well, when you asked what kind of moisture issues, he listed dog bowl and spills. I was just pointing out that I didn't feel like those were moisture issues and more normal wear and tear.

As far as scratches go, I think floors are going to scratch regardless. You can keep the scratching down by keeping your dog's nails trimmed/ground down and by getting a floor with a good finish. Outside of that, floors scratch. One thing my friends did, that we are going to do too, was to go with a handscraped floor and more of a matte finish than super glossy. The imperfections that come with the wood definitely help hide the normal wear and tear scratches better. Also, area rugs where the most traffic is also help a lot of course.

I really don't mind a floor that is worn-in though as long as it isn't torn up and scratched deeply all over.

2/8/2012 7:54:41 AM

My brother had his engineered hardwoods dome up when his washing machine overflowed.



Appraisal update of my own:

Mine came back at a good number, and now the underwriter is saying they think it might be high. Appraiser reviewed and said it's fine like it is, but the underwriter is making the lender do an outside review of the appraisal. Blah blah blah and I probably get screwed on Friday or so.

2/8/2012 10:31:23 PM

What do you guys do for pest removal??

I had a pretty decent roach problem this winter...99% of them showing up in the kitchen of course. Before Christmas I bought a 3 pack of the DIY roach bombs. They disappeared for a couple weeks, then I started seeing them again (but at a much lower rate than before). So I bombed again and put some anti-roach gel in the cracks around the stove (where most of them seem to come from). Again, they disappeared for a few weeks, now I'm starting to see them again (again...at a much lower rate...but still too often).

Obviously, I don't like roaches...but the gf is petrified of them. She's bitching at me to get a professional to do it, I tell her she can chip in half if it bothers her so much. I know they're suppose to be worse during the winter. I want to bomb the kitchen/house again, put out some more traps/gels, and then get the Home Defense max stuff and spray it all around the inside/outside of the house as it starts to warm up. Definitely trying to avoid the high cost of paying a pest control guy to come in.

Anybody else have any experience with this?

Also...what does everyone do for termite prevention? I don't have any evidence of them, but I have friends who have someone come by and set out termite traps anyways, just in case. Again, I'd like to avoid the cost of using a professional, but termites are a little more serious IMO. So if a professional is needed, a professional will be used.

2/9/2012 10:07:30 AM

do you not have a termite bond? We were able to transfer ours from the previous owner at no extra expense and it is only $90 annually for them to come and inspect the house. If they found any evidence they would treat again for free and they will replace anything damaged by termites. Well worth it for the cheap cost.

I know you don't have the option of transferring the bond at your house, but it would be worth looking into getting one. The main cost is the initial set up / the first treatment where they inspect your house for existing problems and then treat it. After that you'll just have annual inspections like I do.

[Edited on February 9, 2012 at 10:16 AM. Reason : ]

2/9/2012 10:13:48 AM

^^^keep bombing and setting traps. clean the house very well; pull out appliances and clean them and behind/under them; calk any visible cracks/holes; keep house cool (I've heard that bugs like the warmth of houses in the winter, thus some bug problems get worse in winter since your house is warm compared to outside). An apartment I lived in had a bug problem until the winter - I set the heat on 50 and left it there for 2 weeks and set off 12 bug bombs during those two weeks (2 times x 6 bombs, in each each bedroom (4), 1 in the kitchen, 1 in the den... about 1,000 sf apartment).

Also, check your outlets where you suspect bugs are coming in. One of the outlets in the previously mentioned apartment was FULL of bugs and bug carcasses (full, as in completely full). Guess they were attracted to something in there. The bugs ended up shorting/burning out that outlet and we had to replace. I left the breaker off, the outlets out, and the cover off during that 2 week period and constantly put bug killer in there (borax powder I think).

[Edited on February 9, 2012 at 10:38 AM. Reason : .]

2/9/2012 10:36:33 AM

Quote :

"$90 annually for them to come and inspect the house. If they found any evidence they would treat again for free and they will replace anything damaged by termites. Well worth it for the cheap cost."

2/9/2012 11:36:25 AM

$90 sounds wonderful.

If I could get out of this situation with that and a couple extra anti-roach purchases at Lowes, I will be a happy man.

