Quote :

" to sale"

5/15/2012 12:38:52 PM

Quote :

"how does selling a house below what you owe work? pay off what you get, smaller payments for what is left?"

The house is your collateral. No house = no loan. You'll have to pay off the whole thing or somehow have the difference rolled over into a (higher interest) personal loan.

5/15/2012 1:07:45 PM

So there's this crappy fence that the builders put behind the houses on my block that runs across several backyards. It just so happens that the fence broke at the part that borders my backyard. Now the HOA says that I'm responsible for fixing the fence, even though I didn't put it there and frankly wouldn't miss the damn thing if it were gone.

I brought someone from a fencing company to give me an estimate and his initial reaction was that it's utter BS that I'm responsible for the fence. He thinks the builder (Centex) should pay for the repairs since I didn't ask them to build it in the first place. Any chance of getting them to cover the cost? They're not building houses around here anymore so it's not like they have to see me or anything.

5/15/2012 1:13:45 PM

Either it's on your backyard or it isn't. If it's on your property, unless it's under warranty I assume it's your responsibility.

5/15/2012 1:19:40 PM

Swell. One of my tenants has just noticed termintes in one of the outer pillars of the porch overhang. This will be my first time dealing with these bastards.

5/15/2012 1:52:13 PM

^^^ Well hell, if they're telling you it's your responsibility, I'd just tear down the portion that was on my property and call it the day

5/15/2012 2:33:40 PM

Quote :

"I want to sale my house. I'm tired of renting it out worrying when it comes time for the lease to end will I ever be able to pay for my rent here and my mortgage. UGH! how does selling a house below what you owe work? pay off what you get, smaller payments for what is left?"

You will have to bring the difference to the closing in cash. If you can get a personal loan you can use that, or liquidate some other asset to raise the cash. The bank will not let it be sold without the loan being satisfied unless you qualify for a short sale.

5/15/2012 2:45:24 PM

Ask for a copy of the Covenants from the HOA. That document should say whether the HOA is responsible to fix the fence or not. Even if they put it up, repairs or improvements benefiting a single lot can be assessed to the individual lots rather than the HOA. There's also a chance they can start fining you if you don't fix it. Part of why I don't live in a neighborhood with a HOA.

5/16/2012 8:37:23 PM

locked in @ 3.5% on a 30 yr. Lot better be cleared by this weekend or I'll be getting angry. Footers going in early next week.

Damn mortgage guy locked the loan without confirming the close date, and now those are 2-4 weeks apart. I guess he'll be picking up the tab to extend the rate. Or can I let it expire and get a new rate, if lower? How does that work?

5/24/2012 11:50:23 AM

I put a new run capacitor and added a hard start kit to my AC today. For a while yesterday I was afraid my compressor was dead. I'm thankful it was a $20 fix and not something really expensive.

5/24/2012 5:01:24 PM

Scrubbing bubbles don't scrub worth a damn.

5/25/2012 1:00:23 AM

haha yeah you're better off scrubbing with baking soda.

5/25/2012 11:45:29 AM

^^, ^: depends on what you're trying to remove. We have a walk-in glass shower that got really bad hard water stains (some people call it soap scum) and nothing would touch it. Not even CLR and all those hard water/soap scum specialty cleaners.

Finally, after some Googling, i found a powdered product called Bar Keepers' Friend. It has some abrasive quality and oxalic acid to break down the very basic buildup. The stuff is great on all kinds of really tough stuff.

http://www.barkeepersfriend.com

Also, if you have hard water and get toilet rings despite regular cleaning and pro-active fill treatments, there's a seemingly magical product that works wonders when NOTHING else will even touch it. Pumice stick that costs less than $3... awesome.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_210456-14242-210456_0__?productId=3549232&Ntt=pumice&pl=1¤tURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dpumice&facetInfo=

We've had such good luck with these, I thought I'd share.

5/25/2012 2:01:21 PM

I don't think they'd be worth a damn for removing anything that rinsing with water wouldn't take care of.

5/25/2012 11:06:45 PM

Anyone have any experience dealing with impervious surface restrictions in Durham when building an addition?

5/28/2012 7:02:44 AM

Girlfriend spilled a bunch of orange nail polish all over the tile in the bathroom. After googling it I found that letting it soak in acetone was the best solution and it worked... a little too well. Now there are little white spots where the acetone was. I think it must have bleached the tiles. The grout between them was orange but is now white (not a problem) but I'm trying to think of something I can do to remedy the white spots all over the tile. Anyone have any ideas? I'm thinking maybe over time the dirt from my feet will just kind of cover up the white spots. The tiles themselves are kind of a beige color.

