MovingSoon

Can anyone clarify that by using a real estate attorney instead of realtor one can get the buyer's agent compensation back and simply pay the lawyer his/her fee based on their billing schedule. I remember seeing an old thread on HAIF that attorneys can only act as agens for themselves. If the "3% comisison" can be saved can someone PM me with attorney recomendations?

I've found a house that I want without an agent (listing agent showed it to me) and looking to see which route to go - attorney, discount/rebate agent or ...

I got one from Allied with home purchased and it paid for itself 2-3x in the first year (AC problem, range cartridge, plumbing leak). This year nothing radical happened yet so I am probably in the red. I'll probably keep it for another 1-2 years to get a feeling whether any other major things are solid.

Just a bought an old house and need to re-do the kitchen. We are thinking about two options for countertop: Option 1 - DIY, buy granite tiles/bullnose and install ourselves (tile $6/sq ft, bullnose $11/ft, total $17/sq ft) ; Option 2 - buy granite slab and hire an installer ($15/sq ft for slab, installation $10/sq ft??).

Both of the options seem to be cheaper than Home Depot and Lowes (their cheapest is $39/sq ft). From your experience, which option is better? Do you have any granite installer to recommend? We don't have any experience in granite countertop. Any advice is appreciate.

Thanks.

Search for the ads in the chronicle, green sheet, craigslist etc. There are a few asian-run places that get prefabricated slubs from China and can get $20-25/sq feet installed. It turned out to be as cheap as fancy laminate.

I've used a place called Sage Bathroom or something - can't find the phone number right now.

I second to consider budget airlines instead of trains to save time and often money. Or alternatively concentrate on a smaller region to explore - your plan sounds a bit too ambitious to see anything in depth. As for rail passes vs tickets check railsaver.com which compares various options based on your itinerary and gives you a best option. I am currently planning Munich/Austria/Switzerland travel and it looks like I am saving a lot by getting Austria pass and individual tickets elsewhere over the 3-country pass.

Just noticed this on the HCAD web site - now that property values are dropping, they will not be doing a mass re-appraisal in 2009.

For the past several years, including 2008, HCAD has operated on an annual reappraisal cycle. Beginning in 2009, we will switch to a biennial cycle. We will continue to review the values of all properties each year, but in odd-numbered years such as 2009, will only make those value changes necessitated by new construction, unusual market conditions, or to maintain equity.

In the case of properties that change in value or have new ownership, a regular notice of appraised value will be mailed after 2009 values are complete (usually March or April). For properties on which there is no 2009 value change, even though the law doesn

I have remainders of an old hot tub cover - large pieces of Styrofoam. It is not degradable so I not too inclined to break it down in pieces to fit into my track bin [as of now...]

Any places around to accept these?

P.S. Just a random thought - may be nondegradable is not too bad these days in terms of CO2 capturing...

Costco has a great deal on mattress right now:

Novoform Adjustable mattress

$360 shipped for queen of $440 shipped for king/cal-king

Its Novoform Infinite Comfort

For those who want to save even more check the quick-summary post here http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/deal-discussion/320543 .

I made one myself back in grad school 5 years ago and very happy since. My cost was about $275 for queen. Basically you get a high density foam for the bottom and memory foam for the top. Mattress cover to keep it together.

CENTRAL CITY CO-OP brings organic produce and other organic "stuff" to taft street coffee house 2115 taft

on Wednesdays (9am-6pm) on Saturdays try the green market in the back parking lot of La strada--

I was at La strada's place a few times - very limited selection, not too much of the vegetables I eat. I'd rather go to Airlines market. I'll look-up the coop - but is it only on wednesday?

[...] a weekly green market down at Taft street coffee[...]

Can anyone provide the details - was not aware of it

wondering if anyone knew what restaurant will move into the market's space-- I'm told this is their last full week of business-

Live around the corner and never understood their business model - too small of a selection for so much bigger space. It would be nice to get another good everyday restaurant in the hood..

$750 + the cost of the paperclip?

or much less than that, the guy had a fixed service call charge but he acknowledges that the hardest he had to work for that fee in a month.

It was a rust blockage in the pilot tube that did not let enough gas out for heating the thermocouple. Took a guy couple of hours to figure it out only to clean it with the paper clip eventually.

