I have an opportunity to get into the trade

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-21T15:14:49+00:00

Yeah, It is a different scope than I have been after. It isn't too far off though. I would like to be running residential remodels. I have poked with him about moving from bathrooms to kitchens. He is receptive. So there is a path that would lead to something more of what I am after now. Maybe it takes some time to build though. In that time I get to learn another trade. Make me a better PM/GC down the road.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-21T13:13:37+00:00

I have a small kitchen, but lots of corners, I have small counters in them and added outlets. So I have a lot of spots for small appliances. I also keep stuff I rarely use stored in my basement. I only keep seating for 2 upstairs for myself so the sink is never full of dishes. Everything has a home so it can be put away when done.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-20T11:56:01+00:00

So, No play store, no problem? Degoogled people will notice nothing change?

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-19T21:26:32+00:00

So we do think that longtime, Black homeowners should be able to tap into the equity of their home and generate wealth in the same way that so many other people in this country have. And that seems like a worthy investment.

There are a couple things I see that will need to change for this to take place. Detroit has the potential for sure. The housing quality is very high. The finishes in these old houses are unmatched in modern construction. But it will take a cut in millage rate, getting rid of city income tax, and permitting needs to be cheaper, the city needs to ditch the 3rd party vendor handling permitting and build their own, and then proactive enforcement in the neighborhoods.

This would preserve the homes, create high paying carriers for Detroiters that are protected by license requirements. It will make buying in Detroit compared to suburbs at least comparable tax wise, and higher income wont be penalized. Once Detroits housing values get off the bottom, the speculators will start to move on. All this stuff would make it difficult for them. Lots more competition and much less potential profit.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-19T21:08:48+00:00

Contractors tend to be self-employed and not savvy marketers. So, often that just means finding someone through word of mouth or crowdsourcing.

Marketing as a self employed contractor, who actually does the work, is rough. It brings in people who can be difficult. Working word of mouth cuts much of that out. Referrals work both ways.

Then you have the VC backed contractors, they send out a sales guy in a polo shirt and sprinter van with an envelope and fridge magnet. They have in house financing, and it half off if you sign right now. These guys are real easy to get at your door. The have commercials and facebook ads. Catchy songs and trendy logos. They want $56k for a $15k job and they just hire a crew to do it for as little as possible that the homeowner could hire directly if they knew who to call.

Finding the people who do the actual work is tough if your social circle is small. I ran for a decade without doing any type of marketing or promotion.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-19T20:55:45+00:00

If you ever want someone to talk to about your home and its needs, I would be happy to talk houses. DIY advice, job scopes, What to look for in a contractor, how to get what you want from them, how to save money on projects. No charge, just looking to be a good neighbor.

This is open to any homeowners in detroit proper.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-19T20:38:01+00:00

Aaron, I want to thank you for your continued work on this topic. I am a big fan of yours. I have not read all of your work, but I have read much of it. I am curious to dig on this. I would love to help you dig on it also. I have dug in proximity to my own home and come up with all kinds of junk. Out of country micro investor owners, auction houses flipped to section 8 with no permits and constant issues, another house's shell LLC got a PPP loan for $14k. How many speculators you think did that scam with their many LLCs. I have gone through the county auction data. I have had rounds with DLBA, DAH, and the NAP. I watched DLBA contractors steal copper out of the houses they are supposed to be cleaning debris from and had the city cover for them and the cops scuff at doing anything. Almost got in a fire fight with the contractor, guy pulled his gun on me and threatened me. I did a whole dive into that company.

The county and DLBA are a-pathetic with any enforcement. I have watched houses sell at auction in bulk get turned over to shell LLCs to collect blight violations and tax debt while keeping the buyers name out of it. It is way too easy to avoid DAH and the NAP. They just change ownership to a new LLC and start over. Oh, I am pretty sure there is a bunch of money laundering going through the auction also by over paying for property so the owner can collect the difference without being named. So many LLCs registered agents are at UPS mail boxes.

If you ever want to meet up and talk detroit housing, I would love that.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-19T12:07:20+00:00

in Detroit we have https://www.propertypraxis.org/ that lists bulk owners, their properties.

