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Originally Posted by MSI Magus If I had no pride in my home why would I be posting here? Just because my pride is not the same as yours you are wigging out, insulting me then leaving? I never understand people here, sites like gamefaqs are full of trolls and kids, but man CAG is full of people that if you do not 100% believe what they do/take their exact advice they wig right out. I was trying to take your advice, I just questioned you on ONE thing. I take pride in my home, but this will be a learning experience for us. As I said I grew up in a house that my parents did not take care of and watched it fall apart as a result...I do not want that to happen. But, at the same time of all the friends houses I grew up idolizing because they had parents that actually maintained the home....I never saw one blast down the house with any tool like the one you are describing. I have never seen anyone do it either out walking every night. So forgive me if I take ALL of your suggestions to heart except one. Forgive me for not instantly thinking every idea you give is brilliant and 100% required. Forgive me for inquiring into cost and usefulness like an intelligent person would do vs just instantly running out like most stupid Americans do these days and spending money that for all you know I may not have(which after buying your first home money for most and for us IS tight) for results I was not sure of. *rolls eyes* Anyways, back on topic. If anyone else has anything constructive to add to the topic that is either new or in addition to the suggestions(pro or con)it is greatly appreciated.

I wasn't insulting you in any way. You have no idea about home ownership and I was providing even more insight about why you need to maintain the outer appearance of your home. I speak from experience. I speak from owning a home for over 5 years. I'm not trying to sell you on something you don't need here. You know nothing about me, nor the pride I take in my home. You asked for advice and when you knew nothing about it, still couldn't just listen to myself and others giving reasons why it was important.

You asked what home maintenance tips people recommend and I provided plenty. Just because you haven't seen someone do something when you're out walking at night doesn't mean it's not important. You really have a lot to earn not only about your home, but life in general. Like I said, good luck to you and your home.

Originally Posted by kube00 Pressure washer huh? I've owned my house for a year I think I need to get one of those. Anyone have a brand recommendation?

Do NOT get a Karcher. They are complete crap. They'll work once, then never again. You might be enticed by the $99 price, but it won't hold up. I've got a Troy Bilt, which hasn't given me any problems. John Deere makes some nice ones also.

MSI Magus, I remember your topic about buying a house. So you finally picked one, eh? Mind if I ask for details? Still in the Toledo area? Newer or older? Approximate price?

Originally Posted by Dead of Knight MSI Magus, I remember your topic about buying a house. So you finally picked one, eh? Mind if I ask for details? Still in the Toledo area? Newer or older? Approximate price?

Still in the Toledo area, but it is kind of a weird area of town right at the border of Oregon and Rossford so it is not as ghetto as a lot of the parts Toledo is known for. You go 10 mins down the street one way your in the classy part of Rossford, 10 mins the other way you start hitting some lower class but not gunshot side of Toledo. I am sure living in Columbus you can understand the whole good neighborhood close near both a rich and poor neighborhood thing

We bought the house for around $35k but if we wait 15 years to pay it off(which is the loan length)it will run around $45-$48k I believe. We are debating if we want to buckle down and pay it off in 5-6 years instead or if we want to let the loan run its course and focus on pumping money into either my wifes 401k and IRA or if we want to pay her student loans down.

The house actually belonged to my wife's step dads parents, so we actually know a lot about it. It is about 100 years old, but received a major remodel 40 years ago when her grandparents bought it. Within the last 2-3 years they put in new energy saver windows, new central heating and cooling, a new hot water heater, new shower and they completely tore the roof off and put a new one on. It also came with a newer refrigerator and while they are older the washer and dryer also stayed.

