Tom's Adventure

Finding and Buying Aged and Neglected Websites. Part II – How to Estimate a Site’s Traffic

On April 24, 2012, In Making Money Online, By Tommy

In Part I of this series, I explained the benefits of buying aged/neglected sites directly from the original owners. If you haven’t read that post yet, I suggest you skim through it.

Why don’t you tell me how to find these sites first?

Good question. The logical chronology might appear to be: first find a site, and then estimate the traffic. However this approach will waste a TON of your time. There are literally millions of aged/neglected sites that get ZERO traffic. We have no interest in sites that don’t get traffic. Unless your target site is getting several thousand visitors a month, it probably isn’t worth your time pursuing it.

You should skip sites with under 1,000 visits/month for the following reasons:

It probably won’t generate much Adsense revenue. An good niche will make $5 every 1,000 visitors if you are lucky.
You won’t be able to make an offer of over a few hundred dollars. Most owners of aged/neglected sites probably won’t be convinced to sell their baby for $150.
Resale value probably won’t be very high. You don’t want to be overpaying for sites.

This 1,000 visits/month limit will weed out most of the aged/neglected sites you’ll find on the internet.

So how do I estimate a site’s traffic?

The best way to determine the traffic that a website is receiving is through Google Analytics. Unfortunately, not all websites have GA installed, and for the ones that do, odds are that the owners won’t be willing to just give some random stranger access to the reports.

So we have to rely on the use of some free online tools that will help us passively estimate the traffic a site is receiving. I use the term “passively” because we aren’t measuring actual traffic numbers. These tools are basically making a guess off of various indicators. We’ll go over each one:

(Just a quick note: I use the “Free Version” for all these tools and it has worked out fine for me!)

Alexa Rank

“Alexa Ranking” is on a scale of 1 through 20 million. For example, TomsAdventure.com is currently 472,546. This mean’s that I’m the 472,546th most popular domain on the internet. There are exactly 472,545 domains that are more popular than mine.

Right now, Google.com has an Alexa rank of 1, Facebook.com has an Alexa rank of 2, Youtube.com has an alexa rank of 3, etc.

How it works

Alexa gathers usage statistics on sites through the Alexa Toolbar that millions of internet users have installed on their browsers. The toolbar will display the alexa rank of the website you are viewing right in your browser. I don’t have the actual Alexa Toolbar installed, but I have a Chrome addon that displays the Alexa Rank of every site I visit in the corner of my browser.

Simply put, Alexa knows which sites are popular because they can see what a handful of internet users are looking at.

Problems with the Alexa data

Alexa rank doesn’t estimate the volume of traffic a site is getting. Alexa simply ranks the 20 million most popular domains in order of most popular to least popular. Alexa rank can be used as a factor in estimating actual traffic though.

Also, the userbase of the Alexa toolbar is notoriously skewed. It is by no means a “random sample” of internet users, so it isn’t necessarily an accurate representation of ALL internet users. For example, Alexa users disproportionately tend to be interested in webmastering/computer/internet stuff. You wouldn’t be interested in seeing the alexa rank of sites otherwise, right?

So when examining the Alexa rank of a site, be sure to ask yourself if it relates to webmastering, internet stuff, etc.

For example, when I bought AllAboutYourOwnWebsite.com, it had an EXTREMELY skewed Alexa rank. I actually way-overestimated traffic on this one because the Alexa rank was so good.

Also, the data can be pretty far off for sites ranking over 100k – there are just so few datapoints on lower-traffic sites.

Compete.com

Compete claims to gather it’s clickstream data from a diverse set of statistically representative users, which basically means they don’t want to tell us exactly where it comes from. In essence, the data probably comes from various toolbars/partner websites/widgets/programs with the compete software hidden in the source code.

Compete actually gives you an estimated number of unique visitors per month, and also provides estimates (and a cool graph!) for the last 12 months.

The data on this can be way off, but at least is a good indicator of the magnitude of traffic a site gets. For example, TomsAdventure.com doesn’t even come up on Compete.com. Shoot.

A better example, JeepTech.com (a site I recently sold) gets 9,863 unique visitors in the month of March, according to Compete.com. JeepTech actually got 19,161 unique visitors in the month of March. Off by a factor of 2! Not too shabby.

