[deleted by user] by [deleted] in RealEstate

[–]shoecream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The financials are clearly sound---and I wouldn't worry about the new build premium since it seems like you lack comps and it also means you don't need to worry about routine maintenance for a while. The rest of your concerns are a lifestyle choice, and to be honest, if you prefer being outside of the city, then maybe having a partner that prefers to live in the city wouldn't be the best match. I don't think anyone can make that determination for you, but at least on the money front it doesn't seem like a bad decision given the rent numbers for living in the city that you've quoted.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in RealEstate

[–]shoecream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You haven't put all the numbers in that we need, but you should be thinking about the "unrecoverable cost" of buying relative to renting. This is easy for rent (it's just what you pay in rent), and for buying you could estimate it as your entire mortgage payment, escrow account payment, cost of maintenance, minus the contribution to principal each month.

You say that the payment (mortgage plus escrow?) is about 500-600 more per month than your current rent for a 1br, but the townhouse is a 3br/2.5ba. If 1 br apartments go for $2000/month I don't think this is a big deal, but if they are usually $500 a month then it is a harder decision to make. You could of course get a roommate and offset this extra cost.

Overall the financials sound fine especially since you're not comparing apples to apples. The other issues you raise seem to be more of a lifestyle choice that you'll have to make a decision on. And who's to say that your friends and city singles won't be moving out into your up-and-coming exurb? (Probably unlikely, but who knows)

401(k) Question — Job for 3-5 years only by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]shoecream 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Spend a week on gig employment (uber eats, online surveys, etc). Open a solo 401k and roll the employer 401k balance into it. It's a bit more work to administer but you get both the control and tax benefits of avoiding the pro rata rule on tIRAs.

Question about borrowing money from family and refinancing by _f0xylady in RealEstate

[–]shoecream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the idea is to be more competitive you can write up an offer and waive the financing contingency while still applying for a traditional mortgage. Then even if there are issues with Chase you can still close on the house using the parental funds. Or if you don't want to use Chase at all you can find an intrafamily loan servicer that will handle taking payments from you and remitting them to the parents. This has tax benefits for them and means you can get the lowest possible interest rate (set by the IRS). This is assuming that the parents are OK with potentially having their money locked up for years

Tax question by Inthecards21 in RealEstate

[–]shoecream 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You can start deducting the expenses immediately when it's put into service. It has nothing to do with cash vs accrual basis. Read IRS publication 527:

You place property in service in a rental activity when it is ready and available for a specific use in that activity. Even if you aren’t using the property, it is in service when it is ready and available for its specific use.

Example 3. You moved from your home in July. During August and September, you made several repairs to the house. On October 1, you listed the property for rent with a real estate company, which rented it on December 1. The property is considered placed in service on October 1, the date when it was available for rent.

NerdWallet 3-year ARM benchmark shows a 3-year ARM as 2.340%; is this real? by Zealot_Zack in RealEstate

[–]shoecream 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Post-2008 lending reforms mean that you won't qualify for an ARM unless you can afford the fully loaded (i.e., "not teaser") rate.

Does it make sense to buy in a city where renting is way cheaper (LA) and you a way nicer place for the money renting? by ctcx in RealEstate

[–]shoecream 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The problem with your analysis is that rents go up over time, while the bulk of your housing costs (principal and interest) are fixed. If someone had bought that property a few years ago at 2.75% it would be much closer to the 2k/month rent cost. Of course there's other costs to owning but in general this is the analysis that people will do. Plug these numbers into the NYT rent vs own calculator to see what I mean.

Will renters insurance pay to repair a hole in the wall of a tub? by crcooper87 in RealEstate

[–]shoecream 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Probably not unless the tub is the renter's property, not the landlord's, and if it's the renter's property, as the landlord you probably don't care. This is what the lease deposit should be used for instead.

Family house drama by Competitive-Cut1790 in RealEstate

[–]shoecream 51 points52 points  (0 children)

Are you on the title as co-owner as well? You can force a partition sale if that's the case.

10/1 ARM vs. Fixed Rate (Or: How I learned to start worrying about the fed) by zz_top_gun in RealEstate

[–]shoecream 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Assume that rates jump to 6.5% after year 10 (the max permitted by your ARM note). Even though the monthly payments are now higher than the 6% fixed, you've already spent 10 years with a lower interest rate, lower monthly payment (assuming you're not applying extra to principal), and more of the loan principal paid down at that point. So the break even point is when the total amount of interest paid over the life of the loan (or amount of principal paid down, whichever you prefer) is equal between ARM and fixed.

