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DVA79

How are closings working nowadays in light of Covid? It just dawned on me that it's logistically troublesome if my spouse and I both have to be physically present to sign documents, since kids do not have daycare and nobody to watch them since we exist in a tiny bubble. Are people doing these thing...

DVA79

I see a lot of people doing 15 year instead of 30 year refis. I’m curious to hear peoples opinions on the benefits of each. At rates under 3%, wouldn’t it be better to be able to keep the cheap money for longer and have more flexibility to invest? I am in my 30s and in a house I plan to stay in for...

DVA79

I was initially looking for a traditional treadmill like you and ended up finding a used manual treadmill for $60 that I can walk/jog 35 to 40 minutes a day. It uses no electricity (so no motor to repair and no cost to use :moneybag ) and I can walk on it easily and jog when I want to get a great wo...

DVA79

I was in a very similar situation to you with pretty comparable numbers (read my previous posts) and I closed on a 20 year refi a couple weeks ago at 2.5%. Although I did have to pay some fees, I wanted the lower interest rate as I am guessing rates have pretty much bottomed out (but I could be wron...

DVA79

I have found my ecobee to be absolutely worth it, especially if you have a two stage furnace. —You can set different temp thresholds so that you can control when it goes from first stage to second stage —adjust how long the fan runs after a heating cycle to grab any extra BTUs from the heat exchange...

DVA79

Thats what I figured. I received LE from other lenders and had my credit run as well but no $20 fee so I wanted to make sure. Also, LD did run my credit when I initially first called a couple of days ago, so I was confused on that part. Thanks for help! I did all of this a couple weeks ago. The $20...

DVA79

Hi everyone, I just started to refinancing process this week and have been lurking this forum. It has helped tremendously in finding a great rate. I am in contact with a handful of lenders, and one in particular is LoanDepot. They sent over a "Loan Detail and Fee" sheet but not an officia...

DVA79

Hi everyone, I just started to refinancing process this week and have been lurking this forum. It has helped tremendously in finding a great rate. I am in contact with a handful of lenders, and one in particular is LoanDepot. They sent over a "Loan Detail and Fee" sheet but not an officia...

DVA79

These responses have been very helpful. Seems like it is something I should pursue. I'm seeing quotes for 15 year mortgages on aimloans for ~1400 per month compared to ~1700 which I am paying now. This leads to a follow up question. What is the bogleheads way to search for mortgage refis (I've brie...

DVA79

Why would you payments go down on a 15 year? I was in a similar situation on a home worth about 385k and 264k left to pay for another 26 years. Just locked last week on a 20 year refi at 2.5% compared to my current 30 year ar 3.625%. Will save about 65k in interest and lop off 6 years of payments al...

DVA79

I locked a 20 year refinance this week. Part C of loan estimate is “Services You Can Shop For”. The total is $765. Is this a good price? Is is worth shopping? I live in IL if that matters. C. Services You Can Shop For $765 TITLE - CLOSING PROTECTION FEE - LENDER $25 TITLE - CLOSING PROTECTION LETTER...

DVA79

Nice. Switched to xfinity mobile in the spring. Went from $140 a month with ATT to $53 a month. And that’s with 2 lines and 2 new iPhone 11s they gave me a $400 credit on. Once phones are paid off, bill goes to $12/mo for 1 GB data, no line fees. Not much, but like you we are always on WiFi so usual...

DVA79

Sorry, I didnt know about this megathread and should have posted my inquiry here instead of a separate thread. Looking for some advice from people much smarter on this than me: Current financing: 3.62% on a 30 year loan, 306 months (25.5 years) left on current balance of 264,000. Current payment is...

DVA79

Thanks all. **update 2 After sleeping on it and reading some comments, I am now leaning towards a 20 year refi. I can get it at 2.625% with payments going to $1423/month compared to $1313/month now. I can swing that, save a chunk of interest while shaving 5 years off the loan, and it won’t pinch me ...

DVA79

Ecobee has been great and HVAC pros recommend them over others like Nest, which can apparently do strange things to HVAC equipment.

DVA79

Sorry, I didnt know about this megathread and should have posted my inquiry here instead of a separate thread. Looking for some advice from people much smarter on this than me: Current financing: 3.62% on a 30 year loan, 306 months (25.5 years) left on current balance of 264,000. Current payment is...

