All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

I would side with the HOA, so long as the laws in fact allow a repurchase consideration. If the local laws do not, then I think there is a whopper story here and the racial angle is icing on the cake.

Delinquent tax payments are IMO best addressed exactly how they usually are, with penalties and interest, not foreclosure. Foreclosure ought to be a last resort, in the event the owners do not have the ability to pay, after reasonable chances to come current have been offered. Property rights are important and they should not be so easily taken from someone.

It seems true that the HOA neglected to update their address and pay their taxes. Someone in the HOA should have noticed this. It also appears this happened to the HOA before, which makes the second time even more strange. While it appears the couple bought the property fair and square, it also appears the HOA got it back fair and square (assuming the law allows this).

To me, this is a lesson to be learned for the REI, to find out the laws around tax foreclosures in your state. I wonder how much it cost the couple to go through all this.

April 29, 12 noon

Photo ID is provided at submission and the photo matches the person handing it to me, and the information from the ID matches what is reported on the application. I uncover most problems right there. After that, I use month to month leases.

I subscribe to the idea that everyone has something to offer. That said, lip service is lip service. Daddy used to say, don't believe everything you read, hear or see on tv - that goes double for the internet.

LOL. Sounds good. The more renters the better. That just means rents will be higher for me. Thanks CNBC.

Sure, anyone can invest and end up better off than owning a house. Anyone can be president too. Anyone can do as well as Rockefeller, Morgan, Ford, Gates and Buffet. Yes you can! You can do it! Now go sell that house, rent an apartment and get right on it!!! LOL.

I am not young or old, or very smart or wise, but I am not stupid either. One thing I have learned is I have to self evaluate and do what it is I can do. I can buy and fix up houses. Not only that, I love to buy and fix up houses. I will likely never be CEO of a fortune 500 company. I will likely not invent something as wonderful as a toaster or the internet. Could either of those happen? I suppose so. Would I bet my financial life on it? Not in a million years. There is a balance between aiming high and aiming for something I can actually hit. I also become annoyed when people say anyone can make money in REI - it's simply not a good fit for everyone and shame on those "gurus" who take peoples dream money while making that claim.

When it comes to owning my home and paying my mortgage, I think a mortgage is horrible and the sooner I am free of it the better. That said, homes tend to keep their value so long as they are maintained, they are not disposable like a car. If all I do is pay off my home in time to die and gift it to my kid, that is mission accomplished. And at what cost? For less than if I had rented all those years? Every person on here knows it is cheaper to own than rent - none of us would be here if that were not true. Truly large amounts of wealth are usually created generationally.

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LOL - you are welcome. The other part I did not mention because I would not want people to take chances, is that I don't put the threshold in myself!!! This will void the warranty in cases of a buckle. However, if you appropriately acclimate the material, take into consideration the time of year you install and adjust the spacing accordingly and finally make sure you have enough expansion space (which may include going under the base AND shoe in long spans), you will likely not have a problem. I would only do this in cases where the room is climate controlled. I would not do this in a hot humid climate where it would be expected the windows would be open. Thresholds are ugly, so if I can get away with it, I don't install them.

Lastly, laminate will expand equally in all directions because it is usually cardboard or Masonite with a veneer. An engineered hardwood with layers of cross-grained plywood will also expand equally in all directions. Traditional 3/4 solid hardwood floors will expand much more with the grain than it will against it, meaning the butt sides will not expand much and the long sides will expand much more.

LOL. I sometimes think the process of getting the materials on site is half the battle. And even then, I fully expect to make subsequent trips to the store.

We have Home Depot, Menards and then just a few Lowes. I know them all intimately. You too, will likely know all the stores in your area all too well.

I shop different stores for different stuff. Price differences, product quality, product availability, etc.

Floating floors are wonderful, especially for DIY. I have had excellent luck with everything from cheap laminate to higher-end hardwoods. As an appraiser I can tell you it took a minute for these types to be accepted in the market. Today, builders install them on a regular basis. There are so many options out there too, including floating ceramic tile.

Not only is it great for rehab and DIY, these are great choices when a person or market like to change styles often. They install easy and come out even easier. The high-end markets tend to shy away from floating.

Concerning underlayment, I have so far opted for the more expensive underlayment from Home Depot. It is a bit thicker, is made of denim, and serves as a cushion, sound and moisture barrier. I think I paid $0.45 per sf last time as compared to around $0.25 sf for foam. Of course some products come with the underlayment attached and that is awesome if the price is right.

As far as doing multiple or really large rooms, each product will have specs on when you need to have a break and use a threshold. This is the one downsides of floating floors, as the transitions from room to room are not always seamless. It is entirely possible the OP ignored this spec in the two-room span, but maybe not.

As far as installation, how and where you set the gap will depend on your project. All wood and laminate flooring needs space to expand and contract. This is minimized in controlled climate spaces, but should never be disregarded and the manufactures specs should be followed to preserve warranty. Occasionally a product will expand a large distance if you have a long span, which may require the install to go under the base trim and need shoe too. In general, you would need less of a gap in summer and moist months, and more of a gap in winter and dry months. In all cases, bring your material into the house and let the product acclimate to the room before installation - 3 days is probably enough, but I like to go a week, especially if the material is stacked tightly.

