For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

[ODogg]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

It's about time to use our fireplace but a recent inspection noticed a crack in the flooring so I need $500 to use my fireplace again, LOL

[Speedy]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Anybody have a fiberglass door or have any thoughts on using them over a standard wooden door? There won't be any side panels and I'm installing a storm door so I don't want a lot of glass in the beyond just at the top of the door itself.

I've heard about about wooden doors warping, especially when hit by direct sunlight (the way my house faces, it will get by morning sunlight). I've also heard that fiberglass is cheaper too...the guy talking to me about it made it seem like it's a no-brainer.

[mgoblue]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Our water heater started tapping one day....stopped later in the day, but had someone look at it anyways. apparently it was 14 years old, so just waiting to die. Had to replace it, but thankfully happened before it failed. Last big ticket item to repair I think.

[DJ]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Looking at buying a retractable awning for our back patio/pool area. After not having one this past summer, no way I can go another year without having a dedicated shaded area when the heat ramps up.

[bvb24]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Anybody have a fiberglass door or have any thoughts on using them over a standard wooden door? There won't be any side panels and I'm installing a storm door so I don't want a lot of glass in the beyond just at the top of the door itself.

I've heard about about wooden doors warping, especially when hit by direct sunlight (the way my house faces, it will get by morning sunlight). I've also heard that fiberglass is cheaper too...the guy talking to me about it made it seem like it's a no-brainer.

I built my house 4 years ago and my front door is fiberglass. I'm very happy with it. The door came with a wood grain texture and once my painter applied some stain it looks great. The energy efficiency is great as well.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

We're looking to convert our attic into a game room and convert our game room into a media room. Anyone gone through this or have any tips?

Our current game room is a perfect rectangle and would work perfect for a game room. We just need to enclose one side of it.

When we built our house a few years ago, we knew that we would eventually do something like this so we had them add additional support in the joists to accommodate this. If all goes as expected we should add about 450-500 SF of usable space, though the shape will be a little funky. The main area will be about 22' long by maybe 10.5 - 11' wide. Off of that there will be a section that is about 12' x 9' and another section that is about 6' x 8'.

About 20% of the cost is just for adding central air.

Hoping to use the main space for a ping pong table (hoping 11' wide will be sufficient). The 12 x 9 space will have a couch and a flat screen and for the smaller section we are thinking of getting a pinball machine and maybe an arcade game.

The current game room / future media room will need all new equipment, which may have to be postponed depending on the expense. Would like to do it right with a nice projector, screen, surround sound, etc. Nothing over the top, but still of high quality without breaking the budget.

We may be able to get started here soon.

[tabarnes19_SDS]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

We bought a new house in August took 3 months to close. Sold our other house simultaneously. We have been in the new house since Nov. 1st.

Problem is with sale if old house they had us get a survey. Found we had a garage encroachment. Had to get my neighbor to give me 7 feet, get village approval, still an issue with back parcel they say has a bad legal description. We are at a point carrying two mortgages and heat bills as well as legal fees and surveys...killing us. This has been going on for 4 months, I'm praying it is resolved soon.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

[Bamafan3723]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Question for any realtors/mortgage experts/people who have bought a house before:

I'm in the process of looking for a house. I've yet to get pre-approved and have some questions in regards to the process. I've read that you can shop lender rates and as long as the lenders you talk to pull your credit within a 45 day period of each other, it will count as ONE hard credit inquiry and therefore not harm your credit too much. I've also read that some people don't really shop lender rates before/during the pre-approval process because rates can change and it may be several months after you get pre-approved that you actually find, make an offer, and get under contract on a house. Therefore it'd be best to rate shop after you're under contract because then you'll know the rates at the time you are ready to choose a lender.

My thinking is this: Since a lender is going to pull my credit when I get Pre-Approved that would be one credit pull. If I wait to be under contract before I start shopping rates, it could be after that 45 day window, therefore the credit pulls that happen during the shopping period would all together count as a SECOND credit pull.