Quantcast

Quantcast is similar to Compete in the fact that they aren’t too upfront about exactly where they source their data. They probably have similar methods to Compete.com. Another similarity is that Quantcast will estimate the site’s actually traffic.

Quantcast isn’t perfect either. We’ll use the example before of JeepTech. The most recent month that Quantcast gives us for JeepTech.com is 12,030 “People” from 1/30/2012 to 2/28/2012. Jeeptech actually got 18,258 unique visitors in that time span. So again, not exactly spot on, but also not too far off.

One thing that I have noticed about Quantcast is that they really exclude most of the lesser-traffic sites from their database. If the site gets less than 10k visits/month, it probably won’t show up on Quantcast.

SEMRush.com

SEMRush is a really cool tool. It estimates a site’s Google search traffic. If a site is receives all it’s traffic from referrals, it won’t get picked up in SEMRush. Fortunately, we are looking for sites that rank well with Google, so this tool is right up our alley!

SEMRush works by searching Google for every keyword possible, and logging the results. It factors in how popular each keyword is, and then aggregates the results. When you look up a domain, it tells you the top keywords driving traffic to the site, the site’s rank for each of those keywords, and an estimate of how much those keywords are being searched.

For each domain, you’ll get 5 important numbers:

SEMRush Rank – This is the same principle of the Alexa Rank – basically just how popular the site is. The lower the number, the better.
SE Traffic – This is an estimate of how many monthly visits the site receives from organic (unpaid) Google search.
SE Traffic price – This is the estimate on the cost to buy the same amount of traffic strictly through Google Adwords. It gives you a great insight into how high the CPC for the site will be. A higher number means the site should get better Adsense earnings.
Ads Traffic – This will tell you how much traffic comes from paid Google search. If a site is actively buying traffic, chances are that it is not neglected, and not worth your pursuit.
Ads Traffic price – An estimate on how much the site is spending on ads. Again, this number should be $0 or you should probably walk away.

Ok, each of these 4 tools gives me a different number. How do compile it all into one estimate?

I wish I could give you a simple answer. Instead I’ll give you a few methods:

Intuition – I’d recommend getting a browser add-on or plugin that shows you the SEMRush traffic estimate, Alexa Rank, Compete estimate and Quantcast estimate for every site you visit. You’ll start to get a better feel for the numbers after a while.
Compare to actual numbers – By the time I really streamlined my buying strategy, I had about 20 random sites that I owned. I made a spreadsheet of the actual traffic numbers and the estimates from each tool. I used this spreadsheet to see how far off the estimates usually were. I could compare the estimates for my target site with the estimates AND actual numbers for sites that I owned. If you don’t have a portfolio of sites already, just gather data from sites listed at Flippa. They usually have their Google Analytics up for everyone to view, and you can easily gather the estimates from the tools listed above to start your own spreadsheet.
Use the formula I developed by running a regression on my aforementioned spreadsheet. This is going to take a whole extra post to explain. We’re already at 1400 words for this post, so I’ll end here.

Actually, what the heck. I’ll give you my actual spreadsheet for fun:

Click here to download my actual spreadsheet! This includes 3 iterations (the 3 tabs) of my estimates. The newest is from mid 2010, so it is probably a bit outdated. The fist tab “New Est Guide” actually includes a little tool to estimate traffic by literally just plugging in Alexa, SEMr, Compete and Quant data.

Now what?

At this point, you should hopefully have a firm understanding of how the 4 main traffic estimating tools work. I’ve had individuals accuse me of lying on my Flippa listings because my Analytics don’t match Compete.com’s estimates. You should understand why those people are pretty ignorant by this point.

What’s great about these publicly available estimating tools is that they are abundant and free. We are going to build a tool that automatically generates a traffic estimate for every single domain on the internet! (well, almost)… This will help us immediately identify which sites we want to target without us having to go through every site manually (well, almost)… Muhuhahahah!

Finding and Buying Aged and Neglected Websites. Part I – Why Aged/Neglected?

On April 9, 2012, In Making Money Online, By Tommy

I’ve done a lot over the last 2 years. I was hoping to squeeze everything into one blog post. That just won’t happen. There is simply too much background knowledge and details I must explain. If I tried explain everything in one post, it would be several pages long, and I would most certainly leave a bunch of important items out.

Anyway, let’s get to it.

Why Listen to Me?

