What are your next major purchases?

Everything else!

Moderators: Bakhtosh, EvilHomer3k

Post Reply
Jeff V
Posts: 36414
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 7:17 pm
Location: Nowhere you want to be.

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Jeff V »

The egg farm is being run by an old college friend of hers who has proven honest and reliable. Her sister hasn't screwed us yet (she's still young though). The condo has already tripled in value since she bought into it during pre-planning, if anything seems off with the management, she'll sell it in a heartbeat.

She really wants to set us up with enough passive income to retire.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
em2nought
Posts: 5306
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 5:48 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by em2nought »

Jeff V wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 7:49 am The egg farm is being run by an old college friend of hers who has proven honest and reliable. Her sister hasn't screwed us yet (she's still young though). The condo has already tripled in value since she bought into it during pre-planning, if anything seems off with the management, she'll sell it in a heartbeat.
Excellent! Maybe I should move to the Philippines, :think:
Technically, he shouldn't be here.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Daehawk »

Bloody hell I think the mower won our latest round. I went out nearing dusk, because I forgot during the day, to pull the battery from my riding lawn mower. First none of my set of wrenches fit it. Of course. Couldn't find my lock grips. Had to use an adjustable wrench to hold the bolt still while I removed the nut with my socket set.

Put all the nuts and bolts in the seat where I knew where they'd be tomorrow when I come home with the new battery. Went to push the mower back into the garage and %@$#%@% the seat tilts forward because you put the gas in under it. So all bolts and nuts went flying.

I spent 30 minutes on my hands and knees feeling around for those damn parts in the grass as it got darker and darker. Had to give up with one bolt still missing. Either I try again tomorrow or I find a new bolt. DAMMIT!

Also I was physically unable to push the mower back into the now opened garage. Its a little berm and a slight rise as you go in and the mower always feels like its in a gear so I just had to leave it there half way in. The garage is an old wooden shed type with double doors that swing outwards from the middle. Now the mower is sitting there with my whole garage to see for prying eyes and I have to leave it all that way tomorrow when I go to Walmart for a battery and some food. All my tools and trimmers and whackers are right there for all the world to see and steal.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82085
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Isgrimnur »

Image
It's almost as if people are the problem.
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Kraken »

My garage door has been wide open for 34 years and nobody's ever stolen anything.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Daehawk »

Kraken wrote: Sat Jun 10, 2023 9:34 pm My garage door has been wide open for 34 years and nobody's ever stolen anything.
You dont live around the people I do. Its just the one bad property and fam down at the end of the row.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Kraken »

Daehawk wrote: Sat Jun 10, 2023 11:04 pm
Kraken wrote: Sat Jun 10, 2023 9:34 pm My garage door has been wide open for 34 years and nobody's ever stolen anything.
You dont live around the people I do. Its just the one bad property and fam down at the end of the row.
Yeah, in my fairy dense suburban town just about every house stores the same tools, and most are newer/better than mine. You think my 30-year-old Craftsman mower is worth nicking? I feel kind of sorry for you. You want my low-end 7-year-old snowblower that's hard to start and weighs a ton? Good luck with that. I don't have anything of real value out there.
User avatar
em2nought
Posts: 5306
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 5:48 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by em2nought »

Kraken wrote: Sat Jun 10, 2023 11:46 pm You want my low-end 7-year-old snowblower that's hard to start and weighs a ton? Good luck with that.
I had a Tecumseh edger that needed a little starter fluid from the day it was new.

Enlarge Image
Technically, he shouldn't be here.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Daehawk »

Well installing the mower battery went just like I thought it would but was hoping it wouldn't. I lost one of the bolts as I said so I bought the same brand bolts as the battery supposed to be FOR this battery but when I get home they wont easily fit through the battery posts. So I had to crank one in by hand at which time I had 2 cut and bruised knuckles/ So figured Id use my cordless drill on the 2nd bolt..nope battery dead. Went to the backup mini drill driver. F ya it put that bolt through..badly but it worked. So I tightened the nut on that side...and it wouldn't start....checked the cable and nope forgot to actually attach the neg cable so had to undo the entire nut/bolt and put the cable on then retighten..more bruising. But it starts great now.

