CAG home owner topic. Buying or selling a home? Have a maintance issue? Help is here!

[slowdive21]

Go with the realtor's opinion. I lowballed and they got insulted and ended up selling the property for less than my 'final' offer (months later), but they never contacted me which would be standard to contact any past bidders.The place I was trying to get was on the market over a year at the time of bid.

The only way I would lowball is if the person is a widow or something. Usually they just want to be done with the property. The place I ended up buying I offered 10% off list price within a day of it being listed for sale, they countered with 5% off the list price and I took it. The woman who owned it had it left to her from a man she considered close enough to be a brother. I would tell she just wanted to sell the place and that is why she let it go so quickly under listing price (especially since it was listed below market value)

 

[MSI Magus]

Go with the realtor's opinion. I lowballed and they got insulted and ended up selling the property for less than my 'final' offer (months later), but they never contacted me which would be standard to contact any past bidders.The place I was trying to get was on the market over a year at the time of bid.

The only way I would lowball is if the person is a widow or something. Usually they just want to be done with the property. The place I ended up buying I offered 10% off list price within a day of it being listed for sale, they countered with 5% off the list price and I took it. The woman who owned it had it left to her from a man she considered close enough to be a brother. I would tell she just wanted to sell the place and that is why she let it go so quickly under listing price (especially since it was listed below market value)

Thanks. I know the house has been in one family for like 50 years but dont know if there was a death or why the sudden change. Maybe finding out can help determine how motivated they are

 

[skiizim]

That house needs a lot of work, it's really nice though, looks very clean and well kept from the pictures. The land is a major plus too, you really can't go wrong with that. In CA land is a luxury unless you have lots of money or willing  to move out toward rural areas. In my case when we bought are home last year, I bid accordingly into how much work I have to put into the house. I've already spent around $25k on windows, air conditioning, and minor repairs. I still have a lot of work to do in the home, I need to upgrade the bathrooms so I have a  few more projects in line for me.

 

[slowdive21]

Ok, I just looked at the pics of the house. The and is nice, but I wonder if they get water because of the slope. The slab may be cracked. Since there isn't a basement, that would be my main concern. It almost looks like mobile home/prefabricated home on the inside. Definitely outdated, but the structure is the main concern. In about 5 years the paneling will be back in style . You can always paint paneling to extend it's life and to make it look better. At least I am assuming that is paneling an not wood planks. Oh and asbestos would be another concern with the age of the home. Those ceiling tiles look newer because they aren't too yellow, but I would be cautious about that.

 

[ajh2298]

What's the rule for opening windows in an unfinished attic? My attic which we use for storage is hot as all hell. Is it ok to open the two little windows in the front? Would like to cool it down a little bit and get a little fresh air up there.

 

[MSI Magus]

What's the rule for opening windows in an unfinished attic? My attic which we use for storage is hot as all hell. Is it ok to open the two little windows in the front? Would like to cool it down a little bit and get a little fresh air up there.

If you do make sure you check periodacly for animals that are nesting up there. We made this mistake with our first home and had half a wall of birds nest up there 2 years later. The screen fell in at some point and they had quite the cozy little environment up there.

 

[tylerh1701]

Just saw a mouse run through my living room, and scampered into the kitchen and I lost him.   YUCK!

Anyways, I went and bought some traps for my house (9, 3 on each level of my house) and then vacuumed my whole living room and kitchen and scrubbed counters and cleaned as much as I could (I'm really not that dirty.  I leave crumbs on my counter and stuff but dirty dishes in the sink, but I don't ever just leave food out)

Anything else I can do?  Also, how common are house mice in the US?  I couldn't find any reliable data online, but is it fairly rare for mice to be inside a house, or is it fairly common?  I've never had mice before (that I know of).

 

[slowdive21]

Just saw a mouse run through my living room, and scampered into the kitchen and I lost him. YUCK!

