Is real estate actually just like sex?

And one more thing. I own my house, my car, entirely. It is not the bank's. Miss one payment for the multiple toys you have, William and Jack silly boys and oopps, they are all gone. See who laughs last!!!
Keep bragging and being pathetic!

@Clia... I also own my 4 houses free and clear, so I have no payments to miss. My cars were all purchased with cash. I am totally debt free. Why would you assume otherwise? So who is laughing last???

No person ever owns "their home" despite how fervently they may wish to believe it. If you doubt this just stop paying your property tax for a few years and after the courts have sold me the deed to 'your' property I will explain to you in small words how it actually works. But please, before then buy the biggest house you can, rooming houses are much more profitable for me when there's more rooms to rent out to previous 'home owners'.

Clia, I read your post. How do you figure wealth is being made "at someone's expense?" The way anyone in our world makes money is through honest hard work, whether you are the accountant of a company or on the lines. Each person in that company is needed and the CEO's know that. The labourer has to show up for his shift, but the CEO probably took work home with him. There is good reason the person "at the top" makes more money. I hope you understand that. Noone that I know of, in today's world, works for free and in fact, many charities are looking for volunteers. (Another topic.) I don't understand where you believe that is at someone's expense.

William, I agree with Brian and Freya. You are a loser. Bill Gates is very wealthy and donates a LOT to charity and does a lot of good with his wealth.

You are just a selfish asshole. I feel very sorry for how "unevolved" you are. You can have things but when you choose to have a tonne of cars and houses over helping people, well...I have no words to describe such a person.

ps- I am not poor, I am a wealth professional and enjoy my life but also get a tremendous amount of joy from giving to others. You should try it sometime.

William, you are shallow and vacuous. How sad for you.

@Suzanna.. how it is that you just assume that I do not donate to charity. I certainly am no where near the level of Bill Gates. In fact my name and his name should never appear in the same sentence. Yet, you and others like Clia, Freya, etc just make these ridiculous assumptions without any facts whatsoever. Why is that? What is your problem? You are the ones that should be truly ashamed. How do you look at yourselves in the mirror every morning? So judgemental. Clia clearly has serious problems because she should be happy with what she has, but just can't seem to accept the fact that there will always be those that are wealthier. There are many, many people that are better off than I am, yet I hold nothing against them. They earned it, just like I earn what I have. I go to work every morning like most people, but because my income is very much above average, I get ridiculed. Why is that? My income is huge because my work is highly valued, and I get paid accordingly. How is that I am earning money at "someone else's expense"???? I don't take money from people, they PAY me, willingly!!! I have achieved financial independence though much sacrifice in my youth, good planning, not living beyond my means, and developing skills that only a handful of people in the world have. The rewards for this come later in life, and I am now enjoying them.

The only "shallow and vacuous" people here seem to be those that have to respond really negatively to people who say that things are going well and they can afford multiple residences. Has anybody else noticed how the negative posters here have to post how they are "wealth professionals", that they own their own house outright, how they donate lots etc, etc, etc? Also have people noticed how they claim that the are being singled out for not having an education etc when no such comments have been made? Seems some people feel insecure, envious and/or the need to belittle successful individuals to improve their own self-worth / notional position in this world. If that is your gut reaction to somebody posting that their life is going well I would suggest a little more introspection before replying. It seems that the people posting about their multiple residences are much happier, upbeat and satisfied in their posting than the people responding to them.

Personally I'm glad if you own 100% of your home, congrats. That is a true accomplishment in this day and age. Its one I work towards myself. Its also great you donate lots. Not everybody gets the same joy from charity but let me be the first to wish all the power to you. Also its great that you are successful, I like to think in my own way I'm not doing too bad either.

I'd like to say that I am 31 and I like my home, my rental revenue home, my 480 acres of farmland, my beach place, and my ski condo and if that offends you well then "nuts".

@Last laugh.. I do not know what your point is. I have deeds that state that I own my properties. I am legally responsible for them. Yes, I know that I have to pay taxes. Every home owner has to pay taxes. Duh! Why on earth would I stop paying my property taxes? What have you been smoking? No court would ever give YOU the deed to any of my houses. The reason I have what I have is because I KNOW how things work.... again DUH!

