MIL moving in need to put addition without Tying into Roof
reynica young
11 months ago
last modified: 11 months ago
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Mark Bischak, Architect
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agoRelated Discussions
'Green' Roofs Could Help Put Lid On Global Warming
Comments (39)Actually, I must continue to disagree as well:-) I don't think you are aware of the facts behind this technology nor how rapidly it is progressing and becoming commonplace. Seattle is by no means on the forefront of green roof activity - we are well behind Portland and Vancouver BC in this regard - but the real hotbed of activity is in the midwest. Chicago has more green roofs than any other US city - over 200 and covering more than 2.5 million square feet. Dearborn, MI has the largest, 10.4 acres covering the Ford Motor Company truck plant. Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Raleigh NC, Atlanta, New York City and Toronto are all very active green roof areas as well. And then of course there are the dozens of green roofs scattered across California, both commercial and residential. This is not an isolated movement nor is it a flash in the pan technology. Modern green roofs have at least a 30 year history in this country. There is a very active and increasingly growing community of architects and contractors specializing in this approach and scores of companies dedicated to the technology and materials to build and plant living roofs - a simple search through Google will turn up literally hundreds of them. One of the incentives that stir this on is the same you claim to be a deterrent - the downturn in the economy has made it even more appropriate to pursue this technology. Initial costs may be higher to design and install a living roof compared to a conventional roofing system, but this is easily offset by the extended lifespan, the lower maintenance and the energy savings realized over the life of the structure - an investment in a living roof actually saves money....See MoreSelling my home/buying MIL's w/renovation
Comments (20)I doubt your realtor is a Medicare expert, so don't rely on such advice. First you should be talking to someone at your local Area Agency on Aging, to get some specifics on how your state Medicaid program works in regards to your MIL's financial/physical situation. Second, the five-year lookback period for Medicaid is the Federal requirement; individual states may impose additional limitations because Medicaid is funded 50-50 between state and the federal governments, unlike Medicare which is 100% federal. Many facilities will accept paying patients, then when the patient's personal funds run out they apply to Medicaid. Most high-end facilities will not take Medicaid-only patients because of the low rate of reimbursement. Be aware that if a facility closes down, it can be a scramble to find a place to move your family member, especially if they are on Medicaid reimbursement by then. The first thing you should do is contact your bank or whatever financial institution you want to use for a new mortgage. Ask them for the referral to the loan appraiser they prefer to use, because a lot of banks will not do business with just any appraiser. Pay for the appraisal (you would probably be responsible for this anyway; many banks don't absorb the cost any longer) on your MIL's house. It will be brutally fair and will take into account whatever has sold in the last 60 days - meaning short sales and foreclosures. The maximum your MIL can discount to you is 20% off that appraisal price, according to the IRS. Then, and only then, should you two decide whether selling your home is a reasonable consideration. You may wish to have the appraiser do both your MIL's home and your own condo at the same time - negotiate on this! - which will give you firm figures to work with. If you need to sell your condo very quickly, you are going to have to consider discounting that appraisal price for a fast sale. This can be done, but it isn't quick or simple. And you have to do it correctly or both the IRS AND Medicaid will be on your backs, and you don't want/need to be in that position. The process I've outlined above is my own understanding of the Medicaid and IRS rules, so be sure to confirm those assumptions are valid....See MoreCritique MIL's Listing
Comments (46)Rose, The plot thickens. She received a counter back from them. Keep in mind, with the selling contingency, she said $500K is firm as she didn't want to counter back and forth. They came back with this counter: 1. $495K 2. SIXTY days to sell their home 3. Not As is. In the meantime, she drove by their house and saw that there's at least 8 houses on the street for sale. Her realtor pulled the comps and they are priced at $359K, which she thought was high for the lower/middle class neighbourhood. MIL countered back with her previous counter. Firm and final. She was ticked because she made it clear in her first counter that the price was not negotiable with the selling contingency and then they came back wanting two months to sell their house? Heck no! I can understand this is a buyer's market, but considering