Author: Carl Setzer

Finally made it to taekwondo yesterday and the gym today. This after a several week sabbatical of sorts. Was fighting a nasty cold for a few weeks, then sprained my ankle at taekwondo. Now, that sounds better than the full description. I sprained my ankle, at taekwondo, after my third JUMPING JACK! Jeez…I’m a black belt who can land jumping back kicks, and I lose my ability to walk normally from jumping jacks. Ugh!

Anyway, I’m slowly coming back up to speed, and didn’t push myself that hard tonight. Spent about 1/2 hour on the treadmill watching one of the real estate shows. This one is about buying fixers and flipping them.

I’ve seen the show before, and recognize the hosts. I admire their work, find the subject interesting. But…BUT…elements of the show boggle me. Today there was one moment where the project was nearly derailed because, in Torrence, CA, there’s a code preventing powerlines from crossing above pools. I get that, and it makes sense. What doesn’t, though, is how no one discovers this until the concrete patio has been poured. How did they get permits without having this addressed? Maybe California is different, and the grant permits after you build. But that seems quite daft.

The other thing this evening, which almost caused me to truly laugh out loud, was this shot where a host discovers a rat in this nasty, messy bank repo property. Now, don’t get me wrong, many of these houses have rats. When I was working for a real estate company selling bank owned properties, we had many. However, the rats were never, EVER a pristine white. Nor were they demure, like the one in the ad. The ones I’ve seen would hiss and snarl at you, and quite possibly chase you.

Anyway, that’s just my experience ruining the suspension of disbelieve. Don’t let that stop you from enjoying the shows. Just now that those shows aren’t, well, “exactly” realistic. So, having a team of folks who knows what they’re doing might be a worthwhile investment.