Im officially an old man now as I have busted knuckles and skinned places and at Walmart I noticed I have a bruised wrist and have no idea how I did that. I can remember my dad and grandpas hands and arms always having cuts and bruises on them. Ive joined a new club and I dont like it much.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Daehawk »

You'd think with the dozens upon dozens of used washing machines for sale some one would ask less than $200 for an old used piece of junk washer. But no...all are $200 and above.

I want to pay $75 - $150 TOPS
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
em2nought
Posts: 5306
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 5:48 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by em2nought »

Daehawk wrote: Tue Jul 04, 2023 3:10 pm You'd think with the dozens upon dozens of used washing machines for sale some one would ask less than $200 for an old used piece of junk washer. But no...all are $200 and above.

I want to pay $75 - $150 TOPS
Inflation has hit the used stuff too. :lol:

Enlarge Image
Technically, he shouldn't be here.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Daehawk »

Bout it.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
disarm
Posts: 4951
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:50 pm
Location: Hartford, CT
Contact:

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by disarm »

Unfortunately, it's new car time again...

I've only had my Audi Q7 for a little under six years, during which time I've racked up almost 110,000 miles, but it's starting to give me trouble. About 15k miles ago, I got a low oil warning...added a quart to bring it back to normal and kept driving without any issues. 2500 miles after my last oil change, I got the message again...topped it off with another quart, which only bought me another 2000 miles before getting the message again. There is no visible leak or evidence of burning oil, so I had the Audi dealer check it out, and the news isn't good. Apparently the engine in my 6yo not-inexpensive SUV has become notorious for consuming oil once you reach around 100k miles due to wear on the pistons allowing it to burn off inside the cylinders...and it's only going to get worse with time. I love my car, and it's totally safe to drive as long as I don't mind adding oil periodically, but it has a terminally progressive problem that can only be fixed with a $14k engine rebuild...in a car valued at $16-18k. On top of the oil issue, they also pointed out that the fluid-filled engine mounts are leaking ($2500 repair once they finally wear out and engine vibration starts transferring directly to the frame), and some rubber cushions under the rear coil springs are starting to dry out and crack (another $2500). I don't really want to get rid of my Q7, but I need to unload it before the repairs are mandatory and it's still with something.

To that end, I just signed paperwork for factory-order of a 2024 Ram 1500 Limited that should be ready for me in about three months. Interestingly, I negotiated the whole deal online for the first time and will be getting my new truck from a high-volume dealer outside of CT. My local dealerships were unwilling to go more than $1000-1500 below MSRP, but I locked in a deal at 14% below MSRP from a place in VA that comes out to around $11k savings. All I have to do is drive or fly to Virginia once the truck is built, sign the purchase paperwork, hand over payment, and drive 300 miles home in my new truck. I figure a weekend trip to a suburb of Washington DC isn't too much of a hassle to save $10,000. Now I just need my Audi to hold out until its replacement is ready...
User avatar
Carpet_pissr
Posts: 19978
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:32 pm
Location: Columbia, SC

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Carpet_pissr »

I’ve always read you should trade or sell German cars before 100K. Guess it still applies!

Seriously though, through way too much car research and reading over the past several years, I did see that repeated in some form from different reliable sources (as opposed to one anecdote on Reddit).

One of my co-workers has a Q7, I’m going to ask him how many miles he has on it.

You’re making quite a pivot from a Q7 to a work truck!
User avatar
em2nought
Posts: 5306
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 5:48 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by em2nought »

My sister has an Audi, a Q3 I think, with a similar oil problem, but it also has a mystery coolant problem too. It's either a 2016 or a 2013, can't quite remember. I think she has it for the heated seats. LOL
Technically, he shouldn't be here.
User avatar
disarm
Posts: 4951
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:50 pm
Location: Hartford, CT
Contact:

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by disarm »

The whole situation is really disappointing because my Q7 is probably the second favorite car I've owned (Infiniti G37 coupe was a lot of fun, but not family friendly). I understand cars developing problems with higher mileage, but something necessitating a complete engine rebuild that costs more than the car is worth is too much for me to go down that road again.
Carpet_pissr wrote:You’re making quite a pivot from a Q7 to a work truck!
An almost fully-loaded Ram Limited is pretty much a high-tech luxury vehicle with a truck bed. With all the same safety and self-driving tech as my Audi, air suspension, active noise cancellation in cabin, and a seriously plush interior, it rides/drives almost as nice as my Audi...only bigger. If you saw what I'm ordering, I'm not sure you would call it a work truck :wink:
User avatar
TheMix
Posts: 10902
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Broomfield, Colorado

