Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stickguy

ab348 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

$3300/mo NOT including mortgage? What are you paying for?

I misunderstood his numbers a bit. It was $33000 a year so around $2700 a month. Their tally is as shown here:

To me that was misleading. Most of that is happening no matter where you live. The actual villages part is fairly low. About $650/mo for property taxes, various HOA type stuff, activities fees, and my favorite, a trail pass for your golf cart!

Even all in, $2,700/mo for 2 people is very reasonable to own a home and have that active a life. Plus medical of course, but again, you got that anywhere.

stickguy

I have no intention of ever buying into a condo building. A townhouse I could do. If the wife can be convinced! I prefer a smaller single with a little yard. Kinda like a townhouse but no shared walls!

Our new shed is done. “The guy” did a great job. Unfortunately now I have to paint it. Thankfully it is supposed to be warm and dry this weekend since mid November is not the smartest time for outdoor painting. The paint I don’t mind, and there isn’t much to caulk, but filling all the nail holes is going to be tedious.

Another reason to move. No pool stuff, no lawn care equipment, no need for a shed!

driver100

Stick, another reason the condo/cruise ship analogy is good is because they both require little thinking or various bill payment. I am not a fan of cruise ships (except in certain locales...such as Panama, Rome - Pompeii - Florence, Venice, Baltic including St Petersburg) but they do the planning for you, same in a condo...they do the looking after it part.
People forget that for your monthly condo fees, you get things like a pool to use....pools alone can be costly to maintain with chemicals and heating....not to mention the work involved. There are definite advantages to condo living for some people.
Another reason I would not like to live in a condo building is going up and down in an elevator......like getting your groceries upstairs. Forgetting something and having to go back up to get it. Waiting for an elevator. Riding on it with other people......always facing the front what happens if someone stands facing the back of the elevator? Taking Trixie up and down each time she has to go out....and not being able to go out on her own....

sda

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

My monthly fee in Florida is $405 a month, that includes lawn maintenance, lots of palm trees and bushes, insurance on the exterior, paving roadways, basic cable TV, swimming pool, clubhouse, general cleaning of walks and exterior walls, paint every few years as needed, new roof when needed, pest control.......probably a few more items. I think it is worth it.
The Board can vary from incompetent to excellent. I like rules that make sense, approval to paint doors or garage doors, outside items need approval by the board, approval to put in a plant, no parking on roadways....I don't like rules that say you must keep the screens or crossbars on your windows....current board got rid of that rule.
Also nice to basically write one check a month...or one withdrawal...instead of dealing with 5 different companies.

I pay $520 a month for HOA fees and covers everything you mentioned above at your Florida condo. What I like the most about my condo community (5000+ residents) is the security. We have 2 entries to the community all monitored by security guards and 15 security cars that constantly monitor every village within the community.

We have an 18 hole executive golf course, tennis/pickle ball courts, basketball courts, swimming pools at each village as well as the main pool area, a 500 seat theatre for shows and movies, 30 different clubs (woodworking, ham radio, wine tasting, ceramics, bridge, metal-working, physical fitness gym with weights and treadmills, oil and watercolor painting, card rooms, dancing, etc.) none of which I participate in.

We have a restaurant at the golf club that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and can accommodate 75 guests at a time during non-COVID times.

Each village (we have 25 villages) has its own elected board of directors as well as a representative who attends the main board of directors on the Community Council.

The entire community has dozens of open green areas as well as mature trees - all of which need grass-cutting and trimming/pruning and cost a lot in terms of manpower and machinery. They keep the villages and the ground immaculate.

So, if you are so inclined, there is quite a lot of opportunities to get socially engaged in one club or another. I prefer my privacy and the ability to be “incognito” and to interact with my friends in a more private setting.

Wow, that is impressive. You can get lost in there!

sda

roadburner said:

I picked up my new Club Sport 25 years ago today Time truly does fly.







.

Who is the young fella in your arms? Great picture(s).

fintail

Given the sketchy-to-deplorable quality of 90% of residential construction on this continent, I'd have the same worry. A good friend bought an apartment condo near Seattle a few years ago.70s build, 8 units, several 25+ year residents, low HOAs. The latter should have been a clue - low HOAs because several residents are skinflints, so far the building has nearly depleted its reserves for a new roof, and needed a small assessment for a water line repair. Now the cladding, a kind of gravelly stucco material, is needing replacement. No amenities like a pool or big grounds to use the HOA fees. I sense another assessment is coming.

