Post: #1

So, I have an opportunity coming up at the end of the year. I will have a small amount of money from my tax returns. (working overseas so it'll be tax free.) I'm weighing the options of buying a home and renting rooms out to cover the mortgage over just paying a landlord a year's worth of rent.
Does anyone have experience with this or have any input on which option would be a wiser investment. Thank you guys in advance.

Post: #2

I'm not a homeowner myself, but you may enjoy this older post from Krauser:

Don't Build Your Own Prison and Call It a Home

It's a bit long to quote in its entirety, but definitely worth a read.

Post: #3

James Altucher has written on home ownership (he's against it). His first post on the topic back in 2011 sent shockwaves in the blogosphere back then (nearly 1000 comments):

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/03/why...ome-again/

And it looks like he's revisited the topic in 2015:

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2015/10/own-house/

However, I personally think home ownership as a solid investment vehicle can be done, but it requires at least part-time commitment, and since you're overseas I'm not sure how that would work out. You would basically have to pray for miracle no-fuss tenants and neighbors, or you would have to hire a property manager to oversee everything (and then pray you have a good property manager).

This podcast episode might give you some ideas on investing in property:

http://www.tropicalmba.com/property/

Post: #4

I was always of the mindset that owning a home will mean it ends up owning me. It seems to be the kind of thing that men my age say, whether they even think its true, or have any evidence to back it up or not, its still the norm.

If you can afford to buy a place in a good location, in a city that has a high demand, and can take tenants to cover the mortgage, I say go for it.

I bought in a very expensive city a few years ago. I watch rent move upwards every year for over a decade. Suddenly I could not ignore it any longer, that soon rent would be more expensive than mortgages.

Now I pay a mortgage that is significantly lower than what my neighbors pay for rent. $3500 a month rent, or $1900 mortgage/insurance/HOA/taxes. This money goes into my equity which helps for business, etc. Plus my place went up $220,000 in the last two years, which feels good.

If a home is going to steal all your time, extra money, commute, etc then no way. But if you can maintain a good lifestyle while owning its a good move.

I bought where I can walk everywhere, beside a metro stop, lots of bars and restaurants, ENDLESS stream of hot women, the list goes on.

I also know guys that bought a place just to buy and spend all their time driving and are miserable home owners.

You ask about a wise investment, then buy a home in GOOD location. Something that can maintain value while the boomers look to sell out of their suburban castles. Most boomers will be moving into condos that have good access to amenities. Look in these areas and you will do good.

I do not regret my decision at all, and this summer I took off for a month and rented my place out on AirBnB for 17 days and made $5000. Payed for my trip and mortgage. Can't do that as a renter.

Good luck.

Post: #5

Thanks guys! I'll look up the links provided. I really appreciate it.

Post: #6

This was probably one of the best financial moves I made in my early 20's.

I bought a townhouse and moved in two buddies with me. My mortgage was $740, they each paid me $450. I got $900 so my mortgage paid and a bit extra to put away.

It was a fun environment as we were all in our mid to late twenties, had someone around to play video games with, hangout with, pregame with, etc. Got my mortgage covered and made a few bucks each month, and I was able to offer my friends a nicer and cheaper place to stay than they would have otherwise had on their own so it worked out all around.

This probably went on for about 3-4 years so over 40k was paid into my house by not myself. Granted much of this went to interest and not principal but for a good portion of the time I was doubling up on principle or using that money to invest so all in all it definately put me ahead.

Fast forward a few years later as we got older, one buddy got a gf and moved out, around the same time my folks moved down south so to help them out I rented out my house and moved into theirs to rent theirs as they didn't wanna sell.

This actually was even better, I was now making $1200 a month again mortgage between $700 and $740 so got my mortgage paid and turned an even bigger profit. I had this going for another 3 years, finally those tenants moved out, this actually happenned recently. I'm in the process of deciding what I'm going to do ie move back into the place or buy a new place but at this point rents are up to $1400 so basically going to be able to get my mortgage paid and pocket $700 a month.

Now things don't always go smoothly, sometimes you'll get a nonpaying tenant or someone who messes up your place but being a landlord either to friends living together or to strangers is a great way to build equity in your home on someone else's dime and possibly make a few bucks as well.

Another plus of real estate, its really the only "business" or money making activity which a bank will actually loan you money for. Good luck getting money for a startup or to invest but a bank will loan you money to buy real estaet.

