Thread Number: 69024
/ Tag: Other Home Products or Autos
Coming up on 2 years as a homeowner, some thoughts |
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Post# 918121 , Reply# 1   1/29/2017 at 15:57 (2,614 days old) by moparwash (Pittsburgh,PA )   |   | |
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Post# 918123 , Reply# 2   1/29/2017 at 16:28 (2,614 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O )   |   | |
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Post# 918124 , Reply# 3   1/29/2017 at 16:30 (2,614 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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Well, I'm about 20 years into a house built in '41. It's been an experience. Not only are there yardwork and appliance issues, but also ... foundation work ... refinishing all the hardwood flooring ... repainting the interior ... replacing the carport roof ... replacing huge (13'x 8"x8") carport roof beam that was riddled with termites ... restoring the fish pond ... installing drip irrigation everywhere ... sealing all the leaks to attic and outdoors ... adding about R30 worth of insulation to previously uninsulated attic floor... etc...
The biggest job was doing a seismic retrofit on the foundation, which involved adding more bolts, plywood cripple wall reinforcement panels, and steel clips to help tie everything together. That was a three week vacation one year... The appliances I basically all replaced. Dishwasher, two fridges, replaced electric cooktop with gas, replaced washer and dryer, etc... The two things that I haven't had to replace is is the forced air gas central heating, even though it's from 1983, and the 50 gallon gas water heater, also about the same vintage. Both are doing well, and I've swapped out the anode rod in the water heater twice in the past 20 years. Put it this way... count your blessings you didn't get a fixer-upper. Not that brand new houses don't have their share of issues, as you have discovered. My word of advice is to accelerate principal payments on your mortgage as much as you can. The sooner the better, because it will cut down on the total cost of the loan, especially early on when the interest is a major portion of the monthly payment. I'm assuming you got a great interest rate to begin with, but you might look into a shorter term loan as well, like a 15 year. Usually these have lower interest rates. The downside is it locks you into a certain monthly minimum payment, which is probably higher than your 30 year. Take your pick... |
Post# 918134 , Reply# 5   1/29/2017 at 17:48 (2,614 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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24 accumulated years of ownership (2nd property). There's always something new happening. Just to say ... the two elements on an electric tank water heater typically don't operate simultaneously. This post was last edited 01/29/2017 at 18:41 |
Post# 918137 , Reply# 6   1/29/2017 at 18:14 (2,614 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)   |   | |
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Post# 918149 , Reply# 8   1/29/2017 at 19:16 (2,614 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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Hi, Ben. You were smart to buy a new home. My 1963 is old enough to need a number of expensive updates: New concrete driveway, three doors (including a spendy irregular-sized garage door). New windows and siding also on the list. In light of all this, I'm pretty sure the house will go on the market this spring. Have my eye on a recently redone apartment in an 8-plex with garage. I am so over home ownership.
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Post# 918152 , Reply# 9   1/29/2017 at 19:38 (2,614 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O )   |   | |
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Our goal was to get rid of the mortgage asap so after a few years we switched to bi-weekly payments with the option to add extra against the principle with them.. It was tough though as it seemed my whole paycheck was gone as soon as it got deposited and we lived on his to pay the bills and everything else. I can't see how young people stand a hope in hell these days in some cities with their exorbitant house prices
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Post# 918153 , Reply# 10   1/29/2017 at 19:41 (2,614 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)   |   | |
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Post# 918156 , Reply# 11   1/29/2017 at 19:45 (2,614 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)   |   | |
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Thanks for the report, Washman. It's always interesting reading what you have to say about your home.
I note some comments about apartments above. I've never lived in one, but I've always rented. Ownership is not viable with the finances I've had to date. (Not that there aren't people who don't have the finances to own who still manage to buy something, as many foreclosures have shown...) I frankly have mixed feelings. Part of me would like having something where I make all the rules. Part of me would like something vintage, too. But I despise yard work, and really don't want to have to deal with house maintenance issues. The last factors make me think I'll probably just rent for the duration, and I'll likely eventually end up in an apartment. |
Post# 918158 , Reply# 12   1/29/2017 at 20:25 (2,614 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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Frigilux's Wash-in Of The Century: "Remember to bring your quarters, everyone!"
