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I own several rental properties, buy houses and flip them and

Posted By: sm on 2006-06-19
In Reply to: So what is it that you do that you're so successful at, & how much do you make? (nm) - Yada

own several nationally-known chain restaurants.

Much more productive than pointing fingers at the government and blaming them for any poor choices on my part, most of which are fixable if you stop complaining and get off your butt!


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Rental properties and TurboTax sm
Anyone have rental properties and do your own taxes with TurboTax?  We used to have rentals and the accountant did the taxes but charged us like close to $400.00 for our return.  We have since sold everything and this year I did them with TurboTax and really the features.  Now we are thinking of purchasing another small rental and would like to know how TurboTax is with rentals.  Is it easy and pretty much self-explanatory?  Do you like to use it for this or do you have an accountant do it?  Thanks in advance. 
rental

a little to late, but it always helps to take pictures (dated) of how the place looked when you left.


A similar thing happened to my sister but in our state, they have a renter/landlord board and she was a bit more informed then her leasing company thought!


Since she knew how they operated, she just waited till the carpet crew was there putting NEW carpet in, took a few dated pictures of them in action, then was able to shove the carpet "cleaning" bill in their face.


With her rights info on hand, she got the full deposit back and warned everyone else in their community.


Rental Fees

I noticed that several companies are charging their employees rental fees for equipment/software. If one was in-house, they would not have to pay a rental fee. How are these companies getting away with this? Why would you, an employee, agree to pay for their equipment? The only time you should pay a rental fee is if you are an independent contractor. As an employee, you do not pay to work for the employer, they pay you!


I am just amazed that companies are actually charging their employees to work for them!


OP specifically said wants rental on...nm

rental cars
I am in Arizona and I usually have my best luck with Avis. Hey where are you in Arizona??
Just moved out of a rental. This just burns me up..

We just bought a house and moved out of a renal townhome that is owned by a huge property management company.  I always always go the extra mile to make sure I leave a place clean, way more than a lot of people.  I spent hours cleaning and we didn't leave a single speck of anything in that house.  The carpets were immaculate because we had plastic runns in the high traffic areas, etc.  I scrubbed baseboards, window sills, floors, painted over all the scratches and nail holes (same paint), everything.  Got our refund yesterday on the deposit and they charged us for ELEVEN HOURS of cleaning.  In the description they said that this that and the other thing was VERY dirty, counter tops being one thing.  I swear I scoured the counters with cleanser not long before I finished the job.  I find it very offensive to have all these things listed as VERY dirty.  They're full of you know what.  Do you think it's just a racket to ding you for more money?  They also charged us 160 dollars to shampoo those perfectly clean carpets. It seems like cleaning that is not beyond the usual amount should be THEIR responsibility as part of the business of renting out their units.  They just want to pass on everything including routine maintenence onto their tenants.  Just had to vent. 


Properties is under?
NM
However, there's a flip side
The company I work for actually lost a large hospital account because THEY wanted to go to VR and we wouldn't!
on the flip side....
Howver, tonight I have spent the longest time on a very long dictation for the absolute worst dictator. Not dreamy--a nightmare! Although I was dreaming of stranguling him through the internet connection--ah if only. Oh, my nerves are on edge now and he was the last one it looks like for the night. What a horrible way to end the night. Maybe a few more will filter in so I can forget him.
the flip side
Be thankful you have the information to verify the correct age. :)
And then there is the flip side - if you have a

It is really hard to find good MTs.  I keep my company very small for that exact reason.  But sometimes even when an MT is really good, they can be lacking in the work ethic department.  I'm talking about MTs who do excellent work.  They have just a couple of very clear, very easy doctors assigned to them, a great line rate (10 cpl), and all they have to do is make sure they get whatever those doctors dictate get done.  And sometimes they do great.  Other times they come up with 101 excuses about why they couldn't get the work back on time.  Or they slack off all week and promise to catch up on the weekend, and then they don't.  Oh, but the same MTs are always asking if they can get another doctor assigned to them, if they can get a raise, if they will be first in line for new accounts coming along.  To which I say:  Get a clue!  Do the work you are assigned and do it on time and THEN ask me about raises and more work.  I don't particularly like having to either assign the work that doesn't get done to another MT on the weekend or having to do it myself on the weekend to get caught up because some MT who has a gravy account won't even keep up with that.


Please, don't anyone email asking for work, as I am not hiring and if I were in a position to I would come here first and ask for help.  I'm just venting because I don't understand having such an easy account and doing excellent work and then on the other hand slacking off and letting it get behind, and then having the nerve to ask for more work/more money.  If I am going to have to type it myself on the weekend, I might as well get rid of said MT and type the gravy account myself during the week!   