***MISC***

Just a few things to be aware of...

Make sure your making enough to cover mortgage, insurance, pmi if you have it, property taxes, and ideally a bit extra to cover potential repairs.

Keep in mind this is considered income so you will be taxed. If your only making enough to cover the mortgage you will have to pay the taxes out of pocket at the end of the year. If your living with friends and they are paying you cash up to you to decide if you wanna report it though legally you are required to.

My property is in a safe but sorta dumpy less desireable area, however it feeds into one of the top school districts in the state so I'll always have families wanting to rent.

Post: #7

OP you will borrow money to buy this home, and will you stay living overseas?

Where?

First start to understand ROI and Rent Roll and other concepts key to doing this. If it is an investment do look at numbers rather than the idea of a house, or the idea in general of renting.

For example, how many times the rent roll will you pay for the property? What is your number? What is the number paid for Class A apartment buildings by funds? What is the number paid by investors with portfolios of houses in your area? Is flipping working now or are we in one of those times the flippers all get burned?

If you do the math correctly are you even getting a positive return at all? You are competing with people who can, do and will lose money out of ignorance. What do the ignorant pay for these houses?

If a house rents for $12000 a year ($1000 a month) how many times the $12000 are you willing to pay for it?

What do other investors pay for this?

Do you have reserves to repair it?

Start trying to think and act as a professional investor even if this is only house #1.

And finally, why not buy something in your overseas location?

Post: #8

If you are single with no renters it's a horrible idea.

Do some research on housing value growth in your area too. If you're in a place like me where it barely gains 1% a year then it's definitely not worth it. Closing on the sale of mine soon, and although I'm getting cash out, it's mostly from building equity by making payments. I've spent thousands in fixing it to sell up so technically I'm breaking even, including non-repair improvements like flooring and a fence.

Never again, moving to a rental house that is half the monthly cost.

Post: #9

As you can see, its all a numbers game.

You sound like you are single, this is good. Emotion should be left out of the real estate game at all costs.

If you can rent for half the price of ownership, in a good area, then don't buy. Its an indication that there are more desperate people out there that need to get out of the game, and will do it.

I happen to live in an expensive city, so many people did not save money while rent was cheap here. When it started climbing, people complained about "overprices real estate" rather than blame themselves for a lack good financial management.

Most people are fairly dumb when it comes to real estate, and add to that a nagging emotional wife and its easy to see how homes can become the best investment- often due to luck and time- and the worst investment.

If you crunch OTR's numbers, you can't lose. If the numbers add up, its only a matter of desire.

Post: #10

I know the whole debate about renting vs owning is a neverending one. Many claim renting is better, many claim owning is better.

Here's my logic and let me know if anyone sees a fault in it.

If I'm a landlord, I'm going to make sure all my costs are covered at the very least and ideally I'm turning a profit on top of that. So things which my rent I charge is going to cost is mortgage, insurance, property taxes, and pool for repairs at the very least.

That said I hear renters say thing like I don't want to pay property taxes, I don't want to pay for home repairs, etc. YOu are paying for all of that it's just called rent instead of broken down like a homeowner pays those things.

Now I get that the average homeowner looks at a property as a place to live and doesn't really make smart business decisions in relation to that home but assuming you treat the home like a business and don't get emotionally involved and assuming you don't mind managing the property I personally cannot see any value in renting over owning.

Now if someone wants to move around, move across the country etc I get a home ties you down but again assuming you have a trusted person to manage it or are going to be in state to manage yourself again I can't see any reason not to buy.

Post: #11

(08-30-2016 01:49 PM)jamaicabound Wrote:  I know the whole debate about renting vs owning is a neverending one. Many claim renting is better, many claim owning is better.

Here's my logic and let me know if anyone sees a fault in it.

If I'm a landlord, I'm going to make sure all my costs are covered at the very least and ideally I'm turning a profit on top of that. So things which my rent I charge is going to cost is mortgage, insurance, property taxes, and pool for repairs at the very least.

That said I hear renters say thing like I don't want to pay property taxes, I don't want to pay for home repairs, etc. YOu are paying for all of that it's just called rent instead of broken down like a homeowner pays those things.