Probably could have got it just a little cheaper(maybe another $3-4k off)but we knew her Grandparents were over a barrel, so with the market being what it was when they countered our initial offer we thought it was close enough to what we wanted to pay and a great starter home. Hey maybe not fighting over the price will end up being good karma

Edit - Should add its a 3 bedroom 2 story house with a finished basement, 2 car garage and a fenced in side/back yard. Not the biggest house(we would love to knock a wall down to convert it to 1 small bedroom and 1 big one) or yard but not the smallest either. Decent starter home as I said.

tip

get a good tool set,duct tape, liquid nails, anmd spare scerews and nails

also a toilet snake and a sink snake

when all else fails and you are at wits end ask an older neighbor (the old guy on the block) they will give you some sage wisdom....sometimes

Originally Posted by MSI Magus We bought the house for around $35k but if we wait 15 years to pay it off(which is the loan length)it will run around $45-$48k I believe. Edit - Should add its a 3 bedroom 2 story house with a finished basement, 2 car garage and a fenced in side/back yard. Not the biggest house(we would love to knock a wall down to convert it to 1 small bedroom and 1 big one) or yard but not the smallest either. Decent starter home as I said.

Son of a ing bitch, that's a hell of a deal and pretty much the type of house we'd get whenever we get around to buying one. I could have paid off the house outright at that price and still had a ton of money left over. The only problem is I'd be living in Toledo.

Originally Posted by Dead of Knight Son of a ing bitch, that's a hell of a deal and pretty much the type of house we'd get whenever we get around to buying one. I could have paid off the house outright at that price and still had a ton of money left over. The only problem is I'd be living in Toledo.

Well there has to be at least 3 or 4 houses for sale on my block. Then from walking my dogs in the afternoon and walking with my wife at night I know I have seen another 30 signs

Could always use another gamer in the neighborhood A block or two back there is a block where every house looks huge and really nice, then a block or two the other way and you have crap tons of houses smaller and not quite as nice as ours. Right now in this area you really can find anything you want and there are just so freaking many houses to chose from. The realator we were working with used this program to find out what other houses on the block sold for and only one other then the one we ended up buying had sold in the last year. It is just that kind of market, especially around here.

We felt as though we could not afford to NOT buy. I mean honestly our mortgage even with taxes and insurance added in is $300 cheaper then what we were paying for rent!

Originally Posted by MSI Magus Well there has to be at least 3 or 4 houses for sale on my block. Then from walking my dogs in the afternoon and walking with my wife at night I know I have seen another 30 signs Could always use another gamer in the neighborhood A block or two back there is a block where every house looks huge and really nice, then a block or two the other way and you have crap tons of houses smaller and not quite as nice as ours. Right now in this area you really can find anything you want and there are just so freaking many houses to chose from. The realator we were working with used this program to find out what other houses on the block sold for and only one other then the one we ended up buying had sold in the last year. It is just that kind of market, especially around here.

Again, the problem is Toledo. Columbus is bad enough and we are looking to get out sooner rather than later. Also while I'm sure I could find a job there, my husband, not so much.

Originally Posted by Dead of Knight Again, the problem is Toledo. Columbus is bad enough and we are looking to get out sooner rather than later. Also while I'm sure I could find a job there, my husband, not so much.

What do you mean the problem is Toledo? That it is too far or that you do not want to move someplace with this rep? If its the rep thing then that really as I said before is based on where you live. As I said the part of town I live does not have the same ghetto atmosphere thanks to being so close to Rossford and Oregon, the casino they are building like 5-10 mins from the house should help too. Whats your husband do btw? The factory my wife works for is hiring like crazy right now, they are even building an entire new wing on to the factory to hire more people.

Originally Posted by MSI Magus What do you mean the problem is Toledo? That it is too far or that you do not want to move someplace with this rep? If its the rep thing then that really as I said before is based on where you live. As I said the part of town I live does not have the same ghetto atmosphere thanks to being so close to Rossford and Oregon, the casino they are building like 5-10 mins from the house should help too.

Well we don't have any family in Ohio except my crazy mom and my dad. Everyone else is in Washington state and New England, and we like those areas better. It's not about being ghetto or anything, we just don't seem to really "fit" in Ohio.

