[mgforshort]

A realtor told us that when a home is sold in Bella Vista, the septic tank must be crushed and the home needs to be hooked up to the city sewage system, if it's available on that particular street.
The cost is $ 7 K, plus or minus, and takes a few days.
The procedure is part of the sale - buy process.

I don't mind paying that if the house is good for us otherwise, but I'd like to get more details, if you have any.

Our home is on septic in Paradise, and I understand the system. The home did NOT burn, nevertheless we want to sell and get out of California by April 2019 the latest; preferably sooner.

[duke944]

Not too many houses have sewer available so this most likely won't be an issue. If I found a house that needed to sewer conversion I'd ask the seller to cover it. The market here is pretty soft right now, lots of homes to choose from.

[nmnita]

Duke is right and so is the advise you were given. There are very few homes, mostly on the east side I think that have sewer availability. And I have heard you do need to hook up if you live in the sewer area. I know what you mean about septic tanks. We are very happy with ours here in BV.

BTW: i am so happy your home was spared. I don't know if my mom and dads old homes were saved. They are a couple on Honey Run and their last house was on Camilia. Also their church was the Episcopal church

[mgforshort]

Thanks, Nita.
If you have time, search for "Camp Fire structure status." This is an interactive map. They have photos of the ruins, but no pictures for the survivors. Burned is red, intact is black. You can type in the address.
I estimate that several hundred homes escaped without a scratch. Even the trash cans stand in front of the garage. This fire does its damage in mysterious ways.

Unfortunately, we still can't drive in to Paradise, the police closed all roads to the residents; everyone else with a badge or camera is allowed.
Reading Nextdoor, the people are becoming increasingly angry at the government.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

Thanks, Nita.
If you have time, search for "Camp Fire structure status." This is an interactive map. They have photos of the ruins, but no pictures for the survivors. Burned is red, intact is black. You can type in the address.
I estimate that several hundred homes escaped without a scratch. Even the trash cans stand in front of the garage. This fire does its damage in mysterious ways.

Unfortunately, we still can't drive in to Paradise, the police closed all roads to the residents; everyone else with a badge or camera is allowed.
Reading Nextdoor, the people are becoming increasingly angry at the government.

Thanks for the info. I will probably give it a shot and am so sorry you are still not able to return home. to me, this is just beyond belief. Prayers to all of you.

[mgforshort]

Duke944, I appreciate the time you spent answering. Thank You.

Here is another question: some homes have propane, others electric heat.
Which is the preferred ?

Are wood stoves allowed - popular in Bella Vista?

(If you care to know, in our Paradise home we have central heat and air, natural gas and electric, plus a natural gas fireplace and natural gas stove. Wood stoves are common, but we don't have one. Our highest bill for gas/electric was $ 302 in January 2018. 2 bedrooms, 1,700 sq. feet house.)

[duke944]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

Duke944, I appreciate the time you spent answering. Thank You.

Here is another question: some homes have propane, others electric heat.
Which is the preferred ?

Are wood stoves allowed - popular in Bella Vista?

(If you care to know, in our Paradise home we have central heat and air, natural gas and electric, plus a natural gas fireplace and natural gas stove. Wood stoves are common, but we don't have one. Our highest bill for gas/electric was $ 302 in January 2018. 2 bedrooms, 1,700 sq. feet house.)

I'm grappling with this a bit myself right now on whether to add a propane furnace for dual heating. I've spent most of my life in cold winter climates but always had natural gas for heating. Here in Bella Vista, I would consider this a midwest winter, were you can see a few days near or even below zero for lows but lots of days below 20 degrees. This would be over approx 4 months. It's definately colder than I expected but the good news is there has been no snow to speak of.
We have a heat pump only and a propane fireplace, one of my neighbors has the same heat pump set up but wtih back up propane furnace for dual heat. Trane xl20i (which is considered a very nice unit). What happens below around 40 degrees with me is the blower fan goes into high mode and luke warm air comes out the vents, and there are heat strips inside the air handler that provide the heat. This is much more expensive than running it in ac mode in the summer, my winter elec bills are around 2x summer bills ($100-$125 summer, $200-$275 winter). This to me isn't bad considering there is no gas bill. Because propane is so expensive my neighbor pays about the same amounts throughout the year but the difference is instead of luke warm air coming out on high speed all day/night when it's cold he has propane kick in under around 40 degrees. This is much like natural gas, where you have hot air coming out every now and then. This isn't saving any money when you add the propane costs in, but it makes for a much more comfortable house so that would be my preference. The other option would be to have a propane furnace and an ac unit instead of a heat pump, but this isn't nearly as efficient, as a heat pump can keep the house warm down to low 40s at a minimal electric cost. Propane is very expensive compared to natural gas, to rely on it totally for heat wouldn't be the best choice.

On fireplaces in Bella Vista - I had never heard of vent free fireplaces before, and I consider them totally unusable. When I gave mine a try it put out great heat but it was like you drug your bbq grill into the living room- the smell was horrible and i had a headache after about 2 minutes. I replaced it myself with a direct vent fireplace, cost me around $1300 total for the fireplace and parts. Bella vista is full of vent free fireplaces, which aren't even legal in many states including California. I consider them nothing more than props to sell houses, as they are by far the cheapest fireplaces to install and are unusable. You can tell a vent free because it uses propane for fuel and the front is open with a steel mesh curtain. Direct vent fireplaces have a sheet of glass between the room and fireplace, and direct all the propane fumes to the outside.

In summary: I consider dual system with propane and heat pump a big improvement over just a heat pump, although they do work they don't make for a comfortable house in the winter months. Upgrading would be several grand. When looking at the fireplace, if you want something usable it needs to burn wood or pellets or be a direct vent model.

[mgforshort]

Duke, Thanks for all the details.

Our natural gas fire place in Paradise kept us warm last winter when a part of the furnace broke down. Three days wait for the part alone.
It is vented, has a remote control with a thermostat, and works even when the electric power is down. There are 4 AA batteries which needs to be replaced every second year; a 10-minute job.

It has a blower with 4 speeds, and doesn't smell at all. It will heat without running the blower. The flames are lovely, adjustable height, and sometimes I turn it on low, just to watch.
I lived in Hungary and Germany until I moved here at age 28, and while familiar with the snow and the cold, I became spoiled by living in California in the last 40 years. A big wimp, that's what I became.

[nmnita]

Probably the idea of a combination is a good one but pricey in my estimation. I love our propane fireplace and I think propane has better heat balance as heat pumps can throw out cold air while warming up. But ost wise the propane costs just keep climbing and our electric bill stays pretty balanced year around. We are on a budget plan which helps and our heat pump is new> We replaced it a little over a year ago.

[duke944]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

Duke, Thanks for all the details.

Our natural gas fire place in Paradise kept us warm last winter when a part of the furnace broke down. Three days wait for the part alone.
It is vented, has a remote control with a thermostat, and works even when the electric power is down. There are 4 AA batteries which needs to be replaced every second year; a 10-minute job.

It has a blower with 4 speeds, and doesn't smell at all. It will heat without running the blower. The flames are lovely, adjustable height, and sometimes I turn it on low, just to watch.
I lived in Hungary and Germany until I moved here at age 28, and while familiar with the snow and the cold, I became spoiled by living in California in the last 40 years. A big wimp, that's what I became.

Moving here out of financial necessity? the climate in Paradise is going to be much more moderate than Bella Vista, both summer and winter (especially winter).