To save some money I am thinking of renting one of these! I took a look at it today and the guy said they are easy to use, as long as you follow the instructions! I would like to hire one of my friends to give me a hand, and also it gives him some extra money. It is cheaper than having someone come and do it, I have found after a few quotes.
The bonus is I probally can get more work done too for a lot less money!
I got my house assessment. It is alot lower. The S.E.V. is now 130,000. Which means they think my house is worth about $260,000. Yikes! The S.E.V. was at about 155,000.
The great news is I'll save about $900.00 on taxes this year. But now I don't know what that means for refinancing.
I want to talk to a good friend of mine who owns a mortgage company and get his advice on if I should try to get the assessment lower if I can or not. I know that the housing market is going to come back up in my neighborhood eventually. I live in a great area with a lot of people who are very wealthy (I am at the poorer end of people around here!).
I am one of those people who pays my mortgage on time every month. My mortgage is going to reset in 2010, but now I don't know if I am going to be able to refinance because it has become so hard to do. I sure hope that Obama is going to help people like myself out! 
I get that we have to somehow fix the problem for everyone, because let's face it, the problem is here already and we the taxpayers are going to pay for it one way or another. But I really do think that there are probably a lot of people out there like myself who should also get some sort of relief with their mortgages too. Nobody wants to have foreclosed homes in the neighborhood because it lowers everyones home values. It is really a shame that people are losing their houses. I don't get how it works when the mortgage is now higher than the homes actual value. How can they fix that?
I had to refinance a few times and each time my appraisals kept going up. One was a ridiculous amount that I didn't even believe! I am glad I did not take money out based on that appraisal otherwise I would have been out of luck right now! Right now I still have equity in my house.
I am still waiting for my assessment in the mail. Perhaps it is going to come in the next day or two.
Today I was going to take a break from working and go to IKEA for the sale on bed linens. We go a few inches of snow overnight and now I am not sure I am going to go. IKEA is about a half and hour or so from were I live and I am not sure I want to be out there with the crazies!
I think I might have to get some allergy mattress covers for my bed and see if that gets rid of some of those dust mites. I was reading one article and it said that dust mites can appear on your pillows in as little as six weeks! Yikes! I remember a story OPRAH did a few years ago and they showed all the bugs a person most likely has in their pillows, and yuck!
This is a video from CNN and OPRAH that aired years ago
I thought this video was funny at the end, when they interviewed a lady about having dust mites in her bed and she didn't want to be seen on camera!
Today was part two of my Allergy testing, and this time it included dust mites. It turns out that I am very allergic to them! So even more reason to get some new sheets and now remove my inexpensive down comforter. Of course the carpet and anything like that that holds dust is also contributing to it as well. 
If I knew what the floors were like, I would probably rip the carpeting out, but sometimes trying to fix one problem turns into another! I guess I'll try to find away to have the dust mites move out though.
I am waiting anyday now for the township to send my house assessment. Property values are really falling everywhere these days and it is a good idea to find out if you are being overassessed on your home. There are a few websites that can tell you how much similar homes are selling for in your neighborhood. One is called Zillow.com.
From MSN
"The National Taxpayers Union estimates that as much as 60% of taxable property in the United States is overassessed. But despite the growing tax bills, only half of homeowners protest their assessments. That means many may be paying more property taxes than necessary."
The first year I appealed my taxes, I did get a reduction. This was way before the crazy housing mess. But the last few years I was not able to get a reduction so I think it is about time!
I think I should try entering the HGTV home giveaway
I walked around the outside of my own house today and it really needs paint, I also need roof work done. The list goes on and on! Am I fooling myself? (probably).
Perhaps I should start practicing the look on my face when they (HGTV) comes knocking on my door to tell me I have won!
What a warm up in weather we have had! My heating bills have been enormous this year. I have been trying to keep the heat down when I can. I put up some of that plastic on my windows but I don't think it did too much. The one I put up outside fell off a few times and I tried to keep putting it up but gave up.
I still think about getting a wood stove or something like that, but I was told it is better to insulate your house and safer of course. Who knows, they both sound like a great idea to me though. I am not in that position yet anyways! But I would rather make an investment like that, instead of it just getting out through all the cracks in the walls! Oh well......!
Hmm, Where did I put that winning lottery ticket? I wish! I need big work done on my house and I wish I had the money to get some of this done! The money I do have is tied up legally and not available to me and I don't know when it is going to be available. I would love for my house to look like Pottery Barn or IKEA. 
I just love the look, it is so inviting and comfortable! 
The great thing about IKEA is they have a lot of things that look like Pottery Barn but they are less expensive.
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