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September 26, 2011 at 12:41 PM in reply to: Solar Energy, what is the actual cost and how long will it take to recoupe cost #729794
UCGal
Participant[quote=earlyretirement]Wow UCGal,
GREAT post. Excellent but it sounds like you went through a nightmare situation…[/quote]
One of the most stressful periods of my life. Of course it all happened concurrent with various family members dying of cancer. I do not wish that life experience on anyone – not even the contractor that put us through this.September 26, 2011 at 9:02 AM in reply to: Solar Energy, what is the actual cost and how long will it take to recoupe cost #729787Participant[quote=Jacarandoso]An, if you add exceptional needs for generation to the equation you can quit talking about apples to apples altogether.
Sdduuuude, I saw what you were posting about the tiered costs on another thread. It’s also a good point. In my case I am thinking about deliberately increasing my energy needs in conjunction with a solar electricity installation. This would be for farming and perhaps other cottage industry purposes on the land. I am not sure I would consider solar just to run the house, because our energy use is low and there are actually a few ways to get it lower easily. Solar hot water heater and wood burning stove are first. We have tons of free wood,Olive and Oak.
What I would really like is if a utility wanted to put solar on my property on an easement and pay me to do it. Which brings up another question, when are the utilities going to start using fuel cell technology, or have they? If it’s good they will, right?[/quote]
This is why we’re looking at getting solar at the same time we get a plug in electric car. Our current usage is pretty low. But if we were charging up our commuter car, it would make more sense.
But since I’m in the drive-it-till-it-won’t-drive-anymore school of car purchasing… We’ve got a while… My husband’s 95 truck is still robust as ever.
Participant[quote=sunny88]My wife and I received a letter from a realtor recently stating that “divorce is an uncomfortable process, no matter what the reasons behind it…. Either way, I am here to help you both”. He knew both our names.
I assume that he found out about us since I signed a quit claim deed recently which was not related to a divorce. I was very offended by his letter and think that this is a very inappropriate marketing strategy. Also, I wonder where he finds the names of people who sign a QCD.
I’m even thinking of filing a complaint to the Department of Real Estate. What do you think?[/quote]
If the quick claim deed is recorded, which I assume it was, it’s public record. Look up your name and see if it shows.
http://arcc.co.san-diego.ca.us/services/grantorgrantee/search.aspxBut this realtor is pretty sleazy. Regardless.
ParticipantCongratulations to you CAR, Mr CAR, and the younger CARs.
We may need to start calling you CAB. LolParticipant[quote=j]Learn about joint checks. It can save you from buying stuff twice if your contractor goes belly up.[/quote]
This is good advice.
Unfortunately, both of our contractors didn’t like the idea. (Perhaps that should have been a clue.)And – if the job is big enough, you might consider a fund-control account. I know Dixieline has this service. This is basically an escrow account that will cut the checks to the contractor. It reassures the contractor that you have the $$ to pay for the job. And it provides the homeowner with another check/balance that milestones are met before checks are cut.
Participant[quote=EconProf]Wow–really good stuff UCGal!
Your post should be saved for future reference by anyone considering hiring a contractor for a big job.
This also shows the value of Piggington.com.[/quote]
I just wish I hadn’t learned some of this the hard way.I just wish it were fool proof. But it’s a starting point to weed out the worst folks.
Participant[quote=carlsbadworker]It is apparent that at HP, the board needs to be fired rather than the CEOs.[/quote]
I just heard on Bloomberg that it’s going to be officially announced that Meg will be CEO. And it’s permanent, not temporary.What the hell are they thinking?
ParticipantI think everyone here has heard me preach about doing full due diligence.
Check his/her license on the CSLB website. Things to look for on that site:
– change in bond insurer (especially if there’s a gap or it changed not on an annual basis – this *could* indicate that they had a bond paid out.)
– complaints. If there is a complaint that shows on the website it means it was pretty serious complaint and that the CSLB – which my limited experience suggests – tries to reject EVERY claim – deemed it worthy of not just investigation, but referral for legal action. Our complaint did not show on the website till it was ready to be referred to the state AG’s office.https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/checklicense.aspx
Check to see if they are being sued or have been sued a lot. In San Diego you can do party name searches using the link below. Check under the corporation name (if there is one) and the principal’s name(s).
http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/portal/page?_pageid=55,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Check to see if they are lien happy – again, check under the company name and the personal name. In San Diego you can do this with a search of the online county recorders database. If they file a lot of mechanics liens it could be a red flag.
http://arcc.co.san-diego.ca.us/services/grantorgrantee/search.aspx
If they have a corporation, check their corporate status. Expired or suspended corporations are NOT allowed to issue contracts (although they can complete already started contracts.) They also can’t legally defend themselves in court – which is a quandary if things go bad. (At least the way our attorney explained it to us.) If it’s suspended, it may be due to non-payment of taxes – which might be an indication they are resource limited and don’t have the cash flow to be contracting.
You can check the corporate status on the SOS’ website.Finally, if you are worried at all about their finances – you can see if they’ve filed for bankruptcy on the federal pacer site. You have to register and provide credit card info – in case you order docs… but it’s virtually free. (I think I was billed $1.20 once.)
http://www.pacer.gov/findcase.html
Keep in mind, I’m coming to this from the viewpoint of someone who hired a contractor who we thought was great… till it all blew up. So I have a mindset of really paying attention to details when hiring a contractor.
