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

So I went downstairs and all I can see is Kenmore Power Miser 6. As I said if I can find a manual I will post more.

On the bright side though a friend of our family does plumbing on the side and he is going to be in the area tomorrow. I had wanted to call him before but he lives about an hour away so I did not bother. Since he is in the area I got him to agree to stop in and take a look at it.

If the water heater is just borked how much does it cost to buy a completely new one? I saw online you can get solar ones for a bit over $1,000, so I imagine a new energy efficient one still probably runs $600-$1500.
 
http://download.sears.com/own/33616e.pdf

Definitely have your friend come check it out.

I can get a NICE marathon water heater (electric) for like $1500, with a $600 rebate from my power company. You could, in theory, get a cheaper unit for a few hundred bucks.

I personally still think that if your unit is only 3-4 years old the unit itself is fine. It's probably something minor.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']http://download.sears.com/own/33616e.pdf

Definitely have your friend come check it out.

I can get a NICE marathon water heater (electric) for like $1500, with a $600 rebate from my power company. You could, in theory, get a cheaper unit for a few hundred bucks.

I personally still think that if your unit is only 3-4 years old the unit itself is fine. It's probably something minor.[/QUOTE]

That is what I am thinking too, for a product that costs you a grand or more a 3-4 year life span would be shit.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']So I went downstairs and all I can see is Kenmore Power Miser 6. As I said if I can find a manual I will post more.

On the bright side though a friend of our family does plumbing on the side and he is going to be in the area tomorrow. I had wanted to call him before but he lives about an hour away so I did not bother. Since he is in the area I got him to agree to stop in and take a look at it.

If the water heater is just borked how much does it cost to buy a completely new one? I saw online you can get solar ones for a bit over $1,000, so I imagine a new energy efficient one still probably runs $600-$1500.[/QUOTE]

Never repair a water heater. A new one runs you $400, plus maybe $300 for install. Now, normally I fix everything myself, but with gas lines involved, and the fact that the best water heaters aren't sold to the public, just go hire a plumber. DO NOT buy a water heater from Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, etc. Go read the reviews. They suck, especially anything branded by Whirlpool. Go look for a brand called Bradford White. Its only sold by plumbers, but it is the best out there, for the same price as the others. I just replaced mine a few months ago. Also, don't bother with a water heater labeled "energy efficient". It just doesnt exist. Theyre all the same. A btu is a btu.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']
I can get a NICE marathon water heater (electric) for like $1500, with a $600 rebate from my power company. You could, in theory, get a cheaper unit for a few hundred bucks.[/QUOTE]

except in most places, an electric water heater will cost you a lot more in the long run with regards to your monthly electric bill.
 
Ok so the family friend came by and it was a small copper looking wire that had went bad. I believe he said it was a thermal cupling or something like that. As I said it was a copper wire with one side screwed in to the dial and the other near the pilot light. Whole thing took him all of 15 minutes and he refused to take money and insisted it was just a house warming gift ;)

We cranked the hot water heater up several levels and hopefully in a few hours I will be taking a bath soooooo freaking hot I can not get in it for 20 mins!
 
[quote name='V3rtigo']except in most places, an electric water heater will cost you a lot more in the long run with regards to your monthly electric bill.[/QUOTE]

Wut? I was referring to buying a cheaper unit. Those marathon units are very energy efficient.

OP, congrats on the inexpensive fix. That's always a good feeling.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']Wut? I was referring to buying a cheaper unit. Those marathon units are very energy efficient.

OP, congrats on the inexpensive fix. That's always a good feeling.[/QUOTE]

Any clue what the part I am talking about may be or what it might cost? My wifes mother said she thinks the part cost them $50-$100 when they had to replace one a few years ago. If this is the cast we want to make sure we send him a gift card or something, stopping by and fixing something is a nice house warming gift....but $100 is a bit generous!
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Any clue what the part I am talking about may be or what it might cost? My wifes mother said she thinks the part cost them $50-$100 when they had to replace one a few years ago. If this is the cast we want to make sure we send him a gift card or something, stopping by and fixing something is a nice house warming gift....but $100 is a bit generous![/QUOTE]

The part is fairly cheap. It's the knowledge about what to fix that is expensive.;)

I'd give $75 personally.
 
