Good on ya!I'm a retired contractor, who did that sort of stuff for a living. I will be happy to offer any and all assistance I can. And I'm a pretty good dry wall guy. You can PM me if you need some assistance. Or advice.
Good on ya!I'm a retired contractor, who did that sort of stuff for a living. I will be happy to offer any and all assistance I can. And I'm a pretty good dry wall guy. You can PM me if you need some assistance. Or advice.
Sorta what happened to us, with similar losses, only we had cash equity we walked away from.My son played the game by the book, needed a home as a result of a job out of state, paid his 20% down, paid his mortgage on time, could not refinance because of being underwater when rates went down (where is the fairness in that?), but continued to pay on time. Now he has gotten the balance down, refinanced, but a new job requires him to sell. His loss will be on the order of $350K.
Well, there is that as well, I guess.Wink, I like the whole house on floats so the whole shooting match goes up with the water..
Paying cash for things is always good, but that does not protect you (did not protect). The demand for houses went up artificially due to government/bank actions with no money down, liar loans, etc. If you wanted to buy a house (and when you do that is determined largely by your age and the circumstances of job, family, etc.), you paid the inflated rate if you were to get a house. When the banks raised the adjustable loans (a lot of people didn't really understand how they worked, but should have), it was impossible for those people to pay the mortgage, and the foreclosures started, driving the price of all homes down, including those that were previously bought, or those where cash was paid (how many young people 24-35 can pay cash for a house...not many). Mixed with a declining economy, lots of people had no choice...if you want to eat, you need a job (except for welfare), and getting a job that covers the bills, means you may have to move. And a move, meant selling a house that had a loan worth more than the reduced selling price, but then banks stopped making loans (typical overreaction) unless people had large down payments and only the very best credit. So houses that needed to be sold, couldn't be sold, and those that needed to buy those same houses because of relocating, couldn't because they didn't have 30% down payment, etc. So the problem was compounded. In all this, the lucky ones (determined largely by your age and job circumstance) were the older people who bought a house years ago, and didn't (yet) have to move because of a job. As to being smart enough to know when things are overpriced in housing....just when would that have been, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006? Those of you who think you can tell when things are overpriced and when to wait until they come down in price, share your knowledge with the rest of us. I submit that there is no such technique or skill. You maybe didn't get caught up in this, but it was more likely due to other factors than you being smart.This is why I save up and pay cash for my boats, cars and kids college. We have less than six years to pay off our existing mortgage and then we'll pile up cash for a few years and put 100% down on the next one!
Why complain about banks, mortgages and insurance when you keep going back to get more loans? Unleash your greatest wealth building tool...your income and stop borrowing money. It's pretty simple really.
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They do. They're called House Boats.Don't understand why they don't build floating homes in high flood risk areas?
Not everyone should buy a home. If you're not 99.9% certain you want to stay in a home at least 5-10 years don't take the risk.NC-C320 said:Paying cash for things is always good, but that does not protect you (did not protect). The demand for houses went up artificially due to government/bank actions with no money down, liar loans, etc. If you wanted to buy a house (and when you do that is determined largely by your age and the circumstances of job, family, etc.), you paid the inflated rate if you were to get a house. When the banks raised the adjustable loans (a lot of people didn't really understand how they worked, but should have), it was impossible for those people to pay the mortgage, and the foreclosures started, driving the price of all homes down, including those that were previously bought, or those where cash was paid (how many young people 24-35 can pay cash for a house...not many). Mixed with a declining economy, lots of people had no choice...if you want to eat, you need a job (except for welfare), and getting a job that covers the bills, means you may have to move. And a move, meant selling a house that had a loan worth more than the reduced selling price, but then banks stopped making loans (typical overreaction) unless people had large down payments and only the very best credit. So houses that needed to be sold, couldn't be sold, and those that needed to buy those same houses because of relocating, couldn't because they didn't have 30% down payment, etc. So the problem was compounded. In all this, the lucky ones (determined largely by your age and job circumstance) were the older people who bought a house years ago, and didn't (yet) have to move because of a job. As to being smart enough to know when things are overpriced in housing....just when would that have been, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006? Those of you who think you can tell when things are overpriced and when to wait until they come down in price, share your knowledge with the rest of us. I submit that there is no such technique or skill. You maybe didn't get caught up in this, but it was more likely due to other factors than you being smart.
You obviously aren't married because if you were, this conversation would sound familiar:Ken here is a story sent to me recently by a friend.
Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
The question?...What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.
Many people advised him to consult the old ugly woman, for only she would have the answer.
But the price would be high; as the woman was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the old woman. She agreed to answer the question,
but he would have to agree to her price first.
The old ugly woman wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!
Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.
He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur
He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table.
Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the woman answered Arthur's question thus:
What a woman really wants, she answered....is to be in charge of her own life.
Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the woman had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared.
And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the ugly woman had a wonderful wedding.
The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.
The young beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared ugly, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.
Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night?
Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old ugly woman? Or, would he prefer having a hideous woman during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?
What would YOU do?
What Lancelot chose is below.
BUT....make YOUR choice before you scroll down below.
OKAY?
Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.
Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
Now....what is the moral to this story?
The moral is.....
If you don't let a woman have her own way....
Things are going to get ugly...
(1) You should have a home and others should not? When you have a job, even if you are the boss of your own company, you can never be 99.9% certain that will have that job for 5-10 years. Companies go bust, downsize, people have to respond to life changes that are beyond their control. When you have a home that's not paid for, that due to market conditions is underwater, and you lose your job, you cannot pay for it, or if you have to move to another location, you have to sell your home (paid for or not) and get a place to live in the new location. So even if you have paid for your home, to sell in the depressed market, you still lose...you may have paid $450K (a modest home in CA) and can only sell for $150K, so you lose $300K. And where are you going to live in you new location?Not everyone should buy a home. If you're not 99.9% certain you want to stay in a home at least 5-10 years don't take the risk. .....(1)
Adjustable rate loans should be illegal......(2)
100% of foreclosures happen when there is a mortgage. Save up and buy what you can afford and stop risking everything! ......(3)
Yes I am married and that conversation is very familiar. I always suggest Denny's (she hates it). Then she has to tell me where "I" really want to go.You obviously aren't married because if you were, this conversation would sound familiar:
Husband: "What do you want to do for dinner tonight, honey?"
Wife: "I don't know. What ever you want dear."
Husband: "Okay, let's have Italian, then."
Wife: "I hate Italian"
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My earlier posts not disregarded, Fly-H23 is absolutely correct in stating "save and buy what you can afford", the two exceptions where borrowing is justified in my mind are homes and possibly cars....you need a place to live and in this country, you need a car in most places to get back and forth to work. But even in those cases, the principle of what you can afford is important. A small house vs. large, and a Ford instead of a BMW would make sense for lots of people. And almost everything else should be pay as you go. And unfortunately, our joint passion of boats are in reality not necessities and we should be careful in borrowing too much to afford this hobby.Save up and buy what you can afford and stop risking everything!
Yep. Very familiar!You obviously aren't married because if you were, this conversation would sound familiar:
Husband: "What do you want to do for dinner tonight, honey?"
Wife: "I don't know. What ever you want dear."
Husband: "Okay, let's have Italian, then."
Wife: "I hate Italian"
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Yes we own a home and live where prices never skyrocketed and so also haven't fallen more than 5%. We choose a home well within our ability to pay for it on one income. As I stated it will be paid in full in a few more years, then we we will save up one of our salaries until we can pay cash 100% for our next house.NC-C320 said:(1) You should have a home and others should not? When you have a job, even if you are the boss of your own company, you can never be 99.9% certain that will have that job for 5-10 years. Companies go bust, downsize, people have to respond to life changes that are beyond their control. When you have a home that's not paid for, that due to market conditions is underwater, and you lose your job, you cannot pay for it, or if you have to move to another location, you have to sell your home (paid for or not) and get a place to live in the new location. So even if you have paid for your home, to sell in the depressed market, you still lose...you may have paid $450K (a modest home in CA) and can only sell for $150K, so you lose $300K. And where are you going to live in you new location?
(2) Adjustable Rate Loans were all the rage...financial advisors all advised to use them. And liars loans, and no money down were worse. But you could still have no mortgage or up to date current mortgage and you still lose if you have to sell your home. If you don't have to sell, you've still lost much of its value, you just haven't realized it. Maybe the market will return, maybe not.
(3) For the average family, getting by is a struggle. So just how long do they have to live in someone's tiny little apartment before they can save enough to buy a home without a mortgage. Ever hear of something called inflation? Save your money, get 1.5% interest, pay taxes on that, and see how long it takes for you to save $200K. And in some areas that will get you a double garage converted to a home. But wait, inflation is running realisticly a lot more than 1.5%, so the price of the home (once we get back to a normal market) is going up every year, so you may never get there without using a mortgage to buy a home.
(4) Not getting personal, but do you have a home and if you do, did you save your money until you had 100% of the price....don't answer, but just ponder the question.
A little disingenuous. This from a Californian, of course!You can move away from the craziness that is California!
I blame no one but me for my financial success or failure and neither should anyone else.
Wasn't this about drywall or a sailboat?
Some friendly advice...So I've got this $10,000 check from FEMA. I want to use it buy a new(er) sailboat, but the Admiral insists we use it to put sheetrock on the walls of our house. I'm wondering if I should take a stand on this or not. Thoughts?