HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: wicklund@intellistor.com (Tom Wicklund)
Subject: Re: Tax Break for Home Sales At A Loss?
Organization: Intellistor, Inc.
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 19:34:40 GMT

In <30JUL92.11071887@jevex.waisman.wisc.edu> karcher@jevex.waisman.wisc.edu writes:
>Currently, there are no breaks for selling a personal residence at a loss. You
>may deduct a portion (up to 3000 I think) of selling expenses as moving costs.

Moving expense deductions are rather complex but you may deduct
something like (check tax instructions, I'm doing this from memory):

1.  Up to $1500 in living expenses at your new location while house
    hunting or waiting to move in.

2.  Up to $3000 of a total of costs for item #1 and for move out and
    move in costs.  These can include things like utility hookup
    charges, costs of selling a house (commissions, etc) and costs of
    buying a house (closing costs).

About the only way to sell a personal residence at a loss is to first
rent it for a period of time.  You must rent it for some period
without trying to sell it (if you put it on the market continuously
since moving out the IRS will rule that you rented it while waiting to
sell rather than that you engaged in a business).  If you rent without
trying to sell you can later sell and take a loss.  How long you wait
isn't clear, the IRS would probably object if it's less than 4-5
years.

When you sell your basis is the LOWER of purchase price or market
value when you started renting.  You depreciate the property while
renting it then take a gain or loss relative to the depreciated value.
(note -- this is from IRS and other tax publications.  I've had an
accountant tell me to use purchase price regardless but he may be
wrong).

Thus if you rent a former residence while waiting for house prices to
go up, you must take a gain if you later sell for a higher price.  And
there will be no 100K exclusion since it's no longer your residence.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: soley@trooa.enet.dec.com (Norman Soley)
Subject: Re: skunks are digging up my lawn, help!
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 21:03:56 GMT


In article <1992Jul21.030149.9350@webo.dg.com>, dlehman@banditos.rtp.dg.com (Donald Lehman) writes...
>In article <4961@transfer.stratus.com> btarbox@sw.stratus.com (Brian Tarbox) writes:
>>Title says it all...how do I discourage these critters?
> 
>This came up in my gardening class.  Like someone else said, the skunks are
>after grubs.  To control the grubs you can use Milky Spore Disease.  This
>infects the grubs and should last forever (provided you don't kill the
>Milky Spores) but will take awhile (3 to 5 years) to be fully effective.
>You can also use Diazinon or Dursban, but these are nasty chemicals 
>that may kill more than the grubs (read the labels).  I think
>these chemicals kill Milky Spores, so you can't do both.

According to an article I just read somewhere (Harrowsmith??) the most 
effective treatment for grubs (measured by counting dead grubs/square foot) 
is to work methodically over the infected area with those spiked aerating 
sandals that one can buy from gardening catalogs, in other words stab 'em to 
death. There are several disadvantages, it's extremely hard work, it's 
impractical for large areas and you look really goofy to your nieghbours while 
doing it. 

Most of the grubs (in this area at least) are the larvea of what we call 
June Bugs (sorry don't know the proper name) they prefer to lay their eggs 
in compacted soil, once yearly use of a plug cutter style aerator should 
make your lawn much less attractive to them. 
--
    Norman Soley, Specialist, Professional Software Services, ITC District
    Digital Equipment of Canada                   soley@trooa.enet.dec.com
    Opinions expressed are mine alone  and do not reflect those of Digital 
    Equipment Corporation or my cat Marge.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: stever@meaddata.com (Steve Rothenberg)
Subject: Re: Tile or Linoleum?
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 12:59:41 GMT
Distribution: usa

In article <1992Jul31.125038.1528@meaddata.com>, stever@meaddata.com (Steve Rothenberg) writes:
|> In article <4100736@hpcc01.corp.hp.com>, brooksp@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Peter Brooks) writes:
|> |> Yet another alternative: hardwood floors.  I first encountered this
|> 
|>   [Woodfloor info deleted]
|> |> 
|> |> Hardwood floors can be a DIY proposition.  I'd be leery of doing a tile
|> |> floor, but wood floors don't scare me.
|> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|> 
|> I just put down 500 sq. ft. of ceramic tile in our house (kitchen, foyer,
|> bathroom, laundry room). It was easy once you get past the first tile
|> (by this I mean making sure your lines are set, getting the right thickness
|> for the thinset, etc :-) ). It was far less in cost per square yard,
|> partly because you save on the labor, and materials are less expensive
|> too. As for the long run, This tile is coming up when the house is torn
|> down, while linoleum would have to be replaced sooner. As for wood floors,
|> they look nice, but too countryish for us. With colors and sizes, your
|> imagineation is limitless. Just take your time on the installation,
|> and you will be very happy with the results.
|> 
-- 
Steve Rothenberg           \   GO BROWNS     
Mead Data Central           \   GO CAVS            _____     __o  
stever@meaddata.com          \   GO INDIANS      -----      -\<, 
stevermeaddata@uunet.uu.net  \   GO CRUNCH       -----   ( )/ ( )
From: ems@michael.apple.com (E. Michael Smith)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Cleaning old water lines
Date: 30 Jul 92 06:07:48 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA

In article <3649@ecicrl.ocunix.on.ca> clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) writes:
>In article <zwlmy-p@lynx.unm.edu> pkrause@triton.unm.edu (Paul Krause CIRT) writes:
>>I own a house built in the late 50's with iron pipe and built over a 
>>slab.  (typical for much of albuquerque).  I am beginning to get significant
>>pressure loss inside the house.  When the front sprinklers run there is
>>little pressure at the kitchen sink for example.