Ok so we just got that first gas bill for the winter month and boy was I shocked to see almost $100 for gas! I know heating bills can be expensive, but I figured like most things ours would be far less then most peoples! Me and my wife are really good about being frugal, where most people we know have electric bills of $100-$200 a month ours usually runs $25-$60($60 being the AC months), and what is with me being home all day with the computer on!

We bought those plastic wraps and insulated most of the windows with them, we keep a blanket at the foot of the door to prevent air from leaking in, I have kept my thermostat at about 58 during the day and 52 at night. We are doing everything we can think of to keep the bill low, so I was still shocked whenever that first bill came and we saw the $97 charge(up from about $25 past months)!

Is there anything else we can do to cut costs? Can we get away with turning the heat down anymore? I have seen posts online that say turning it down anymore risks both breaking your pipes and also that once your thermostat hits 60 you really do not save more then a buck or two a month reducing it any farther.

Any tips to save gas money, warnings on turning it down lower or any other thoughts are greatly appreciated!
 
Check your basement, lots of cold air can come in through windows etc. down there. Other than that, a house is just expensive to heat. We live in the country and have to use propane to heat our house and for our water heater. I am pretty sure from January through the summer we spent close to $1200 on gas. I don't know how big your house is or how cold it is but $100 a month isn't that bad at all.
 
$100 a month for heat isn't bad. Not much more you can do beyond doing more weatherpoofing (putting new weather stripping in the doorms and windows etc. or spending a lot more money and putting insulation in the attic, putting in new, higher rated windows (double pane etc.).
 
Given the size of your home, the age, and the fact that it's butt cold in Ohio, I'd say you're getting off cheap at $100. It sounds like you've done a great deal as is.

Your only tradeoff may be to use portable area heaters, but those are going to suck electricity.
 
Yeah I was thinking $100 may be the cheapest we got off.....was hoping I could do more but from the sounds of things probably not! I still do have a few related questions.

1. Would it save anything/be safe turning the heat off at night? I wanted to do this from the start but my inlaws and a few web pages stressed that you may burst your pipes or that the savings would only add up to a few bucks a month. Hell to be honest I could probably do without the heat during the day till my wife came home too, I did it at our old apartments which were 10x colder.

2. Should I close off vents in rooms I do not use? This was another thing that some sites strongly recommended for and others strongly against.

3. Is it true that the savings after your heat goes under 60 is tiny to non existent? I have been keeping it at about 56 during the day, 58-60 when my wife comes home and 52 at bed. If it really wont save anything though I might as well just put it at 60 and let it stay there permanently.
 
100 isn't bad at all. Sounds like you are on top of things with the insulation ideas. We live in a 1960 ranch in the south and I've done several of those same things you've done with insulating and have seen really just mediocre results.

I've noticed our old, single-pane windows just get cold. I have them taped up and a towel in between the blinds and they still get cold. I put the indoor/outdoor thermometer right up against the window last night (the outside one is just on the other side of the window) and it read 36 outside and 48 inside. Pulling it out from between the blinds into the room indicated room temp was 62ish.

We just had our attic area blown to r-29 (4-5 months ago) and honestly I haven't seen a huge difference - maybe a little though - time will tell.

One thing I'm sorta kinda interested in getting is one of those temperature gun thingies that you can check for temp differences in your house say if you have a draft or a leak somewhere it can help you pinpoint it.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Ok so we just got that first gas bill for the winter month and boy was I shocked to see almost $100 for gas! I know heating bills can be expensive, but I figured like most things ours would be far less then most peoples! Me and my wife are really good about being frugal, where most people we know have electric bills of $100-$200 a month ours usually runs $25-$60($60 being the AC months), and what is with me being home all day with the computer on!