FLIP SIGN
There is a flip sign (test for herniated disc, lumbar, with radiating pain. There is another one called Milgram (both legs) for radiating pain. I don't know about Michelle. If you find out, repost so I know it!
I'm on the flip side of this...sm
As some others have posted, we MTs get the shaft too. I've applied for and gotten several positions in the last decade, only to have been lied to once I accept them.

I have been an MT for 15+ years, but unfortunately have limited experience because I've only worked in a few specialites. I've been hired by companies to work in my specialty fields, but when the time comes, they want me to do something else. I don't want to be a newbie learning all new things this late in my career. I know that limits me, but there has got to be somebody out there who needs my specific skills and wants a good reliable MT.

I have worked for a huge national for the last 12 years and it was comfy and cozy while we had the smaller offices and my manager knew me and my dedication and appreciated my work, but since we have expanded nationally now, I've lost that manager and have become a number like all the other MTs in the company.

Nobody there now knows that I have never missed a day (or even an hour) of work in all that time without calling in with prior notice and get permission. I've always worked overtime when needed to keep an account in turnaround, and have done many, many things for this company in the early days that I was happy to do even though I didn't get paid for it, like mentoring new MTs... and again, nobody in the company today knows that about me anymore, and no one would listen to me if I could tell them.

I would love to work for an MTSO such as you or the above poster... I'll bet you know the names of your MTs at least.

I feel your pain and frustration also. When I was mentoring new MTs I could see in some of them exactly what you are talking about and I politely tried to steer them away from this field if they weren't going to be serious about it... some stuck it out and became good MTs and others passed on the career when they found out they were expected to work. Unfortunately today we don't have mentors to teach new MTs how to learn and work, to sort of weed out the slackers,... so that's what we're getting. They don't know any better because no one has told them what this job entails, only that they can work from home in their spare time in their jammies and be with their kids, and that's all they know about the job.

I know that there are many slacker MTs out there, but there are also some dedicated and hard working ones too, so please don't lump us all into that first category just as you don't want us to lump your wonderful companies into the categories of the liers and non-payers, etc.

We both have to kiss a lot of toads before we find our prince, be it a good MT or a good company.

I wish you luck in your searh for a good MT.
The flip side....sm
Computerized medical records will contain (actually, embrace) dictated reports. Handwritten notes will eventually go away.

My guess is that we'll probably see many more ancillary caregivers (like physical and respiratory therapists, etc.) dictating notes that they currently write by hand in the chart.

A different scenario, of course, is that these notes will be created using VR and/or "boilerplate" templates with "point-and-click" or "fill-in-the-blanks" capabilities.

We'll just have to see how this plays out, but it isn't a foregone conclusion that the EMR will result in transcription job loss by any means.
System Properties

I have Windows XP Media Center Edition on an HP Pavilion Desktop.


Click on Start button.  Click on My Computer.  At the top of the left-hand pane is a box called System Tasks.  Click on View System Info.  This opens a window called System Properties.  Choose the General Tab.  It will tell you what version of Windows you are running at the top.  The bottom tells you the kind of computer, the type of processor and its speed and the amount of RAM.  In my case 1.93 GB.


Go to file, properties, and
x
Most houses appreciate, how come

Any ideas on how to get a cheap rental car? I haven't had to rent a car

in a very long time.


thanks so much!


The properties not changed, any more ideas?
NM
Kinda have to agree with you. Flip side would be
I've had supervisors send occasional bloopers or things around the holidays that are appropriate, but never the forward type things.

This reminds me of the MT who was complaining that her super didn't want chit-chat on the phone.

It's just best on both sides to maintain a professional decorum most of the time.
Working for MTSO--flip side. sm

I have advertised on this board looking for help and while I received a lot of responses and some good prospects, there were many more that were either: 1) Indian companies/individuals like CLK referred to above (deleted immediately); 2) newbies without any experience; or 3) several "experienced" MTs who overstated their experience/qualifications and when it came down to it, they didn't have the most basic of skills (computer, Internet, etc.) It is just as hard for an MTSO to find good help as it is for MTs to find a good company.