2/9/2012 11:51:21 AM

what don't you call an exterminator to your house and get an estimate. It couldn't be more than a few hundred bucks.

2/9/2012 11:55:27 AM

^ I've called, and that's about right. First trip is usually between $100 to $200, depending on exterminator. Then they come back, usually every month or two for $50 to $80 a pop (which is in the "package" you pay for).

Total usually amounts to around $300 or $400. Not exactly a life changing price...but I'd rather pay $40 and do it myself.

2/9/2012 12:03:59 PM

^^^ Well, like I said, for termites the initial setup is more expensive. Maybe $1000? However, I still think it is worth it. If you aren't under a termite bond, the company will want to do an inspection first to make sure they aren't taking on liability from anything pre-existing, and then they will do a preventative maintenance treatment that will last X number of years (say 10). At that point they will cover you for $75-$100 a year or so depending on local costs and size of the home etc. until their preventative treatment warranty is up and you renew.

I got lucky transferring a house that was already on bond for a handful of more years. Once that's up I'll have to re-treat to keep their coverage up probably.

[Edited on February 9, 2012 at 12:08 PM. Reason : ]

2/9/2012 12:07:44 PM

re: termites

I have a lot of room in my crawlspace, so I just walk around underneath and outside of the house every couple months to look for mud tunnels.

2/9/2012 2:05:03 PM

if you or anyone else wants to chat about termite control options shoot me a PM and i'll give you my cell. i work for a pest control product manufacturer and run our DIY pest control website so i should be able to answer any questions you might have.

there is too much info to type but here are some cliff notes.

first off, don't bother with anything you can purchase at home depot or lowes, especially for termites. the same products used by professionals are available online to residents of just about every state not named CT, NY, or MA.

for termites you basically have two options. chemical barrier treatment or termite baiting. termite baiting is the more elegant solution as toxic chemicals are not involved and you can wipe out an entire termite colony. baiting requires inspections at least every quarter depending on the system.

chemical barrier treatments involve creating a continuous barrier around a structure using gallons of diluted insecticide concentrates. barrier treatments will only kill the termites that come in contact with the treated area and the level of protection is only as good as the person making the application. barrier treatments are generally good for anywhere from 5-10 years depending on the active ingredient.

both can be done by a homeowner. a turn key baiting system runs from $200-$300 and enough product to do a barrier treatment would probably be around half that. IMO for termites, baiting is the way to go.

2/10/2012 11:56:08 AM

I'm really interested in a certain new development; however, I can hardly get the builder/realtor to pick up the damn phone, much less set up an appointment. The neighborhood is new and pretty hot (lots of interest), so I'm fearful I won't get a chance to at least really consider a home there. Shit is frustrating.

2/10/2012 2:07:35 PM

any lots available or are they all owned by the builder/builders?

2/10/2012 7:33:34 PM

All owned by builder.

2/11/2012 3:57:42 PM

The lights on my ceiling fan broke. And I don't mean the bulbs all blew, I mean the lights just stopped working. New bulbs don't make a difference. The fan's about a year and a half old, so I doubt it's in warranty and even if it were I doubt I have receipt.

2/14/2012 12:07:57 AM

^ 90% chance its just a bad connection in the wiring

2/14/2012 7:21:26 AM

Anyone have a good recommendation on a place to get 2 (small) rooms and a small hallway carpeted for a good price?

One of the rooms is going to be the nursery for our girl, so the carpet might end up needing to be replaced again before we sell the house... trying to decide to go with cheap carpet and then replace it again, or good, stain resistant carpet and try not to replace it.

2/14/2012 8:56:44 AM

I honestly feel that every house I've been in has some stains or other issues with the carpet (ridges, bare spots, etc.). I really think it comes down to how you want it to look and what kind of quality/plushness you want while living there. I don't see the reason to pay much more for "better" carpets - they all get stained and dirty and buyers are always replacing the carpet anyways. I say go with what fits your style, budget, and needs, and when it comes time to sell, either recarpet with some decent stuff, or offer a flooring allowance.

2/14/2012 9:25:32 AM

I hate carpet, despise it.

1) I have allergies, primarily dust mites which reside in carpet and fabric.

2) I have a dog, it is a full time job keeping dog hair off carpet

3) It hides things....allergens, dirt, mold, etc.

