Iron Crotch

Nashville, Rayzer?

'cus you're already drunk?

The above is good advice. Get the best, most thorough, inspector in town. Ask around. Do some research. And, remember to stick to your guns - you are in charge despite the pressure you'll receive to buy. Throughout the buying process everyone has an interest in pushing you into buying the highest priced home possible. No one gets paid until you buy, and that includes lenders, as well as both your and the other Realtor. The commission to both Realtors is paid by the seller, so in some sense your Realtor is working for their own paycheck and not necessarily for your own interests. The only person on your side is the inspector, but there are a ton of lousy inspectors out there. They usually get paid on a flat fee, so they have an incentive to do a half-assed inspection. Finding one with some integrity can save you thousands - once you sign the documents you inherit whatever problems the home has (electrical, structural, plumbing, roof, etc.).

BTW - I recommend saving 20% as a down payment if you have the means to do so, which avoids PMI. Paying PMI is basically a gigantic waste of money.

It is highly dependent on the area that you live in. In general, land is an appreciating asset while the structure on said land is a depreciating asset. The rate of land appreciation varies greatly across areas. And you can, of course, do things to the structure to abate or even reverse the rate of structural depreciation. Personally, I always think of buying a home as an investment decision. And, I think of every change I make to the home also in terms of investment value (e.g., "will putting in new floors for $X make me more than $X when I sell the home?") I live in one of the hottest real estate markets in the country (Nashville) so my perspective is very different from someone who lives in western NY/PA. We have no state income tax and very low property taxes, and rents here are sky high. I gambled correctly on what I thought would be the next "hot area" of Nashville and built a unique home that sets it apart from others in my area. Buying this house is easily the best investment I have ever made.

You must live in New York state where property taxes are absurdly high. :) It is very much the opposite where I live. I'm spending far less per month owning (+ getting the interest write-off + my home is appreciating at a ridiculous rate). It is market-dependent for sure. IMHO, the biggest difference between renting and owning is the amount of work and the incurrence of unexpected expenses that come up when you own. As a first-time owner, my biggest difficulty was finding a good plumber, a good electrician, a floor guy, a handyman, etc. There are a lot of lousy ones out there - finding someone who knows what they are doing took some time. Knowing what you should pay for the work that is done (i.e. not getting ripped off) takes time as well. I also had to learn how to fix a lot of basic things on my own, which again took time and effort.

When they started making calls it allowed us to get back into it. We scored back-to-back power play goals to tie it up. Detroit scored on their one power play to tie it up in the third. My complaint was if they put the whistles away and don't call anything (either way), teams have a much harder time erasing deficits. I don't think they were biased in either direction. We got away with a lot, honestly. I just don't like it when the call absolutely nothing is all.

That shot wasn't even close by Jack.

:(

Denied by Linus.

Now it goes back to 3 on 3.

OT penalties go to 4 on 3. But it then goes to 4-on-4 until the next stoppage.

A call? Wow.

6 points back of Detroit in the Atlantic coming in, so still 6 points back with each getting a point. Gionta starting the power play? oof.

Interference? :o

You're talking about hockey, right? ;)

Franson is so goddammed slow.

Detroit sucks at fighting.

Not letting Zetterberg get his face bashed in cost Detroit a goal.

Power play goal! Good for Evander!!!

What's with the third guy jumping in?

The low scoring games with low penalty totals promote teams going into defensive shells once they get the lead. The result can be a boring brand of hockey. IMHO, that's what the league doesn't want. Today's game doesn't fit that bill, but a lot of teams today play that way (Toronto for sure).

This would be a 5-3 game a few years ago.

The larger issue is lack of scoring in the league. Not calling the rules as written contributes mightily to that.