Here's the seismic shift. The building has a back hallway with laundry hookups for each apartment, but I think a front-loader will have vibration problems on the wood floor. This means that for the first time since the mid-1980's my only washer will be a top-loader. Looks like an electronic-console SQ pair is in my future. |
Post# 918159 , Reply# 13   1/29/2017 at 20:38 (2,614 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Post# 918162 , Reply# 15   1/29/2017 at 20:40 (2,614 days old) by washman (o)   |   | |
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Yes glenn, it is on a 50 amp circuit. |
Post# 918170 , Reply# 16   1/29/2017 at 21:16 (2,614 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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There is so much to be said for home ownership, regardless of what Suze Orman might say. It's the feeling of being king of the castle, I suppose, being able to make a lot of changes, have any legal pet you want, etc etc etc. But with a home comes more responsibility, and you do get to feel tied down to it. At least I do, by them I'm a bit of a pack rat.
3.125 on a 30 is a great rate. I'm currently paying the same on a 10 year, which I refinanced about four years ago (or more, I forget!). It was a no cost refi, so no points and no closing costs, which I figured is best in my situation where I refinanced regularly. I probably could have gotten it refinanced last year for 2.75 for another 10 year, but I did the math and figured while it might save me maybe $500 in interest, it wasn't worth the hassle, and the time lag between the cash out refi and putting all that cash back in can work to defeat the purpose of paying it off quicker. In your situation, I'm not sure you could get a lower rate with a 15 or a 10, even with points. So you have the luxury, so to speak, of making larger monthly payments at your discretion, and falling back to the lower minimum payment should your income situation change. So I'm on schedule to pay it off by June 2019. Earlier if I start putting more $$$ into it. Which I may do when I retire, just to be free of the monthly mortgage. There is something to be said about hanging onto a loan with low interest, but on the other hand the peace of mind of being paid off is even better. Plus there are various legal financial reasons why having a home on lives in free and clear with correspondingly lower liquid assets may actually be advantageous in some situations ... (like bankruptcy, lawsuits, Medicaid, Medicare assistance, etc...). |
Post# 918239 , Reply# 19   1/30/2017 at 09:18 (2,613 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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Well, the last rental I had before I bought a home, I had to fix the appliances myself. When I told the landlady that the fridge was constantly breaking down and needed to be replaced, her response was that she was going to remove it and not provide a fridge for the rental, so I could buy my own. ! I learned also not to call her about any problems, because she'd hire some disreputable "handyman" who would wind up screwing things up more than they fixed.
I lived there 12 unpleasant years before I bought a house. In the new house, the two fridges worked OK (two kitchens) but I wound up replacing both to cut back electricity consumption to 1/3 of what the old ones cost. Everyone's situation is different. Home ownership is a responsibility and not for everyone. |
Post# 918271 , Reply# 20   1/30/2017 at 13:32 (2,613 days old) by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)   |   | |
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Post# 918278 , Reply# 21   1/30/2017 at 14:10 (2,613 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)   |   | |
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Yes, home ownership is a full time job! There is always something to do, repair, replace, clean, fix or buy. But after almost 30 yrs of owning our own home we would never rent again. We knew that paying off our mortgage before I retired, or shortly thereafter was an important part of having a secure retirement. If we hadn't done so we wouldn't be able to continue to afford to live where we have both lived all our lives. The rent is out of sight here in Sonoma Co. Even the most ratty 1 bedroom apt commands at least $1500.00 per mo. rent. Since we have our home pd for we just have the property tax and HOA dues as a monthly expense, which is way less than the $2,000.00, or more that it would cost to rent a comparable home. Granted, we do have to pay for any interior maintanance, the exterior maintanance is covered by the HOA. And we have replaced our water heater, all the faucets, sinks, carpets and kitchen and bathroom flooring, windows, front door, all the interior door hardware(because we wanted a change), the stove and refrigerator. But these expenses have been spread out over 22 years of ownership, and haven't been crippling financially.
The most important thing any mortgage holder can do is PAY EXTRA towards the principal each and every mo.! This works out more effectively than one big extra payment per year because the interest charged is being correspondingly lowered every mo too this way. But if one can only manage the one big extra payment per mo. that is still better than paying only the reg paymt amt. We pd 1/12th extra pymt per mo., every mo. Also, when we got the PMI dropped, we added the that amt. extra to the paymt every mo. too. I also kept a running tally of what the principal bal was at all times and how much the monthly interest charge was. As soon as we reached the point where the mort interest and prop tax, combined with any other deductable exp weren't enough to be more than the IRS stand, deduct. amt. we paid that sucker off with funds we had been saving for just this purpose. And, yes this did require discipline and sacrifice, but there is no comparison for the peace of mind that a paid for home gives you. And at the end of the mortgage, instead of a fist full of rent receipts we have a nest egg worth over $300,000.00. If we should ever reach the point where home ownership is too much for us, we can sell and the nest egg can easily pay for housing for the rest of our lives. Eddie |
Post# 918288 , Reply# 23   1/30/2017 at 15:19 (2,613 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Post# 918289 , Reply# 24   1/30/2017 at 15:25 (2,613 days old) by gredmondson (San Francisco, California 94117 USA)   |   | |
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Home ownership was a great thing for me financially (I was just lucky because of geography and timing) and emotionally, and then, after the family was gone, the emotional payoff went to zero. There was a time when I LIKED mowing the lawn (and even buying a lawnmower), but that time has passed.
