Comments on: Woo-HOO! Major estate sale triumph

By: funny

funny — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:00:26 +0000

@ Carrie: That sure is a possibility. We get blinding heat in the summer and it often freezes in the winter, plus in the summertime we also have violent, hard rainstorms. It wouldn’t be surprising if the wear and tear on the surface degrades it over time.

Also, I’ve read that you shouldn’t paint stucco; that paint will cause it to degrade in time. Much preferable (we’re told) is to mix a pigment into the mud to create a desirable color that will last the lifetime of the house. Supposedly stucco holds up better if it’s left unpainted.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:53:25 +0000

I wonder if the stucco looking rundown has to do with the climate. I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area and it’s 1970s stucco houses for miles and miles and miles around here and they’re all in good condition.

By: funny

funny — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:52:31 +0000

@ frugalscholar: Actually, that’s a real possibility. If my son takes a job in another city or if he marries and wants to move to a larger house, the proceeds from selling my house would pay off the loan on the downtown house, with $50,000 or $60,000 to spare. That house has no pool (less to take care of!) and it’s the cutest little place. It probably would need some more work done–the cabinetry we put in the kitchen wasn’t made for the ages, so I’d end up using some of the extra money to rebuild that. And the biggie…it’s full of black-iron plumbing, which sooner or later is going to have to be replaced. Expensively. Still, over the long run the costs would be no higher than my present house will rack up…and possibly less.

By: frugalscholar

frugalscholar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:10:24 +0000

Something you actually need! Bliss!

BTW, have you ever thought of eventually moving into your investment house? It sounds like a great house for retirement.