My question is how do I maintain privacy with the 2010 census looming? I placed a mailbox at the street and was going to remove it after the census was completed, I didn't want them showing up at my door again with their "long form". Now I'm getting mail addressed to me or current resident. I have no problem with the census, in general, I just don't want mail coming to my home address between now and the census.

Thanks, and great book - HTBI. I bought this book, read it 3 times then gave it to my brother. Then went and bought another copy when he didn't return if fast enough. I re-read it and placed in my bug-out bag!

... Try doing a serach here on "census."

Car: I have a car titled in my name which I'd like to take with me to Texas; should I transfer the title to a NM LLC now, or after I move to Texas. (I do not plan to come back to the current state, ever.)

Home: in the book Jack talks about paying cash for a home but that seems impossible given (1) the expense of buying even a modest home now and (2) the need to withdraw a large amount of cash, since I've got all my money in a bank account. Anyway, I'll need a mortgage. What's the best way to apply for it, from a privacy POV? I'm still not clear after re-reading the home chapter.

Thanks a lot in advance!

... I suggest you transfer the car to an LLC before you go.

If you really insist on getting a mortgage to buy a house, then say "adios" to privacy.

Buying a house is a luxury, not a necessity. Renting is often cheaper and gives you better freedom to move on short notice.

The sticky situation came up in titling and registering my vehicle. I bought it about a month ago from a dealer in another state ('long term' temporary tag). It was sold to my LLC (primary place of business in the canaries, etc) with a U.S. mailing address in still another state. When I took it to the DMV the lady told me they could not register the vehicle in the name of the business unless the business was registered with NH. To get it registered I have to have a business office (could just use my address, but kinda defeats the point of all this).

Or,I can title the vehicle in my name first, business second. Either way, they are requiring my name be out there so it can be proved I'm not avoiding tax liability in Mass. I stated that it needs to be in the business name alone so if I wish to sell the business I am able to without additional hoops to jump through concerning the ownership of the vehicle.

So she said, yeah, go to Concord and get the business registered.

Is there anything that I'm missing here, any other route for me to take? Is there more information I need to provide for an assessment to be made?

... (I debated about posting this at all, Mike, due to no city [I temporarily added one], no html code to separate paragraphs, and no e-mail address.)

So here is my question before I spend another $350 that I don't exactly have... and keeping in mind that I could get an Indiana LLC in a business name, then title the vehicle as a business vehicle in Indiana, but I'm not positive that this will truly work for privacy purposes because I don't have a *true* ghost address in Indiana, just the PO Box and a UPS CMRA...

Is it possible to title a vehicle in a NM LLC and then register it in Indiana without divulging the owner's home address?

Keep in mind that Indiana has excise taxes on vehicle, therefore an out-of-state plate is instantly suspicious if it's parked in a driveway regularly.

Keep in mind that Indiana is at the forefront of enforcing the "Real ID" mandates of the post 911 era...

Thank you so much in advance for any guidance you or your readers can provide on this!

... I have five vehicles, each titled in a separate LLC which lists a ghost street address in Spain. Normally, Washington state also requires a WA address of the driver but my advantage is that my DL is from another state that I consider to be my domicile. Therefore, a WA address is not required.

However, even if I were a resident, and a local ghost address was required, I would still be okay with this as long as it did not appear on the registration or the title.

A great deal of success depends upon the person applying, and upon the clerk at the DMV or license agency. My first test, years ago, was with the owner of a licensing agency who thought she was the be-all and end-all of DMV knowledge. I walked out and tried another licensing agency. Better, but not great. A young supervisor in a third agency (another town) was actually able to think for herself. All cars, pickups and trailers have since been licensed at that agency.

I agree that you should get Indiana plates. That is more important than having the DL in Indiana. The only one to ever see a DL will be a cop or a car rental agency, whereas EVERYONE sees the plates.

As to your problem of a ghost address in Indiana: Can you use the address of your parents or another family member? If not, can you rent some sleazy flea-bag cabin, apartment, or hot-sheet motel room just long enough to camp there while you get the license plates?

Additional comments from Indiana drivers will be welcomed!

So, I'm considering putting a vehicle in an LLC and titling/registering it. Then I want to give it to someone else for a while. JJL mentions "Transfer the LLC" - but how is this actually done?

Perhaps the answer is really easy ("Give them the LLC paperwork") or really difficult ("Get a Lawyer"), but I can't seem to find an answer on here.

... This is an area where you must decide on your own. Much will depend on the importance of the transfer. If you were selling an LLC that owned a nearly-new Ferrari to a complete stranger and he was paying cash--that would be VERY different from just turning your car over to a son for a year or two, and then planning on getting it back.

At least in some states, if your sale involves 50 percent or more of an LLC, I've been told that the state wants you to contact them, declare the value, and pay a sales tax. This is similar to buying something in a tax-free state and taking it back (or having it sent to) your own state that does have a sales tax. The state wants you to volunteer that information and pay sales tax.

So ... make your own decision, Jay. No one else can do it for you.

The reason I was counting on mail forwarding (by the owner of my ghost address, not USPS) was because I live in the city and have no car: it is costly and time consuming to get out of state B.

If even that type of forwarding is truely not a good idea, I'll have to perhaps have addresses (1) and (2) in state A, and somewhat near one another, so I could visit both in one trip every few weeks. I just hope warnings for jury duty and other Domicile-related things have a few weeks notice!

Anyone have any other comments or suggestions?

(My original post is #6583)

Submitted Link #1: http://www.canaryislandspress.com/index.cfm/fa/sho...

... If the forwarding does not involve the USPS, then it may work out as you plan.

In other words, is it possible to fix the mistake of having the owner's true name on file with the clerk and tied to that address, or has the damage been done?"

The answer is "No," the damage is done. Real estate recordings are there forever, and every single transfer of the property from the time the Congress released it from the public domain, or in the East, from the time the land was settled, is recorded in the Clerk & Recorder's records. You can, if you want, trace your property ownership back to every person who has ever owned it, right back to the beginning. It's called a "title search" and your title insurance company did it when you bought the house.

You used to get an "abstract of title" with a title search, which is a little booklet that shows every prior owner and the recordation number in the records.

I've got six books like this for my ranch, tracing it clear back to the Land Grant from Congress in 1870.

But nowadays, title companies try to DESTROY abstracts, and if you let the title insurance company get ahold of yours, they will keep it. They have all the records in THEIR files, but they don't want YOU to have it because once you do, you don't need title insurance any longer, because you have all the necessary documents to prove your clear title to the property. It's a real racket. You pay thousands of dollars for a title search and title insurance, which means that the title company guarantees you have clear title to the bank, for your loan. But you don't get the PROOF you paid for them to research, with which you might be able to dispense with title insurance in the future.

Anyway, you're FOREVER attached to that house now, but if you sell it to an LLC, and your name is not traceable to the LLC, you probably become just another owner in a chain of owners of the property, and anybody looking for you will see that you ONCE owned the house, which might give them a clue to look there, but they might also see that you sold it and they might assume you moved on.

In any event, getting your name OFF the title is a good idea into the future, and if someone shows up at your door asking for you, just deny you live there and tell them you're renting it from the LLC that owns it.