ortho help...s/l michelle flip sign?
this is an ortho exam and he keeps repeating this throughout many of his dictations and I can't seem to find anything.  It sounds pretty clear that he is saying michelle flip sign but I just can't verify that anywhere.  Anyone ever hear of that?? Thanks so much for your help! 
I used to clean houses when I sm
needed extra money.  We got behind in bills a couple of times due to illnesses, surgeries, etc. I put an ad in the paper and picked up several jobs that way.
Perhaps, but it's my opinion that someone with 5 houses & an SUV could
SELL something to put food on the table rather that hit up Angel Ministries. I wish the lady well, I really do, but she needs to use her own resources (and seems to have plenty) to feed her family.
houses/tenants
I would suggest what your husband is doing, sell that new house you bought quickly. Also, don't know what state you live in, but in our state of MA if you owe that much rent after landlord has evicted you via certified mail, etc, have 30 days to vacate and then sheriff's constable comes over takes your furniture out and padlocks the apartment. Small claims court will work also. I just saw a program on t.v. recently about Carlton Sheets and how many people have gotten into financial trouble listening and following his advise. You know the saying if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Hope you sell your new house quickly and maybe you will have to sell a couple of your houses to get out of this mess. There are different agencies out there that will help, but also I think it depends on your income. I have been in financial chaos most of my life, living pay check to pay check. My husband was looking into the Carlton Sheets literature and when I read it a bell went off and I told him, don't think this will work or something is just not right.
the properties stats still do not count headers.
Do a test to prove it. Type one word in the document and one word in the header and you will only see a count for the word in the body of the document.
Make sure that the Properties haven't been changed.

Open the document that you want to print, choose Print from the File menu and then select Properties. Click on the Layout tab and make sure that you're printing one page per sheet.


If you change the color in the properties/appearance, it does NOT
transfer to another computer. You are only changing your Windows settings. If you use one of the stationery themes within Word, that does transfer.
problem with display properties screen sm

I am trying to change some settings for my display.  When I go into the display properties screen/appearance there are three boxes that are "locked" and I can't get rid of them. 


The top one says "message box", the one behind that says "active window" and the third one behind that says "inactive window".  They are like error boxes stacked on top of each other.  It won't let me "X" them out or anything.  Its like they are locked, so  I can't change change the appearance of my monitor.  I have rebooted and done everything I know to do and can't get rid of these boxes.  The other options tabs for my display work fine though.


No, I need to work with some coworkers with "class", not low rental boss-bashing cats!

And what I love the most - if Frank himself called one of them, or actually walked up to them in an office, they'd fall all over him, gushing about how great he is to work for! Guaranteed! Its just so "catty" to claw his eyes out on an anonymous message board and giggle, giggle, giggle. I'd be saying the same thing to their faces as well, except I'd probably be their supervisor and would be canning their catty behinds.


I've done cleaning houses and do my dog and sm
my mother-in-laws, prefer doing the dogs as to dealing with ignorant people.  Actually, we'll have a spare room that could be converted to bathing facilities, etc. as it is right above the water supply line. More or less just looking to see if anyone knows of good training schools, etc.
There are transitional living houses available to help.
I too was in your position. My husband would beat me all the time and was verbally abusive. I got started in this business so I could leave him. Luckily, one day while at the ER getting patched up yet again, a doctor took the time to explain to my husband the consequences of wife beating. He looked at my husband like he was pond scum and threatened to have him arrested. He has not hit me since. I wish you luck. There are transitional houses that let you live there with your children while you save up enough money to get a place of your own. They even help with that (usually pay deposit and help furnish). If counseling or talking it out with him does not help, you could try this. Good luck!
I LOVE houses, too. When I go out for a walk,
I like to look at the different houses and pretend I could afford to buy one of them, and decide which one that would be. Also like to look at the yards and see what I would change or leave the same.

My love of 'house-hunting' was born pretty early. When I was 7 my family moved, and I remember the house-hunting process went on for quite a long time. I loved seeing all the different houses! One even had a basement, something you don't see that often on the West Coast.

Even after my parents found a house and we moved, my mom (who LOVED house-hunting) still liked to go and look at them. (She was a total 'lookie-loo!') On hot summer days when we kids were bored, or on rainy days when we couldn't play outside, she'd pack us in the car and contact a friend of hers who was a realtor, and we'd go off looking at some of the more unique homes for sale, including a stone castle 'way up in the mountains. (That was pretty spooky - we did it on a rainy, thunder-and-lightning day).

So, if I were in real-estate, one thing I would definitely be is totally enthusiastic about EVERY house I was selling! But I don't think I could deal with all the phone calls, appointments, no-shows, etc. ESPECIALLY the weekend work. So, I guess I'll just have to keep on looking.