5/28/2012 12:43:52 PM

^^I don't think you can get around those, unless you do some type of stormwater treatment (maybe) it's been a long time since I worked on something in Durham, and it was never residential; however, Chapel Hill had something similar so they had to hire the company I was working for to design stormwater treatment on their property, due to busting the impervious area limit.

5/29/2012 8:16:37 AM

I hope to build some closet organizers in my house. While I don't care for laminate products, would this be the best/easiest/cheapest route? I'd love something like cedar with a clear finish/sealant/whatever; or I could do something cheap like pine and just paint it white. I have an idea of how to design/construct these, just not on what wood to use and where to get it, or how to finish it.

5/29/2012 2:49:17 PM

My shitters full and there are lots of ticks, ants, and bees and shit all over my yard.

5/29/2012 2:49:58 PM

primed MDF is what 90% of trim guys use when building custom closets.

5/29/2012 11:37:43 PM

Should finally finish my patio this weekend.

Half of it is in a recessed porch under the house's roof; half of it extends into the backyard. Any recommendations for retractable screens that I could use to screen in (when desired) the portion that's enclosed under the roof?

5/30/2012 12:19:26 AM

There's a lot of different things you can do to cedar. I helped a friend with the inside of a chest he built. We waxed it using some fine steel wool and buffed it out with a cloth the inside looked nice. The outside he did the same, but also used linseed oil mixed with polyurethane first with a bit of rubbing with the steel wool between coats of the mix followed by the wax.

He got his advice on a site sawmillcreek.org

Hope that helps

5/30/2012 3:31:49 AM

I'm about to short sale mine. Fuck it. I live on the west coast, my house is on the east coast. I have no intentions of ever moving back east unless you pay me so much money, I can't say no.


With that said. A 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath townhouse is about to be on the short sale market in Chesapeake, VA

5/30/2012 4:10:46 AM

Just put up a new garage door opener:

http://www.amazon.com/Direct-Drive-Garage-Door-Opener/dp/B0043WS9I6



Very happy with it so far. Thankfully we were able to use existing wiring to wire up the front keyed slot and the new inside pad.

Very very quiet.

5/30/2012 6:18:44 AM

^^ I'm guessing you weren't able to rent it out to cover the mortgage payments?

5/30/2012 9:44:54 AM

I'm currently trying to sell my GSO house right now and have only had about 1 viewing in a month...this might take a while to sell it...

5/30/2012 7:59:08 PM

^^^ my house came with a chain-drive Genie...I saw the chain drive, and I was like "man, i wish they'd used one of those quiet, new belt-drive units...hell i might spend a couple hundred bucks and just add it myself."

then i opened the door, and was like "WHOA that's quiet."

5/30/2012 10:01:57 PM

Yeah, this motor is essentially noiseless. The loudest thing now is the door and spring.

5/30/2012 10:12:42 PM

The Orkin guy came by to do a termite inspection and noted our humidity levels where around 25% in my crawl space. Additionally, he said there might be som 'wood-decaying' fungus present.

What should I do t-dub?

5/30/2012 10:14:14 PM

vapor barrier. I need to do the same myself.

5/31/2012 9:22:44 AM

Quote :

"I'm guessing you weren't able to rent it out to cover the mortgage payments?"

I rent it out for some of the mortgage. i get 1080 out of 1230. I just don't like having to stress at the end of the year about renters.

5/31/2012 10:20:46 AM

Aren't you going to stress about a short sale completely devastating your credit?

Also, make sure there's no provision for you to come after you to recoup the loss.

5/31/2012 12:01:28 PM

yeah I'd be a lot more stressed about the short sale than the renters

5/31/2012 12:33:41 PM

Quote :

"make sure there's no provision for you to come after you to recoup the loss."

5/31/2012 12:59:27 PM

I just completed a short sale. Credit dropped from 730 to 604.

5/31/2012 5:04:30 PM

can anybody recommend a good home inspector?

6/1/2012 9:25:02 PM

Yes. We used US Inspect. Very thorough.

6/2/2012 8:42:39 AM

Quote :

"Aren't you going to stress about a short sale completely devastating your credit?"

well if I don't have renters, I have to pick between paying my mortgage or paying rent at my place of residence and since there is 3 of us and 2 dogs here...I will skip the mortgage.

Missing two months of payments on your mortgage will drop your credit 100-150 points which is about what a short sale will do.

[Edited on June 2, 2012 at 9:05 AM. Reason : I never missed a mortgage payment even when I didnt have renters for two months]

6/2/2012 9:05:15 AM

The A/C guy just came by to finish fixing my garage unit (finally got the part in this morning).