My prior building, built around 2003, had to have its stucco-like cladding replaced when it was around 10 years old, due to leaks, and the building management sued (and won) the builder to fund it. I've seen several relatively late model buildings around Seattle swathed in plastic for similar issues, and I remember "leaky condo" was almost a punchline in Vancouver for awhile.

ab348 said:

Yeah, it is apartment condos that would worry me.

stickguy

Most likely, if I wanted an apartment style condo, I would just rent instead and invest the purchase price money. Won’t get any potential appreciation, but also avoid price drops, assessments, and getting stuck because you can’t sell. Just sign a lease, and have absolute cost certainty.

abacomike

stickguy said:

Most likely, if I wanted an apartment style condo, I would just rent instead and invest the purchase price money. Won’t get any potential appreciation, but also avoid price drops, assessments, and getting stuck because you can’t sell. Just sign a lease, and have absolute cost certainty.

My folks paid $84,000 back in 1991 for the condo. I have not upgraded anything in the unit and is valued at $159,000. If I upgrade everything including bathrooms and kitchen and all flooring, it would sell for around $205,000 based on same unit sales. I was told to not upgrade because most buyers prefer to upgrade themselves down here in this development.

ab348

stickguy said:

Most likely, if I wanted an apartment style condo, I would just rent instead and invest the purchase price money. Won’t get any potential appreciation, but also avoid price drops, assessments, and getting stuck because you can’t sell. Just sign a lease, and have absolute cost certainty.

Certainty is only for one year though. We have seen cases here where rents have shot up 20%-40% when lease renewal time happens. A few sad cases had slummy buildings raise rents over 100%, using "badly needed renovations and repairs" as rationale. What that is, is an eviction notice under another name.

fintail

Welcome to Seattle. That kind of thing happened especially on the lower end of the spectrum, because capitalism or something.

I think in my old 'hood, it took 12-15 years for rents to double. Of course, salaries didn't usually fare as well. Also the same area where one could have been drunk and asleep in 1991, bought a house for 200K (probably even a little less), and ended up with 1.5MM in 2020.

ab348 said:

Certainty is only for one year though. We have seen cases here where rents have shot up 20%-40% when lease renewal time happens. A few sad cases had slummy buildings raise rents over 100%, using "badly needed renovations and repairs" as rationale. What that is, is an eviction notice under another name.

driver100

If you know you have about 10 years left to live it probably makes sense to rent in some ways. Use the equity from your home - possibly dividends or interest to pay the monthly rent. If the condo unit or building has a problem you can leave.
One lesson I have learned from covid....try to stay clear of a nursing home.

ab348

driver100 said:

One lesson I have learned from covid....try to stay clear of a nursing home.

Yes. That would be a last resort and only if you require ongoing care and can no longer do anything for yourself at home.I take a lesson from my late-90s year-old next-door neighbor who is still in her house and able to do many things for herself, and who has a home care worker come in every day for a few hours to assist her in things she can no longer do. She tells me it is both cheaper and better for her to do that than to go into someplace like the ones many of her former friends died in.

28firefighter

Getting quotes to refinance our home mortgage. It is staggering. 2.375% for 30 years fixed with a $1k closing credit. No points. Currently at 3.375...

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

Getting quotes to refinance our home mortgage. It is staggering. 2.375% for 30 years fixed with a $1k closing credit. No points. Currently at 3.375...

who is that through?

Michaell

28firefighter said:

Getting quotes to refinance our home mortgage. It is staggering. 2.375% for 30 years fixed with a $1k closing credit. No points. Currently at 3.375...

Hoping to refinance after the first of the year. Helps that the wife went back to work with a job that pays a decent salary....

sda

28firefighter said:

Getting quotes to refinance our home mortgage. It is staggering. 2.375% for 30 years fixed with a $1k closing credit. No points. Currently at 3.375...

Have you considered a 15 year fixed mortgage? It is amazing how much quicker you whittle down the principal vs 30 year and the monthly payment may not be that much different. We did a 15 year about 6 years ago. I think we are at 2.75%. I need to check.

