AbsoluteZeroThe new film by Quentin KoopantinoRegistered Userregular
Anyone know stuff about batteries here?
Would it be OK to store 12v sealed lead acid batteries (absorbent glass mat) in a detached uninsulated garage over winter where temps may drop as low as -30 F as long as I keep them on a charger/fully charged?
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jmcdonaldI voted, did you?DC(ish)Registered Userregular
Would it be OK to store 12v sealed lead acid batteries (absorbent glass mat) in a detached uninsulated garage over winter where temps may drop as low as -30 F as long as I keep them on a charger/fully charged?
Keep them on a trickle charger. They’ll probably be fine.
I probably wouldn't recommend it though because much past -30℉ and Bad Things can start to happen (the only reason I know this is it's the temp where I strongly consider bringing my car battery inside).
Would it be OK to store 12v sealed lead acid batteries (absorbent glass mat) in a detached uninsulated garage over winter where temps may drop as low as -30 F as long as I keep them on a charger/fully charged?
As long as you keep them charged you'll be fine. Fully charged, the acid won't freeze until about -90F. But as they discharge you get more water in the mix, so a below half charged battery might freeze at those storage temps.
Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
A quick googling suggest that as long as the battery is charged, the chemistry should be fine down to -70F. If it is discharged you can freeze the electrolyte at as high as 20F. So make sure it is charged before it gets cold and it should be fine.
This of course is only telling you about the chemistry, I would check to see if the manufacturer has storage specifications, as some of the case materials may crack at too low temperatures.
Also, make sure your trickle charger is fixed voltage, so it doesn’t over charge.
"The world is a mess, and I just need to rule it" - Dr Horrible
After weather delays, some adventures in plumbing, and going dubstep on my ceiling, I finally got the siding back on. It's been just housewrap for a couple weeks now.
Green is what was salvageable from the old siding. All the bare boards are new. Need a piece of trim on one corner then it's time to caulk.
:edit: Added some upgrades too since there will be a deck sooner or later.
really jealous of the array of handyman skills matt always shows off.
best way to learn is to get thrown into the deep end
hmm which reminds me I need to figure out how to dig some trenches and lay underground gutter drains... can't just keep black hoses snaking across my lawn
Aioua on
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
really jealous of the array of handyman skills matt always shows off.
best way to learn is to get thrown into the deep end
hmm which reminds me I need to figure out how to dig some trenches and lay underground gutter drains... can't just keep black hoses snaking across my lawn
Get some rain barrels instead!
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
really jealous of the array of handyman skills matt always shows off.
best way to learn is to get thrown into the deep end
hmm which reminds me I need to figure out how to dig some trenches and lay underground gutter drains... can't just keep black hoses snaking across my lawn
really jealous of the array of handyman skills matt always shows off.
best way to learn is to get thrown into the deep end
hmm which reminds me I need to figure out how to dig some trenches and lay underground gutter drains... can't just keep black hoses snaking across my lawn
Get some rain barrels instead!
hmm, maybe
I'd still need to do something with the overflow, though
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
really jealous of the array of handyman skills matt always shows off.
best way to learn is to get thrown into the deep end
hmm which reminds me I need to figure out how to dig some trenches and lay underground gutter drains... can't just keep black hoses snaking across my lawn
Get some rain barrels instead!
hmm, maybe
I'd still need to do something with the overflow, though
a dream of mine (that won't become a reality any time soon) is to have the run-off go to my garden boxes, via a drip system, that have gravel base so whatever doesn't get stored in the barrels, then used in the garden boxes, will cycle back down, which should be long enough for the barrels to empty somewhat and then fill up again.
really jealous of the array of handyman skills matt always shows off.
best way to learn is to get thrown into the deep end
hmm which reminds me I need to figure out how to dig some trenches and lay underground gutter drains... can't just keep black hoses snaking across my lawn
Get some rain barrels instead!
hmm, maybe
I'd still need to do something with the overflow, though
Make sure you do the requisite call to have all the underground lines marked before you start trenching your yard, but really it's quite easy. There are a ton of DIY youtube videos on doing it. This old house has a few also.
" I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.”
― John Quincy Adams
So, our landlord has informed us that he is selling our house either to us or otherwise.
Problem is, valuation in our area (semi-detached townhouse in a condo community in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario) is going crazy right now! We recently spoke to a mortgage broker, who did a credit check on us, and is pretty confident she can get us approved for a mortgage of up to 302 grand, which would have been more than enough to buy our current place out once upon a time, but now is less likely.
So now, we're at a crossroads. Landlord has given us until September to either make him an offer or prepare to move out. Good news is that, in his words, he doesn't want to "give the house away", but he is sympathetic to our plight and is willing to consider a reasonable offer below market value if it means a straight-up property transfer from him to us. (i.e, he doesn't need to worry about renovations or putting it up on the market or anything like that. Basically, if we can make him a fair price, he can just hand us whatever the house equivalent of ownership papers are and we part ways).
