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I have mentioned before in one or two of my answers that I have started a new business venture. I am buying properties to let in the UK.Before I decided to do real estate business. I wanted to open my own cafe. I wanted to have my own cafe for years. I had worked very very hard and saved even harder. After few years of really hard work, I had accumulated a handsome stack of money. On top of that my parents decided to give me some of my inheritance.At that point, I would consider I had a lot of money.It was my time to start my own business. I planned, read a lot, talked to people. I was quite excited, my dream was about to come true. I started creating logos, think of the name, look for wholesale suppliers. I got my company registered. I bought the website domain. I was in contact with companies for epos systems (digital till system). I had even spoken to someone as experienced staff.It was time to look for the location/shop. I viewed multiple locations through commercial letting agencies. But then I came across an advert for a shop to let. This shop was in a good commercial zone. This shop was on the road where the council for some reason has allowed the shops to remain open till 2 AM.I called the guy and arranged an appointment to view the shop. The guy was a Bengali elderly man, let’s call him Miah. He showed me around the front and back of the shop. He came across as very kind and polite. He asked me where I was from, I said Pakistan. He was happy to hear that, he said when I came to this country (UK) as a young man, we were all one, the whole community and started talking about other things how time has changed etc (basically stuff old people talk about)Miah narrated basic terms of rental.“The rent is £900 a month, premium is £3000, premium will not be returned. The deposit will be 2 months rent which you will get back when you leave the shop considering there is no damage to the shop. Do you understand? The premium will not be return but deposit will be returned to you.Me: Yes I understand.Miah: Now there are a lot of people who have been calling me for this shop, if you want it, you have to give me the deposit. Only then I have the assurance that your’e taking this shop so I can tell them that shop is gone.Me: Yes I want the shop but I need to consult some people about this location and also I have not seen the actual lease and other terms of the lease. So I want to show it someone who understands these things because you understand, I’m young, I have never done business before.Miah: Well! You can show it to a solicitor but I suggest we just write a lease between ourselves, because the solicitors will take a lot of money. I will not go to the solicitor but if you want, you can go and pay them. I don’t have a problem with that.Me: That’s ok! I want to show it to someone I know.Miah: I don’t have the copy of lease with me, come tomorrow, I’ll give it to you. But you have to give me the deposit today!Me: But what if the people I consult with find something in the lease that I don’t want to sign onto?Miah: That’s fine, If there is anything wrong with the lease or your not happy, you will get your £2000 deposit back.Me: O.K so you want 2 months rent (£1800) or £2000 as deposit?Miah: Transfer £2000.Me: O.kI went home, he texted me his bank details for me to transfer £2000 for deposit or else the shop goes to someone else. I had this gut feeling like, there is something off about this. I had not even seen the copy of lease and I was meant to transfer £2000 to someone.But… I had seen enough movies to know that if there is a verbal agreement which involves transfer for money, you should have someone as witness. While I was having the conversation with him earlier when he was explaining the terms, I asked him if he knew Reni. Reni was my former supervisor at a place I worked. She has been extremely nice to me. She was kind of a lady who would take bullet for her staff. Reni was also Bengali.Turns out he knew Reni.I spoke to Reni and explained that he knows you and I want you to be there so that someone I trust knows that I am transferring money to him for the lease and he will give it back if I’m not happy.Reni at first couldn’t remember who his guy was… and then she remembered and explained that he was a young man in early 20’s when he came to UK. Reni at the time was around 4, 5 years old. Reni’s dad took him in, and Miah stayed in their house for couple of years because Miah had no home.Reni said I have not met him since he left but did have memories.I took Reni to Miah to get the lease and also talk in front of Reni that if I don’t feel comfortable with the terms of lease, I will get my deposit back.Everything got agreed upon, I transferred the £2000.I took the lease to someone I know who had a bit of know how about legal documents etc. He pointed out some objectionable points in the lease, including that if he wants he will give me only 2 weeks notice to vacate the shop and end the terms of lease.This meant that I may have only 2 weeks to find a new shop and relocate my whole business, and if I leave anything behind, he has to right to either to keep or sell any equipment left behind. This was a major problem.I thought very hard if I should go ahead or not. I felt extremely pressured. I had worked very very hard to accumulate the money I had and I had been given inheritance which my parents had kept safe all their lives after getting it from their parents as inheritance. So part of this money was not only my parents hard earned money but my grandparents’ too.And I