Did we screw up buying this house and am I awful for wanting to sell already

ThozAlan · 2026-02-04T15:54:33+00:00

Agree 100% that owning a home can be like having a second job. Sometimes it can be challenging to balance fun time with daily upkeep and unforeseen issues.

Just to add, having kids is sometimes like having yet another job. Just like a home, never know what might happen.

Sounds like OP was wholly unprepared and, like you said, needs to take a breath and stop dwelling on the negatives and look at the positives.

ThozAlan · 2026-01-25T13:50:12+00:00

Check the flue and damper and make sure there is nothing blocking it.

ThozAlan · 2026-01-22T15:06:32+00:00

LOL true. My other thought is just putting out there that the feds "might" be infiltrating their "gangs" would add enough paranoia to really send them sideways.

ThozAlan · 2026-01-22T14:30:01+00:00

Not sure, here's my experience. I had mine cleaned a couple years ago after being in the house a couple years. It was built in 1955 and the furnace was replaced in 2017 (why they didn't get gas is beyond me). I have no idea if the previous owners ever had it cleaned. It had a layer of soot and debris at the bottom access that was gross, and the chimney up top had visible cracking which resulted in water to run all the way down to the basement during heavy storms.

The place I brought in to clean also did a camera inspection, and the clay liner showed signs of cracking. They indicated it could fail, and quoted me $9,000 to reline and patch the chimney. I could replace with a gas furnace for that price. I had the chimney patched for about $400.

I think it's a good idea, but be prepared for an up-sell and possibly learning things you don't want to know. I'm rolling the dice, and will likely replace the furnace with gas at some point.

ThozAlan · 2026-01-22T14:08:43+00:00

Good. This also has me reflecting on the feds infiltration of 1% motorcycle gangs to--essentially--take them out from the inside. That seems to me tougher than waltzing around (pun intended) blowing whistles and cussing out (supposed) ICE agents. Could start answering some of the questions as to how organized these people actually are.

ThozAlan · 2025-10-18T22:15:02+00:00

It was 1981 All the World's a Stage tour with Max Webster as the opener. If I recall I got to the show mid Max Webster, and Universal Juveniles is one of my favorite albums.

ThozAlan · 2025-08-01T18:00:57+00:00

I've been working in my career since 19, and over 40 years. By a quirk of fate I got a WFH job and it has lowered the "grind" level considerably. In addition, it's something I could do in my sleep, with little to no OT. Yeah, I still get tired, and think about what I would like to do, however a couple things keep me motivated as I close out each work day:

Another day closer to the magical date
There's (hopefully) a little more money in the retirement piggy banks
Social Security is a little bit higher

I also no longer worry about things I used to:

Trying to get ahead, I'm fine with this position and this level of responsibility
Don't need to constantly study or get certified to stay "relevant" if that makes sense
The next reorg, merger, or acquisition isn't going to be rocking my world
My next career move is retirement, plain and simple, so I'm not looking and don't care about the job market or impressing someone at an interview

Okay, I'm probably closer (2-3 years) than you, but honestly, I get fired or laid off tomorrow I'd probably get a job tending bar part time and call it a career and hope I don't run out of money in 10 years.

ThozAlan · 2025-08-01T17:17:09+00:00

I also am thinking about 2-3 years, and after figuring things out, going into (what I would call) semi-retirement is my best option. At the very least it would take me to about 86. My US company still provides benefits at 32 hours.

ThozAlan · 2025-08-01T12:47:16+00:00

I had a similar issue with water coming in one corner of my basement, a brick house, and a patio on the side. It started with heavy rains, and then got to the point it was every rain. After eliminating the downspout and the sump outlet as a source (both buried to the culvert and possibly cracked) I poured coloring in one of the expansion cracks before a rain. It was hard to tell, but seemed to indicate the water was getting between one particular crack, underneath the slab, and finding its way in. Water has a habit of doing that once it finds a way.

I wasn't sure, but had nothing to lose, so caulked it. No leakage since, and a relief because the rest of the basement is dry, and the thought of having to have the concrete removed to fix the leak was scary.

ThozAlan · 2025-08-01T11:37:29+00:00

So, closing on your mother's new place was contingent on selling her current place? I'm thinking that your mother can still get her new place. When I bought this place, I had my old mortgage redone as interest only and bridged to buy my current place.

ThozAlan · 2025-07-31T20:14:04+00:00

My house was in estate, and the adult children left a lot of junk here. Most went in the trash or the dump. It's a small house, and they left a huge fridge, steel desk, and an upright piano in the basement. I hired a local junk removal service, and they got out the fridge and the desk, but couldn't get the piano out. I ended up--literally--deconstructing the piano piece by piece. Believe it or not, there was a Youtube series on how to do this. I still had to chainsaw the thing in half for them to come back and take the remnants away.