Now I get that the average homeowner looks at a property as a place to live and doesn't really make smart business decisions in relation to that home but assuming you treat the home like a business and don't get emotionally involved and assuming you don't mind managing the property I personally cannot see any value in renting over owning.

Now if someone wants to move around, move across the country etc I get a home ties you down but again assuming you have a trusted person to manage it or are going to be in state to manage yourself again I can't see any reason not to buy.

While there are many compelling reasons to own, you listed ones that you write off as simple, but are not.

A trustworthy management company will take 8-12% of your rent plus expenses. That's NOT small unless you have an amazing rental rate versus your mortgage, insurance, and other expenses. To find someone trust-worthy enough to deal with everything while you are overseas is absolutely not a small task. Unless you happen to be blessed with family members or very close friends whose strength it is to deal with people and manage properties, this will not be an easy task. Doable, sure, but easy is very unlikely.

Managing it yourself unless you are very handy with repairs and simple stuff you can easily get into expensive contractors to fix things for you that renters are complaining about and you HAVE to fix. Many places in the US have very renter-friendly tenant laws where they have an incredible amount of protections and it can be very difficult, time consuming, and expensive to get them out.

People act like getting decent renters is easy. It's not. That "nice family" will pay their rent late or complain about the smallest things all the while letting their small kids ruin the house and draw all over the walls and think it's a-ok.

Most people also don't understand that unless your home grows appreciably in value that the amount of interest you pay over the lifetime of a long loan can be a huge chunk more than what your "purchase price" is.

Building equity is a great thing, but if you're not looking at all the factors and all the costs and risks involved, you're not looking at the picture clearly.

Post: #12

I really like jamaicabound's posts in this thread.

It all depends on your market. For example, a couple months ago I was planning on buying a duplex. I was going to live with my girlfriend at the time in one half and rent out the other. I was looking at lower priced properties in decent neighborhoods that needed some renovation. I was looking in the 70K-90K range. The average two bedroom apartment rented for around $700 per month.

Thank god I didn't go through with buying any property in that town. The job market was stagnant and the properties were too old for my current comfort zone. I moved out to the Denver area where rent is insane. I'm renting a small one bedroom unit in a complex that speaks mostly Spanish for $960 per month. Most one beds go for closer to $1300-$1500 per month around here, $2000 or more if you want great logistics.

My strategy has obviously changed to reflect the market out here. Instead of trying to get in with a small multi-family, I'm looking to go the jamaicabound route and buy a single family with 3 or 4 bedrooms. I could easily find something under 250K that needs work and find 2 or 3 people to pay $800 per month each. And being single now, I actually enjoy having cool roommates. I don't have the specific numbers worked out yet as I'm spending the year saving and figuring out which towns/neighborhoods are hot right now. But multi-family properties are out of my budget here and most cash flow terribly. Again, learn the market you are planning to invest in and develop a strategy around that.

OP, get on BiggerPockets. Listen to their podcasts. Ignore their blue pill and pandering viewpoints and get the basic knowledge down. That way you'll be able to take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself.

Post: #13

Awesome discussion!

I've been reading every link and arguments here, but there's one I still can't get. Could someone elaborate it more:

"Buying a house is an investment because the $ comes back to you, whereas rent = throwing money away"

I understand that for downpayment you write a big fat check, equal many years of rent, but in the end it still comes back to you.

So, without considering other arguments, why is rent not worse than mortgage?

Thanks!

Post: #14

(08-31-2016 09:09 AM)Dalaran1991 Wrote:  Awesome discussion!

I've been reading every link and arguments here, but there's one I still can't get. Could someone elaborate it more:

"Buying a house is an investment because the $ comes back to you, whereas rent = throwing money away"

I understand that for downpayment you write a big fat check, equal many years of rent, but in the end it still comes back to you.

So, without considering other arguments, why is rent not worse than mortgage?

Thanks!

Because there will be one moment in time the house will become yours and you will not pay neither mortgage or rent. Just property taxes. If you rent the house will never be yours. Never.

Time passes. And it does fast. We thing of 5, 10 years as too long. It isn´t. It passes in a hearbeat.

Remember this a house as an investment pays themselves. They pay themselves.

A person should only rent if they don´t have money to buy. Or any other valid reason. Like living in a foreign country.