Problem is, we have no experience in homeownership. Napkin math tells us that we can probably afford payments on a $300k mortgage based on my salary and what we have on hand for a downpayment, and, assuming our landlord accepts our offer, not having to move is a very attractive prospect, but I fear that there are a bazillion things we aren't considering. Not to mention, of course, that we would now be responsible for condo fees, which are a HUGE bummer (to the tune of approx. $440 a month), meaning that, realistically, we would have to bring the mortgage down closer to $250k if we want to be able to reasonably maintain our current month to month lifestyle.
Anyways, don't want to go on much longer, just stressing out a bit and would appreciate any advice out there.
Just thought I would provide an update to my situation.
Landlord called us over the weekend to inform us that he won't be able to sell the house to us after all, because his accountant just reminded him that if he sells the house to us outright, that would count as capital gains for him, which will be taxed, losing him thousands of dollars. In order for him to prevent that from happening, he has to take possession himself for at least a year.
So, at least we know where we stand. We're hoping to hear back from the mortgage broker this week to see if our application is accepted and then it's off to house-hunt!
As it stands it seems unlikely that we'll be able to secure anything within our budget in Ottawa proper. Plenty of listings within our price range in the outlying areas, however. Now all that matters is finding out how far above asking price are we going to have to go to secure a new home.
If he's a nice guy, is there the possibility of renting somewhere else for a year and then buy it from him then? Of course interest rates will probably be a bit higher by then.
really jealous of the array of handyman skills matt always shows off.
best way to learn is to get thrown into the deep end
hmm which reminds me I need to figure out how to dig some trenches and lay underground gutter drains... can't just keep black hoses snaking across my lawn
Get some rain barrels instead!
hmm, maybe
I'd still need to do something with the overflow, though
I've seen pictures of setups where the overflow leads back to the downspout so it'd go to the storm sewer/wherever it went before you put in a rain barrel... doesn't seem like it'd be hard to set up but I can't say what difficulties or drawbacks there may be.
So, our landlord has informed us that he is selling our house either to us or otherwise.
Problem is, valuation in our area (semi-detached townhouse in a condo community in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario) is going crazy right now! We recently spoke to a mortgage broker, who did a credit check on us, and is pretty confident she can get us approved for a mortgage of up to 302 grand, which would have been more than enough to buy our current place out once upon a time, but now is less likely.
So now, we're at a crossroads. Landlord has given us until September to either make him an offer or prepare to move out. Good news is that, in his words, he doesn't want to "give the house away", but he is sympathetic to our plight and is willing to consider a reasonable offer below market value if it means a straight-up property transfer from him to us. (i.e, he doesn't need to worry about renovations or putting it up on the market or anything like that. Basically, if we can make him a fair price, he can just hand us whatever the house equivalent of ownership papers are and we part ways).
Problem is, we have no experience in homeownership. Napkin math tells us that we can probably afford payments on a $300k mortgage based on my salary and what we have on hand for a downpayment, and, assuming our landlord accepts our offer, not having to move is a very attractive prospect, but I fear that there are a bazillion things we aren't considering. Not to mention, of course, that we would now be responsible for condo fees, which are a HUGE bummer (to the tune of approx. $440 a month), meaning that, realistically, we would have to bring the mortgage down closer to $250k if we want to be able to reasonably maintain our current month to month lifestyle.
Anyways, don't want to go on much longer, just stressing out a bit and would appreciate any advice out there.
Just thought I would provide an update to my situation.
Landlord called us over the weekend to inform us that he won't be able to sell the house to us after all, because his accountant just reminded him that if he sells the house to us outright, that would count as capital gains for him, which will be taxed, losing him thousands of dollars. In order for him to prevent that from happening, he has to take possession himself for at least a year.
So, at least we know where we stand. We're hoping to hear back from the mortgage broker this week to see if our application is accepted and then it's off to house-hunt!
As it stands it seems unlikely that we'll be able to secure anything within our budget in Ottawa proper. Plenty of listings within our price range in the outlying areas, however. Now all that matters is finding out how far above asking price are we going to have to go to secure a new home.
If he's a nice guy, is there the possibility of renting somewhere else for a year and then buy it from him then? Of course interest rates will probably be a bit higher by then.
That requires moving twice, so maybe if this was the perfect house, but that sounds bad.
So, our landlord has informed us that he is selling our house either to us or otherwise.
Problem is, valuation in our area (semi-detached townhouse in a condo community in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario) is going crazy right now! We recently spoke to a mortgage broker, who did a credit check on us, and is pretty confident she can get us approved for a mortgage of up to 302 grand, which would have been more than enough to buy our current place out once upon a time, but now is less likely.
So now, we're at a crossroads. Landlord has given us until September to either make him an offer or prepare to move out. Good news is that, in his words, he doesn't want to "give the house away", but he is sympathetic to our plight and is willing to consider a reasonable offer below market value if it means a straight-up property transfer from him to us. (i.e, he doesn't need to worry about renovations or putting it up on the market or anything like that. Basically, if we can make him a fair price, he can just hand us whatever the house equivalent of ownership papers are and we part ways).