Well first of all, I’ve got over $200k worth of website sales on Flippa: https://flippa.com/users/166521 (You must be logged into Flippa to view this link) – Here is a link to all my previously sold websites: https://flippa.com/buy/search?q=username%3Anoonanco&sort_col=timestart&sort_dir=desc&status=all

I’m not some keyboard jockey, typing up useless guides for linkbait to my ad-rich blog. I’ve actually gone out, done the work, made the money and am reporting my findings on the subject.

First, the Basic Earning Strategy

There are some total newbies reading this blog, so I’ll lay out the foundation before going deeper into the acquisition process. The whole idea revolves around the business model of setting up websites, getting free traffic from Google, and monetizing the websites through Adsense or other affiliate/advertising sources. Optimizing the site to rank higher in Google is a practice known as Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. A lot of factors go into ranking, including keyword placement, backlinks and even site age. Making money from a high-traffic site is pretty easy through Adsense. If you don’t know what Adsense is, Google it.

I do a pretty good job explaining this in further detail in this post: How My Websites Make Me Money.

Why Aged Sites?

Anyone can go to Godaddy.com and register a domain name. It costs less than 10 bucks and takes less than 5 minutes. You throw up some useless content, grab a few backlinks and hope for the best with Google. Sometimes you’ll get a few hits, sometimes you’ll get none. Either way, Google doesn’t really fancy new sites that pop up overnight. Of course, I’m simplifying, but just know that it is easier to get traffic to a site that is already getting traffic than it is to a site that doesn’t already get traffic. Duh.

When you buy an older site, you are getting a lot more than a domain name. You are getting something that has been in Google’s index for a while. You are getting a site that already has a ton of backlinks, backlinks that are OLD, and backlinks that are coming from other aged sites that Google probably views favorably. The internet wasn’t overrun by spammers and scammers back in the day, and in general, quality sites seem to stick around longer than spammy ones.

Furthermore, aged sites seem to have more stable search engine rankings. I’ve seen new sites pop up and then disappear, or get “sandboxed” by Google. (Again, google it if you don’t know what sandboxing is). Sites that are still ranking well with the same static content will probably continue to rank well for a while. Sites that get a spike in traffic because a linkbait article went viral, aren’t terribly stable. You get the point.

Lastly, if you are already receiving favorable traffic/rankings, you’ll be able to leverage that into new ventures with the site. For example, starting a forum/community because the site already gets a ton of traffic. Or ranking well for new terms because you are linking to fresh content on the homepage. Traffic/rankings have a lot more potential than the immediate Adsense earning power.

You can find out how old a domain is by looking at the domain whois, or checking it out on the waybackmachine. Domains that date back to pre-2004 are probably best.

Why Neglected Sites?

If someone is updating their website daily, they are probably aren’t going to be interested in selling it for a reasonable price. If someone set up a site 10 years ago and has since lost interest and/or completely forgotten about it, they are much more likely to cash out when you come in with a $x,xxx offer.

If a site is still ranking well, and it hasn’t been updated in 10 years, you’ve found your diamond in the rough. (How can you tell if a site is still ranking well? This will be covered in a later post)

You should keep an eye out for key indicators that a site is neglected:

Annoying background imagees
Ugly layouts/frames
The site has a “Webring” at the bottom of the page
The site has a “Guestbook”
Animated GIFs used in the layout
“Last Updated: (a long time ago)”
“Copyright: (2001, 2002, etc.)”

Generally, anything that was popular in webdesign 10 years ago, but is totally extinct today is pure gold. Here are some “before” examples of websites which I did acquire (and eventually sold):

http://web.archive.org/web/20080531053321/http://www.monstertrucks-uk.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20080612100515/http://www.classicbodybuilders.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20080822091818/http://www.telephoneart.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20080515235556/http://www.brain-surgery.com/ (this one had some phone numbers listed, but just looked so terrible I still pursued it)
http://web.archive.org/web/20080531073433/http://www.studyguide.org/ (you need to scroll down and to the side to find the content)
http://web.archive.org/web/20071218001329/http://fredericklawolmsted.com/

A couple warning signs might indicate that the site is still in use:

Sites that have phone numbers/addresses listed. (You can always call and hang up to see if the phone number is still good)
Sites that have a log in/sign up button. (You can try signing up/logging in to see if it still works)
Sites that mention recent current events or are obviously updated recently.
Sites with a calendar that has future events listed in it. (Sometimes you’ll find an “Upcoming events” section with the “Next Event” in 2003. Score!)

