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i wish that was our only payment. holy crap since we bought this house 3 years ago just the odds and ends and general maintaince on a now 5 year old house blows my mind.
there is always something that needs attention,a fuel bill, lawn bill, repair, the list goes on and on.
i wish that was our only payment. holy crap since we bought this house 3 years ago just the odds and ends and general maintaince on a now 5 year old house blows my mind.
there is always something that needs attention,a fuel bill, lawn bill, repair, the list goes on and on.
It does add up when services must be outsourced...
I have detailed records going back many years and was comparing with a neighbor owning the same home on my street.
He outspent me 10 to 1... sure some things were big ticket... like a new kitchen because his wife said theirs was dated... layout stayed the same.
Aside from the kitchen... the big difference is they paid people for things I do myself... guy to clean the gutters, gardner, plumber, painter, fence contractor... etc.
Owning a home opens a new window to unlimited spending possibilities for those so inclined.
Material cost to repair a leaky faucet... $2 Cost to have a plumber do it here is over a $100
Or you can just find yourself a good reliable handyman and use him for jobs you cannot do yourself.
That is one of the things I admire about many Texans and Country People... they tend to by much more self-reliant and have a network of friends and family in place vs city dwellers.
On Mom's Dairy Farm side of the family... all trades are represented.
Many previous renters and first time homeowners fall into the trap of having everything done... they are accustom to calling the Landlord when something needs attention.
Home across the street spends a small fortune with the big name Rooter Sewer guys... hair logs, kids dropping things in the toilet.
I bought them a plunger for a gift... neighbor says it has already saved him hundreds of dollars.
I also gave them the name of a one man shop sewer guy... his work is excellent and less than half what the big guys charge...
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 11-14-2010 at 04:39 PM..
Holy crimney mathjak107. I guess I'm glad to live in Texas.
My second place:
1940's renovated pier and beam, septic and well on 45 acres.
I just went out there this weekend to "winterize"..hose faucet covers and heat set to 45.
Took me 2 years to find an old home that was taken care of over the years but my patience paid off.
That is one of the things I admire about many Texans and Country People... they tend to by much more self-reliant and have a network of friends and family in place vs city dwellers.
On Mom's Dairy Farm side of the family... all trades are represented.
Many previous renters and first time homeowners fall into the trap of having everything done... they are accustom to calling the Landlord when something needs attention.
Home across the street spends a small fortune with the big name Rooter Sewer guys... hair logs, kids dropping things in the toilet.
I bought them a plunger for a gift... neighbor says it has already saved him hundreds of dollars.
I also gave them the name of a man sewer guy... his work is excellent and less than half what the big guys charge...
Well Ultra that seems to be the way it is. If you need something done you ask your neighbors for a recommendation. Reputation and fairness go further than any ad in the paper.
Why not? Because bubbles are not sustainable. Because wages are declining. Because the housing crash came from unaffordable housing prices to begin with.
The fact is despite all the tricks and mirrors, real estate prices are continuing to decline.
Here in California, banks are sitting on a 9 year housing supply at present sales volume.
So long as you have massive supply and poor demand, you will have lower prices.
Hmm, seems to me like most parts of the in-demand parts of California are doing ok in housing prices over the last 6 months. The stuff that isn't moving is the stuff no one really wanted to live in anyways unless they had to because of affordability issues. So yes if you are equating the whole housing market to what is happening in Stockton then you just might be correct for a little while longer.
I rent an apartment for $460 a month. My fridge went out a few months ago. I phoned the office and the maintenance man brought over a new one and plugged it in.
2030 is a long way off, and we don't know what will happen with the mortgage markets, whether they will be privatized again.
i think at the rate we're going in the short term, the dollar is a better bet. i think we still have an asset bubble.
in the long term i think housing is a better bet, just based on how our monetary system works.
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