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Posted

Just payed my rent late by a day after a year of living here and they hit me with a 50dollar charge. What a buch of dicks. Its not like rent up here isn't grossly overpriced as it is. madgo_ron.gif

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Posted

Scam: promising to do something, and not doing it.

You promised to pay your rent by a certain date. You did not follow through on your promise. Who's a scam? Paying rent is a scam- you're helping cover your landlord's mortgage payment. They get richer because you are paying down their principal while simultaniously, the building is appreciating.

Posted

May I suggest the joy of home ownership...

Never has the phrase "now or never" been so appropriate.

Half of my friends have made 50-150K in equity in the last year alone.

The other half got priced right out of the market...

Posted
May I suggest the joy of home ownership...

Never has the phrase "now or never" been so appropriate.

Half of my friends have made 50-150K in equity in the last year alone.

The other half got priced right out of the market...

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble......

Posted

I've been searching for a home for the last 6 months. Everything is way too overpriced for the product in Bremerton. I mean really who is willing to live in a crack house in bremerton for 140K. jjd I didn't pay rent on time because I lost track of time. Sure I was in the wrong but 50 bucks!!!

Posted
I've been searching for a home for the last 6 months. Everything is way too overpriced for the product in Bremerton. I mean really who is willing to live in a crack house in bremerton for 140K. jjd I didn't pay rent on time because I lost track of time. Sure I was in the wrong but 50 bucks!!!

In seattle your bottom of the barrel tear downs start at 200k. Bremerton is filled with deals in comparison. Think of the crack houses as "established business on residence".

Posted

I am young (sortof!) and have not settled down for good yet so the relative ripoff of renting is something I am willing to absorb. It is hard to throw away money each month though.

Posted

I acutally considered buying a 30K piece of land and putting a shack on it but it seems there are laws on what you can use as a domicile. I mean whos to say that a cat hole isn't a perfectly sufficient bathroom.

Posted

So negotiate with them. Remind them that you have fufilled all your obligations on time for the past year, and you simply forgot the date, or were out of town, or whatever.

 

Especially if it was truly one day late, they should give you a pass for the first time if you have a year of on-time payments. If they don't want to flex, tell them that they can waive it, or you will find somewhere else to live. I GUARANTEE that it will cost them more than $50 in lost rent, time to show it, time to process a new tenant, cleaning costs, etc.

 

Or you could just leave a flaming bag of poo on your landlord's doorstep. Or pay it in pennies.

Posted

I got a feeling we'll be hearing from you again when you try to get your security deposit back! yellaf.gif

 

Oh, and what Will said. Try to be reasonable, maybe they'll abide. You've been a good cash cow for a whole year. I'm sure they'd like to keep you happy. This does assume that you haven't been calling them every other month to fix shit.

 

This works well with credit cards by the way. If you're late on your payment and you get charged, most CC companies give you one free take-back, if you ask. Usually the first person you get on the phone is authorized to do this, so it must be pretty easy.

Posted
I am young (sortof!) and have not settled down for good yet so the relative ripoff of renting is something I am willing to absorb. It is hard to throw away money each month though.
I used to think this, but if you've got the downpayment, there is no reason not to buy. Its not that hard to sell a house and move, you're not really commiting to anything other than massive debt.
Posted

Bad advice b-rock. There are plenty of reasons not to buy. The general rule of thumb is you should plan on being there at least 3 years, preferably 5. You will be paying homeowners insurance, property taxes, home maintenance and upkeep, and devoting time (how much is your free time worth to you?). You will suddenly need things like a lawn mower.

You will pay closing costs, inspection fees, and many things beyond the price of the home. Once you have a home, you will need to furnish it. If your female is involved in this furnishing/decorating, your costs just went WAY up.

 

Combine that with the fact that the housing market is WAY overheated right now, in the western cities in particular. You are not likely to find a good value. Many financial types have been warning of a housing bubble and the voices are growing louder.

 

The only thing, IMO, that is positive on that front right now is that rates are very, very low and will be rising.

 

If you plan to rent out your extra space, you can make it work alot easier. Studies show that renters have less fights, more sex, and more free time than homeowners. Think about that one.

 

In general, owning your own home is very advisable. But look at the mortgage amortization tables and see how much you would actually be accruing in equity if you have to move in a certain number of years, compared to costs like closing, prop tax, homeowners ins, etc. Don't count on appreciation because a bubble will decimate those dreams.

Posted

I bought my first house in 1985 for $85,000. It sits in the Maple Leaf neighborhood just north of the U District. I couldn't really afford it, but I really didn't like the idea of paying for somebody elses wealth. I sold it 15 years later for $185,000. With the principal of $65,000 remaining when I sold it, I cleared about $120,000. A return of about $8,000 a year on the investment seems a better deal than the $7200 a year I figure I would have spent on rent in that same time.

 

Figure your return on a house investment is half of what mine was and it still seems a good deal.

Posted

Will you make some good points. Yes, you need to stick around for a few years, but I guess I don't consider that too tied down. Interest is tax deductible, easily saving insurance and closing costs in not too long a period of time. You're building equity with every mortgage check you send. You don't have to go buy new furniture or do lots of work on the house or even mow the damn lawn. Yes its hard to find a bargain, especially in the last couple of years, but they are there and the rates are low. Historically housing prices rise. Sure there are other reasons not to buy like a house being a time suck (if you let it) or less sex (hmmm, I think I have more now, more options w/o roomies smileysex5.gif). I guess my point is that I used to feel buying would make me feel tied down like I'd have to live my life out in one spot, but that's really not the case.

Posted

Don't forget the possability of retaining the house as a rental property if you do decide to move. Dealing with rental agencies can be hit or miss, but it's a viable option to retain the equity while not tying yourself to the location for 5+ years.

Posted
I bought my first house in 1985 for $85,000. It sits in the Maple Leaf neighborhood just north of the U District. I couldn't really afford it, but I really didn't like the idea of paying for somebody elses wealth. I sold it 15 years later for $185,000. With the principal of $65,000 remaining when I sold it, I cleared about $120,000. A return of about $8,000 a year on the investment seems a better deal than the $7200 a year I figure I would have spent on rent in that same time.

 

How much do you think you paid in interest in that time? Let's say interest rates averaged 8% (just a guess) from '85 - '00 and your loan balance averaged $75k you probably paid around $6,000 per year in interest. You still came out ahead, just not as much as you were implying.

 

Still need to deduct maintenance and stuff. fruit.gif

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