Problem is, we have no experience in homeownership. Napkin math tells us that we can probably afford payments on a $300k mortgage based on my salary and what we have on hand for a downpayment, and, assuming our landlord accepts our offer, not having to move is a very attractive prospect, but I fear that there are a bazillion things we aren't considering. Not to mention, of course, that we would now be responsible for condo fees, which are a HUGE bummer (to the tune of approx. $440 a month), meaning that, realistically, we would have to bring the mortgage down closer to $250k if we want to be able to reasonably maintain our current month to month lifestyle.
Anyways, don't want to go on much longer, just stressing out a bit and would appreciate any advice out there.
Just thought I would provide an update to my situation.
Landlord called us over the weekend to inform us that he won't be able to sell the house to us after all, because his accountant just reminded him that if he sells the house to us outright, that would count as capital gains for him, which will be taxed, losing him thousands of dollars. In order for him to prevent that from happening, he has to take possession himself for at least a year.
So, at least we know where we stand. We're hoping to hear back from the mortgage broker this week to see if our application is accepted and then it's off to house-hunt!
As it stands it seems unlikely that we'll be able to secure anything within our budget in Ottawa proper. Plenty of listings within our price range in the outlying areas, however. Now all that matters is finding out how far above asking price are we going to have to go to secure a new home.
If he's a nice guy, is there the possibility of renting somewhere else for a year and then buy it from him then? Of course interest rates will probably be a bit higher by then.
That requires moving twice, so maybe if this was the perfect house, but that sounds bad.
Lol, we moved five times in a couple of years due to a house purchase where leaving one property didn't line up with getting possession of the next one, full house reno, and multiple different temporary rentals. Do not recommend.
Had the window salesman over to do a quote so we could start planning. He was a pretty good salesman and I wasn't a huge fan of the pressure in their limited time sign tonight tactic but the price was really good.
So we are $17500 poorer but getting all new windows installed in 10-12 weeks.
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
24 + patio slider. We went with fiberglass over vinyl since our current 25 year old builder windows are shot, not that there is anything wrong with vinyl.
Edit - all the other quotes were in the $25k range so I think we got a pretty good deal. I basically said no but he dropped it another $3k - I wasnt trying to negotiate just wasnt ready to buy yet
I haven't gotten any quotes yet but new windows is on the to-do list for our place but we only have 9, including a slider so I guess it won't be too bad
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Yeah replacing all of our windows is on our to-do list and we were told to expect at least 12k, and are therefore something we're saving up for......next year.
Primary goals right now are to dig up the foundation in one area, re-seal it, fix the gutters, fix the drain pipes, get all this water the fuck away from the house.
So, our landlord has informed us that he is selling our house either to us or otherwise.
Problem is, valuation in our area (semi-detached townhouse in a condo community in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario) is going crazy right now! We recently spoke to a mortgage broker, who did a credit check on us, and is pretty confident she can get us approved for a mortgage of up to 302 grand, which would have been more than enough to buy our current place out once upon a time, but now is less likely.
So now, we're at a crossroads. Landlord has given us until September to either make him an offer or prepare to move out. Good news is that, in his words, he doesn't want to "give the house away", but he is sympathetic to our plight and is willing to consider a reasonable offer below market value if it means a straight-up property transfer from him to us. (i.e, he doesn't need to worry about renovations or putting it up on the market or anything like that. Basically, if we can make him a fair price, he can just hand us whatever the house equivalent of ownership papers are and we part ways).
Problem is, we have no experience in homeownership. Napkin math tells us that we can probably afford payments on a $300k mortgage based on my salary and what we have on hand for a downpayment, and, assuming our landlord accepts our offer, not having to move is a very attractive prospect, but I fear that there are a bazillion things we aren't considering. Not to mention, of course, that we would now be responsible for condo fees, which are a HUGE bummer (to the tune of approx. $440 a month), meaning that, realistically, we would have to bring the mortgage down closer to $250k if we want to be able to reasonably maintain our current month to month lifestyle.
Anyways, don't want to go on much longer, just stressing out a bit and would appreciate any advice out there.
Just thought I would provide an update to my situation.
Landlord called us over the weekend to inform us that he won't be able to sell the house to us after all, because his accountant just reminded him that if he sells the house to us outright, that would count as capital gains for him, which will be taxed, losing him thousands of dollars. In order for him to prevent that from happening, he has to take possession himself for at least a year.
So, at least we know where we stand. We're hoping to hear back from the mortgage broker this week to see if our application is accepted and then it's off to house-hunt!
As it stands it seems unlikely that we'll be able to secure anything within our budget in Ottawa proper. Plenty of listings within our price range in the outlying areas, however. Now all that matters is finding out how far above asking price are we going to have to go to secure a new home.
If he's a nice guy, is there the possibility of renting somewhere else for a year and then buy it from him then? Of course interest rates will probably be a bit higher by then.
The whole point of buying the house we currently rent was to avoid the hassle of moving in the first place. We're not so attached to this house that we would want to move out only to move back in. Since we have no choice, why not just see what's out there and finally become homeowners ourselves?
So, our landlord has informed us that he is selling our house either to us or otherwise.