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by TheMix »

disarm wrote: Fri Jul 07, 2023 11:47 pm All I have to do is drive or fly to Virginia once the truck is built, sign the purchase paperwork, hand over payment, and drive 300 miles home in my new truck.
Do they still recommend a "break-in" period with new vehicles where you aren't supposed to drive them faster than 50-55 mph? Or is that a thing of the past? (Or maybe it never actually mattered. :) )

Black Lives Matter

Isgrimnur - Facebook makes you hate your friends and family. LinkedIn makes you hate you co-workers. NextDoor makes you hate your neighbors.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Daehawk »

Isn't that an old wives tale to keep a husband safe and in line?

hehe we'd be in the car me my dad and step mom...and dad would randomly out of the blue just floor it for a pace. Step mom would be all "Take take your foot off the gas" or "You're wasting gas"..blaaaaah yadda yadda. Dad would say the car needed the soot blown out of it every now and then.

Looking back as an adult with my own car I think it was just dad wanted to have some semblance of freedom from the overbearing wife.

Im alone but still stomp on it sometimes remembering dad...gotta clean to the soot out of your engine and tailpipe every now and again :)
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
disarm
Posts: 4951
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:50 pm
Location: Hartford, CT
Contact:

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by disarm »


TheMix wrote:
disarm wrote: Fri Jul 07, 2023 11:47 pm All I have to do is drive or fly to Virginia once the truck is built, sign the purchase paperwork, hand over payment, and drive 300 miles home in my new truck.
Do they still recommend a "break-in" period with new vehicles where you aren't supposed to drive them faster than 50-55 mph? Or is that a thing of the past? (Or maybe it never actually mattered. :) )
I think it is still technically recommended, and driving three hundred highway miles right away may be less than ideal, but I think it's more important not to drive too aggressively during the break-in period...avoid hard acceleration and high engine RPMs. My plan is to just not drive quite as fast...keep it under 65mph for a little bit before going back to my usual too-fast driving habits.
User avatar
em2nought
Posts: 5306
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 5:48 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by em2nought »

disarm wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2023 1:43 pm My plan is to just not drive quite as fast...keep it under 65mph for a little bit before going back to my usual too-fast driving habits.
Maybe do it at night and you can go slower no problem.

My dad bought a brand new Chevy way back when, and they'd forgotten to bolt the drive shaft to the pumpkin in the rear end. Drive shaft fell out on his way home from the dealership. :lol: Hopefully nothing like that happens for you. I'd check all the fluids and tire pressures, make sure the spare is there if it even comes with one, jack, tire iron etc before I left the dealership. I'd probably even check the lug nuts were correctly tight but not too tight. Wouldn't want to have to remove a broken lug. I wouldn't trust them if they told me they'd done it all. I wouldn't care if it took me an hour or two to make sure it was good to go.
Technically, he shouldn't be here.
User avatar
LordMortis
Posts: 70099
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:26 pm

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by LordMortis »

The first of the big bills for my broken arm just came in. $2,500. Now I have to figure out how the HRA works.
User avatar
telcta
Posts: 1113
Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 3:47 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by telcta »

HRA? If I remember correctly you’re on cobra right now? I’m not familiar with the acronym. I hope you’re doing well and that’s just a drop in the bucket towards recovery. Do you have to keep all these bills in line towards litigation with the person that caused the injuries?

I can’t tell you how much I think about you each time I go out and walk to try and keep my health and spirits up.
User avatar
LordMortis
Posts: 70099
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:26 pm

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by LordMortis »

I am on COBRA. HRA is healthcare reimbursement something or other. I get billed. I pay bill. I apply to claw back some of my co-insure and deductible.