We bought those plastic wraps and insulated most of the windows with them, we keep a blanket at the foot of the door to prevent air from leaking in, I have kept my thermostat at about 58 during the day and 52 at night. We are doing everything we can think of to keep the bill low, so I was still shocked whenever that first bill came and we saw the $97 charge(up from about $25 past months)![/QUOTE]
The reason your bill is so high is because someone came and did an actual read. Most bills are just estimates of usage, so a jump like that is not abnormal. However, if the jump is way out of proportion (say in the summertime), you should call and ask them for justification. Chances are that someone read the meter wrong and they're overcharging you.

With regards to pressure washing, I think a few people are just obsessed with keeping the front of the house looking clean and new. Mom just had her house washed for the first time in 15 years and while it made a huge difference, nothing was super caked on or noticeable unless you got out a magnifying glass. I can relate though, having purchased a brand new car recently. At first you're OCD about ANYTHING you can see up close. Once you calm down, you realize that things can be kept looking new and clean by just keeping up normal maintenance without super detailing it constantly.

Just fix things as they're required and you'll be fine. Fix leaks and winterize facets are probably the highest priority off the top of my head. Everything else is at your leisure, unless it starts to become a problem.
 
Turning heat (or A/C in the summer) way down when away during the day or at night doesn't save money if you do more than a few degrees.

You'll spend more energy getting the house back to the temperature you want, vs. just keeping it closer to that temperature all the time.

Think of it like gas mileage. You get higher mileage maintaining a high speed on the interstate, than you do driving in the city at a slower speed because with all the stops as you use more gas getting back up to speed.

With heating/cooling you use more energy getting back up/down to temperature if you adjust it too much. I generally turn mine up/down two degrees from my desired temperature (which is way above yours) when leaving the house for work.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
^ - so true

Your bill is actually quite low. I wouldn't be disappointed at all. I feel bad for you freezing you and your wifes ass getting out of bed.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Unless you literally cannot afford your utilities, you should most definitely NOT leave your thermostat below 60 if your climate gets below zero. In MN I keep mine at 68 all day long and I can't imagine your weather being worse than ours.

There are definitely two sides to the closed vent coin. One theory is that if you shut the vents in the upper floors, the "extra" heat in the basement will seep up through the house making it warmer. On the other hand, your furnace was designed to run at X, not X - a few rooms so it seemingly doesn't make much sense at all.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']Given the size of your home, the age, and the fact that it's butt cold in Ohio, I'd say you're getting off cheap at $100. It sounds like you've done a great deal as is.

Your only tradeoff may be to use portable area heaters, but those are going to suck electricity.[/QUOTE]

This. Welcome to owning a home. It's gonna be much more expensive to heat than an apartment.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Yeah I was thinking $100 may be the cheapest we got off.....was hoping I could do more but from the sounds of things probably not! I still do have a few related questions.

1. Would it save anything/be safe turning the heat off at night? I wanted to do this from the start but my inlaws and a few web pages stressed that you may burst your pipes or that the savings would only add up to a few bucks a month. Hell to be honest I could probably do without the heat during the day till my wife came home too, I did it at our old apartments which were 10x colder.

2. Should I close off vents in rooms I do not use? This was another thing that some sites strongly recommended for and others strongly against.

3. Is it true that the savings after your heat goes under 60 is tiny to non existent? I have been keeping it at about 56 during the day, 58-60 when my wife comes home and 52 at bed. If it really wont save anything though I might as well just put it at 60 and let it stay there permanently.[/QUOTE]

1. Is it worth saving a few bucks at most to turn off the heat at night? To me, it's not.

2. I close off vents in two rooms in my house I don't use. It definitely helps. There is no reason to heat rooms that aren't being used.

3. dmaul nailed this one already. I would keep the temperature on a constant or thereabouts and never touch it. For me personally, I keep my heat on 68, air on 78. Grab a blanket if you're cold.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']1. Is it worth saving a few bucks at most to turn off the heat at night? To me, it's not.