Of course you need to search what you´re buying. And make a good screening of tenants.
I own several houses. And it´s the best investment I´ve made. You need to screen the tenants like a old school banker would do for a loan. The same documents the bank demands for a loan. Ask it also for a tenant.

My tenants I ask them a income statement. Both from IRS and a bank statement. Besides several other documents.

Best is you buy two houses. One of them you rent it and it should pays both houses.

To know a good house just google the MLS for 3 to 6 month. Both for buying and for renting. Buy a house at recession prices. They are out there. You just need to scratch the surface.

But for me it´s just I don´t like to have someone who can determine my life. Having the government is already enough.

Post: #15

I'm just about to go out and don't have time to think this through properly but my initial reaction to the question is that I bought my first property and paid off the mortgage, now I rent it out and it the rent covers the mortgage on my second property. All of the money I now earn is my own to do with as I please.

If you have £150k in the bank it's been earning no interest for the last decade. Stocks go down as well as up - especially in the last decade, very risky to invest if you don't know how to play the markets. If you buy a property with that money in a good location then your £150k is safe, your capital investment is growing and you are earning a good rental income which you can put to work elsewhere. The benefits are multiple. Also easy to sell whenever you want if the area is right, location is everything. My second property I could let for around 40% more than my mortgage should I choose to because it's in a great central location with good amenities and travel links.

Yes renting properties takes a little management but not necessarily a great deal. Make sure your property is in a good location with high rental demand, in a good state of repair, and be choosy about who you choose to let to. If you have a good property in a good location you will have multiple offers when it becomes available to let. If you want to go off travelling or live abroad you can get an agency to take over the management of it for around 10% of the yield. Not too much hassle or cost if you ask me.

I don't have time to read the thread through at the moment and will look forward to picking it up later but I think those dismissing property as a worthwhile investment aren't seeing the full picture. For anyone making their first big investment property should hands down be the way to go. The only scenario where I think this may not apply is if you have contacts who can provide otherwise sound advice, for instance a close relative who is a market trader.

Post: #16

The same people who say home ownership is a bad investment also thinking leasing cars is better than buying a 5-10 year old car and maintaining it. Money in the bank or money in a hole. You decide. Just don't buy real estate in a very inflated market. Buy low, sell high, ad as much sweat equity as you can. If you know nothing about plumbing, electricity, HVAC, painting, appliance repair, etc. you should probably keep renting. Being a homeowner means knowing how to fix things yourself. Plain truth, otherwise you will break even. Sweat Equity is where its at, brothers.

Post: #17

(08-31-2016 01:26 PM)AboveAverageJoe Wrote:  The same people who say home ownership is a bad investment also thinking leasing cars is better than buying a 5-10 year old car and maintaining it. Money in the bank or money in a hole. You decide. Just don't buy real estate in a very inflated market. Buy low, sell high, ad as much sweat equity as you can. If you know nothing about plumbing, electricity, HVAC, painting, appliance repair, etc. you should probably keep renting. Being a homeowner means knowing how to fix things yourself. Plain truth, otherwise you will break even. Sweat Equity is where its at, brothers.

Adding to this, if you are in a high demand city, condos require even less maintenance. Buy in a good concrete building with a high contingency fund and let the building take care of most of the maintenance. Then you can focus on making sure your unit is the best unit available, if selling becomes the next move.

I bought $12,000 of luxury materials when I bought my place, and put almost all of it in myself. I also customized my patio, which added 75sq ft to the livable space and created an amazing party space with a sick view. Chicks dig views. My realtor put my place at $80,000 above my neighbors with the same floor plan.

Sweat equity all the way.

Post: #18

Laner, I've been thinking about buying a condo myself. Can you go into more detail about these "luxury materials", and what besides your patio do you think added the most value?

Post: #19

I bought my first place when I was 27, I paid off the mortgage when I was 33, I realise that paying a mortgage off within this timeframe will be out of reach for most. I made a lot of sacrifices to do this, the driving force behind my intent was the amount of interest you pay back over the lifetime of the loan, I wanted to avoid paying it.

I missed out on the real property boom in the UK but managed to catch the tail end and get a good deal on a new build, my property rose in value quickly and at the peak of the market was worth approximately 55% more than I paid for it - this is all relative because if you sell a property and buy another your new property will have risen in value by a similar ratio. However if you plan on cashing in your chips one day then it's worth taking into account.