Michigan is no fault state. Lawyers don't get to care how much my bills cost. TV ads are a lie on that. It's all about how I'm insured, which is a clusterfuck, you only find out about, if you are a pedestrian hit by car in Michigan. I do need to keep the bills for both auto and health care insurance, though, because everything is happening behind closed doors and I have to figure out how much I actually need to pay. Medical will just bill what they bill. I need to figure out how AAA and Aetna are supposed to cover me to make sure I'm getting billed properly. Otherwise, I'd just keep writing checks and trusting everything just works (everything rarely just works for me)

Just be careful when you walk. :) I'm coming to learn it's better to just cross the street when randomly than it is to use crosswalks. When you cross a street you just have to look both ways and you know what's coming. Crosswalks have 4 directions and you can't see what's coming from behind you out of nowhere... One of my mom's friends just got killed at crosswalk as a pedestrian. That's not doing wonders to heal my PTSD of being a pedestrian but I am out walking again. Only about 1/2 the distance I was before the accident but still it's better than nothing.
User avatar
Carpet_pissr
Posts: 19978
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:32 pm
Location: Columbia, SC

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Carpet_pissr »

disarm wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2023 10:27 am The whole situation is really disappointing because my Q7 is probably the second favorite car I've owned (Infiniti G37 coupe was a lot of fun, but not family friendly). I understand cars developing problems with higher mileage, but something necessitating a complete engine rebuild that costs more than the car is worth is too much for me to go down that road again.
Carpet_pissr wrote:You’re making quite a pivot from a Q7 to a work truck!
An almost fully-loaded Ram Limited is pretty much a high-tech luxury vehicle with a truck bed. With all the same safety and self-driving tech as my Audi, air suspension, active noise cancellation in cabin, and a seriously plush interior, it rides/drives almost as nice as my Audi...only bigger. If you saw what I'm ordering, I'm not sure you would call it a work truck :wink:
Oh I’m very aware of the luxury truck segment (my Dad has had the Ford equivalent of what you’re getting for years now), just commenting on Audi->Dodge, and car->truck chassis more than anything else.

I also mock him mercilessly for not wanting to drive his ‘truck’ around the farm (he has a ‘farm truck’ for actual work, and getting muddy, etc).
User avatar
disarm
Posts: 4951
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:50 pm
Location: Hartford, CT
Contact:

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by disarm »

Yeah, seems like a big change leaving my Audi, but when I drive almost 20k miles/year, I can't afford a new Audi every five years. Hopefully I won't have reliability issues with the Ram, but at least it will be a whole lot cheaper to fix and have a longer warranty when things go wrong.
User avatar
em2nought
Posts: 5306
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 5:48 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by em2nought »

Daehawk wrote: Tue Jul 04, 2023 3:10 pm You'd think with the dozens upon dozens of used washing machines for sale some one would ask less than $200 for an old used piece of junk washer. But no...all are $200 and above.

I want to pay $75 - $150 TOPS
This guy's making ice cream, but I think you could wash laundry this way too! :wink: https://www.facebook.com/BlakeKShow/vid ... 965970990/
Technically, he shouldn't be here.
User avatar
LawBeefaroni
Forum Moderator
Posts: 55315
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 3:08 pm
Location: Urbs in Horto, outrageous taxes on everything

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by LawBeefaroni »

Jeff V wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 11:57 pm For several years, we've been paying $200 per month on a condo in Manila that's going to be completed next year. Now, I expect it will pay for itself (building will operate it as an AirBnB, it's a good downtown location, 11th floor overlooking the pool), but rather than finance it there, my wife wants to get a HELOC here and use it to pay the balance. This is the same time she's pushing me to retire, which could limit the money I can earn otherwise. We will still have to outfit the condo as well as the house in the province (also likely will be put up on AirBnB, but managed by sister-in-law). The house though is being funded by her egg farm.
Why would you take out a loan to fund a project that won't generate money for at least a year if you can just pay $200/month instead? What is the incentive to pay for it now?

Considering how many stalled construction projects there are in Asia, I'd be putting as little towards it as possible until it's done.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General
"No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton

MYT
User avatar
Exodor
Posts: 17196
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:10 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Exodor »

We're buying a house.

I've been living in our current place for almost 20 years now. I met my now-wife while living here and she moved in after a year and a half of dating. She didn't get to participate in picking out the house and I'm not sure she's ever really felt like this is her home. The current place is serviceable but has a lot of things we'd like to upgrade if we were going to stay - but neither of us really want to stay in this neighborhood which has gone downhill since I bought.

The new place is only a half-mile or so away so my sweet four minute work commute will remain intact but it's a much nicer place in a much nicer neighborhood. I'm excited about getting into the new house but dread the move.