At this point, you should easily understand the advantage of pursuing aged/neglected sites. You should also be able to easily identify a site that is aged/neglected.

In the coming posts, we’ll be getting into how to actually find these sites, how to see if they are still ranking, how to determine value, how to contact the owner, how to complete the transaction, what to do with your new website, and finally how to cash out by selling for a profit.

How I am Going to Learn Spanish in 6 Months

On March 20, 2012, In Life, By Tommy

I’ve always wanted to learn a foreign language, but a few things have been holding me back.

I’m bad at memorizing things. I’m terrible with names, useless facts, dates, etc. I can figure things out if there is a formula, but it’s really hard to derive Spanish words from their English counterpart.
No necessity. I spent a few weeks in Spain last summer, but that didn’t really force me to learn any Spanish. I spent a few months in Costa Rica in 2008, but was also graduating college in the months leading up to it, so I didn’t really put forth an effort to learn it.
I’m lazy. Learning a new language takes a lot of work! Hours a day and you don’t see the improvements immediately.

Well my impending South America trip is really sparking my motivation. I intend to do a lot of the trip solo, and I’m seriously considering doing it on a motorcycle. Being able to communicate effectively in Spanish will be critical for a successful journey. I don’t need to be fluent by the time I leave. I just want my Spanish to be better than most locals’ English so that our default language is Spanish. If you are seeking out English speakers the entire time, you won’t learn much Spanish.

The 6-Month Plan

I’m starting out at a beginner level. I barely passed my second year of Spanish in high school, so I really don’t have much of a foundation. My plan is essentially to surround myself in the language every day, and force myself to understand it. I’ll be attacking from all angles:

The 1,000 Word List: I found a list of the 1,000 most commonly used Spanish words with their English translations. I printed the list out, which is 5 pages, double sided. I’ve committed to memorizing 10 words a day for the next 100 days. On the 100 day mark, (June 22nd) I’ll be testing myself on all 1,000 words. I carry this list with me wherever I go, so I can keep studying wherever I go. Standing in line, waiting for a friend, eating lunch, etc.
Skype Spanish Tutor: I found a Spanish Tutor in Mexico who I Skype with 3x per week, 50 minutes each session. She charges $9/hour for a 1-on-1 Spanish lesson. We chat back and fourth, go over exercises and she corrects my speech. The lessons are rough, but very good practice.
Watching Telemundo/Univision: Instead of watching garbage like Storage Wars or Ice Road Truckers, I’ll just put on one of the two Spanish-language stations we get. Just listening to people speak Spanish helps familiarize yourself with the pronunciation, word order and common phrases, even if you don’t understand what they are saying. As a bonus, sometimes I’ll be able to pick up pieces of what they are saying, and be able to assume what some words mean based on the context and what I see on the screen.
Getting Sucked into a TV Series in Spanish: When I was sucked into the show Lost, I would always look forward to watching the next episode. When the series ended, I felt like crap knowing how much time I wasted. I vowed never to get sucked into another series again. I recently realized that I can use that excitement to force myself to watch series in Spanish. I started watching The Walking Dead in Spanish. I’ll watch each episode in Spanish first, so I’m frantically trying to understand what’s going on. I usually can’t quite figure it out, so I’ll watch it again in English to keep me interested in the plot line.
Reading Goosebumps in Spanish: I loved Goosebumps books when I was a kid because they were easy to read, and the story was always pretty captivating. I bought a few of them in Spanish, along with their English versions and I’m slowly chugging through them. I’ll read a paragraph in Spanish, try to understand what’s going on, then read that same paragraph in English so I stay on track with the story.
Speaking Spanish with the Roommates: I try to use my Spanish around the house as much as I can. Playing ping-pong, we’ll keep score in Spanish, and even curse in Spanish if we lose a point.
Switching my Phone and Computer to Spanish: There are language settings on most devices, so switching to Spanish helps you get that much more exposure throughout your daily life.

Hopefully this will be enough to have a solid foundation by the time I leave for South America this fall. As long as I keep the motivation up, I believe I’ll excel. Maybe I should get a Spanish-speaking girlfriend? Or maybe I should start posting on my blog in Spanish? No es una buena idea!

If anyone else has some good ideas, let me know!

Adios amigos!

