Zillow, Costa Rica and Your Net Worth

Zillow, Costa Rica and Your Net Worth

A little of what I've been reading and thinking that you might find of interest.

Net Worth... When is the last time you calculated your net worth?  With the Dow closing over 36,000 for the first time ever and the exuberant rise of housing prices you may be in for quite a pleasant surprise.  If you live in the Kansas City area, we are happy to give you a valuation of your real estate.  Feel free to reach out and contact us.

For those of you that are just beginning your retirement planning journey, here's a simple formula.

Value of everything you own minus everything you owe = Net Worth


Zillow Losing... Depending on which news source I access Zillow lost between $380M and $422M in it's Zillow Offer's business.  Essentially, they'd buy houses sight unseen based on their valuation algorithms, upgrade and sell based on their predictive models.  Who knew that actually visiting and seeing the real estate and comparing any particular property to the rest of its environment  and similar homes would be a good thing?

Looks like this will help to slow the rush to not have quality REALTORS involved in the buying and selling of real estate. But then again, tech is tech and they are determined to disintermediate every profession out there.

"Retire from your job, but never retire your mind."


How Much Do I Need To Retire?... How often have we asked ourselves this?  I'm a Fidelity customer and here is their take on "How Much."  (I am not compensated for this link or mention.) I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.


Tamarindo, Costa Rica... I'm a fan. We've spent time there and if I ever did leave the United States for a warmer, less expensive possibility Tamarindo would be at the top of the list for consideration.  

There is money there.  There are also the young people who come for the surfing, practically live on the beach and care only about making enough money to go surfing again tomorrow.  Young people keep me thinking young.

There is also an easy-to-navigate downtown with practically everything you actually need, including all the restaurants and bars you could want.  Healthcare in Costa Rica has many options.  Travel to and from the United States can be done in a reasonable amount of time.

Plus, it's the most stable democracy in Latin America.


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