real estate | My Desultory Blog

Do you build or buy a new house this year or put it off?

RichC | March 18, 2021

Real estate has been on a tear in many markets as the coronavirus has people moving from cities to the suburbs and their own piece of land. In my opinion it is not just COVID19 related, but that fact that cities aren’t as secure or as tax friendly to live in, especially on the east […]

Category: Business, Financial, News | No Comments »
Tags: building, commodities, coronavirus, covid19, economy, federal reserve, house, housing, inflation, interest rates, lumber, mortgages, real estate, wsj

Is there a best time to become a first time home buyer?

RichC | May 7, 2019

In a discussion with my son Taylor last week, the subject of homeownership came up. He is single and currently rents, but like many millennials, hasn’t been in a big hurry to "put down roots" as have previous generations. On the other hand, being that his career is in "planning" and "economic development," regularly talks […]

Category: Advice, Blogs, Financial | No Comments »
Tags: case-schiller, chart, homes, house, housing, phrase, real estate, rent

Delicious food, great conversation and a new side-hustle

RichC | August 1, 2018

Brenda and I had a good time talking to our millennial son Taylor and his girlfriend Megan last weekend. In contrast to our usually politically deteriorating topics of conversation (like his dad, Taylor loves to debate), it was a very enjoyable time. He picked up some shrimp and brought over the ingredients to make us […]

Category: Personal, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: bird, cincinnati, cooking, family, homes, houses, megan, property, real estate, scooter, side-hustle, taylor

Archive: The much-loved western NY Farmhouse – SOLD

RichC | June 23, 2014

Chris (my “hard working” sister-in-law) and I spent a few more days in Jamestown, New York and stretched out a weekend to work on my in-law’s beloved “Farmhouse.” It looks like we are finally making headway in getting it ready to show … ready or not it will be on the market. I hope whoever […]

Category: Archive, For Sale, Personal, Photos | 2 Comments »
Tags: dadh, family, farmhouse, jamestown, maps, momh, ny, real estate

Castaway, Blue Lagoon and an Island For Sale

RichC | October 8, 2006

On a Tom Hanks weekend, the movie Castaway was on the TNT TV network Saturday night and although we watched it when it came out in the year 2000, my wife and I sat through the long and slow-moving movie again … this time with commercial interruption. “Where’s Wilson!” The gorgeous scenery and South Pacific […]

Category: Misc, Travel | 5 Comments »
Tags: blue lagoon, castaway, island, real estate, tom hanks