Anyways, I went and bought some traps for my house (9, 3 on each level of my house) and then vacuumed my whole living room and kitchen and scrubbed counters and cleaned as much as I could (I'm really not that dirty. I leave crumbs on my counter and stuff but dirty dishes in the sink, but I don't ever just leave food out)

Anything else I can do? Also, how common are house mice in the US? I couldn't find any reliable data online, but is it fairly rare for mice to be inside a house, or is it fairly common? I've never had mice before (that I know of).

My parents had 2 mice over like 15 years. As long as you don't hear them in the walls after you catch this one, you should be ok. Sometimes they enter in attics of basements. We knew we had one because there was a bag of soft tortillas that was crewed open with crumbs by it. We used a 'humane' trap, and let him out in farmland...

Then there was the time that I came home and saw a bird fly through the kitchen from the front door. When I got into the kitchen and it flew by my head I said "HOLY SHIT IT IS A BAT!!" He was a little more difficult to get out, plus animal control wouldn't come out for a bat. I (lightly) swatted him out of the air with a spatula and he landed on my foot. As he went to fly again, I was able to catch him in a bath towel and fling him out the front door. Of course 6 months later they issued a warning to call animal control because bats were found in the area with rabies. I guess it is a good thing I didn't get bit.

 

[tylerh1701]

My parents had 2 mice over like 15 years. As long as you don't hear them in the walls after you catch this one, you should be ok. Sometimes they enter in attics of basements. We knew we had one because there was a bag of soft tortillas that was crewed open with crumbs by it. We used a 'humane' trap, and let him out in farmland...

Then there was the time that I came home and saw a bird fly through the kitchen from the front door. When I got into the kitchen and it flew by my head I said "HOLY SHIT IT IS A BAT!!" He was a little more difficult to get out, plus animal control wouldn't come out for a bat. I (lightly) swatted him out of the air with a spatula and he landed on my foot. As he went to fly again, I was able to catch him in a bath towel and fling him out the front door. Of course 6 months later they issued a warning to call animal control because bats were found in the area with rabies. I guess it is a good thing I didn't get bit.

Hmm...if I only have 2 mice over 15 years I'll be very happy. We just had an early cold spell here which probably made him come in. I've lived here just over a year, and never had any mouse issues before now (no piles of feces, no boxes or bags of food eaten through). I'd prefer never to have any more issues in the future either, I find them rather gross.

I've also heard horror stories about hantavirus and the such, but apparently only about 30 people per year in the US actually contract that. Probably not something to worry too much about. Obviously I'll be careful if I run into any mess piles, but I was surprised to see how rare that virus is considering how much I've actually heard about it. (I have a little bit of anxiety at times, so rationalizing things like that using statistics helps me out haha)

I don't know what the hell I'd do if I had a bird or bat in my house. OMG I don't even want to think about it. Chasing a snake out of my garage, getting a duck out of my window well, and now this mouse are about as much as I can handle.

 

[BigPopov]

Sometimes creatres depends on where you live.

My best friend has the cleanest house imaginable, he gets small field mice from time to time. He got a cat she takes care of that problem well.

My old house used to be bombarded with ladybugs a certain time of the year, nothing I could do about it. Bats also frequented the porch, luckily none ever flew in.

If you want to check for mice check behind everything. You'd be surprised what mice can chew through. they love tight dark spots for breeding too, like inside rolls of paper towels.

 

[Dead of Knight]

If you have mice problems... get a cat.  They will find them and kill them and leave the remains for you as a "present."

 

[Mako1215]

My parents had 2 mice over like 15 years. As long as you don't hear them in the walls after you catch this one, you should be ok. Sometimes they enter in attics of basements. We knew we had one because there was a bag of soft tortillas that was crewed open with crumbs by it. We used a 'humane' trap, and let him out in farmland...

Then there was the time that I came home and saw a bird fly through the kitchen from the front door. When I got into the kitchen and it flew by my head I said "HOLY SHIT IT IS A BAT!!" He was a little more difficult to get out, plus animal control wouldn't come out for a bat. I (lightly) swatted him out of the air with a spatula and he landed on my foot. As he went to fly again, I was able to catch him in a bath towel and fling him out the front door. Of course 6 months later they issued a warning to call animal control because bats were found in the area with rabies. I guess it is a good thing I didn't get bit.