2. I close off vents in two rooms in my house I don't use. It definitely helps. There is no reason to heat rooms that aren't being used.

3. dmaul nailed this one already. I would keep the temperature on a constant or thereabouts and never touch it. For me personally, I keep my heat on 68, air on 78. Grab a blanket if you're cold.[/QUOTE]

1. If you mean a few bucks a month then hell no its not. If we saved $5-$10 a month and made it cold at night then no, that would not be worth it. If you mean a few bucks a day, then hell yes its worth it. I am guessing you mean the prior, but if you mean a few a day then it adds up to a lot. Look at it this way, if you saved $1 a day on it then it saves $30 a month or $120 over the winter. Thats a nice little savings.

2. Good to hear you do it and saw positive results. We have just seen so many mixed messages on the subject. Some said it can hurt your vents, most said it saves a ton.

3. Heh well as I said we have already been keeping it under 60, so moving it to 68-78 I dont think a blanket would be needed. Besides our pug is a heat machine ;)
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']This. Welcome to owning a home. It's gonna be much more expensive to heat than an apartment.[/QUOTE]

Yep. One of many reason's I'm glad I don't have or want kids. I'm fine living in small condo's in well insulated high rises.

Even being pretty liberal with the temperature (see below) I've not paid more than $85 for my electric bill in my current condo (that was a VERY hot summer month).

[quote name='mtxbass1']
For me personally, I keep my heat on 68, air on 78. Grab a blanket if you're cold.[/QUOTE]

For me, that's one area I don't give a shit about being green. I recycle, live 3 miles from work, use CFL bulbs etc. But I keep my thermostat around 72-75 in the winter and summer respectively. Generally just leave it on 73 most of the time. I'm one of those people that can't stand being hot or cold.

That said, it's well insulated and gets a lot of sun, so in the winters the heat doesn't run much during the day even set at 72. Summer the A/C has to run a lot more though.
 
My thermostat in the winter during the day the house is set at 50 during the day (no one home) 60 when we are awake. (sweatshirts are your friend) and 58 at night (blankets are your friend) the kids have a space heater in their bed room to bring the temp in there up to 65-70 at night. I dont want them getting sick.

something i learned quick:::
INSULATE YOUR WINDOWS!!! that plastic wrap stuff helps alot youd be suprised. Also check doors for drafts. Any questions about insulating and what to get ask the oldest person you can find working at home depot, no young bucks lol.

good luck too.
youll do fine :)
 
This thread almost makes me want to get a townhouse instead of a house.

But I have a hard time with paying the extra $120-200/month just for someone to clear the driveway of snow and cut the 2 sq feet of grass on my yard.

Not to mention what if I lose my job and can't afford the $120-200, then what?

Aren't townhouses much cheaper too? I'm only one guy - I don't need a lot of space.
 
2D - Didn't know you were also a fellow MN guy.

Townhouses aren't usually much cheaper. I lived in a set of them in Eden Prairie many years ago and still paid about the same for all of my utilities even though my house is bout 5x the size of the townhouse I had.
 
I've got a 1744 sq ft ranch with a 940 finished room in the basement, new construction built 3 years ago. House is all electric with a 13 SEER heat pump HVAC system. We usually hover around $150-170 during the summer/fall/spring and $200-220 during the winter months.

No kids, just me and the wife. Thermostat is at 66-67 during day and night.
 
[quote name='2DMention']This thread almost makes me want to get a townhouse instead of a house.

But I have a hard time with paying the extra $120-200/month just for someone to clear the driveway of snow and cut the 2 sq feet of grass on my yard.

Not to mention what if I lose my job and can't afford the $120-200, then what?

Aren't townhouses much cheaper too? I'm only one guy - I don't need a lot of space.[/QUOTE]

Well that's why you have to have a rainy day fund saved up. You shouldn't buy a house until you have enough saved up so that after putting 20%+ down that you have at least 6 months expenses saved up (including things like condo fees, mortgage, utilities, food etc.).