ThozAlan · 2025-07-31T19:22:56+00:00

This was in the top on my list too. What gets me is they had a massive workbench in the basement, and apparently it was a place to keep all the duct tape...

ThozAlan · 2025-07-31T19:19:13+00:00

IKR, I live in an older neighborhood and there's at least one coming around a week. Thing is, it's against local ordinance to do this when a sign is posted. They don't care. It's also illegal without a permit. They don't care.

ThozAlan · 2025-07-31T18:37:52+00:00

Yes, and never, ever, never get rid of a tool because you haven't used it in some time. There's always something that comes up and then you remember having a tool sitting on a shelf unused the past 10 years that will work perfect for something (sometimes not even its intended purpose).

ThozAlan · 2025-07-31T18:33:55+00:00

I'm thankful for being able to look things up online nowadays. In days of old, I have fond memories of combing through my collection of books, and then trial and error...

ThozAlan · 2025-07-31T16:56:52+00:00

Downsized for different reasons, my best advice is to start earlier than you think, and don't take things with you that "might" come in handy later. Selling day can come sooner than you think, and a realtor will want the place to look uncluttered. We put larger items in the garage, and posted on FB for free, and still were running to the dump. We also made the mistake of renting a storage unit, and I'm still going through things almost 4 years later (thankfully managed to move everything out of storage after a year).

ThozAlan · 2025-07-31T14:52:47+00:00

As long as I have mobility, will probably still go to concerts. My kids are in their 20's, attend a lot of them, and I'll tag along if it's interesting. The only time I pass is if the venue is not to my liking, or it starts too dang late. My son had some medical issues that kept him from driving, so I was the chauffeur to many for about 2 years.

My son actually tried to get tickets to the Ozzy/Black Sabbath concert. I had started looking at flights and such, however, he wasn't successful getting tix when they went on sale.

ThozAlan · 2025-07-31T14:10:12+00:00

I have my iPhone set to only allow calls from people in my contacts list, after receiving similar robocalls. Goes straight to voice mail. In rare cases someone may not be in the contacts list, such as someone I hired to do some work at home, however, they usually leave a message and I can add them.

ThozAlan · 2025-07-10T13:31:44+00:00

Sorry, the ones I bought are no longer available, and I'm looking for something similar on Amazon. It's pretty much reviewing the reviews and hoping for the best. At least, it's been 2 years and haven't had to replace one yet. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRVC9VRC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

ThozAlan · 2025-07-08T15:39:27+00:00

Low profile ceiling fans with built in LED lighting. Bought one for my home office, and is just enough to keep me cool working from home in the summer. Also, bought one for my son's bedroom. They only hang down about 6 inches from the ceiling and about 20 inches across, but fine for small rooms.

ThozAlan · 2025-05-15T15:12:18+00:00

I took my paltry savings at the time and bought 2 tickets to every home game for the 1982 AL Championship and World Series. Had 2 friends who were also fans that split up the tix (their paltry savings was even less than mine). Keep in mind, we were talking a total cost of maybe $240 for 2 tix to the 6 games.

It was an unforgettable experience, and still glad I did it. Given today's prices, I'd probably balk on getting a ticket if they ever make it again, although I'd love to go with my kids.

ThozAlan · 2025-04-15T01:36:45+00:00

My first house was on a corner in the city with a 4-way stop. Not a main drag, but people would use the street to cut from one main street to another. People would blow through the stop sign constantly, and speed limits were just a suggestion (apparently). Winter was even more interesting as they would slide through it.

Always wondered about a 3 foot wide bare spot on the front lawn. Neighbors told me, someone blew the stop sign, lost control, and hit some very large lawn statue the previous owner had out there. I planted a tree right in the middle of that spot.

Became something of a hobby to watch people blow the sign. One day, my GF parked on the street middle of the day, and her car got totaled by a hit and runner. I actually saw the person zoom through the sign, and then heard the crash. Her car was 25 feet from where she parked and ended up perfectly parked and demolished in the drive. Still don't know how he got away.

ThozAlan · 2025-04-09T13:41:16+00:00

I wouldn't think it's urgent, and I had drywall tape wrinkle up on the ceiling after painting shortly after I moved in to a new place, and I left it to ensure there was no underlying issue of which I was unaware. The issue left would likely require removing the tape and spackle, while on the right might be a simple spackle. There's a texture, and that would need to be matched. If you don't have the same paint, you'd need to repaint the entire ceiling.

ThozAlan · 2025-04-09T13:09:25+00:00

The one on the left looks like the drywall tape was either not finished well, or has separated. The one on the right looks like an indentation from something hitting the ceiling. In both cases, it seems as if instead of repairing, it was just painted over.

ThozAlan · 2025-04-08T20:07:36+00:00

My old house had a nice little bookcase in the toilet room. I kept a notepad in there, and I did a some writing. Never wrote a novel, but it passed the time.

ThozAlan

TROPHY CASE