28firefighter

@sda - The interest savings is minimal over 30 years - I'd rather pay extra principal down each month and have the flexibility if I need the cash flow.

@qbrozen - Strong Home Mortgage (referred through Costco)

suydam

If you don’t want an incompetent HOA board, become a board member! When we moved about 4 years ago I determined not to be one of the people who complain about their HOA but don’t attend meetings or want any responsibility. I started attending meetings from the first, and I learned a lot about what goes on. Ours is a very small complex, nothing like what @abacomike is talking about, so we know most of the neighbors. Just recently there was a vacancy so I decided to join the board. You really get a good idea of how money is spent and what priorities are. And you can speak for your interests too. It can be maddening, but also very interesting!
Our fees pay all exterior maintenance, landscaping and lighting. We each have small patios and courtyards which we maintain. There is also a reserve fund which budgets for large maintenance items like new roofs, which we did 2 years ago. For $325/month it’s very reasonable.

kyfdx

suydam said:

If you don’t want an incompetent HOA board, become a board member! When we moved about 4 years ago I determined not to be one of the people who complain about their HOA but don’t attend meetings or want any responsibility. I started attending meetings from the first, and I learned a lot about what goes on. Ours is a very small complex, nothing like what @abacomike is talking about, so we know most of the neighbors. Just recently there was a vacancy so I decided to join the board. You really get a good idea of how money is spent and what priorities are. And you can speak for your interests too. It can be maddening, but also very interesting!
Our fees pay all exterior maintenance, landscaping and lighting. We each have small patios and courtyards which we maintain. There is also a reserve fund which budgets for large maintenance items like new roofs, which we did 2 years ago. For $325/month it’s very reasonable.

Yup... then, your neighbors will [non-permissible content removed] to you, instead of about the HOA board.. lol

nyccarguy

28firefighter said:

Getting quotes to refinance our home mortgage. It is staggering. 2.375% for 30 years fixed with a $1k closing credit. No points. Currently at 3.375...

WOW!

sda

February 1990 I bought my first house. Rates were just starting to drop somewhat. 10% 30yr fixed. ouch

kyfdx

sda said:

February 1990 I bought my first house. Rates were just starting to drop somewhat. 10% 30yr fixed. ouch

1989 did a 3yr adjustable/30yr for 9%. When I sold the house three years later, it had just adjusted downward by 1%

28firefighter

And I'm officially locked in - supposed to close 2 days before Christmas. We shall see...

Michaell

I think when my folks bought their house in 1968, the interest rate was 6% fixed for 30 years. They never refinanced, and my mom paid off the loan early (like, 1991, which is when my dad retired).

They did take out a reverse mortgage about 20 years ago, so there's that to deal with when we finally sell the house.

tjc78

sda said:

February 1990 I bought my first house. Rates were just starting to drop somewhat. 10% 30yr fixed. ouch

Crazy. At 10% my principal and interest would be double what I pay now at 2.75%

Michaell

We bought our first house in 2000. I think the initial interest rate was north of 8%. Several refi's later and the rate was down in the 5's.

kyfdx

1998.. 25 yr fixed, 7.625%

roadburner

sda said:

roadburner said:

I picked up my new Club Sport 25 years ago today Time truly does fly.







.

Who is the young fella in your arms? Great picture(s).

Thanks! As for my son, he is almost exactly one year older than the car!

cdnpinhead

In November of 1980 when our new house was completed and the rate finalized, it was at 14%.

imidazol97

Son called this morning about 10. I knew it was an emergency, because he rarely calls from work where he has to go to his car to use his cell phone rather than his deskphone.

A tree service cut down the two pine trees at the corner of their lot. Tree cutters had been contracted by the neighbor to cut two pine trees about 50 feet onto the neighbor's lot, but instead cut down two that were clearly many feet within the back fence line of son's lot.

Son was furious. They tried to tell his wife, a veterinarian and sharp who was home at 8 am and heard the noise, that the trees were unhealthy so the cutters had done them a favor by taking down the unhealthy trees!!!

