the weekly chicken/goat sale in Barnesville Ga would have any of the larger breeds going for $10-14. I usually dont stay for the bird sale, but the last couple of times I did, i was amazed at the prices they were bringing. Even when they quit laying, some hispanics around the area pay a pretty good price ($8 or so). I ask a hispanic fellow why, and he told me the flavor was so much better than the "no-taste" stuff that most of us are used to. They just have to cook those older hens longer. I tried to get an invite to his next feast, but he laughed. I havent had real bird in 35 years or so. t

I would make copious, dated notes of all conversations with the the logger and the land-owner/developer, so you are not relying on your memories 2-4 months down the road. I would also go out and take your own photos, as many as you can, to have a clear documentation of the damage. Photos all along the line of clearing might not be a bad idea, either. Just be careful about trespassing onto his property, as he sounds as though that might possibly cause problems - it's OK for him to do but not you. And I may be maligning him.... Walking your property line, if you know clearly where it is, and where all the pins and stakes are, and marking it with flagging tape will also make you more aware of what is at stake, and make him aware that you are keeping an eye on things. It will be more money on your part, but if your land was not recently surveyed, it might be an idea to get a new survey run, with GPS as well. At a minimum, do the common property line, so it is VERY clear what is yours and what his. If he hasn't done this, he's a proven idiot (sorry, but this sort of run-around makes me mad!) and you can at least ask for him to pay the costs. Try for a hurry-up job, as it sounds as though the land-owner/developer is not being reasonable and not going to go slow on this. I also second (third?) the advice given above to think long and heard about WHAT you want to get out of all this, and how hard you are willing to work at it. If you push for the maximum resolution, it may take a LOT of time, it will take a LOT of money, and it will be a MAJOR lot of wear and tear on your emotions, energy and psyche. Being willing to settle for some specified mnimum may be OK, but it sounds as though you should ask for more than your minimum, to be sure of being able to bargain down to that. You just have to be clear, going in, as to what you will settle for, what you would reasonably expect to get (which may not be the same as the first item) and what you would like to get, in an ideal world. That way, you probably won't find yourself giving up and settling part way through for less than your minimum, and being sorry 6 months later. I don't know how large a town is near by, nor how rural an area it is, but if the owner is local, sometimes a good "gossip" story can "shame" him into doing what he should have done in the first place. That sort of tactics needs to be VERY subtle, so it doesn't backfire on you, but as a last resort..., and if you feel you will NEVER be speaking to him again, it might work.

Your current salary in an unrelated field should have no bearing on what you would charge, IMO. The only relevance it has is in helping you decide whether quitting your day job for the project manager job makes sense for you financially. IOW, you can decide that switching careers will work for you only if you can make X% of your current salary. There are websites such as salary.com that show pay ranges for construction project management, which you can then adjust for you own levels of education and experience, the requirements of the new job, and the fact that you'll be paid as a consultant and not an employee. Also, if you know others in the real estate rehab business, you might be able to get info from them. If you think about it, it's not that different from evaluating bids and estimates from subcontractors. You want to get a feel for the local going rate for that type of work. It sounds very exciting - I hope it works out well for you!

Freezetag~ I feel your pain! I had almost the same exact thing happen to me. My DH likes "big boy toys" and found a Mini Rod that he just had to have. This thing cost $1000! He has done this w/ several things, found something, had to have it, got it, then in a month it was boring & he wanted something else. So, when he brought it up, I said that I didn't think it was a good idea b/c we had just bought Christmas presents, his work was slow & money was just tight in general. He continued to tell me how cool it was & that he really wanted it, etc. I kept saying (very calmly & nicely, mind you) that he really didn't need it & that it cost a lot of money that we really couldn't afford, etc. Well, he proceeded to get dressed (we were talking over coffee) and walk out the door to go purchase it. As he was leaving, I said again that I did not want him to buy this thing (I wasn't so nice this time) and his reply was, "I don't care." The door shut & he returned w/ this $1000 piece of junk. I didn't get mad b/c he didn't do what I wanted. I got mad b/c he did the wrong thing. Plus, he did it the day before we got married... Lovely start to a marriage there! Plus, there have been very few times that I have said, "No, don't buy -----", I usually don't care b/c we've usually got the extra $. But, when it came time for him to stand up and be a responsible adult, he couldn't do it. We had a very big fight over this & I explained to him why this was so childish, irresponsible, disrespectful, etc... and now I'm over it. But guess what? The toy is old now, he hasn't looked @ it, touched it, or even mentioned it for about 3 weeks now. It still gets to me every time I see it or think about it, but I know it's in the past & I'm trying not to dwell on it... Your story just sounded so much like mine, I'm glad I'm not the only one... I suppose misery loves company... LOL.