was about to spend it with no previous business experience. I felt so nervous that I could feel depression. I secretly cried couple of times.Couple of days later, after thinking hard. I called Miah…Me: Uncle! there are couple of points I want to talk about that are in the lease.Miah: What? What points?Me: In the lease it says you can kick me out with only 2 weeks notice.Miah: No No No I does not say that, why would I kick you out?Me: But uncle, I showed the lease to someone I know and the lease does say it.Miah: No No I just want my rent, if you keep paying rent, there is no reason for me to kick you out, so just ignore that part.I thought how can I ignore the points that put me in a vulnerable position and put my signature on it. He was not even offering to amend the lease. I felt very bad vibes.Me: No uncle I think I don’t want the shop, I’m not happy with the lease.Miah: errrmmmm! O.k When we talked about this, Reni was there so let’s talk in front of Reni.Me: O.kI went to Reni, I explained it to her, we went to him.He first denied that the lease actually says that, then he said look I just printed this copy of lease from internet, because solicitor would charge to write new terms of lease so I don’t want to pay them. So I just use this for my other shop too.Upon further argumentation he finally said “Well, If you don’t want the shop, that’s fine, you will not get the deposit back”Reni and I were shocked!!!!Reni and Miah started talking in Bangla, arguing that he said deposit will be returned, he straight out denied that he ever said that. He started accusing me of lying.He started swearing at me and told me to “Fuck off”.I could not believe stupid this guy was because legally he cannot give his shop to someone else, as long as he has my deposit.I decided to take him to the court, I consulted my solicitor. I showed the copy of the lease to the solicitor, he said “well this is not even a lease, this is just a draft and it’s bizarre that he took £2000 as deposit just to show a draft, and even that non-refundable”.My solicitor said “I will send him a letter, he may get scared by a mere letter and agree to pay back”.My solicitor explained first they write a “letter before action”. This letter will warn him that if he pays the money back in 2 weeks then it’s fine otherwise we will go to court and we have witness and also the details of transaction via bank. If we go to the court, he will not only have to pay the money back but will have pay interest on top and also have bear the legal costs at the court, not to mention he will have to hire and pay his own solicitor too.Miah approached my solicitor and agreed to pay full amount back. Eventually I got my money back except I had to solicitors fee around £500.After this, I was heart broken and was pretty much put off with the idea of cafe all together.People around me advised that may be you are not ready for a business like that yet and perhaps stick to something you already know about i.e property as I was already a home owner.This made sense and I decided to buy houses to let instead.LoveZoya

You should ask good questions anytime you want to rent,the eviction moratorium should not impact it at all.Listed below are the best questions I know of to ask potential renters.1. How did you hear about this property?Unless you only work with one rental property and believe your new tenant will stick around forever, it’s a great idea to figure out what method works best for finding qualified renters. If you are a real estate agent filling rental properties then discovering the source of your leads should be second nature, and figuring out where a solid renter audience is will give you an edge filling rentals faster and increase your future buyer network.If you are an owner or landlord of multiple rental properties then this information is even more crucial as you may not be networking exclusively with a crowd that lives and breathes the housing market on a regular basis. Regardless of what happens with this particular applicant you should first and foremost learn how they found you, and be mindful of any trends that can show you how to save time and money better marketing your rental properties.2. Do you currently rent, and if so, where?This is a great place to start when conducting a pre-screening interview with your potential renter. It can immediately let you know a bit about how to continue the conversation, and which questions might be more applicable than others.For example, a former homeowner who is transitioning to renting might need some additional considerations when it comes to reviewing their credit report. They may have had to file a bankruptcy, or could be going through a divorce – neither of which may impact their quality as a renter, but might shed some insights into how to conduct the remainder of the interview. In the instance of a bankruptcy, their credit may show some damage, but their current situation might be perfectly trustworthy as your renter.3. How long have you lived in your current home?This is a good introductory question when speaking to a current renter, although its biggest impact might be foreshadowing for questions you plan to ask later on. Renters with a long-term rental history can make you feel more confident they are likely to stick around paying their rent and making your life easier. More importantly, a tenant who is leaving their current home after a short period of time might be breaking a lease, be forced to leave, or have any number of higher risk situations that could make them a liability for your property.4. How long do you plan to