JinJer 28: Guns & Roses

[SilverBeach]

@louisa05, I saw comments clearly stating that the max loan amount was the max you could spend, so I don't know how obvious that made my remark.

[sawasdee]

I love Brussel sprouts, but they are only available here fresh for a couple of weeks near Christmas - and very expensive! Does anyone know how to make frozen ones palatable?

[SilverBeach]

I have owned several homes over thirty years, with all manner of loans, so I know very well how it all works.

In this day and age, no agent is needed to keep abreast of new listings. Automatic notifications are  practically real-time, no agent with more than one client can work that fast. I am monitoring the market in several communities as I will be retiring and selling in the near future. 

We all have different real estate experiences, and no one's input should be dismissed because it differs from somebody elses. All advice can be useful, take what is helpful and leave the rest alone.

 

[beepy13]

1 hour ago, calimojo said:

Back to Jinger/Jer.  I find it interesting that there was a stupid contrived storyline on Counting On with Jill and Jessa supposedly househunting, and right around the same time,  Jinger and Jeremy actually were house hunting.  That had the potential to actually be interesting and they don't show that on the show?  Are the producers just really lazy, dumb or truly just don't care and they are going through the motions? 

I'd like to think it's because they made a decision to keep part of their life private. But I'm sure it's being withheld until the next season.

[metheglyn]

3 minutes ago, beepy13 said:

I'd like to think it's because they made a decision to keep part of their life private. But I'm sure it's being withheld until the next season.

Admittedly, the purchase seems to have been fairly recent, and aside from the initial episode of Joy's wedding last fall, we're still somewhere last summer during the show's semi-structured timeline, I think. I mean, they haven't even covered any of the wedding prep at all, but are still planning to show it before we get the second Joy's wedding episode in its presumed rightful spot in the timeline. And if Joe and Kendra get married in the fall as expected, that will likely *also* be shown as a special episode in the next group of episodes, regardless of it happening almost a year after things they still haven't shown on the show. So if we are going to see J&J actually buy a house it may not be for another *two* seasons. 

[MadeItOut]

4 hours ago, sawasdee said:

I love Brussel sprouts, but they are only available here fresh for a couple of weeks near Christmas - and very expensive! Does anyone know how to make frozen ones palatable?

The key is in the defrosting I reckon. We have the same issue with the shops only carrying them round then too. I either defrost mine in a collander, then pat them really dry before cooking. I have heard that if you're steaming them, you can do them straight from frozen, adding five minutes more, using half the usual water. I haven't had chance to try that method yet though.

[DillyDally]

5 hours ago, beepy13 said:

I'd like to think it's because they made a decision to keep part of their life private. But I'm sure it's being withheld until the next season.

I'd like to think so, too, especially since they kept it quiet on social media, too. However, if they do include it in the next season, they already have a lot of material for flashbacks with Jill and Jessa ("look, we were house hunting, too!!!"). Yawn.

[louisa05]

I have owned several homes over thirty years, with all manner of loans, so I know very well how it all works.
In this day and age, no agent is needed to keep abreast of new listings. Automatic notifications are  practically real-time, no agent with more than one client can work that fast. I am monitoring the market in several communities as I will be retiring and selling in the near future. 
We all have different real estate experiences, and no one's input should be dismissed because it differs from somebody elses. All advice can be useful, take what is helpful and leave the rest alone.
 

Some of us still have jobs that do not allow us to monitor phones/email/internet all day. Mr 05 only sees his work email which absolutely cannot be used for anything personal and if he is seen with a phone he can be fired. As a sub, I can be blocked by a school or teacher for being on my phone. And if I'm in primary don't have time anyway. So those notifications are not in real time.

In the market here right now, houses were going from listed to under contract in as little as 24 hours. 48 hours was typical. Having an agent monitor it was easier in those circumstances. And why do the work when someone who does it for a living can do it for you? Plus you can establish a relationship for when you will need that person in the purchase process.

And since you don't pay that person, what exactly is the harm? You can still watch the market on your own too. It's not like using a realtor gets you blocked from the sites.

[PennySycamore]

@OldFadedStar, my brother served in the Army Band for three years in the 70s.  For eighteen months, he was stationed in Germany. The band performed at Potsdam, where my brother, IIRC, danced along with some bandmates in front of the Soviet generals and again at Calais.  These events were commemorating the 30th anniversary of WWII.  My brother enjoyed his time in Germany despite the rabid feral cats living under the barracks.