We had a bat in my house for a couple days.

The motherer thought it would be cool to sleep in my room in my window curtain.

Then it randomly flew out while I was gaming and I nearly fell off my chair and faceplanted the floor. I got it out eventually with the help of my little brother.

 

[slowdive21]

We had a bat in my house for a couple days.

The motherer thought it would be cool to sleep in my room in my window curtain.

Then it randomly flew out while I was gaming and I nearly fell off my chair and faceplanted the floor. I got it out eventually with the help of my little brother.

This one hid in the curtains too. After I saw something fly from the kitchen to the dining room, I went looking for 'the bird'.

I saw it crawl and peek over the top of the curtain rods and it was making cute 'meeps', then it flew right at my head! I rarely get freaked out, but that was one of those times where I reacted.

 

[Mako1215]

It got you on the sonar then kamikazed you.

 

[Pookymeister]

Saw some rot on front door frame, so figured we should get a storm door...fast forward 3 weeks and now we are looking at completely replacing door/frame and a $2700 bill. Yowsers.

 

[tylerh1701]

Sometimes creatres depends on where you live.

My best friend has the cleanest house imaginable, he gets small field mice from time to time. He got a cat she takes care of that problem well.

My old house used to be bombarded with ladybugs a certain time of the year, nothing I could do about it. Bats also frequented the porch, luckily none ever flew in.

If you want to check for mice check behind everything. You'd be surprised what mice can chew through. they love tight dark spots for breeding too, like inside rolls of paper towels.

OMG stop. If I found some mice inside my paper towel roll I would ing flip.

Anyways, I caught 1 in my trap today. It was gross disposing of him, but I got it done. I am knocking on wood that this is a 1 and done thing! I also stuffed a couple potential holes in my walls with some steel wool.

If you have mice problems... get a cat. They will find them and kill them and leave the remains for you as a "present."

Unfortunately I'm quite allergic to cats. My mom has a dachshund I thought about borrowing for a few days (I may still do so if more mice pop up). Obviously not the same as a cat, but she is a little hunter and killer and I think she could take out a few mice for me.

 

[Dead of Knight]

Saw some rot on front door frame, so figured we should get a storm door...fast forward 3 weeks and now we are looking at completely replacing door/frame and a $2700 bill. Yowsers.

The , seriously? We need to eventually replace our door/frame. Storm door came completely off like a year ago. I ain't paying $2700!

Unfortunately I'm quite allergic to cats. My mom has a dachshund I thought about borrowing for a few days (I may still do so if more mice pop up). Obviously not the same as a cat, but she is a little hunter and killer and I think she could take out a few mice for me.

I am also allergic but I got 3 of them. :lol: Can't stop a cat lover.

 

[Javery]

It is sickening sometimes what things for the house cost.  I'm in the process of repainting every. single. room. and it is costing me a fortune in paint, tape and supplies (and taking forever).  I'm hoping I can finish by Christmas if I continue to work on it every single weekend.  We also just had locks replaced on the 3 exterior doors and that was almost $1K - those things are so expensive!

 

[Pookymeister]

The , seriously? We need to eventually replace our door/frame. Storm door came completely off like a year ago. I ain't paying $2700!

I am also allergic but I got 3 of them. :lol: Can't stop a cat lover.

I mean, we aren't skimping on it - getting composite frame & transom (so shouldn't rot again) and a nice mahogany finished fiberglass door. So hopefully, won't have to worry about door again. 10% back tax credit(for energy saver door), and maybe a little off HVAC bills maybe will help in long run.

Just timing isn't the best, since basement should finally be done sometime soon and all the furniture I want to buy there will add up.

Spoiler

 

[BigPopov]

It is sickening sometimes what things for the house cost. I'm in the process of repainting every. single. room. and it is costing me a fortune in paint, tape and supplies (and taking forever). I'm hoping I can finish by Christmas if I continue to work on it every single weekend. We also just had locks replaced on the 3 exterior doors and that was almost $1K - those things are so expensive!

any thoughts or likes/dislikes on the brands of paint? I'll be helping mom repaint half the rooms in her house within the next 6 months or so, she doesn't really do research like me just finds the color she likes. not looking to skimp on the paint.