live in this property?Inquiring about whether your applicant has an estimated time they plan to live in the property is a good way to discover a little more about their situation that might give you confidence about them as a renter. Alternatively, this might enlighten you to whether there is some instability that could make more work for you sooner than later.It’s important to treat this type of question as simply ‘discovery’. Your rental decisions should be heavily based on unbiased, objective data in order to best protect yourself from any denied and disgruntled applicants who feel they were discriminated against in some way. (see FHA Protected Classes)Be cautious none of your rental criteria, questions, or application discriminates against any of the 7 FHA protected classes: Color, Familial Status, Color, National Origin, Race, Religion, Sex.5. Why are you moving?As another type of ‘discovery’ question, this is a good opportunity to get the applicant talking a bit about themselves if they’re comfortable with it. It’s a simple way to attempt checking whether you may be in for some rough seas during their tenancy, or are more likely to have smooth sailing.6. What date do you plan to move in?A sense of urgency with an applicant who wants to move in ASAP should be just enough of a red flag that it encourages you to investigate a bit more. This might be accomplished verbally through your other discovery questions, or there could be some derogatory information found during the credit check or background check process.Possible reasons for an urgent move:A domestic situation they are trying to get out ofThey are being kicked out by friends or familyThey are in the process of relocatingThey are being evictedThey have procrastinated finding a new home after their lease expiresThey are headed towards financial hardship and need to cut housing costsTheir current living conditions have become inhabitableThe point is there are plenty of reasons for an urgent move, and not all of them indicate a risky renter.The flip side of a response you may get to this question could be an applicant who isn’t preparing to move for several months. Unless you happen to have a few months before the current renters vacate, chances are you aren’t in the market to hold onto a vacant property any longer than is needed. This could end your pre-screening process much more quickly, saving you both time.7. Are you willing to sign a 1-year lease agreement?This can be whatever term you want. Consider offering a slight discount to prospective tenants who will sign a 2-year lease agreement with terms that early termination will result in 3 times the rent. In the long run it might save you money by avoiding lost rent and marketing dollars.8. Have you ever broken a lease?Here might be a good time to bring up the cost of breaking your lease. If they have broken a prior lease then it will justify why you have the additional costs built in, and if they haven’t then they shouldn’t be concerned about it. This is also a good opportunity to add specificity to your list of questions for their previous landlord(s).9. Are you familiar with our rental criteria?At this point, you should have a basic feeling for whether this tenant will be a good match for your property in order to not waste either party’s time on a deal that won’t work. It’s also worth noting that up until this point have been a variety of good questions to ask, however, it’s worthwhile picking a handful that works best for you rather than feeling you should use them all every time.In order to prove your decision process is as objective as possible, it’s important that you develop clearly written rental criteria. If nothing has completely disqualified the applicant up until this point then it’s a good time to provide a brief overview of what you consider an applicant worth approving.Highlight important factors such as:The credit score (FICO or VantageScore 3.0) minimum you require, and possibly a range you will consider with an increased security deposit.What your policy on prior eviction judgments and filings is.Any specific types of criminal records that may disqualify them.The minimum income amount required to be considered.Highlight key parts of your rental criteria that might be deal breakers.10. What kind of work do you do?Gig work is a real living! If you live in an area with internet access, then it’s becoming more common that applicants might work a series of independent part-time jobs as opposed to a consistent paycheck from a traditional position. This is just a basic verification of whether they work, but changing the phrasing might actually open up the applicant pool.Even with rephrasing this question to be more inclusive of qualified applicants it is still a best practice to require a bank statement if a reliable pay stub is not an option.11. What is a rough estimate of your monthly income?This is a good follow-up to the previous question, as well as a nice introduction to the next. Verify that the applicant can afford the rent with a cushion in case things come up (they often do . . .). Pre-screening rental applicants ultimately boils down to answering two important questions: 1) can you trust your renters to maintain the condition of your rental property, and 2) will they consistently pay the agreed-upon rent each month and on-time.12. How many people would be living in the household with you?Here is your opportunity to essentially side-step asking a familial question that won’t violate the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Asking about an applicant’s familial status is