[RabbitKM]

For you real estate people: Is there a time-frame for how long a person/couple/family whatever should plan on owning/living in the house before selling it?  Like let's say you buy a starter home, how long should you plan on staying until you buy another? (obviously, the final answer is you should stay until you saved up enough money. but hypothetically, if you had enough for the second home, within say a year of buying the first, is there a benefit of waiting to buy the second?)

[gilora]

21 hours ago, sawasdee said:

I love Brussel sprouts, but they are only available here fresh for a couple of weeks near Christmas - and very expensive! Does anyone know how to make frozen ones palatable?

Buy the best quality frozen Brussels sprouts you can find.  Trader Joe's has really good ones. Defrost in the refrigerator.  Pat dry.  Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about half an hour, shaking the pan every 10 minutes or so, until the sprouts get nice and brown.  Delicious and so easy. 

[Jana814]

1 hour ago, RabbitKM said:

For you real estate people: Is there a time-frame for how long a person/couple/family whatever should plan on owning/living in the house before selling it?  Like let's say you buy a starter home, how long should you plan on staying until you buy another? (obviously, the final answer is you should stay until you saved up enough money. but hypothetically, if you had enough for the second home, within say a year of buying the first, is there a benefit of waiting to buy the second?)

I think going from a starter home to an another home depends on the family. I have a client who have been married since 1991. They brought their house soon after in my town. A 3 bedroom 2 bath with a finished basement. According to her sister they had every intention to buy a bigger place (same town). However, right after they decided to put their house on the market the economy feel he lost his job and they ended up staying. 

[SilverBeach]

12 hours ago, louisa05 said:

 

Some of us still have jobs that do not allow us to monitor phones/email/internet all day. Mr 05 only sees his work email which absolutely cannot be used for anything personal and if he is seen with a phone he can be fired. As a sub, I can be blocked by a school or teacher for being on my phone. And if I'm in primary don't have time anyway. So those notifications are not in real time.

In the market here right now, houses were going from listed to under contract in as little as 24 hours. 48 hours was typical. Having an agent monitor it was easier in those circumstances. And why do the work when someone who does it for a living can do it for you? Plus you can establish a relationship for when you will need that person in the purchase process.

And since you don't pay that person, what exactly is the harm? You can still watch the market on your own too. It's not like using a realtor gets you blocked from the sites.

 

I have a job too. Its a simple email notification that takes a few minutes to peruse, no more than taking a call from an agent. I can look at pictures and specs and room dimensions and decide if the property is something I want to see or not. Then I call an agent. I've done it your way and I prefer this way which is faster in a hot market unless you get shown an agent's pocket listing or pre-listing. Those aren't common.

Look, I'm not anti-agent and frankly don't understand your hostility on this subject. Neither your way nor mine is the only way, neither one of us knows everything, and to each her own. Damn.

[luxfilia]

As someone who is starting the house hunting process in an extremely competitive area, I'm sort of enjoying both sides of the above argument.

[SilverBeach]

@luxfilia, be glad it's not like it was when I bought my first house back in the early 1980s. Listings were kept in big binders at the realtors office. Many were already sold. No pictures. No self service at all was possible, and it made steering to certain areas and price ranges a lot easier. The electronic age of house buying is far better, to me. Knowledge is power.

Oh, and I'm not arguing, and I don't get why that tone was used with me. This was just a discussion as far as I'm concerned. 

[karen77]

We totally used an agent to sell and to buy, but always looked on the websites ourselves, then told him/her which houses we wanted to see in person.  We got alerts for new listings way faster than he could have emailed them.

[SilverBeach]

1 minute ago, karen77 said:

We totally used an agent to sell and to buy, but always looked on the websites ourselves, then told him/her which houses we wanted to see in person.  We got alerts for new listings way faster than he could have emailed them.

Yes! I once bought a house without an agent and would never do it again. But I like selecting my own properties to view.

[cascarones]

I used an agent to buy, I was his first client (I don't necessarily recommend this - but family friends and his Mum had been an agent for years so I knew I was in good hands). It made things easier, I was traveling a lot at the time for work so having him coordinate everything and do more research was helpful, even just small things. I loved one house and he came back after looking at who had built it and explained that builder had undergone tons of class action lawsuits, so we should skip it.

