I don't want a repeat of last night anytime soon

[olds442jetaway]

     This has more to do with that cloud following me around sometimes than vp. The Mrs. and I headed up to Mohegan Friday night for a hopeful relaxing evening. We hadn't played at all and about half way through dinner, got a call from my daughter to come home right away. Evidently, the housing on the sump pump let go and was spraying water all over in the basement. New water was also coming in due to heavy recent rains and melting snow. She luckily got the thing unplugged safely, but we still dropped everything and headed home. I ended up bailing water and carrying up heavy buckets to dump outside all evening. In between that, I tried to repair the housing, but no dice. At 6 AM this morning I was at Home Depot and unfortunately bought a piece of s... pump on clearance that after assembly and hooking it up had a bad motor bearing and other problems. &(&#@$&&*&&*(&.....Back to Home Cheapo for a refund, dead tired, and off to the really good local plumbing store. Bought a really good sump pump at a reasonable price and installed it. Too tired to sleep, the wife and I went out for a very late breakfast. I did finally get to sleep shortly after. Besides wasting my wife's only evening off, I lost my substantial free play etc. Guess it could have been worse. Nobody hurt and that is the main thing.

[notes1]

olds, rough night, been there-done that. i have NO mechanical talent, so take what i am about to say, with a grain of salt. years ago, when we lived up north, it seemed like the entire neighborhood drained into out yard. went thru sump pumps like crazy and when they failed, a big wet mess.  was telling this to a friend, who was in the nursery business. he said i should try installing a 'french' drain. i think that was what it was called. he did it for a reasonable amount. the drain went around the back of the house and ended at the curb. when it rained heavy or when the snow was melting, the water at the end of the drain, at the curb would shoot 12 inches above the curb. it worked really well.  don't know if that helps. 

[olds442jetaway]

Thanks Notes. Unfortunately, our neighborhood has a granite basin underground. There are underwater feeds everywhere and that is why Native Americans set up camp here centuries ago. Most all of the homes were built from 1900-1950 including mine. People have tried French Drains, and curtain drains with limited or no success. We can go years without water coming in, but when the water table gets high enough, nothing is going to stop it. We are even on top of a hill. Some people even run 2 at either end of their basements. I love the new pump though. Hopefully, in a few days, the table will go down and the water will stop coming in. I hope to be able to get up to Mohegan Sun tonight. Got my fingers crossed. I feel bad for the Mrs. since she has a work day tomorrow and can't go. She would move to Florida tomorrow and lived in the Gulfport area as a child. For now too many family ties and obligations up here. I love Ct., but as one gets older, the winters take their toll. Lots to think about over the next couple of years.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=olds442jetaway]She would move to Florida tomorrow and lived in the Gulfport area as a child.[/quote]Come on down!  Nearly a thousand people a day are moving to Florida, so we should be able to handle a few more.  

[notes1]

we are in the final stages of prepping our house to put on the market, so we can move to florida. i can take the 90+ degree days we have in NC , but i just cannot take the 20-30 degree winter nights. getting too old. it is amazing checking out the real estate situation there. nine years after the housing bubble burst and there are still many homeowners who cannot sell their houses, without taking a 10-30% haircut. many will simply not live long enough to have any chance of re-couping what they over paid for.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=notes1] its amazing checking out the real estate situation there. nine years after
the housing bubble burst and there are still many homeowners who cannot
sell their houses, without taking a 10-30% haircut. many will simply not
live long enough to have any chance of re-couping what they over paid
for.[/quote]The Florida real estate market has heated up in the last few years.  Prices have not recovered to 2006 levels, but they are getting close in some markets. The biggest appreciation has been in South Florida and Orlando.  Some of these markets are so hot the sellers are taking multiple offers.  Away from the big cities and the coast, you can still find bargains.  The cheapest homes are in the developments where all the foreclosures happened. This is a great time to buy a Florida home. New construction has not fully recovered, the demand is huge and resale home prices are rising.  With 1,000 people a day moving to Florida, these low prices won't last as long as you think.

[notes1]

one of the great advantages of the internet is that one can check on the history of house sales, asking prices and what people are actually paying. instead of relying on word of mouth or someone who has a vested interest, one can get the actual numbers.  i am no real estate expert, but in the areas we are looking, which are near the left coast, it would be the exception to the rule, to find many sellers, who bought a house in the 2004-2007 time period, who can sell now, and get their money back. many buyers have complained about a lack of supply, i believe this is largely due to those who over paid, who are not willing to sell at a loss. 

[DaBurglar]

one of the great advantages of the internet is that one can check on the history of house sales, asking prices and what people are actually paying. instead of relying on word of mouth or someone who has a vested interest, one can get the actual numbers.  i am no real estate expert, but in the areas we are looking, which are near the left coast, it would be the exception to the rule, to find many sellers, who bought a house in the 2004-2007 time period, who can sell now, and get their money back. many buyers have complained about a lack of supply, i believe this is largely due to those who over paid, who are not willing to sell at a loss. you are 100% correct on this point....this phenomena of people holding (more like "sitting on")  a negative equity home hoping for prices to rise is something that makes any macro analysis of the housing market challenging in terms of identifying trends and what not......    Olds!   I am very very sorry your night out at mohegan was ruined.....you got "soaked" in a very differnt manner than usual I guess!I would urge you to look into other markets besides FLORIDA though......I personally HATE the climate of florida, with its absurd humidity and all that goes with tropical air......if you simply want to escape the New England winter, while also having access to quality casinos, then why not consider the American Southwest?  (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico)    The cost of living & taxes out there rival Florida's without the congestion of the cities.....plus you got VEgas!!!    Just my thoughts......