prohibited as a potential method of discrimination, however, it’s well within your right to know who will be living in your property and how many of those are above 18 years old, justifying the need to have them on the lease.A tenant’s familial status should have no bearing on your decision in approving or denying their application to be your renter. A house filled with roommates who all come from different rental backgrounds and financial situations is absolutely something you should be aware of. If you’re enlightened about a roommate situation then be clear that each individual on the lease will need to pass the application process as well.Be careful about what you ask. Don't ask discriminatory questions that violate fair housing law.13. How many people in the household smoke?Unless you don’t mind your rental property having a distinct lingering odor of cigarette smoke, it might be worth your time to establish a ‘no smokers’ policy as part of your criteria. You can certainly build into your policy a disclaimer about no smoking allowed inside the structure, however, if you’ve ever had the displeasure of trying to fix up a rental with smoke saturated walls and carpets then it might be worthwhile to try and avoid the risk altogether. If an applicant confirms smokers in the house then having that be a disqualification from applying might be in your best interest.You should also be prepared for an applicant to admit to smoking marijuana when asked this question as more states have made it medicinally and recreationally legal. Verify what your state’s laws are before establishing any type of criteria (consult with a legal expert as you should with any potential liabilities in your policy), and be prepared to make concessions for medical patients to avoid accidental discrimination due to disability. Marijuana can be imbibed through methods beyond smoking so you should still be okay retaining your ‘no smoking’ policy.14. How many parking spaces would you require to accommodate everyone living in the household?Depending on your rental property’s layout there might be a tight parking setup that can negatively impact neighbors if too many people have cars. It’s common enough that all individuals renting may have a vehicle, and your property may not accommodate 4+ vehicles without creating a disruption for the neighborhood. Phrasing this question in a way that prepares for a max number of available spaces to be permitted might also act as a disqualifier for some applicants.15. How many indoor pets would be living in the property? How many outdoor pets?Let’s get this out of the way right now – emotional support animals are still a complicated topic to cover. You can require a doctor’s note proving the pet is required, but sites are starting to appear that help renters obtain the necessary documentation online to circumvent the issue (note: I won’t link to one of these sites and help drive traffic to a potentially fraudulent business). Your best bet may be to establish the type of pet policy you feel most comfortable with for your property, and make concessions when an applicant who meets your criteria has documentation for an animal you wouldn’t otherwise accept. You won’t be able to charge an additional pet rent for the animal, but you are within your right to have an additional security deposit for the animal. Moving past the complicated issue of emotional support animals in rental housing should leave a pretty cut and dry question for pre-screening your prospective rental applicants. People are attached to their pets so your policy with either fit their needs, or it won’t and you’ll both have to move on.16. Do you believe your current landlord will give you a favorable reference?You’re a thorough professional so of course, you’re planning to check prior rental references, but it’s a nice time saver when the applicant will give you a heads up about what to expect when you call. This is a nice way to potentially get a feeling about what you might expect to hear from the applicant’s current or most recent landlord. Alternatively, if your applicant hesitates or stutters through answering this question you may want to consider it as a red flag.17. Is your current landlord aware that you will be moving?Future you will appreciate this question if one of your goals is to avoid the surprise of suddenly having a vacant rental to fill. There are plenty of good reasons that a renter might want to avoid informing their landlord of the impending move before their lease requires it, but for all of the not so good reasons out there this question might save you some headaches.Following this question up by asking about whether their lease is ending on good terms can also be an enlightening way to determine what you might be in for when they eventually leave your property.18. Is the lease ending on good terms?Story time! If the answer to this isn’t a quick and confident ‘yes’, then you will want to press a bit harder for some details. If the applicant isn’t sharing anything else, or is trying to backpedal to sound more convincing, you should file this away as a question for their current landlord if you move forward with the rental application process.19. Do you have any additional references you would be able to provide?At the end of the day, this person is a stranger to you. Being able to talk to some personal references might add a bit of confidence to your decision to let this person live in your rental property.20. Would you agree to a credit and background check?This might be one of the most important questions you can ask during your