Real estate General topic

[paulsharvey]

It does show only 5.3% of home sales (well, im guessing this includes all real estate transactions, not just homes?) close Above listing price. Fewer new listing, affordability increased, but so did home prices, so home prices did not increase as fast as inflation. The 61 days on market kinda surprises me, thats a pretty long time.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

Yesterday we did the closing on the house we were selling. I absolutely did not want to meet the buyers because I've had a couple experiences selling vehicles where the buyers thought I was their ongoing tech support or warranty service. I was at the house doing the last mowing on Monday and the buyers showed up to do the final walkthrough but my realtor didn't warn me about it. Not only did I not want to meet them but the husband brought his father who I know. We're not fast friends, but we've been nodding acquaintances for years. One of the first things he said was, "good, I can give them your cell number in case they have questions". But it turns out I really like the buyers. They're young with three small kids and this house is a big step up for them. It's a 4 bedroom with a full finished basement on a quiet cul-de-sac with a largish yard with lots of plantings for privacy. So instead of doing a remote closing my wife and I went ahead and attended the closing with the buyers. It went well and I don't think there'll be any issues. I don't have any qualms about the house because we took good care of it and the buyers seem to have a good head on their shoulders and will be able to deal with the things that inevitably come up in home ownership.

 

[Saytomatt]

I was looking into some international options too and ended up checking out El Bosque real estate. The area looked promising with good prices for what you get, and it doesn’t seem overrun with tourists yet. Might be something to watch if you'd consider property outside the U.S. where land and living costs are still pretty affordable but the quality of life is decent.

 

[paulsharvey]

I have a surprising update... Got a email from title/closing company that I need to pay $800 towards the taxes on the old house, do to a miscalculation, from our homestead status being transferred. Now, I need to find out who/how to pay.

 

[kenmbz]

taxes, so complex that no one can figure them out.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

We're dealing with something similar. My wife had automatic payment set up for our taxes for years. She cancelled that when we sold the house because any taxes owed were part of the closing process. The bank screwed up and allowed the county to take out over $2,000 in property taxes and now we're in the middle of finger pointing between the bank and the county.

 

[WinterDeere]

taxes, so complex that no one can figure them out.

Even the accountants! If you ever want to see an argument that is both very heated and very boring, get two accountants started on some nuance of tax law.

 

[tradosaurus]

taxes, so complex that no one can figure them out.

And if you get it wrong there are fines and imprisonment.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, the Title company basically said our $800ish, like $798 or so, is strictly between the buyer and us, and we owe him directly. So, what is the best way to prove it have paid him? Certified letter and personal check? Hand delivered cash and signed receipt (dont really want to do that), something else?


I want something along the lines of him signing something saying "paid in full, never call or reach out again" before I give him anything.

Certified letter only proves he received the envelope, it doesn't do anything more. Even him cashing the check doesnt Prove we paid for that specific purpose.

Edit: needless to say, im pretty irritated with the title company, that got a nice chunk of cash to handle this stuff, and they shoot an email saying basically, "deal with it yourselves"; I think their exact words where "this is a curiosity email, but we represent neither party"

 

[Topzide]

Pay the title company and have them pay the buyer. I'd want to know who did calculations and say it's on them. That's what a title company is for,to avoid these issues!

 

[WinterDeere]

So, what is the best way to prove it have paid him? Certified letter and personal check? Hand delivered cash and signed receipt (dont really want to do that), something else?

Personal check. Your bank will image it when cashed or deposited, and that will include recipient signature and/or account into which it was deposited.

 

[ultrarunner]

Conditional Endorsement on the back of tendered check has worked for me such as endorsement of this check acknowledges payment in full for x, y, z.

Since real estate related and title company already being paid insist they handle it is good advice.

 

[Quaffer]

And if you get it wrong there are fines and imprisonment.

Speaking of your friendly tax man, this guy was arrested for non-payment of sales taxes on a vehicle. Hauled off to jail.

He says he never got any letter, email, or demand of any type. Just came and hauled him away ...

 

[WinterDeere]

Speaking of your friendly tax man, this guy was arrested for non-payment of sales taxes on a vehicle. Hauled off to jail.

He says he never got any letter, email, or demand of any type. Just came and hauled him away ...

It's hard to know when to take any YouTuber, who's entire income is based on maximizing view count, at face value. I'm not crying foul, I'm just saying the claim is at least a little questionable, and does make for great click-bait.

 

[Sigarms]

It's hard to know when to take any YouTuber, who's entire income is based on maximizing view count, at face value. I'm not crying foul, I'm just saying the claim is at least a little questionable, and does make for great click-bait.

Watch the video, and look at whats behind the guy. That alone tells me he's an idiot.

Besides that, if you can't grow a beard, give up on the facial hair on the chin

 

[riptides]

Watch the video, and look at whats behind the guy. That alone tells me he's an idiot.

Besides that, if you can't grow a beard, give up on the facial hair on the chin

Don't even watch the video. Just seeing the stash of cash and the RPG in the background is enough to alert on.

 

[paulsharvey]

Not to change the topic; but YouTubers and taxes, its complicated. They have YouTube checks from Adsense, endorsements, revenue from other social media, and then a lot of stuff that boarders between "gift" vs payment. Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, items sent for free if you provide a review, ect. Then on top of that, you use a product for a video, and sell. Also, paid appearances, ect.

Not a fan of Whistling Diesel, but he is huge, making millions per year, and its not a simple business that only gets a single check every month

 

[Sigarms]

Don't even watch the video. Just seeing the stash of cash and the RPG in the background is enough to alert on.

Thank you!

 

[WinterDeere]

They have YouTube checks from Adsense, endorsements, revenue from other social media, and then a lot of stuff that boarders between "gift" vs payment.

Exceeding $19k per individual per year comes with a requirement to file. No taxes, just a requirement to record. If those yearly gifts over $19k eventually exceed $14M, then it is taxed. Right?

But Patreon makes their business on aggregating many smaller gifts into these sums. So if itemized, it would be gifts from one donor to one recipient, which I can't see ever exceeding $14M in the lifetime of any single YouTube fan to any single YouTube content maker.

 

[Quaffer]

Not a fan of Whistling Diesel, but he is huge, making millions per year, and its not a simple business that only gets a single check every month

I had never heard of him until the tax issue.

There IS a significant game played by owners of high value luxury vehicles and motorhomes to register them in Montana, bypassing sales taxes and smog requirements. Let's just say I KNOW this to be true.

But, if you play that game, you usually have to take possession of the vehicle out of state, and keep it out of state for a specified time. Anywhere from 90 days to a year is typical. I suspect, from getting the vibe from this dude, he didn't feel those rules applied to him ....

Not many feel sorry for someone saving the sales tax on a Ferrari. But many were upset about the claim there was never any effort or notice to collect the tax. He claims his first knowledge was when the Sheriff shows up and arrested him.

Regardless of how you feel about a Youtube loudmouth with a Ferrari, that does seem to be the wrong approach.