[CA renter]

stockstradr,

Unfortunately, I agree with everything you’ve said.

[CA renter]

We made the following improvements to our rental:

-installed new ceiling fans in all bedrooms and family room

-upgraded (to code) electrical wiring in garage (safety thing) and added exterior light which should have been there all along (also to code now)

-added three, exterior security lights

-added additional phone lines and new cable outlets

-planted grass (seed & LOTS of new dirt and fertilizer) and flowers in front and back yards

-hundreds of dollars trying to maintain sprinkler system that really needs to be completely replaced — LL said he’d replace soon…

-paid $2,000 toward new shower in MBR, and got to pick out all the tiles, grout, door, fixtures, etc.

-miscellaneous odds and ends required to maintain a house
*****************

In return for all this, we don’t get rent increases, and our LL knows we’re here for a long time (over four years already), so pretty much let’s us do what we want here. They are long-time LLs (original owners in an older n’hood), so we don’t have to worry about being foreclosed on or having them sell the house — we discussed all this before moving in.

IOW, “home is where you rest your head.” If you like where you live, and plan to stay there for a while, a LL would be stupid not to let a good, long-term tenant customize things a bit. Remember, it’s your HOME, whether you rent or buy. Don’t be afraid to make it a more pleasant experience while waiting out this g*d-forsaken housing bubble.

Just MHO. 🙂

[CA renter]

We made the following improvements to our rental:

-installed new ceiling fans in all bedrooms and family room

-upgraded (to code) electrical wiring in garage (safety thing) and added exterior light which should have been there all along (also to code now)

-added three, exterior security lights

-added additional phone lines and new cable outlets

-planted grass (seed & LOTS of new dirt and fertilizer) and flowers in front and back yards

-hundreds of dollars trying to maintain sprinkler system that really needs to be completely replaced — LL said he’d replace soon…

-paid $2,000 toward new shower in MBR, and got to pick out all the tiles, grout, door, fixtures, etc.

-miscellaneous odds and ends required to maintain a house
*****************

In return for all this, we don’t get rent increases, and our LL knows we’re here for a long time (over four years already), so pretty much let’s us do what we want here. They are long-time LLs (original owners in an older n’hood), so we don’t have to worry about being foreclosed on or having them sell the house — we discussed all this before moving in.

IOW, “home is where you rest your head.” If you like where you live, and plan to stay there for a while, a LL would be stupid not to let a good, long-term tenant customize things a bit. Remember, it’s your HOME, whether you rent or buy. Don’t be afraid to make it a more pleasant experience while waiting out this g*d-forsaken housing bubble.

Just MHO. 🙂

[CA renter]

We made the following improvements to our rental:

-installed new ceiling fans in all bedrooms and family room

-upgraded (to code) electrical wiring in garage (safety thing) and added exterior light which should have been there all along (also to code now)

-added three, exterior security lights

-added additional phone lines and new cable outlets

-planted grass (seed & LOTS of new dirt and fertilizer) and flowers in front and back yards

-hundreds of dollars trying to maintain sprinkler system that really needs to be completely replaced — LL said he’d replace soon…

-paid $2,000 toward new shower in MBR, and got to pick out all the tiles, grout, door, fixtures, etc.

-miscellaneous odds and ends required to maintain a house
*****************

In return for all this, we don’t get rent increases, and our LL knows we’re here for a long time (over four years already), so pretty much let’s us do what we want here. They are long-time LLs (original owners in an older n’hood), so we don’t have to worry about being foreclosed on or having them sell the house — we discussed all this before moving in.

IOW, “home is where you rest your head.” If you like where you live, and plan to stay there for a while, a LL would be stupid not to let a good, long-term tenant customize things a bit. Remember, it’s your HOME, whether you rent or buy. Don’t be afraid to make it a more pleasant experience while waiting out this g*d-forsaken housing bubble.

Just MHO. 🙂

[CA renter]

We made the following improvements to our rental:

-installed new ceiling fans in all bedrooms and family room

-upgraded (to code) electrical wiring in garage (safety thing) and added exterior light which should have been there all along (also to code now)

-added three, exterior security lights

-added additional phone lines and new cable outlets

-planted grass (seed & LOTS of new dirt and fertilizer) and flowers in front and back yards

-hundreds of dollars trying to maintain sprinkler system that really needs to be completely replaced — LL said he’d replace soon…

-paid $2,000 toward new shower in MBR, and got to pick out all the tiles, grout, door, fixtures, etc.

