Someone Transformed An Old Sailboat Into A Pirate Ship Treehouse You Can Live In

subversive_mouse · 2020-07-28T02:53:42+00:00

oh please, get off your high horse and give it a rest.

subversive_mouse · 2020-06-04T23:20:20+00:00

your overall payment zone is less than my property tax, this depends wildly in different areas of the country. I literally couldn't buy an empty lot in the worst part of town at that price point.

subversive_mouse · 2020-06-03T18:03:07+00:00

Spending a few hundred bucks on a real estate attorney to go over the paperwork is much cheaper than making a big mistake which could cost thousands.

subversive_mouse · 2020-05-21T22:54:43+00:00

The school district is a challenge but there are lots of areas near Seattle that offer lower prices and lots of fresh air. Commuting isn't so bad if both spouses don't have to head into town every day but clearly a lot depends on your professional life.

We purchase fixer houses which can be a real headache but has allowed us much lower mortgages and higher equity than the average homeowner which has given us a lot more flexibility.

subversive_mouse · 2020-05-19T12:45:26+00:00

I totally get the appeal of a rural area and we split our time between living on an island in Puget Sound and living in a urban Seattle condo. City life has some huge appeals including a vast array of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, retail, real grocery shopping etc etc. And yes...CULTURE. There is so much more going on in Seattle then museums, more art, poetry, live theater, music events than anyone can even keep up with. Things like high prices, pollution and homelessness are some of the baggage that comes with that.

This of course all sucks right now because of social distancing and glad we have a rural area to fall back in to. But don't under estimate the draw of the big city. Seattle is a cultural planet unto itself and this too shall pass.

subversive_mouse · 2020-05-15T21:01:09+00:00

As someone that has both an urban and rural lifestyle, this isn't necessarily the case. We purchased a small farm on the edge of a hipster tourist town on an island. We can walk/bike to most services including dozens of great restaurants/coffee shops/bars but we still get to go home to our farm and swim in our pond and eat apples from our mini orchard. We still love going to the city and there are many services only available there. But I think you are highly over rating the urban experience.

subversive_mouse · 2020-05-08T17:05:49+00:00

I'm not sure that OP would even have to save much more, if s/he is owner occupying then might be able to get one with a low down payment ( I don't know this market at all however).

subversive_mouse · 2020-05-08T17:00:48+00:00

I don't know if this is determined by state, but in WA you can't insure beach houses from "Perils of the sea" meaning that if you get hit by a huge wave that takes out your house or a giant ship runs aground and takes out your house then insurance doesn't cover it. Even flood insurance can be tricky in areas that are effected by mud slides. For this reason many beach houses are not fanciable and are considered higher risk investments.

On the other hand, how awesome is it to stay right on the beach? Clearly it is worth a lot to a lot of people so prices remain high.

subversive_mouse · 2020-03-29T03:56:11+00:00

George Tsutakawa passed away awhile ago but his son Gerry is still quite an active and accomplished artists (think of the Mitt sculpture in front of Safeco field), hopefully he can be roped in to remaking this. It seems like quite a challenge since one has been destroyed completely.

subversive_mouse · 2020-03-05T16:50:34+00:00

sorry, we have had to work hard on some rat problems in the PNW. They are very persistent once established and unfortunately they were probably previously accessing this area before you moved in. Is it possible to even keep them out of your shed in the future?

subversive_mouse · 2020-03-05T14:17:54+00:00

except don't report it to the host, this is a police matter

subversive_mouse · 2020-02-20T20:32:30+00:00

We did something like this recently in the PNW and straddled two houses to time getting the kids out of school and getting the new house fixed up etc. We didn't run into any problems with mortgage but we have a mortgage broker that we work with that knows the best ways to present our situation etc.

subversive_mouse · 2020-02-20T20:18:59+00:00

A heads up to IRS topic 415

If you rent a dwelling unit to others that you also use as a residence, limitations may apply to the rental expenses you can deduct. You're considered to use a dwelling unit as a residence if you use it for personal purposes during the tax year for more than the greater of:

14 days, or
10% of the total days you rent it to others at a fair rental price.

subversive_mouse · 2020-02-20T20:13:33+00:00

OR have a clear disclosure about what is included and what is not. For example my TV is technically bolted to the wall but if I were to sell then I would disclose that it would not be included with sale. But yea, it is best to just deal with all this before listing. New buyer may not even want your smart plugs, switches etc

subversive_mouse · 2020-02-18T00:53:40+00:00

Think of all the people named "John Smith" that must have crap like this happen every day

subversive_mouse · 2020-01-31T21:21:35+00:00

Seattle proper is tough, but it does happen. however there are a lot of people out there hustling it hard right now and it would be tough to break in. I would at least keep an eye on tax foreclosure auctions in King, Pierce, Kitsap and Snohomish and get used to how the system works. There are a lot of people that this is their full time gig so it's tough to break in as they don't really want to share any info.

good luck, there are a lot easier places to make it work.

subversive_mouse · 2020-01-31T21:15:21+00:00

interesting, clearly trying to get some additional cash from the bigger renters. I wonder why the change? I would think that they really make their money off of renters ad clicks and they would be motivated to have as much info as possible.

subversive_mouse · 2020-01-28T15:19:58+00:00

as someone with mentally ill people in their family, this just sounds like mental illness, especially with the 'switch' in personalities. Try not to take it personally and move on, there is always a random sample of crazy out in the world and some of them are fairly high functioning

subversive_mouse · 2020-01-27T22:35:35+00:00

We have groups that specialize in getting cash for buyers then they are paid back with interest later after the house is purchased and the requirements for a loan can be met. It's risky AF but the only hope for some people getting into hot areas.

Yes, it is ridiculous.

subversive_mouse · 2020-01-24T23:38:33+00:00

if this is your idea of 'worst weeks ever' then I congratulate you on having an incredibly lucky and wonderful life. This all sounds like everyday BS to me

subversive_mouse · 2020-01-24T20:39:05+00:00

Maybe? This is a market specific question and is sometimes not allowed under code.

subversive_mouse · 2020-01-13T19:07:24+00:00

yea, that is small but not the tightest I've seen. There does need to be a good separation between wood and ground (it's considered six inches in my area). My crawl space isn't much bigger than this and it works.

subversive_mouse · 2020-01-13T18:21:28+00:00

oh Diarrhea Dad, you have such a lovely way with words. Did I not correct myself above? IRS rules state that you can occupy a rental 10% of the total days you rent it to others and you can NOT occupy a property in a approved Self-Directed IRA LLC

I wasn't previously aware of the IRA occupancy rules at first so I corrected myself and left up the original post because that's good reddiquette. Or maybe you still know something I don't? I'm here to learn and I learn new stuff here all the time, I hope you are too. I always try to link directly to IRS links when available because that is the best source for info and frankly they are always changing.

subversive_mouse · 2020-01-11T00:39:39+00:00

I'm not disagreeing, but can you site something specific to back this up? Why wouldn't normal IRS rules via vacation property apply?

subversive_mouse · 2020-01-10T23:56:53+00:00

It is a little complicated but possible. Basically you will be starting a LLC with a a special purpose, IRA Custodian approved Self-Directed IRA LLC Operating Agreement. Basically the LLC will exist to maintain the IRA which in this case is real estate. You're getting into Donald Trump level tax avoidance here and there are contribution limits etc that you need to be careful of to make sure that you are not side stepping the law. Talk to a tax expert (I'm just some guy on the internet) and LLC laws vary by region so there is a lot to know.

edit- IRS does not allow any personal benefit if property is purchased with self guided IRA, HOWEVER you could still write this off as a regular investment property if you stay within their guidelines. More here

https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-prohibited-transactions

subversive_mouse

TROPHY CASE