Originally Posted by chimpian tip get a good tool set,duct tape, liquid nails, anmd spare scerews and nails also a toilet snake and a sink snake when all else fails and you are at wits end ask an older neighbor (the old guy on the block) they will give you some sage wisdom....sometimes

Forgot to respond to this. First off thanks for the help. We planned on buying some of that and already own a lot of it. What are Liquid nails though? Also the old person thing is a double edged sword. First off old people are terrified of me since I have mohawk and tats on my hands and neck and what not Second off though even when they give me a chance and find out that I am a nice guy and really old school dispite my look....I end up wishing I never talked to them! Ya they can help and they have a lot of good advice...but god damn are they hard to get rid of. Being old with nothing but time and loneliness means they start showing up every day!

Wow the price you guys paid for your house would hardly be a down payment in the northeast. By the way doesn't vinyl siding make pressure washing kind of unnecessary?

Originally Posted by willardhaven Wow the price you guys paid for your house would hardly be a down payment in the northeast. By the way doesn't vinyl siding make pressure washing kind of unnecessary?

That was what I thought. I would not even say unnecessary, just not 100% vital. If you get some gunk on your house just spray it off with the hose, it does not seem like it would require a $250 tool to do that. If I am wrong I am sure tons of people will correct me though.

Originally Posted by willardhaven Wow the price you guys paid for your house would hardly be a down payment in the northeast. By the way doesn't vinyl siding make pressure washing kind of unnecessary?

I was thinking the same thing. In NJ, a moderately priced home in a nice town probably starts at $300,000.

Originally Posted by Mr Unoriginal I was thinking the same thing. In NJ, a moderately priced home in a nice town probably starts at $300,000.

Heh if you go over to Rossford which is the nice area and bought the same house we bought in Toledo it would run $90k-$130k. Funny how the area of the nation you live in can make such a huge difference. Given yes there are $500k and even multi million dollar homes over there, but that and the school system is what makes the big difference over there. Everyone told us we were stupid to live in "ghetto Toledo" vs Rossford, but living just 10 mins down the road from the area those people live in saved us more then double the price of the house!

Hey, I'm currently doing some remodeling projects of my own. The number 1 advice I could give you is take care of your bathroom. If your bathroom walls isn't glossy finish, then you might want to think about repainting. It glossy finish helps to prevent from moisture absorbing through the walls. If not, you may help molds and mildew grow. Molds and mildew is NOT fun, not healthy, and very costly to have it treated. Also, always use the fan (if your bathroom has one) to suck out the moisture out.

Congrats on your new home.

Just since people asked a bit more about the home here are a few pics I found on a website that still had it listed as for sale. Little more info too. Shows that it is small as I said, but I think for a starter home we got a good price and will be happy.

Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 1
Sqft: 968
Lot size: 3,200 sq ft / 0.07 acres
Property type: Single Family
Year built: 1919

Didnt bother reading the other posting but let me give you a few tips since Im in the construction industry:

Check your roofing .. make sure no leaks comes into the attic .. once the leaks hit the beams and rots away, well your house is done for .. if you going to need a roof replaced, and you plan to stay there for a quite a long time (20 + years) then DONT skimp out on the roofing materials

Insulate your attic with blown insulation .. good at 12 inches high .. best at 18 inches .. rolled can only cover where it lays .. blown insulation can get into the nook and crannys where the air tends to escapes

weatherproof the hell out of your house .. save you loads of money on the long run especially if you bought a house that is more than 20 years old .. it deals with windows, doors, insulation, weatherstripping

talk about old houses, check the house for lead paint .. we got enough dumb kids running into walls and doors in this great nation, so no need to add to the count

and above all, dont use family "handyman" to fix your home problems unless they got years of experience dealing .. just trust me on that .. the horror stories with that .. and just about every major roofing jobs I contracted for start out something like "my cousin went up there and .."

Good Luck and Congrats! ^_^

If you do any landscaping avoid using mulch, especially bordering the home.

I think the interior paint needs to be changed but otherwise, looks good. The square footage is probably too small for most people but I could definitely live with that.