-miscellaneous odds and ends required to maintain a house
*****************

In return for all this, we don’t get rent increases, and our LL knows we’re here for a long time (over four years already), so pretty much let’s us do what we want here. They are long-time LLs (original owners in an older n’hood), so we don’t have to worry about being foreclosed on or having them sell the house — we discussed all this before moving in.

IOW, “home is where you rest your head.” If you like where you live, and plan to stay there for a while, a LL would be stupid not to let a good, long-term tenant customize things a bit. Remember, it’s your HOME, whether you rent or buy. Don’t be afraid to make it a more pleasant experience while waiting out this g*d-forsaken housing bubble.

Just MHO. 🙂

[CA renter]

We made the following improvements to our rental:

-installed new ceiling fans in all bedrooms and family room

-upgraded (to code) electrical wiring in garage (safety thing) and added exterior light which should have been there all along (also to code now)

-added three, exterior security lights

-added additional phone lines and new cable outlets

-planted grass (seed & LOTS of new dirt and fertilizer) and flowers in front and back yards

-hundreds of dollars trying to maintain sprinkler system that really needs to be completely replaced — LL said he’d replace soon…

-paid $2,000 toward new shower in MBR, and got to pick out all the tiles, grout, door, fixtures, etc.

-miscellaneous odds and ends required to maintain a house
*****************

In return for all this, we don’t get rent increases, and our LL knows we’re here for a long time (over four years already), so pretty much let’s us do what we want here. They are long-time LLs (original owners in an older n’hood), so we don’t have to worry about being foreclosed on or having them sell the house — we discussed all this before moving in.

IOW, “home is where you rest your head.” If you like where you live, and plan to stay there for a while, a LL would be stupid not to let a good, long-term tenant customize things a bit. Remember, it’s your HOME, whether you rent or buy. Don’t be afraid to make it a more pleasant experience while waiting out this g*d-forsaken housing bubble.

Just MHO. 🙂

[CA renter]

“What’s the catch on the everbank foreign CD’s? If something looks too good to be true it usually is…”
********************

I’ve had three CDs, in different currencies, with Everbank over the past year. During a time when the dollar was falling, I lost 13% with Everbank, much of it due to the Icelandic Krona, but have lost a little money in the SAR and NZD.

I’ve had better luck with the currency ETFs (FXE, FXY, etc.) because I could get in and out whenever the market was changing.

IMHO, Everbank is not a good place to park your money.

Also, I use brokered CDs because it’s easier to manage multiple CDs in a brokerage account rather than having them spread out over many institutions. Too easy to miss maturity dates & instructions, and I like knowing what we’re getting into before it happens. With bank CDs, they won’t tell you the rate when the CD matures and rolls over, until it’s already done.

A word of warning on municipal bonds…

In an inflationary environmnet with artificially low rates, it would be wise to use caution here. Also, a number of municipalities own some of the toxic paper from the housing bubble (derivatives and mortgage paper). They are underfunded, and could face possible bankruptcy in many cases — revenues are down because of lower property and sales tax receipts. Then, you have the pension issues — probably underfunded in most cases.

Best of luck to you!!!

[CA renter]

“What’s the catch on the everbank foreign CD’s? If something looks too good to be true it usually is…”
********************

I’ve had three CDs, in different currencies, with Everbank over the past year. During a time when the dollar was falling, I lost 13% with Everbank, much of it due to the Icelandic Krona, but have lost a little money in the SAR and NZD.

I’ve had better luck with the currency ETFs (FXE, FXY, etc.) because I could get in and out whenever the market was changing.

IMHO, Everbank is not a good place to park your money.

Also, I use brokered CDs because it’s easier to manage multiple CDs in a brokerage account rather than having them spread out over many institutions. Too easy to miss maturity dates & instructions, and I like knowing what we’re getting into before it happens. With bank CDs, they won’t tell you the rate when the CD matures and rolls over, until it’s already done.

A word of warning on municipal bonds…

In an inflationary environmnet with artificially low rates, it would be wise to use caution here. Also, a number of municipalities own some of the toxic paper from the housing bubble (derivatives and mortgage paper). They are underfunded, and could face possible bankruptcy in many cases — revenues are down because of lower property and sales tax receipts. Then, you have the pension issues — probably underfunded in most cases.