Problem is, valuation in our area (semi-detached townhouse in a condo community in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario) is going crazy right now! We recently spoke to a mortgage broker, who did a credit check on us, and is pretty confident she can get us approved for a mortgage of up to 302 grand, which would have been more than enough to buy our current place out once upon a time, but now is less likely.
So now, we're at a crossroads. Landlord has given us until September to either make him an offer or prepare to move out. Good news is that, in his words, he doesn't want to "give the house away", but he is sympathetic to our plight and is willing to consider a reasonable offer below market value if it means a straight-up property transfer from him to us. (i.e, he doesn't need to worry about renovations or putting it up on the market or anything like that. Basically, if we can make him a fair price, he can just hand us whatever the house equivalent of ownership papers are and we part ways).
Problem is, we have no experience in homeownership. Napkin math tells us that we can probably afford payments on a $300k mortgage based on my salary and what we have on hand for a downpayment, and, assuming our landlord accepts our offer, not having to move is a very attractive prospect, but I fear that there are a bazillion things we aren't considering. Not to mention, of course, that we would now be responsible for condo fees, which are a HUGE bummer (to the tune of approx. $440 a month), meaning that, realistically, we would have to bring the mortgage down closer to $250k if we want to be able to reasonably maintain our current month to month lifestyle.
Anyways, don't want to go on much longer, just stressing out a bit and would appreciate any advice out there.
Just thought I would provide an update to my situation.
Landlord called us over the weekend to inform us that he won't be able to sell the house to us after all, because his accountant just reminded him that if he sells the house to us outright, that would count as capital gains for him, which will be taxed, losing him thousands of dollars. In order for him to prevent that from happening, he has to take possession himself for at least a year.
So, at least we know where we stand. We're hoping to hear back from the mortgage broker this week to see if our application is accepted and then it's off to house-hunt!
As it stands it seems unlikely that we'll be able to secure anything within our budget in Ottawa proper. Plenty of listings within our price range in the outlying areas, however. Now all that matters is finding out how far above asking price are we going to have to go to secure a new home.
If he's a nice guy, is there the possibility of renting somewhere else for a year and then buy it from him then? Of course interest rates will probably be a bit higher by then.
He's kicking them out because he doesn't want to pay the appropriate taxes on the investment property he purchased, it's real fuck you territory already.
So, our landlord has informed us that he is selling our house either to us or otherwise.
Problem is, valuation in our area (semi-detached townhouse in a condo community in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario) is going crazy right now! We recently spoke to a mortgage broker, who did a credit check on us, and is pretty confident she can get us approved for a mortgage of up to 302 grand, which would have been more than enough to buy our current place out once upon a time, but now is less likely.
So now, we're at a crossroads. Landlord has given us until September to either make him an offer or prepare to move out. Good news is that, in his words, he doesn't want to "give the house away", but he is sympathetic to our plight and is willing to consider a reasonable offer below market value if it means a straight-up property transfer from him to us. (i.e, he doesn't need to worry about renovations or putting it up on the market or anything like that. Basically, if we can make him a fair price, he can just hand us whatever the house equivalent of ownership papers are and we part ways).
Problem is, we have no experience in homeownership. Napkin math tells us that we can probably afford payments on a $300k mortgage based on my salary and what we have on hand for a downpayment, and, assuming our landlord accepts our offer, not having to move is a very attractive prospect, but I fear that there are a bazillion things we aren't considering. Not to mention, of course, that we would now be responsible for condo fees, which are a HUGE bummer (to the tune of approx. $440 a month), meaning that, realistically, we would have to bring the mortgage down closer to $250k if we want to be able to reasonably maintain our current month to month lifestyle.
Anyways, don't want to go on much longer, just stressing out a bit and would appreciate any advice out there.
Just thought I would provide an update to my situation.
Landlord called us over the weekend to inform us that he won't be able to sell the house to us after all, because his accountant just reminded him that if he sells the house to us outright, that would count as capital gains for him, which will be taxed, losing him thousands of dollars. In order for him to prevent that from happening, he has to take possession himself for at least a year.
So, at least we know where we stand. We're hoping to hear back from the mortgage broker this week to see if our application is accepted and then it's off to house-hunt!
As it stands it seems unlikely that we'll be able to secure anything within our budget in Ottawa proper. Plenty of listings within our price range in the outlying areas, however. Now all that matters is finding out how far above asking price are we going to have to go to secure a new home.
If he's a nice guy, is there the possibility of renting somewhere else for a year and then buy it from him then? Of course interest rates will probably be a bit higher by then.
The whole point of buying the house we currently rent was to avoid the hassle of moving in the first place. We're not so attached to this house that we would want to move out only to move back in. Since we have no choice, why not just see what's out there and finally become homeowners ourselves?
TIL you have to live in a house you've been renting to avoid capital gains taxes while selling (at least in Canada).
We bought the house we were renting, but as far as I know there wasn't a capital gains situation for this sale. Not sure if that's a difference in US/Canada law, or if it was because the landlord and family lived in it for ~2 years when they originally bought this house before it became a rental for 2-3 years.
So, our landlord has informed us that he is selling our house either to us or otherwise.