 

[ZCG]

My Uncle was a Licensed professional painter here in California & he only used Dunn Edwards paint.  He could choose any brand since he worked for himself yet chose Dunn Edwards.  Take that as you will.

 

[Javery]

any thoughts or likes/dislikes on the brands of paint? I'll be helping mom repaint half the rooms in her house within the next 6 months or so, she doesn't really do research like me just finds the color she likes. not looking to skimp on the paint.

I've been using the Behr Premium from Home Depot and so far so good. I don't like Gliddon. I've used Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore in the past and they are much more expensive and don't provide that much better of a finish - at least on drywall. When I build arcade cabinets I do notice a difference on MDF or plywood.

 

[Pookymeister]

I've used Behr in my house as well, no problems. Got Behr's "Grey Area" ready for basement. Guess they ran out of creative names.

 

[slowdive21]

I just had something interesting happen. My toilet overflowed from the tank after I flushed it. I looked it up and I am going to replace the guts, but I have never seen something like that happen before. I wanted to replace the whole toilet when I moved in but everyone thought I was crazy. I know it is just the guts that are bad, but part of me thinks it is a better idea to start fresh to make sure the seals are good.

Oh and I asked my Dad about paint, since he worked in the industry on the production side for 40 years.  ACE hardware makes the best house brand paint in his opinion (but they are not everywhere). Behr was his next recommendation for interior if you don't have ACE paint in your area. He said the most important thing to look at is the 'wash rating' or something like that, but I am not sure if those are on labels or if that is an industry thing.

 

[BigPopov]

thanks I'll ask about it. I have time to do some research and in general annoy the salesmen at the paint shops. lol

 

[kill3r7]

I just had something interesting happen. My toilet overflowed from the tank after I flushed it. I looked it up and I am going to replace the guts, but I have never seen something like that happen before. I wanted to replace the whole toilet when I moved in but everyone thought I was crazy. I know it is just the guts that are bad, but part of me thinks it is a better idea to start fresh to make sure the seals are good.


Oh and I asked my Dad about paint, since he worked in the industry on the production side for 40 years. ACE hardware makes the best house brand paint in his opinion (but they are not everywhere). Behr was his next recommendation for interior if you don't have ACE paint in your area. He said the most important thing to look at is the 'wash rating' or something like that, but I am not sure if those are on labels or if that is an industry thing.

The choice between spending $20 or over $100 should make the decision easier for you. The toilet itself short of being cracked and old doesn't need replacing. The majority of people replace toilets for aesthetic reasons not because they are broken.

In your case the valve failed to turn off the water upon the tank filling up. Go to HD buy new "guts" for less than $20 and you're set.

 

[slowdive21]

Yeah I did that last night. It is fine now. I just didn't want to put my hands in there because the inside of the tank is literally brown from age. I had my dad install it. haha Ive replaced the guts before at my parent's house, but their toilets look so much cleaner inside.

 

[keithp]

The tank's nothing. The BOWL on the other hand.........

We use Behr paint, very happy with it.

 

[tylerh1701]

Not a maintenance question, but a lump sum payment question here.

Hypothetically I have about $20,000 dollars (after a comfy emergency fund).  Already hit my Roth IRA max contribution for the year.  You guys think a lump sum payment towards my mortgage is a good idea?  Or are there better investments that will easily get me better returns?

By my (admittedly simplistic) calculations, I'd need to make about 9% on my $20,000 over the next 9 years in order to match the $25,000 or so I'll save in interest over that same timeframe.

I guess this is more of a "financial planner" question than a "homeowner" question, but I'd still appreciate any input anyone has.

 

[slowdive21]

If you can pay down your principal without penalty, that would be the best route IMO, but I was only a business major, not finance and this is just an opinion.

 

[tylerh1701]

If you can pay down your principal without penalty, that would be the best route IMO, but I was only a business major, not finance and this is just an opinion.

Yeah, I can pay down the principal without penalty. I was also a business major and only took a couple finance classes and don't know much about investing. I do know the .20% I'm getting in my money market if a ing joke though.

