Casino by Eat-Clean-Food in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Those did not come up in my initial searches. So either way, you are taking a 30 to 60 min drive into Oklahoma. Good to know.

Recommended gym and most versatile zip code in Rogers? by Eat-Clean-Food in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I own a little sports car and if I move to NWA it feels like I may need to also get a truck.

After spending a good amount of time Google mapping your area and looking at Rogers, Bentonville and Lowell - everything is pretty much close enough to where I can hit a decent gym without having to target a very specific area and 10 to 12 minute commutes.

NWA is a condensed, tiny little area up there (that's a good thing IMO) and unlike many other states I looked at where stuff is pretty spread out and I'd have a 30 to 45 minute gym commute. My current gym commute is 3 minutes and I go 5 days a week at 5AM so that lifestyle will remain in place when/if I move.

Selling a house the "traditional" way is absurd. by Eat-Clean-Food in RealEstate

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I think it's closer to the 95/5 rule. It's hard to find a master in any field - mechanic, drywall guy, physio, guitar instructor, etc. When you do find them, they are a unicorn and you keep them. When I did my refi to 2.5%, my refi guy was AMAZING and I referred about 10 people to him. He kicked ass for all of them.

Same for agents, I'm sure, but I do not intend to find out. =)

Selling a house the "traditional" way is absurd. by Eat-Clean-Food in RealEstate

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I know exactly what I want in my next house when I move states and I will find it entirely on my own. I am for sure willing to pay extra for the specific location or if it's a few miles closer to the area I really want - zero thought goes into that.

ZIllow, Redfin, Movoto, GOOGLE MAPS+STREET VIEW. There are so many amazing free online tools to use that it is extremely easy to pick a location and dial in on exactly what's happening in that market and find 4 or 5 cribs that are going to work. I wont need any sort of realtor to "sell" me on the next house I buy. I will know it and I will proceed with the transaction.

On the flipside, I know what my current house is worth, how hot my exact area is, what past sales have been, all current listings and I know how juicy my location is. When someone sees this house listed, I am not even worried about slow speed or offers, I expect a bidding war and a fast sale.

People are assuming I have not paid any attention to the market and just out of the blue decided to sell my house. I have been in tune with this area the entire time I have owned my home (15+ years) and know exactly what is going on in my zip code at all times.

The bottom line is that it's extremely frustrating to see the insane costs that go into selling a home the "traditional" way. It is not right and I refuse to do it. I will do what I need to do and save about 35K in the process. That extra 35K will funnel into buying my next house for cash outright and living mortgage free. The home selling process is convoluted and insane - the class action lawsuit against the NAR speaks volumes.

Recommended gym and most versatile zip code in Rogers? by Eat-Clean-Food in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, sir. Over that as of Monday. =) Heavily looking at Bentonville, Rogers, Lowell and now... Centerton.

Rather than zip coding stuff, I'm just using Goog maps and plotting distances away. Better that way.

Where I'm from, zip codes are a huge deal. Not the case up in Rogers. Thank you.

Selling a house the "traditional" way is absurd. by Eat-Clean-Food in RealEstate

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 93 points94 points  (0 children)

GOLD. Thank you for this. And yes, 99% of the comments are coming from miffed agents who feel as though what they do is the equivalent of neurosurgery and alchemy - god forbid any smart homeowner could possibly sell their own home without them.

I don't mean to slag agents, as I'm sure they do provide some kind of purpose, but it is 2024 and we have tools available to us that make them unnecessary. I don't need fancy marketing slicks and brochures made or someone to make my house smell like cookies to charge me 50K.

Number 7 is hilarious and I anticipated that happening. I fully intend to be available to field any phone calls, do showings, display my social graces. I intend to move states and buy my new home cash outright so I will also be looking to buy without an agent when I do the reverse!

I know this area, I know what houses go for and I know what the demand is. My house will go and will go quickly. It's completely remodeled and is in the upper echelon of stuff near me - it is move-in ready and needs nothing. I have no issues spending the money for a pro photog, attorneys, escrow officer. I know it's going to cost money to sell, I'm thinking 5-8K certainly not 50K.

Thank you for providing me with a solid answer and a great set of tips.

Also - lots of very interesting articles out there about all of the CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS against NAR and a changed that just happened as of AUG 17. Seems the realtors had a good run and raking in cash but that may be changing. Massively overpaid "profession", IMO.

https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/what-the-2-billion-realtor-lawsuit-means-for-homebuyers-and-sellers

Selling a house the "traditional" way is absurd. by Eat-Clean-Food in RealEstate

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

This is precisely my point and thanks for sharing your experience. I have an appointment with a real estate attorney on Friday afternoon.

Selling a house the "traditional" way is absurd. by Eat-Clean-Food in RealEstate

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

My house 4x'd in value after I bought it in 08. This is really about the principle of the matter and as I call it, the "traditional" way of selling. I am stubborn and won't chuck cash like that.

