Big Cliff

So as many of you know Sue and I are in a transition mode, we love this place but it has become more than I can handle in the last few years so we are going to down size. I have talked to a couple of real-estate agents over the last few months about selling this place and finding out what a fair asking price would be, I have also talked to a few other people that sold their places. I believe we have established a fair and reasonable asking price based on what we have to offer. Last night we sat down with an agent thinking we were going sign a listing. That is when the fun started, the agent sat here showing us "similar places" to ours that had sold in our area (all for less than what we had been led to believe our place was worth). I started going through these "similar" places. One had no basement, it was on a slab. Ours has a full basement with two bedrooms, a 4 piece bath, beautiful family room with fire place. The next one had a wet slip boat house, I've seen it, the wood is all rotten and it is bairly sitting on some pilons; ours is all new built to with stand huricanes (really, huricane strips and all) dry boat house with a marine railway. most of the houses she showed me were built with 4" walls and insulated to R12, our exterior walls are all six" and insulated to R20. There were MANY things that our place has compaired to the ones she was showing us but it all boiled down to the same thing, the only similarity was they were in our general area, they were houses, and they sold for less than what we wanted. The list just keeps going on and every time I pointed out one of these things she just blew it off and showed me another house that sold for less than I wanted and explained how the market was starting to stagnate and people weren't buying the more expensive houses. Then I asked her about the commission, if we were selling for $200,000.00 she would get $10,000.00 commission true? The answer was yes. If I sell for $600,000.00 she gets $30,000.00 true? The answer was yes. Then I asked her what she did differently between the two to earn the extra $20,000.00. Did she work harder, did she spend more advertising, what did she do differently? The answer was; well it's a lot harder to sell a $600,000.00 property than to sell a $200,000.00 property. After she left I looked at Sue and said "she isn't interested in SELLING our place, all she is trying to do is convince us to sell it at as low a price as she can so that someone buys it because it is such a good deal". I have been in sales all my life and I know that a good sales person looks for and at all the benifits and features then takes that information and sells it to a buyer. Not one of the agents I have talked to lately is interested in doing that! Every one of them was more interested in what other places had sold for, in other words they were only interested in selling on price, make it cheap enough and someone else would buy it. Has anyone here used a company called Property Guys? My neighbour did and just sold his place, not sure how that all worked out for him because it just closed but my understanding is that they have a good reputation. Comments please!

That should do it

Thanks, it seems to be mostly US based but I have registered and we'll see how it goes. Strange that I couldn't find a Canadian one that seemed to have any amount of members.

Thank you but again, unless I am missing something that is also a commercial site rather than a form. I am trying to find a site where I can talk to other RVrs, ask questions, get some ideas and help. Everything I found on there was about finding dealers and camp grounds. I am really trying to find a site similar to OFC but for RVs. (I know, I know, it's going to be one heck of a tough challange LOL)

And again, (unless I'm missing something) you jump through the hoops to register and end up registered to RVUSA.Com Thanks for trying my friend but either I'm stupid (it's been known to happen) or there are way too many people out there trying to gather your personal information.

Similar to many other sites lots of ads, not much user feed back unless I'm missing something.

Thank you so much, I'll check them out. Spent a lot of time filling out "profiles" then waiting for authorizations that didn't come. Hope these ones work out better! Will let you know. Cliff

I have been trying to find a GOOD RV form (something = to OFC) if such a thing exists and either I'm not searching for the right thing or there isn't one. If any of you know of one, I'd really appreciate it!

Ya, those GSP's can find anything (wounded ducks, geese, fish, upland game birds.....). Sure miss hunting and fishing with my Andy!

When you are at the top and looking down there is only one way to go. When you are at the bottom and looking up, there is only one way to go. Look up my friend, one step at a time!

Rice by a long shot, if the fish aren't biting you can always harvest enough wild rice to pay for your trip!

Automated caller wanted to know if my boat was still for sale and if so press 1 which I did. Then a live person came on the line told me my price was too low and for $299.00 they would sell it for me and arange the financing for the buyer if necessary. Now thre only two places I have advertised it were on Kijiji and on here in the classifieds but I had already cancelled the ad on Kijiji because I didn't have pictures to post or anything and I'm not in a panic to sell it. I an just wondering if any of you have received these calls and where are they getting the leads from? Also, I didn't think my asking price was too low, I felt it was a fair price for the package, am I selling myself short?

