact that there is more involved than paying the down payment and signing your name on the dotted line.

No, I think real estate can be had for less. That is the talking number, as I understand it. No expert here.

Ah, I see. Well I know the more you can put down the better, but I'd rather put down less and get out of the rent routine where it feels like my money just gets flushed down the toilet.

Well it flushes one way or the other, as upkeep takes more money...

Still I have seen people move into owning duplexes, etc. by starting out with just a little bit..

Perhaps upkeep costs, but your main investment is still your money, true?

I'd like to start out small myself. In an ideal world I'd enjoy a huge place, but in the real world, the smaller the space, the less cleaning I have to do! Just give me a place with lotsa storage so that I can toss all my junk in one room and once or twice a year I'd clean it out.

You don't need 20% down if you have decent credit, and debt to income ration. They have 0 down programs, 3%, 5% down, ect. Usually the zero or lower money down programs result in a little higher rate.

Are you sure that works with Co-ops in Manhattan? I have looked around a little bit, and it doesn't seem possible. And co-ops are all that you find here. There are no "houses" for sale.