pre-screening. You will still need to obtain a signed authorization in print or digital (somewhere you can store it for the next 6 years), but if an applicant won’t submit to a credit and background check then your conversation should end there.You can also bypass the signed authorization portion of this process if you use a consumer-initiated tenant screening provider.21. Have you placed a freeze or fraud alert on your credit?This is becoming a more common question that should be asked prior to any request to view a consumer’s credit report, beyond just rental applicants. Following several years of high profile data breaches, including one of the three big credit bureaus – Equifax, consumers have begun taking additional steps to try and prevent fraud and identity theft. When a rental applicant has a freeze on their consumer credit profile you will not be able to receive a copy of their credit report unless the freeze is suspended or lifted.If you are moving forward with requesting a credit report from your applicant then be sure they know to suspend the freeze with the bureau(s) you intend to receive their credit from. Having the applicant lift the freeze for a seven day period should be sufficient timing for you and any other potential properties they apply for to run their credit.Direct your applicants to these resources to temporarily lift a credit freeze.ExperianTransUnionEquifax22. Do you have an idea of what your credit looks like?If your rental applicant’s credit is a big factor in your decision then this is your opportunity to get an idea of whether they will qualify for your criteria. Simply being able to answer affirmatively to this question could be a good sign that they attempt to be responsible about their financials, and care about the status of the accounts reported. Alternatively, this might be related to any negative reasons that might have pushed them to place a credit freeze on their consumer profile.23. Have you filed for bankruptcy within the past 7 years?A bankruptcy on an applicant’s credit might be a major black cloud that prevents them from obtaining various types of credit, but it shouldn’t be an immediate red flag for renting property. Everyone needs a place to live, and bankruptcy might be the result of a multitude of reasonable causes that won’t have any impact on their ability to pay the rent on time. Moving to a rental property after filing for either chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcies can be common; however, it can wreak havoc on the applicant’s credit score.Being aware of a prior bankruptcy can help you prepare for weighing the rest of your applicant’s credit and background check more heavily rather than relying too much on a high credit score. Being aware of this information can also help you determine whether you may be willing to permit a conditional approval based on either an increased security deposit or even a co-signer.24. Have you been convicted of a crime that would violate our rental criteria?On average, 20% of rental applicants have a criminal record that will appear as part of their background check. While you should be wary of applicants with criminal records, it’s also advisable that you should be more specific about the types of criminal transgressions that will violate your rental criteria.For example, having a stipulation in your rental criteria against approving applicants with a prior felony on their record is too broad of a policy in most cases. What one state considers a felony, another might view as an infraction or not even a crime. A better policy is to specify the types of crimes that will result in an immediate denial should they appear in the background check.Common types of offenses to avoid:Violent FeloniesSex OffensesFelony Property Damage25. How many eviction judgments and filings have you had within the last 7 years?First and foremost this question should be tailored to work with your state’s laws. Oregon, as an example, only allows reporting of eviction records for the past 5 years while most other states permit 7 years of history to be reported.Avoiding the potential of a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response by phrasing this question as it’s shown can also improve the potential of getting a more honest answer. While an eviction filing is not proof of eviction, it does help provide objective proof that an applicant may not be as stable or reliable as they seem. A history of eviction filings is a good indicator that the applicant has been a troublesome tenant to previous landlords.This is also a good time to mention that credit reports do not include eviction records. In the past, the credit report may have included some public records if they were related to a monetary judgment from an eviction, however that changed in 2017 with the introduction of the National Consumer Assistance Plan (NCAP). Most civil judgment data and more than half of tax lien data have now been removed from credit reports to comply with the bureau’s heightened requirements for improving data accuracy.26. Is there any additional information that may appear on a credit and background check that I should be aware of?The more you can get your applicant talking, the more information you might be able to obtain without even trying. Asking open-ended questions like these may not lead to much conversation, but they may also divulge interesting information you hadn’t thought to ask about.With regards to your rental applicant’s credit and background check a common response might be about medical debt. This would provide you with an opportunity to