Like you, I like MT and am good at it. I job-hopped relentlessly in my early 20's. Finally got tired of the hiring-and-quitting merry-go-round, and became a Kelly Girl. Pay wasn't the best, but I got lots of interesting jobs, including an architect's firm high up in the hills above Malibu, a race-car builder, a toilet factory, and even Walt Disney Studios. It was a good way to job-hunt, too, because frequently if an employer liked my work, they'd offer me a permanent job.

I finally 'fell into' MT when I was between jobs, as usual, and a relative who did MT at a hospital invited me to lunch one day. We ate in the hospital cafeteria, and afterward she showed me her office (some MTs had their own offices back in those days!), and let me listen to and try to transcribe a report. Of course, my first attempt must've been pretty hilarious to read, but I liked it. She told me to take a transcription course at night school, and the rest is history. I just wish MT could go back to the kind of work it was back in the 70's, when you were considered to be an actual EMPLOYEE, and not just a 'cog in the wheel'.
take a report you get the gross pay for and do a file/properties/statistics
get the total character count with spaces and divide by 65 I think 6.5 gross line will put a little over 8 cents per 65 character line with spaces.
Nobody (well hardly anybody) gives raises. If the work is easy, you know your account, you might not find greener pastures.

You could take on a part-time account instead of just quitting the one you have, sometimes that switch is a wrong move, anything to break the fall.

Also, MP Count is a free software for line counting and invoicing. Its on the MedPen website.
so, with 5 income properties, how did you come to have only 4000 for a cushion? What happends to y
If you are Christians I'd think you would know about steweardship, living within your means, being prideful. I find it hard to believe someone with income property didn't know what closing costs would be..you get paperwork early on that idicates approximate costs..they are usually fairly accurate, and never 2000 off. Good luck and keep us posted.
supplement income by cleaning houses.

Get a few rather neat, clean people who want their homes cleaned (vacuumed, dusted, change linens, etc.,) once a week or every other week.  Where I live it is very lucrative, pays about $20/hour. 


If single, check out ads to be a "live-in" housekeeper.  I do this for a business man who is gone most of the time.  I clean the house once a week, cook lunch and/or dinner if he is home, and in turn he gives me run of the house, my own rooms (2 bedrooms, 1 bath for me), pays all utilities including my cable bill, and pays for all food.  I am not required to help with any entertaining he may do - he calls a caterer to do that.  I can have all the company visit that wants - he enjoys my friends, too - but cannot have late night parties or overnight male company.  Not a bad exchange 


 


Sure, there will always be houses to sell. Buyers on the other hand? sm
The whole economy is on paper with nothing backing it anymore.  If banks stop lending, who will buy? 
Maybe it's this one. It's nonpoisonous and the site says it is often found in houses when you
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/pages/grayrat.htm
I guess Ms. Flip decided not answer my question. I am sure MedQuist would love to have...sm.
many more MTs with such an attitude.
Drug dealers live in nice houses, too.

I know of an "educated" person who bragged to me about buying a house wirth three times as much as my home.  Then we found out her husband had a meth lab in the garage and was dealing in stolen art.  He's in jail and won't see his kids for the next 10 years.  The house was seized, along with their cars, trucks, and hot tub.  We may not have much, but we work hard for what we have.  We don't do drugs, and we'd never do anything to jeopardize our children.


For that matter, go to the law enforcement auctions.  The property they sell, sports cars, houses, everything, was taken from convicted drug dealers.  So, no, meth labs and drug dealers are not only an low income, low education problem.  They're all over, and they make more money than we do until they get busted.  THEM'S the proven statistics.


I clean houses for disabled at low cost and run errands.
I have several clients and make an adequate amount extra each month for bills, gas, going out, and those other things that POP UP.
you need to change your properties of those file types to open with ES and not media player. sm
go to your folders by start, explore. find where you saved those files to. once you find a file, right click on it and click on properties. under the general tab, look down 3 lines to where it says open with and i bet it says media player. click change, find the express scribe program. make sure you check that box under there that says always use this program to open this type of file. then you can either right click again, click open with, select express scribe and it will automatically load in ES or you can hit the load button on ES, find where the file is saved, select and it loads it. if this doesn't work, email me.
Don't worry. Modern houses don't have big holes in the floors and walls. NM
nm
Taxes post made in reference to cleaning houses

x


Painting, painting, painting our rental house sm
Tenants want to move in asap. I'm a nice landlady. I said they could have a month's free rent and didn't have to pay a deposit if they came and helped. (My kid and his girlfriend) I'll paint, they can wash cabinets, woodwork, windows, doors and shampoo the rugs. Just 3 more rooms to go....