Keep in mind the fees also cover repairs to things in the building outside your unit (rough, walls, pest extermination etc.)--all things you pay for out of pocket if you own a home and something goes wrong.

Sometimes you get extra perks--in my condo building internet is included in the condo fees. And it's solid internet. Has never been down since I've been here--10mbps down, 3mpbs up.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Well that's why you have to have a rainy day fund saved up. You shouldn't buy a house until you have enough saved up so that after putting 20%+ down that you have at least 6 months expenses saved up (including things like condo fees, mortgage, utilities, food etc.).

Keep in mind the fees also cover repairs to things in the building outside your unit (rough, walls, pest extermination etc.)--all things you pay for out of pocket if you own a home and something goes wrong.

Sometimes you get extra perks--in my condo building internet is included in the condo fees. And it's solid internet. Has never been down since I've been here--10mbps down, 3mpbs up.[/QUOTE]

I have some money saved up. It's just I don't think the associa. fee is worth it, although if Internet would be included, that would make it a less bitter pill to swallow.

I'm looking at cheaper houses in Maple Grove this week.
 
Yeah it just varies person to person. I'd rather pay a condo fee than have to deal with mowing a lawn and worrying about exterior repairs etc.

I already work long hours, so I don't want to waste anymore time than I have to on household chores etc.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']1. If you mean a few bucks a month then hell no its not. If we saved $5-$10 a month and made it cold at night then no, that would not be worth it. If you mean a few bucks a day, then hell yes its worth it. I am guessing you mean the prior, but if you mean a few a day then it adds up to a lot. Look at it this way, if you saved $1 a day on it then it saves $30 a month or $120 over the winter. Thats a nice little savings.

[/QUOTE]

A few bucks a month. $120 over the winter isn't going to break my bank to be comfortable. Forget that noise.

This morning it is frigid down South, so the heat is on. I still keep it on 68, but damn it's cold. I hate cold weather.
 
Tip of the day: Go to Wal-Mart and get a pair of $30 space heaters. Put one in your bedroom, and another in the room you spend most time in. It's much cheaper to use electricity just to heat the places you spend most of your time. I turn the heater on "low" at night in my bedroom and shut the door. It gets ultra toasty and I'm not blowing tons of $$$ heating the rest of the house.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']A few bucks a month. $120 over the winter isn't going to break my bank to be comfortable. Forget that noise.

This morning it is frigid down South, so the heat is on. I still keep it on 68, but damn it's cold. I hate cold weather.[/QUOTE]

Heh see where I am a big tough bear of a man, but at the same time I am freaking cheap as shit. It means I can deal with the minor discomfort of the cold to save $120 over a few months!
 
[quote name='Capitalizt']Tip of the day: Go to Wal-Mart and get a pair of $30 space heaters. Put one in your bedroom, and another in the room you spend most time in. It's much cheaper to use electricity just to heat the places you spend most of your time. I turn the heater on "low" at night in my bedroom and shut the door. It gets ultra toasty and I'm not blowing tons of $$$ heating the rest of the house.[/QUOTE]

No way. Space heaters use a ton of power. You're better off using the real heater, and then saving your money towards insulation and a better central AC/heater. A new efficient unit runs $3k but can cut your bill in half and pay for itself in 3 years. An attic fan is probably the best thing you can buy to cut your summer AC bill as well.
 
I am a new home owner myself (have owned my house since June) and have found this thread very helpful.

Lucky for me my lights and gas are ran by the same company which offers a budget plan so I pay a set rate for them each month. The good thing about it is I usually use less than what I pay so for those months I go over I already paid for them.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='MSI Magus']Heh see where I am a big tough bear of a man, but at the same time I am freaking cheap as shit. It means I can deal with the minor discomfort of the cold to save $120 over a few months![/QUOTE]

haha. I'm frugal as well, but as I get up in age (and grow in wealth), I'm realizing that my discomfort just isn't worth it if I can solve it by spending a few bucks.
 