4) It stains

I would much rather have a smooth surface like wood or tile and put a rug on top if necessary, if a rug needs to go you can throw it away.

2/14/2012 9:53:19 AM

^ This.

2/14/2012 10:34:29 AM

anyone done a tile backsplash? what did you do to get the electric outlets and switches to be flush with the tile? buy box extenders? buy new boxes (larger or adjustable)? just add spacers on the screws?

[Edited on February 14, 2012 at 10:39 AM. Reason : .]

2/14/2012 10:39:30 AM

Secondary appraisal review complete:

We're still good to go.

2/14/2012 10:42:19 AM

^^

I haven't done a backsplash, but ran into the same situation when I did beadboard in a room, and I just used spacers between the receptacle and the box and got longer screws.

2/14/2012 2:26:18 PM

^thanks.

anyone know how important cash flow, etc. is when applying for a mortgage? My cash flow the last few months has been horrible, but financially I am fine.

2/15/2012 8:21:56 AM

define your "cash flow" and "financially." You don't need to give us specific numbers, but do you mean you are financially fine as in you just have no major debt or financially fine but horrible cash flow as in you have lots of cash stashed away in the bank but your net income over the past few months has been low?

I know this isn't you, but I know people who consider themselves financially well-off at my age simply because they have no debt, even though they have like <$1000 in total savings. So everyone's definition of these things is different.

[Edited on February 15, 2012 at 8:42 AM. Reason : ]

2/15/2012 8:41:13 AM

well I've got about 1/3 worth of my salary in savings.
I have about 1/3 worth of my salary in debt (auto loan, which I'm considering selling that vehicle soon)
But my monthly savings/cash flow has been crap lately (spending almost as much as I take in).

I know my savings and debt aren't great to banks, but I've been assured that those are fine. What banks haven't seen are my monthly statements showing some bad monthly cash flows recently. I'm reigning that back in, but what's done is done... thus on my statements. Last year I saved 15% of my salary, but looking on average at the last 7 months, it's down to like 5% annual saving (I have no fucking clue where that money went).

[Edited on February 15, 2012 at 8:48 AM. Reason : .]

2/15/2012 8:47:26 AM

You gotta show you can pay for the cost of the mortgage. So you show a bank statement showing that you have at least X+1 dollars in it.

You gotta show you can make the payments, so that was either last two pay stubs or two months worth of pay stubs. It's been a week and I already forgot which.

You gotta explain any large deposits to your account over the previous 60 days, which was a pain since my company doesn't do direct deposit, and I had four big deposits at the counter in the bank. I guess to show you're not trying some sort of financial flim-flammery. OS I had to get those deposit images printed out (had to go to the bank for one of them), and then write an explanation of all the stuff I deposited. Mostly paycheck, but at Christmas I had like ten other checks for ten bucks a piece from aunts/uncles/etc.

2/15/2012 8:49:44 AM

So are you saying a balance of x+1 or a cash flow of x+1? balance and paycheck wise I'm fine; but my cash flow lately hasn't been.

2/15/2012 8:52:44 AM

I don't think anyone is gonna care too much about your flow. I mean, it may vary from lender to lender, but all I had to show was that we had a balance large enough to pay for the cost of the mortgage.

You also gotta come up with shit like old W-2's and whatnot.

2/15/2012 9:40:10 AM

Yeah I only remember us having to show W2s and some pay stubs. I don't think they gave a crap about our cash flow.

2/15/2012 9:53:47 AM

we had a credit check, W2s, pay stubs, most recent 401k quarterly statements, and the two most recent statements from all of our banks.

We also had to clarify some large deposits too because we had gotten married not too long before that and were combining bank accounts and switching banks and such.

2/15/2012 10:02:46 AM

I remember we had to show all of ^ that plus 2 months worth of checking account statements for our recent refi (got a much lower rate and switched to 15 yr fixed from 30 yr fixed.)

It's probably changed since we got our original mortgage years ago, but all they really cared about was debt-to-income ratio. They didn't give two shits about expenses-to-income ratio, just looked at student loans and vehicle loans for us, didn't care about bills and whatever else, just the stuff that showed up on the credit report. They even tried to convince us to take on a much larger mortgage than what I knew we could afford based on our typical expenses and savings goals.