Getting my Travel Mojo Back

On March 6, 2012, In Travel Plans, By Tommy

You get really complacent by spending all your time in one city. Living in Portland, I’ve noticed that life is no longer a challenge. There is hardly any adventure. I’m not learning or growing as much as I was while traveling. My passion for life has been dwindling.

Today, I decided that I was going to plan out my next adventure. My lease here in Portland is up at the end of September, the best time to get out of town before another dark winter. What better place to go than South America. I’ve got my eye on Bogota or Buenos Aires. Or both. While I’m there, I’d like to visit Ushuaia, Argentina (southernmost city in the world) and take a cruise to Antartica. That way, all I have to do is hit Africa and I’ll have successfully visited every continent in the world.

Once the summer ends in South America (April-May-ish) I’d like to head up to Sweden to visit my brother who will be studying abroad there. Then off to Denmark (I passed through DK twice on my last trip, but never stopped to smell the roses) and ideally a tour through some Eastern-European countries over the summer. I’m thinking: Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Romaina, Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc.

Finally, once the summer was coming to an end, I’d make my way through Africa, down to Cape Town, South Africa for the summer. At this point, I’m forecasting nearly 2 years out, so who knows what will actually end up happening. If all goes according to this plan, and I head back to the US indefinitely afterwards, I’ll have enjoyed 5 summers in a row. I better bring my sunscreen.

The whole point of me coming up with this travel plan and posting for all to see is goal setting. I’d like to have my business and investments almost entirely automated before leaving on this trip. I’m setting deadlines and planning out how I’m going to have everything structured and worry-free by the time I head south. Now I’ve got some tangible goal to look forward to. Some light at the end of the tunnel. Some reason I’m putting all this hard work in.

Coming Soon by Popular Demand: My Strategy to Identify/Acquire Aged Sites

On February 29, 2012, In Making Money Online, News, By Tommy

Due to the recent popularity of some of my Flippa auctions, I’ve had a flood of emails/inquires asking about how I’ve been finding/buying the sites that I have been selling. I’ve all but been ignoring these requests, seeing them almost as competitors, but realized that I’m NOT buying websites anymore. I’m free to share the strategy since I won’t be competing in this niche at all anymore.

The strategy is pretty simple: buy aged sites from sellers who built them 10+ years ago and don’t know anything about internet marketing. However, the specific way I went about doing this was pretty involved. I’m sure a lot of you guys would want to do this, but doubt that many of you will create a system anywhere similar to mine.

It’s going to take me a few weeks to properly lay out my strategy in a blog post (or series of posts). It took me nearly a month to develop the system, and I suspect that it could easily be recreated in a week. Also, don’t worry about other people stealing the idea. There are MILLIONS of websites out there to go around!

2011 In Review – Is the Adventure Over?

On January 5, 2012, In Life, News, By Tommy

Sure as heck feels like it. Right now, I’m in my 100-year-old house located in a questionable neighborhood here in Reno, NV. It’s 11:28am, and I’ve only crossed off one item on my daily to-do list. I’ve been sitting at my desk, staring at my computer screen, paralyzed from over-thinking my daunting list of to-do items that need to happen before my next adventure.

2011 started out insanely fun, spending time in San Francisco, then traveling the world. I learned so much and met so many interesting people during my 5-month tour through 3 new continents. Things slowed down in the summer when I returned to the US, moved my business from CA to NV, and decided to settle down in Portland for a bit. While it was my decision to stay put for a while, I’ve had a tough time adjusting to the lack of adventure.

Some of the things I’ve done in 2011 include:

Going to Vegas for my first time (twice)
Going to the southern hemisphere for the first time
Traveling to 3 new continents (Australia, Asia and Europe)
Visiting new 16 countries: Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Czech, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria and Scotland
Flying and jumping out of a plane (not at the same time)
Buying my first house

This lack of adventure combined with the work of restructuring of my business has really taken a toll on my motivation. Logic tells me to just start getting things done. However, I still seem to be paralyzed in my state of overwhelm.

The things that I need to do include the following: (You should probably skip this part. I just need to bitch about things for a minute. Seriously, don’t read it.)

Get shoulder surgery to repair my torn labrum. I haven’t been able to lift for all of 2011. Recovery will include 2-6 weeks in a sling. I’ll need to get a different car if I want to drive since my M5 is manual.