Problem is, valuation in our area (semi-detached townhouse in a condo community in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario) is going crazy right now! We recently spoke to a mortgage broker, who did a credit check on us, and is pretty confident she can get us approved for a mortgage of up to 302 grand, which would have been more than enough to buy our current place out once upon a time, but now is less likely.
So now, we're at a crossroads. Landlord has given us until September to either make him an offer or prepare to move out. Good news is that, in his words, he doesn't want to "give the house away", but he is sympathetic to our plight and is willing to consider a reasonable offer below market value if it means a straight-up property transfer from him to us. (i.e, he doesn't need to worry about renovations or putting it up on the market or anything like that. Basically, if we can make him a fair price, he can just hand us whatever the house equivalent of ownership papers are and we part ways).
Problem is, we have no experience in homeownership. Napkin math tells us that we can probably afford payments on a $300k mortgage based on my salary and what we have on hand for a downpayment, and, assuming our landlord accepts our offer, not having to move is a very attractive prospect, but I fear that there are a bazillion things we aren't considering. Not to mention, of course, that we would now be responsible for condo fees, which are a HUGE bummer (to the tune of approx. $440 a month), meaning that, realistically, we would have to bring the mortgage down closer to $250k if we want to be able to reasonably maintain our current month to month lifestyle.
Anyways, don't want to go on much longer, just stressing out a bit and would appreciate any advice out there.
Just thought I would provide an update to my situation.
Landlord called us over the weekend to inform us that he won't be able to sell the house to us after all, because his accountant just reminded him that if he sells the house to us outright, that would count as capital gains for him, which will be taxed, losing him thousands of dollars. In order for him to prevent that from happening, he has to take possession himself for at least a year.
So, at least we know where we stand. We're hoping to hear back from the mortgage broker this week to see if our application is accepted and then it's off to house-hunt!
As it stands it seems unlikely that we'll be able to secure anything within our budget in Ottawa proper. Plenty of listings within our price range in the outlying areas, however. Now all that matters is finding out how far above asking price are we going to have to go to secure a new home.
If he's a nice guy, is there the possibility of renting somewhere else for a year and then buy it from him then? Of course interest rates will probably be a bit higher by then.
The whole point of buying the house we currently rent was to avoid the hassle of moving in the first place. We're not so attached to this house that we would want to move out only to move back in. Since we have no choice, why not just see what's out there and finally become homeowners ourselves?
TIL you have to live in a house you've been renting to avoid capital gains taxes while selling (at least in Canada).
We bought the house we were renting, but as far as I know there wasn't a capital gains situation for this sale. Not sure if that's a difference in US/Canada law, or if it was because the landlord and family lived in it for ~2 years when they originally bought this house before it became a rental for 2-3 years.
US has a bit of leeway, apparently, where as long as it was your primary residence for 2 of the last five years it still counts for the exclusion.
So if they hadn't lived there for four years instead of three they'd need to pay tax.
Aioua on
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
So, our landlord has informed us that he is selling our house either to us or otherwise.
Problem is, valuation in our area (semi-detached townhouse in a condo community in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario) is going crazy right now! We recently spoke to a mortgage broker, who did a credit check on us, and is pretty confident she can get us approved for a mortgage of up to 302 grand, which would have been more than enough to buy our current place out once upon a time, but now is less likely.
So now, we're at a crossroads. Landlord has given us until September to either make him an offer or prepare to move out. Good news is that, in his words, he doesn't want to "give the house away", but he is sympathetic to our plight and is willing to consider a reasonable offer below market value if it means a straight-up property transfer from him to us. (i.e, he doesn't need to worry about renovations or putting it up on the market or anything like that. Basically, if we can make him a fair price, he can just hand us whatever the house equivalent of ownership papers are and we part ways).
Problem is, we have no experience in homeownership. Napkin math tells us that we can probably afford payments on a $300k mortgage based on my salary and what we have on hand for a downpayment, and, assuming our landlord accepts our offer, not having to move is a very attractive prospect, but I fear that there are a bazillion things we aren't considering. Not to mention, of course, that we would now be responsible for condo fees, which are a HUGE bummer (to the tune of approx. $440 a month), meaning that, realistically, we would have to bring the mortgage down closer to $250k if we want to be able to reasonably maintain our current month to month lifestyle.
Anyways, don't want to go on much longer, just stressing out a bit and would appreciate any advice out there.
Just thought I would provide an update to my situation.
Landlord called us over the weekend to inform us that he won't be able to sell the house to us after all, because his accountant just reminded him that if he sells the house to us outright, that would count as capital gains for him, which will be taxed, losing him thousands of dollars. In order for him to prevent that from happening, he has to take possession himself for at least a year.
So, at least we know where we stand. We're hoping to hear back from the mortgage broker this week to see if our application is accepted and then it's off to house-hunt!
As it stands it seems unlikely that we'll be able to secure anything within our budget in Ottawa proper. Plenty of listings within our price range in the outlying areas, however. Now all that matters is finding out how far above asking price are we going to have to go to secure a new home.
If he's a nice guy, is there the possibility of renting somewhere else for a year and then buy it from him then? Of course interest rates will probably be a bit higher by then.