Son asked my advice on a couple of factors, and he called the tree service which is from outside their plat just across the main road. Guy was snippy and used the same logic that they did son and DIL a favor. Of course, son mentioned treble damages per Ohio state law. DIL contacted the same arborist who had been there a few weeks ago to give opinion on what trees to plant and to take out--but he was busy, his secretary said, because he was giving a deposition where someone had cut the wrong trees! Must be going around. Guard your trees.

imidazol97

roadburner said:

.

Is that your house? Monograms "R" for "R"oadrunner...

kyfdx

@imidazol97 That sucks

jmonroe1

imidazol97 said:

roadburner said:

.

Is that your house? Monograms "R" for "R"oadrunner...

No, that’s his garage. His house has Roadbuner spelled out.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

imidazol97 said:

Son called this morning about 10. I knew it was an emergency, because he rarely calls from work where he has to go to his car to use his cell phone rather than his deskphone.

A tree service cut down the two pine trees at the corner of their lot. Tree cutters had been contracted by the neighbor to cut two pine trees about 50 feet onto the neighbor's lot, but instead cut down two that were clearly many feet within the back fence line of son's lot.

Son was furious. They tried to tell his wife, a veterinarian and sharp who was home at 8 am and heard the noise, that the trees were unhealthy so the cutters had done them a favor by taking down the unhealthy trees!!!

Son asked my advice on a couple of factors, and he called the tree service which is from outside their plat just across the main road. Guy was snippy and used the same logic that they did son and DIL a favor. Of course, son mentioned treble damages per Ohio state law. DIL contacted the same arborist who had been there a few weeks ago to give opinion on what trees to plant and to take out--but he was busy, his secretary said, because he was giving a deposition where someone had cut the wrong trees! Must be going around. Guard your trees.

I’m willing to bet that when their excuse was given they didn’t even pause. Why? Because they’ve done that before.

jmonroe

roadburner

sda said:

roadburner said:

I picked up my new Club Sport 25 years ago today Time truly does fly.







.

Who is the young fella in your arms? Great picture(s).

He's almost exactly one year older than the car!

imidazol97 said:

Son called this morning about 10. I knew it was an emergency, because he rarely calls from work where he has to go to his car to use his cell phone rather than his deskphone.

A tree service cut down the two pine trees at the corner of their lot. Tree cutters had been contracted by the neighbor to cut two pine trees about 50 feet onto the neighbor's lot, but instead cut down two that were clearly many feet within the back fence line of son's lot.

Son was furious. They tried to tell his wife, a veterinarian and sharp who was home at 8 am and heard the noise, that the trees were unhealthy so the cutters had done them a favor by taking down the unhealthy trees!!!

Son asked my advice on a couple of factors, and he called the tree service which is from outside their plat just across the main road. Guy was snippy and used the same logic that they did son and DIL a favor. Of course, son mentioned treble damages per Ohio state law. DIL contacted the same arborist who had been there a few weeks ago to give opinion on what trees to plant and to take out--but he was busy, his secretary said, because he was giving a deposition where someone had cut the wrong trees! Must be going around. Guard your trees.

That's infuriating. I hope your son nails them. I had a case where loggers "accidentally" cut timber on the wrong property, then offered the affected property owners pennies on the dollar. I treated it as a felony, and the loggers were NOT happy.

imidazol97

roadburner said:

That's infuriating. I hope your son nails them. I had a case where loggers "accidentally" cut timber on the wrong property, then offered the affected property owners pennies on the dollar. I treated it as a felony, and the loggers were NOT happy.

Son contacted an attorney office thinking of civil litigation. Should he contact the county prosecuting attorney as a criminal case?

omarman

Wouldn't both the tree service and the neighbor both be liable for damages? At least your son had a recent visit from an arborist before this happened. That could really help determine damages regardless of who pays.

28firefighter

imidazol97 said:

roadburner said:

That's infuriating. I hope your son nails them. I had a case where loggers "accidentally" cut timber on the wrong property, then offered the affected property owners pennies on the dollar. I treated it as a felony, and the loggers were NOT happy.

Son contacted an attorney office thinking of civil litigation. Should he contact the county prosecuting attorney as a criminal case?

I’d start with a police report for that. Let them investigate.

fintail

That's crazy. My sister and her husband closed a month or so ago at 2.5-2.6% I think. Because of that they can afford to spend close to half a million dollars on a house that pre-covid would be a 2 hour commute to Seattle or Bellevue, if were lucky (and might be creeping up again).

