Might be going to Atlanta in June, can’t really afford hotel…?

My husband and I would love to attend an education conference in Atlanta over a weekend in June but the conference is going to be just under $1,000 for the both of us to attend – not including travel and accomodations. We will more than likely be traveling by bus (the cheapest option so far) but have no idea what to do about accomodations. Is there any website or organization that matches travelers with local families who might rent a guest room out for cheaper than a hotel? Our meals are included in the conference. I thought about Home Exchange but #1: No one would ever vacation in the small town in east Texas where we live and #2: We rent a tiny apartment nowhere equivalent to what’s on offer on HomeExchange.

We’re new teachers, we do not make hardly any money, but we’d really love to attend this conference to become better teachers. Anyone have any good ideas?

The Atlanta Hostel is actually a bit more expensive than most other hostels I’ve stayed in and has received horrible reviews. And the YMCA in Atlanta only rents rooms to men.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Question for people who are over the age of 30 and have or still live in an apartment?

So I’m a bit confused on what I’m supposed to be doing in life right now. I’m graduating high school in 4 months and am going to Georgia Tech. My parents are trying to convince me to get an apartment outside of the city, but my friends are encouraging me to join a fraternity. I basically have two questions. At what age did you own your first apartment, and what age did you buy a house or condo. I’m going to live in Atlanta which is cheap real estate. Thanks!

Why is Obama’s F.H.A. helping the rich buy luxury condos?

From:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-13/manhattan-luxury-condos-embrace-federal-help-in-game-changer-for-sales.html

<<The Federal Housing Administration agreed in March to insure mortgages for apartments at the 98-unit Gramercy Park development, known as Tempo. That enables buyers to make a down payment of as little as 3.5 percent in a building where apartments range from $820,000 to $3 million.>>

Now, some simple calculus for you, folks. Buying an $820,000 property (that’s the very cheapest of these luxury apartments) at 3.5% one will have to make a $5K payment (mortgage plus condo-fees) every month for 30 years:

http://www.mlcalc.com/#mortgage-820000-3.5-30-4.375-3000-1500-0.52-8-2010-none

Why is the Obama’s Federal Housing Authority — which can not even properly house all the poor eligible for the Section 8 assistance (http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/housing-crisis-reaches-full-589653.html ) — busying itself with and tying their budget on people, who can afford to spend $5K/month on an apartment and are interested in living next to a pet spa?

If the housing market moves down only 3.5%, these new mortgages will be “underwater” — the condo-owners will owe banks more, than the properties are worth. This is when people usually tend to “walk away” from the properties — and is why a normal downpayment is at least 10% (usually — 20%). When people do walk away, the FHA (read, the taxpayers) will be on the hook for the rest of the mortgages… And rich people will not shy from walking away at all (now that we no longer throw dead-beats into jail):

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2010/07/rich-defaulting-at-highest-rate.html

Is it fair to suspect, this is done to further destroy Capitalism? After the staggering success with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who were told by the government to relax their rules:

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/30/business/fannie-mae-eases-credit-to-aid-mortgage-lending.html

to allow people buy unaffordable homes resulting in the housing bubble and the subsequent crisis of financial system:

http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2008-10-05-1.html

is the FHA now instructed to do a similar relaxation of rules to give Socialists another argument that “Capitalism does not work”?

Or is it simply a way to reward rich New York donors — both the buyers and the sellers of these luxury condos — for their support of the Democratic Party?

In a properly Free Market Capitalism, people who make a wrong bet — such as choosing to build a luxury building, when the buyers want a normal one — get punished by losing money. In Obama’s CRONY Capitalism, the government helps them out — at the taxpayers’ expense…
Correrafan! If you are referring to Bush’s use of Haliburton, well, that did not start with him (with Clinton rather) nor end with him (Obama keeps awarding the company no-bid contracts).

But I don’t recall anything like this thing on Bush’s watch — there is a completely new ground broken here, I think…

Cost of moving from Atlanta, Georgia to Portland, Oregon?

21, male, single, and just COMPLETELY over Georgia. I aim to move sometime next summer, but will like to move quicker if possible.

I’ll have little over $3,000 in the form of a check coming to me soon. I figure I can save up over the months despite having only a part-time job seeing as how my rent’s low (I’m subletting for about $230 a month). The plan is to put that check in a savings at the bank, save about $300 a month for about 6-8 months; resulting in about $1,800-$2,400 saved and about $4,800-$5,400 collectively. I also plan to sell most if not all my belongings to reduce my luggage to about 2-3 suitcases (I figure it’d be cheaper to travel that way).

Good Plan?

I’m just wondering if little over $5,000 is enough to move to Portland and be able to live comfortably for a couple of months while trying to find a job. Also, how is finding a job waiting tables or bartending? Do you need to be licensed (to serve alcohol)? Is the market dry (for part-time jobs, I have NO mouths to feed)? Do you have to “know someone”? What about apartment hunting? What areas would the best area for a young, social, single male to live without breaking the bank? How are the bars? Any sites?

Really, ANY tips you can give me on moving to Portland would help.

Thanks.
I don’t plan to have a car, I plan to walk.

Want to move to an apartment, how to convince my mom? (Semi-long story)?

I just turned 20 and im a sophomore in college. My mom has taken out a parent plus loan for a lot of money to pay for school. I get a refund check from my loan to pay for housing, etc. I stayed in the dorm my first year at school and I loved it but I really don’t want to live with a roommate anymore.

So I’m taking summer classes and I was suppose to stay with my Aunt. She is having financial problems at the moment so I was without a place to stay. My mom actually suggested that I stay with my friend (even though she has never met her) and pay half of the rent. So Im staying with her now and the plan was that I stay with her for the summer and then I go back to the dorm for the fall quarter.

The problem is that being around my friend (who is 28) and her older friends has made me feel grown up. I’ve learned a lot about the responsibilities of having an apartment and growning up period. Plus, this apartment complex is the BOMB! Gated entry, granite countertops, huge rooms, etc. So I REALLY don’t want to go back to the dorm.

I’ve talked to my mom about an apartment before and she has rejected it, she wont even listen to me (sometimes she hangs up on me-she is in Alabama I’m in Atlanta) I’m an only child so I understand that she wants me to be safe but how safe can you be living in downtown Atlanta. But anyways that apartment is really I nice, small, cheaper than the dorm, and all of the utilities are included except for cable. Its amazing and I can pay for it with the left over money from my loan. I have calculated everything but I just know that she will say no. If you were me, what would you do or say to my mom?
Thank you all, those are some REALLY good suggestions. I would like to do what i want but she keeps threatening me to cancel my loan. I usually know when she is bluffing but she might not be this time. If she ever wants me to speak to her again, she needs to be bluffing.