inform the applicant that medical debt is factored into credit reports differently. Experian actually doesn’t provide past due medical tradelines unless the account is more than 180 days past due, or has been sent off to a collection agency, in which case it would show up as a collection account.27. Will you be fine to pay the lease application fee of ($XX.xx) per person applying for this property?There is no such thing a joint credit reports on rental applicants, and that’s certainly not an option for criminal and eviction background checks. The only exception is if they are under the age of 18. Verify what your tenant screening costs will be, and add any additional application fees you might find reasonable. When establishing your application fee be sure to check whether your state or region has any caps on the max that can be charged for this process.28. Do you have an active checking and/or savings account?This is one of the more invasive and seemingly unnecessary questions on this list but hear us out. This is a great recommendation from BiggerPocket’s list of rental questions, and it’s worth considering for your options to pre-screen rental applicants.As Brandon Turner from BiggerPockets puts it, “having a bank account does not magically make your prospective tenant more responsible; however, not having a bank account is a definite sign that something might be amiss.” This question shouldn’t be a make or break for your applicant’s potential at being approved, but it should be something you’re aware of when determining their qualification for your property.As a good follow up to this question, supposing they answer in the affirmative to having one or both accounts, you can inquire about the approximate balance in the account(s). This can be an off-putting question to your applicant, but your job here is to determine whether this individual can (and will) be financially secure and responsible enough to ensure you get paid every month. Having little to no financial security blanket in their account(s) should factor into your determination of how risky this applicant might be when it comes to ‘that time of the month.’29. Will you be able to pay all move-in costs upon the lease signing, including first and last month’s rent, as well as a security deposit, if required?Unlike whether your applicant has any bank accounts, this question actually should be one of your make or break questions before moving ahead. This one should also be right in your wheelhouse. Renting out a property is a business, and businesses run on money. If the applicant can’t pay what you are asking, and you aren’t willing to make concessions that work better for them, then it’s time to part ways.30. Do you have any additional information you would like to provide that can be helpful in making my decision?Another open-ended question that might help this process go smoothly and make you feel more confident about whatever decision you make. This question might end up leading to the tiebreaker if you have multiple applicants that qualify for the same property.31. Do you have any questions for me?As with any good interview, you should offer the opportunity for your applicant to learn more about you and what they are applying for.By incorporating a mixture of these questions that best support your rental criteria you are sure to improve the odds of speeding along the application process. The result is more reliable tenants, happier investment clients, less stress managing a rental property, or even happier applicants who don’t spend money on an application fee for a property they won’t be approved for.For the applicants that do meet with your qualifications enough to warrant a credit report and background check, try ApplyConnect – a no-cost solution to tenant screening. Your free account provides you with access to marketing resources that help promote properties, useful legal tools to protect you and your assets, and the ability for applicants to share their complete nationwide credit and background check.

I'm answering this question as "how can it be done" rather than a spreadsheet and cost analysis. I think the truth is "how" and "why" it will happen can't be separated.This is a hard one to answer because the answer is outside the box... outside our normal thinking when it comes to things going on in space. Huge projects like the Moon project involving hundreds of thousands of people all working towards one single specific goal aren't likely to be the way we colonize off Earth. But we can take a lesson from the Moon program. Incremental advances building on incremental advances.Fifteen years ago if I'd said we'd all be carrying around powerful personal computers capable of HD video conferencing from anywhere and our kids would grow up carrying them and not be able to envision life without them... well, here we are. We went from suitcase phone to flip phone to small cell phone to phone with expanded functions to small personal computers capable of video conferencing. At each step, you'd doubt the next.The first commercial astronaut was a 63-year-old high school drop out flying a spacecraft whose construction more closely resembled a fiberglass boat than the Space Shuttle. It was stick and rudder with no hydraulics and minimum avionics. Its RCS thrusters used air from a scuba tank. Its rocket burned old tires and laughing gas and it floated home on a modified wing called a feather... it had no heat shield... It was built by 20 people in the desert. Oh ya, he didn't wear a pressure suit. Would you have bet on this 15 years ago? Would it have sounded