DVA79

Sorry, I didnt know about this megathread and should have posted my inquiry here instead of a separate thread. Looking for some advice from people much smarter on this than me: Current financing: 3.62% on a 30 year loan, 306 months (25.5 years) left on current balance of 264,000. Current payment is ...

DVA79

Thanks...I did some shopping at Loan Depot and Better Mortgage. They were able to to a 15 year at 2.375% with closing cost ($2154) rolled into loan and and a credit to me of about $200 at close. I showed this to my local lender and he said he would match it (he was offering 15 year at 2.65%) This wo...

DVA79

Looking for some advice from people much smarter on this than me: Current financing: 3.62% on a 30 year loan, 306 months (25.5 years) left on current balance of 264,000. Current payment is $1,313 a month with total payments to be $401,909. Home located in Chicago Suburbs Called my local broker who I...

DVA79

I recently got quotes through 3 agents from term4sale and they were all the same in terms of price.

DVA79

Xfinity mobile...pay by the GB, no line fee for Comcast customers, so basically $12/month for 1GB of data plus tax.

DVA79

$15/ month ($12/GB plus tax) 2 lines (iPhones) 1GB shared (use their WiFi hotspots 90% of time) Unlimited talk/text Very happy so far. Can switch plan by month if I need more data Xfinity mobile....switched from ATT where I was paying $95/month for 2 lines and 12GB of shared data that I never came c...

DVA79

So I was finalizing a new life insurance policy I posted about a couple weeks ago : https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=315362 and the rate I was quoted came back significantly higher then expected ($308 to $441 a year for a 500k 20 Year term) due to only a fair rating on my con...

DVA79

I noticed that the Ecobee has a much smaller hysteresis curve than my old basic thermostat. If my old thermostat was set to 70, the heat may not kick on until 68. It would then overshoot to 72. The Ecobee set at 70 turns on at 69 and off again at 70. Being smart and also knowing the outside weather...

DVA79

I noticed that the Ecobee has a much smaller hysteresis curve than my old basic thermostat. If my old thermostat was set to 70, the heat may not kick on until 68. It would then overshoot to 72. The Ecobee set at 70 turns on at 69 and off again at 70. Being smart and also knowing the outside weather...

DVA79

I noticed that the Ecobee has a much smaller hysteresis curve than my old basic thermostat. If my old thermostat was set to 70, the heat may not kick on until 68. It would then overshoot to 72. The Ecobee set at 70 turns on at 69 and off again at 70. Being smart and also knowing the outside weather...

DVA79

I have a ecobee 3 lite in a new Trane system and love it. You can customize settings and control staging very effectively with it. If the temperature is off (and confirm that it is with maybe your old thermostat next to it), you can use the temp offset in the settings. Best part is adding room senso...

DVA79

Thanks everyone....I really appreciate your feedback. To answer some questions: Wife Insurance: My wife has a 350K policy for another good for another 16 years. It may be a bit low but it would give me a cushion to either pay off the house or just get by and I feel it is enought to get through our c...

DVA79

Hey all, looking for some advice on term life insurance. Age: 40 Retirement age: 55 with pension of 75% of salary. Dependents: wife (39), 3 kids- 6,4,1 Savings/retirement: about 450k Current Income: 140k with 3-3.5% annual increase. Mortgage: 24 years left on $260k. No other debts. Current life insu...

DVA79

You should get a group of teachers together and demand better 403b options. That is what we did and we were able to get Vanguard as an option, especially once we educated teachers on how BAD AXA was for them and how much is was actually costing them.

DVA79

It really depends on your area. My five member family just switched to an HMO from a PPO and all the doctors and specialists my family would already see were also in the HMO plan. Our group plan is huge with a wide variety of doctors to choose from. I have needed two referrals and didn’t need to go ...

DVA79

That quote seem very high. I just replaced my 20year old system with a Trane AC (XR16) and Trane 96% furnace (S9V2) furnace and it was about $7800. Plus I got about $600 in utility rebates. Now your market may be more expensive but I would shop around for sure if you decide to replace. My market is ...

DVA79

So worst case you go to sell and the inspector tells the buyers that this is not to code—they can chose to ask you to do something or leave it as is as they may like it. Go for it!