2/15/2012 1:57:05 PM

Same here sans 401K statements.

2/15/2012 3:14:44 PM

Quote :

"Anyone have a good recommendation on a place to get 2 (small) rooms and a small hallway carpeted for a good price? One of the rooms is going to be the nursery for our girl, so the carpet might end up needing to be replaced again before we sell the house... trying to decide to go with cheap carpet and then replace it again, or good, stain resistant carpet and try not to replace it."

i have an installer and you can use my account at prosource

Quote :

"anyone done a tile backsplash? what did you do to get the electric outlets and switches to be flush with the tile? buy box extenders? buy new boxes (larger or adjustable)? just add spacers on the screws? [Edited on February 14, 2012 at 10:39 AM. Reason : .]"

longer screws will work but you need a "fire ring"

Quote :

"Secondary appraisal review complete: We're still good to go."

glad you are having luck with your appraisal. our appraiser deducted $5000 for the following items.

- crawlspace door is screwed on (due to a detail that i had no control over)
- three fence post caps have fallen apart which she is calling "deteriorated wood on fence and porch" lol
- front fence has some peeling paint (from running the sprinkler all summer)
- and an interior closet (under stairs) is not painted.
- she also said there was a lot of missing caulk around windows and home corners. I walked it 4 times and found one 8" siding board that the caulk has moved away from the corner.

she didnt use a comp in the original appraisal that she should have so we asked her to use it. she agreed and did an additional appraisal. the first appraisal was appraised "as is" with ^ items noted

This lady has been a nightmare and I wish none of this upon you.
the second appraisal was appraised "subject to ^ items being fixed" and none of the folks understand why i am upset that I have to fix these items when I sold the home "as is."

Also, the home inspector had none of the appraiser issues on his list and trust me... he was detailed.

So basically, they told me today that if i didnt fix the items then it comes up $5000 short on appraisal and the house doesn't sell.

[Edited on February 15, 2012 at 7:19 PM. Reason : engrish]

2/15/2012 7:18:32 PM

So if I have about $1,000 worth of deposits in one week and no apparent source of the funds, will the lending bank go apeshit on me? I can't recall where in the hell that money came from. I'm hoping the majority of it was reimbursements from 2 business trips, but my company only sends checks (no stubs) and I didn't keep a record of them. Those probably make up $750 of the $1,000... the rest was likely cash on hand... how am I supposed to deal with that? I'll look back through my expense reports and call our accounting person to get some more information, but I know those expenses won't add up to the total deposit amounts

[Edited on February 15, 2012 at 8:59 PM. Reason : .]

2/15/2012 8:58:55 PM

if it's only $1k, i highly doubt they care.

2/15/2012 9:26:31 PM

^^What I hadda do was give them copy of the deposit and write a description of all the stuff that was in the deposit. BoA had images of the checks and I printed them out, and then wrote a coversheet for each one saying 'the check for X is my paycheck, the check for Y is my expense reimbursement for the month of January, the check for Z is part of a class action settlement, etc.'


^I had to explain any counter deposit over $1,000. My employer doesn't do direct deposit, so all my paychecks just showed up as counter deposits.



^^ETA: on re-reading, if you don't have a single deposit that was over $1,000 they prob won't care. We had a bunch of activity, but I only had to explain nondescript single deposits that were greater than $1000

[Edited on February 16, 2012 at 8:56 AM. Reason : []

2/16/2012 8:52:39 AM

Quote :

"So if I have about $1,000 worth of deposits in one week and no apparent source of the funds, will the lending bank go apeshit on me? I can't recall where in the hell that money came from. I'm hoping the majority of it was reimbursements from 2 business trips, but my company only sends checks (no stubs) and I didn't keep a record of them. Those probably make up $750 of the $1,000... the rest was likely cash on hand... how am I supposed to deal with that? I'll look back through my expense reports and call our accounting person to get some more information, but I know those expenses won't add up to the total deposit amounts"

Ask your lender, they may know what the cutoff is. I think ours was $400 or something. We had the same situation with expense reimbursements to my wife, they did not have stubs. She just started cashing them to avoid the paperwork involved.

2/16/2012 9:09:27 AM

haha. great. and I looked through my travel expenses... dates and amounts don't add up very well

musta been from teh money tree!