Best of luck to you!!!

[CA renter]

“What’s the catch on the everbank foreign CD’s? If something looks too good to be true it usually is…”
********************

I’ve had three CDs, in different currencies, with Everbank over the past year. During a time when the dollar was falling, I lost 13% with Everbank, much of it due to the Icelandic Krona, but have lost a little money in the SAR and NZD.

I’ve had better luck with the currency ETFs (FXE, FXY, etc.) because I could get in and out whenever the market was changing.

IMHO, Everbank is not a good place to park your money.

Also, I use brokered CDs because it’s easier to manage multiple CDs in a brokerage account rather than having them spread out over many institutions. Too easy to miss maturity dates & instructions, and I like knowing what we’re getting into before it happens. With bank CDs, they won’t tell you the rate when the CD matures and rolls over, until it’s already done.

A word of warning on municipal bonds…

In an inflationary environmnet with artificially low rates, it would be wise to use caution here. Also, a number of municipalities own some of the toxic paper from the housing bubble (derivatives and mortgage paper). They are underfunded, and could face possible bankruptcy in many cases — revenues are down because of lower property and sales tax receipts. Then, you have the pension issues — probably underfunded in most cases.

Best of luck to you!!!

[CA renter]

“What’s the catch on the everbank foreign CD’s? If something looks too good to be true it usually is…”
********************

I’ve had three CDs, in different currencies, with Everbank over the past year. During a time when the dollar was falling, I lost 13% with Everbank, much of it due to the Icelandic Krona, but have lost a little money in the SAR and NZD.

I’ve had better luck with the currency ETFs (FXE, FXY, etc.) because I could get in and out whenever the market was changing.

IMHO, Everbank is not a good place to park your money.

Also, I use brokered CDs because it’s easier to manage multiple CDs in a brokerage account rather than having them spread out over many institutions. Too easy to miss maturity dates & instructions, and I like knowing what we’re getting into before it happens. With bank CDs, they won’t tell you the rate when the CD matures and rolls over, until it’s already done.

A word of warning on municipal bonds…

In an inflationary environmnet with artificially low rates, it would be wise to use caution here. Also, a number of municipalities own some of the toxic paper from the housing bubble (derivatives and mortgage paper). They are underfunded, and could face possible bankruptcy in many cases — revenues are down because of lower property and sales tax receipts. Then, you have the pension issues — probably underfunded in most cases.

Best of luck to you!!!

[CA renter]

“What’s the catch on the everbank foreign CD’s? If something looks too good to be true it usually is…”
********************

I’ve had three CDs, in different currencies, with Everbank over the past year. During a time when the dollar was falling, I lost 13% with Everbank, much of it due to the Icelandic Krona, but have lost a little money in the SAR and NZD.

I’ve had better luck with the currency ETFs (FXE, FXY, etc.) because I could get in and out whenever the market was changing.

IMHO, Everbank is not a good place to park your money.

Also, I use brokered CDs because it’s easier to manage multiple CDs in a brokerage account rather than having them spread out over many institutions. Too easy to miss maturity dates & instructions, and I like knowing what we’re getting into before it happens. With bank CDs, they won’t tell you the rate when the CD matures and rolls over, until it’s already done.

A word of warning on municipal bonds…

In an inflationary environmnet with artificially low rates, it would be wise to use caution here. Also, a number of municipalities own some of the toxic paper from the housing bubble (derivatives and mortgage paper). They are underfunded, and could face possible bankruptcy in many cases — revenues are down because of lower property and sales tax receipts. Then, you have the pension issues — probably underfunded in most cases.

Best of luck to you!!!

[CA renter]

I agree with everyone above. Forget interest rates. Monthly payments, relative to income, are near historic highs. Higher interest rates do NOT mean higher monthly payments. The idiots who claim this consistently “forget” to note that prices will come down to balance the higher rates, especially when we are *entering* what is likely to be a severe recession. People cannot afford their current monthly payments, which is why we’re seeing all the foreclosures right now.

Buy when prices are low, rates are high, and monthly payments are near lows, relative to income.

Lower rates and loose lending go hand-in-hand. That’s when the buyer pool is large, and more people are willing to stretch their monthly budget to beat out other buyers.