I am a little curious about what long-lost items I'm going to find hidden away here when we pack everything - and how many thousands of my kids braces-rubber-bands we're going to find under the furniture. :oops:
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Kraken »

We finally put house shopping into first gear this week. Toured one place and ruled out several others with drive-bys. We probably won’t buy the one we toured, although we could and still might. It checks a lot of boxes, but not all of them, and I think we’re going to keep looking. If nothing better shows up in the next month, we’ll reevaluate this one. It’s a moderately nice house on a big piece of land in a good location. We’d need to make some changes, but it’s move-in ready and none of the changes would be terribly disruptive. The price is $120,000 below our ceiling, so we’d have enough money to make the improvements.

We decided that buying the first house we looked at isn’t a great idea when neither of us was really bowled over.

If we do revisit that decision, I’m going to ask y’all for advice about solar systems, because this house seems to have a great one. It’s only 7 years old, fully owned, with a new roof underneath. It’s a net-zero house with essentially no utility bills. Or so we’re told. If we do get serious about buying I will gather tech specs for the hive mind to dissect.
User avatar
dbt1949
Posts: 25687
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:34 am
Location: Hogeye Arkansas

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by dbt1949 »

My step son and his wife got me a tiny house next door to theirs to move into for free with no payments. Not sure if it's worth it or not.
Ye Olde Farte
Double Ought Forty
aka dbt1949
User avatar
Exodor
Posts: 17196
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:10 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Exodor »

Kraken wrote: Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:54 pm We decided that buying the first house we looked at isn’t a great idea when neither of us was really bowled over.
We've been looking for about two years. We bid on several houses and always got outbid by $100K+ (and we always bid over the asking price). Now that interest rates have gone up there's a lot less competition and we finally found a house that has everything we're looking for.

Now the stress is all from selling the old house. The house next door just sold and was only on the market for about three weeks so I'm hopeful we can get a fast sale.
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Kraken »

Exodor wrote: Sat Jul 15, 2023 10:15 am
Kraken wrote: Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:54 pm We decided that buying the first house we looked at isn’t a great idea when neither of us was really bowled over.
We've been looking for about two years. We bid on several houses and always got outbid by $100K+ (and we always bid over the asking price). Now that interest rates have gone up there's a lot less competition and we finally found a house that has everything we're looking for.

Now the stress is all from selling the old house. The house next door just sold and was only on the market for about three weeks so I'm hopeful we can get a fast sale.
Our house needs major renovations that we haven’t begun to touch. I’m going to explore selling it to a flipper. A price estimate from a realtor indicates that we can sell as-is and still get enough to cover most of the price of a new house, because we’re moving to a cheaper market. It might make sense not to invest a lot of money and disruption into pumping up its value, especially if we can avoid realtor commissions. If we spend $100k to raise its value by $150k, the associated selling costs will gobble up much of the $50k gain.

We’re prepared to wait until next summer, but we’re getting old and our retirement depends on solving the housing puzzle, so we can't wait indefinitely.
User avatar
Exodor
Posts: 17196
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:10 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Exodor »

Kraken wrote: Sat Jul 15, 2023 10:21 am Our house needs major renovations that we haven’t begun to touch. I’m going to explore selling it to a flipper.
We meet with our realtor today to look at the current house. It needs a lot of work - the carpet hasn't been replaced since I bought it 20 years and 5 cats ago - so I'm curious to hear how much money we should invest vs. just selling it as a fixer-upper.
User avatar
Smoove_B
Posts: 54567
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:58 am
Location: Kaer Morhen

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Smoove_B »

Definitely speak with your realtor before doing anything. I had a really nice fireplace mantel and surround in our last house custom installed - it was thousands and thousands of dollars of work. The week after we sold it, I saw the new owners had it on Facebook marketplace for $200. They literally pried it off the wall and took some quick photos. I didn't have it installed before we sold the house, but the idea that they sold it for scrap...it's still infuriating.