Finish taxes, both personal and business, and for both my CA and NV corporations. This action involves doing bullshit paperwork, and then writing a check for hundreds to my CPA and a check for thousands to the IRS and CA FTB.

Finish selling all my websites except one. This involves disclosing all I can about every website I own. Also involves selling several websites for a loss. So doing extra work to lose money. Great.

Removing the notice of violation from my house in Reno so that I can rent it for much less than I would have if they didn’t make me convert it back to single family. Dealing with the building department is like eating glass.

Move from my house in Reno into a unit in the apartment that I’m currently in contract with. Just have to wait for the bank to approve the short sale, anytime between now and whenever they feel like it.

Fire the current contractor that is supposed to rebuild my main website. They are already 5 months behind schedule and I’ve already paid them 60% of the contract value. They have no idea what they are doing, and I’m going to be out thousands of cash, and 9 months of time. Doing more work to lose even more money and time.

Find a new programmer that will be able to re-program my website correctly. Figure out how to find a quality worker that knows what they are doing and won’t screw me over.

Manage my main site, which already feels like a full-time job.

After venting, I’m immediately starting to feel better. I can already picture the end results if I tackle these problems correctly:

My shoulder feels great and I can start lifting again, not to mention do any other activity without any pain or worry.
Taxes are done, I’m completely removed from CA, and my accountant knows how to handle everything. I have minimal interactions with my accountant, and don’t have to worry about any bullshit IRS crap.
All my websites are sold. I just have one website to think about.
My house in Reno is fully repaired and in good standing with the city, rented out and managed by my property manager. I’ve got all my stuff moved to the only one-bedroom unit in my new 8-plex. The 8-plex is fully occupied, and I’ve got the property manager doing everything, automatically depositing the rents into a bank account, and the mortgage payments are being automatically deducted. I sit back and enjoy the cash-flow and the essentially free unit.
I’ve found an amazing contractor who I can trust and will handle all the programming/design needs of my site. I can just email him an idea for a new feature and he understands exactly what I want. Users who find bugs simply submit a ticket with him and he fixes the bugs. I don’t even have to know it happened. He is in charge of making sure the site is live and properly functioning at all times.
The new version of my site makes managing everything ten times easier. I’ve got my content manager more involved, and I don’t have to do any work, other than answer a few emails here and there.

Just writing this helps motivate me by painting a picture of the “promised land” in my mind. I’ve still got an ocean ahead of me, but constantly visualizing and focusing on my goals will help give me reason to move forward.

Back to the visualization: Boom. I’ve just freed myself from all these nagging responsibilities. I go out and buy the best travel gear (instead of using a free Bodybuilding.com gym bag). I buy a one-way ticket to Vilnius, Lithuania. Or Seoul, South Korea. Or Rosario, Argentina. Or buy a motorcycle and start riding south. Or north. I don’t even bring my laptop. The adventure resumes.

Getting Nostalgic About my RV Adventure

On October 22, 2011, In Life, Living in an RV, Travel Plans, By Tommy

I just watched the movie “The Company Men”. I immediately recognized the setting: amazing Autumn foliage. Crisp, cold air. Beautiful New England houses. It took place in Boston, starting in the fall and ending in the winter. As you may recall, I got to Boston in the fall and left in the winter while on my RV trip last year.

For the past year and a half, I have written down what I do every single day. After the movie ended, I opened up my journal and read through my entire 8 weeks in Boston. I was able to relive the whole thing. I could remember how I felt each day. Little events which had been long forgotten came back to me, without being specifically written down.

I was able to feel the adventure again. So much excitement everyday: meeting new people, exploring new places, and having new life experiences. My hole mindset was completely different than what it has been the last few months.

I’m hoping to get another adventure in the works soon. I really like the idea of learning Spanish, but practicing it is SO BORING! I’m considering getting a one-way ticket + 3 month stay to some remote Spanish-speaking city. Ideally, nobody will speak English, and I’ll be forced to learn. Furthermore, if I buy the ticket 6 months in advance, I’ll have a heck of a lot more incentive to start studying before the trip!

Any recommendations on fun, remote, Spanish-only-speaking cities? Central/South America or Spain will do. I won’t consider any cities in the US like Salinas, East LA, Santa Ana, etc.

Officially a Nevadan

On October 6, 2011, In Life, News, By Tommy

That was much easier than I thought. Go down to the DMV, give them some paperwork, sit back and watch them punch keys on a computer. Get a new picture taken and a new set of plates handed to you. Out the door in less than an hour.

