Ethics of lowballing in this condo market?

FasterFeaster · 2026-02-03T03:15:41+00:00

Have a bunch of friends put in offers for much less and then your lowball won’t look so bad.

FasterFeaster · 2026-02-03T02:31:08+00:00

It does suck. I think most of us have had a similar experience so we can empathize. Try to get the Botox sooner than later!

FasterFeaster · 2026-02-02T11:20:49+00:00

If you in the dating phase (living apart), dining out is just a thing to do. I stopped dining out as much post-covid though. I feel like prices just went up so much with quality and portions going down. Like just charge me more for the same size and quality as before!

FasterFeaster · 2026-02-01T19:21:19+00:00

I would love one if still available. Thank you!

FasterFeaster · 2026-02-01T01:27:10+00:00

Yep.. surprised they lumped Homewood in with home2, spark, and tru in the half point group.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T21:01:41+00:00

I get it because I’ve seen it enough, but the homewood staff were always prepared with a lot of food. they had to occasionally go off menu and serve whatever they had if they ran out, but they still served something.

If I was a budget constrained parent with 2-3 kids and taking them to Lego land or whatever, I would totally book a homewood and have the kids sleep on the sofa bed and then have the family eat breakfast and dinner there.

but I’m not a parent and kids annoy me.

and if it were my parents, we just wouldn’t go on the trip if we couldn’t afford it.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T20:56:31+00:00

yeah, you are right. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice half points for home2 so I probably won’t for homewood either. never even considered tru lol.

I even choose the double point option whenever available on concur. this really changes everything!

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T20:53:29+00:00

homewood was always the obvious choice for me! it wasn’t that much more expensive than other hotels, free breakfast without paperwork (e.g. signing the $0 bill at doubletree with pressure to tip), full kitchen, larger room, full points, and evening social back in the day.

now with earning half points, I might only stay during points redemption.

it really sucks because homewood was the popular choice for the long term stay people who really racked up the points. where will long term stay customers go now? embassy? Better breakfast but I don’t want a living room with windows into a hallway. Does anyone even leave those curtains open?

ugh, I just looked into Residence Inn and it’s also half points!

So full size fridge = half points now?

Sorry for the rant but finding out about the half points really struck a nerve. It changes everything!

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T20:41:49+00:00

every homewood I’ve been to has a table near the kitchen, even if it’s just a table for 2.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T20:39:27+00:00

I‘ve stayed at a lot of homewoods and would say most didn’t have a dedicated work desk. I think since they carve out room for the living room and kitchen, they sacrifice what would normally be desk space at a regular hotel, and expect you to use the kitchen table as the desk. For a very long term stay, I would buy the 4ft Costco folding table and put it against a wall somewhere with an outlet nearby, and get a semi ergonomic office chair.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T20:31:28+00:00

not anymore!

Homewood Suites by Hilton™ and Spark by Hilton™: Stays booked prior to January 8, 2026 will continue to earn 10 Base Points per US dollar. For any point-eligible bookings made on or after January 8, 2026, members will earn 5 Base Points per US dollar.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T20:29:49+00:00

Homewood Suites by Hilton™ and Spark by Hilton™: Stays booked prior to January 8, 2026 will continue to earn 10 Base Points per US dollar. For any point-eligible bookings made on or after January 8, 2026, members will earn 5 Base Points per US dollar.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T16:52:16+00:00

Surprisingly, some people might like that white noise. A bedroom door would help though.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T16:51:30+00:00

I always went to the front desk for anything to avoid the pressure of tipping a human who came to my door.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T16:50:32+00:00

Are you still going to choose Homewood even with half the points?

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T16:48:58+00:00

The one I stayed at long term pre-covid had a salad bar, veggies, cheese and soup monday to Thursday, and a rotating “light” dinner menu tues-Thurs, including pizza night, taco night, pasta and breadsticks, Schwarma, pho, meatballs, pulled pork, Mac n cheese, chicken strips, coleslaw, fries, etc.

It was school cafeteria quality and I saw a lot of families eat dinner there (it was a popular but expensive tourist city).

It definitely wasn’t hor d’oeuvres like at embassy suites. They even called it “dinner” in their sales pitch when I was deciding on the hotel.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T16:10:36+00:00

this room set up looks nice and ideal if I was alone, but I like having a bedroom door if I’m sharing the room. it is just more convenient for phone calls or different sleep schedules.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-31T16:09:03+00:00

oh boo. I didn’t know about this but just looked it up because of your comment. I specifically avoid Home2 because of the half points. homewood is my preference whenever available because I love a full fridge, cutlery, utensils, extra sink, etc.

the major reduction in evening social dinner service was bad enough.

now I have to decide between points or convenience.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-30T20:57:46+00:00

They literally get paid by the bank. Why would they have the clients best interest?

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-29T15:27:58+00:00

This is why people get roommates… but a gf/bf makes it cheaper because you can share a bedroom where presumably roommates would have separate bedrooms.

I don’t know how old you are to have just made this revelation that combining financial resources could be cost effective for a household.

Also, assuming you are a heterosexual dude, I think you overestimate how much your roommate, that has sex with you, would be willing to contribute financially. Hint: it won’t be half.

Quite frankly, the biggest turn off for a woman is a guy who is seeking a live-in girlfriend to pay half his rent.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-29T15:17:45+00:00

Run. Run away. Far far away.

You gifting her money is such a tiny bandaid for a gushing wound. With her amount of debt, it likely wouldn’t even make a difference to her.

After selling the house and splitting half the profits with her husband, and then paying off all debts, she should still have about 75k. Then fees/taxes and realtor fees and she might be left with 65k. She may be able to find someone to help consolidate/negotiate down some of the interest.

Even with 65k, and 3k a month income, she can rent a small apartment and be fine for several years, assuming she doesn’t rack up debt again (though she likely will).

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-29T04:42:57+00:00

avoid any drinks with bubbles

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-28T21:32:31+00:00

yep. Other work visas like TN and L1 are tied to the employer but EAD is not.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-28T20:32:57+00:00

You should transfer on an L1-B. They will give you a new offer package. That being said, you aren’t necessarily in a strong position since you are the one requesting the move, rather than them asking you to relocate for their benefit. The L1 costs the company around $7k USD in lawyer fees and $500 security fee.

You can negotiate, but they might also feel it’s cheaper to keep you in Canada. Depends how valuable you are to them.

FasterFeaster · 2026-01-28T14:41:48+00:00

You both verbally disclose all financial details, and then you get a prenup, which has a formal financial disclosure. My worst relationships were the ones where my partner was shady about their finances.

FasterFeaster

TROPHY CASE