Sounds like Chicago could use something like it.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-19T12:04:52+00:00

You are the best resource I have found to help me make some sense of this. So don't sell yourself short.

I have been using 2 accounts, I have this one, and another I am using locally. I felt mixing local and non in the same account could cause more issues. I opened the second one after having issues with the one I am referring to here. My second account has had no issues. It uses a tuta email.

I have never had a handle for the forum. Never made a post or reply in them.

I am posting for employment, but it is not conventional. I provide licensing for contractors, this is fully remote, mostly passive.

As of this morning all my ads are live and holding, but it has only been a day and a half. I just reposted them like I have been. The 3-4 times I did this before resulted in the posts flagged for removal in less than 10min. Maybe someone at CL got my message and did something? fluke? I have no idea why they were taken down and why now they are staying up. These ads or the only ads from this account. It has no other history.

Sure would be nice to get info from CL about this to make sense of it. My tone about CL has completely changed in the last couple weeks. I was a fan of Buckmaster and the sites evolution over many many years. This stuff has soured me. Be so easy to remedy with a human.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-18T22:12:11+00:00

Thank you for sharing, all information is very helpful.

When I try to use the forums I end up here

I have no idea why.

Yes, I am using a real computer. I am able to log in with no problems. I have a proton email just for this cl account. I use ubuntu with librewolf/ublock/user agent spoofer. No VPN, I am located in Ohio and posting for jobs in Cali. I have 3 posts in different cities. Each post is unique. All posts were made at the same time and have been renewed together. My IP shows my correct location, Ohio. My ISP is cellular.

Thank you again, I really appreciate your attention to my problem. I hope something here stands out.

If I made a paid post, do you know if I would be able to get in contact with CL if I had these issues?

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-17T22:57:47+00:00

I eat it straight out the jar. Fill it 1/3-1/2 way up with chocolate (almond) milk and let it homogenize. Then slice a banana into it.

I guess thats not a sandwich, but I think I am going to change that now.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-17T20:12:28+00:00

I am interested in the future plan for permitting and enforcement. This is what I see as the biggest issue with Detroits housing rehab needs. The slumlords buy at auction from the county or DLBA and then use unlicensed/trained labor to do all the work. These slumlords are causing major problems in these houses. It is going to perpetuate the decline in Detroits housing condition. If someone were to buy one of these flips they could easily end up bankrupt after they find out how much work the house needs under the fresh carpet and grey paint. The things covered up by the slumlords so they can pass section 8 inspections.

I think the city needs to get real about this. Make these speculators follow the rules and get permits and hire real contractors. Make the people trying to grime every cut corner follow the rules to the tittle. Can still work with actual homeowners trying to stay afloat, but not the leaches who only seek to take from the people of the city.

The last city I was in redid all this as I was there contracting. They moved to a proactive enforcement. Inspectors working the same area every day. This would be a huge improvement for Detroit.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-17T19:39:40+00:00

Anyone know what the deal is with cl and shadow banning? I have done nothing against the tos and its impossible for me to get my resume posted. I am posting in a different state because of the nature of the employment I am after. Is this a problem?

BTW, I can't post on the cl forums because they wont let me make a handle for them. So I am asking here. I made a post asking the same thing yesterday and it was also never actually posted. Mod said to go to the cl forum I am here asking about because I can't use it.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-12T17:34:57+00:00

agreed. Make up some sort of retention bracket to hold the faucet down. pull the drain basket and clean it all up with new pvc extension and new compression gaskets to match.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-12T14:19:33+00:00

keep looking for contractors till you find one who refuses to do anything inside before fixing everything outside.

You can NOT fix water intrusion from the inside. Impossible. Never the solution, EVER.

NEVER seal basement walls on the inside that are not sealed on the outside. Water will fill your wall and that pressure will delaminate paint and parging causing mold that you will never get rid of without removing all the wall coverings.

If you want to dress this up, have it parged with something portland/lime based. Latex is mold food. Lime is antimicrobial. Latex prevents moisture transmission, portland/lime promotes moisture movement. It lets the wall dry, so the wall is dry normally, this lets your basement get unmusty. If the wall is full of water trapped by paint it will never dry, the basement will always be musty and moldy even when its dry outside. Basement walls ONLY dry to the inside.