@Shadow... My sincere apologies if I misinterpreted your post. I have rented before, while I was a universtiy student. My landllord did little to maintain his property. Eventually I decided to purchase my own, and rent rooms out to fellow students. Let me tell you that it was no easy task. Back in the 80s, living on research grants and teaching assistantships totalling only $28,000 per year, it was a challenge getting a mortgage. The manager at my bank literally called me stupid (actual word used) and it took a lot of work to get the mortgage. Yet in 2 years, I sold the house at more than double what I paid for it. I enjoyed rubbing that into the bank manager's face. A few years after that, it was no longer possible to make such gains on property for some time. My next house purchase was paid for with the profits I made on my first house and was well below what I could afford, so that my debt load was very low, and I could start building savings through good investments. I was also criticized for this by friends and family, that I should be living in a nicer, bigger house, and more affluent neighbourhood. Well, I just did not agree with that at that stage in my life. It seems that the younger generation want it all and want it now. One house I recently sold to a young married couple just out of university had the house paid for in full by their parents, and not only that, but their 2 cars, all of their furniture and appliances. I personally couldn't live with that.

I didn't start my family until I was 30 and already financially established, so I couldn't imagine raising children at 19. The financial burden and time commitment is too high at that age, especially if you are trying to get an education. I knew my goals since before entering high school and stuck rigorously to my plan. I received the highest level of education anyone can achieve, in a field that is in extreme demand, and used it. My education was fully paid for by research grants from the government and mostly industry. My research was eventually used to create a patent for a process used in every oil company world wide. I have no secrets other than that. No lotterys, no stealing money, or making money at "other people's expense" like some people like to believe.

William, I believe what last laugh was trying to get at was the fact that no one truly owns their properties. If you default on your taxes, the government can and will sell your deed to someone else. I personally know people who have acquired property in this way, and done very well by doing so. I commented on this topic much earlier in this blog. I also tend to believe that we may very well see a trend in this direction in the near future due to spiralling public debt forcing government into increasing tax revenues through taxation on property. Government stimulus spending can be a 2 edged sword.

Tenacious Otter, thank you for your comments. I agree, but Last Laugh didn't put it quite as eloquently as you did. Your comments are very rational.
@Western Guy...I have enjoyed readings your posts. I originally decided to submit my comments here because of all the negative comments.

It seems that some people need to villainize those who are successful. To them, wealthy people must have achieved their goals by dubious means. Of course there are those that have, and the media certainly likes to focus on them. I recall back in elementary school, kids who tried to excel were shunned, called nerds, and had no friends. My son and daughter experienced this as well. My son is now studying engineering. My daughter will be starting Med school at Queen's. She is being ostracized by friends because of her ambition. When we become adults, you would think this would pass, but it doesn't.

"Western Guy"...let me point something out to you. There is nothing wrong with having what you have. However, you are only 31. I am in my mid-40's and what you own is a pipe dream to someone like myself. Unless we win the lottery or by mistake stumble across a great idea, we will never become wealthy this late in life. It appears you have made no major mistakes in your life. Congratulations. You are one of the elite. However, try not to get a big head on you and bash the less fortunate too much. I believe it's not just hard work but fate and possibly a wonderful family that has given you great confidence to learn the "right" formula to succeed in life.
Remember most people weren't given the "perfect" formula to succeed in life. You are very lucky.
Take a breather. Stop bashing the less fortunate and take $20 bucks and give it to someone down and out in life. You will be surprised how good it makes you feel.
Someone like you will never be liked by the majority, but remember you have something. Now, is it worth it? That is a question only you can answer. My answer would be "yes."

I smile when I remember that Frank Lloyd Wright said: "Many wealthy people are little more than janitors of their possessions.” But hey, what would he know about houses. lol

Very refreshing article. Now I understand why some women want to have bigger houses. They want a bigger house to play with huh?

You are indeed right. As a person, we aspire more. As we grow old, our needs and wants become bigger than the usual. I think this will explain the eagerness of man to satisfy his wants. Thanks a lot for the helpful and educative article. More power.