RockRaines

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 11:04 AM) If you request the full condo association rules, and you close based on those with lawyer present, and find out later there were "other" rules... then the sellers were fraudulent or at fault, and you can pretty much say "I'm not following these rules, and if you try to enforce them on me, I'm suing you and will win". Should end the discussion. Anyway, that kind of thing should be rare, if you actually ask for the full condo documents. Dont forget the minutes as well if there are any. Thats where many of our rule changes were actually documented.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 10:58 AM) I agree on the parts about making sure you know the condo association covenants, and their financial condition, what their monthly revenue and costs are. Very key. That said, if that all checks out, I wouldn't hesitate on buying a city condo, as long as you aren't in a very fringe neighborhood (which is just higher risk but could be higher reward). We bought out Bucktown condo in 2004, moved out in early 2011 after not being able to sell at a good price (it was the depths of the downturn). But we rented it out the past 4 years and that has gone well - basically break even on a cash flow basis, and make money on an investment basis. Now we're selling, now that the market has improved. Just remember if you do rent it out, work with a realtor or someone to help find a good renter. You lose a half month rent to commission, but the risk mitigation is very helpful. Meet the association president before you buy if you can, I routinely gave people an overview of what was coming in my building as well as "undocumented" regulations. Sellers and seller agents can lie all the way to closing time.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 12:35 PM) I've started looking again at condos (just online, not with a realtor) as my lease ends in May (but is month to month after, owner is selling the whole building and will give us a 3 month heads up on when he needs us out no matter what). My current roommate is most likely buying a place and moving in with his girlfriend so that kinda leaves me on my own. Has anyone bought/sold a 1bdr condo, is it really hard to find a buyer for those places? I've been told that they are had to unload. Also, any suggestions for mortgage providers? I bank with Chase so they are always an option, but if anyone has good suggestions or places to avoid that would be great to know. My buddy listed and sold his 1bd on madison st in about 5 days, so there is a market, but the neighborhood demographics are really important.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 06:25 PM) Alright so I am not new to the city as I lived in the South Loop in a high rise for about three years but we moved over to Little Italy in November and the water here is just gross. I have always just drank tap water because it pours faster than the fridge dispense but here it is a different story. Just cloudy, gray water. I don't even want to make my coffee with it. My dad says it's normal but it just doesn't seem right to me. Does anyone deal with this? Should I just get one of those filter attachments to the faucet? Its not the water, its probably your pipes. All of Chicago gets the same lake Michigan water and I lived a few blocks from you and mine was awesome.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 10:06 AM) All of this. Even in sales or real estate, the commission is set. The customer can't change the amount you make for entirely trivial and subjective reasons. They can decide to go with someone else at the last minute and screw you over entirely.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 09:55 AM) Most people working in this country don't, but even when they do, bonuses and commissions are coming from your employer, not directly from your customers. Most of the rest of the world's service industry doesn't rely on tips or at least not to the extent that we do in the US, though. Look what rabbit and several other people who have worked as waiters have said above. Tips can be completely random and you can get a crappy tip on a big bill and you have no idea why (other than "those customers are a bunch of assholes"). It's not that the idea of better pay for better performance is wrong, it's that tipping is so random and if you have a problem with your service, letting management know or telling the wait staff directly is much clearer. Commissions come directly from customers and can be very random. I've worked in the service industry for over a decade as well and although tipping can be random in certain circumstances, overall I've found there to be a direct relation between performance and compensation. Valentines day is another animal all together as well as other holidays like New Years, St Patricks day etc. My point is there are many professions where your employer pays you less banking on the fact tips, commission or even bonuses will bring you back up to the level you expect.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 05:54 AM) Yep, it's a really crappy signal. But man do customers hate it when you take away that power. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culture...ng_tipping.html In most of the rest of the world and in most non-service jobs, we manage to function without tips. Eta longer, multi part read on this guy's experience running a tipless restaurant. http://jayporter.com/dispatches/observatio...art-1-overview/ So, in your opinion, most of the working world doesnt have things like commission or bonuses to worry about?