Full rehabs often replace base trim moldings. In this case, I like to run the flooring right up to or just before the drywall, but always so it will be under the base trim. I always make sure the drywall is above the sub-floor and above the finish floor too - which allows the flooring to expand into the area beneath the drywall. This is the best scenario because then the base trim will always be on top of the flooring, removing worry the flooring will catch on the trim when it expands and contracts.

In a case where you will not remove the base trim, you will need to use a 1/4 round shoe molding. I like to use 3/4 inch shoe which allows the most space for the gap. Because you don't want the expansion to catch on the base trim, don't even try to come close to it even if you have an area where it appears the flooring might fit underneath. Simply put your spacer in between the base trim and flooring, then cover the gap with the shoe. The added benefit of shoe, which is why it is installed in the first place, is because the thin wood is flexible and you can push it down to cover the gap as you nail it. Always push the shoe down as much as possible as you go (unless you have a large depression and the flooring will look goofy) as this will pin the floating floor down. Never nail shoe into the floor - always nail it into the base trim. If you nail it into the floor, the floor will not expand and contract like it should.

My favorite installation trick for floating floors is the set an entire row at once. This may require a second person, but it works great for both ease and finished product. What you do is line up an entire row, make your end cut, then connect all the ends together first and finally snap an entire row in at once. This will save you time and keep you from having to pound the ends in on each piece, which sometimes damages the product.

My other favorite trick depending on the product, is when you come to the last row or in a tight spot when you do not have the space to start the piece on an angle and snap it in. In this case you have to pound the piece as it lays flat on the floor. What I do to ease this along, is take my knife and cut the lip off the piece. This will create a piece that is just slightly not flat to the other pieces (lays lower), however it is barely noticeable.

I am a big fan of floating floors. Can't wait for floating ceramic tile to come down in price.

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The Ryobi I purchased was about 2 years ago from Home Depot, I don't recall the exact model, though I can tell you the one in your pic is better just by looking at it!

Tool manufacturers regularly put out numerous models. Some of these are great, some not so much. Sometimes the cheap one is just as good as the expensive and other times you get what you pay for.

Manufacturers will sometimes license their name, so you can have one name on the tool, but it's something else entirely. I had that happen a couple years ago when I purchased a Milwaukee paint sprayer that appeared to be of good design with a quality name. The thing was a lemon and turned out to be...that's right a Ryobi. I went online after to find out everyone had the same problem with the sprayer and Ryobi was not doing a good job of remedy. I used it twice and it sits in my basement.

The cult following you speak of is interesting and very real. Certain tools along the way were built to last with great design. I have had excellent success with many Ryobi tools and would not say the brand is bad just because one model I used was not that great. Ryobi is often a great buy for the money.

Dewalt is the pro Black & Decker line. Porter Cable is Craftsman. Milwaukee is Milwaukee, but will license their name. Bosch is usually a quality product, though will usually cost more. Delta tends to be very good, but is usually geared for higher-end stuff. Tool Shop is hit or miss. Hitachi is usually good, but can also be hit or miss. So many tools...ahh...

I have had good luck with all Dewalt tools so far, but you will always pay more when it isn't always necessary. I have had so-so luck with Ryobi. Milwaukee are usually good, but sometimes they allow their name to be used. I purchased a Ryobi table saw for $139, it had all the amps and speed as all the others, and it burned out the very first day I used it. I then purchased a Bosch for like $350-$400 (I think) and I love it so far. About the same price as a Dewalt. What I love most about the Bosch is the design. Each and every little thing you could ever think of was thought out on the saw. It has handles and is easily moveable. The fence tucks underneath and so do all the accessories. It has a place to wrap the cord. The fence is very decent for a portable table saw. As others have said, you don't need a high-end table saw for rehab and in many cases you don't need one at all. I like to have one because it is just so darn great to do thin rips on long pieces, but you can work around that too with a circular or jig saw in many cases. Of course, occasionally a circular saw will simply not do, however in some of those cases, a portable table saw wont do either!!! You probably know all this.

For circular saw I really like my $50 Skill. Plenty of power, holds up, easy to handle - great price.

For a jig I like my Bosch, again the design is excellent and it works great - a bit pricey.

LOL. I have been using a $100 Hitachi miter saw with a 7" blade and no slide. It works quite well for most stuff and is super light and easy to move around. I put it on a collapsible stand with wheels from Tool Box brand - stand is excellent for the money. I have been smelling some electrical lately and suspect the saw will die on me soon. I do have an expensive miter saw in my future, as it does pay to get a good one with a large blade, though they are a pain so having a small one and a big one is probably ideal. Slides are nice, but I actually prefer a circular saw for that stuff.

For nail guns and compressor I have been loving my Porter Cable pancake rig. The price is great, the design is great and it is holding up well. I also like the dual air gauges that allow variable pressures. The porter cable guns are as good as any I have used and the nails are not too tough to find for most models, except the straight-nail 15 gauge. I have sprayed tubs with epoxy paint using my Porter Cable pancake - just remember to drain all the water out first and/or get a water trap. 

My favorite tool is my Sonicrafter from Rockwell. There are numerous brands out there. I bought it to cut under jams for flooring and use it for countless little jobs - I never leave home without it.