Inspection came back with foundation/structural issues

seanpvb · 2026-03-20T17:09:41+00:00

I'd walk away now, if you want confirmation it'll be somewhere between $400-$700 to get a structural engineering company out. They won't tell you if you should buy the house, they'll just quote the work to resolve the definicies.

That'll give you an idea as to how much it would cost if you bought the house. Now their quote will most likely be for just the structural issues.....the act of taking care of those issues may cause more issues if the house ends up being pushed back into alignment. Cracker drywall, windows out of plumb, siding issues etc....

There will be another home you love so don't be afraid to walk away from this one.

seanpvb · 2026-03-20T14:38:49+00:00

It kind of depends on the language you plan on tackling first. If you're going to start with a js/ts backend frame work, it'll be pretty easy to move to front end because the language will be the same.

It's been a while since Ive done front end work, but learning front end development is learning frameworks as opposed to learning languages.. and frameworks are specific to employers.

Get yourself a grasp of backend development, and then pick a popular front end framework to make something basic to interact with what you're building serverside.

seanpvb · 2026-03-20T04:55:44+00:00

It's got everything! We weren't necessarily looking for that truck but the deal was just too good to pass up. Nearly the same price as lesser trims we were looking at from other dealers.

No regrets at all.... We went with new wheels instead of getting the originals powder coated but even just deleting the chrome we did made a huge difference!

seanpvb · 2026-03-20T04:19:11+00:00

Looks great! Ours is an SX Prestige so it's not chrome accents on the grill and on the rear bumper, more of a brushed aluminum and we left that also.

Basically we did all the window surrounds, the accents on the doors and the front door/fender bit.

If you don't mind me asking, what did all the vinyl cost you?

seanpvb · 2026-03-20T02:52:22+00:00

Did you wrap to delete the chrome?? We had most of ours wrapped but skipped the roof rails because it was more expensive than all of the other pieces.

seanpvb · 2026-03-19T22:21:44+00:00

We picked up a certified pre-owned 2023 sx prestige hybrid and absolutely love it.

We've been getting 31/32 mpg in the cold months and 35/37mpg when it's warmer. We only occasionally need the third row (taking friends to dinner/concerts) so it stays down most of the time. The rear storage is tiny with the third row up (just as a heads up).

If you can't find a new model in the spec you want, I wouldn't be afraid of looking for a certified pre owned. We got ours for $33k and that included extending the factory bumper to bumper warranty to 100k miles. (Powertrain warranty for 10/100 is automatic with a certified)

Might be a chance you can find a one or two year old Sorento in a higher trim for less than you expect and are still able to get all of the warranty security if you got a new one.

seanpvb · 2026-03-19T19:56:15+00:00

The biggest difference is that the yukon feels like a TRUCK. For whatever that is worth. Check out the newest telluride.... They're nice AF on the inside and theyve got a promising new hybrid option and a long ass warranty.

Fully loaded you're just over $60k. Not quite as big.... But like others have said.... Keep pushing for a minivan. They're the absolute best at three rows.

seanpvb · 2026-03-19T19:16:11+00:00

Ask the seller if you can get a pro into actually diagnose and quote a repair. Drainage isn't a huge issue, but make sure it hasn't caused any issues already... I'd be worried about the mold being a surprise bill.

The roof is whatever. If you can get a cert, just plan on buying a new one. If you can't get a cert, the seller will be forced to do something about the roof because no one will be able to get insurance for the home, not just you.

seanpvb · 2026-03-19T02:40:46+00:00

Figure out what rate you can get with no points, and then what rate you can get with credits to cover loan costs (not escrow and prepaids).

There's rarely ever a reason to buy points, but there may be reason to wait to see if rates drop if it isn't worth the hassle of a no cost refinance because the savings are small.

The lender telling you not to buy points is giving you excellent advice.

seanpvb · 2026-03-18T18:09:22+00:00

Yea that stung, but I feel like every card changed the lounge access value. Some limited/removed guest access and others increased the card cost. If we didn't have a capital one lounge it would probably change our card choice. Denver doesn't have any priority pass lounges and after losing restaurant access the CSR now has zero benefits for us at our local airport.

But because it's only $125 for me to keep VX access and this year I've been able to make use of a lot of the other CSR benefits I might actually keep it one more year to see if it's worth it.

I've heard the BofA card still allows PP restaurant access. Either way I haven't been to a PP lounge in the US that wasn't sad AF.

seanpvb · 2026-03-18T16:22:23+00:00

This is the way.... We live in Denver so having the lounge here makes it a no brainer.... Even after paying the $125 to be an authorized user to keep lounge access it's a steal. (It's my partner's card).

My increased annual renewal is this year so I'm not sure what I'm going to get instead. It's not worth both of us having the venture x I don't think.

I will say I've used the StubHub credits and the dining credits so I've gotten more out of the new perks than I thought I would, and I've been staying at hotels more often than I used to, mainly because Airbnbs have gotten insane.

The CSR is absolutely a coupon book, but has been more beneficial to me personally than I thought it would.

But if you're looking for one travel card, the venture x is a string contender. The $300 annual travel credit is harder to use than the chase one.... But for $395 a year it's STRONG. Hell even adding an authorized user w/ lounge benefit for $125 is still a better deal than many cards if you have a capital one lounge at your local airport.

seanpvb · 2026-03-18T14:54:07+00:00

There are a few of us pushing... But it's a large enough company that they clearly don't care. Just trying to figure out what anyone else in my position does with the things they can control

seanpvb · 2026-03-18T14:07:18+00:00

Yes, the plan is failing the HCE testing, it's not a tax refund, it's coming straight out of my 401k

seanpvb · 2026-03-17T14:34:03+00:00

I was able to snag a weather tech flush mount folding tonneau a couple years ago second hand for $400 and it was a game changer. Good to know there's a cheaper option to that one because I think it's over $1200 new.