her home IS priced to sell, it has a completely updated kitchen and hardwood throughout, she is not willing to go below $500K with a seller's contingency. Without it, then she may move on price, but there is no way she will keep the house tied up in a contract for 2 months during the height of the selling season. She will lose too many viewings. She's not concerned about the price as she is financially secure and this will be gravy for her. But like you, we would need as much money out of the house as possible, and we would push the solid comp from a month ago in terms of her listing price. She hasn't heard back from them, but given the neighbourhood their house is in, her house is quite a step up for these people and she's concerned that if they can't lift the contingency or get financing, she has wasted alot of time. In the meantime, a few weeks ago, there was a couple who looked at her home and wanted to put in an offer. They had a contract on their condo and just before the wrote it up, their contract fell through. They now have another contract on their home and they are coming on Sunday for a third visit. Looks promising. One of their comments from condo couple was the house needs updating, so MIL thinks they may lowball. I told MIL that she has a completely updated kitchen and hardwood throughout. The only thing that needs updating is the upstairs bathroom and if they wanted to paint. Considering the kitchen is done and with the hardwood, those are the updates that would cost a buyer the most to do. In a 3500 sq. ft. home, that would be a huge expense and she is of the mind her home is priced to sell. The updates that need to be done can be done so inexpensively. So, we'll see what they come up with and then take it from there. At least there won't be a selling contingency. Given she's been on the market about one month and is expecting her second offer, that tells me that her pricing is in a good ballpark. Oh and the 30 days selling contingency - I told her to consult with her realtor on the timeframe for that. I presume the realtor thought that was fair in this type of market. Anyone? What do you think of a 30 day selling contingency that she originally countered? Too long? Not long enough?...See MoreProblem with MIL-very long
Comments (33)I noticed that you said that if she had Alzheimer's it would have shown up by now. Actually, it and other dementias can show up at any time. Also, dementia can be caused by many things other than Alz. As to wildchild's "no no no," if you feel that in your area the psychiatrists usually handle all the psych issues and that the family doctors would have little/no experience with psych issues, then i have to agree with her. on the other hand, if it's like here (and it doesn't sound like it is as drastic as here since she was able to get an appointment with a psychiatrist once in the past) and the family practice doctors are familiar with psych illnesses, I have to strongly disagree with her. You're going to have to use your judgment, and maybe your SIL has as opinion too. (Just to give you some idea of what would happen here if the family docs didn't treat psych illnesses...I know someone who was in the psych hospital as an outpatient for a week for suicidal ideation (without plan) and under my supervision while not at the hospital. She was seen by the psychiatrist while in the hospital and had her meds adjusted by him. Upon discharge though, she was returned to the care of her family doc who had been managing her meds before. And BTW, I'm pretty sure it wasn't his inappropriate management that landed her in the hospital--I think she was snowing him and the same would have happened with a shrink. As a nurse, I know that her doctor asks the right questions.) So, I just want to try to clarify why I made the suggestion that I did and also to point out that "no no no" is not the right suggestion everywhere either. It may be the right suggestion where she is if there are plenty of shrinks, and thus the family docs there don't have a lot of knowledge/experience with psych illness. It's a judgment call. Unfortunately, a lot of people aren't in a good position to make that kind of judgment. If anyone knows a good psychiatrist who would be interested in living in a rural area of Virginia, please have him/her e-mail me for more information about the area. (It's a wonderful place to live, unless you need a psychiatrist:-) ) I don't think that someone who's been hospitalized _should_ go back into the care of a family doctor, but that's what the patient load of the psychiatrists we have here is like. Sorry to go on so long. I just have to put this out there more for other people who might read it and might live in an area like where I live. And although my opinion is strong, I'm not completely disagreeing with wildchild either. Sarah...See Morereynica young
11 months agoMark Bischak, Architect
11 months agoreynica young
11 months agoreynica young
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agoMark Bischak, Architect
11 months agoUser
11 months agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agoJennz9b
11 months ago
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