The Ohio Random Thread... aka We Should Probably Be Working

[pmartz16]

the 100 dollar visa mail in rebate from discount tire went away I was counting on that. kicking myself for waiting. And I still haven't heard from the guy with the wheels

 

[thejeans]

I don't know if any of the home owners/soon to be home owners have mentioned the biggest downside to owning a home...the fact that every single thing that goes wrong ...................... (shortened cause it was already quoted and im not trying to take up an entire page with quotes LOL)

oh trust me, that thought has gone through my head that s*** could hit the fan and cost me alot of money BUT i also had a REALLY thorough inspector, who pointed things out to me that werent even issues, just things to note in case of future issues and i had the benefit of helping my dad flip 2 houses while i was in high school, so i have the ability to take care of the majority of issues that could arise by myself/with the help of friends.
i also planned ahead a little and im renting out the second bedroom to a friend, figured i might as well take advantage of being single. i can afford the house on my own (as its only marginally more than my rent at my apt was) so the "rent" from my buddy will go into a savings account to cover any costs if things go wrong while allowing me a little play money for fixing it up

I've taken all that into consideration, I pretty much took care of everything at my mom's house for the last 8 years....... (shortened again cause i dont want to take up a whole page)

NICE!! as of right now im kinda going the other way, live here for 5-10 years continue to fix it up and make it nicer and at that point reassess and either (hopefully) sell for a profit OR rent the place out if i have a few friends looking for a place.

We went from $1200/month renting a 1000 sq ft 2nd level apartment to $1600/month (paying additional principle each month) for a 1500 sq ft house with a two-car garage on a .6 acre lot. I went from a 30 mi daily commute to an 8 mi daily commute. Sure, homeowning brings it's own expenses and challenges. In our first year of ownership we had to: replace the A/C coil, replace/update the windows, purchase lawnmowerS, etc. We also took it upon ourselves to remodel the kitchen, replace the main level carpet with bamboo flooring, upgrade the front and rear doors, and install ceiling fans in every bedroom. The only required utilities I pay for now I didn't before are heat (gas) and waste removal, but I'm sure that was factored into the monthly rent at the apartment. We've probably invested close to $20k into this house on top of our downpayment and I'd gladly do it all again to avoid:

-Deadbeat landlords
-Deadbeat neighbors
-Fighting for parking spaces
-Chain-smoking neighbors
-Damage to cars from neighbors who can't park, neighbors kids, apartment maintenance crews, etc.
-Dog s***-infested "parks"
-Stolen mail/packages
-Noisy neighbors above, below, and beside us

Unless you're living someplace temporarily (~1 year max) renting is always a losing venture. You're actually throwing money away.

ive actually really lucked out at my apt. GREAT landlords, neighbors are all really nice, had off street parking and the people below us were 80-90 years old so they werent loud, and half deaf so if we were loud they never heard us haha

I can see why some rent, hell until this point the last 8 years in Pittsburgh i just didnt have the money to afford a house, so my only option was to rent

 

[magnumP5]

ive actually really lucked out at my apt. GREAT landlords, neighbors are all really nice, had off street parking and the people below us were 80-90 years old so they werent loud, and half deaf so if we were loud they never heard us haha

I can see why some rent, hell until this point the last 8 years in Pittsburgh i just didnt have the money to afford a house, so my only option was to rent

That's just my experience from renting at three different locations throughout my life. My last apartment complex was actually pretty nice. I only had issues with neighbors but the administration was great. The problem is you can't control your neighbors. Sure the same is for homeowning (actually in an argument with one of my new neighbors currently) but I've found when people are renting they tend to care less about the property. As everyone else has said the most expensive parts of homeownership are the upfront costs (downpayment) and maintenance. After that it's pretty much comparable to renting. The big difference is you're putting money toward something to own and posible recoup later rather than just spending money.

 

[tweiss3]

What kind of dispute are you having? Luckily, my property is fenced on all sides by the neighbor's fence. At that, it's best for me to just be ignorant and not look for my property pins.

 

[Lewis7789]

Oh you bought a house and your neighbors suck? Too bad, you're stuck there. Oh you rented a house and your neighbors suck? Lease is up in 11 months.

I'll never rent an apartment again. Sure renting a house is more expensive but I play drums now and love my garage. But eventually when Tessa gets a real job I'm sure we'll buy a house together with our combined income. Until then, I don't mind renting at all. Something breaks and I pick up the phone and doesn't cost me a dime.

 

[Josue6WGN]

I've taken all that into consideration........(good call on shortening, Levi!).....Amber hates Holmes on Homes, I think it's his accent.

Sounds like you've got a plan!

And I've actually never gotten that into that show, but I've caught it a few times, so I know what it's about. lol

rent has zero benefits/equity other than keeping a roof over your head.

That's a pretty BIG benefit IMO, I'd rather not be homeless...hahaha

We went from $1200/month renting a 1000 sq ft 2nd level apartment to $1600/month (paying additional principle each month) for a 1500 sq ft house with a two-car garage on a .6 acre lot......(same thing).....Unless you're living someplace temporarily (~1 year max) renting is always a losing venture. You're actually throwing money away.