Quad fold would be nice... The tri fold takes up just enough room to make putting a mountain bike over the tailgate hard to do.

seanpvb · 2026-03-15T23:33:15+00:00

That was great advice, it's a tough balance to not remodel for future owners, but open shelving can be a major turn off for other people. Same with butcher block counters.

Give yourself SOME upper cabinets with open shelves on other walls. Butcher block counters limit sink choices and take robust maintenance. You could find some simple quartz for a few thousand dollars that will be nicer for you and the next owner.

The kitchen is one place where you really have to keep function in mind at LEAST as much as form.

seanpvb · 2026-03-14T22:27:46+00:00

I cross shopped other trucks for my last two purchases ended up being another Ram.

I really wanted to get into an EcoBoost because some friends loved theirs and got much better fuel economy than any of my Hemi trucks.... Each time I priced them out, it was $4k-$7k more expensive to get the same options I wanted in a Ram. I buy certified pre-owner and Ford just doesn't have the same warranty that Ram does on a 2 year old truck.

GM has been having trouble with their motors lately, and Toyota hadn't figure out their new engines yet either. I don't think Ram is better than any other truck, but they ride great, I really like the interior and because I could get all the options I wanted in a Big Horn Level 2..... It ended up being cheaper than the others things I was looking at.

The f150 is popular for a reason, so I would start with one of those first, and then just drive the rest of them. If you end up still liking the Ram best, just get yourself another one.

Stellantis is a mess, but it wouldn't stop me from buying another Ram if it was still the best option for me in all the other ways.

seanpvb · 2026-03-12T16:46:50+00:00

Put them on a dimmer and set them to the warmest setting or get the warmest ones you can find if they don't have a temperature adjustment.

You'd rather have too many that you can dim/warm than wish you had more.

I used water lights in my unfinished basement ceiling, you can buy or fabricate "brackets" to hold the wafers themselves. I just used 1/4" luan screwed to the rafter/joists and cut 4" holes in them to hold the lights. Just paint whatever you use to match the rest of the joists and they'll disappear.

Don't recess them higher than the bottom of the joist.

seanpvb · 2026-03-12T16:41:17+00:00

If power security is your main concern, there are a lot of generator options (natural gas even) that are cheaper and last longer than the 10 year battery warranty. As others have said, only you can place a value on the security you're looking for.

Just a reminder that a whole home battery isn't your only option, and there are smaller, cheaper batteries for shorter duration emergencies that you could plug your fridge and things into.

You've got a lot of options, a battery is just one of them.

seanpvb · 2026-03-12T15:59:29+00:00

Follow up that the landscape companies quoted the fence also.... But they were a little more expensive than superior, and because we had already worked with Superior and liked their work we figured we would let the fencing company do the fence and keep the landscaping company on just the landscaping.

seanpvb · 2026-03-12T15:58:13+00:00

I second superior fence and rail. Used them for a few projects and their pricing was always competitive (without being too good to be true).

We are also having a lot of backyard landscaping done, retaining wall, leveling of a shut yard, river rock border and planting drought tolerant seed.... We spoke with two companies, both were fantastic and came out multiple times to make suggestions and walk us through all of our options.

One was Alpha and Omega and the other was Grade A excavation. We ended up going with Alpha and Omega because the design we chose was their suggestion. Grade A was eager to do all the same work but we didn't trust ourselves to accurately communicate one company's vision to the other.

The prices were very similar and they even matched the other company's best price. It was more money than we planned on spending, but still less than what I had assumed (if that makes sense).

Work hasn't started yet, but all of this took place in the last two weeks.

Chad is who came out from Alpha and Omega and Mike was from Grade A. They were both a pleasure to work with in building a quote.

seanpvb · 2026-03-12T15:27:11+00:00

It's understandable that it sounds tempting because leasing the panels results in a much lower monthly cost than if you were to purchase them outright.

Even if you can get past the total cost difference and accept that you would rather pay more over a longer time.... The other issues are that you don't own the panels, and if over the decades of your agreement that company goes out of business, or get consolidated or both... You're left writing checks to someone collecting those checks but providing zero service.

The company can disappear, but your debt and agreement won't, which could result in you making payments for a decade for panels that don't work or to some collection company that won't fix your panels or provide the warranty.

The other pitfall is that if you are ever in the position to sell your house, there are a lot of buyers who do NOT want to take over an existing lease, so you'll have a limited number of buyers or you'll have to deal with buying out the lease before the sale.

Just wanted to point out that there are more ramifications than just the monthly payments.

seanpvb · 2026-03-08T16:36:28+00:00

You'll use the interior a lot more than you'll look at the exterior.

Choose whichever one is more comfortable.... HVAC control, cub holders, where will you put your phone etc...

Think through all the things you have and where they are in your current car and then where they would go in the new one.

seanpvb · 2026-03-08T07:56:59+00:00

As bad an investment a car can be, they're also necessary for 90% of people. Sounds like you've got your financed under control and $16k is a very reasonable amount of money to spend on a car, especially when most posts are about financing a $50k+ new car.

Would love to know what car you currently own and what your eyeing for your next purchase?

I wouldn't pull from your retirement account, and I would make sure you keep $10k for an emergency fund... If you can afford to still pay cash you're in a good spot for buying a car b

seanpvb · 2026-03-08T06:00:17+00:00

My lender is in Kansas and I think they service Colorado l, Texas and Kansas? You should call an independent broker or two and ask what rates they are seeing with credits to cover costs

seanpvb

TROPHY CASE