28firefighter said:

Getting quotes to refinance our home mortgage. It is staggering. 2.375% for 30 years fixed with a $1k closing credit. No points. Currently at 3.375...

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

I picked up my new Club Sport 25 years ago today Time truly does fly.







.

That car really held up style wise. Looks better than some of the new geo mechanical styles.

stickguy

I would love to buy a modern version if they could keep the styling clean like that, just updated, and kept the car simple and fun.

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

1998.. 25 yr fixed, 7.625%

1982 0%. We couldn’t afford the 18% fix rates so we self-funded and self-built.

suydam

1980 I think was 18%, had to be financed by the seller because 2 banks in our town failed. What a mess that was. We were happy to get out from under that one about 5 years later. Rates still high but not insane like then. That was really a low point.

driver100

kyfdx said:

@imidazol97 That sucks

+1....in fact, that really sucks!

roadburner

imidazol97 said:

roadburner said:

That's infuriating. I hope your son nails them. I had a case where loggers "accidentally" cut timber on the wrong property, then offered the affected property owners pennies on the dollar. I treated it as a felony, and the loggers were NOT happy.

Son contacted an attorney office thinking of civil litigation. Should he contact the county prosecuting attorney as a criminal case?

Your son's situation is not so clear cut- no pun intended. The tree service screwed up. With the loggers they knew they were on the wrong property(there was even video of their equipment running right past "No Trespassing" signs). Their scam was to approach the landowner with a "We're so sorry, here's $XXX for your damages." The amount offered was a fraction of what the loggers would have had to pay for the lumber if they had negotiated a contract to log the property. Landowners who didn't know what the trees were worth often accepted the offer.

graphicguy

@roadburner ...love seeing these sorts of pics. Thanks!

Condo....my son thinks I should move into one. Dunno....I think the first time I crank up RONIN or AVATAR the neighbors beside me, above me, and maybe below me, would probably have the HOA kick me out. Plus, I did NIRVANA at reference levels last night, which probably wouldn’t endear me to my neighbors.

First house I bought (80s), I remember getting a ~10% APR and was glad to get that. Last APR I had at the end of my mortgage I think was somewhere around 2%.

Gimme a 2BR, 1BR home on a ¼ acre with a porch and a basement I can turn into a Home Theater, and that would be ideal. As it stands, I’m out of the market until at least Q3 next year.

stickguy

Get at least 2 full baths. Much better SNY time you have visitors. And another bedroom or den. So private master suite, guest room and visitors bath, and a room for you (hobbies, office, whatever).

My opinion of course, but for me, that’s the minimum.

tjc78

@roadburner
@graphicguy

Which would you go with. Room is approx 20x25x8

I may pull the trigger around the end of year.

My current older 12” Klipsch does an admiral job but looking for a little more oomph.

My gut tells me the SVS but the Klipsch seems like a good value.

SVS SB-3000 Subwoofer - 13-inch Driver, 800W RMS, 2,500W Pea... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K6VN8G1/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_fabc_Bb9TFb7JXG4KC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Klipsch SPL-150SW 15 Inch Powered Subwoofer, Ebony https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P8B85JH/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_fabc_-b9TFbX5CJETQ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

driver100

Our over the range microwave died last night while making popcorn. What a hassle. Had to do some quick checking to find one the right color - Black, and that is the right dimensions. Found one at a store a few blocks away.....a Panasonic, brought it home at 8 a.m. this morning. The Guy is coming Sunday to install it!

tjc78

driver100 said:

Our over the range microwave died last night while making popcorn. What a hassle. Had to do some quick checking to find one the right color - Black, and that is the right dimensions. Found one at a store a few blocks away.....a Panasonic, brought it home at 8 a.m. this morning. The Guy is coming Sunday to install it!

That happened to me right before we moved out of the old house. I must say I bought try cheapest one I could find that matched ($200 Samsung)

I installed it myself. I was really worried because my old house had a granite backsplash that went up to the old unit. Even 1/4” taller in the rear would have made it not fit.

Getting it to clip into the bracket was tricky with no wiggle room but still only a 2 beer job at most. A pro will be in and out within the hour.