The whole point of buying the house we currently rent was to avoid the hassle of moving in the first place. We're not so attached to this house that we would want to move out only to move back in. Since we have no choice, why not just see what's out there and finally become homeowners ourselves?
TIL you have to live in a house you've been renting to avoid capital gains taxes while selling (at least in Canada).
We bought the house we were renting, but as far as I know there wasn't a capital gains situation for this sale. Not sure if that's a difference in US/Canada law, or if it was because the landlord and family lived in it for ~2 years when they originally bought this house before it became a rental for 2-3 years.
Well I don't know the details of the law myself, as I've never had to care before, but we've been living here and renting from him for 12 years now.
He's an elderly man (well into his 80s), and, my personal take is, he's looking to liquidate his assets before, well, you know.
That said, he doesn't want to throw away thousands of dollars if he can help it, but it doesn't make sense for him to, for example, finance a mortgage for us or another other longer-term solution to avoid the capital gains tax, as he's unlikely to see the benefits of that. Yeah, we're being kicked out, but I can't say I resent him for it. I would probably do the same thing if I were in his shoes.
Besides, it's not like he didn't heavily hint to us that this day would come, and he has been giving us a pretty sweet deal on rent for the past several years. There's no bad blood here, we just need to shift gears and prepare for the change to come, which is scary, sure, but manageable.
We just got news back from our Mortgage Broker. We have been approved for a mortgage up to $300,000 at (what I think are) really excellent rates (2.09 fixed, 1.35 variable for 5 years). Now, the house hunting can begin in earnest!
So, our landlord has informed us that he is selling our house either to us or otherwise.
Problem is, valuation in our area (semi-detached townhouse in a condo community in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario) is going crazy right now! We recently spoke to a mortgage broker, who did a credit check on us, and is pretty confident she can get us approved for a mortgage of up to 302 grand, which would have been more than enough to buy our current place out once upon a time, but now is less likely.
So now, we're at a crossroads. Landlord has given us until September to either make him an offer or prepare to move out. Good news is that, in his words, he doesn't want to "give the house away", but he is sympathetic to our plight and is willing to consider a reasonable offer below market value if it means a straight-up property transfer from him to us. (i.e, he doesn't need to worry about renovations or putting it up on the market or anything like that. Basically, if we can make him a fair price, he can just hand us whatever the house equivalent of ownership papers are and we part ways).
Problem is, we have no experience in homeownership. Napkin math tells us that we can probably afford payments on a $300k mortgage based on my salary and what we have on hand for a downpayment, and, assuming our landlord accepts our offer, not having to move is a very attractive prospect, but I fear that there are a bazillion things we aren't considering. Not to mention, of course, that we would now be responsible for condo fees, which are a HUGE bummer (to the tune of approx. $440 a month), meaning that, realistically, we would have to bring the mortgage down closer to $250k if we want to be able to reasonably maintain our current month to month lifestyle.
Anyways, don't want to go on much longer, just stressing out a bit and would appreciate any advice out there.
Just thought I would provide an update to my situation.
Landlord called us over the weekend to inform us that he won't be able to sell the house to us after all, because his accountant just reminded him that if he sells the house to us outright, that would count as capital gains for him, which will be taxed, losing him thousands of dollars. In order for him to prevent that from happening, he has to take possession himself for at least a year.
So, at least we know where we stand. We're hoping to hear back from the mortgage broker this week to see if our application is accepted and then it's off to house-hunt!
As it stands it seems unlikely that we'll be able to secure anything within our budget in Ottawa proper. Plenty of listings within our price range in the outlying areas, however. Now all that matters is finding out how far above asking price are we going to have to go to secure a new home.
If he's a nice guy, is there the possibility of renting somewhere else for a year and then buy it from him then? Of course interest rates will probably be a bit higher by then.
The whole point of buying the house we currently rent was to avoid the hassle of moving in the first place. We're not so attached to this house that we would want to move out only to move back in. Since we have no choice, why not just see what's out there and finally become homeowners ourselves?
TIL you have to live in a house you've been renting to avoid capital gains taxes while selling (at least in Canada).
We bought the house we were renting, but as far as I know there wasn't a capital gains situation for this sale. Not sure if that's a difference in US/Canada law, or if it was because the landlord and family lived in it for ~2 years when they originally bought this house before it became a rental for 2-3 years.
Well I don't know the details of the law myself, as I've never had to care before, but we've been living here and renting from him for 12 years now.
He's an elderly man (well into his 80s), and, my personal take is, he's looking to liquidate his assets before, well, you know.
That said, he doesn't want to throw away thousands of dollars if he can help it, but it doesn't make sense for him to, for example, finance a mortgage for us or another other longer-term solution to avoid the capital gains tax, as he's unlikely to see the benefits of that. Yeah, we're being kicked out, but I can't say I resent him for it. I would probably do the same thing if I were in his shoes.
Besides, it's not like he didn't heavily hint to us that this day would come, and he has been giving us a pretty sweet deal on rent for the past several years. There's no bad blood here, we just need to shift gears and prepare for the change to come, which is scary, sure, but manageable.