So now, I rent a room in a large house with two roommates who own the house. They take care of everything, of course, and there is also a cleaning lady once a week. So my home obligations are very low. (That reminds me that I have to flip my laundry). Half of my children are buying homes. I think it is part of the American Dream, and I hope it works as well for them as it did for me. |
Post# 918500 , Reply# 25   1/31/2017 at 19:04 (2,612 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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Here's another home ownership joy: Landscaping.
At the back of my property is a chain link fence that's about 12 feet high. It's been overgrown with English ivy, which looks better than the chain link, I suppose, but it's a real PITA. I have to get on tall ladders to keep it trimmed. A few years back I got up there and removed the barbed wire at the top of the chain link - it was making trimming the ivy impossible, and sections at the top of the fence posts (columns, really) were supporting the growth of ivy trees. Anyway, I have been putting off with the ivy trimming this past year, and yesterday I decided to deal with some of it (along the driveway, only 6' high there) and got our the trusty Echo 30" single sided hedge trimmer. Well, I remember it was acting up the last time I used it, and this time it refused to rev. It idled OK, but as soon as the throttle was opened, it would die, even after warming up. I wound up taking apart the carburetor, found some stuff I didn't like, soak it in cleaner for a few hours and got online and ordered a rebuild kit and a spare carb. Just in case. Only about $45 shipped. Today at lunch I put the carb back together (now very clean) but it still wouldn't start. Wouldn't even idle. Took out the spark plug, and noticed it seems to be kind of resisting unscrewing. Plug was soaked with gas so blew it off. After a lot of fumbling around for the right plug wrench (it's a 19mm plug), couldn't get it back in. That's when I noticed IT. IT as a crack in the motor case between the plug area and the fins. I couldn't get a good view of how extensive the crack was, but I'd seen enough. I remembered that in the past I'd at least once dropped the trimmer from atop the ladder. It landed in a pile of ivy trimmings so I didn't think too much about it. But it must have started cracking from that impact. I still need to trim the ivy at the driveway so I'll get out my older electric trimmer and use that. Today is the last dry day for about six days, you see. Then later on I'll be back at HD or elsewhere to replace the Echo. I like it a lot so I'll be looking for the same thing. What I really need is a hedge trimming drone. LOL. |
Post# 918506 , Reply# 26   1/31/2017 at 19:22 (2,612 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)   |   | |
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Your problem seems to be the same I had with my Echo trimmer. Problem was the crap they put into gas now gums everything up within weeks and my neighbor said go to Lowes and fill it with the gas you get there without that ethanol crap. Dumped the old gas out, put the canned stuff from Lowes, (forgot what its called) and it started on the first and every pull since. A quart is like 5 bucks and it saves alot of frustration.
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Post# 918514 , Reply# 27   1/31/2017 at 20:31 (2,612 days old) by Supersuds (Knoxville, Tenn.)   |   | |
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Lowes tried to sell me some Husqvarna-branded gas in a quart can, though as I recall it was more like eight bucks a quart. No thanks. I know of a couple of stations that sell ethanol-free gas for a lot less than $32 a gallon! I've had no problems so far.
English ivy is the worst. I have a running battle to keep it in check. It's on a neighboring church property and has to be whacked back across the property line a couple of times a year. They are also letting it grow on some trees which will eventually be killed by it. I wouldn't care but it kind of worries me that they'll fall on my house one of these days...as ea56 says, it's always something. |
Post# 918516 , Reply# 28   1/31/2017 at 20:36 (2,612 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)   |   | |
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Well, yes and no. The basics from the 1890-1920s in our house are repairable and enormously better quality than the stuff from the mid-50s. Everything from the mid-80s through the end of the 20th century was trash. Recent electrical and plumbing is pretty decent. Windows, doors - you get what you pay for. Paint? Glidden is now junk. Sherwin-Williams OK, but not worth the price.
Insulation? Way better. Appliances? Worthless.
Generally speaking, the quality of construction materials (mainly due to quality control) is much higher than for many decades. Just, way too many companies are using that consistently high quality to cut corners, expecting the good materials to carry the extra load.
I'd say my parents' home from the late '30s was about the best level of quality I've ever seen.