2/16/2012 10:43:58 AM

So I'm going to do the termite bond...$1,000. What I expected (or what CalledToArms said)...but still not excited about dropping a grand on preventing something that might never happen, but I know it's a necessity.

I get the first year of termite and bug stuff for free ($500 value at $200 for termites and $300 for bugs/roaches...or the other way around, I can't remember).

So I'm thinking of using the bug for the first year, then once he gets rid of the roaches in the kitchen (which I still can't get rid of...apparently they are a HUGE problem in my area)...just paying for the termite stuff and doing my own home defense with the roaches.

We'll see how this goes....

[Edited on February 17, 2012 at 11:35 AM. Reason : .]

2/17/2012 11:34:47 AM

sounds like a good plan. I know what you mean about not being excited to spend the money, but it's worth it imo.

2/17/2012 11:41:33 AM

Not sure whether we should do our kitchen (counter and backsplash) or our hardwood floors as our big project this year. The hardwoods would be the entire first floor so the impact would be large and seen all over, but my guess is it would also cost 2x as much as doing the new kitchen counter and backsplash.

If we do the kitchen we are leaning heavily toward quartz right now, but I could be persuaded to do granite if we found one in the color palette we are working with that didn't look to "traditional" and was cheaper than quartz.

2/20/2012 2:34:40 PM

Anyone have a recommendation for replacement windows? our windows are getting to the point where they need replacement... one of them leaked during the storm last night

2/23/2012 8:25:47 AM

We just replaced 6 of our with The Glass Doctor. We couldn't get replacements from the original manufacturer, so they measured and custom cut new panes.

If you know who made the windows, you can try calling them. Sometimes they're under warranty for a while.

2/23/2012 8:50:53 AM

well our house was built in 93 and they are the original windows... i have no idea who made them. we have 3 people coming to give estimates this weekend. (sears, kingsford, and a local guy)

2/23/2012 11:29:05 AM

Look around on the window for some sort of Logo or name, most likely in a corner or written on the seal (if double paned). We had to sleuth around and google some stuff up. We even had suggestions to call the builder and ask them.

Ours were 96 and the company (L&M? T&M? something.) was out of business. Anyways, even if they're not under warranty, the same company can replace them from stock. Otherwise, you'll have to get a custom repair and it costs a bit more. The Glass Doctor did good for us.

[Edited on February 23, 2012 at 12:11 PM. Reason : fix the horrible spelling]

2/23/2012 12:05:06 PM

Most original windows suck. You're usually going to be much better off getting replacement windows. I'm not local to anyone here but I'd suggest Sunrise windows if there's a dealer around. We carry a couple of different lines and they are tops in U-value (think energy efficiency) & build quality but cost less than our other options. Whatever you do, stay away from the guys you see advertising $99 windows or $199 windows. They're crap. Spend at least $300 to get something decent and $400-500 to start getting the actual good windows.

2/23/2012 8:47:48 PM

Is there a way to tell if one window is better than another at blocking out noise? Would I even be able to tell a difference between my crappy contractor-grade windows and upgraded ones?

2/24/2012 6:44:17 AM

Well windows suck at blocking noise period so keep that in mind. A lot of it comes down to installation as well. If it's not installed well and properly insulated (preferably with spray foam over loose insulation - NOT expanding foam) then it's going to be noisy. Otherwise, try to find a sample of the window and a cross section of the frame. The more insulation or chambers the frame has, the better. With the window itself, lock it and see what kind of movement there is. A lot of salespeople will tell you that there has to be play because it's vinyl and has to expand but that's mostly BS. After all, the whole thing is vinyl and will expand at roughly the same rate. Don't fall for the dollar bill between sashes trick either (stick a bill between sashes, lock the window, and then see how difficult it is to remove the bill). If both sashes move around in the frame, it doesn't matter how tight the sash to sash lock up is. Mainly, if you go with a good quality window, you shouldn't have a problem as long as the installation is done right. Personally, I like Sunrise and Four Seasons (obviously as I sell both of them), Schuco, & Simonton. I'm not a fan of Renewal by Andersen at all (way overpriced for what you get and their quality imo). I know there's a good corporate Four Seasons crew in Cary and they have a great glass package if you want a recommendation for local people.

2/24/2012 8:09:20 PM