I'm frugal and do a good job of saving money. But I'm not a cheap ass. If I want something I buy it, and I won't suffer discomfort or inconvenience to save a few bucks now that I make ok money and don't have to worry about bills much etc.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I'm frugal and do a good job of saving money. But I'm not a cheap ass. If I want something I buy it, and I won't suffer discomfort or inconvenience to save a few bucks now that I make ok money and don't have to worry about bills much etc.[/QUOTE]

Heh see where first off I dont feel I am suffering. I keep a hoodie on and I keep under a blanket and I am fine. Once or twice it did feel like too much and I kicked it up a few degrees, but those were only on the coldest days so far. I would not be suprised if by dead of winter I have it at 60-62 vs 56-58. On the cheap ass end, I get called that all the time and I always say its not that I am cheap its that I would rather spend my money elsewhere. I cant afford to do everything I want so I have to choose. I could keep the heat at 65-70 and spend another $75 every month, or I could keep a hoodie/blanket on and get to buy a few more games and have a nice sushi dinner with my wife ;)
 
Fair enough. Like I said, I'm one of those people who can't remotely stand to be uncomfortable temperature wise. And thankfully my place is cheap to heat and cool, so the extra $25-50 a month I'm spending keeping it around 72-74 year round is a small price to pay for me.

I'm also fortunate that I do ok for myself and can buy all the games, movies, dinners out etc. that I want as well. Not to sound like I'm rolling in cash, as I'm definitely not, it's more just that there's not that much stuff I want to buy these days as I rely on Netflix etc. and spend a lot of time working anyway. So I both make more money and have lest time and interest to spend it anyway!
 
You say youre not suffering yet you have to penny pinch your electricity/gas bills in order to have money for a nice dinner. Sounds like you bought too much house.
 
[quote name='lordopus99']You say youre not suffering yet you have to penny pinch your electricity/gas bills in order to have money for a nice dinner. Sounds like you bought too much house.[/QUOTE]

No, not really. Just unlike most Americans we are not content to live paycheck to paycheck or even year to year. We like to plan for our future and we like to plan for rainy days. If we do not have at least 6-8 months worth of bills in the bank we do not feel comfortable and currently we are paying almost $800 on our $400 mortgage, and contributing a good deal to my wife's 401k. If we wanted we could act like most people these days and contribute nothing and pay the minimum and then crank the heat up, go out to dinner all the time, have a kid and do a million other irresponsible things. We just would rather live by the minimum and one day in the future if things go bad we have lots of cash on hand, and if they do not we are going to either travel the world or build a dream house with an indoor pool, sauna and all sorts of other nice luxuries. Self sacrifice today = prosperous future is the model we try and live by. Even after my wife finishes college if she gets the $70-$100k a year people in her field make we plan to continue living this way, its smart and it also makes me feel good because I know I am using less resources then most people and doing my part to fix problems vs contributing.
 
I'd say the key if finding the happy medium/right balance. Life is short (we never know how much time we have) so you can't live too poorly always dreaming of some future that may never happen.

But one also can't be short sited and blow all their money and live paycheck to paycheck. They key is to try to get in a situation where you can build up your retirement accounts, build up your savings (have at least 6 months expenses) but also have enough disposable income to live comfortably and enjoy life.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I'd say the key if finding the happy medium/right balance. Life is short (we never know how much time we have) so you can't live too poorly always dreaming of some future that may never happen.

But one also can't be short sited and blow all their money and live paycheck to paycheck. They key is to try to get in a situation where you can build up your retirement accounts, build up your savings (have at least 6 months expenses) but also have enough disposable income to live comfortably and enjoy life.[/QUOTE]

Completely agree. Life is at its best when balanced, it does not matter if its politics, food, exercise, work or anything else when you find the middle ground you will be most happy. Problem is two fold though. First off as I have stated before , we get by on a single lower middle class income. Before taxes we are sitting at about $35k a year, nothing to sneeze at since we do not have kids, but that still limits you a lot. Second we have had a wave of expenses. First we put a little more towards the down payment on the house, then our dogs got sick which ran another $1,500ish(one had a stroke)and then our car had a major issue which ran us another $1,000. All said we are outside our 6-8 month savings rule by about $4,000 right now which again on a single income is a lot of money. Even with that though we have still gone out and had korean or Sushi once a month, bought a few games for me and my wife some shoes, and next month we will go see her best friend who lives about 6 hours away which requires gas money and a hotel. We are not depriving ourselves of anything, just right now we are buckled down a bit more then usual.

