secret, but today, savvy shoppers like to brag about it.”
GET A NEW SET OF WHEELS
So you want a brand new car, but don’t want a payment the size of a house note. Feinberg and Gillespie suggest checking with car rental companies about upcoming sales and going online to www.ebaymotors.com or www.autotrader.com. What’s more, going to auctions is like Christmas in July. There are many options, such as IRS, Customs, Military, Marshal, State Treasury, and state and local governments that auction late-model luxury cars. GovernmentAuctions.org (www.govern mentauctions.org) has a directory on its Website. Auctioned items include trucks, boats, motorcycles, antiques, jewelry, houses, and more.
“In all, you can get a great deal on cars. But you have to first inspect them, come up with a bidding plan, and stick to it,” says Ian Aronovich, president of GovernmentAuctions.org. He points out that government auctions often feature luxury cars and upscale homes that have been obtained through tax seizures, drug seizures, and customs seizures. Because the government obtained them either inexpensively or at no cost at all, it will sell them to the highest bidder, no matter how low the bid may be. However, some bids have reserve prices.
BECOME A HOUSE HUNTER
Many individuals feel that they can only get a great housing deal on a fixer-upper. But you can find an affordable property by searching sites like www.foreclosurefreesearch.com, which offers listings on foreclosed property nationwide that you can purchase at 20% to 50% below market value. “These Websites have free foreclosure lists [some offer limited free trial periods] that allow you to get to the homeowner before the sheriff’s sale is imminent, to work out a deal,” says Rosalyn Charles, a real estate attorney for Cary Charles & Winston L.L.C. in South Orange, New Jersey. “You can get a home that allows you to start out with some equity. That equals assets, money in the bank, buying power, and wealth.”
The goal should be to live a debt-free life, says Lisa Williams, a financial motivator and owner of www.livingintheblack.com. “In the black is an accounting term that means without debt. Living in the black is not predicated on whether you make $30,000 or $300,000 a year. However, it is based on how you save, invest, and spend the income you receive.”