Please post your results - both good and bad.

OK.. But be kind, this is the first time I wend beyond point-and-shoot since middle-school. Suggestions welcome however.

From my rooftop [ Really miss a real fall colors here, have to play with white-balance to get something ...]

Under the bridge downtown[need to look for a better spot for this one...]

My favorite in terms of composition:

one more..

Something weird is happening with our bedroom remote controlled gas fireplace. When I am trying to lit it most of the time it will try to come on and then kill the pilot light. Other times it comes on but then it may turn off (completely with pilot) some time after. Any suggestions what's wrong and most importantly - any repair guy recomendations? I called one company - htey want $250 just for the visit - will keep looking.

I also recommend the Sabine Street Bridge over Buffalo Bayou, and the associated park area behind it.

Yeah, that's where I went last Sunday. The purple lights under freeway makes the lighting intriguing. great suggestions so far - keep it coming.

Hey everyone,

I got my first DSLR (D40 with 18-55 and 55-200 VR) and very igore to get back to photography. My favorite pictures are right before/after sunset and I like the urban landscapes. For gurus out there - what would be a good spots to visit ? (of course publicly accessible).

Thanks!

I did some comparison shopping last spring and found Central Security to be the cheapest for start-up costs and monthly monitoring. The only caveat with Central is they require you to sign a 3 year contract. The contract is transferable, though. Feel free to pm me if you want more information; I can give you a contact name and number.

Thanks, but I have a system installed from the previous owner and would strongly perefer lower term or month-to-month contract

I'll try to resurrect this thread as I am looking for alarm monitoring service. If anyone here can recommend me a budget service - I'd appreciat it. I am currently looking at alarmrelay which has very attractive pricing along with

Smith Thompson or Intrepid Security & Protection ( a bit more expensive but local). If anyone used these or other similar companies - let me know.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5985207.html

Continental announced that it will begin charging for the first checked bag in October.

So, why don't we show the airline how silly this decision is by writing letters.

If that fails and October comes, do not check any bags for any reason on the airline. I would prefer that the airline raises ticket costs as opposed to tacking a fee on the passengers.

I really hate this considering current TSA regulation. My bags are usually small enough to be carry-on but if I carry a bottle of wine for a frient, on my wife carries her contact solution (200ml minimal container) we are forced to check bags.

And now - we have to pay???

Another inner loop farmer's market is opening up this weekend:

Montrose Farmer's Market

It's in the parking lot behind La Strada, from 9am to 2pm, and it should be there every Saturday from here on out.

Great news! That's literally in my back-yard! Will be sure to check out tomorrow

We have a 3 story townhouse in midtown that is in some serious need of gutter cleaning. I would do it myself if it were a rach style, or possibly even a 2 story house, but for 3 stories and fumbling with a 40-foot ladder, I'm looking to hire someone.

The best quote I've gotten is $250, which seems a bit steep. Anybody have another contractors they can suggest?

while you are at it consider gettinga some leaf-guards to save money in the long run.

My subaru dealership charged me once $99 to check engine diagnostic and told me it's a loose gs cup. Since then I learned about Autozone doing it for free and went their next time it lighted. The code mentioned catalytic converter, dealership quoted $800 to replace...

Mechanic next door (Miguel at Downtown Radiator and repair, across the street from barnabys on fairview) told me to get a cleanser additive (Guarantted-to-pass) and fill up with Chevorn for the next couple of tanks. The light went off in a month and never came back.

My 1st year anniversary of homeownership is approaching and i thinking of taking a closer look at my homeowners policy before renewal. I am now with AAA, their combined auto+home with all discounts was at least 30% lower then others I've checked. However, their coverage limit estimation for "replacement" cost is a bit less then $100/sq ft which seems low for me.

Any advice from HAIF community? Where is your insurance from? What's the reasonable replacement cost? Any companies offer true "guaranteed replacement" coverage (does it make sense to get)?

Anyone brews their beer on this board? How do you guys do it in summer month. My house is 76-80 which is probably too hight for most ales. Any tips to deal with that? Or do you brew some varieties that are Ok with high temperature for fermentation?

and we can make this topic to discuss other homebrewing issues...