Comments

Episode-2090- Listener Feedback for 10-2-17 — 11 Comments

  1. There were several Roman emperors who angered enough people that everyone stopped listening to them. When Nero lost power, he ordered a detachment of soldiers to protect him, but they just laughed at him. I was so busy watching what was going on in Catalonia, that I forgot to post a new history segment.

  2. On manufactured houses, really check them.
    1st. Check the blocking under the house, check that all the blocking is snug. It’s common for the centers near the outside of the house to crush, with the outsides lifting. Houses settle, and blocking should be adjusted every other year or so.

    2nd. Roof trusses can be made from 1×2, certain Fleetwood models do. I would avoid 1×2 trusses at all costs.

    3rd. Be sure to inspect the water and sewer crossover connections. Not usually an issue with used houses.

    4th. Check above and below the corners of the exterior doors and the windows. Look for cracked siding. If there is cracking it’s usually at the front door, which is usually centered in the house. The house is settled and the siding can’t handle so it cracks. See number 1 about blocking. If there is cracking at the exterior doors check the entryway for softness. If it’s flexes, there is water damage. To fix cracks uses Bondo. Entryway subfloor is usually 3/4″ particle board over top 1/2″ osb.

    I could keep going, but if you have any more questions hit me up.

  3. Welcome back from vacation. I’m from NC and my brother lives in Asheville. I whole heartedly agree Gatlinburg is the better option. About the only good thing coming out of Asheville is their wide selection of local craft beers. It is for sure one weird place.

  4. Good points on manufactured homes. One other point I’ll add is that depending on the year/manufacturer, some parts can only be found at a “mobile home parts” store. Back when my grandfather, dad, and I owned several mobile home parks, you almost always had to go to a dedicated mobile home parts store to find items such as doors that fit and some plumbing parts. We would often just run new water lines throughout the entire house if it needed much work just to not have to deal with that issue. If it’s an older model, it’s likely to have plastic piping for water connections. I would recommend replacing it.

    On another issue- Jack mentioned that a mortgage company will require an inspection. I have bought five houses in Texas using a variety of banks and mortgage company and not one time has the lender “required” an inspection. I have always got one, but never have I provided it to the lender. Anyone know if this requirement depends on the type of loan you are requesting?

  5. I have a hunch that just about ALL pension funds, not just municipal and state ones, will suffer a crisis of varying degrees. What seems most likely to happen is a massive “rules change” that either 1) gives serious haircuts to the promised pension payouts to keep the companies/municipalities/states from collapsing, or 2) ultimately put the pension funds in federal gov’t hands who will likely make the payments in substantially depreciated currency. Door #1 seems rather deflationary whereas door #2 can be favorable for inflation and more gov’t control/influence over its citizens, so at first glance I’d say #2 is a little more likely given gov’t likes inflation and power. Or possibly we’d get #1 soon followed by #2?

    I had a pension through my former employer, and even though it was a aerospace/defense contractor (an industry that’s likely to do well in the next decade given the global trends) I jumped at the opportunity to cash it out and roll it into a Roth IRA. I figure even companies with better-funded pension funds will take advantage of whatever massive rules change that’s implemented, as what company wouldn’t take the opportunity to reduce its exposure to long-term obligations? Given the lobbying power the corporate players have, it’s almost a given the rules change will favor them as opposed to the pension recipient.

  6. Good points on the manufactured homes.
    My BOL has both a mobile home and a manufactured home on it. The mobile home is considered and taxed as a vehicle, the manufactured home is considered and taxed as real estate. Even though it is considered real estate, the bank still gave us a hard time about it.
    Most manufactured homes that I know of use polybutylene plumbing so make sure someone who has experience with that, takes a look at it.
    Completely agree with paying someone else to do the home inspection. It takes the emotion out of the inspection. I found myself overlooking things because I wanted it to work, while the inspector wrote them up and we used those issues to get the price lowered.

    • I should have mentioned the article Ferfal wrote said that the ballot boxes were stuffed before people even voted. And that they didn’t have anyone making sure the vote was fair – granted how could they when it was an “illegal” vote to begin with.

      • I would say how could he know this? Last I checked he was in Northern Ireland. LOL

        • A couple years ago he moved to Spain. It still begs the question how does he know that the ballots were stuffed? It will be interesting to look back at this in a month or longer and see what is fact and fiction. But like I said, it doesn’t matter in the end. If the majority of people want to leave, even if there are some that are corrupt and tricked the people into leaving it doesn’t matter, they should be able to leave.

          http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2015/09/relocated-to-spain-ask-any-question.html

  7. Your comments about Catalonia wanting to separate, and being met with force, reminds me of the Soviet Lithuania declaring their independence. Soviet troops took over the radio and TV towers. A token resistance group was shot and run over by Soviet tanks. Then thousands of unarmed ordinary citizens surrounded the towers forming a human barricade and challenged the Soviets troops while proclaiming their independence.

    http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/13/world/soviet-tanks-roll-in-lithuania-11-dead.html?pagewanted=1

    In the future, the Nation of Catalonia will write in their history books how the brave citizens withstood the brutal Spanish police and cast their ballots for independence.

    When people want to be free, government suppression only makes them stronger.