I Called In Sick Today

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

Just two baths for four beds? I cannot condone it.

 

I feel like that house is much better than what can be had here for $250k. I honestly just hate the style, although I’ve heard it’s now the most popular for some reason. Something about it being easier for retirees.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

Now is probably the time to look for a place. Several guys at work got into a new house competition, ending with someone getting a place for $600k+ and saying they needed to put another $100k into it. The data doesn’t really support it but part of me thinks this is all one huge bubble.

[SuitedAces21 2,722]

that basement is RIPE for a 75 inch 4k tv and some serious game day excitement.

[Napa_Don 688]

But it's still a yes on the investment, right?

 

I don't mind the ranch style. Especially when those make up 90% of the houses in my price range, the other 10% being those stupid, idk what they're called, A-Frame? houses were the master bedroom is really the second floor which is really the attic with the sloped walls. I can't imagine it's not super hot in the summer.

 

My friend's house have appreciated something like 30% int he past few years. I also have a hard time beliving we're not in some bubble but also houses and land are always going to cost a minimum amount of money and, again, the houses I'm loooking at are probably close too that minimum.

[Napa_Don 688]

that basement is RIPE for a 75 inch 4k tv and some serious game day excitement.

 

This guy gets it. OLED ONLY

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

But it's still a yes on the investment, right?

 

I don't mind the ranch style. Especially when those make up 90% of the houses in my price range, the other 10% being those stupid, idk what they're called, A-Frame? houses were the master bedroom is really the second floor which is really the attic with the sloped walls. I can't imagine it's not super hot in the summer.

 

My friend's house have appreciated something like 30% int he past few years. I also have a hard time beliving we're not in some bubble but also houses and land are always going to cost a minimum amount of money and, again, the houses I'm loooking at are probably close too that minimum.

I know I’ve said it before here, but I think you are in no man’s land with that price range. If you go up a little for a better house, or down a bit for a nice condo, you’ll end up with a much nicer bang:buck. That was the situation when I was doing my search, and I erred on the crappy end, and have saved so much money on all the bullshit that comes with a house.

 

I just looked through the $150k-$400k listings for MPLS on Zillow. I want to throw up. I thought my town was bad.

[GWCGWC 83]

He has a Panerai of some kind, a green Submariner, a Lange Saxonia, and I think some kind of a sporty Patek from before the prices went bonkers. He may have a few others he hasn't mentioned to me, possibly a JLC.

 

Setting aside all the other valid reasons not to do it, I would be worried about getting a Rolex due to the way people would react at work. If money wasn't a factor, yadda yadda, I'd probably go with this model:

https://www.rolex.com/watches/sky-dweller/m326934-0003.html

 

I’m jelly of that collection. No wonder he uses the term timepiece.

 

People seem to notice the Rolex brand.

 

Another watch I forgot in my list is the Tudor Northflag. Check it out.

 

 

[Napa Lite 3,278]

Yes, I’m not thrilled with my prospects and am giving strong considerations to just renting an apartment. That said, I’m meeting with a mortgage lady at work to get a prequal letter and I got a few names of realtors from friends to contact so I get plugged into MLS so I can be ready to put an offer in if the opportunity arises. Like this weekend when there were two houses that came up that were at the bottom of my budget and had 95% of my wants.

[Napa Lite 3,278]

And while I’d really rather not live in a townhome or condo I would do it if I was able to find one with a fenced in yard for the dog but those are few and far between up here.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

And while I’d really rather not live in a townhome or condo I would do it if I was able to find one with a fenced in yard for the dog but those are few and far between up here.

Yeah, all the ones meeting that description here are like $250k min.

[Essay21 2,385]

I’m not buying a house for a few years, hopefully times perfectly with moving back to St Louis. I know it’s going to happen for work so I’m not buying here and then moving.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

I think St. Louis would be fun.

[CobaltBlue 662]

How was it? What kinds of things did you do? I'm guessing you don't know icelanic.

We'd been looking forward to it for a while, and we both enjoyed it. Wish we could've gone for longer, but tough to get away from the toddlers for extended amounts of time. We flew from West Palm Beach to JFK to Iceland on Friday (through Saturday morning). There was a car waiting for us to take us to Reykjavik...which was about 45mins away. Supposedly there was a surprising amount of snow for the time of year and location. We couldn't check into our hotel until the afternoon, but we put our bags in storage.

 

During that day, we did a tour of the city...saw most of the big points of interest and got a general feel. One thing that caught us by surprise was how expensive the food is. Cheap entrees started at around $20-25 pretty much everywhere. We did find some hot dogs and sandwiches that were more like $8. Even a local bowl of seafood soup was $18. We ended up going to a local fish and chips place. We hoped to see the Northern Lights that first night, but they cancelled the tours due to cloud cover, which was okay since we were pretty tired.