Yea, apartment life was a nightmare. Our first place was a 856 sqft apt for $600/mo. It wasn't even as bad as other people's experiences, but I just hated everything about apt life. We lived there for a year and a half, then a 1000 sqft 2 bedroom 1 bath 1 car garage duplex for $650/mo for 3 years, then a 1700 sqft 3 br 2 ba 2 car detatched garage house for $700/mo (Evan's current place) for 2.5 years, now a 1230 sqft 3 br 1 ba 2 car attached garage house on a little over 1/4 acre, for $1000/mo. 4 digit rent payment makes my stomach turn every month, but it's a pretty nice house, with a huge fenced in backyard for the dogs, and close to my work and family, so it's worth it.

I've been pursuing my career for over 6 years, and when hired, they could have sent me anywhere in the country to work, so we weren't in a position to buy yet. Now that I'm at my facility, we just need to pay off/down all our bills, and save up a down payment and we're free to buy, since I'll likely be here for the next 25 years at least.

oh trust me, that thought has gone through my head that s*** could hit the fan and cost me alot of money BUT i also had a REALLY thorough inspector, who pointed things out to me that werent even issues, just things to note in case of future issues and i had the benefit of helping my dad flip 2 houses while i was in high school, so i have the ability to take care of the majority of issues that could arise by myself/with the help of friends.
i also planned ahead a little and im renting out the second bedroom to a friend, figured i might as well take advantage of being single. i can afford the house on my own (as its only marginally more than my rent at my apt was) so the "rent" from my buddy will go into a savings account to cover any costs if things go wrong while allowing me a little play money for fixing it up

I'd love to be able to do some of these remodels and whatnot you see on these shows...they really make it look easy! haha We haven't been shy about putting a little bit of money into these rentals, just to be more comfortable while we're here. Small stuff though, a $25 ceiling fan in the baby's room, blinds/curtains, and I just put a new toilet in because the one that was here was WAY too small. lol

Putting money into a rental house is definitely a waste of money, but again, my comfort is worth it to me. haha

Until then, I don't mind renting at all. Something breaks and I pick up the phone and doesn't cost me a dime.

FTW. /endthread

 

[magnumP5]

What kind of dispute are you having? Luckily, my property is fenced on all sides by the neighbor's fence. At that, it's best for me to just be ignorant and not look for my property pins.

Not a "dispute" in the legal sense. Just arguing over lawn care (and etiquette) and how one should maintain the appearance of their house/property.

Oh you bought a house and your neighbors suck? Too bad, you're stuck there. Oh you rented a house and your neighbors suck? Lease is up in 11 months.

I'll never rent an apartment again. Sure renting a house is more expensive but I play drums now and love my garage. But eventually when Tessa gets a real job I'm sure we'll buy a house together with our combined income. Until then, I don't mind renting at all. Something breaks and I pick up the phone and doesn't cost me a dime.

11 months with bad neighbors is still a long time. We took the time to meet all the neighbors before we moved in and they were all great but you can't control who moves out/in as is what happened to us. My sister rented a house while in vet school and the owner was a complete deadbeat. Wouldn't fix anything that broke and that's if you could even get him to acknowledge the fact something was broken. He didn't even live in the same state! Regardless of experience, you're still throwing money away. Makes sense for temporary arrangements because you can't turn houses around quickly and downpayments make it cost-prohibitive. Think about it, if you're spending $1000/month on rent in a year that's $12,000 spent. That's 3/4 the cost a brand new Mazda2 with nothing to show for it.

 

[bigsho]

Any suggestions for removing adhesive residue from my car thats safe for paint?

 

[thejeans]

^ goo gone, microfiber clothes and some elbow grease

 

[hat1018]

We are lucky that our property is basically an island that we share with a pizza shop. Noisy and otherwise inconsiderate neighbors are not an issue. On the other hand we also are surrounded on 2 sides by streets and the third side is an alley that borders the pizza shop. That means we have ZERO privacy for cookouts and what-not in our yard, but I have some ideas on how to cope with that.

 

[princess peach]

Any suggestions for removing adhesive residue from my car thats safe for paint?

just used Goof Off and a microfiber cloth on the MSP, took a while but worked pretty well

 

[thejeans]

We are lucky that our property is basically an island that we share with a pizza shop. Noisy and otherwise inconsiderate neighbors are not an issue. On the other hand we also are surrounded on 2 sides by streets and the third side is an alley that borders the pizza shop. That means we have ZERO privacy for cookouts and what-not in our yard, but I have some ideas on how to cope with that.

fences do wonder

 

[WillD]

I use 3M adhesive remover. It strips any ways off with the adhesive goo, so just put some wax on after you use it. It's also quite toxic.

 

[hat1018]

I use 3M adhesive remover. It strips any ways off with the adhesive goo, so just put some wax on after you use it. It's also quite toxic.

Truth. Don't use that stuff in a closed garage. Brain cells will be lost.

 

[pmartz16]

sounds like a good time. I got a response out of the wheel guy. He said he was more looking to just sell. So I am trying to convince him to take my wheels and the tires he has on trade for the pf01's and maybe some cash so I can have them.

 

[o0n8]

I just put a new toilet in because the one that was here was WAY too small. lol

Take smaller, more frequent dumps?

 

[Cleverfrog]

Take smaller, more frequent dumps?

nah, just flush twice

 

[Fiji Mazda3]

 

[bigsho]

Thanks guys!

 

[Josue6WGN]

Take smaller, more frequent dumps?

Flush capability wasn't the problem, I just couldn't fit my junk in there without it laying on the front of the inside of the bowl....GROSS!!!

Got an elongated toilet from Lowes for $100, now I can crap without sitting there like Lois Einhorn hiding Captain Winkie.