Now I’ll have to tackle the boring task of updating my address with any company that has my address. That includes car insurance, medical insurance, credit cards, bank accounts, cell phone, payroll, etc. It will be tedious, but eventually everything will be set up in Nevada.

The move is a little more rough than I had imagined. There were some unexpected permitting issues regarding the house that I bought, so I’m currently working with the city of Reno to get everything cleared up. Everything will be up to code in no time flat.

Its great knowing I have a permanent address. A permanent place to call my own. A place I can store my stuff without worry. A space I can use however I please. Being a homeowner is a great feeling.

With so much bouncing around, its a nice feeling knowing I own a place that is staying put. I can go wherever I want, and this place will be here waiting for me when I come back.

Things Fall into Place – Adios California!

On September 17, 2011, In Life, Making Money Online, News, Travel Plans, By Tommy

After over 2 months of searching for a suitable multi-family property in Nevada, I’m finally in contract! Escrow should be short since I’ve already had the inspection and am paying cash. I’ll be moving up there in a matter of weeks, and can finally move on with my life.

Once I close escrow, I’ll be packing my BMW with the few possessions I have and saying goodbye to California for good. When I arrive, I’ll pick up the keys from the real estate agent and walk into a vacant, 95% finished triplex. I’ll have all 3 empty units to myself. During the few weeks it takes me to complete the minor repairs, I’ll have to pick one unit to call my home.

One is a tiny studio, another is a small 1 bedroom, and the last is a considerably bigger 1 bedroom. Picking the best unit for myself means collecting less rent, so I’ll have to decide if it’s worth it. Since I’m paying cash, I won’t have a mortgage, so regardless of which unit I occupy, I should still be cash-flow positive on this thing. It will be a great feeling knowing that you are actually generating a cash flow from your primary residence.

I’m extremely relieved to have this deal underway. By 2012, I’ll be 100% cut off from California and all California-based businesses. Insurance, banking, healthcare, accountant, etc – all moving to Nevada businesses. I know that in the grand scheme of things, one man moving his business out of California isn’t going to make a difference. However I hope if enough people do this, it sends a message to California that what they are doing isn’t working.

I feel like I’m selling my stock in CA and buying stock in NV. CA is falling apart, but NV is somewhat stable. Eventually, I’d like to sell my stock in USA and go somewhere with a better outlook. That whole discussion can be saved for another post though.

Once I get settled in Reno, I want to start traveling again. I’d really love to do a lot of snowboarding…

End of an Era: The Rialta is No More

On August 11, 2011, In Life, Living in an RV, News, Travel Plans, By Tommy

With minutes to go in the Rialta eBay auction, the bid was still $12,000 away from my break-even point. I’m nervously hitting refresh, getting more and more worried that the final bid won’t be anywhere near what I wanted.

Finally I see a little activity before a very pathetic ending. I’m out nearly $10k when all is said and done, not including the countless hours I put into installing all the mods. I can’t be upset because this is what the market determined the value at.

The experiences I had while traveling the country in this rig were priceless. It was a huge learning and growing experience, and I have absolutely no regrets that I went through with it.

Restructuring my life

I’ve decided to set up my home-base in Reno, NV. I’m buying a 4-plex and calling one of the units my home. I’m excited to be able to answer the question of “where do you live” in one or two words.

I’m still in the process of downsizing my entire portfolio of websites to just one. Business will be much simpler with just one site to focus on.

I’ve been closing credit cards/bank/savings/investment accounts that I haven’t been actively using. Trying to again minimize things I have to think about.

I have already set up a new Nevada corporation, and I’m in the process of moving everything under that one: bank accounts, payroll, addresses, accountants, etc. I’ll be entirely out of California by the end of the year and will have dissolved the CA incorporation I currently own.

Different type of travel

I’d like to be spending more than a month at each location. I’m thinking 3-6 months at each city, and renting a room with locals rather than staying at hostels or in an RV.

US Destinations I’d like to live in:

Denver, CO
Austin, TX
Portland, OR (again)
Somewhere in the south?

Foreign destinations:

Summer in Stockholm
Long trip through Eastern Europe/Russia
Summer in New Zealand
Summer in Argentina/Moto tour through South America

« Previous Entries