Become familiar with the legal process of hiring a contractor who will be hiring subs. Learn what a “20 day notice” is. And make sure you get releases. Learn the nuances (like the “20 day” things means it can only look back 20 days from when it is served… the process it needs to be served, etc.) When things blew up we had some collections threats and lien threats from subs who had failed to file the preliminary liens in the time frame. There’s an overview description of this on the CSLB website.
All that said – I wish you good luck and happy remodeling. I know there are good contractors out there. (At least I’ve heard rumors of this. LOL)
Participant[quote=CDMA ENG]The 52 West is fine… But Traffic backs up into the PB entrance (southbound I5) from 4 to 6 and could take as long as 15 minutes to get into PB… Usually time is around 7 Mins to get off the I5 and into PB. Going surfing in PB today so don’t run into the back of my truck… 😛
CE[/quote]
Yep. What he said.
Except the surfing part.September 20, 2011 at 10:30 AM in reply to: OT: Reliable installer of bullet resistant auto glass #729527Participant[quote=snail]I will just get this…
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/2557516545.html
what else do you need? British Elegance and protection at the same time, the maintenance cost is another story.[/quote]
Love it.September 20, 2011 at 10:20 AM in reply to: CA demographic shifts in the coming years will favor cities over suburbia #729526Participant[quote=briansd1]
What you’re talking about is not based on the evidence. In Canada and the Northeastern coast, freeways are not plentiful like they are here. There is much less sprawl and the divisions between city and suburbs are greater.
[/quote]Brian –
I know you spend time in Philly. Have you ever driven in the suburbs that surround Philly?
Try driving north on 611. It goes past Temple and through some rough inner city – then pops out and goes through charming Elkins Park and Jenkintown – two older burbs… then up into Hatboro, past Willow Grove mall, up into Horsham, then up to Lansdale and Montgomereyville, and futher up to Doylestown.You go more than 25 miles from the edge of the city – and the entire time it’s suburbia with no stop. The age of the homes is someone like tree rings – closer in suburbs are older homes, the area around Doylestown (not the old core – but the tract homes) are less than 15 years old. Sure it gets less dense when you hit the Poconos, though. LOL
Same results if you go north on 263 (old york road) up towards New Hope… pretty none stop suburban sprawl. Just the Bucks county version instead of the Montgomery county version.
There is SPRAWL big time. I worked in Hatboro and Horsham for close to a decade – so I’ve got a lot of friends and family in those sprawling suburbs. I lived in one of the close in suburbs. (Glenside)
There are suburbs close in. In fact the city edge and the suburbs are lines on a map… hard to tell except the street name signs are different and the burbs tend to have better snow plowing during storms.
September 20, 2011 at 10:01 AM in reply to: high balance loan limit expiration effects (esp NCC) #729524Participant[quote=AN]Current jumbo loans at SDCCU (loans between $625,501 – $1,500,000) is 4.75% with 0 point. Their conforming 0 point loan is 4.375%. Their high balance loans (loans between $417,001 – $625,50) is at 4.625% with 0 point. So, if the if the high balance loans drop, those with loans between $546k and $625k will be paying an extra 1/8th of a %. Daily rate swing can be greater than 1/8th of a %. So, I don’t see why this decrease in limit would make much difference.[/quote]
The jumbo (above 625,500) at sdccu require 25% down. That is going to be a barrier to some folks. 70% LTV if it’s a cash out refi.The conforming “high balance”(625,500 to 417,001) goes up to a LTV of 95%.
I think the down payment requirements are going to have a much bigger effect than the rates. The rates are super low across the board.
Participant[quote=paramount]
The house is in very good condition, so I don’t think that is the issue. [b] I set the rent at a level that I thought would get the house rented quickly.
They are also listing houses for rent in the same community for significantly less than what my house is currently listed at[/b], so feel like they are undercutting me.
[/quote]
I think the bolded part shows your issue in the current market. People can get a similar product for less, so why would they rent from you.I honestly don’t have good answers for you. We kept my husbands pre-marriage house as a rental property, first self managed, then with a property manager when we moved to San Diego. (House was in Philly). Our experience was that we had more qualified tenants to choose from if we started at a lower rent than the “going rate”. When we first priced it *at* the market rate the applicants were all somewhat sketchy… dropping the rent brought in more credit worthy, reliable tenants. When we get back into the landlord business we’re going to apply this lesson learned.
Participant[quote=sdduuuude]Yes – nothing price won’t fix. Agreed.
I guess that is the difference between the foreclosure tsunami and the private seller tsunami. The private sellers will hold out for an unreasonably high amount while the banks will just sell it.
Still, the number of people who want to sell is very telling, methinks. The burden of making monthly payments for a house priced x on a house worth 0.7 * x is starting to take its toll and there truly is no way out. The future implications to the economy are bad.
People will either continue to divert funds (that could otherwise go into the economy) toward paying off that debt; sell the house at a loss; or get foreclosed on.
Different people have different pain thresholds/timelines and so the pain gets spread out over a long time.
So, the private seller tsunami isn’t really a tsunami. Just a slowly rising tide.[/quote]
Interesting analysis. And it fits what I’m seeing.I’ve seen a lot of houses go on/off the market with only inconsequential drops in price. A lot of denial about what the market is – and enough desire to sell that they keep their houses on the market. (Lets face it – keeping a house “on the market” clean is a PITA – so you wouldn’t keep relisting if you didn’t feel some pressure to sell.)
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