Most Recent Posts

05/15/22: Refinishing home office desk project and cutting the lawn
My weekend chores and projects are in full swing as I cut the lawn longer than usual since it grew fast and thick while we were on vacation. Hopefully after a few cuttings, the thatch will disappear (I’m not fond of… »
05/14/22: Wishing the mom to my granddaughters a Happy Birthday :-)
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05/13/22: Stocks, bonds, crypto all down. What to do, what to do?
FoxBusiness/WSJ graphic For the good or bad, whenever I’m away from my daily routine, it seems like the financial markets lose stability and investors go into crisis mode? The past couple of weeks, those invested in… »
05/12/22: Cleaning stainless steel cookware, mostly Wirecutter advice
Who else hates cleaning up stainless steel cookware, especially stainless steel frying pans? We opted to upgrade the mishmash pots and pans at the Delray Beach condo back in 2018 with a full set of IKEA stainless steel… »
05/11/22: An ideal use for my MicroJig dovetail clamps #woodworking
Since I use these dovetail MicroJig clamps for woodworking in my workshop, it seemed only logical to archive a photo so I can build a "jointer jig" or perhaps more appropriately just a jig to use with the… »
05/10/22: Enjoyed a Mother’s Day beach week of R & R in Florida
Depressing as it may be, our vacation in Delray Beach is over, but it was a perfect and needed rest and relaxation trip. Our old 2002 Honda Odyssey is still surviving … although I did pondering a new Florida vehicle… »
05/09/22: Music Monday: Zac Brown – “Let It Go” from YGWYG album
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05/08/22: Happy Mother’s Day to a couple of wonderful moms
It is difficult not to recognize what great moms both MomC and MomH were to me … but since they are no longer here, I want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to a couple of great moms — my wife Brenda and… »
05/07/22: KDAE looking at their property prior to ground breaking
It is definitely spring and as with many growing families working hard and fortunate enough to be living in the United States, ours are pursuing the American dream of building or owning a home. Katelyn and Drew sent… »
05/06/22: Tech gadget guy mixed with someone who likes knot tying
This is what you get when you continue to use leftover chargers from old phones (my Palm Pre) and continue to rely on sailing knot tying skills. Really just a filler post for a Tech Friday after noticing just how unique… »
05/05/22: Books: “The House of Yan” by Lan Yan and personal tidbits
Although I don’t know all that much more than what I read about China, the culture and history intrigues me. After moving to Sidney, Ohio in high school, I felt like a fish out of water since most kids grew up in… »
05/04/22: Archive: Guest bedroom and home office floors are finished
Just archiving progress on the hardwood floors project before moving any furniture back in the guest bedroom (above left) and my home office (panorama photo below). I also wanted to save a photo of the can of Minwax… »
05/03/22: Another colonoscopy and laughing at my old heartbeat theory
My dad was known for saying he was planning to live to 160 years old and I’m following in his ridiculous longevity theories and his questionable medical advice (he died at 86 in 2015). Years ago I jokingly theorized… »
05/02/22: Music Monday: Dion – “Runaround Sue” #video
Today’s Music Monday is a little bit before my time, but when hearing Dion DiMucci singing “Runaround Sue” on Varney & Co. FoxBusiness show’s segment bumper music last month, it caught my ear. For me, it… »
05/01/22: James Garner’s TAG Heuer Carrera watch up for auction
As a James Garner fan and follower of his daughter Gigi on Twitter, I enjoyed a recent article highlighting raising money for animal welfare with his famous TAG Heuer Carrera watch (below). Earlier this year I was… »
04/30/22: Cincinnati Reds: Dad catches a foul ball while feeding baby
Major League Baseball is back. Last week, baby feeding did not keep this hardcore fan from from enjoying a Cincinnati Reds game and coming away with a souvenir. Perhaps the Reds could add him to their roster … they… »
04/29/22: Tech Friday: Is Y2K still going to be a problem?
With Y2K in the past, I wonder if I still need to keep this 3.5 inch disk from a Windows 2000 emergency repair? I suspect I can toss the disk since I don’t think I even have a 3.5” disk reader anymore … although… »
04/28/22: Office and guest bedroom hardwood flooring progress
In keeping with personal home project updating, our hardwood flooring has been moving along this week. The guys are making a mess sanding … but doing their best to contain dust. We are hoping for a stain-match to our… »
04/27/22: Replaced LED security light with Wyze Cam Floodlight
Earlier this year after an HOA meeting, I added myself to the waitlist for a new Wyze Cam product called the Wyze Cam Floodlight. The neighborhood has been looking for a better way to monitor the pool without the high… »
04/26/22: Big news: Twitter accepted buyout offer from Elon Musk