 

On Sunday morning, we went to Blue Lagoon. It's a hot springs that's sort of attached to a geothermal power plant. The water is around 98-104F and has a lot of silica. Outside of the water, it was 30F and windy. They've turned it into this giant blue pool with a whole bunch of areas...kind of like a water park without slides maybe. We hung out in there for a couple of hours. Aside from my ear lobes hurting a little at times, the atmosphere was pretty neat. They cancelled the Northern Lights tour again that night, but we had a nice dinner as I decided to splurge and do an "Icelandic Tasting Journey":

https://imgur.com/a/UJAQk

 

I enjoyed pretty much all of that. The puffin had a jerky quality (not bad). The whale tasted like rare steak with just the slightest hint of fish. The horse tasted a bit like roast beef with a bit of an unplaceable flavor (maybe slightly gamey?). The dessert reminded me of the bottom part of creme brulee crossed with whipped cream, and I had my first gooseberry (as far as I know) - tasted kind of like a wild strawberry.

 

On Sunday, we did what's called the Golden Circle tour...basically a tour of the countryside a few hours out from the city. What struck me the whole trip was how much wilderness there is. We saw an Icelandic horse demonstration (they look like ponies), a big waterfall, a geyser and hot springs, and we saw the continental divide (where the NA and European plates meet), which was near where they filmed some of Game of Thrones.

 

That night they finally opted to attempt the Northern Lights tour. They bussed us all out to a lighthouse on a peninsula. The prospects weren't necessarily looking good as it was still somewhat cloudy, but we were able to slightly discern some lighter gray-ish looking spots, which when you use a long exposure turned green-ish...which confirmed those were them. It wasn't the spectacular stuff that you think of, but I guess it somewhat counts.

 

We left early the next morning and barely made our connection in NYC (like literally had to ask to cut in the security line and ran to the gate...got to the door just before they closed it). Would've liked to have gone for longer and seen more of the country - volcanoes for example. Also would've liked to seen the Northern Lights better, but that may happen elsewhere before then again.

 

Would recommend.

 

The pictures were beautiful, that's for sure.

Those were just Beth's. I have quite a few on my camera and my phone that I've just been too lazy to upload yet.

[brvheart 1,752]

St. Louis is definitely a fun town. It feels like we are at the top of a bubble. Maybe wait for Trump to get kicked out of office and the tax cut to be revoked. Buy a house a couple months later.

 

 

All that food for $80? That seems cheap considering the cost of everything else.

[CobaltBlue 662]

My friend's house have appreciated something like 30% int he past few years.

We bought our house for $338k about 3 years ago...Zestimate is currently $380k fwiw.

[brvheart 1,752]

Not that you even need to see the place before you snap accept such an amazing opportunity but this is the place. I could make it work but I'd be extremely house poor unless I got a roommate or two, which I'd prefer to not have to have.

 

https://www.realtor....28_M86435-85051

 

I like the yard. I'm not a fan of the house, but I view things in terms of 7 people now. If I was on my own, it would work well.

[Napa Lite 3,278]

Well, it’s moot because strat didn’t overnight his check and now it’s under contract.

 

I spoke with a mortgage lady today. She’s going to come back with some quotes for me and then I’ll decide if I can even afford a house or if I have to rent for awhile longer.

[brvheart 1,752]

Well, it's moot because strat didn't overnight his check and now it's under contract.

 

That was fast.

[Napa Lite 3,278]

Ohhh, buddy. That house was on the market for 3 days which is insane. Vast majority are going same day or even prior to being listed. Sellers market for sure.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

Tried on a few watches at a Rolex dealer. I probably need at least $500k saved before I’d be willing to buy what I want. Aka never.

[brvheart 1,752]

Why punish yourself by going to the store? You don't seem like a guy that can't resist temptation, but still.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

I wanted to put the idea to rest, basically. They are great, but so clunky, which sucks for the winter time (trying to get a jacket on/off while wearing it). I'll probably buy a mid-range Rolex someday as a life milestone thing, but I'm not in any rush right now based on the experience.

[CobaltBlue 662]

All that food for $80? That seems cheap considering the cost of everything else.

I mean, the first four courses were basically a few bites each...think tapas. The ling and lamb rump steak were a little more substantial...maybe slightly smaller than a normal entree. It was probably an equivalent amount of food to maybe 1.5-2 typical entrees here in a US restaurant.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

The Iceland experience sounds like a ton of fun. I could see myself doing that. Any idea what the all-in cost was?

 

I have seen several articles in the FT and WSJ about how millennials are different and value experiences over trinkets, and it’s apparently brutal for the luxury watch industry. Seems like they’re trying to turn it into an either/or, when it’s really not for DINK households. I think the industry is seeing delayed impact from the recession. The people first entering the workforce 10 years ago are the ones who would have started buying these dumbass watches a few years ago (when watch sales started dipping). I am sure incomes are still lower for that group vs. people who graduated into a standard job market.

[Theraflu 1,035]

I dated this girl for about two years, end of high school and part of freshman year at college. She was a chubby stoner with a couple tattoos. Now she's a strongwoman/bodybuilder/fitness coach, and does not resemble the person I knew at all.