Big jostling. China manufacturers are moving to Vietnam, et al.
American buyers are seeking (and getting) exemptions from the tariffs.
The new tariffs start today at 10%.
In short, the noise is bigger than the reality. The noise adds volatility to markets.
The noise is huge. Every learned commentator and his uncle is weighing in on:
+ China’s intransigence.
+ Navarro’s blissful ignorance of trade and business.
+ Trump’s lack of game plan.
Personally, I’m sick of reading endless conjecture. Hence I’m staying put.
Panic is not good. But a down-the-line backhand is good.
More travel tips
+ Turo is the best place to rent a car or van from. Turo is to cars what Airbnb is to houses and apartments — and one yurt in Ridgeway, Colorado.
+ TSAPre is the only way to travel. Its lines are short. And you don’t have to take your laptop out (and forget it on the belt).
+ Denver airport to downtown via train at $9 is the greatest bargain in travel. It goes every 11 minutes and is hugely comfortable. The view of endless warehouses and distribution centers will blow you away. Indicative of Denver’s exploding growth.
+ Airbnb can be bargained with — especially if you’re a repeat. Sometimes booking late will snag you a cheap price. A week can be cheaper than three days. I’m increasingly impressed with Airbnb. Their selection is amazing.
+ Airbnb. Always take pictures as you leave. That way you won’t get hit with a surprise cleanup fee.
+ Don’t rely on a plane’s WiFi, except for JetBlue. Delta is awful.
+ A Mophie add-on battery for your iPhone is useful — especially if you use Waze, which is a heavy battery user.
Real estate as an investment
Everyone should own some rental estate. It’s good for your old age, which is predictable.
The two biggest mistakes with owning real estate are:
+ The price you pay is too high.
+ You invest too much “fixing” it up. Remember you’re fixing it up for rental. You’re not going to live in it.
Investing has become easier because of the Internet. There are now more ways to find what’s available — from Zillow to Redfin, and a million others. Google “I want to buy a house in Denver.”
Renting has become easier. From Airbnb to VRBO, and a million others. Google “I want to rent my home in Denver.”
Fixing and decorating has become infinitely easier — from Home Depot to Wayfair to Ikea. There are services that help you find plumbers and electricians — from Home Advisor to Thumbtack. Google “I want an electrician in Denver.”
Denver is a super vacation destination. More on Denver tomorrow. How I tried to buy some weed. (No such luck.)
Harry Newton, who would move to Denver if he were 30 and starting all over. What a fantastic place.
You are right about selling real estate online with Zillow…I sold our Sun City, AZ house online with Zillow in 12 hours to a lady in North Carolina who had a relative living in Sun City check it out…I carried the paper with a 40% cash down payment. Saved many thousands in agent fees. Title company handled all paper work.
One caveat…the real estate brokers mine Zillow like crazy…even though I clearly noted “For sale by Owner” they called constantly for months afterwards…even though I also clearly marked it SOLD on the Zillow listing. Eventually the agents received a few rather curt responses from me about their stupidity. Even after the listing was taken down they still called…seems as if they have people who just copy the name address and phone number down and distribute the information to agents all around the ares.