I don't know the details of it, but you may be able to enter into some sort of 'rent to own' or land contract sort of deal to sidestep some of the Capital Gains taxes around it but he can still receive a steady income until you eventually take real ownership. You probably would have to talk to an accountant or real estate / tax attorney about ways to structure it though and it sounds like he might just want to wash his hands of it.
Still, at his age having to move in somewhere for a full year just to avoid some taxes might not be something he wants to do if there is an alternative and if you can get a good deal and avoid moving from the home you already live in it there could potentially be options that work for him.
Edit - and the thing I was trying to say but left out, my parents did the same thing when I was a kid to buy the house I grew up in. The old lady who owned it entered into a five year land contract because she could avoid a bunch of taxes and paperwork / bank stuff. It was easier for her and my parents got to avoid a lot of the hassle of getting a mortgage that would have been tough with their credit at the time.
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MichaelLCIn what furnace was thy brain?ChicagoRegistered Userregular
24 + patio slider. We went with fiberglass over vinyl since our current 25 year old builder windows are shot, not that there is anything wrong with vinyl.
Edit - all the other quotes were in the $25k range so I think we got a pretty good deal. I basically said no but he dropped it another $3k - I wasnt trying to negotiate just wasnt ready to buy yet
All the improvement companies expect you to negotiate so will price high initally.
That's why they want to "present coupon at beginning of appointment' so they can raise the quote by the coupon amount.
Bro you guys gotta throw model numbers. Don't do me like that. I'm low key looking to replace this 7 year old Kenmore
We just got the Bosch 300 series and love it. It's basically completely silent. Only time we hear it is when it drains and the noise comes up through the sink drain. Though in hindsight I'd probably splurge a little more for the 500 series to get the feature where it opens the door after it finishes running for the perfect dry.
We just got news back from our Mortgage Broker. We have been approved for a mortgage up to $300,000 at (what I think are) really excellent rates (2.09 fixed, 1.35 variable for 5 years). Now, the house hunting can begin in earnest!
Follow-up question: Is it worth shopping around for another lender after I get a pre-approval, (for example, going to another bank with this pre-approval and ask if they can offer better?) or should I just be happy with this and move ahead to next steps?
We just got news back from our Mortgage Broker. We have been approved for a mortgage up to $300,000 at (what I think are) really excellent rates (2.09 fixed, 1.35 variable for 5 years). Now, the house hunting can begin in earnest!
Follow-up question: Is it worth shopping around for another lender after I get a pre-approval, (for example, going to another bank with this pre-approval and ask if they can offer better?) or should I just be happy with this and move ahead to next steps?
You have somewhere between 14 and 45 days, if you're in the US, where hard pulls on your credit will all collapse into a single ding for shopping around mortgages. Once you have applied once you've probably got all the info another lender would want for you to apply so there's no reason to not try other lenders unless you just don't feel like it.
Also: don't do an adjustable rate mortgage.
They aren't as godawful as they were a decade and change ago but still, don't do it.
Posts
Would it be OK to store 12v sealed lead acid batteries (absorbent glass mat) in a detached uninsulated garage over winter where temps may drop as low as -30 F as long as I keep them on a charger/fully charged?
Keep them on a trickle charger. They’ll probably be fine.
I probably wouldn't recommend it though because much past -30℉ and Bad Things can start to happen (the only reason I know this is it's the temp where I strongly consider bringing my car battery inside).
The ideal storage temp is around 45-50℉ iirc
As long as you keep them charged you'll be fine. Fully charged, the acid won't freeze until about -90F. But as they discharge you get more water in the mix, so a below half charged battery might freeze at those storage temps.
This of course is only telling you about the chemistry, I would check to see if the manufacturer has storage specifications, as some of the case materials may crack at too low temperatures.
Also, make sure your trickle charger is fixed voltage, so it doesn’t over charge.
Maybe I'm missing something but I'm unsure how that's uglier.
Green is what was salvageable from the old siding. All the bare boards are new. Need a piece of trim on one corner then it's time to caulk.
:edit: Added some upgrades too since there will be a deck sooner or later.
best way to learn is to get thrown into the deep end
hmm which reminds me I need to figure out how to dig some trenches and lay underground gutter drains... can't just keep black hoses snaking across my lawn
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Get some rain barrels instead!
If it's legal!
And if you can avoid mosquito pools!
hmm, maybe
I'd still need to do something with the overflow, though
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
a dream of mine (that won't become a reality any time soon) is to have the run-off go to my garden boxes, via a drip system, that have gravel base so whatever doesn't get stored in the barrels, then used in the garden boxes, will cycle back down, which should be long enough for the barrels to empty somewhat and then fill up again.
Blizzard: Pailryder#1101
GoG: https://www.gog.com/u/pailryder
Make sure you do the requisite call to have all the underground lines marked before you start trenching your yard, but really it's quite easy. There are a ton of DIY youtube videos on doing it. This old house has a few also.
― John Quincy Adams
If he's a nice guy, is there the possibility of renting somewhere else for a year and then buy it from him then? Of course interest rates will probably be a bit higher by then.
