Poll: Compare housing/shelter expenses

[rodi]

Spinoff from W2R's Compare Value of residence to investment portfolio thread, here's my poll.

THIS IS JUST FOR FUN. If you want something different, feel free to start your own poll.

Criteria for responses:

What is your (annual housing expenses) / investment portfolio.

Again - we're not looking at income sources nor NPV of pensions or rental propeerties.

However, in *my* poll we will include expenses from second (and 3rd and 4th) homes that are used by you.

Renters feel free to participate.

Expenses should include:
Mortgage + interest or rent; home owners insurance (but not umbrella); HOAs; power utilities (but not phone since that's used outside the home); home improvement/repair; property taxes; gardeners and/or housekeepers... In other words any expenses directly tied to living in your home.

 

[REWahoo]

In other words any expenses directly tied to living in your home.

Do I include expenses for my quarterly pest control treatments? What about the cost of Off! I have to spray myself with before mowing the lawn?

 

[rodi]

I would include the pest control treatment... but not the OFF.... but use your own judgement.

I just modified the poll #'s because I figured my own value and it was super low.

 

[Meadbh]

0.2%

Thank you rodi, this makes me feel much better about deciding to hire a cleaning lady!

 

[rodi]

Ok... I calculated my numbers and "all in" my annual housing expenses are just about 1% of my investment portfolio.

It is 37% of my WR and 18% of our annual spending. (We have rental and SS income on top of our withdrawals.)

 

[Sunset]

If you have a landline phone, that should be included as is part of the house expense like cable.

 

[GrayHare]

Mortgage will distort the result as it can be a large number, much of which merely reflects increasing investment in real estate. It's akin to moving cash from your bank to a VG real estate fund and calling that an expense.

 

[W2R]

Between 0% and 1%.... specifically 0.7%.

No mortgage, no second home. Expensive insurance, lawn guy. 18% of my WR.

And yes, Meadbh, you were right to hire a cleaning lady!

 

[rodi]

If you have a landline phone, that should be included as is part of the house expense like cable.

I agree... My percentage remains the same because we have super cheapo magic jack for our landline.

I also agree that mortgages will distort things. Just as in W2R's poll... I could borrow against my house (decreasing equity) to increase my investment portfolio...

 

[Meadbh]

I also agree that mortgages will distort things. Just as in W2R's poll... I could borrow against my house (decreasing equity) to increase my investment portfolio...

Which is why I posted my poll on debt ratios.

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...t-to-total-asset-ratio-83532.html#post1783887

 

[GrayHare]

I also agree that mortgages will distort things. Just as in W2R's poll... I could borrow against my house (decreasing equity) to increase my investment portfolio...

For the crowd here such borrowing will not increase investment much, not as much as including the principal portion of a mortgage payment distorts expenses.

 

[bradaz2488]

0.46% based on OP instructions. No mortgage and I do pay for monthly landscaping. ~22% of yearly WR.

 

[HillCountry]

I am not sure whether people here factor in their big repair. For the 8 years I live in my current house, I had 2 of those. This year, I need to pay around $5K to get roof replaced, even though I bought my house new.

Properties tax is a biggie for me at 2.5%. I assume all others will be around 1.5%. Based on my house is 20% of my investment (from the other poll), my expense should be about 0.8% of that.

I think most people will be in 0-5% in this poll.

 

[Taxman59]

My housing expenses run about 29% of my annual expenses and 1.5% of investment assets. The mortgage is the bulk of it, and I included the extra monthly payment I make in the expenses and the mortgage will be paid off in 4 years which will drop the % to about .75% of assets.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[panacea]

Still have a mortgage - I'm at about 2.4%.

 

[rodi]

I am not sure whether people here factor in their big repair. For the 8 years I live in my current house, I had 2 of those. This year, I need to pay around $5K to get roof replaced, even though I bought my house new.

I did. I put $8k/year for home repair and upgrades. We've been upgrading of late. New master bath last year, new carpet and a few more windows this year. Fortunately, for the windows and bathroom DH is the labor.... Saves us big bucks.

 

[dunkelblau]

Should the bins be divided by 10 to break up that top bar? Mine would be 0-0.5%.

 

[Surewhitey]

All in, maybe, .6%. Property tax hits us for 2.3%...��

Take out that and, .2%...or less.

No mortgage.

 

[aja8888]

I'm polled out. My brain is fried.

 

[eta2020]

0.0...0.1
0.1...0.2
0.2...0.3

Would show us better numbers. So for me it is 0.2% with taxes, repairs, insurance and non existent mortgage

 

[devans0]

0.3% taxes and insurance.

 

[Danmar]

The poll fits almost everyone under 5%. I'm at 1.2% probably would have been more "fun" if it was the percentage of total income or cash flow?

 

[brett]

Interesting numbers. For the first time in our adult lives we do not own any real estate. Been that way for three years. When we sold we thought that we would buy one, possibly two homes. We very vey anxious about it for the first 18 months.

Time has passed and that urge to continue to do what our generation has always done, ie buy, is slowly passing as we enjoy some benefits from renting that we did not envisage at first. Financial and otherwise. At the moment buying a winter residence may trump buying a home/condo where we currently reside.

 

[Meadbh]

The poll fits almost everyone under 5%. I'm at 1.2% probably would have been more "fun" if it was the percentage of total income or cash flow?

Why not design your own poll to answer that question?