Woodworking for Mere Mortals had some great Microjig ads for a while until he ended the partnership

Exactly. I’m not going to pay a fuckload of money for multiple streaming services only to still not see my fucking team every week.

Oh no, my employer might find out I’m looking for other jobs after being overloaded for a year and a half and constantly having my concerns/feedback/process improvement initiatives brushed aside.

You dropped this

༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ👑

In the US, the Coast Guard puts out Local Notice to Mariners once a week, and will push one out if there is a new hazard to navigation reported.

If you’re in anything larger than a small fishing boat, update your charts. Shit changes quick on the sea.

Ok, thanks for the reply! I’ve been using Sync for a decade, and it is by far the best app I’ve used. Thanks for all your work porting it over to Lemmy!

Doesn’t help that it just looks like an off-brand Iron Man. I saw one trailer and had no desire to watch anything related to it

The sunny days in summer in Alaska (all 3-6 weeks of them) are beautiful. The winter is really depressing though, but at least you have mountains and some really cool wildlife (up until you have a bear come back for your trash repeatedly, through more and more elaborate containment contraptions. Fucking trash pandas)

Fuuuuck the NE. Went to college there, and it ruined snow for me. Even Alaska was cheerier in winter than new england

Is it possible to upload multiple images? I can upload one image in a post, but can’t embed images in the body or a comment without receiving an error (“Could not upload image.”)

Your instance name disturbs me

Makes perfect sense. We were fortunate enough to be able to live well below our means at my last duty station and save a lot of money. Glad you’re doing well!

Mainly put some down to lower the monthly payment/total amount of interest on the loan

Definitely. We still put about 10% down, and could have done 20%, but it would’ve drained our savings and kept us from replacing the roof and some aging appliances. Interest rate was close to market average, slightly below, but definitely put home ownership within reach for us

Exactly. Waiving an inspection is the single worst thing you can do while buying a house. Even if you’re a contractor or inspector, having an unbiased third party look at the house without the pressure you’re under can do nothing but positive things for you. Even if you’re waiving repairs or concessions, it gives you a complete picture of what issues exist (and there are always issues, even in new construction), which allows you to paint a realistic picture of what the house will cost you.

All valid points, with the possible exception of your comment about earnings increases against rental costs.

Ultimately, it’s likely a wash with the slight edge towards renting in terms of value. Personally, the psychological benefits of ownership outweigh the downsides. Add to it that once my house is paid off, my cost of living drops immensely, which can be a major factor in an early retirement.

From a practical financial perspective, you are correct. However, owning a property provides long term security. It also insulated you from rising rent prices for 30 years. There is a certain peace of mind that comes with knowing you have complete control over your own shelter. While there are risks associated with that, you can mitigate that pretty effectively provided that

1. you make a smart purchase to begin with. Identify major issues and make a conscious decision whether you want to own those problems, or walk away.

2. Conduct regular, proper preventative maintenance to head off problems before they get bad.

3. Have decent insurance

While someone that rents indefinitely does avoid a lot of the risk of ownership, they also tied the cost of their shelter to something outside of their control. Sure, it’s cheaper than owning right now, but how will rent prices in 10-15 years compare to the cost of ownership of a property purchased today?

I get where you’re coming from, but sight unseen in a sellers market is a terrible idea. I commented above about the details of my experience, but there are so many shitty houses with major problems that are evident the second you walk into them. This approach ties up earnest money and can potentially prevent you from being able to jump on a good house.

Absolutely, great points. If possible, go check the house out when it’s raining. Our first visit was during a massive storm, and we were able to verify that there was proper drainage/no water intrusion (crawlspace mold was from some mulch covering a crawlspace vent and some subsequent seeping).

Our roof was original, 20ish years old, and had some minor damage. No leaks or evidence of previous leaks, but we had it replaced a few months after moving in before it became a problem. We knew about it ahead of time and could budget accordingly, and could take the time to shop around for a decent price from a reputable company.

Side note: GO IN THE CRAWLSPACE OF EVERY HOUSE YOU LOOK AT. We waved off of at least a dozen houses because there were massive issues that I found in the crawlspaces (standing water, major cracks, infestations, temporary jacks holding up the house, you name it). Everything else can be perfect, but if the foundation is fucked, so is the house. Don’t waste money on an inspection if you see major issues. If you can see it with an untrained eye, it’s already expensive.

I agree. Our HOA has a website with unofficial copies of the bylaws. After reading those and driving around the neighborhood, it was pretty obvious that they didn’t enforce much of it outside of keeping trash off the lawn. Talked to a few people that lived in the neighborhood to confirm, and it’s reasonable enough as far as HOAs go. Still not my preference, but it’ll do for 10-15 years