The financial markets have been following the Federal Reserves messaging regarding tightening their easy money policies and has been selling off the last few days. The more aggressive, but late stance to slow inflation… »
04/25/22: Spring, apple blossoms, an iPhone photo & an Ellerie #video
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04/24/22: My son Taylor will like a tweet/photo in my Twitter feed
For a better reference to the subject line, see this post! (tweet below) 😊… »
04/23/22: Dealing with rising prices and the Fed hitting the brakes
As the Fed finally starts to deal with inflation, the market took note this month and seems to be selling off across the board. The expectation is that the economy will slow and as they say in the investing world,… »
04/22/22: Tech Friday: Thoughts on M4A vs MP3 digital audio formats
The MP3 format for audio has been used on My Desultory Blog since the mid-2000s and I have contemplated a variety of other opensource options over the years. Compression choices to keep file sizes and streaming… »
04/21/22: Temporarily working from my basement home office #TBT
As the slow progress on finishing my home office continues, I’ve set up a temporary office in the basement (below). It is surprisingly comfortable, but I do miss the daylight and looking out the windows. I can’t… »
04/20/22: What information is your car sharing? #privacy
In keeping with this graphic, here’s a recent LA Times article highlighting a growing California crime problem … 17 L.A. gangs have sent out crews to follow and rob city’s wealthiest, LAPD says More than a… »
04/19/22: New 8-year Ohio Driver’s License and costly fuel fill #inflation
After filling up the 2010 BMW X5 35d with diesel … ouch … I drove to the least painful Ohio DMV location in my area according to the online wait times. Thankfully I came prepared with my passport, address… »
04/18/22: We can hope that April 2022 Flurries don’t kill May Flowers
For a day after Easter, the weather sure doesn’t look like spring! https://myarchive.us/mp4/April2022FlurriesBringMayFlowers.mp4 Also testing WordPress automated mp4 plugin with added gray vs black border than my… »
04/18/22: Music Monday: My one and only John Denver concert at Miami University was still the best
The years have passed, but my memory of a John Denver concert “in the round” was still the best and most memorable concert I’ve ever attended. I suspect a lot has to do with John Denver being a true… »
04/17/22: Amateur Astronomer photo of M51 – Whirlpool Galaxy
No time for a post today so I’ll include an amateur astronomer’s photo of M51 – Whirlpool Galaxy from a space-oriented social network group that was impressive.… »
04/16/22: Two more costly projects are underway at our house
First, I mentioned pool repairs were underway earlier in the week. The tiles that I’ve been repairing are now long past due for a full replacement. So the water has been pumped out and a pool tile crew is beginning… »
04/15/22: Thought: The debt of sin. Paid in full. Completely and forever.
Pondering the suffering and sacrifice our Savior made for us nearly 2000 years ago – Good Friday 2022. “I am wholly deserving of all the consequences that I will in fact never receive simply because God… »
04/14/22: YouGov poll: Which media organizations do you trust?
… »
04/14/22: Great weather to be in Perrysburg babysitting our granddaughters
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04/13/22: Remembering when we had better leadership in WashingtonDC
It is hard to stand by and watch the wasteful spending, bloating of government and divisive polices streaming from our Federal government in Washington DC this past year. Unfortunately there seems to be no stopping the… »
04/12/22: Keeping the economy going by buying more stuff: Wood glue, sanding drums, Kubota maintenance items and grass seed
While ordering Titebond III glue in the 16 oz size (best choice for wood glue) from Walmart.com ($7.98) instead of Amazon, who happened to only have other sizes and bulk packaging (although gone is $67 Prime shipping),… »
04/11/22: Music Monday: Starland Vocal Band – “Afternoon Delight” 1976
This week almost didn’t have a Music Monday song, but after hearing “Afternoon Delight” over the weekend, I thought that since this was the only song I could remember from the group called Starland Vocal Band,… »
04/10/22: Expensive maintenance: Let the pool opening repairs begin
We have put off replacing the pool tiles long enough as I’ve long ago burned through the spare tiles and have made repairs and replaced the damaged tiles so far myself, but there is only so much that can be done to… »
04/09/22: Cleaning up some trash and NON-trash on my computer
Saw this “trash” can on social media the other day and don’t know if there was an R2-D2 Star Wars intent or not, but it did make me smile … ALMOST as much as receiving a photo from Katelyn and Drew while on… »
04/08/22: Tech Friday: iOS and App updates … and Internet/Cable/TV
After updating my iOS devices to 15.4 last week, I noticed a few annoying changes (normal when an operating system changes), and a few improvements. I suspected that older devices such as my iPhone 7 and older iPad… »
04/07/22: Archive: My mom saved way too much stuff … and so do I #TBT