Is this kind of the normal process that most people take? It seems difficult to avoid a second hard inquiry on your credit if you aren't shopping rates before you get pre-approved, but at the same time what's the point of shopping rates before you get pre-approved if you have no idea how long it will be until you find a property? Therefore the rates you shop during pre-approval would be different by the time you find something you want.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[bvb24]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Question for any realtors/mortgage experts/people who have bought a house before:

I'm in the process of looking for a house. I've yet to get pre-approved and have some questions in regards to the process. I've read that you can shop lender rates and as long as the lenders you talk to pull your credit within a 45 day period of each other, it will count as ONE hard credit inquiry and therefore not harm your credit too much. I've also read that some people don't really shop lender rates before/during the pre-approval process because rates can change and it may be several months after you get pre-approved that you actually find, make an offer, and get under contract on a house. Therefore it'd be best to rate shop after you're under contract because then you'll know the rates at the time you are ready to choose a lender.

My thinking is this: Since a lender is going to pull my credit when I get Pre-Approved that would be one credit pull. If I wait to be under contract before I start shopping rates, it could be after that 45 day window, therefore the credit pulls that happen during the shopping period would all together count as a SECOND credit pull.

Is this kind of the normal process that most people take? It seems difficult to avoid a second hard inquiry on your credit if you aren't shopping rates before you get pre-approved, but at the same time what's the point of shopping rates before you get pre-approved if you have no idea how long it will be until you find a property? Therefore the rates you shop during pre-approval would be different by the time you find something you want.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Usually the pre-approval is to find out how much they will loan you. You can only lock a rate for a limited time so I think 2 credit checks is pretty hard to avoid.

[KG]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Usually the pre-approval is to find out how much they will loan you. You can only lock a rate for a limited time so I think 2 credit checks is pretty hard to avoid.

Yeah and tbh, credit pulls don't hurt your credit as much as people think. Certainly not enough to discourage you from shopping around for a good rate.

[Speedy]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Question for any realtors/mortgage experts/people who have bought a house before:

I'm in the process of looking for a house. I've yet to get pre-approved and have some questions in regards to the process. I've read that you can shop lender rates and as long as the lenders you talk to pull your credit within a 45 day period of each other, it will count as ONE hard credit inquiry and therefore not harm your credit too much. I've also read that some people don't really shop lender rates before/during the pre-approval process because rates can change and it may be several months after you get pre-approved that you actually find, make an offer, and get under contract on a house. Therefore it'd be best to rate shop after you're under contract because then you'll know the rates at the time you are ready to choose a lender.

My thinking is this: Since a lender is going to pull my credit when I get Pre-Approved that would be one credit pull. If I wait to be under contract before I start shopping rates, it could be after that 45 day window, therefore the credit pulls that happen during the shopping period would all together count as a SECOND credit pull.

Is this kind of the normal process that most people take? It seems difficult to avoid a second hard inquiry on your credit if you aren't shopping rates before you get pre-approved, but at the same time what's the point of shopping rates before you get pre-approved if you have no idea how long it will be until you find a property? Therefore the rates you shop during pre-approval would be different by the time you find something you want.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

I did my homework ahead of time...I figured out what mortgage I could afford, what amount my mortgage would be with said amount (to ensure I could afford it with the recurring monthly debts and other utilities/expenses I have) and what my likely interest rate would be thru tools on the internet. I also shopped around the attorneys in my area to find out what they charge for closings...the variance was over $1K to do the same thing!

I used credit karma to see where around my credit score would be around (my actual score ended up 20 points higher). I also downloaded my credit report from all three credit bureaus to check and ensure there wasn't anything I didn't know existed - the government allows everybody one pull from bureau each year. I actually found there was a credit card on my account from American Express that shouldn't have been and after disputing it got it taken off a couple of weeks later.

When I went to shop for lenders, I presented them my homework and asked them what their process is and what steps they take...closing costs, time to process, appraisals, etc. That alone kicked out a couple of banks for me.

So my advice is to do your homework and compare.

[Bamafan3723]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Thanks for all the responses. I appreciate it.

[mgoblue]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

We used a lender that my parents had used, same as with the buyer's agent (realtor that just represents people buying, so less possible conflict of interest)...Worked out well

[Speedy]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Another tile question.

Has anybody used or have any thoughts surrounding DuraCeramic? The flooring guy swears by it (albeit he is biased and wants to me to buy it) but I've seen several reviews that state it is an inferior product.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

This thread is really helpful. Looking to buy in the next 1-2 months.