When the recession hit my property like everyone else's slumped in value, however it was always worth more than I paid so I was never in negative equity. I was never worried because I hadn't over extended myself. I also never sold and it is again now worth nearly as much as it was at the peak. The point is bricks and mortar will keep your money safe in the long run which is why I think it should be the first big investment most people make, there will always be exceptions to the rule. The first rule of investment should be to protect your capital, with a property purchase this should be achievable. If you take a long term view (which most people generally should) then you can ride out downturns in the market - again there are exceptions to the rule should you need to sell. Think about what your parents were paying for property 30 years ago and compare it to what you would pay now, think about how much they would have wasted on rent had they never bought.

Alternatively you may not want to buy a property and keep it for 25-30 years, but if you decide to sell up after say 5 years wouldn't you rather get what you had paid returned? Worried about a downturn in the market? Fair enough, but every investment carries an element of risk, there are no sure things, if you don't invest your money somewhere then it's not working for you.

There are smart approaches to buying and there are not so smart approaches to buying, some of which have been discussed already in this thread. There are other investment opportunites, it's up to you to weigh them up and make a call. Laner bought a property which has made him money and also affords a good lifestyle, that's pretty fucking smart. Jamaicabound rented to his buddies and they paid the mortgage, very fucking smart.

The biggest mistake I made was waiting until I was 27 to get on the property ladder, if I had bought 4-5 years earlier I would really have caught the boom and I'd be even further along now, however I lacked guidance back then.

Once I've paid off the mortgage on my second place I would technically be able to retire. I wouldn't be able to live in the UK but I'd be able to live a pretty decent lifestyle in SEA or somewhere similar. That's not what I want from life but it would appeal to many. My capital is safe, I've had a substantial return on my investment and I'm also drawing an income from it. Win win.

@ AneroidOcean - you make some valid points, the most valid in my opinion being the interest paid on the loan. However it seems to me as if your view is negative as it focuses on worst case scenarios. I fail to see how renting a property for as long as you live is a better option than buying.

@ DJ-Matt - it sounds like you didn't research, bought the wrong property in the wrong area and paid the price. Your post should serve as a warning to anyone thinking about buying their first property. However it doesn't have to be like that, and I daresay if you had been a member of this forum back when you bought your property and started a thread like the OP has here then your decisions and outcome would have been different.

In it's most simple format a property can be purchased, paid off over 25 years or less (by someone other than yourself) and sold, by which time it will have risen in value. Whichever way you swing it you've got a pretty nice fuck you fund for retirement. It's also good practice for an investment portfolio to be diversified, at least one property makes sense to me.

Post: #20

(08-31-2016 04:23 PM)Lagavulin Wrote:  @ AneroidOcean - you make some valid points, the most valid in my opinion being the interest paid on the loan. However it seems to me as if your view is negative as it focuses on worst case scenarios. I fail to see how renting a property for as long as you live is a better option than buying.

I agree completely that if you play the game right, buying a home can be a worthwhile investment not just from ending up with a place you can live in (or sell), but from the ability to capitalize on market downturns, fixing/improving/expanding a place in order to add even more value. However, I'm just saying that it is not immediately a good decision in and of itself. It is also not necessarily a choice that is better versus renting in both short and long term timeframes (although more likely in shorter term timeframes).

I also believe that home ownership is often touted as a near risk-free and guaranteed wealth-maker, which is a little silly. There are MANY ways to invest money that could be a better choice for people. Home ownership may be someone's best option but only careful research and assessment would define that.

Also, my understanding is that this person will be out of the country and FAR away from any home they might purchase. This is not your typical case and the risks involved in buying a home and renting it out can have much more significant consequences without a local support network.

Post: #21

(08-31-2016 03:26 PM)Repo Wrote:  Laner, I've been thinking about buying a condo myself. Can you go into more detail about these "luxury materials", and what besides your patio do you think added the most value?

My condo, which is in a neighborhood I have lived in for 15 years, was built at the end of the last housing correction (2009). I watched my hood closely, as its by and large a different beast than most markets. Its the poorest hood in Canada, but also has some real estate that sells for $7-$10 million. Junkies, pimps, dealers drinking next to artists, celebs and entrepreneurs. Models, hookers and Asian students.

I write this because its paints a picture of who I was potentially targeting when I purchased the condo, and the demographic I would likely sell to when the time came.