 

[Javery]

There are many different views about this and I don't have the "right" answer (and would love to hear other thoughts).  I personally would like to pay down my mortgage as much as possible because I don't like something hanging over me.  It is why I rarely finance any purchase unless I get a 0-1% rate (like my 24 month 0% interest giant TV!).  That said, if your mortgage rate is in the 2-3% range then you may be able to get a better return in the market if you invest wisely.  Also, you can deduct the interest on your house on your taxes and the lower the principal the lower the deduction so if you pay it down you lose a little here (but it is still a net positive to have a lower principal).  Another thing to keep in mind is that assuming your house is in good shape and worth what you paid, you can always get a HELOC if you need some money, which is based on the equity you have in the house so the more you pay it down the more money you should have available in the HELOC.

Also, how secure are you at your job?  If you don't really have to worry about losing your job I'd be more inclined to put the money in the market and try and get a larger return.  If you feel like you could lose everything in a second (like I do) then you may want to just pay down your existing debts as quick as possible so if the doomsday scenario comes you won't be totally screwed.

 

[Dead of Knight]

Personally we are paying down the mortgage as fast as possible (while contributing to our retirement accounts of course).  It's a guaranteed 4.25% return and we're just very debt-averse people.  It's not for everyone but if you already have an emergency fund with 6 months to a year of expenses, I don't see any reason why not.

 

[GamerDude316]

Yeah, I'm hoping to do the same when we buy a house in the next year or two. Trying to get my fiancé on board with the idea has been a bit of a challenge though, she'd rather stay in our apartment complex for $1200/month. It's a great complex but I want to make my money work for me instead of not getting any value out of it by renting.

 

[Friend of Sonic]

So, whenever I take a shower, there's a musky sort of smell, even after I've scrubbed the bathroom clean. Who could I call for the possibility of a leaky pipe in the wall?

 

[Pookymeister]

Check the drain, check under shower doors if applicable - make sure those are clear of crap.

 

[tylerh1701]

Thanks for the lump sum mortgage payment insight everybody.  Pretty much just validated my own opinion, which is always nice.  I'm also pretty conservative when it comes to money, and even though my mortgage rate is only 3.5%, at least it's a guaranteed 3.5%.  And like some of you, I just don't like having debt at all.  

I am pretty secure in my job (though I worry about it at times even though it's probably needless worry) and even this year, my first full year in my house, I still ended up taking the standard deduction (my loan amount was only $100,800 to begin with) so I don't anticipate losing out on any money there unless my work situation changes.

 

[GamerDude316]

So my fiancé and I are starting to look Into home buying now, we are touring a 3 bed/2 bath property prices at $160,000 on Wednesday.

Any tips on things to look for and financing options? We have a good chunk saved away for the down payment but want to look at loan rates anyway. My credit score is over 700 so I think we'll be in good shape but appreciate any tips.

 

[Dead of Knight]

Do a 30 year to have some leeway in case one or both of you loses your jobs.  Pay it down like a 15 year or less whenever you can.  But if you do a 15 year mortgage, you will have much less cushion to fall on in case of bad times.  My husband and I got a 30 year mortgage but we put a bunch extra in every month and have paid off over half the loan in 2.5 years.

 

[Javery]

Plus, all the extra money over your monthly payment goes towards principal.  Typically you don't start paying mostly principal until 1/2 way through the loan (all the interest is front loaded). 

Also, damn where do you people live? I'm so jealous - the cost of my 3BR, 1.5 bath, 1300 sqft. house was absolutely ridiculous.

 

[tylerh1701]

Salt Lake City.  Very cheap. 

 

[confoosious]

I posted this in another thread but thought I'd ask here as well since this would be more appropriate.

I'm actually looking at a house that's been on the market for a long time. Like 1 year+. And while I know that maybe the owners are just asking too much, I'd like to find out if there's some weird reason like a murder happened there or maybe it's built on an ancient Indian burial ground. (I watched a lot of movies as a kid that I shouldn't have.)

 

[GamerDude316]

I live in NH and this house has been relisted a few times. But yeah, cheap housing....high taxes.

