It happened sooner than expected, but we got that first dreaded phone call that the heat was out only a month into owning the place. Thankfully, I knew the company that serviced the furnace and called them up, they came over and quickly diagnosed and fixed the furnace (a malfunction in the thermometer, so just a replacement was needed) and the heat was back on and running! This scenario made me realize that while I knew exactly who to call, my wife would not. I will be on a work trip sometime next month and if I wasn't around I'm not sure this would have been handled as quickly and easily as it was. I started to make a list…
Posts By Carter
I hold the keys to my new rental property! Our new Rental Duplex We are very excited to get started down this new avenue of active/semi-passive investing. Currently the right side is rented and the left side just emptied out which is perfect timing. Now we can do some needed updates and fixes so the house will be as worry free as we can make it. I want to spend the money now so I will not need to do so later. Immediate to do list: Switch the electrical overCall the town and make sure the water and sewer are switched overSwitch over the gasMeet with handyman on work that needs to be done, ask about having him on call?Make…
Looked at a duplex as a potential investment rental. We liked it, put in an offer and it was accepted just now! More details to come, but in the next couple weeks we will officially be landlords and have tenants! One side the tenant is leaving - and thankfully that's the side that needs some work. Unsure if I want to get my hands dirty and do it, or just hire a trusted contractor (one I have used in the past). I guess it all depends on cost. Still seems surreal. Have a great weekend folks!
I picked up a new wood shed a little late in the year, as it took a full month to get it even after ordering. The wait was worth it. 6 x 10 and holds roughly 3 cords. Whomever invented this deserves the Nobel peace prize. What would have taken me all day, was shortened into three quick hours. I love heating our house with wood. It surprisingly heats our home quite well as it is well insulated and the double staircases let the heat go up one and push the cold air from the upstairs down to be warmed up and recirculated. Brilliant, even if by accident. Always look for ways to save money. Wood is inexpensive but laborious…
We recently picked up a new boat. It goes completely against all of my "cheap fun" toys and how we normally spend money. To me, cheap fun as I call it, means buying an adult toy (car, boat, motorcycle, etc) used and at a good discount. This way I can drive it around for years and turn around and resell it for basically what I bought it for. Since motorized toys don't usually go to zero, there is a price point where you can own one and lose very little money on it all-the-while enjoying your purchase. This was not that purchase. scarab 215 jet boat This Scarab is a dual 150 hp engine jet boat that will leap out…
I am currently stuck. I sit around nightly vexing over all the different ways I can invest, their returns, risk and my trying to to maximize the % return and weighing all the different options. Real estate? Should I go for single family, duplex, in-town, out of state? Maybe owning a vacation rental? Just keep it in the market? FXAIX is my favorite fund right now. Fidelity SP500 Fund. If I just look at the returns alone I would be better off in that, but then again I would like to diversify so I don't have all my eggs in one basket - as the old saying goes. I have what is lovingly called: Analysis Paralysis. I sit, calculate over…
So my daughter has really taken to fishing lately, which made me reminisce about how I used to enjoy fishing the small rivers for brook trout. It's really just trout, they're small, so I only need a handful of lures with me. The wife and kid were gone one day and out of boredom, decided to make a micro tackle box using an Altoids tin. My Altoids tin Micro-Fishing Tackle Box I had an extra cigar box from one of my personal favorite cigar companies. Paul Garmirian. I cut up the bottom of the box using a razor blade knife and then taking a power sander and smoothing the sides and rounding the edges. The bottom is actually just press-fit.…