Because my place finished in 2009, money was an issue with the developer. They were completing at a time when no one had faith in the market, so they finished the place with lower quality finishing. The bones cannot be compromised, but light fixtures can.

Bathrooms and Kitchens are where the return is. I gutted the main bath and put in a spa shower with high end fixtures and sexy lighting. Clean glass and a shower bench to fuck on. Corian tops on the bench and a lasting white on white.

The kitchen I did Corian counters again, which I made at my studio. Undermount stainless sinks and high end faucets. I refinished the stainless appliances and did a nice custom stainless hood, which I also fabricated. These stainless things would run a normal person about $6k, but I did it for cost of materials and had a friend brake them on a press for $400. I did the welding and polishing.

The dining room table was also a custom job, a huge corian topped table and bench with stainless frame (notice a trend here?). High end Tom Dixon feature chandelier. Save on some mundane things and splurge where it counts (chandelier).

I bought some high end flooring at auction for next to nothing. Hired a meth head to paint the whole place in one day for $500, took him 16 hours of nearly non stop work but he was amazing, superhuman almost.

I did a custom patio bench with some integrated planter boxes with good lighting, and a high top corian bar that clips onto the railing.

Also the custom high end roll up blinds I got for 50% off, which when compared to the neighbors who all have horizontal aluminum blinds, look off the charts.

The trend is for things that last a lifetime (corian, stainless). Renters/AirBnB, whatever, they can't do damage to these materials. Just polish any damage out and good to go.

Condos are easy to work with, can't really fuck up, but can be awesome places to live. There are probably 60 hot women in my building, who all get along and see each other around. The pool and gym are always buzzing, and I take care of nothing other than keeping my place fresh.

I love my life here.

Post: #22

(08-30-2016 10:59 AM)Off The Reservation Wrote:  OP you will borrow money to buy this home, and will you stay living overseas?

Where?

First start to understand ROI and Rent Roll and other concepts key to doing this. If it is an investment do look at numbers rather than the idea of a house, or the idea in general of renting.

For example, how many times the rent roll will you pay for the property? What is your number? What is the number paid for Class A apartment buildings by funds? What is the number paid by investors with portfolios of houses in your area? Is flipping working now or are we in one of those times the flippers all get burned?

If you do the math correctly are you even getting a positive return at all? You are competing with people who can, do and will lose money out of ignorance. What do the ignorant pay for these houses?

If a house rents for $12000 a year ($1000 a month) how many times the $12000 are you willing to pay for it?

What do other investors pay for this?

Do you have reserves to repair it?

Start trying to think and act as a professional investor even if this is only house #1.

And finally, why not buy something in your overseas location?

Mostly because I never want to own a summer home in Afghanistan

Yeah, I realize I didn't really give a lot of detail here. So I'm a contracter for the US DoD. So I'm not going to be overseas forever. I'm just trying to set myself up to spend as little time here as possible. I'm already starting a business this seemed like it could be a decent next step.

I am EXTREMELY fortunate in the fact that my father was a landlord for many many years. If I do decide to go down this path, I will be able to possibly create a property management company under my name and basically *pay* my dad to take care of the property if I scoot overseas again.

Finally another plus in the "might possibly buy" box is that I qualify for the VA home loan which guarantees me an absurdly low interest rate due to it being insured by the VA. So a government organization promises the banks a full payout if I were to default on the loan.

And finally, I live in a city that is growing exponentially. It's becoming a bigger and bigger tourist area every year. So (and I need to look up the stats on the housing market) it goes to reason that property value *should* go up not down.

I still haven't made a concrete decision one way or the other but I appreciate all the advice and I'll give it some more thought.

Post: #23

VA loans are for primary residence only, not for investment rentals.

Post: #24

Great advice by others thus far and let me give you a different perspective.

If you are looking at buying in order to reno and flip or as a primary residence to live the above replies hold.

If you are looking at the pure numbers for cash flow and you want exposure to real estate as an asset classes, perhaps take a look at REITs.

Post: #25

I got a great deal on my primary residence. It was the best thing I've ever done in my life.

I've been lucky enoughvto pay it off, and its all mine.

There's nothing more satisfying than knowing I have my own little kingdom where I can do whatever I want. Its a major confidence booster. The sense of independence is huge.

Aloha!