Doug, I have had naval beaf on several ocasions and loved it, would moose and venison work well done like that? Have you ever tried it and if so, how long would it keep?

Doug it is on my bucket list!

OK guys just so you know, since this thread started I have gained 32 lbs. Now, as of next spring, the plan is for Sue and I to buy our motor home and come and visit each and every one of you nut jobs and fish with and cook with as many of you as we can!

You put your wood chips into it and place it down on the heat deflector (same idea as using foil but re usable).

X2 but I'd anchor slightly up stream of that drop off (SLIGHTLY). Cast your drop shot rig down stream and drag it back up the drop off slowly until you find the fish. Hook your minnows by the head so it looks like they are swimming upstream. The walleye will be there but they will probably be lazy with the colder water moving in. Late evening shallow faster moving water, anchor upstream and cast down with a floating crank bait (I really like fire tiger pattern for fall fishing) VERY slow retrieve, let the current do the work and don't be afraid to get close to shore and shallow. I usually use this method right from shore if I can find a rock that I can stand on and it sticks out a couple of feet into the current.

I bought a nice little SS box at CTC that is desigined for just that job., works perfectly but I don't use it anymore, I've started doing a lot of cold smoking now. I did buy one of the nice electric digital smokers a few months back but I just sold it. I am finding I can do a lot more with the cold smoking and I like the results better. Free to a good home if you want to come and pick it up, one nice little CTC smoke box.

That is the traditional way of doing it and it works quite well if you are trying to harvest enough for a family or even a small group. When you consider that wild rice sells for about $12.00 a lb and two men can easily harvest 10 to 20 lbs in a couple of hours under good conditions there is money to be made. We usually just put a sheet of plastic in the bottom of the canoe and up the sides. You wouldn't use 100% wild rice in a recipe, it is too strong in flavor so you typically mix it with brown rice. Course, we use to dig potatoes by hand too but technology has made it much easier to make a living at it.

MNR in fact planted wild rice in Sturgeon lake to try to croud out some of the invasive species. The wild rice beds are expanding so fast you can almost watch them grow, in the last two or three years they have taken over huge areas. The wild rice then traps sediment which builds up over time and allows the wild rice to seed new areas. We have a real battle going on here on Sturgeon Lake too however our fight is with the local municipality, they tax us on "waterfront" property and then if we want to clean out the weeds so we can swim or fish we have to jump through hoops and pay to get a permit. I have no issues with native people wanting to harvest a natural resource, many members on here live off the land to some degree. I don't think they should have the right to cultivate areas where the rice wasn't established through natural means. Public land is just that for the use and enjoyment of all, no one people should be allowed to hamper the use of that land to the detriment of others.

Well, if you have never had it you have to try Roy's piaya, (if we can get him to post it) OMG is it ever good!

A few years ago my neighbour and I were out on his seadoo, we were going up the Scugog river toward Lindsay and there was a boat in front of ushe let off his throttle and so did Darren. A 23'cruser ramed into us, took a chunk out of our hull and just missed my leg by about 2". Turns out it was a Dr. from Toronto. Fortunatly in our case, no one was hurt and he quickly agreed to pay for the damages but it was a close call. Hope everyone in this latest incident is ok.

Yes, it would.

My friend rents to people on welfare all the time but always stipulates the rent money must be sent directly to him. He has never had a problem!

I am so surpeised at all the negitive comments, I guess it's good to know what can go bad but there is also lots of good tennents out there. Sinker, I know you, I'd rent to you any time because you'd take care of it like it was your own. There are many like you, we rented for a few years until we got our feet under us, never missed a rent payment, left any place we rented as good as or better than when we moved in. We have rented our basement to students for a number of years now and I can tell you with all honesty they have all become super friends and we have never been stiffed for a penny! Mind you, we do live upstairs so it's a little different than what you are talking about. One thing I did learn from a friend is if you rent to someone that is on welfare or something like that, have the rent cheques sent directly to you. That way you can be sure you will always get paid, if they get the money and don't give it to you then you could be stuck and you end up having to go through the system. Just do your homework before you hand someone the keys, do they have a history, do they have a job, do they both work, check referances carefully! Renting out a property can be an excellent way to build for your retirement but like any investment there can be some risk but there can also be some fantastic rewards.