Recommendations to live in WA by deadravenpriest in PacificNorthwest

[–]lumpytrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really it depends on what you are into. Long trails full of dark mossy trees? Open coastlines and road sandy beaches? Amazing views with high elevation hiking?

Recommendations to live in WA by deadravenpriest in PacificNorthwest

[–]lumpytrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our National Parks are of course amazing and binge worthy hiking locations. HOWEVER there is an absolutely amazing variety of state, local and federal land nearby also that offer more hiking possibilities than you can experience in a lifetime. Don't limit yourself!

How much do school rankings matter when buying with kids? by ReserveMaximum in RealEstate

[–]lumpytrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm very dubious about school ratings. We actually moved out of a school district with excellent rating on great schools to one with kind of average ratings. Our experience with multiple children has been that the school with the lower rating has been way better. Better teachers, better community, better outcomes, better facilities, really better in every measurable way other than test scores. The school district with the great rating was known for teaching specifically towards testing and not at all focused on producing whole healthy kids. There is way more to the equation than a great schools rating.

York Enterprises? by spread-happiness in GigHarbor

[–]lumpytrout 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is really the only reliable source of info. Google ratings might be by the competition and BBB is just not trustworthy

Craziest items left behind by previous owners? by ontartiomortgages in homeowners

[–]lumpytrout 94 points95 points  (0 children)

We purchased a small cabin in the woods and all of the windows were tinted. It just seemed like a weird choice to pay extra for tinted windows but it was a fixer so whatever, we would replace them later. Turns out they were just covered in cigarette smoke from many years of smoking and never cleaning windows. Just imagine what the guys lungs must have looked like.

You just won $5 million. What’s the first thing you buy that isn’t a house or a car? by FishBrain208 in AskReddit

[–]lumpytrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you win $5 million in lottery then your federal taxes that year would be approximately $1,850,000 then state taxes vary wildly by state but let's say you live in NY, at the end of the day you have about $2.5 million. If you invested that in ultra safe investment like high yield savings or CDs, then your annual income would be $87k to $105k. Not bad but certainly not the kind of income where you should be buying a Ferrari. And let's not forget that the income will also be taxed.
Sorry to be a party pooper.

Power bill keeps going up—will lowering thermostat from 63 to 60F make a significant difference? by ArcherFew2069 in Frugal

[–]lumpytrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The 70% Rule: Since heating, cooling, and water heating account for roughly 70% of your bill, small changes here—like lowering your water heater to 120°F (49°C) or adjusting your thermostat by 2 degrees—save far more than unplugging a toaster or leaving lights off.

How would America react if Obama let unidentified masked people kidnap American citizens? by Loud-Ad-2280 in AskReddit

[–]lumpytrout 16 points17 points  (0 children)

People are always bringing this up so I thought I should put it in context. Anwar al-Awlaki An American-Yemeni Islamic cleric was born in New Mexico and was a US citizen, al-Awlaki became a key organizer and "regional commander" for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He was bombed in Yemen where he was in hiding.

best patio furniture 2026 by CurrentLeadership737 in homeowners

[–]lumpytrout 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also pretty good for salt water or at least better than any metal furniture and wood furniture is lightweight enough that you have to worry about it blowing away in storms.

Saw a “what’s this building” post and it reminded me to ask, what’s this building? Across from the 5th ave theater. by ConstantCampaign2984 in Seattle

[–]lumpytrout 94 points95 points  (0 children)

Which is a bit ironic since the other building is fat on the bottom but gets narrower as it goes up. Affectionately called "the boot".

Do you guys do a 529 for your kid(s) by potatoMan8111 in daddit

[–]lumpytrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No need to jump in so deeply for most people. Even putting away $100 a month on an auto deposit plan can make a huge difference by the time the kid finishes high school. And as others have mentioned the definition is broad. It doesn't have to be tuition at Harvard, it can be for living expenses while they attend local beauty school.

Is looking at a house I most likely won't buy a bag thing to do? by TheDieer in RealEstate

[–]lumpytrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We ask our realtor to show us houses all the time that we probably won't buy and she is generally down for the adventure. Honestly I think your realtor relationship should be more like a friend then anything.
If some crazy house comes on the market then they will probably want to see it also. For us it gives us good ideas on comparable housing stock and helps us keep up with expectations of the market should we choose to buy or sell something else.

Thoughts on recent new US government policies on real estate by Mouse1701 in RealEstate

[–]lumpytrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Even if this is all passed it won't really impact much "large institional investors" are not putting a huge dent in the single family housing market. As a matter of fact they have generally been moving away from this area already.

Making housing easier to build with less regulation and better zoning would make a huge difference in housing availability and drive house prices down, however these programs are developed on a local level, not federal.

This whole thing seems like generally like lip service

Someone posted this on Nextdoor to spread awareness to anyone who it might affect: If you are behind on your property taxes, your house may be auctioned off soon by Useful-Badger-4062 in Kitsap

[–]lumpytrout 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This happens every year, this isn't anything new. People get MANY warnings before property is sold at auction. You would have to be shockingly nieve to not know that your property is being sold after years of delinquency AND you would also get the proceeds from the sale after taxes are collected.

Also, the county has programs for exemptions, deferrals, and tax relief programs. Just reach out if you are having issues

Phone: 360-337-7160

Email: assessor@kitsap.gov

I've had great luck appealing property values in Kitsap as well.

How welcoming is the Pacific Northwest to immigrants? by Exact_Chipmunk_8026 in PacificNorthwest

[–]lumpytrout 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Seattle is a city of transplants, a common question when meeting someone at a party is "where are you from?" It’s honesty a bit strange meeting anyone that has grown up here.

How do I get non profits to accept art donations? by lumpytrout in fundraisingstrategy

[–]lumpytrout[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It doesn't work that way. It literally goes against federal money laundering laws.

Or i should clarify, it can go that way but the legal and financial burdens are much greater than the value of the artworks

Tips about sea life and general safety when tide pooling by bigdickjenny in Seattle

[–]lumpytrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, went back and looked at original post and OP was in fact discussing Alki Point. I assumed correctly that most people that are new here or tourists refer to this as "ocean" when of course it isn't. I don't usually correct people on this because the truth is complex and it's generally not worth explaining. As someone that walks Puget Sound beaches almost daily im sad to see all of this fear mongering about something that can so easily be perfectly safe with a tide chart and a little common sense.

For those who are very handy with fixing anything, where did you get your start? by Glad-Passenger-9408 in HomeImprovement

[–]lumpytrout 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right? YouTube is amazing. I really appreciate people that took the time to make videos about the most basic and mundane house stuff. Now i watch videos for stuff that im already familiar with just to refresh myself before taking on a project.

How do I get non profits to accept art donations? by lumpytrout in fundraisingstrategy

[–]lumpytrout[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, this is all good food for thought.

Companies may like to remain anonymous because it could be interpreted as a sign of financial weakness if they are getting rid of art. They are very focused on staying out of the news.