For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

[p_rushing]

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

We're looking to put a fence up in our backyard but I'm trying to avoid paying a surveyor as much as I can. Nobody around me on either side knows exactly where the property line is. The cost of the surveryor is ~1250 which I'm really trying to avoid. I need advice -- am i going to have to bite the bullet? Is there a way I convince the neighbors to split it with me?

I should add that neither neighbor currently has a fence but we're putting one up to keep our toddler and future toddler in the backyard (we get bears, deer, etc. in our yard all the time).

Your county should have your lot dimensions and you usually get a survey when you buy the house. Using the dimensions, you may be able to find the property markers.

[Majingir]

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

Any good recommendations for outdoor security cameras?

Never had to really think about any of this before, but got a neighbor who mentioned stuff happening on their property recently which led them to getting cameras. Crazy just how quick after they left home that someone came to their door to see if it's unlocked(luckily someone was still home for them which is how they found out about the timing of this). How would they know to wait on the block around a certain time, and when someone left? Apparently they're not the only house on the block this has happened to.

Never bought any camera before so I don't know how the system works. Mainly looking for at least 2, for combined price under $200, so nothing fancy. I believe all have live feed access on your phone/computer? I wouldn't mind getting one that you can view feed through a monitor inside(so instead of pulling up an app or computer,you have straight access on a screen).


Want it to be wireless obviously. But I'm not sure about the power supply. I don't have anywhere good to plug in anything, so how would I go about setting up multiple cameras and getting power?

[Gotmadskillzson]

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

Any good recommendations for outdoor security cameras?

Never had to really think about any of this before, but got a neighbor who mentioned stuff happening on their property recently which led them to getting cameras. Crazy just how quick after they left home that someone came to their door to see if it's unlocked(luckily someone was still home for them which is how they found out about the timing of this). How would they know to wait on the block around a certain time, and when someone left? Apparently they're not the only house on the block this has happened to.

Never bought any camera before so I don't know how the system works. Mainly looking for at least 2, for combined price under $200, so nothing fancy. I believe all have live feed access on your phone/computer? I wouldn't mind getting one that you can view feed through a monitor inside(so instead of pulling up an app or computer,you have straight access on a screen).


Want it to be wireless obviously. But I'm not sure about the power supply. I don't have anywhere good to plug in anything, so how would I go about setting up multiple cameras and getting power?

1. People are always watching other people. So it isn't hard to find somebody's routine that you think is an easy target.

2. Far as power go, you attach it to the wiring in your house. Also some security cameras run off of POE. Power over ethernet cables.

[Majingir]

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

Looking at some, I think some of them require connecting the camera directly into a recorder? Ones I'm looking at I don't believe require this? And they should be good to work outside all year long. Though it seems like all will require additional power supply.

https://www.amazon.ca/Ebitcam-Surveillance-Weatherproof-Detection-Recording/dp/B077SM185N/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1526876682&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/Wansview-Wireless-Security-Weatherproof-VisionW2-Black/dp/B06WWNXFTR/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1526876682&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1

And if anyone knows any more about this, unless it's CCTV(and the cameras are connected directly to something like a DVR), I won't be able to do something like have a monitor inside to view whenever I want? From what I understand, if I get an IP one, I can view on phone/computer, but CCTV will work with a box connected to the TV(and camera connected directly to the box with cables)?

I'm definitely gonna invest in a dummy one as well.


And instead of 2 cameras, might opt for a video doorbell on one side like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ring-Wireless-Video-Doorbell-88RG000FC100/206048897

Since that has a camera too right by the door and hopefully storage on it too and can be viewed without anyone having to ring the doorbell. That plus dummy cam might be good way to start.

[Majingir]

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

I hate when people get ideas in my head that I like, but shouldn't really care about.


Someone brought it to my attention that the cost to buy(not just rent,but buy) a cottage isn't too expensive. Maintenance seems like it'll be the biggest cost of all. But buying a decent cottage would be less than half the price of buying a condo. In a way, you could actually buy a cottage somewhere and live there for the summer and just rent a condo for the winter.


Maintenance like I said would be biggest issue at a cottage, the likelihood of animals living in and around the property, and any kind of winter maintenance or pipes freezing could all be problems too.


