farmer0_1

thats what i have been pitching for in this house . couple of gold coins a month.

vegashd

where is everyone getting these "gold coins"

farmer0_1

i have been looking at coin shops but they vary on the premium they charge above bullion so watch out . i was hoping these guys would say where they were fetching the best deal.

edwinsmith

I have a favorite dealer in CA I use but you'll need to PM me if you want it since I think it's against forum policy to post it. Otherwise get out the yellow pages and start calling coin shops and ask them. Check at www.kitco.com for an up to date spot price on gold. I think they have coin prices also. Different mintages will cost different premiums over spot. You'll always pay something over spot for a coin but you'll never be able to sell at spot to a dealer. The spread is how they make their money. You can expect to get a better deal on Krugerrand because the country is supposed to be bad but gold is gold. American Eagles are about the highest premium but not worth it IMHO. I always buy Krugerrands.

Silver bullion can be had in 1 oz. coins and bars, 10 oz bars and 100 oz bars which are very hard on the toes. This is Troy oz. which is different from regular oz. Any bullion coins will be .999 pure. Kruggerands have a more copper color because they use copper to make the coin harder and more wear resistant. Maple leaf's are very pretty and very pure and very soft. Always keep them in a plastic sheath so they don't get scratched.

Another alternative is to buy "so-called" junk silver coins. This is pre-1965 U.S. silver coins which are 90% pure silver and usually bought in bags. These will be especially good in a currency crisis as they are easily recognized and easy to trade with. It will be hard to buy groceries and other necessities with gold so you'll need to trade it for silver coins first.

A good buying strategy is to buy a certain dollar amount of gold/silver every month/payday. This way you buy more when the price is low and less when the price is high. Personally I would buy more silver than gold but at least 50% in silver for the trade purposes stated above. This IS your life savings. Do NOT keep your stash in a safe deposit box. If the government declares a bank holiday they'll padlock the doors of the bank and you'll have to open your box in front of an officer to make sure you don't have any contraband items such as gold or silver. Yes they have done it before. Forewarned is fore armed.

Edwin

farmer0_1

thanks i will pm you.

gerry

I have some rental property...

Finally I have some decent tenants.. yes they pay late but.. they always pay.. they don't bother me about little ticky tack things so Once a year I go in and do a walk through and fix everything...

Location is the biggest thing...

In 2000 I looked at a few properties.. one of them was a 1.2 million ranch house with a small stable.. the other was a small 1000 sq ft for 240K

Well today the 1.2 million is worth about 1.4 million.. the 240K is worth 675K. I went for the more affordable house and the house that a larger % of the population was able to afford.. And no it isn't in the ghetto.. if it was in the getto it would still be worth only 200K.

Study the market!! the house I live in is in a nicer neighborhood Simular sq footage and a much nicer house and landscape. it is worth about 100K less than my rental... average house (nice house nothing special). they are only 7 miles apart.. The rental is still holding or slightly increasing in price while the one I am in is loosing value.. In my neighborhood there are 5-10 houses that have been on the market for over 4 months.. the rentals neighborhood they sell within 1 month.... I still don't understand it!!!!...

but to invest in realestate you just have to watch the area and market.. I would not buy right now.. My gut feeling is 1 to 1.5 years and the market will stabalize.. that is when those hanging on by the skin of their teeth will have sold their property and the market will stabalize with less "I have to sell and get out from under this" properties.

Just my opinion.. take it for what it is worth..

BTW my real estate investment is a long haul investment.. kinda setting up my retirement.. rental property actually has a positive income now.

farmer0_1

when my wife and i bought my folks farm we did and exchange of properties and along with another farm i owned i added a rental house .we use an agency . i do the repairs. been six years . first were there two years . second have been in there three years and are signed up for four. they keep offering to buy the house. and i know the neighborhood have three friend across the street and bought this house from someone i knew.

edwinsmith

My wild guess for the disparity is the lower cost property is bought by the average un-informed schmoe who doesn't know value. The higher cost price is for people who have money, know what it takes to get money and know the real value of houses.

Believe it or not, ALL houses depreciate. Prices may go up but the actual value depreciates unless renovations or other improvements happen. There is a difference between price and value.

Edwin