Got my new house

[sumbride]

Date: 10/29/2006 1:18:02 AM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 10/27/2006 9:38:38 AM

Author: sumbride

I''m laughing a little bit here that so many people justify the purchase of an SUV so that they can go and purchase bigger stuff!

That''s hilarious!


I think I better stick to my sedan since I live in a little house! I might start buying bigger stuff!

Is that what it sounded like? That people were actually feeling as if they had to ''justify'' their SUVs?

Not on my count. I owned one prior to buying my home, and I drive it because I love it. No other reason needed, as far as I''m concerned.

That said, though......when you start dragging home 4'' x 8'' pieces of lattice and bathroom cabinets, it sure does come in handy, and one certainly does appreciate the room.

Maybe "justify" was the wrong word, but in following the thread I kept reading "I bought it because I wanted to buy bigger stuff..." and I think that''s a really bizarre reason to buy a bigger vehicle. Not a bad reason, just a bizarre reason. My life is different than many here though as I do live in the middle of a city, with no garage or even a driveway. I have to parallel park and worry about car theft, so for me, a large vehicle is more of a hindrance than a help. I also find them very threatening on the road, especially since I just got nailed by a guy in a Tacoma that came into my lane and caused $2k worth of damage to my car merely because he didn''t want to wait for the person in front of him to turn left. If he''d been in a car, the damage wouldn''t have been as extreme. My house is also only 14 ft. wide, so it''s best that I limit my big box purchases! And I did manage to put 10 ft. long boards in my Camry when we were working on our fence. They stretched from the dashboard, through the backseat and into the trunk, but it worked.

I think SUVs and trucks are great for occasional use but I don''t see the point in using them as a daily drive. Especially considering the gas prices. But hey, to each their own.

Congrats on the truck purchase, Codex. Now go shopping!

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 10/29/2006 10:50:09 AM
Author: sumbride


Maybe 'justify' was the wrong word, but in following the thread I kept reading 'I bought it because I wanted to buy bigger stuff...' and I think that's a really bizarre reason to buy a bigger vehicle.

?????? In this thread, only one person said she went from a car to an SUV because she was buying enormous stuff.

The rest of the folks said they already owned large vehicles....and that they incidentally also found them handy for hauling stuff around.

Devil's advocate, though.....even if every single one of them did their trucks/SUVs for the express purpose of ease to move large items, I guess I don't think that's any more bizarre than someone buying a minivan because his family is expanding and it will provide more room. In fact, I don't see how it's materially different from someone in a congested city deciding to buy a smaller car to better fit into tight parking spaces, or because a large vehicle won't fit into the modest garage???

People's buying decisions are a combination of needs and wants. I can say that when I rented, I never had to worry about how I was going to get cabinets home.....because I didn't need them as a renter. They were provided for me.

Yes, it's true that people can find alternate ways to get stuff home (i.e. renting a truck).....just as it's true that people who commute to congested areas could forgo the small car purchase and use public transport. In both instances, though, it's a matter of convenience.

As Codex aptly pointed out, he's done the "rent when we need it thing", but that becomes impractical when you're at Home Depot/Costco on a 3-times weekly basis.

(No one tells you that when you buy a new home, the home is just where you get mail delivered to! The new actual residence is Home Depot!

)

Last October, it was time to dump my Rodeo (SUV) and get something more reliable. I considered a car, but when I thought of just how often we end up using the space, we'd spend more renting a truck that often than any potential differential in gas. Not to mention, my 6-cylinder Highlander doesn't go through gas any more quickly than a 6-cylinder Buick (having had one of those too). And honestly, I *prefer* the SUV. Since we own one of each (one car, one SUV), we can alternate as our needs dictate.

While it's true that accidents can occur with SUVs, they can also happen as a result of drivers who become distracted or hindered by several pieces of wood threaded through their cars dancing around on their dashboards.

I think it makes sense to buy whatever fits one's lifestyle.

 

[lumpkin]

Congrats on the SUV, too! It will come in handy a lot. Especially if you''re hauling shrubs and landscaping stuff for your new house.

