Poll-Do You Rent or Own Your Major Residence?

[chinaco]

We intend to downsize and simplify. Our house is more than we need (and want to keep up with).

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calgary_Girl We've been mortgage-free for almost 10 years. The past few months however, we've been thinking of building a slightly bigger house which would be our dream house and also give us more room for the kids. We can afford to build the house outright but would have to use some money from our taxable portfolio. Our dilemma is 1) do we take out a mortgage for approximately $200K, or 2) do we cash in some of our taxable portfolio knowing that we'd pay capital gains and give up a higher dividend yield than what the new mortgage rate would be? I'm leaning towards the former...decisions, decisions.

Take a HELOC for prime +1% or less. Pay it off on your schedule, i.e. as fast as possible.

[Calgary_Girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh Take a HELOC for prime +1% or less. Pay it off on your schedule, i.e. as fast as possible.

Actually, that's one of our options. We've gotten a quote for Prime + 0.5%.

[eyeonFI]

Bought in 2000, paid off the mortgage in 2008, one month before my first son was born (I figured having kids was kind of like taking on a mortgage, so wanted to get the house paid off (and actually monthly daycare bill is MORE than my monthly mortgage payment was)).

[East Texas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Yep, property taxes are low for Texas tick and chigger ranchers...

Right now it's grasshoppers, ticks, and rat snakes. I have never seen so many snakes as I have this month. At least we have rat snakes and very few rattlesnakes. You have rattlesnakes and very little anything else.

Question of the day for you country folks. How do you tell the difference between a venomous snake and a nonvenomous snake? It was the second thing our young grandchildren learned. The first thing was to never get close enough to a snake to tell which one it was....

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Guess you switch over to the Mucks when the pages wear out?

Switch over when we're working in the boggy area near the lake or killing the gophers in the hay meadow. We need more rat snakes.....

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mh YouTube - The Funky Fritters - Everything I do gonna be Funky from now on

Thanks mh. DH and I love this

[Rustic23]

I have no problem with true ag exemptions. However, there are far too many people that abuse them. Example, a neighbor has lots of land with trees on it. The highest and best use of this land is not forest, but subdivision. However, he gets an ag exemption and sets on the land. In Houston, there was a large track of land on one of the busiest street in the city. The owner kept several head of cattle on it and it qualified for the exemption. The property was bordered by shopping centers and apartments. As to raising prices, maybe, but then taxes should go down...... well considering politician maybe not.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by East Texas Right now it's grasshoppers, ticks, and rat snakes. I have never seen so many snakes as I have this month. At least we have rat snakes and very few rattlesnakes. You have rattlesnakes and very little anything else.

The most snakes I've ever seen was while walking in a partially dried up creek bed in East Texas. Dozens of water moccasins in every remaining water hole feeding on the trapped fish. I still get the willies just thinking about it...

Speaking of rattlesnakes, over the weekend a local 8 year old Little League player was bitten by one in left field. (What part of the body is the left field you ask? It's near the yet... as in "He was shot some years ago and the bullet is in him yet". ) <rimshot>

[East Texas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Speaking of rattlesnakes, over the weekend a local 8 year old Little League player was bitten by one in left field. (What part of the body is the left field you ask? It's near the yet... as in "He was shot some years ago and the bullet is in him yet". ) <rimshot>

You are a true Texican right down to the heels in your alligator boots!

We were chatting while picking up some fallen limbs last year. It was one of those mundane things you just hate to do and know it needs to get done. I picked up a small branch about 5' long and was ready to toss it on the trailer when out of the corner of my eye I saw a slight movement on the end of the branch. It had a copperhead wrapped around it. He was a bit too cold to do much except give me a dirty look. Since the pups weren't around, I let him go. Well, I let him go about 50' away from us in the woods. Now, friends, THAT's why you wear good gloves and boots out in the country.

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by East Texas Now, friends, THAT's why you wear good gloves and boots out in the country.

Add to that a roll of toilet paper in yer pocket.

[neihn]

We've owned two homes - one in the US and one in Vietnam - all paid off - We are looking forward to go back and ford between US and Vietnam when we both retire which will be 2016 or may be sooner.