Of course, I'm biased. My company gets called in when something goes wrong, not when something works right. |
Post# 918519 , Reply# 29   1/31/2017 at 21:24 (2,612 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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Nah, it's not the gas. It's the big crack in the motor block.
I'll be disassembling the shrouding around the motor to see just how bad it its, but even without that I can see the block is cracked inside the plug threads. And I was not able to screw the plug back in straight. Not good. That'll teach me for subjecting it to 12 foot drops... LOL... Well, better to drop the hedge trimmer than myself. I did have a choice. Next time I might attach a cord to it, but I'd rather not have it swing back and bite me. It's got a pretty aggressive set of cutters on it. UPDATE: Good news! The motor block is not cracked. Just the one fin. I was eventually able to use a curved pick and restore the plug bore threads on the block and got a new spark plug to go in straight. The best news is that after all that, the thing started up just fine and revved willingly. Well, as willingly as its low emissions carb would let it. So it's back in business. Which is great. About 15 years ago I paid less than $250 at Home Depot for this 30" single sided Echo hedge trimmer. Just checked, the same size in an Echo or other brand now costs more than double that, $550. It looks like the carb rebuild kit and the spare carb won't go to waste, as they will fit the now working again HC-201. Before I got the Echo running again, I wound up using the B&D "Hedgehog" to trim the ivy choking the runoff area on the courtyard. But it choked on the stuff growing on top of the 6' high chain link there. That's a job for the big Echo. Tomorrow the rain is not supposed to start until late, say 9 pm, so I might be able to use the Echo to tame the ivy in that area after work before it gets dark. The 12' high fence in the back will have to wait for a longer dry spell... Oh, yes, the joys of home ownership. I really detest English Ivy now. In fact I'm a bit allergic to it, and have to wear a full face respirator when I get into the heavy stuff. After all this rain the small amount I did today didn't bother me, but the little hairs on the leaves and stems have my eyes burning and my throat choking during dry weather. If I could I'd poison all the ivy on all the fences here, but the neighbors might revolt. The one in the condo in the back closest to 12' fence complained when I trimmed the ivy trees on top of it! I guess the ivy adds some privacy, but the same thing could be accomplished with slatting or other screening. Plus the birds eat the ivy berries and crap them all over the place, so I'm constantly weeding out rogue ivy in all sorts of inconvenient places. Sigh. This post was last edited 01/31/2017 at 23:50 |
Post# 918570 , Reply# 32   2/1/2017 at 08:42 (2,611 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)   |   | |
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We're over 6,000FT (We're at exactly 1900M, down to the third decimal point, to be exact!). Have to be extremely careful to buy gasoline with NO alcohol and NO detergent, etc. It's tough. Tougher, getting casual labor using the post-hole digger to follow that rule. I loath replacing fuel lines and carbs because some ding-dong can't read the labels on the tools and the fuel tanks. Alcohol is OK in a motor vehicle with a smart computer which can compensate. It's death for power tools. |
Post# 918596 , Reply# 34   2/1/2017 at 10:47 (2,611 days old) by dermacie (my forever home (Glenshaw, PA))   |   | |
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My home was in a neighborhood that became gentrified and it is how my first house became my second. I was nearly forced out by hipsters and thankfully was paid a handsome price for it.
So two years later a new to me volkswagen and a spacious 1960s split level with a two car garage is now my dream home. I put a new furnace and a/c by York. It needs other work but all in all not bad. Paid off too. |
Post# 918605 , Reply# 35   2/1/2017 at 12:44 (2,611 days old) by washman (o)   |   | |
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No hipsters in my 'hood. I'm probably on the younger side of the age spectrum.
I'm confident I own more union made products than anyone in my 'hood.
Yo! |
Post# 918620 , Reply# 36   2/1/2017 at 14:39 (2,611 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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I can't imagine how hipsters could force a homeowner out of their abode, unless there were other issues (like behind in payments, etc.). Of course there's always lawsuits.
I'm probably the hippest dude on my block, which is not saying much. Mostly older retired or new Asian/Central American homeowners. The only problems seem to emanate from the renters, one house in particular. But even that has died down. I'll probably be here until I become too invalid. Hopefully that's a long way off. I might put in some ramps and widen the garden pathways in the meantime. You never know. |
Post# 918623 , Reply# 37   2/1/2017 at 15:05 (2,611 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O )   |   | |
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Post# 918628 , Reply# 38   2/1/2017 at 15:23 (2,611 days old) by dermacie (my forever home (Glenshaw, PA))   |   | |
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Post# 918637 , Reply# 39   2/1/2017 at 17:05 (2,611 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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Ah yes, good old property taxes.
