The Super Official Homeowners Thread

[ViPER1313]

Taylor - I bought at 24 in 2009. I was able to take advantage of the market depression, bought a house that needed a lot of work, the seller contributed a large amount to closing costs and Obama gave me $7500 as a first time home buyer that helped fix up the house. I used an FHA loan at the offset (so I only had to put 3% down?) and was able to refinance a couple years later into a 15 year fixed without PMI while keeping the monthly payment exactly the same.

[.RJ]

I'm done sacrificing commute for home ownership, but I'm old.

100% this.  I have a 5 minute commute most days and I was unwilling to give that up for any amount of house.  That's the trades we make I guess.

Edit - a lot of loan products dont have PMI if you're willing to venture outside of the 30 year fixed products. I put 10% down on both houses and no PMI.

[ViPER1313]

Or live in the boondocks and WFH. Best of both worlds.

[Sijray21]

Yeah, but then you deal with crackhead nephew neighbors sleeping in corollas.

[Senor_Taylor]

Ah, I see. I loaned some money to my mom recently. Guess I'm doing it backwards

Very possible I might be moving for work in the next few years.  I'm also mostly dreading the move itself.  Hopefully if it does happen I can negotiate some kind of "forced buyout" in my relocation package in case I have to worry about selling my house here

Having done it... and knowing you're a lot like me... I recommend negotiating someone to pack your house. It's bougie as hell, but everything is done in a single day by someone other than you. IMO, it's a better way to spend the money than trying to get them to buy out your house - unless you're worried that your house will sit empty for a year. Ours took two months to sell, which was annoying, but not nearly as annoying as having to pack all your shit.

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Jesus how did y'all buy so young. 

Two incomes, I graduated with no student loans, and loaned some of the down payment from my (divorced) parents to avoid PMI. My dad charged interest; my mom did not.

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[ViPER1313]

Yeah, but then you deal with crackhead nephew neighbors sleeping in corollas.

My cars are still parked out front.

[Apoc]

Or live in the boondocks and WFH. Best of both worlds.

Personally, I think WFH is a terrible experience doing it every day. I like the break every now and then, but I also like the "hallway conversations" and social interaction... not to mention my family not bothering me as I'm sitting around playing video games all day. 

Yeah, but then you deal with crackhead nephew neighbors sleeping in corollas.

One of the reasons we left Leesburg is because there were ~12 people living in a townhouse across the street, so they took to parking on their lawn because it was the only place there was room.

[ViPER1313]

Or live in the boondocks and WFH. Best of both worlds.

Personally, I think WFH is a terrible experience doing it every day. I like the break every now and then, but I also like the "hallway conversations" and social interaction... not to mention my family not bothering me as I'm sitting around playing video games all day. 

I hate people and I have the house to myself. It’s glorious.

[JPolen01]

I'm in the work from an office camp. I think my situation is a little different being in sales. I need the competition environment among my peers. Working from home was miserable. I was working hard but always felt like it wasn't enough because I wasn't in the office.

[Sijray21]

I like the mixed approach. I'm definitely more efficient in the office, but I'd like one or two days a week at home to help with errands/doctor visits/daycare.

[WRXtranceformed]

WFH for over 4 years now, love that my commute is like 30 steps. I am equally as productive at home as in an office, although I feel like I get a little more done at home because there are less distractions. I agree with Jon though if you are in direct sales; you need that comraderie / team environment or you start to go a little stir crazy. We have a few remote sales reps and having done it for a while it gets a little lonely.

As a germaphobe, I also like being away from people in a work environment. I swear no matter what I do when I go to our home office out west I end up coming back sick, no matter what I do. It doesn't help that our office is a "family welcome" office so there are often little kids running around bringing their little germs with them

[JPolen01]

Lee I bet you're getting sick from the germ tube you are riding through the sky. The security bins never get cleaned, I find out extremely unlikely they are cleaning tray tables/arm rests between flights. I started bringing Clorox wipes and cleaning everything as soon as I sit down on a plane. Especially during flu season.

[JustinG]

Yup Clorox wipes are a must on the tray tables, plus copious amounts of hand sanitizer from the time I step into the airport from the time I exit the airport.

[Apoc]

Eh, I think planes as communication mediums is overblown. I think it's more likely that he isn't exposed to any germs because he works from home all the time, then is working around kids. My annecdata is I fly a lot, don't wipe shit down or use hand sanitizer, and can't remember the last time I got sick after a trip.

[WRXtranceformed]

Yeah man I am on Germ High Alert when I travel. That is a great idea to bring wipes for the tray tables though, I haven't gone down that route. My wife gave me face masks to wear and while I hate to be that guy, the next time I fly I may just bite the bullet and do it. On a cross country flight last year, we got redirected mid flight because some old person had a heart attack or something and my seatmate next to me told me she just got over the flu...and there were three other people on the flight that apparently had the flu. Being stuck on the tarmac in close quarters for hours and hours on end with these mouth breathers gave me crazy anxiety. So at this point, I don't even care if people give me funny looks or think I have airborne AIDS

That burns me up that people travel so sick though, it's extremely inconsiderate (as someone who just nursed his wife back to health after the flu, who we're 95% sure she got from a guy that sneezed on us at the Ren Fest). People joke about doomsday stuff but man, a lot of human beings are absolute neanderthals and have no consideration for their health or the health of others. Sneezing and coughing without covering their mouths, etc. If there's ever some superbug outbreak, it will not surprise me to see it spread across the globe pretty quickly.

[Ryan T]

I have trouble buying into the idea of sickness being caused by airplanes, airports, etc. I, along with my coworkers, go into untold numbers of cesspool houses, cars, jails, etc, with people that rarely, if ever, bathe or clean anything in their home, and I rarely get sick, maybe once ever 4-5 years. I believe exposing yourself to germs and such on occasion helps to build up your immune system and can keep you from getting sick. That’s just me though.

[Sully]

My wife and her family are the type to freak out about germs. My dad and I are the opposite. They definitely get sick way more than we do. They also get completely incapacitated by like the smallest cold where I could be sick and still function. I have notice I get sick more often than I used to. Maybe cause I'm older or maybe because now I live with another human being but that is still only once or twice a year. And never bed ridden

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[WRXtranceformed]

Poor hygiene or being in a dirty environment doesn't necessarily mean you're sick, clean people get sick too. It's common courtesy stuff when you're sick like not walking around the grocery store (or Ren Fest) when you have the flu and covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze. And if you absolutely have to go out, wear a mask. The doc was really happy to see my wife wearing a mask when she came into the clinic and told me that was one of the best ways to keep me from getting the flu too. It worked, she wore one around the house too

[.RJ]

More adventures in home selling - have showings booked all day with the last one of the day from 5-5:15. We come home around 6, put together a quick dinner and sit out on the deck about 6:15... as soon as we sit down there's a lady creeping around the side of the house along the fence and I go to the front door - sure enough, the last appointment is over an hour late. I hope this shit is over soon my wife is irrationally losing her shit over selling the house.

[JPolen01]

 sure enough, the last appointment is over an hour late.  

Fuck that. Was it the buyer or realtor creeping around? As the buyer there should be common courtesy to not show up that late and expect everything to run smoothly (too bad most people don't have common sense). And if they were there with a realtor that is completely unacceptable on the realtor's part to not contact your realtor.