well, kicking the ball against a wall is not "having nowhere else to go." Little kids kicking the ball on the ground back and force to one another, or riding trike and squealing--those actually, depending on one's personality, could be pleasant noises to hear outside one's home. And I think you need *first* to tell your landlord of the problem. Documentation (setting up a video camera, or something) might provide him w/ a tool to use against the other tenants. So, if you can, try to get video of the problems, and put that on a disk. Or take a snapshot of the motorcycle, and print it out (or get a print made, if you use film). Write a letter to the landlord detailing these problems. Tell him the time of day the kids play, and request that he come and see it for himself. Tell him you fear that these other tenants will act against you if they suspect you have complained, and request that he investigate these things directly himself, so that the complaints can be clearly seen to be coming from him, independent of you. Then ask if you can move to another unit. Then you have to give him time to fix it, if you want to break the lease without being forced to pay the rent until he finds a new tenant. Your landlord certain doesn't want someone kicking a ball against his wall, so he needs to know. And does he know about the problem w/ the breakers? In order to have any legal leg to stand on, you have to give him a chance to fix these problems.

why do people do things like that? does playing with the numbers give people the impression that the deal is better? Obviously buyers bite often enough to make it worth dangling the bait. On one purchase, I told the sales rep that I would do the deal if I paid no more than my current payment for two years. That would have brought the price for the car to what I considered to be a fair deal. The sales rep actually said that I could have the payment I wanted -- if I paid for six more months than I wanted. I'm not stupid, lady. It took a few days for them to think about it and come to their senses. Dealers also play on the fact that most people have committed themselves emotionally to the new vehicle, and are more willing to give up on the negotiations, especially when the payments are put in -- uh, creative -- terms.

Sorry for not getting back sooner, been at the freaking mechanics shop too much! So basically I took the advice and got the repairs done, I think I was freaking out a little bit. I now have had the tires replaced, the front tie rods, the front hub bearing, and now I get a PO410 code from the computer. Looks like something has gone wrong in the "smog" pump. I have checked the fuses, they are OK. So looks like that was the cheap fix option. I am going to take it back to the shop to check it out and see where the problem is. I am hoping that it is just a leaking hose and not the pump itself or the relay, because that is going to cost me. Looks like the pump has to be either bought from GM, no one else makes the part, or a rebuilt one. So this repair will cost me. And I called the warranty company, since this is not an internally lubricated part, it is not covered. Next time, it like 3 years when the car is payed off, I will learn to research the vehicle better first and make sure the warranty is going to cover the things that break down the most. Thanks for all the advice people, I have never been in this kind of a situation before. I had a 96 Dakota that only had to put new tires on and fix the exhaust(twice) in 6 years. Wrecked it and had no choice but get a car fast as I had no other transportation.

After selling our home last year, we returned to the Northern Virginia area and decided to rent for a while. We are now in our second rental house. Price negotiability really depends on your market. In my area, house rents are all over the map. There is definitely room to negotiate but it takes work and patience. Take the advice of the prior posters. But be prepared for rejection. If your new area experienced a big run-up during the boom or was an area with a lot of investment properties, many owners are trying to cover their mortgages. Makes sense. However, it's unrealistic for many owners to cover their mortgages and other costs if the area saw rapid price inflation w/o commensurate increases in income. Rent is very sensitive to income and I've watched many houses sit on the rental market because they're overpriced. It's very hard for owner/investors to accept that they make get only 60-70% of their costs covered. I've negotiated the rents down by several hundred dollars/month on each of my houses. I've also been approached by owners I had talked to during my search who are now ready to meet my price...housing markets are a bit wacky now even if you're just interested in renting. The good news is that you're looking at the worst possible time for landlords w/o tenants. It's late fall/coming up on winter and most families have moved in and settled down until the spring/summer relocation season kicks in. You're in an excellent negotiating position. Be fair and you may find a landlord that will appreciate it. Also, please don't forget that a good rental agreement isn't just about price. The terms of your lease are equally important. My first landlords failed to sell their home so they rented it BUT wanted to keep it on the market with a lockbox for the entire term of the lease. Needless to say we walked. They came back hanging their heads and we negotiated a much better arrangement for us. Now, this will sound strange but I considered it pretty important. If renting from a private owner w/o the involvement of a property management company, run a credit check on the landlords. There are a lot of homeowners out there teetering on the brink and you don't want a foreclosure/eviction notice after you've gone to the expense and trouble of moving in. The real estate agent should be able to help you. There are owner/landlords who will try and intimidate you because you're a lowly renter. Don't fall for it. Stay your best assertive homeowning self and don't settle for less than you need. It pays to know average rents for various types of housing in your market. I had a real estate agent helping me with the first house. She was great. She found places for me to see, called owners with home for sale to see if they might be interested in renting, she had the rental statistics, and she was invaluable in negotiating a lease. There are a lot of accidental landlords in the market right now and they range from decent to just awful. Having a real estate professional helping you with the details of the lease can save you money and enhance your living experience. The agent did not pressure us to buy. She earns a small leasing commission from the landlord and also earns a potential future buyer...you. We sent our agent a giant gourmet basket of goodies as a thank you and she was thrilled. I could write a book on the subject of transitioning from homeowner to renter and will be happy to answer any questions you may have down the line. One more piece of advice. Before you begin looking, study the landlord/tenant law in your new area. Most states/counties now have online handbooks and it's best to know your rights and responsibilities upfront.