Saving Money With DIY Deck Repair

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My wife informed me she asked a professional to examine our deck and provide an estimate to replace a rotten board. I’m re-staining it this summer, and wanted to have the board replaced beforehand. Taking a mental inventory of my tools, I confidentially stated I could replace it myself. Even though my wife’s facial expression expressed doubt, I laid out my plans to replace the board instead of paying someone to do it for me. Tools Needed First, I took inventory of the needed tools: Drill: I have an electric drill powerful enough to remove and insert decking screws (many […] Read more »

5 Steps To Dealing With Storm Damage To Your Home

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The sound of heavy rain from a summer storm suddenly included the occasional loud thump on the roof, or against the side of the house as gusting wind hurled the bits of ice against it. It was hailing. When the storm passed everyone in the neighborhood inspected their homes for damage. Over the next few weeks, trucks with home repair company’s names on the side drove up and down the streets knocking on doors. They introduced themselves, asked if the home had any damage from the storm, and promised to help the homeowner get as much out of their insurance […] Read more »

Paying Off The House Wasn’t Our #1 Priority – but we did it anyway

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Attention, Attention, EOD Nation!  I interrupt our usually scheduled program to bring you a very special post from our friend Steve Stewart, who has some very exciting news to share with us!  Take it away, Steve!!!! Today is the day! My wife and I are going to the bank and paying off the house! This is our Christmas gift to each other – and it is just what we wanted!  We purchased our home in 1999 on a 5/1 ARM, then refinanced it (twice) by 2003. I’d like to say paying off the house was our #1 priority, but it wasn’t.  […] Read more »

Know Your Warranty, Or Pay The Price

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I watched my wife cringe as she sat in the living room chair. She paused the television and told me to listen. She was irritated by the high pitched squeal emitted by our air conditioning unit each time it started up. I heard it, but it just seemed like background noise. It didn’t bother me in the least, but it was like nails on a chalkboard for her. It’s been making this noise for years. It squeals for a few minutes, and then it quits. We had someone come out to take a look at it a few years ago, […] Read more »

Renting isn’t throwing money away

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How many times have you heard someone say “renting an apartment is just throwing money away?” Maybe you’ve been told it’s better to buy a house when the monthly mortgage payment is equal to rent. It sounds reasonable but it isn’t true: Renting isn’t throwing money away. The dollars left out of the deal Buying a house will cost you much more than just a monthly payment. Rentals often include things like water, trash collection, and even heat that a mortgage just doesn’t cover. A home owner has to pay those on top of their principle, interest, taxes, and insurance. […] Read more »

My New Decade Resolution: Paying Off My Mortgage Early

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As another year comes to a close, people will reflect upon their successes and failures of the past year. They will also look forward to 2014 and set goals for what they hope to accomplish in the new year. Having turned 40 over the weekend, I’m taking a bigger picture approach. I started reflecting on my life in terms of decades. I spent my entire twenties and half of my thirties being financially irresponsible racking up $109,000 of credit card debt. The second half of my thirties was spent recovering, paying off that debt through the help of a debt […] Read more »

Mortgage Free – Why This is Essential for Traditional Retirement

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Who in their right mind would argue that being mortgage free is the only way to be if you expect to retire in some traditional way, with a house of your own? That would be me. As they say, "opinions vary" and "results vary." But, if you pay off the mortgage before you retire, that eliminates a large financial obligation essential for living - someplace to live. That's one of the big reasons it makes sense to me. From my vantage point, as an early self-retired individual, I see being 100% debt free as an essential part of having peace of mind when you retire, and I'm up on my soapbox to explain why. Gather 'round my financially fit friends and lend me your ears. Read more »

Home Ownership – Should You Buy or Should You Rent?

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Ahh, the controversial subject of buying versus renting. Many of you know where I stand on this topic, but I wanted to share this article with you submitted by a guest contributor that offers a basic, common sense approach. I think the housing crisis has changed a lot of minds about what it means to own a home, but the important thing is that you make the right decision for you and your family. On one hand, right now is a great time to buy a home, but on the other, it might make more sense to rent until your […] Read more »

My Story: A Mortgage Nightmare Confession

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Have you ever looked back in time and wished you could do something all over again, or not at all? Hindsight always objectively highlights mistakes that we make, and often causes us to play the “if I knew then what I know now” game. Fortunately for us, this story has a light at the end of the tunnel. If anything, we learned a very valuable lesson in home ownership, specifically in terms of getting the right mortgage. As most of you know though, my wife and I decided long ago that once we were free from the bondage of mortgage […] Read more »