Plus I really do not feel as though I am doing anything extreme. 58 is not that low of a temperature and I am really not uncomfortable, I just think since its so outside what other people do that people are reacting like I am sitting here with the heat off eating ramen noodles and playing NES games. We treat ourselves and we heat ourselves, we just make minor sacrifices today for large pay offs tomorrow.

Edit - Going to edit in that I HATE being warm far more then being cold. That said that means during the summer even though most experts reccomended X to save on the bills I will probally be 4-10 degrees below that ;)
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah it just varies person to person. I'd rather pay a condo fee than have to deal with mowing a lawn and worrying about exterior repairs etc.

I already work long hours, so I don't want to waste anymore time than I have to on household chores etc.[/QUOTE]

I understand what you mean; if the yard was huge and took a couple of hours to mow, I'd be with you. But most homes lawns are small and not much work. Snowblowing is a pain in the ass and sometimes you have to get up at 4am to do it.

Exterior repairs is something you don't have to do often, and if you put $100 away every month, you have lots of money to hire that out too.
 
Fair enough. Like I said, I'm fortunate in that both myself and my girlfriend make decent money so the condo fees just aren't anything we have to worry about financially.

If I was in a tighter financial situation, I'd be willing to worry about the yard work and maintenance to save the money. But I/we got advanced degrees and work hard so we have enough money to not have to worry about that kind of crap.

I grew up in a lower middle class, blue collar family and knew I never wanted to be in that kind of situation of busting ass at work all day, coming home and dealing with all the house and yard chores, and still having to sweat the bills at times etc.
 
[quote name='javeryh']I can't believe you have a $400 mortgage. I am seriously living in the wrong part of the country.[/QUOTE]

Heh yeah, $400 with our insurance and taxes included for 15 years, we pay either $700 or $800 a month(cant recall which)and it will be paid off in 6 years and 2 months instead. Figure its worth it buckling down a little more for 6 years and cutting off about $6,000+ worth of interest.
 
[quote name='javeryh']I can't believe you have a $400 mortgage. I am seriously living in the wrong part of the country.[/QUOTE]

The downside to having a $400 mortgage, you have to live in an area where the houses only command a $400 mortgage. Of course housing market in NJ is crazier than most, I would rather be here than Deerlick Mississippi.
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']The downside to having a $400 mortgage, you have to live in an area where the houses only command a $400 mortgage. Of course housing market in NJ is crazier than most, I would rather be here than Deerlick Mississippi.[/QUOTE]

/nod its a two way street. When we first said we were buying a house in the area we were people we know were like "why not live in Rossford its so much nicer!!! Your resale value is so small there". Thing is Rossford is all of 5 to 10 mins down the road, that means its not any safer nor does it have better access to events or stores, this part of Toledo and Rossford are essentially the same. Only difference is that Rossford as a whole draws more rich people and property taxes are insane there. So by living 10 mins down the road we got a house for $40,000 that would have cost us $100,000+ there AND we would have paid more taxes. The resale value argument has never made sense to me either because yes we are going to only get $30-$50k if we sell our house....but we only paid that much for it! Meanwhile if you buy a house with a high value and prices go down you get bit much harder on resale.
 
Damn. My MDX cost more than your house. I am so jealous. We are putting an addition on our house right now (adding a 15'x20' room - three stories) that will cost approximately 4X your house (and it's not like we're going all out or anything either). I am an idiot... although I love where I live (nice downtown for shopping, good schools, NYC is super close, etc.) but still...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top