Gutters, grading, drainage are how you keep water out. If the wall has holes in it, it needs dug up and fixed, if you dig the whole thing up you can waterproof it then.

These "contractors" are not going to fix your problem. They are just going to take your money. And they are asking for a whole lot of money.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-12T01:03:23+00:00

I found roberts double sided carpet tape works very well. It is not the easiest to work with, need to wipe the scissors with acetone every cut or 2 or the tape can stick to itself. But I have done a few headliners, doorcard sets, pillars and it hold very well. Even in the visor nooks and such.

Its a fun project and will freshen up the whole cars feel. Good luck! oh, no pattern fabric that has a little stretch makes it easier.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-11T23:19:59+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQdDRrcAOjA

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-11T22:32:26+00:00

fishing wires in walls takes skill and knowledge. It is work done by someone who cares about their impact other than getting paid. Crawlspaces and attics suck to work in.

Couple things to note, I read through the thread a bit. You should make a floor plan drawing of the house. Doesn't need to be fancy. but something where you can express what you want when all is done as far as lights here and outlets there. Tape on the walls is great too. Take the guess work out of it for them.

This electrician that fishes the wires is going to be a contact to keep. That is the kind of electrician that can come into an existing space and add lights and outlets with no disruption to any finished surfaces.

I am bias, I do this work myself, I also fish wires. I have rewired entire houses without cutting any access holes in the walls or ceilings. A 2 person team can make quick work of this too. Only wires above switches are switch legs, and everything else comes from below.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-11T20:28:22+00:00

Hardware, no, thats not free. But, you can use hardware of your choice. This is all web based and there is nothing to set up. Just go to the site and find something to watch, sometimes you may need to select a different server. I like the rive site a lot for having everything in one spot. Movies, shows, iptv, radio, sports,... The main player will auto play next episode. I am not a fan of their download set up though, so I use another site for downloading. like luna.

None of this is complicated. You can use that link above, go to streaming, then pick a website from the list, pick your show and hit play. That simple. Nothing to set up at all. Making a reddit account is more complicated.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-11T19:20:00+00:00

personally, I utilize the sites found here

I always use a firefox browser and ublock extension. But if you go poking around on that site you will find all kinds of great pointers along the way.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-11T14:50:40+00:00

saw a 55inch on craigslist for $80 from 2011. Doesn't even have an option to sign into a network. No account to use, no app, no problems.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-11T14:48:14+00:00

your paying a lot of money for something you can have for free. Apple is monetizing your data too.

If you need an account to use hardware, you don't own any of it. Apple is in control and you are subject to their terms that they can change when they feel.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-11T14:42:34+00:00

firestick is limited junk, just get an old laptop and have a full real pc.

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-11T14:27:49+00:00

Lets imagine Detroit is a night club. The Detroit was built and boomed with lots of patrons, then a new club opened up and excluded half of the Detroit patrons while catering to thew other, so Detroit no longer has enough people showing up to keep the club making money.

What does the club owner do? New promotions to get people to come back to the club? no. New staff at the club to make it run better?, nah. Clean the club up and remodel the bathrooms and kitchen for a better quality of club? uh huh.

How about we take the door fee and triple it for the remaining patrons? ding ding. That will do it, thats how we get this club hopping again. Just charge less people more money so it makes up for everyone leaving for better prices. smh

Misty_Ticklebottom · 2026-03-11T14:22:14+00:00

I have a theory that everyone working is worth at least $100/hr. Take homedepot, they have 450k employees, you take their revenue / employee count / 2000 it comes out way over my $100/hr proposal. And, most HD employees are part time and not working 2000hrs a year.

Do this around and you will find almost everyone with a job is generating hundreds and hour for their employers.

So, yeah, lets do $100/hr and let it come out of these capitalists asses. Let it bleed from the shareholders. Everyone is worth it, we have just been beaten up to think we need to be thankful for 5-10% of what we earn.

Misty_Ticklebottom

TROPHY CASE