QUOTE (GoodAsGould @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 12:51 AM) I hate this argument, I'll make sure to tell my boss to give me a tip everyday or my quality of work will go down tomorrow and see how well that goes. If they halved your salary and made the other half "commission" I bet your quality of work would be pretty high.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 05:26 PM) If you take away the incentive you take away the quality of work. If the tip was standardized the quality of work would suffer. Sometimes, depending on the venue. At our club, tip is included, of course you also get rated by members and get fired much more easily. As a server, you WANT someone to overtip you so you work your ass off if you actually care. When I was a bartender or server I always remembered people and treated them like friends. That plus responsiveness is the recipe to huge tips.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 04:18 PM) Jesus, a $5-10 tip on an $80 tab? I don't make a ton but I do everything I can to always tip between 18-25%. I'm also more sympathetic having worked in food service before, but those people are just cheapskates. It's like people that don't tip bartenders. If I'm drinking heavily, I may miss one now or then, but I will always tip $1-2 per drink. You have no idea. Some people will get a bill for 38.75 and will just round up to 40 bucks, leave two 20's and walk away.

Its funny how you develop a sixth sense on what groups wont tip you as soon as you first interact with them. It's almost always correct.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 12:30 PM) GOB (George Oscar Bluth) COME ON I'm blaming autocorrect.

My wife constantly calls me Job because of my suit bills.

Also the New Jeep GC SRT hellcat is going to have 707 HP reportedly.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 12:01 PM) And look at all that space for your one suitcase and 2 carry-ons! Check out the Durango Citadel. Mid to high 40's for what I think is a better looking car. Can't speak to the quality inside (will know this weekend), but for 20-25k less I'm sure it's more than acceptable. I've seen it, its awesome. Its basically a stretched out Jeep GC Overland. The only thing I dont like about the Durango is the 4WD options arent quite as good as the Jeeps, but overall its an awesome truck. Oh I guess it doesnt have the billion speaker option like I have in my summit either but thats just small details.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 09:16 PM) Yeah, I mean there are reasons for differences in prices...the bottom line is a cheaper suit that is well tailored can look better than a more expensive suit that is not. I have a few Banana Republic suits that look nice because I have had them tailored, but they are no match for the really nice handmade suit I have. The free tailoring and even selling at lots of those places is so lazy you are already behind the eight ball. The material isnt very good quality nor is how its put together but some decent tailoring outside of the store can make it look nice. If you felt or even wore one of the custom made ones I have vs an old Men's Warehouse one you would know the different immediately, but if you never wear suits there is probably no reason to drop a few thousand dollars on one. Just take that cheaper one and go to a real tailor. Also make sure they fit you correctly at the store, those guys are notorious for putting people in giant suits, even pushing the old school 3 button ones.

Get in your tahoe in front of your 3M mansion on your way to the Bahamas. Makes sense. I've been looking hard at the Denali and Escalade for 2015 but at this point I'm better off waiting for a lightly used one.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 07:41 AM) LoDo started exploding shortly after Coors was built (the process was already underway before that), which has been a happy circumstance for the Rockies. Yep. Denver has had a downtown renaissance in the last 10 years or so. Its a liberal island in the middle of a conservative state.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 11:07 AM) You better get that for 50-60k The Denali is 70k+

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 09:32 AM) Cabrera's past hangs over him, and rightfully so. If he didn't have that history, he would have gotten a deal similar to Panda this year, maybe more. Panda ate his deal this offseason.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 09:50 AM) Which choices? It's hard to come to a place, say "he makes bad choices," not give examples, and be taken seriously. Because, really, when given the choice between chickens*** and pigs*** to put into a late game situation, those decisions are going to end up looking baffling more often than not. Most of the time it was after a decision was made and something bad happened. It's called hindsight managing, its the newest craze.

Jameis got FAT

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 10:45 AM) We checked out a GMC Acadia and really liked it. My parents have the Buick Enclave, which is the same car with different logos. I've never been impressed with any Chevy product really. Everything inside is cheap plastic unless they've changed in the last few years. The new Yukons/Tahoes are really nice inside. They finally fixed the dated interior and have cool features like noise canceling.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 10:31 AM) It's still a Chevy though right? Not sure I'd buy anything from Chevy but a truck. I like GMC's and chevy trucks, but the rest, meh

QUOTE (SnB @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 10:29 AM) I drive a different car every week and the difference between the Malibu and Impala is night and day. The impala just feels so much more solid. The redesign for both of them was really well done though. I just hate chevy electronics, every rental car I have looks like its from the 90's