berniek - I'm interested in your 3 vs. 5 yr comment. Is this in part based on region or just generally based on recouping closing costs etc? I'm not bernie, but in the past it was sort of a rule of thumb that you needed to stay in a house about 5 years in order to make enough to cover closing costs, commissions, etc., and not necessarily make a profit. Unfortunately with the recent run up in prices in some areas people think that they should walk away with tens of thousands of dollars after only being in their homes for a couple of years. In fact that was the reasoning that many lenders gave to push the sale of 100%, ARMs and interest only loans. They were telling buyers that in a couple of years they would be able to refinance to a fixed rate because they would have so much equity because of rising prices. With prices NOT going up at such a rapid (and unsustainable pace) many are finding their mortgages have adjusted beyond their ability to pay.

Good point on communication. It is something with which I struggle. KSWL, Annie and GW, interesting thoughts. I think too many times history/ liberal arts and other "soft" social science majors do not market themselves properly. They have employable skills. I would argue desirable skills. Many jobs need young talent that can research, analyze data and communicate findings succinctly. Yet many of my classmates in my majors did not try to find internships in business, despite having strong statistical analysis and research skills. Many neglected internships all together and focused on summer jobs that paid the bills. I found despite my sociology/poli sci background i had my pick of decent paying summer internships and jobs after graduation. Then again I made sure future employers understood that I had transferable skills. However, I was lost and perhaps fell into the trap which kswl and GW mentioned. So I decided to stay in academia and pursue phd. I did well, but as mentioned previously it didn't feel like the perfect fit for me. Upsetting my family and my faculty advisors, i quit and switched to nursing. I love my career now. I am once again in graduate school pursuing a doctorate, but this time I have no doubts. I think It is imperative that we are able to pinpoint our transferable skills and package ourselves into a promotable brand. I think everyone can benefit from some form of sales job at a young age. Such a job can help one gather informational in a conversation then target the "sale" of oneself to the employer based on the information gained.

Interesting twists and turns and the conversation is kind of like one we're having at work - where is AI valuable, and where are "soft skills / people focused skills" valuable? In Zillow, I would think that they have a myriad of tools available from which to draw and SHOULD be reflective of what an appraiser SHOULD use, as well. Appraisers are supposed to be a data driven as possible to remove bias and the potential for fraud. Banks want a very "safe" value estimation to reduce their risk. OTOH - a Realtor i would view as having a forward looking perspective to judge (or intuit) the market GOING FORWARD in order to advise their client on the future attractiveness and appreciation of a property that they will take into consideration that would be different than an appraisal number. Also, for the seller, the Realtor should be able to see that same thing and price accordingly. Appraiser (and Zillow) likely use only backward looking tools, but I would expect Realtors to add insight and the more emotional aspects of any transaction in order to be able to give better insight into the future state and if something is priced right / a good deal based on a more forward view.

At no point did I ever suggest "everyone is going through the same kind of weather". Not even close. In fact, I was.... click to enlarge... So I guess we got another engineer who has trouble remembering what they say... how ironic. Even after I highlighted it in a previous post and responded to it. What are your words exactly? We are experiencing the same weather you are right now. When did you say it? yesterday. From a utility billing standpoint, climate is irrelevant. A month of 90° weather is the same anywhere you are. Your equipment has to work just as hard if it's in Philly or Houston to cool a house and remove humidity. It doesn't know or care what the geographic location is. Not really if you look at the whole picture. If you're only going to look at part of it sure... you could easily say there is no difference. Run time / number of cycles all contribute to wear. If you use an AC for 3 months / maybe marginal for another month... compared to an area that uses it nearly triple that amount. Maintenance is another part. The equipment I pull / replace is often times full of dirt. If coils are full of dirt how hard will the equipment work in 100F heat? Sure I could have pulled an average for Houston, but that doesn't come near to explaining the heat we are having right now. The comparison was to heat right now, the 10 year average to philly was to show how far away you are from "norms" right now as in only yesterday. Anyone looking at the current heat H-town is having would realize these aren't normal temps. I guess Ryan could argue he's not anyone. LOL. It's pretty amazing that you cannot seem to see irony in the remarks you make or have the capacity to self-reflect. You think you're being talked down to? My last post was in response to another one of your self-aggrandizing and condescending posts which was in part directed at me. You've taken a number of jabs at me throughout this thread because I haven't necessarily subscribed to whatever the hell you're trying to pedal. You repeatedly ignore critical information and fabricate other details I have someone telling me I am not an electrical engineer, I have another proclaimed engineer who says Philly and H-town weather is virtually the same thing "right now" and that equipment is going to work just as hard as where ever in the world they may be right now. It's ok for you to be condescending to me but harsh my mellow when I do it to you? If someone drives with their brights on do you not flick your brights back at them? Or are you one of these guys who drives with sunglasses on at night? Self-aggrandizing. The subject we are on, is what I do for a living. For some reason you think I am only talking about myself? Merely talking about my experiences in working on equipment that you are paying a small fortune for. But you want something with a "track record". A track record is important, because a trane doesn't run without one. Cost of ownership: it's higher with a Trane. Yeah this is more self-aggrandizing. It's not telling you anything you need or want. 30-40k for two systems up front on top of that. Utility bills that will be higher and? The list goes on... But it's just me self-aggrandizing pay no mind to it. What could I have possibly learned over 28 years of doing this for a living? How to self-aggrandize on a forum board. Nice. LOL. You have your opinion based on what? How long will that last? 1 repair? I've gone down that trane track. I still go down it on occasion "for others". I love Tranes but for different reasons than you think. LOL. ---------------------- Charles, I think Ray is asserting that A/C is used more in Houston than in Philadelphia. Do you dispute that? LOL. Yeah so we can start comparing Virginia to H-town weather as well. "right now". ha, ha, ha. --------------------- Ray, You have removed all doubt about your knowledge of electrical engineering. Thanks Mike_home I don't go on Air Conditioning & Heating forum boards to pretend to be something I'm not. I am licensed to repair HVAC systems. No where in those licensing requirements does it require me to be an electrical engineer. Reminder this is Air Conditioning & Heating, not electrical engineering. I don't need an engineering degree to fix an air conditioner. I have fixed engineer's air conditioners in the past, still occasionally do so now. Right tool - right job. The word is still out on what kind of tool you are Mike.