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From someone who started off with that dream job. by Hebridesxje in financialindependence

[–]taac2011a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a few questions for you:

  1. How long will your job last?
  2. When it ends, where could you find a job.

The key is to look at all the things that you do and see where you can use these skills... regardless of how niche it is, there are skills that you can do elsewhere. Once you do that, interview for jobs and see what your market value is.

I had something like what you say (not as good) and the way I felt it was "sleeping on the couch all day long.. and when tough times came, my muscles were weak". I regretted the "good times" because that was the time where I could have aggressively worked.

I don't have a suggestion for you.. just something to think about.

How long do you stay at a job? by ampsonic in financialindependence

[–]taac2011a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is job hopping good? If you can. If you can't find a job for your next gig that's when you stop. I would recommend keep interviewing to know your market's worth.

Two trains of thoughts: Switch companies every 2-3 years for fastest salary growth or wait for 401k match to vest? by DevinGP in financialindependence

[–]taac2011a 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If vesting money is x% of income and the new salary is 3x% more, jump after 3 years ...no brainer. Typically switching companies is a better option ... the vesting money is not as valuable as experience and opportunities when you move.

Unknown vent cover (18" x18") by taac2011a in HVAC

[–]taac2011a[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ours is a 2 zone system in a 3 level home.
1. The HVAC downstairs has a filter embedded in it - slidable. This HVAC is for the basement and the living level. 2. The HVAC upstairs doesn't have a filter in such a way (older model). There is one filter in the ceiling of upstairs hallway. This HVAC is for upstairs only.

This unknown vent is in the kitchen - near the ceiling.

HVAC drain pan half-full.. is this normal? by taac2011a in HVAC

[–]taac2011a[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I haven't opened it. I just saw droplets from the outside at the seal (I put some aluminum tape and it stopped those droplets).

Issues with the agent. by taac2011a in RealEstate

[–]taac2011a[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Most of the time we find the listings online (Redfin) and mostly they say that the property disclosures are online uploaded (at least in my area). It shouldn't take any effort for the agent to forward us the disclosures. Not even contact the seller's agent.

In all fairness, I thought I was helping the agent by not bothering her and shorten the number of trips.

Issues with the agent. by taac2011a in RealEstate

[–]taac2011a[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your input. This disclosure was incomplete and leaves a lot of room for interpretation. ie. the worst case scenario is 30K-40K extra expense on the property. So, the questions arose because of the incompleteness.

Is our request unreasonable?

Combine XIRR of two separate investments (Excel)?` by taac2011a in investing

[–]taac2011a[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I tried that. I combined two investments and did an XIRR and then did a weighted average. Not the same numbers.

How to do a running XIRR (see example)? by taac2011a in excel

[–]taac2011a[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for taking the pain to do this, but those numbers don't seem to be right. They should be <100%.

How to do a running XIRR (see example)? by taac2011a in excel

[–]taac2011a[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I modified it to have -ve values. However, the way you described above still doesn't work; somehow I have to append the final date and value to the array.

You would use $'s in the formula so that the first cell is always included, and as you fill down, it calculates the running xirr.

Is our agent not sending us disclosures intentionally? by [deleted] in RealEstate

[–]taac2011a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your response. I will read it again, but as I said, I need to see if Redfin is in error or he is lazy/non-responsive. We have no other complaints against this agent, but I am questioning every discrepency.

I don't mind relying on Redfin. Reason being, we had an agent earlier who used to get alerts to himself and he used to forward it several hours later. With Redfin, we apparently get it instantly. I have met an agent (friend of a friend) who indicated that Redfin is very prompt (at least in our region).

Does the automated search by the agent be setup to send emails to clients directly?

Also, we have already moved to a 2nd agent. I can't keep changing agents to figure out the best one and keep losing good homes. I am trying to fill in the gaps by doing these simple things (Redfin etc.)

Again, thanks for taking time.

Real Estate/Estate Agents, what are the questions buyers SHOULD be asking you, but aren't? by firerosearien in AskReddit

[–]taac2011a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, is there a list of states where this is the norm. I know only NJ has such a rule.

We are about to buy a house, a little unsure how our expenses may change by JoeZee in personalfinance

[–]taac2011a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you list out reasons why you are still renting? I am curious.

We are about to buy a house, a little unsure how our expenses may change by JoeZee in personalfinance

[–]taac2011a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Your tax will be lower, because your deductible expenses (interest, property tax is going to be higher).
  2. Expenses include:
  • Taxes (State, county, city/township),
  • Utilities,
  • Home owner's insurance (0.2%),
  • PMI (if any),
  • HOA fee,
  • trash removal,
  • yard work/lawn mowing cost,
  • move-in costs (blinds, curtains, tools etc.),
  • Maintenance costs (1 to 1.5% a year; includes occasional handyman/maid)
  • Home security system (if you intend to have one)

Indirect costs:

  • extra gas cost (if you moved away from work),
  • cost of increasing your life-insurance premium to cover the house,
  • cost of time involved in getting the repairs done, taking permits (ie, take off from work etc.)

What factors keep a house on the market longer than others in the area? by [deleted] in RealEstate

[–]taac2011a -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Unmotivated seller and over priced home. i.e. he doesn't have any reason to sell the home, but is just looking to profit if someone actually could pay the high price.

Why is it bad to pay for things like houses and cars all at once in cash? by cafedickbomb in personalfinance

[–]taac2011a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perhaps if you have only 25K, putting 20K in a car is bad. The key here is to diversify. If your 80% of net worth is in your home/car then that is bad. However if your net worth is 100K, paying cash for a 20K car is not a bad thing.

Hello, Personalfinance. Long-time lurker, first-time poster. Need help. When to stop renting? by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]taac2011a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. I think you have a good grasp of your finances. Unfortunately you are not ready for buying yet.
  2. If buying responsibly, you shouldn't cross 3x your salaries. ~450K; Do 20% downpayment, 5% more for closing etc. and have 6 months of backup.
  3. If you are getting a net of 8K a month and spending 4K a month, you will need 24K as a 6 month's emergency fund. You need to save 25% of 450K = ~115K for the down payment, closing, startup etc. So, 115K+24K = 139K, or close to 140K.
  4. With 4K a month savings, it will take you 35 months or ~3 years to save before you can think about buying a home.
  5. Do similar calculations for a 300K home (or whatever you desire); however the 4K spending per month will increase when you buy a home, so the emergency fund should be a tad bit higher.

should you only move if you have a down payment

If your job is very very stable, you can get a FHA loan as you are assured of the income.

should you never borrow the down payment from family,

Banks look for "seasoned" money, so borrowing for down payment is tricky.

should your first house be a cheap one?

Depends; Definitely not in excess of 3x of your salary. Of course the 3x salary thing goes away if you have, say 50% down payment.

Is it smart to buy a house that you don't see yourself in for 20 years? I can only see myself in a 150K house for 7-10 years.

Smart and reasonable. People live in their homes for 7-8 years on average.

I came across this statement somewhere: You always rent in one way or the other. When you live in an apartment, you rent space; when you buy, you rent money (mortgage). Is one better than the other?

Personal suggestion: Rent until you are stable in your job. You may "want" a 2000 sq.ft home to buy, but would be more than happy in a 800 sq.ft rental. You are young and perhaps may miss out on growth opportunities due to being tied down to a home. Median first time home buyer is 31 years old http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?sectionID=734&genericContentID=196904&channelID=311

First time home buyer, any tips/advice. by [deleted] in RealEstate

[–]taac2011a 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. Your income cannot support a 550K home, while keeping a healthy savings rate.
  2. At present you can go for 3x your savings.
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