Here in Cali we have Prop 13, which is supposed to limit property tax assessments to value at time of purchase or 1975 value, whichever is later, unless there's something like a 3/4 voter approval for increases. And subsequent tax assessment increases are limited to 2% per year. So you can wind up with a tax assessment that is a lot less than the market value. As long as the home isn't under water. But cities and counties have found an end run around that, by putting bond bills before the public, which get tacked onto the annual property tax bill as fees that can't be tax deducted. Kind of a rip, almost enough to make me go Republican. Not quite. In any case, my prop tax bill, including everything (It has sewer charges on it) went from about $2500/yr in '97 to about $4200 this past year. I think. Still, it's not quite as bad as I read about in some other states. I am counting on some sort of property tax control for retirement. Also Cali just reinstated a prop tax deferral program, which is contingent on income and age but could help a lot of people stay in their homes as they age. The deferral comes due at death or sale of home. With interest, of course... |
Post# 918654 , Reply# 40   2/1/2017 at 18:25 (2,611 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)   |   | |
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Post# 918670 , Reply# 41   2/1/2017 at 19:55 (2,611 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)   |   | |
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Post# 918708 , Reply# 43   2/1/2017 at 23:03 (2,611 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN)   |   | |
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One way to help make that extra payment per year is to divide that one extra payment by 12 and add that amount to your actual payment. That's what I used to do. Payment was $600 so I sent $50 extra - $650 each month. Same difference but much easier than forking out an extra $600. I'm down to $2300 balance on our house. Had intended on paying it off this month but Tony got pneumonia and he fell a couple weeks ago and broke his collar bone...I had to take FMLA for a week so that shortened my paycheck without shift diff added into it. It will be paid off in 5 months anyway if I just ride it out. Then the fun begins....a new roof, new floors, already replaced the bedroom doors, need new entry doors, new windows, vinyl siding, replace some of the rafters on the patio, more insulation, need a concrete driveway, taking down the pool.....this house is 61 years old. I wish I had a new one but don't want a new mortgage. |
Post# 918785 , Reply# 45   2/2/2017 at 14:48 (2,610 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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From wha I've read, a new home is no guarantee of a problem free existence. Bad sheetrock, aluminum wiring, substandard plumbing, fake stucco, flooded basements, etc. have made the news over the past few decades.
It may be like buying a car... get a house that's five to 10 years old, where all the warranty problems have been sorted out and disclosure laws let you know if there are any lingering issues... although homes don't generally tend to depreciate like cars... |
Post# 918817 , Reply# 46   2/2/2017 at 20:19 (2,610 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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My current severe spine condition often finds me in front of the computer at 2 or 3 AM trying to find something to take my mind off of the pain. This thread is really very interesting. I can relate to many of the situations that face house and apartment dwellers. To add my 2 cents to the conversation...after having owned a relatively new home outright for over 16 years (by myself), I've discovered that even without a mortgage you never really "own" the house. It continues to own you.
I do thank all the members who have posted comments here. |
Post# 918819 , Reply# 47   2/2/2017 at 20:30 (2,610 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)   |   | |
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Joe, you should have the same pain reliever as I do and if I was the Doctor Portrayal on tv, I would endorse medical pot. Legal here, legal there. It certainly works for my ankle mess. I refuse to take any more pills. This works for me. I am alive, doing fine no pain and not messed up. What more can you ask for.
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Post# 918820 , Reply# 48   2/2/2017 at 21:01 (2,610 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)   |   | |
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I agree with Tim about pot for pain. I had my right hip replaced this past June. I have been using medical MJ for almost 2 years for the arthritis pain and it really helps. I can't stand the effects of opioids and I refused to take any during the recovery from my hip replacement. My Kaiser doctor was completely OK with this, but I guess Kaiser won't allow their doctors to prescribe medical MJ. No problem, I just went online and did an appt. with a doctor on Hello MD, the doctor does the interview and approval via an app like Skyp for $49.00!
The medical MJ dispensary is walking distance from my home, very convenient. I had my left hip replaced in 2005 and believe me this time was so much easier. The medical MJ improves my frame of mind and really does help reduce the pain. I just took Tylenol for any residual pain during my recovery. The doctors were all impressed with how quickly I bounced back. I went home the day after the surgery and was able to go up and down our stairs as aften as I needed to. By the end of the 3rd week I was walking without even having to use a cane. I have been walking 1 hr. daily since the end of July, just like I have always done before the arthritis. Thanks to modern medicine and Mother Nature's medicine I'm better than ever. Pot should be legal everywhere, it is very effective for many different aliments and much better for you than all those chemical pain meds or opioids. I have learned how to make my own edibles and it really is more effective when ingested. Eddie |