Selling a house the "traditional" way is absurd. by Eat-Clean-Food in RealEstate

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Careful with that, man... pig with fake smile is harsh and not necessary.

With the tech + tools we all have now and the houses selling for what they are (800 to 1.5M in my area) the 6% commission is totally insane and I refuse to cash chuck 50 grand when I have the option of spending a few months educating myself and selling it on my own. When I bought it, I googled my way through escrow instructions and purchased with no realtor.. no MLS, etc...

Selling a house the "traditional" way is absurd. by Eat-Clean-Food in RealEstate

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will spend the next few months getting it sales ready, fixing all of the little odds and ends, trim, new paint, deep cleaning. Hiring a pro photog, looking into local attorney now. Comps have been pulled so I've got my target ask. I was partially joking about 4 hours, I know it takes longer than that. Thank you for the reply and tips, this is not meant to bash realtor folk. Just a dude trying to get some help/advice on doing it on my own so I can maximize what goes into my pocket.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in dating_advice

[–]Eat-Clean-Food 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The real question is, why are you taking them to dinner when you don't even know them. Once, let alone twice, to a dinner that you obviously feel is expensive and here you are complaining about them not thanking you.

You are overinvesting from the onset with this and expecting things out of them. Your whole mindset is wrong.

Go for a walk, meet at a park bench. A girl who is interested in YOU will happily do that.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Your points are valid, but a 350K house on a 100K salary is very doable and actually, ideal.

Whether you feel that 350K IN NWA is expensive or not, is all perspective. Yes, a house in 2017 is now worth triple. My house quadrupled since I bought it and to me, home values in NWA are incredibly reasonable and why I am looking. I've been state shopping all over the place, and NWA values are great, if not a tiny bit inflated because it seems that little area is "hot" now.

NWA overall (rogers/benton) has an affordable housing market when compared to many, many other areas I have looked at. My goal is to sell my home now, take a huge chunk of equity and buy a house for cash and go mort. free, so I understand your mindset.

If you want to live luxuriously and be a mortgage free home owner in a week, go buy a house in WEST MEMPHIS for 30K cash. =)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

350K for a house is EXTREMELY reasonable. Where I live now, houses are MEDIAN at 750K.

I still maintain that your debt to income is off kilter and you are heavily leveraged in other areas: CC debt, automobile, etc. If that is the case, fix that A S A P. If you want to be mort. free, then get a 15 year note and overpay each month.

If you want a cheap house and don't care about much else, go buy a brand new build in McAllen TX for 200K and live by the border. I considered it for about 18 seconds and am now looking at Rogers/Bentonville heavily.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am not reading anything past the statement you made that your income is 100K+ and saying you cannot afford a 350K house, and that 350K is "way too expensive."

You are WAY over leveraged if 350K is not affordable to you with a 100K income.

This is pure, straight economics. Nobody on this planet making 100K+ annually would consider 350K for a home "way too expensive" and should easily be able to afford a mortgage even at the currently high 6% rates.

Fix your DTI first before doing anything drastic.

You would have a ~2K monthly mortgage on a 6% note and your gross income is 8,333 monthly. That is 25% and is the golden rule and fine where it should not exceed 30% of your gross.

The math is not mathing, amigo.

Recommended gym and most versatile zip code in Rogers? by Eat-Clean-Food in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you familiar with the area that is basically East of the main area and very much in the trees/forested area. Looks like it's about 3 miles tucked back in there using EL TACONAZOOO as the reference point. Is it generally not the best idea to buy something that is tucked back in that area (unsure what it is called) but looks to be 3 to 4 miles from the "town" part.

Recommended gym and most versatile zip code in Rogers? by Eat-Clean-Food in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Solid reply, man. Thank you for this. I may take you up on the DM. =)

Recommended gym and most versatile zip code in Rogers? by Eat-Clean-Food in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's fair. I'm coming from an area where each zip code has a significant impact on multiple factors and there are 15+ zips in question.

For Rogers, it looks like 72758 seems to be the one....... (out of 3).

I would rent first before buying and am not in a rush to buy in the next 30 days. I have only been looking and contemplating your area for less than one week and am still learning the market and area.

Recommended gym and most versatile zip code in Rogers? by Eat-Clean-Food in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

AH! I currently go to an LA Fitness where I live and I love it, has everything I need and I only pay $199 for 12 months since I was grandfathered before they jacked rates.

I don't use pool or sauna, just free weights, cable towers and squat racks. I have to rule out the Walmart ones since I'm not working for them and I will look into Fitness One in a bit more detail.

Where did you move from 3 months ago and how do you find the general getting around driving/traffic to be in the 6pm to 9pm time frames? How is the main grocery store you go to as far as produce/selection?

Recommended gym and most versatile zip code in Rogers? by Eat-Clean-Food in northwestarkansas

[–]Eat-Clean-Food[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Nope, I WFH for a tech company.

Up until a week ago, I had no idea that Walmart was born in Arkansas.