That being said, the seller's agent was a misogynistic tool, who was condescending to my agent, told the sellers not to do any repairs until after close since I was a young single woman and banks didn't like that. Mind you, I had all my financials predone, pre-approved by a major bank and the house wasn't anywhere near the limit. No dice, everyone had already canceled their other leases to move in and it would have pushed the sale into the next year, which I didn't want for tax reasons and he did want for tax reasons. Then tried to tell me repairs had been done, so I asked for receipts of service in case there were questions. Hem haw, well contractors don't give receipts. Yes, they do and you can take some of it off your taxes depending on the state. My agent was a doll, handled scheduling of repairs and letting them in.

I filed a complaint with the realtor's board, his company, BBB. The sellers were furious, did the same and lambasted him on social media to boot. He did not know the two ladies were a couple and felt completely comfortable telling them he wouldn't have taken them on as clients had he known about their lifestyle. Bad apples in every profession, but that's why having a good agent in your corner is key!

[nst]

On 7/23/2017 at 9:41 PM, beepy13 said:

I'd like to think it's because they made a decision to keep part of their life private. But I'm sure it's being withheld until the next season.

well he just posted a shot of himself in front of some bibles with no shirt on 

so there you go 

10 hours ago, SilverBeach said:

Yes! I once bought a house without an agent and would never do it again. But I like selecting my own properties to view.

I tried to do this the last time but the other agent representing the seller wouldn't accept my offer until I got an agent...(he obviously didn't know I have been studying for the exam for four years) 

so I had to get an agent ....

[VelociRapture]

1 hour ago, nst said:

well he just posted a shot of himself in front of some bibles with no shirt on 

so there you go 

Are you talking about Jeremy? Because he very clearly has a peach colored button down shirt on over a white undershirt in that photo you're talking about:

 

[nst]

on my cell phone it looked like he had nothing on

 

[Front Hugging Fiend]

29 minutes ago, nst said:

on my cell phone it looked like he had nothing on

 

wishful thinking, @nst?  

[MoonFace]

On 7/21/2017 at 3:15 PM, HarryPotterFan said:

Seriously. There was a large orthodox Jewish community at my college whose parents trusted them to go away to college and live in a dorm. Their parents trusted them to be off on their own and uphold their religious values. The fact that the Duggars and their ilk are so against this shows that their values are weak.

I've been saying something similar all along:   If you raise your children to believe to be accountable to themselves and God then they shouldn't need a chaperone to hold them accountable.    They should have the values you thought them within themselves to do what they feel is the right thing.   

If they believe front hugs are not right and they front hug?  Well, that should be between them and God. 

I was raised to say, "I don't."until I said, "I do" at the alter.   That was important to me.   So, although I was tempted, I didn't. 

Not saying that I'm more righteous than any of the Duggars or any of the other fundies - but I feel that it was more of a test.    And I passed.   

[nst]

7 hours ago, Front Hugging Fiend said:

wishful thinking, @nst?  

A forever NO 

22 hours ago, RabbitKM said:

For you real estate people: Is there a time-frame for how long a person/couple/family whatever should plan on owning/living in the house before selling it?  Like let's say you buy a starter home, how long should you plan on staying until you buy another? (obviously, the final answer is you should stay until you saved up enough money. but hypothetically, if you had enough for the second home, within say a year of buying the first, is there a benefit of waiting to buy the second?)

my parents sold their last place before they moved into their current place 10 months after they moved in .. Only because my mom hated it and they made a $700k profit 

if you have enough saved - buy the second house and keep the first and rent it out !!!! 

[RabbitKM]

16 minutes ago, nst said:

my parents sold their last place before they moved into their current place 10 months after they moved in .. Only because my mom hated it and they made a $700k profit 

if you have enough saved - buy the second house and keep the first and rent it out !!!! 

Thank you. Somewhere I heard you should only buy if you plan on living there 5 years.. not sure if that's true or not. I'm currently happily renting, just started my first big girl job on June 1, trying to pay off student loans and save up.  I was just asking, because by the time I have the down payment, I'm not sure I would want to stay in this area an additional 5+ years.