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sdduuuude
ParticipantReleasing LPG (Liquid Propane Gas) from it’s container is a cool thing.
I mean – cold, actually.
You can use the release of propane to chill beer – much faster than the ice/water/salt method. Do it right, use a coil and you’ll have iced beer in a few seconds.
OK. It’s stupid cuz its expensive, but fun things usually are.
I’m sure there’s a video but I couldn’t find one on the usual tube.
ParticipantYay Mythbusters:
March 5, 2012 at 5:10 PM in reply to: OT: Complete this sentence. “Working at microsoft would be like……” #739324Participant… being forced to build software that uses more memory than it should reasonably need to.
ParticipantI store all my extra stuff on Craigslist.
February 29, 2012 at 12:53 AM in reply to: What would you do for the privilege of being American ? #738886ParticipantI think there is a distinction between “the privlege of being American” (i.e. being a citizen) and “protected by the constitution” and “paying your taxes”
Even if you don’t pay your taxes, you are still a citizen.
Even if you are not a citizen, if you are on US Soil, you are, for the most part, protected by the constitution.
What would I do for the privilege of having US Citizenship? Not sure since I never really had to do anything nor lived anywhere else.
Do we pay taxes for the right of being American or do foreigners make great sacrifices for the right to pay taxes to the US gov ?
Sadly, it sounds as if Geitner is suggesting the latter – that paying taxes in the US is a privilege because we get to fund the best bailouts in the world.
I appreciate the irony pointed out by the OP of Geitner calling for high-net-worth individuals to pay more taxes.
I, personally, would make the deep sacrifice of paying less tax and suffering without the amazing government “services” that would go unfunded.
ParticipantAh, thanks.
I don’t have a MR on my tax bill (Clairemont, you know).
Participant[quote=bearishgurl]Future buyers who take mortgages out will be constrained by the appraisal at the time, which will reflect its value as if it still has the MR encumbrance.[/quote]
Future buyers will also be constrained by the fact that the bank will explicitly add the monthly debt/payment burden into the forumla to calculate what kind of payment you can make. Removing the $475 payment helps you take on more debt.
So, you would have a $4000 morgage payment plus $475 per month MR or you could have a $4475 mortgage payment, allowing you to borrow more.
Participant[quote=paranoid]The case I am looking at: current mello Roos at about $5700 per year. It will last for about 30 years. The payoff now is about $58000. The implied rate is close to 9%. While the current 30 year mortgage is below 4%.[/quote]
Yes – where did you get the number? Who do you ask ?
ParticipantNot a bad idea. The delta between 9% and 4% is pretty compelling.
As a shopper, I would say the Mello Roos is definitely not a hidden cost. In fact, when comparing properties and estimating value/asking price I explicitly convert the monthly MR back to a loan amount just to see how much less to offer.
So, I think you would get the value back in a sale. It would distinguish your house from others explicitly, based on cash instead of canyon view or stunning decor.
This thread suggests that I should check on the MR payout amounts and explicitly deduct that from the value of houses. It’s a good way to compare like houses with different MR payout amounts and different MR payoff schedules.
Does anyone know – would it be possible, when buying, to just add an MR payoff amount into the mortgage ?
ParticipantI can add no insight regarding relative value as a rental, but as a live-in property, I would guess that you would get more bang for your buck in UC. If you don’t need the good school district, then why pay for it?
February 27, 2012 at 4:30 PM in reply to: Fantastic article explaining what’s REALLY happening: #738802ParticipantWhen the banks get the money, the unions are pissed. When the unions get the money, the banks are pissed.
Right now, in Greece, the banks are winning.
In the US, both are doing quite well.
In either case the taxpayers are pissed.
February 27, 2012 at 3:29 PM in reply to: Fantastic article explaining what’s REALLY happening: #738798Participant[quote=CA renter][quote=sdduuuude][quote=CA renter]… one that can be imposed only by turning government policy-making over to a set of unelected technocrats.[/quote]
Aren’t these technocrats public workers ?[/quote]
No, not at all. The people who are trying to dismantle the unions are totally private entities who are trying to privatize public resources/assets, cash flows.[/quote]
Unions are also totally private entities.
They are also trying to privatize public resources/assets, cash flows.
ParticipantAll good questions, methinks. Likely no one person will answer them all. I’ll hit a couple of them.
Definitely get pre-approved.
One piece of advice I would give is – know up-front how much you want them to do for you. Do you want to surf redfin and only have them let you into the property ? Do you want them to preview everything an only call you when they see something you like ? Depends on how busy you are, how well you know the areas, etc.
Some things you would want to know about your agent:
1) Do people who have used them in the past recommend them? Only interview agents that are recommended to you. Don’t pick them out of a phone book or bench ad.2)How many transactions do they have under their belt ? How many as a buyer? How many as a seller?
3) Let them know you are interviewing several agents and ask if they are they willing to reduce the commission, especially if they are only there to let you into the house.
4) Can you use your own mortgage agent, escrow agent, inspector, etc if you wanted? Agents always want you to work with someone they recommend. Sometimes it is for good reasons, but sometimes there are incentives to the agent so you don’t necessarily get the right one for you. Even if you don’t intend to use your own, ask if you can. If not, ask who they recommend and check up on them.
Suggest you consider the “spectrum” of real estate agents as such: On one end are those who just want to get you into a house. They are great at keeping the process smooth, not ruffling feathers, avoiding pitfalls, closing the deal.
Then, there are the fighters. They work to get you the best situation. They worry about negotiating position as well as the house itself. Occasionally they risk not getting a deal done in order to push the seller a little harder. Consider where you want to be in that range.
Typically, first-time buyers really like the first type of agent because they make everything easy but it isn’t always best.
February 27, 2012 at 9:21 AM in reply to: Fantastic article explaining what’s REALLY happening: #738781Participant[quote=CA renter]… one that can be imposed only by turning government policy-making over to a set of unelected technocrats.[/quote]
Aren’t these technocrats public workers ?
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