reasonable?Kids are sending toys to the edge of space and back on balloons. When do you think one of them will put a kid built rocket on one of those balloons and send their pet rabbit on a suborbital flight? Something it took a superpower to do 60 years ago.It's not the technology at this time but the way we see the technology... the things we decide to do with it... the artificial constraints our thinking imply.NASA created technology and visions of the future that weren't seen as important by private industry. It developed management for a huge organization of flawed humans doing what many saw... see as impossible. In spite of some occasional bad press when something science needs figuring out everyone in the world thinks of NASA. It's one of humanities crown jewels. It has changed our understanding of our place in the universe. It's given us new options.In the last few years, the understanding that our existence could end on any day has gone planet-wide. Twenty years ago making that statement was seen as a radical assertion— even as it was acknowledged as true. Our collective thinking has changed.That realization among space intelligentsia started some thinking about what to do about extinction and what the future in space looked like. One of those people was Gerard O'Neill. He formulated an entirely new human ecosystem. He changed the thinking of a generation of space enthusiasts who grew up with the space program and turned them into space activists. They had a mission... save humankind.A few years later that change in our thinking has led to the growth of the private space industry. Entrepreneurs who grew up watching government space programs are willing to invest their fortunes in space ventures with no traditional justification. They have created the notion that regular people can go into space and do something... maybe one of those things would be to vacation on orbit or maybe go to Mars. Go to Mars and colonize it. Go to Mars and terraform it.These are ideas that were on the edge just a few years ago. Now they are accepted as almost mainstream even if far off in the future.The change in our thinking these space entrepreneurs have created have led to ideas like the Google Lunar Xprize intended to land rovers on the Moon by 2015. The 25 odd contestants are the modern equivalent of high-end rocket clubs 10 years ago. They are spending quite a bit of money to get their 'bots to the Moon but its nothing compared to what the superpowers spent a few years ago.Significantly... they are dependent in part on larger organizations. SpaceX, for example, is offering launch services to help make this happen. NASA is helping. Universities are involved. Individuals employed by corporations during the week are advising. Advancement in space is becoming a cooperative effort apart from the military industrial complex.Our thinking is evolving to a more populist egalitarian outlook on things space where the emphasis is on developing space to improve the human condition. This is where we are at today.What will Island Three cost?We are just now gaining experience with what this new phase in space development will cost so it's hard to put a price on it. The Google Lunar Xprize is the first step toward building Island One... O'Neill's vision is quietly underway.This is my prediction.I believe we will see several groups land rovers on schedule... on the Moon in 2015. (the first of these headed to the moon in 2019. It crashed on the moon in the last mile. Israeli Lunar Lander )Somewhere between 2020 and 2025, you'll see a group of colonial astronauts land a nuclear reactor similar to what we use in submarines on the Moon near a lava tube. They will leave on a one-way mission to plug the ends of that lava tube, seal it up and pressurize it using gases extracted from lunar sources using ample power from the reactor. Power is life in space.This is the next logical step for organizations participating in the Google Lunar Xprize. The people who leave on that mission are not going to go for commercial reasons. It will be possible with the help of the same people who are helping with the Lunar Xprize.They may endure horrible conditions that exceed what is seen as humanly possible. They may live for a week or two in their space suits but there are people who could meet that challenge if that's what it took —its been done before. I would volunteer for that mission. Whatever the conditions are they won’t meet traditional standards for health or safety... but they will go, get the reactor working, the lava tube sealed and filled with breathable gas.They will also leave with letters of intent... agreements to produce products from Earthbound companies once they fill that cavern with air. They may leave with agreements to lease space in the new colony but it will be financed by their will, blood and vision. Build it and they will come. Commerce will come. People will come. Plants and animals will come. Lava tubes will fill with life.The Moon is a harsh mistress. Its gravity is low and may not be enough to keep us healthy. We won't know every drawback until we get there. There will be a drive to continue spreading out from the Lunar foothold financed by commerce carried out in and around the Moon by Lunar colonists. There is plenty to do. Telescopes, asteroid deflection, rental space, research, manufacturing... there are many things to do and we'll have a basic infrastructure to expand operations.Maybe we'll use some sort of 3D printing technology [likely] or maybe compress and fire a sort of ceramic lego brick out of lunar regolith or maybe we'll