We have a mini van which we got so we could carpool with other parents and have found that it is also really handy for those large items. We can take all but the two front seats out and a lot will fit in there -- not as much as a truck because of the height issue, but still an awful lot. A few weeks ago we had the deal where you can take big items to a specified location and the city only charges a small fee (cheaper than having the garbage company haul it off). We got the old swing set and one of those yucky, brightly colored Little Tikes play sets in it. It''s also great for garage sales! (I love a good garage sale, LOL!) I honestly don''t know what we''d do without it. The thought of going back to a car sucks. When I have to drive my husband''s car I just hate it. It''s a BMW 325, too, so you''d think I''d rather drive that than a boat of a Chrysler, but I prefer the big one, LOL! Of course he prefers his car, so to each his own. Although, he sure appreciates having the minivan, too.

The minivan has 65,000 miles on it and I''m going to drive that thing until it falls apart.

 

[codex57]

I forgot about the other store around here that sucks me to it like a black hole: Ikea. Went there this morning. Truck did come in handy. We have a TON of shoes so we bought those modular closet organizer thingies (cept we're installing them in the garage). Got the ones that attach to poles. Long and bulky items.

I think I'm gonna wait until spring to get trees, shrubbery and sod tho. I do need a lawn mower. Don't think I can drag that out much longer. Gardeners are sorta expensive IMO. Well, not really, but all these things add up. Tack them onto a mortgage and I think I'm just gonna save that money and mow the yard myself.

Going to SF Mart next week. Time for furniture!

Man, our truck is real funky looking. Oh well, it is soo useful tho. I love that trunk and the flip up seats. It's like a cross btw a SUV and a truck. I feel like I'm driving a Transformer.

 

[qtiekiki]

The sales guy showed us the truck when we were looking at our Pilot. I think the Ridgeline is neat, with the different way to open up the back. The inside looks really roomy. Congrats on the truck!

 

[Stone Hunter]

Congrats on the house and the new SUV. Did you buy the house near the freeway?

Maybe you better buy yourself a diamond ring. While your at Home Depot for supplies you can take advantage of their lighting!

 

[codex57]

Yeah, I bought near the freeway. We''ll likely be out of there before they even start construction.

I''m not buying a diamond ring to look at in Home Depot. Wife would wanna take it.

 

[portoar]

To elaborate, your $50K in incentives was a price reduction. I wouldn''t be upset that they didn''t give you the $5K reduction in price, it sounds like you did much better.

If your neighbor paid $500K and got $10K in incentives, their effective price was $490K. If you paid $500K and got a $50K incentive, your effective price was $450K.

The developer would rather charge you $500K and give you more incentive because then the neighbor who paid $490K (net) doesn''t know the effective price has dropped to $450K.

It also works out for them because the $50K in incentives is a retail price. But they are not paying $50K for the stuff they added to your home.

What you don''t know is whether the next buyer is going to pay $500K with $75K in incentives. . .

It''s all good, you got a lot of ugrades for your home that you like. It''s just a game the developers play to hide price reductions.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Date: 11/1/2006 4:31:06 AM
Author: codex57
Yeah, I bought near the freeway. We''ll likely be out of there before they even start construction.

I''m not buying a diamond ring to look at in Home Depot. Wife would wanna take it.

OK I''m glad you were able to decide on the house.

Still think you need something for those HD trips. Maybe set it into your wedding band then she really couldn''t take it.

 

[codex57]

Date: 11/1/2006 9:30:12 AM
Author: portoar
To elaborate, your $50K in incentives was a price reduction. I wouldn''t be upset that they didn''t give you the $5K reduction in price, it sounds like you did much better.


If your neighbor paid $500K and got $10K in incentives, their effective price was $490K. If you paid $500K and got a $50K incentive, your effective price was $450K.


The developer would rather charge you $500K and give you more incentive because then the neighbor who paid $490K (net) doesn''t know the effective price has dropped to $450K.


It also works out for them because the $50K in incentives is a retail price. But they are not paying $50K for the stuff they added to your home.


What you don''t know is whether the next buyer is going to pay $500K with $75K in incentives. . .


It''s all good, you got a lot of ugrades for your home that you like. It''s just a game the developers play to hide price reductions.

Oh, ok. That''s what I thought it was. I''m ok with that. It''s more for their books than it really affecting me. As long as I know what my effective price is.

I know some people get more incentives, but they''re buying those ready to move in houses. We didn''t want that. We wanted to pick out all our stuff instead of remodeling later. Our incentives are pretty much in line with the max this builder gives for houses far from completion. Been watching them for months and seeing all their promotions. THey have different ways of doing it, but the dollar amount ends up being the same %.