He wasnt scheduled to come back until Monday, but he was at his in-laws near by and thought that hanging out here was better than being there, lol.

6/2/2012 3:46:02 PM

^ haha nice.

We have poison ivy growing on our property. Too bad setting the woods on fire isn't an option for eradication.

[Edited on June 3, 2012 at 8:38 PM. Reason : i]

6/3/2012 8:38:13 PM

Quote :

"The Orkin guy came by to do a termite inspection and noted our humidity levels where around 25% in my crawl space"

Relative humidity? 25% is low.

6/3/2012 11:56:47 PM

closed on selling the house today.

gonna miss this place.

6/6/2012 10:32:34 PM

got an audio tower to mount all of my stuff on...assembled it today, and it luckily fit through my closet door (I forgot how narrow the closet door is; I was about a half-inch from having to take it all back apart and assemble it inside the closet ).



Then I accidentally unplugged some connections and IR remote transmitters as I was putting all the gear on the tower. This is gonna be a PITA to figure out how to hook it all back up. In the meantime, I'm sans TV and stereo, and if I can't figure it out, my audio guy is out of town until the middle of next week.

[Edited on June 9, 2012 at 9:11 PM. Reason : note to self: model is bush ad11540a if ever need to know for replacement parts or companion pieces]

6/9/2012 9:09:55 PM

I have this little notch on my wall due to a support beam but its literally like an 1/8th of an inch too narrow to slide my tower unit thingy in there... I've considered just trying to sand down the one side that no one would ever see enough to where I can force it in (thats what she said) but I know it would be there looking all shitty and it would bother me

6/10/2012 12:02:17 PM

Quote :

"too narrow to slide my tower unit thingy in there"

now that's my kinda problem

6/10/2012 12:20:17 PM

The weather so far in June has been awesome. I hope it can stay like this awhile longer. 1/3 of the way through the month and we haven't hit an average high yet (might change this week tho) and already have over 2" of rain.

Other than one weekend early on when stuff was really greening up and we hadn't had much rain for 2 weeks and after one of my fertilizer applications, I haven't watered the lawn at all this entire year.

Obviously as we get into the next 2.5 months that will change but I'm loving it so far because I don't have an irrigation system so I hate having to move a sprinkler around on Sundays

[Edited on June 11, 2012 at 9:46 AM. Reason : ]

6/11/2012 9:45:28 AM

Woe: Spent $3k on repairs and painting in the past month.
Not woe: My house looks better than ever.

Woe: The largest old oak tree in my yard hangs over the back of my house (pretty serious gangsta lean) and it appears to be dying at the base. I'm pretty sure they're going to have to bring in a crane to remove it. Gotta get it done before hurricane season.

Anyone have tree service recommendations? No jacklegs or handymen types on this one...Has to be a pro with good insurance.

[Edited on June 11, 2012 at 4:29 PM. Reason : s]

6/11/2012 4:28:19 PM

how would you guys read this situation....

my house is in a developing neighborhood. the gentleman to my right just moved in, 3-4 weeks ago, after his house was completed. the yard was sodded, but before was just a weed field, adjoining my grass, which was sodded the same way. the houses on both sides of mine were built in the last year. of course, i've had a hell of a time keeping weeds out of my sodded yard, but think i do an adequate job of maintaining it.

last weekend my weedeater ran out of string, so i said fuck it, and didn't trim the right side of the house before the fence line, and the fence line (about 15 linear ft.). the rest was done. so it grew to about 4-6" high before I got around to doing the yard work yesterday. neighbor did his saturday.

i get to that section, and he's cut a portion of my grass, probably 20 square feet, and buzzed down the fenceline and the side of the house leading to the mulch area. I'm assuming it was him, or else there's a grass fairy floating around. It was skint down pretty low, as his was.

wtf? being nice or being passive aggressive about the part of my yard closest to his house looking shitty?

I can't decide. Haven't really met him to get a read. He did spend a good 12 hours working his property Saturday, and think he might be a "lawn guy". Just struck me as..... odd.

6/11/2012 4:40:34 PM

Nice

6/11/2012 4:59:52 PM

^^ I think "fuck it" is an appropriate response. In other words...Don't overthink it.

Really doesn't matter. He might have done it to be snotty he might have done it because he had his tools out, a little extra energy to burn, and wanted to get on your good side. Casually thanking him the next time you see him is a good way to confirm he did it and maybe even find out why, but don't let him put you down or make you feel like you owe him a favor since it was totally unsolicited. It is your castle after all. *You're the king of it, not him.

*Unless you decided to let a HOA rule over you when you purchased.

[Edited on June 11, 2012 at 5:14 PM. Reason : l]

6/11/2012 5:03:58 PM