One day down the road(not talking retirement, I mean like in 5-10 years would be nice if it's possible) I actually wouldn't mind that type of lifestyle. I don't care for "city life" so much, although the country lifestyle I'm not sure how I'd handle the winters, or the animals in summer. Probably not a cottage type of thing, but going somewhere with lots of land, not feeling crammed in an area with buildings all around you and traffic/noise all around. I enjoy things like mowing the lawn and basic snow shoveling(heavy snow or huge amounts I hate) and probably do more yardwork than most people I know anyways, so adjustment wouldn't be so bad I'd imagine.

[kehlis]

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

It's always cheaper to buy rather than rent. My recommendation though would just be to find a place you can live in year round. Even if you are paying the same in rent as you are with a mortgage, you are building equity which is far more important.

Your idea sounds fun but is very economically irresponsible unless you have more than sufficient means to do so. I really think you are underestimating the cost of paying a mortgage year round (while still paying for maintenance and utilities) and then paying rent for a separate place for however long winter is.

[Majingir]

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

That's the point. I know it might not be good idea, which is why I haven't thought about it before. But hearing people talk about the fun parts of it makes me want to think about it more than I should.

My original hope has been something nice, with good yard size, above average privacy and away from the city. Not talking cottage, just a regular house. Even if If I were to win the lottery, I wouldn't even think about some fancy house. I don't care about those fancier types of things. I'm more low maintenance and am happy with the little things. I know people who are the opposite. They want that big city lifestyle, big shopping malls, no yardwork, fancy restaurants and so on.

[AUChase]

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

Long read if you're interested..

My wife and I have been trying to buy a house for several months now. It can be a pretty tedious process. We have a great lender who's extremely helpful and we have a great real estate agent who we all ready knew.

We have just had some bad luck with appraisals and sellers. We've looked at a total of maybe 15 houses in the area and we finally found one we really loved. We made an offer and there was a competing offer coincidentally at the same time. There was a little back and forth and eventually I told my wife that their agent wouldn't be reaching out to us if we didn't have a better offer on the table so we stuck to our guns and rolled the dice and they came back and accepted it under the condition that they fix a few things so the house would pass VA Appraisal. They installed solar attic vents, fixed some fascia board, replaced a water heater, etc.

House passed inspection, but it appraised for about $10,000 less than what our original offer was so we turned in our offer for the most the bank would loan due to the appraisal and the seller got pissed off at his real estate agent, pulled the house off the market, and then relisted it a few days later without any contact with us whatsoever. We had to make quite a few phone calls to get this jackwagon to sign a mutual release and to get our earnest money back. He relisted the house at his original asking price because we weren't willing to come out of pocket $10,000 to buy the house and what he doesn't realize is that appraisal will stick with the house for a while.

So we went to looking again and finally found something we liked with a nice backyard, square footage, extra space for me a man cave, etc. It just needs a bunch of carpet taken up and new flooring put down, some paint, and then a nice kitchen remodel. I told my wife I like it and wouldn't mind a bit of a fixer upper for the right price. So we put in an offer... it goes back and forth twice and we finally tell our agent, "Hey.. this is our final offer and we're not countering. If they don't like it then we'll move on." We found out that no one has looked at the house or made an offer and it's been on the market for almost 100 days. So the selling agent calls our agent and gives her counter and he tells her again that we aren't countering.

My wife and I didn't think she would take it, but late last night we get a call that she's willing to accept our offer and cover all of the closing cost (which is a bit more expensive due to the VA funding fees).

So here we go again paying another $400 for a home inspection and whatever the cost of another VA appraisal is and hopefully it goes well this time around. It really is a pain in the *** buying a house, but our VA appraiser holds the key to the whole deal and that sucks. I know not to get my hopes up about a house this time because we have all ready lost one.

[DJ]

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

Long read if you're interested..

My wife and I have been trying to buy a house for several months now. It can be a pretty tedious process. We have a great lender who's extremely helpful and we have a great real estate agent who we all ready knew.

We have just had some bad luck with appraisals and sellers. We've looked at a total of maybe 15 houses in the area and we finally found one we really loved. We made an offer and there was a competing offer coincidentally at the same time. There was a little back and forth and eventually I told my wife that their agent wouldn't be reaching out to us if we didn't have a better offer on the table so we stuck to our guns and rolled the dice and they came back and accepted it under the condition that they fix a few things so the house would pass VA Appraisal. They installed solar attic vents, fixed some fascia board, replaced a water heater, etc.