DVA79

“Option 2: $1075 from same contractor from #1 to add r19 to entire attic (no air sealing but would seal off baffles and soffits to keep wind out while allowing airflow).” The quote above is of concern. The reason you ventilate the soffit and install baffles is to allow the attic vent system to func...

DVA79

Hey all, I have a 2900 sqft home in Chicagoland area. Home built in 2000. Attic insulation is about R30 (rolled batts with some blown in fiberglass above it). My daughters room has cathedral ceilings and is always about 2-3 degrees cooler in winter and 2-3 degrees hotter is summer. I climbed up to a...

DVA79

Bought a 2016 odyssey new and so far have loved it. Purchased at end of year and didn’t see much price difference between new and 2-3 year old used. Great for trips and tons of storage. Added a hitch for trailer and bike rack and will probably add a roof rack (easy to do with after market parts and ...

DVA79

Chicago suburbs 3000 sqft home assessed at about $365k. Property tax: $10,700 Excellent schools, parks, services. Great place to raise a family. Not a great place to retire if you don’t like high property taxes. I could move to a lower tax area in Wisconsin but I would also be limiting my income pot...

DVA79

Not sure if this would work in your specific setting, but I place a fan tucked back on the wall on a small table at the bottom of the staircase shooting up towards the second floor. This may seem counterintuitive since you may be thinking it will push hot air up. But in reality, warm air only goes u...

DVA79

Thanks All—I think I will go with the Trane. Will try to get the media filter system thrown into the price. The Trane variable speed blower allows “comfort-R” with even a single stage AC. Basically, when the AC kicks on the fan runs at low for about 7 minutes to allow for better dehumidification bef...

DVA79

Hey all, I posted a question last week asking for feedback on HVAC systems https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=242686 and I really am grateful for your responses as it helped me narrow down my options. I received a total of 7 quotes and did more research and have narrowed it down to two...

DVA79

Any one have thoughts on getting better pricing by waiting a month or two? Heating season will be over and AC season not yet started so contractors may be looking for work. My quotes have been the following: - Contractor #1 : Carrier: Furnace: 120,000 BTU (2- stage 96%), AC: 5 ton (single stage) - $...

DVA79

1) The only proper method to size the furnace/AC for your house is by doing a Manual J heat load calc. Contractors coming out to give you a bid SHOULD be measuring the window sizes of all windows, noting which side (N/S/E/W) of the house they're on, the level of energy efficiency of those windows &...

DVA79

For temperature consistency, maybe consider something like https://www.ecobee.com/ for a thermostat. You can place tiny watch-battery powered temperature/motion sensors around the house so that the stat has more data to use for determining the temperature. Say you had a 4 degree spread between upst...

DVA79

. The first stage is rated at 46,000 Btu and has never had a problem keeping the house at 68 degrees, and again doesn't run that long even with temperatures below zero. Granted when I built the house in 1984 I did install additional insulation in the walls but you can only go so far with 2x4 studs....

DVA79

I have a 3,000 SF home in the Midwest. I replaced my central air unit 4 years ago with a heat pump version. It is my understanding that the heat pump is cheaper to operate than the natural gas furnace until it gets too cold outside (30-35 degrees?). My existing single stage natural gas furnace then...

DVA79

Hi All, I’m currently getting quotes and doing research on new HVAC to replace my current 20 year old set up and was hoping some of you who have been through this process could give me some feedback, especially given the seemingly dizzying amount of options to choose from! For those of you who have ...

DVA79

Try again with GEICO and tell them to quote Liberty Mutual. They are making a big push into IL right now. This way, when you buy your umbrella from Geico you know that there are no gaps on coverage. +1. I switched last month from SF to Geico for both auto and home. Home was underwritten through LM ...

DVA79

You can appeal your valuation but will need to present a reasoned argument for the valuation. The best arguments are based upon comparable property. Property valuations are usually done on a mass basis (computer assisted mass appraisal - CAMA), so every property is not precisely valued. There is an...

DVA79

Just a note--I've seen some post suggest that this 10-year forecast was written this year, but the copyright on this book is 2010.

DVA79

I just switched from SF to Geico about two weeks ago. I am 34, never had a claim or ticket and my rates with them went up every year. Was paying about 900/year for two cars, now paying 450/year for same coverage. I too got a Xmas card every year from my SF guy--nice gesture but not worth $450. No br...

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