Higher rates mean we’re probably seeing tighter lending standards (less money to lend / money is more valuable). The buyer pool will be smaller, with fewer people competing to buy, likely leading to lower monthly payments. These more qualified buyers will also be more thrifty and value their own money more, so they will not want to stretch their budgets.

The idea that you can always refi to a lower rate is true ONLY IF rates go down during the term of your loan. That may or may not happen. Doesn’t matter, because you have a lower price which can be paid off earlier; higher rate, so more can be written off on taxes; and when you buy low, it’s more likely you’ll see appreciation — in case you have to/want to sell before your mortgage is paid off.

ALWAYS buy low, sell high…always.

[CA renter]

I agree with everyone above. Forget interest rates. Monthly payments, relative to income, are near historic highs. Higher interest rates do NOT mean higher monthly payments. The idiots who claim this consistently “forget” to note that prices will come down to balance the higher rates, especially when we are *entering* what is likely to be a severe recession. People cannot afford their current monthly payments, which is why we’re seeing all the foreclosures right now.

Buy when prices are low, rates are high, and monthly payments are near lows, relative to income.

Lower rates and loose lending go hand-in-hand. That’s when the buyer pool is large, and more people are willing to stretch their monthly budget to beat out other buyers.

Higher rates mean we’re probably seeing tighter lending standards (less money to lend / money is more valuable). The buyer pool will be smaller, with fewer people competing to buy, likely leading to lower monthly payments. These more qualified buyers will also be more thrifty and value their own money more, so they will not want to stretch their budgets.

The idea that you can always refi to a lower rate is true ONLY IF rates go down during the term of your loan. That may or may not happen. Doesn’t matter, because you have a lower price which can be paid off earlier; higher rate, so more can be written off on taxes; and when you buy low, it’s more likely you’ll see appreciation — in case you have to/want to sell before your mortgage is paid off.

ALWAYS buy low, sell high…always.

[CA renter]

I agree with everyone above. Forget interest rates. Monthly payments, relative to income, are near historic highs. Higher interest rates do NOT mean higher monthly payments. The idiots who claim this consistently “forget” to note that prices will come down to balance the higher rates, especially when we are *entering* what is likely to be a severe recession. People cannot afford their current monthly payments, which is why we’re seeing all the foreclosures right now.

Buy when prices are low, rates are high, and monthly payments are near lows, relative to income.

Lower rates and loose lending go hand-in-hand. That’s when the buyer pool is large, and more people are willing to stretch their monthly budget to beat out other buyers.

Higher rates mean we’re probably seeing tighter lending standards (less money to lend / money is more valuable). The buyer pool will be smaller, with fewer people competing to buy, likely leading to lower monthly payments. These more qualified buyers will also be more thrifty and value their own money more, so they will not want to stretch their budgets.

The idea that you can always refi to a lower rate is true ONLY IF rates go down during the term of your loan. That may or may not happen. Doesn’t matter, because you have a lower price which can be paid off earlier; higher rate, so more can be written off on taxes; and when you buy low, it’s more likely you’ll see appreciation — in case you have to/want to sell before your mortgage is paid off.

ALWAYS buy low, sell high…always.

[CA renter]

I agree with everyone above. Forget interest rates. Monthly payments, relative to income, are near historic highs. Higher interest rates do NOT mean higher monthly payments. The idiots who claim this consistently “forget” to note that prices will come down to balance the higher rates, especially when we are *entering* what is likely to be a severe recession. People cannot afford their current monthly payments, which is why we’re seeing all the foreclosures right now.

Buy when prices are low, rates are high, and monthly payments are near lows, relative to income.

Lower rates and loose lending go hand-in-hand. That’s when the buyer pool is large, and more people are willing to stretch their monthly budget to beat out other buyers.

Higher rates mean we’re probably seeing tighter lending standards (less money to lend / money is more valuable). The buyer pool will be smaller, with fewer people competing to buy, likely leading to lower monthly payments. These more qualified buyers will also be more thrifty and value their own money more, so they will not want to stretch their budgets.

The idea that you can always refi to a lower rate is true ONLY IF rates go down during the term of your loan. That may or may not happen. Doesn’t matter, because you have a lower price which can be paid off earlier; higher rate, so more can be written off on taxes; and when you buy low, it’s more likely you’ll see appreciation — in case you have to/want to sell before your mortgage is paid off.

ALWAYS buy low, sell high…always.

[Author]

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