I'm officially sick oh home repairs

[disneysteve]

This week, it was $150 to repair the garage door opener. Both springs and cables needed to be replaced.

[PMMM]

I bought my house new in 2003. Not including upgrades and landscaping when new we have thus far only painted the house and fence. We also chose to replace all the standard light switches with the upgraded flat type, put in some timers for the outside lights to save energy. We painted the upstairs master bedroom and all the bathrooms. (Just to change to personal taste.) So far all of our appliances have held up. I need to have moss removed from one side of the roof and need to have the complete roof treated to prevent future moss. Last summer was pretty wet and cool with not enough heat and the moss is taking over. First time in 7 years I have had a moss problem. I imagine a garage door springs are going to need replaced soon and probably the hot water tank. I'm toying with replacing it with the tankless type. As I understand it they save money versus the tank type. I hope I can keep all the appliances together for at least a couple more years. Oh and I did replace the kitchen faucet with a new one.

I couldn't paint the house myself it's too high. One slip and it's curtains. I also can't do the roof myself. Too high again. My first house was a rambler and I painted it myself. This one I'm scared. I get the knee knock with heights.

Anyway, that's my story.

Pat

[SavingAdvice]

Remodeling can save you lots of money vs buying a new house. Spend 20k to upgrade everything vs 300k.

[snafu]

We're about to update our condo [built 1976]. The plan is to replace Lv Rm, D Rm, 2 halls broadloom + a total of 24 stairs which are a big problem. I don't know whether to use hardwood, engineered flooring, or laminate; installation cost is the same for all choices. We've helped friends install laminate and DH refuses to DIY these awkwardly shaped rooms. I've resigned to re-carpet the stairs as the other choices are too expensive given the re-sale value.

I figure we'll be here another 5 yrs before selling to buy an apartment.

[greenskeeper]

Yes, this is why people buy new homes!!!

I personally felt it was far more frugal to buy a newer home. The energy efficiency is also pretty amazing. People will all the time talk about quality of newer homes. Whatever - let them think it. All I know is the roof is supposed to last 50 years and I won't have to re-wire or redo pipes even if I live here many decades.

All that said, we all have home maintenance. There will always be something. My plan was to save our pennies some years before we had any repairs. 9 years into owning our home, I'd say it's paid off. I expect the appliances will be the first to go. We've done some landscaping and repainted the exterior. The fence looks sad (the builder did go cheap on that. The painter told us the stucco paint fades quickly the first time for whatever reason - shouldn't fade so fast this time). But there is no doubt having a newer home has been far less maintenance in the first decade. Maintenance-free? Not sure that exists when it comes to home ownership.

I have a co-worker who lives in an old schoolhouse circa 1826

[cschin4]

Remodeling can save you lots of money vs buying a new house. Spend 20k to upgrade everything vs 300k.

??? 20K? It takes 20K to remodel a kitchen.

There are pros and cons. Pros - new stuff, less maintenance and deterioration etc.

Cons - Some of the new stuff really isn't better. Homes built out of virgin timber and plaster with older methods may indeed be sturdier, more hardy homes. There is something about the old homes that just have a more lasting and sturdy feel versus the blow away modern homes. New drywall is pathetic and crumbles versus our old home of plaster board, etc.

[cschin4]

Another possible Pro of an older home - Taxes. In our area, newer homes have higher taxes than older homes. You can buy a huge Victorian mansion with minimal taxes whereas a newer tiny ranch home has real estate taxes 3x higher.

[disneysteve]

Another possible Pro of an older home - Taxes. In our area, newer homes have higher taxes than older homes. You can buy a huge Victorian mansion with minimal taxes whereas a newer tiny ranch home has real estate taxes 3x higher.

Isn't that amazing? Shouldn't taxes be based on the value of the home, the amount of land it occupies, etc. rather than basing it on when you happened to buy the place? No wonder our system is so screwed up.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I was trying to figure out why real estate tax would be lower on an older home. That sounds crazy in the east (PA) where there are lots of older homes. But then I remembered that in my city there are a few neighborhoods where you could once buy a old house and get a ten year abatement on taxes. And the abatement is renewable, but I don't know how they decide who gets it. The policy was set to get people back into these neighborhoods that were full of abandoned buildings.

However, in the 2000's the city also began offering ten year tax abatements to brand new houses. That policy was meant to encourage people to move back from the 'burbs. Our declining population was such an economic depressor for the remaining population that it was deemed worth it to help lure new citizens through a tax forgiveness.

So very old house? You might get an abatement.
New house? You definitely get one.
Everybody else? Sorry, Charlie.