Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Did you ever pick up a copy of this book we recommended earlier in the thread? It will help SO much and you’re already doing some of the suggestions by exploring and meeting neighbors
I read this book based on the recommendation here and thoroughly enjoyed it! I thought it had great ideas and insights.
I think part of this could be your not giving the new place a chance. Living somewhere for an extended period of time without unpacking can't be very enjoyable regardless of if your in love with the house.
I would unpack, make the house your own, slap up some paint, hang some drapes, put some pictures on the wall. give it a chance and if in 6 months you still want to move then do it.
I also like being near my father and brother. They seem very happy that I'm here. My father doesn't think he'll live much longer, I think. He keeps giving me food, like satsumas from his trees, homemade jellies, biscuits, turkey breast. I try to tell him not to, but he insists. My brother comes over at least once a week to watch a movie with me. I speak on the phone to them almost every day. I've had some contact with a sister here, as well.
You have a loving family that treasures having you near. I'd live in a decrepit single-wide with cars up on blocks in the world's worst trailer park if I could get a loving family or even ONE affectionate family member. You've got a whole tribe.
I read this book based on the recommendation here and thoroughly enjoyed it! I thought it had great ideas and insights.
No....I put it in my cart, though. I'll go ahead and buy it.
It kind of threw me, when I saw the cover of the paperback, I must say. It's because that's a close facsimile of a house I LOVED but was unable to make an offer on because I wasn't far enough along in the process of selling my house. Seems to me if they wanted to write a book about making a home of wherever you are, they'd put a dump of a house on the cover. LOL. Not that that's what I have. My house is fine. Average, I'd say, except it does have that enormous attic because the style is French (sort of).
Well, I just located it at my local library, so I'll get it from there. Thanks.
I feel like I'm in a movie, now. The saga continues.
I'm getting a third quote for treatment of termites in the trees and a prevention plan. In the meantime:
I've discovered carpenter bees in the wooden playhouse out back.
The Heat Pump needs to be replaced...not cooling. Unit is so old that it'll cost $1k to add freon...it's leaking, so that is a problem. And it's so old and inefficient & rusty that it's not worth all that. Best to get a new unit he says. I agree. I knew it was really old. It won't work properly, anyway...it'll be getting to about 98 degrees this weekend.
$7k new heat pump (getting an off brand, like Rudd)
$1,500 termite treatment
(hope I can treat the carpenter bees myself w/some spray foam)
Auto ins. just paid - went up 33% because of losses by the ins. cos. from last year, they say (flooding)
HO ins. due...up only 10% (not a good policy, or it would be about $500 more)
Will not:
get gutters, so can use that $$ for termite treatment (about same cost)
Cut big tree near house, to save that money.
I feel like I'm in that movie with Tom Hanks...The Money Pit.
I'm not sure where live but depending on your location the gutters may be important. When I bought my house, it had foundation problems which were due in part to lack of gutters. Foundation problems are common where I live so it wasn't the only cause but it was definitely a contributing factor.
Home inspectors must be worth their weight in gold. If someone didn't have a proper home inspection before purchasing........
A home inspection tells you that the unit is working at the time. And nothing is against code. Nothing more. It was obvious it was an old unit that was at its life expectancy. The inspector noted a rusty pan in the attic and provided pics of anything questionable or not up to snuff.
As I said originally, I made a big mistake.
The inspector seems to have done an excellent job.
Home inspectors must be worth their weight in gold. If someone didn't have a proper home inspection before purchasing........
The home inspector isn’t going to discover wood destroying organisms. She would have had to have gotten the WDO inspection, which she likely didn’t do since she was buying cash. However, if the OP is moving, I don’t know why she’d get the cheapest off-brand heat pump. People want to buy a home that they know has gotten better quality stuff instead of the cheapest item possible that might break in a year or need constant repairs.
The home inspector isn’t going to discover wood destroying organisms. She would have had to have gotten the WDO inspection, which she likely didn’t do since she was buying cash. However, if the OP is moving, I don’t know why she’d get the cheapest off-brand heat pump. People want to buy a home that they know has gotten better quality stuff instead of the cheapest item possible that might break in a year or need constant repairs.
The house doesn't have termites. A termite inspection inspects the house only.
"She" is getting an off brand (to me...knowing little about heat pumps) because she can't afford the pricier brands. (BTW...as a frugal person, I can tell you that it is not true that you get what you pay for; sometimes the off brands are the same or close to the same.) I hope to sell the house, so there's no point in withdrawing money from my retirement account to pay for a high-end, esp when that doesn't guarantee it'll be much, if any, better. Besides, I bought a Trane a/c unit years ago, and paid top dollar to ensure I got the Trane coil. It needed repairs in just a few years. Nothing major. But nothing that my old, broken down Day-and-Night unit had needed in the years that I used it (it was old when I bought that house).
The new owners will get what most houses in this area doesn't have: a new unit that will work for years while they get settled, until they are ready to spring for top of the line, if they want that. Mine also would come with a transferable warranty. A big plus.
Hey, that old cheap unit off brand sitting out there now is 17 years old. It lasted a very long time.
They'll also get a transferable termite prevention contract, if they choose to keep it up.
They'll also get a house with a couple of years left on the roof. That may be a problem, but not much I can do about that (insurers won't insure a roof that is really old). So I may have that cost, too. $12,000??? Just a guess.
In the meantime..."she" realized that her home warranty hasn't expired yet (and that I have one). I turned in a service request, so we'll see if someone can come out and look at it. If the service guy thinks it can be fixed up, if only temporarily, that's what he'll do, I'm sure, so the co. doesn't have to pay for a new unit.
I haven't decided whether I want to pursue that, or just go ahead and get a new one.
Also in the meantime, I'm going to try to find a reasonably priced portable a/c or window a/c tomorrow (that I can lift), so I and my dog can have one room with cool air. $350?
It looks like selling my house in Dallas, buying down in a lower COL area, and putting the remainder in my savings for retirement wasn't a good idea. Thousands went out the window for items lost or stolen or broken, moving expenses, storage, rent, closing costs, and now I'll have a huge commission. I certainly have learned a thing or two about when people say "Hey, they just need to buy down when they get old, and pocket all that money!" Oh, well. Spilled milk. There's no undoing the mistake. I'll just have to buy down from here and hope I can find something in a good neighborhood.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