I've seen pictures of setups where the overflow leads back to the downspout so it'd go to the storm sewer/wherever it went before you put in a rain barrel... doesn't seem like it'd be hard to set up but I can't say what difficulties or drawbacks there may be.
That requires moving twice, so maybe if this was the perfect house, but that sounds bad.
Lol, we moved five times in a couple of years due to a house purchase where leaving one property didn't line up with getting possession of the next one, full house reno, and multiple different temporary rentals. Do not recommend.
So we are $17500 poorer but getting all new windows installed in 10-12 weeks.
how many windows is that?
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
24 + patio slider. We went with fiberglass over vinyl since our current 25 year old builder windows are shot, not that there is anything wrong with vinyl.
Edit - all the other quotes were in the $25k range so I think we got a pretty good deal. I basically said no but he dropped it another $3k - I wasnt trying to negotiate just wasnt ready to buy yet
I haven't gotten any quotes yet but new windows is on the to-do list for our place but we only have 9, including a slider so I guess it won't be too bad
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Primary goals right now are to dig up the foundation in one area, re-seal it, fix the gutters, fix the drain pipes, get all this water the fuck away from the house.
The whole point of buying the house we currently rent was to avoid the hassle of moving in the first place. We're not so attached to this house that we would want to move out only to move back in. Since we have no choice, why not just see what's out there and finally become homeowners ourselves?
He's kicking them out because he doesn't want to pay the appropriate taxes on the investment property he purchased, it's real fuck you territory already.
Imma marry this dishwasher
TIL you have to live in a house you've been renting to avoid capital gains taxes while selling (at least in Canada).
We bought the house we were renting, but as far as I know there wasn't a capital gains situation for this sale. Not sure if that's a difference in US/Canada law, or if it was because the landlord and family lived in it for ~2 years when they originally bought this house before it became a rental for 2-3 years.
US has a bit of leeway, apparently, where as long as it was your primary residence for 2 of the last five years it still counts for the exclusion.
So if they hadn't lived there for four years instead of three they'd need to pay tax.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
We just got a new Bosch, it's amazing
Well I don't know the details of the law myself, as I've never had to care before, but we've been living here and renting from him for 12 years now.
He's an elderly man (well into his 80s), and, my personal take is, he's looking to liquidate his assets before, well, you know.
That said, he doesn't want to throw away thousands of dollars if he can help it, but it doesn't make sense for him to, for example, finance a mortgage for us or another other longer-term solution to avoid the capital gains tax, as he's unlikely to see the benefits of that. Yeah, we're being kicked out, but I can't say I resent him for it. I would probably do the same thing if I were in his shoes.
Besides, it's not like he didn't heavily hint to us that this day would come, and he has been giving us a pretty sweet deal on rent for the past several years. There's no bad blood here, we just need to shift gears and prepare for the change to come, which is scary, sure, but manageable.
Bro you guys gotta throw model numbers. Don't do me like that. I'm low key looking to replace this 7 year old Kenmore
We just got news back from our Mortgage Broker. We have been approved for a mortgage up to $300,000 at (what I think are) really excellent rates (2.09 fixed, 1.35 variable for 5 years). Now, the house hunting can begin in earnest!
I don't know the details of it, but you may be able to enter into some sort of 'rent to own' or land contract sort of deal to sidestep some of the Capital Gains taxes around it but he can still receive a steady income until you eventually take real ownership. You probably would have to talk to an accountant or real estate / tax attorney about ways to structure it though and it sounds like he might just want to wash his hands of it.
Still, at his age having to move in somewhere for a full year just to avoid some taxes might not be something he wants to do if there is an alternative and if you can get a good deal and avoid moving from the home you already live in it there could potentially be options that work for him.
Edit - and the thing I was trying to say but left out, my parents did the same thing when I was a kid to buy the house I grew up in. The old lady who owned it entered into a five year land contract because she could avoid a bunch of taxes and paperwork / bank stuff. It was easier for her and my parents got to avoid a lot of the hassle of getting a mortgage that would have been tough with their credit at the time.
All the improvement companies expect you to negotiate so will price high initally.
That's why they want to "present coupon at beginning of appointment' so they can raise the quote by the coupon amount.
They Hate This Weird Trick, etc.
We just got the Bosch 300 series and love it. It's basically completely silent. Only time we hear it is when it drains and the noise comes up through the sink drain. Though in hindsight I'd probably splurge a little more for the 500 series to get the feature where it opens the door after it finishes running for the perfect dry.
Follow-up question: Is it worth shopping around for another lender after I get a pre-approval, (for example, going to another bank with this pre-approval and ask if they can offer better?) or should I just be happy with this and move ahead to next steps?
You have somewhere between 14 and 45 days, if you're in the US, where hard pulls on your credit will all collapse into a single ding for shopping around mortgages. Once you have applied once you've probably got all the info another lender would want for you to apply so there's no reason to not try other lenders unless you just don't feel like it.
Also: don't do an adjustable rate mortgage.
They aren't as godawful as they were a decade and change ago but still, don't do it.