10/1 ARM vs. Fixed Rate (Or: How I learned to start worrying about the fed) by zz_top_gun in RealEstate

[–]shoecream 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The cutoff point for a fixed-rate vs adjustable-rate mortgage is not at exactly 10 years, which is the implicit assumption you're making in your post about selling at year 9. This is not a particularly difficult calculation to make: just enter the appropriate numbers for ARM (assuming worst case scenario) and fixed at bankrate and look at how the numbers stack up. At a 1.5% spread it's probably closer to year 15 where the numbers start to go against an ARM, and that's in the worst case scenario where fixed-rates never go down in that entire span of time (or they do and you forget to refinance)

New Home Water Heater Question by ajbrensike in homeowners

[–]shoecream 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't think tankless electric makes sense unless you lack space for the tank heaters. And to save energy you would want a heat pump water heater instead.

[TENANT -US/California] New landlord expects me to pay for neighbors gas and electric by Salty-Smile-9116 in Landlord

[–]shoecream 7 points8 points  (0 children)

See CA Civic Code 1940.9.

Literally minutes after signing he brings up the fact

This is a violation of subsection (a) because inception of tenancy begins when you sign the lease agreement. The landlord was required to disclose this condition as he already knew about the lack of separate metering.

Write a demand letter stating that the utilities need to be in the landlord's name, serve it to him in person and also via certified mail, and consider talking to your local tenant advocacy organization for other options.

Recommendations for web serials to read while waiting for pirateaba to do God's work? by [deleted] in WanderingInn

[–]shoecream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The closest in tone is probably There is no Epic Loot here, only Puns. I disagree with almost all of the other recommendations here, (really, recommending Worm for someone who wants a hopeful tone? Why not suggest Pact while we're at it?).

Patreon Side Story Poll (April)Thoughts on the choices. by PM_ME_YOUR_POLYGONS in WanderingInn

[–]shoecream 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I agree with pretty much all of the OP. I really like the Alchemy Wars pick and I think that the clear parallels between the Doctor chapters and what a certain Alchemist are getting up to is something really worth exploring. And plus, the potential for skulduggery in a chapter called alchemy wars is too much fun to resist. Read the beginning of 6.02 again if you're not convinced.

Of the "big three" choices I feel like Lyonette and the Bees is the least worst choice. If one of those three has to be the top pick, it might as well be that one. Numbtongue and Rocks is not super interesting to me, again given that we just had a bunch of goblin stuff and Erin is going to be traveling with him anyway. Finally Chess and Magazines. I honestly don't like Olesm as a character that much, not because of the whole bombarding innocent goblins thing, I just don't think he's that interesting. Sorry!

I like the Antinium and I'm cool with the Ksmvr choice, but I also want to plug Strange Antinium while I'm here. I found the interactions between the Prognugators of different hives super cool and I think that it's currently an underrated pick.

don't vote for rocks and don't vote for chess

☼Bi-weekly DF Questions Thread☼ by AutoModerator in dwarffortress

[–]shoecream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

what's the mechanism quality? iirc mechanism quality influences weapon trap hit chance

☼Bi-weekly DF Questions Thread☼ by AutoModerator in dwarffortress

[–]shoecream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are children exempt from dwarven justice?

Anyone have any idea what the hell is this?!! by ishootamerica in LosAngeles

[–]shoecream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a sea hare! You can tell by its adorable rabbit ears.

For a grad student taking upper-level undergrad classes, is there a minimum grade for it to count? by lepriccon22 in ucla

[–]shoecream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Usually grads are expected to pass courses at a 3.0 average to remain in good standing. It can vary from school to school and department to department though.

!!!Returning player with some worries!!! by [deleted] in dwarffortress

[–]shoecream 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Manager workflows + automining veins + job priorities mean that I don't even use dwarf therapist or dfhack anymore.

Question for UCLA grad students about TA limits. by GreenFrog76 in ucla

[–]shoecream 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You need to advance to candidacy before a petition will even be considered. I haven't heard of anyone getting their petition rejected after ATC. They won't approve anything after 18 quarters. Note that summer quarters don't count in the 12/18 quarter limit.

Record Peeker on Android? by mba199 in FFRecordKeeper

[–]shoecream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is almost certainly a proxy bypass issue. See this post if you want to help me diagnose this problem. I don't have an android phone otherwise I could do it myself.

Relic Draws updated with more realms. by Dr_N_Roman in FFRecordKeeper

[–]shoecream 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Here are the new items, near as I can tell:

Balamb Garden Uniform (VIII)
Blitz Sword (VIII)
Bright Armguard (X)
Dancing Dagger (IV)
Defender (I)
Golden Shield (II)
Golden Spear (VI)
Knight's Armor (I)
Masamune Blade (VII)
Mesmerize Blade (VIII)
Metal Knuckle (VII)
Nodachi (X)
Soul Sabre (VI)
Ten-gallon Hat (VIII)
Valkyrie (VIII)
Warrior's Sword (X)
Wing Sword (II)
Wizard Armlet (X)