While clearing out a few more old boxes and tossing junk in preparation for new floors in my office (and guest bedroom) last weekend, I just couldn’t throw this 1963 “fine artwork” colored by yours truly without… »
04/06/22: Our driveway disappointment is one step closer to resolution
Our concrete driveway is not small … and if you add to our front drive to the rear paved driveway, it is fair to say that we have a lot of money invested in concrete and asphalt. So … when last year’s front… »
04/05/22: A little praise for our HelloFresh trial and now subscription
When it comes to FRESH meals in a box, we’re relative newcomers to any of the meal plans … including the one we’re trying from HelloFresh. We have been pretty happy with ordering from Omaha Steaks over the years,… »
04/04/22: Music Monday: “Early Morning Rain” – Gordon Lightfoot (image) … Can you see it?
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04/03/22: Archive: A couple granddaughter photos and a good laugh
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04/02/22: Books: The Coddling of the American Mind and Roland Fryer
The longer I live, the more I ask the question: “What is wrong with people?” While reading “The Coddling of the American Mind” last week, just before chatting with my son Taylor, the synopsis of the book came to… »
04/01/22: Friday Filler: An interesting eye-brain negative afterimage
These illustrations make the rounds by email and social networking every so often and do so because they are interesting to naturally inquisitive humans … and in my case make for a blogworthy Friday Filler and… »
03/31/22: Bundutec Rooftop Tent for traveling and camping #TBT
If I were going to do a little traveling around the U.S. and Canada by vehicle, I’d like to look at something like the Bundutec “Electric Rooftop Tent” for our BMW X5 35D or maybe the minivan? Of course IF I were… »
03/30/22: My son Taylor and Megan were over to show a new vehicle
A few weeks ago, Megan’s car was hit will parked on the street outside of Taylor’s apartment in East Walnut Hills (Cincinnati). The damage was shockingly substantial and totaled the older car she was driving. So the… »
03/29/22: Just a couple woodshop table saw splitter and pushstick ideas
I’ve been thinking a little bit more about workshop safety (although always do) and after posting about zero clearance throatplates the other day, I started contemplating adding a splitter to my table saw or to… »
03/28/22: Music Monday: “Hold On” from 1990 by Wilson Phillips
Once again, in looking to get out of the 1970’s Music Monday rut, I pulled out a music memory from my trusty Apple iPod and Shuffle … mine is filled with Jack Johnson tunes (right – see Wikipedia list of iPods).… »
03/27/22: Holy Toledo! It looks like a Rivian R1T EV being charged
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03/26/22: War, inflation, recession, oil prices and inverted yield curves
The “pain at the pump” is definitely real if you are buying fuel and if you have spend the last decade with gas and diesel at 40+% lower than we are seeing today. That said, in inflation-adjusted dollars, we are… »
03/25/22: Tech Friday: A new Shokz headset called OPENRUN is available
Those who know me likely have noticed that I’m often wearing an Aftershokz headset. I’ve worn them for the last several years and since my hearing has been impacted by Ménière’s disease way back in the late… »
03/24/22: NASA’s new mega moon rocket crawls to the launch pad
It was exciting to see the new Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule move toward Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B this month as space-nerds anticipate NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission. The sight of such a… »
03/23/22: John Steele Gordon and Milton Friedman on Inflation
From a John Steele Gordon lecture at Hillsdale College … “money is just another commodity, no different from petroleum, pork bellies, or pig iron. So money, like all commodities, can rise and fall in price,… »
03/22/22: Tidbits: A workshop hook and a Canton, Ohio based idiom
“A place for everything and everything in its place,” is probably not the most fitting idiom for my cluttered workshop, since the debatable originate has to do with “neatness” according to an Ohio Repository… »
03/21/22: Music Monday: The 1943 classic movie “Watch on the Rhine” and 1982 song “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes
Old black and while films have never been top picks for Brenda and me when selecting a movie for the weekend, but as the Coronavirus pandemic shutdowns started, we decided to add a few classic movies as a way to… »
03/20/22: Bummer, we didn’t plan a winter or spring break this year
Photo from February 2013 in Delray Beach while visiting Brenda’s parents For years … well decades really … we have been fortunate enough to escape winter in February or sometimes March or April and head to sunny… »
03/19/22: What is the mining environmental impact of going green?
Sometimes people are too politically invested in climate change and environmental policies that they “can’t see the forest through the trees,” as John Heywood’s 1546 proverb propends (an idiom). This is not to… »

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