send a 'bot out to Saturn to grab a chunk of ice... melt it and make a giant bubble with air inside and then freeze it again. There's a way to build Island One for a lot less than conventional wisdom would cost it. We can build Island One with fewer than 1000's of workers old school estimates by the military industrial complex might cost it.Island Three was planned to follow Island Two and Island One. Each building on the resources created for and from the previous. Its Island One we need to focus on. We build Island One and Island Three will follow.In that process, the concept of "cost" may also evolve into something very different than we currently have.O'Neill's vision wasn't only about humans living and doing science and research in near Earth normal environments... it was also about elevating the human condition. A main feature that gets overlooked is the resources that our presence in open space can give us access to.In fact, all the resources... energy... materials we currently mine... can be produced so cheaply in such quantity that their cost becomes a minor part of our species economic system. If we are there to take advantage of it. That will bring about a change in our thinking because the expense becomes predominantly the cost of human participation. Payroll. Creativity.This gives us the opportunity to elevate the 3rd world to 1st world living standards. A world of consumers with expendable income. Right now we don't have this option but it is the most important issue facing our species because it directly affects all future standard of living and the environment of the planet.Humans are universe class engineers. We're terraforming our planet and not even trying. Give us an engineering problem and sufficient resources and we will solve it in a galactic second.Right now... our only choice for solving our species and our planet's problems depends on social engineering.Cultures are different and humans don't do lock-step very well. So we regularly mobilize logistic and engineering miracles to wage war for the sake of culture and resources. We could engineer our way out of the planetary confinement and limited resources that is killing us and everything around us.Let's get more. Its 100 miles away. It takes the same amount of energy to reach the asteroid belt as it does to reach Earth orbit. We could create a project plan and a schedule and give the 3rd world a date in which their children will have 1st world opportunities.When we found water everywhere we looked— it changed what we can do in space. If you have to transport everything you need from the Earth it means governments are the only institutions that can afford it. The infrastructure to transport everything is enormous and only a lucky few get to use it on the Moon or Mars. Now we just need to send the equipment to produce what we need on site.To date, all space programs have been confined to supporting the lucky few doing research and exploration. That needs to change because it does nothing to save humanity and Earth's biology from the next extinction event. We know how to do it and the resources are there. We need to change our way of thinking.We need to change our priority from exploration and research- to getting as many people living off Earth as we can as fast as we can.This doesn't stop research and exploration it facilitates it. It's simply another one of those changes in the way we think. We can go to Mars and support those missions better.It's not an exaggeration to say that it creates infinite new vistas for all the life that evolved on Earth.We won't build worlds like Island Three out of the gate but after the first Island One habitat is built the "cost" turns to "investment" and "revenue" and "a better life for humans" that grows every time we build another.Island Two- from an engineering point of view -is only different from Island One in scale. Island Three may need technology learned from the first two. But "cost" in an economy where energy and resources are an inconsequential part of the expense is different.The technology will come naturally when the currency of our economy is human creativity. What will we do with our wealth besides create when that is the easiest activity... the path of least resistance... the place where reward lies?It will transform our concept "cost" and "economy" in the same way our concept of what is possible in space today has changed in the last 10 years... simply because we found water everywhere.We have to build Island One, then Island Two, then Island Three- because the wealth they produce is so great we can't afford not to. It will be no different than the expense to build a plant to produce clean water is today.Anyone that can see this future has a responsibility to promote it. Not because it's easy. Because it's hard. Because it's true. Because we are the first generations that can assure humankind's survival into the far future. Because we owe it to all the humans not yet born.----------------------Links and picts for new to O'Neill colonies...O'Neill Biohttp://ssi.org/the-life-of-gerard-k-oneill/Space Studies Institutehttp://ssi.org/Space Settlements: A Design Study [1975]http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/75SummerStudy/Table_of_Contents1.htmlThe first pictures are Gerard O'Neill's designs. The last couple are updated designs. Nobody knows which will be the first constructed. It will probably be contingent on the construction methods available on site.O'Neill's Island OneO'Neill's Island TwoO'Neill's Island ThreeStandford's Torus Island OneStandford's Torus Island TwoAgriculture