House passed inspection, but it appraised for about $10,000 less than what our original offer was so we turned in our offer for the most the bank would loan due to the appraisal and the seller got pissed off at his real estate agent, pulled the house off the market, and then relisted it a few days later without any contact with us whatsoever. We had to make quite a few phone calls to get this jackwagon to sign a mutual release and to get our earnest money back. He relisted the house at his original asking price because we weren't willing to come out of pocket $10,000 to buy the house and what he doesn't realize is that appraisal will stick with the house for a while.

So we went to looking again and finally found something we liked with a nice backyard, square footage, extra space for me a man cave, etc. It just needs a bunch of carpet taken up and new flooring put down, some paint, and then a nice kitchen remodel. I told my wife I like it and wouldn't mind a bit of a fixer upper for the right price. So we put in an offer... it goes back and forth twice and we finally tell our agent, "Hey.. this is our final offer and we're not countering. If they don't like it then we'll move on." We found out that no one has looked at the house or made an offer and it's been on the market for almost 100 days. So the selling agent calls our agent and gives her counter and he tells her again that we aren't countering.

My wife and I didn't think she would take it, but late last night we get a call that she's willing to accept our offer and cover all of the closing cost (which is a bit more expensive due to the VA funding fees).

So here we go again paying another $400 for a home inspection and whatever the cost of another VA appraisal is and hopefully it goes well this time around. It really is a pain in the *** buying a house, but our VA appraiser holds the key to the whole deal and that sucks. I know not to get my hopes up about a house this time because we have all ready lost one.

Sorry the first house didn't work out, but here's to things going your way this time! Home buying is stressful, but ultimately rewarding when the deal closes.

[mgoblue]

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

Sorry the first house didn't work out, but here's to things going your way this time! Home buying is stressful, but ultimately rewarding when the deal closes.

Totally. I find that you end up with the house that's best for you anyways. We thought we loved a certain house, but it sold for more than we were going to offer, so didn't have a shot. Ended up finding a better house, better layout, better backyard, etc....

[pietasterp]

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

Yeah, echo what the above posters said. It's best to approach the process as un-emotionally as possible (although that's only semi-realistic depending on your personality). Ideally, you approach the whole process the way you would approach buying stocks or bonds, without 'falling in love' and looking at the facts/bottom line. But obviously that's not reality and so you do the best you can. It's a huge pain in the rear no matter what.

[mgoblue]

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

Yeah, echo what the above posters said. It's best to approach the process as un-emotionally as possible (although that's only semi-realistic depending on your personality). Ideally, you approach the whole process the way you would approach buying stocks or bonds, without 'falling in love' and looking at the facts/bottom line. But obviously that's not reality and so you do the best you can. It's a huge pain in the rear no matter what.

Great points...you really can't get emotionally invested unless you're super rich or something. There's always a bidding war or just the seller having to pick between similar offers. Selling our last house it was pretty much a coin flip between the two offers.

[AUChase]

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

The good thing about the first house falling through is all the knowledge my wife and I gained about buying a home. We came into the process essentially being guided by our friend/real estate agent and now we know exactly what's going on. If we ever buy a home and then decide to sell it now I'll know what the process is like from the buyers point of view.

I really don't know why people selling homes won't shell out a little bit of money and have their home appraised so they know where they can list it at within reason.

We still haven't heard back from the seller about signing their end to put us back under contract so we can get an inspection. I know she's an older lady who just had back surgery and lives alone so I'm a little iffy about whether or not some repairs that may need to be done to pass VA appraisal can be done.

We didn't see too much when going through the house other than the tile in the bathrooms having a crack in them. We were going to replace it anyways, but the real estate agent said they may consider it a health and safety concern if they are having a bad day. There are two VA appraisers in our area and one of them is a notorious a-hole and luckily we didn't get him the first time.

[Fresh Tendrils]

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

We had something happen with our refridgerator yesterday/last night.

I opened up the freezer and water was leaking from everywhere as everything was in the process of melting. Opened up the fridge side and it was warm in there. Suffice to say we transferred everything to our chest freezer downstairs and thankfully had enough room in our beer fridge to get all of the perishables into that (sans beer of course).

When I got up this morning I checked and everything seemed to be back to normal. Freezer is ice cold and the fridge is cool with all the condiments/dressings cool to the touch.

Unfortunately, we couldn't get a hold of our local appliance repair man today due to the weather, but I was just wondering if anybody had any experiences like this?

[KG]

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

Note to self

“Get a beer fridge”

But yeah, the fridge at my old condo had some issues with the condenser and water line which caused it to shut off. I can’t remember the exact specifics but it wasn’t more than $250 to fix which was a lot cheaper than buying a new fridge.


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