samagon

Slummy in 100 years isn't on the mind of a buyer, mostly it's, can I make a profit in 5 years.

you know, pasties would have saved that guy some pain.

Probably

Wow, if that's the case about the cleanup, it's a wonder anyone decided to buy the property, since as I understand it, if the company that did the dumping isn't around to clean it up, the next person to use the land gets the honor.

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/legalized-poker-casinos-and-sl.html

update, if anyone is interested. spoke with someone at the DPS who was up to speed on motorcycle/moped licenses... whether you are going for moped or motorcycle license, you have to take the MSF course, and the written exam. so basically, the only way you get a "K" restriction (mopeds only) is if you are 15-17 years old, otherwise you are fully motorcycle licensed. I did not ask whether a person between 15 and 17 that wants to remove the "K" restriction has to retake the MSF and exam, or if the "K" restriction is just removed once they turn 18 or not, since it doesn't affect me.

The title of the article should be "why you should never ever buy a house as an investment"

as I have never been to brooklyn, this is a serious question. are you reminded because of the way it looks, or the way it smells? take a ride down san jac, once you cross the railroad tracks, the stench of stale urine is overpowering, and pretty much only reminds me of a bathroom with a toilet that hasn't been flushed in days.

right, even the *chance* of a return is greater than a guaranteed no return.

you'll also get discounts based on security of the house and that sort of thing. it depresses me that my insurance is based on what some actuary has calculated based on thousands of different factors that I have no input on. at least it's not like car insurance, and on that note, at least I'm not under 25 any longer. pertaining the original topic, I think anyone that buys a property as an investment and not as a long term residence (obviously unless it is your business to buy/sell land, be a landlord, or something else pertaining) will end up disappointed, just like the writer of the article.

ah, but it could be a more direct connect from DT to the transit center for 290, where commuters could catch heavy rail up 290, or out i10...

there's always the option for home warranty. you have to pay year over year to keep it going, but they'll cover the cost of most repair issues. if you want to get down to it, when you rent, the price of maintenance/repair is built in to the monthly cost. if you're a fix-it-yourself kind of person, as a renter you can't option to fix a problem yourself and not pay the cost of having someone else fix it. Most times now though, appliances are too specialized to just pull the cover off and replace a belt with one from the hardware store for $5, you have to be an electrical engineer to try and repair one. but an electrical repair, simple plumbing issues, lighting the pilot on your gas heater, you can do most of that stuff yourself (if you choose) and save a bit of cash, in a rental situation you don't get that option, plus you're on the pace of the landlord. sure, you can probably talk to the landlord (in some situations) and work a deal where he cuts the price of rent if you take care of the lawn (if there is one), or something else, but in big apartment complexes run by corporations rather than a guy renting a duplex or 4plex that isn't even close to an option. on the plus side though, most people who live in apartment complexes don't bother to meet their neighbors and become friends, you've probably met some really great people with whom you have spent time to help ease the burden of not traveling as much. spontaneous dinner get togethers, block parties, drinking and relaxing with neighbors on the porch.

My house is 1400 sf, even in 2000 I would have (on average) paid more to live in a comparable sized place with these amenities (2 car garage, yard, etc) than I am paying, in 2010, a month for mortgage, insurance, and tax to own my house. I think, if you live in a house through the full term of the mortgage the down payment that you 'lose' is probably equal to the cost of movers and non-refundable pet deposits etc, that you would pay over the years each time you move from one apartment to another. I think this article (or one like it) seems to crop up once a year or so from various sources. Until you start thinking about the hidden costs involved with renting (as well as the ones that are pointed out in the article for home ownership) it's a lot less clear which way you should go. in my mind, it seems that at end of the thought process, the question is, do you want to be able to pick up and move at any point (and are comfortable with the instability it may bring), or are you happy being grounded in one location (and also comfortable with the restrictions that come with owning)?

that's the good thing, they're like $15 at army surplus stores. not insignificant, but not a big deal either. I tried bungee cords, I may give it another shot. if you aren't afraid to open the access panels on the back, you can usually access both memory and hard drive via some tiny screwdrivers. if you lose your hard drive, you can contact the manufacturer to have them send you a copy of the install for your OS (you did pay for it) and then reload with a new HD. I've got one laptop going on its 2nd hard drive and 5 years of hard use and many miles.

Too true. Just on the cost of the home I make out like a bandit. Toss in the 2 car garage, space to have a garden, the fact that if someone decides to jack the rent, or worry about a pet deposit, or any other deposits that are not going to be returned for whatever reason. I agree renting is great for some, but not for me, the intangibles are where it's at.

I haven't been a property owner long enough to say that property tax changes aren't as much as rent changes, but I just can't see how it would even be comparable.

My bike bag is an army surplus map bag. It is permanently attached to my bike though. If I could devise a way to hook it on and off quickly I'd sport it around town when riding. Having anything attached to me that doesn't allow ventilation especially during the heat of summer doesn't get a pass, even a Fanny pouch. Plus with it hooked on as a pannier it rides lower, giving me better balance ..

most studies publish exactly how they arrived at their results. most times news outlets are not going to tell you that, you have to go do some research to find the real study, and when you do find it, you usually find that the media misrepresented the data. this for instance, the original study was probably how much time does each person spend in their car, the reporter assumed that this meant traffic, or to have the story make people angry, the reporter (or perhaps an editor) decided to change it. even if the two studies were doing the same thing, if the parameters of the study were different, it's very easy to come to different conclusions.

I think we've killed this person's BW quota for the month.

awesome, thanks for the answers, I should never assume anything with landscaping is impractical!

the green roof concept always confused me. how do you get the lawn equipment to the roof to do the landscaping? freight elevator? those rarely have roof access, and besides that sounds like an excellent idea, confined space, plus gasoline fumes, plus electrical contacts that aren't rated for use around combustive fumes. we always oooh and ahhh at the beautiful renderings of our city of the future where every building has a roof teeming with grass, and plants (I've seen some with trees, but I doubt any builder would be willing to commit enough space that would be required for an adequate root system), but how the hell would it be maintained? irrigation is the easy part, and what's a few tons of dirt, water and plant matter on the roof of a building? but what about maintenance? mowing the grass? trimming the shrubs? just general maintenance. I guess they could go with a small organic garden that is used by the local deli for fresh fruits and vegetables, that would be pretty awesome.

while it sounds like a great idea on the surface, you would imagine the corporate sponsor would want to name the neighborhood they are tied to, rather than Halliburton Heights, that would be the new name for Alief though, I bet. I think the only really big corporation that has a presence around the heights is Walmart. Walmart Heights sounds like a really fun name. Thinking about the East End, I presume EastWood would change names to "Leeland Baking Co Wood" and EaDo would change their name to "Oak Farms Do"

Ha, so like a schlitterbahn in Houston, fed from the natural bayou water, err, spring?

Not sure what happened to the sign, I never even saw it?

there wasn't a sign that said "don't eat the carpet" so I figured I would taste it, but then it tasted so good.