My point is, depending the market there might be an expectation that new carpets are needed and that's a common installation for home sale when someone else buys it. I wouldn't invest a single penny more than you need to in order to prepare for a sale. That money might be better spend on "curb appeal" - fixing landscaping at the front entrance.
Maybe next year, maybe no go
User avatar
Exodor
Posts: 17196
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:10 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Exodor »

Smoove_B wrote: Sat Jul 15, 2023 11:39 am My point is, depending the market there might be an expectation that new carpets are needed and that's a common installation for home sale when someone else buys it. I wouldn't invest a single penny more than you need to in order to prepare for a sale. That money might be better spend on "curb appeal" - fixing landscaping at the front entrance.
Oh absolutely. I plan to push to leave it as-is knowing that we'll have to list it a little lower since the buyer will have to spend to replace the flooring. I'd much rather do that than put money something that might immediately get removed.
Jeff V
Posts: 36414
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 7:17 pm
Location: Nowhere you want to be.

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Jeff V »

LawBeefaroni wrote: Fri Jul 14, 2023 4:28 pm
Jeff V wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 11:57 pm For several years, we've been paying $200 per month on a condo in Manila that's going to be completed next year. Now, I expect it will pay for itself (building will operate it as an AirBnB, it's a good downtown location, 11th floor overlooking the pool), but rather than finance it there, my wife wants to get a HELOC here and use it to pay the balance. This is the same time she's pushing me to retire, which could limit the money I can earn otherwise. We will still have to outfit the condo as well as the house in the province (also likely will be put up on AirBnB, but managed by sister-in-law). The house though is being funded by her egg farm.
Why would you take out a loan to fund a project that won't generate money for at least a year if you can just pay $200/month instead? What is the incentive to pay for it now?

Considering how many stalled construction projects there are in Asia, I'd be putting as little towards it as possible until it's done.
The condo development is by a very large corporation with many buildings in Manila. My wife met with their corporate office when we were there, it is on schedule to be complete in August 2024. At the time we take delivery, the remaining balance needs to be rolled into a mortgage or otherwise financed.

The house I just learned won't be complete until next November. The funding arrangement on that won't change.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Carpet_pissr
Posts: 19978
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:32 pm
Location: Columbia, SC

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Carpet_pissr »

Exodor wrote: Sat Jul 15, 2023 12:38 pm
Smoove_B wrote: Sat Jul 15, 2023 11:39 am My point is, depending the market there might be an expectation that new carpets are needed and that's a common installation for home sale when someone else buys it. I wouldn't invest a single penny more than you need to in order to prepare for a sale. That money might be better spend on "curb appeal" - fixing landscaping at the front entrance.
Oh absolutely. I plan to push to leave it as-is knowing that we'll have to list it a little lower since the buyer will have to spend to replace the flooring. I'd much rather do that than put money something that might immediately get removed.
What’s underneath the carpet?
Jeff V
Posts: 36414
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 7:17 pm
Location: Nowhere you want to be.

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Jeff V »

Exodor wrote: Sat Jul 15, 2023 12:38 pm
Smoove_B wrote: Sat Jul 15, 2023 11:39 am My point is, depending the market there might be an expectation that new carpets are needed and that's a common installation for home sale when someone else buys it. I wouldn't invest a single penny more than you need to in order to prepare for a sale. That money might be better spend on "curb appeal" - fixing landscaping at the front entrance.
Oh absolutely. I plan to push to leave it as-is knowing that we'll have to list it a little lower since the buyer will have to spend to replace the flooring. I'd much rather do that than put money something that might immediately get removed.
You can go ahead and list it at full price. You never know, a bidding war might drive it up higher. Then, when it's time to negotiate with an interested buyer, you can always offer a seller's credit to offset some of that immediate work that needs to be done. Doing so tends to make it a little easier for the buyer.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
LordMortis
Posts: 70099
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:26 pm

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by LordMortis »

I can't remember the last time I had this expensive of a month. The last care I bought in 2008? Summer Taxes, Car repairs, Doctor bills, convoluted license and plate renewal. I actually went to look at my credit card to see what my credit limit is. Fortunately, I still have quite a bit of breathing room there, with an unreasonably larger five figure limit, bigger than my checking and savings accounts combined. It'll be much bigger after this month. I haven't even gotten to the paying someone to get up on my roof part of life yet, after the last storm.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: What are your next major purchases?

Post by Daehawk »

Went out to check the car for tomorrows trip to town for odds and ends. Battery dead. 3 months old. Had to boost it with my riding mower to start it up. Let run. Hoped it would charge for tomorrow. Nope. I turned it off and tried to restart it ...dead. So tomorrow I have to boost it again and go to walmart and make them replace it free. Got my receipt from April. Fun fun.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
Post Reply