Today, while waiting for my oil change and SSC 40D, I chatted with one of the dealers at my dealership. He said that with a waiting list from 6 to 8 months long, and maybe one car a month, they are discouraging people from ordering them. This may be the only time in my life I've done anything at the right time. When I first read about the Prius, back in November (or late October) I considered waiting for them to get the bugs out, or even waiting for the '05 model year. From the looks of it, if I had waited to order an '05 I probably wouldn't have gotten one until 2006.
That's actually a friend's cat. My kitty died 15 years ago, but he looked just like that one. Circumstances have never been propitious for getting another, much as I want one. First, there was the grieving period (for 15 years, he had been my constant and only companion). Then there was some moving around, then I was out of the country, and now I live in a no-pets apartment. Living alone, as I do, it seems silly to buy a house just to be able to have a cat.
True, but if you do not expect to be moving around in the next few years, buying a house or pet friendly condo could be economically beneficial. At least around here, the monthly rental cost is about the same as a mortgage and you don't even get to write off interest!
That's a big IF! I don't know if I'll be staying here. So even if my mortgage payments would be less than my current rent, I'd be speculating on the value of the house. Renting my apartment, even if it costs more, buys me flexibility. But it's probably more economical for me to rent, because I don't need as much space as even a small house. Plus, I have no responsibility. The managers take care of all maintenance and repairs, and they do an excellent job of it.
I was chatting with Toyota sale person in Pittsburgh other day they sad about 5 to 6 month wait.. They will to taking deposit but dont know what to do. Because its going to be 2005 model and the dealer dosent have infomation yet. And they cant promiss anything this moment. Funny thing is they are try to sale me Sicon Tc :roll:
Hehehe, I guess it's all about priorities. I hate apartments. I don't want to hear the party below, the neighbours next to me "doing the nasty", or the ones across the hall having an argument. I also hated the not being able to find parking after work on a Friday and Saturday night due to all of the parties going on throughout the complex, and the petty vandalism and thefts that permeate apartment complexes. I cannot say that I'm a fan of mowing, and the other house related maintenance. However, there's alot to be said for having your own exterior walls that share nothing with anybody, the spread of land that pushes those neighbours a little farther away, and the capacity to customize the place precisely to your tastes, and the fact that the payment is going to an asset that you own, instead of to some slumlords boat payment. The tax breaks from the interest, and property tax deductions help as well. Real estate is a very stable investment - so long as you avoid the bad neighbourhoods. Having acreage is an added bonus. I let the back portion of my property go wild, and the deer love it. There is still a stock pond from one of the previous owners on my property, and it makes another nice draw for the deer, and in spring, it's a madhouse for all the tadpoles that quickly become frogs - making for another nice source of natures music. If you aren't beyond handywork, you can stand to be rewarded handsomely for buying a fixer upper. My current house, I took over a $51k note on, just to let the previous owner out of it. She offered me the place, as she knew me from some photography work for her no kill shelter. The place was pretty bad, but several years of work as time and funds allowed, has resulted in a house that last appraised at $118,500. This figure was also before the new roof and windows were installed. Hopefully, you'll find the opportunity to become a homeowner when you decide where you are going to stay permanently.
Ugh, I couldn't afford to buy a house here if I wanted to. Northern Virginia prices are insane right now - standard townhouses, exactly like the one I'm renting, are going 300-400k and up. Listings not lasting even a day, and having bidding wars constantly. I'm certain, at least in this area, the prices can't keep going where they are and be sustained - it's time for a real estate crash! Again, this is just my area of the country, I'm sure it varies widely across the nation. -m.
Wolfman - I agree with everything you say. I loved living in my own house in the country, 3/4 of a mile from my nearest neighbor. And my original intention was to live in this apartment for a year or so, and if I was still in town, to buy a house. But... I couldn't quite make up my mind that I really wanted to stay here, and this apartment is extraordinary: I have never heard any sound from my neighbor on the right. In three years, I have heard noises from the left 4 or 5 times. They apparently re-arrange their furniture once a year, and a couple of times they must have pounded a couple of nails in the wall to hang pictures. There is nobody above me, and below me is an old lady. Two or three families in the building have kids, but I have never heard them from my apartment. The neighborhood is very quiet, and the managers take excellent care of the building. In short, I stayed because, for a single man, this apartment is ideal. Some day I'd like to have a wife and a house and five cats. Money is not a problem. But they've got this newfangled law that you cannot marry a woman without her consent.
Real estate OoOO you do not want to have to buy real estate here in SoCal! I bought my home in Sept 2000 for $419K. Just had it appraised with a new mortgage in mind to do more upgrades and improvements... $850K and that was a somewhat conservative appraisal, I am sure! It's insane. The Laguna Niguel/Laguna Beach area's become quite crazy for value... as has all of Southern CA. I couldn't afford to re-buy my own house!! Serious! Dianne
My sister lives in S. Cal. For a long time, her rent was more than my entire budget, and our apartments were roughly the same size, condition, etc. A couple of years ago she finally bought her own house. That same house would cost 1/5 as much here. I asked a real estate agent at the gym, who told me the average home value here is about $120,000. But you can get quite a decent small house for $85,000.
Gee, that's how much a damn decent CAR (well, okok impressive in status) is in Orange County, LOL!!!! :roll:
See, I've got this problem: I could afford a more expensive car than the Prius, but I don't want to drive a worse car, just in order to have the status of driving a more expensive one.
i also owned a house in the country on 5 acres but since my son took off to Las Vegas (since his mother dragged him there) i have not had much call for the extra space and it did help to keep painful memories fresh so i moved to an apartment. it is smaller but no longer do i spend every weekend in the summer mowing the lawn. i dont fret over property taxes twice a year and there was one huge caveat in all this. i sold my house, walked away with a lot of cash and paid cash for my Prius. without selling the house, i would no doubt be Prius-less. for that fact alone, it was worth it.