Good advice on the payments, will probably go that route.

 

[slowdive21]

I posted this in another thread but thought I'd ask here as well since this would be more appropriate.

I'm actually looking at a house that's been on the market for a long time. Like 1 year+. And while I know that maybe the owners are just asking too much, I'd like to find out if there's some weird reason like a murder happened there or maybe it's built on an ancient Indian burial ground. (I watched a lot of movies as a kid that I shouldn't have.)

Is there a question in here? I'm assuming you are asking how to find out a home's history. Local libraries are a great resource. Real estate agents also know pretty much everything that goes on in town if they are local. You can check public records at city hall as well for more info on a specific home.

 

[confoosious]

Is there a question in here? I'm assuming you are asking how to find out a home's history. Local libraries are a great resource. Real estate agents also know pretty much everything that goes on in town if they are local. You can check public records at city hall as well for more info on a specific home.

Well the question would be how can I look that stuff up on the Internet.

 

[kill3r7]

[quote name="Confucius" post="11674973" timestamp="1396926111"]Well the question would be how can I look that stuff up on the Internet.[/quote]

Type in your town name and land records. If your town has taken the time to upload the info online you should be able to look it up by lot number. Otherwise, you'll have to walk over and check it out in person. I would also recommend googling the addy. If the house was bought or sold over the last 10-15 years those records/listings should be online as well.

 

[Dead of Knight]

Plus, all the extra money over your monthly payment goes towards principal. Typically you don't start paying mostly principal until 1/2 way through the loan (all the interest is front loaded).

Also, damn where do you people live? I'm so jealous - the cost of my 3BR, 1.5 bath, 1300 sqft. house was absolutely ridiculous.

I'm actually in a more expensive part of the country, but your area is just ridiculous.

 

[Javery]

I'm actually in a more expensive part of the country, but your area is just ridiculous.

yeah, I'm only about 15 miles outside NYC so it is crazy. My house is 100 years old so it's not like it is brand new either (although we just went through a year-long renovation/addition which updated a lot of the house). My lot is 50'x120' - believe it or not, I actually feel like I got a bargain because I'm pretty sure my house is worth way more today than I paid for it 10 years ago. I also love my neighborhood, I have downtown shopping/restaurants within a 10 minute walk and there is a train station to the city there too. I'm also only 45 minutes from my parents' house at the beach which is convenient. I'm basically never moving.

 

[Navex]

Since there's been a lot of financial talk on here, a question if some don't mind. What are your opinions on 401ks? I've started researching them as I'm deciding about whether to start one next year or not. I'm reading all kinds of things so I'm not looking to just this board for advice but am trying to get as many views as I can. I'm considering one because the current company I work for offers no retirement so when you retire you better hope you saved and there's any SS left years from now (I'm 25). As far as their policy goes on it, I'm not sure how much they'll match up to or if there's even a limit but generally it's pretty basic as they contribute whatever you do a pay.

Once you reach 59 1/2 years old, you have a couple of options. You can cash out entirely and pay ordinary tax on the investment income, or you can avoid paying taxes by rolling the 401(k) distribution into another retirement account like an IRA. At some point, you will pay taxes to withdraw that money, but you won't right away. If you try to take money out of your 401(k) before you turn 59 1/2, the funds are taxed as regular income -- plus, you'll get hit with a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty.

Read that on HowStuffWorks just now. Regarding that I assume it's dependent on what will end up taxing you more when it comes to what you want to do once you get to that point in your life. I haven't started reading about IRAs yet so I wouldn't know which one would work better. At the end of the day I just don't want to waste money by doing this and having it taxed to hell years from now. Don't know if it would be worth doing any of this or not at all and having that extra money that would have been contributed stay in the bank saved.

 

[slowdive21]

401ks are for people who are not good at managing their own money.  IMO, I would contribute whatever the company matches, but be aware that if you leave the company or they fire you before you are "vested", you lose the company match. I worked for a wirless phone company (corporate) and they got rid of me 2 months before I would be vested (3 years) in the company. I lost about $10,000 in company match and profit sharing.