By Mel Dorman, February 19, 2021
Think I’m kidding? Nope. I’m about to tell you how spending $25 will save you hundreds of dollars over the next few years.
First, go to your favorite hardware or home improvement store. Buy a 25 foot drain snake, like the one in the photo. These are simple, hand-held devises that wriggle and snake down your clogged drain, snag the offending hairball, and haul it back out for you. In 5 minutes, you can un-clog a drain that would otherwise cost you $200 for a plumber to do for you.
You insert the curly metal end into your drain and, while holding the handle in one hand, you turn the rotating arm clockwise. The snake arm twists and coils down the drain, around tricky corners and joints, and ultimately finds the nasty ball of hair and scum and goo that is clogging your drain. Then you reverse the direction of the snake, and it wriggles back out of the drain, holding its prize and thus liberating your plumbing to drain freely!
I’m not telling you that it’s not a tiny bit gross when you get the hairball out; I’m saying that it’s satisfying and that you’ll save a ton of time and money doing it. As far as I’m concerned, this is an essential tool that all homeowners should own. Your friends will start begging you to come over to un-clog their drains. Just make sure to charge them!
Do yourself a favor and watch a few YouTube videos on how to use it the first time around. While it’s simple, it’s also not intuitive in the beginning.
Note: please be careful with drain snakes and older cast-iron plumbing. It is unlikely, but possible, that the snake can get stuck and/or cause damage to your pipes if you force it. Be gentle. Enjoy.
Mel Dorman
Broker | OR & WA
She/They
Ten years ago, Melissa was living in a slum in Kolkata, India, helping over 200 women escape sex trafficking by providing alternative work at a social business.
It was there she discovered her passion for financial education as a means of empowering people to move out of poverty. After graduating from UCLA with a Masters, Melissa spent 5 years working as a Social Worker; assisting clients facing homelessness, in jail, or at a psychiatric facility.
As much as she loved the work, imagining saving for retirement on the meager salary of a social worker was becoming grim. That's when Melissa discovered "passive income." In no time, she fell in LOVE with real estate as a vehicle for wealth. Soon after, Melissa began locating off-market multi-family properties to purchase through creative financing strategies and win-win opportunities. Two years into investing, Melissa quit her day job as a Social Worker to become a full-time broker and investor. Initially, she was drawn to people in difficult circumstances, so she developed extensive experience assisting families facing foreclosure, short sales, and probate. Melissa is well versed in helping her clients overcome complex real estate challenges.
Currently, Melissa is teamed up with Super Broker, Yascha Noonberg at Living Room Realty. Together they assist clients to achieve their real estate dreams, including how to strategically buy and sell a personal residence to maximize profits. Far from the slums of Kolkata, her greatest passion now is empowering other working professionals to develop passive forms of income through buying multi-family properties in Portland.
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- T: 503-567-4697
- melissa@livingroomre.com