>Has this actually changed noticably over time, or has this always been
>the case?  In-ground sprinklers take a *lot* of water, and tend
>to reduce pressure everywhere else.  Most houses aren't designed to
>have the plumbing to provide full pressure to more than one fixture
>simultaneously.  Especially not properly installed sprinkler systems.

This is a critical question!  My location also uses a restriction in
the water service line to control aggregate pressure drop in the mains.
I have a '1/2 inch' service, I think.  A '3/4 inch' service costs more
for the basic monthly charge (again, I think ...).  If it has changed
alot, it is likely scale.  If it has always been rather like this,
you may just have a 1/2 pipe feeding a 3/4 inch sprikler pipe with
obvious results ...

>
>Or could this be a reduction in water pressure in Albuquerque?

San Jose seems to have started dropping water pressure some at
night when we are allowed to run our sprinklers.  I think someone
is trying to force a bit more water conservation ... or maybe it's
just that with all the sprinklers forced into a single 8 hour span,
the pressure in the mains drops of it's own accord ...

Is Albequerque having a drought lately?  Have you measured the water
presure in a static condition?

-- 

E. Michael Smith  ems@apple.COM

'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has
 genius, power and magic in it.'  -  Goethe

I am not responsible nor is anyone else.  Everything is disclaimed.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: GA.MCL@forsythe.stanford.edu (Mark C. Lawrence)
Subject: Re: Advice needed on attic mounted HVAC system
Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 22:57:50 GMT

In article <1992Jul22.213334.26433@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>,
patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:
>In article <14063@borg.cs.unc.edu> weiss@hatteras.cs.unc.edu (Steve Weiss) writes:
>>      1. Is it safe to put a gas furnace in an attic?
>
>It should be. According to a fire inspector I spoke with in Atlanta once,
>natural gas and propane both vent explosions sideways. It should be just as
>safe up there as in a crawl space. The only problem you might have is that
>these gases are heavier than air, but you *are* venting the attic, right?

Natural gas is lighter than air, propane is heavier.

Mark C. Lawrence
Systems Programmer
Stanford Data Center
Stanford, CA 94305-4136
(415) 723-4976
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: cnmne@plex-1.ann-arbor.mi.us (Chris Ellinger)
Subject: Re: Sound Insulation
Organization: Plex-1, Michigan's Public Access Usenet Gateway  (Ann Arbor).
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 20:35:44 GMT

In article <1992Jul20.151010.19405@cbfsb.cb.att.com> tln@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (teresa.l.green) writes:
>Hi -
>	I want to put sound insulation around my bathrooms and
>in a bedroom ceiling.  I know you can hang drywall on a metal
>channel to help deaden sound and I know you can build alternating
>stud walls.  Basically, I do not want to go to those extremes if
>I don't have to.  I would like to know if 3.5" of fiberglass around
>the bathrooms will muffle all but the toliet flush and if 3.5" of
>fiberglass in the bedroom ceiling will muffle footsteps on the
>hardwood floors upstairs?  I know about decibal ratings of different
>materials, but my mind can't relate the ratings to the muffle I want.:-)
>I do not want to get too ambitious here and I'm hoping fiberglass will
>do the job.  Also, is there some other material besides fiberglass that
>I can put between the studs that will work better?  I'm thinking of some 
>type of baffled material...  (Chris will probably recommend rock wool :-))
>Any experience or advice would be appreciated. 


According to Owens-Corning literature, a standard stud/gypsum board wall 
has an STC (Sound Transmission Class) rating of 35.  Adding 3.5 inches of 
fiberglass insulation increases the STC to 39, a perceivable but not 
significant change.  A staggered stud wall with fiberglass insulation has 
an STC rating of 51, a significant improvement over the standard wall.  Of 
course, this assumes no connecting doorway between the bathroom and the 
quiet room.
 
The most effective treatment for the ceiling would be to carpet the room 
above.
 
Chris Ellinger
Ann Arbor, MI
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: On Buying a Trailer/Mobile Home
Reply-To: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 21:46:28 GMT

In article <1992Jul30.195805.12430@tc.fluke.COM> article@tc.fluke.COM (John F. Berkey) writes:

>> ..........................................  You get what
>> you pay for.  
>
>Very true!!!

Usually you *don't* get what you pay for. You certainly pay for what you
get, though.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | Americans are crazy. They drive on parkways
                    | and park in driveways.
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: johnj@welchgate.welch.jhu.edu (John A. Johnston)
Subject: Buying Central AC & New Furnace
Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ. Welch Medical Library
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 18:42:13 GMT


My wife & I are looking into getting Central AC for our house and were
wondering what net-wisdom was available on this topic.

We live in Baltimore MD, where summers are 90's & humid.  The house is
about 35 years old with what looks to be the original heating unit
(Heat is forced heated air, so there is already ductwork in each
room).  There is about 7" of blow-in insulation in the
attic/crawlspace, the windows are double pane and the exterior walls
have some sort of ancient insulation board under t111.  Two floors
about 900sqft living each (2nd is finished basement).

We've had two estimates pretty close in price.  Both estimates,
including a high efficiency replacement furnace run about $4,100.  This
is exclusive of adding another air return and getting the power feed to
the house increased from 60 Amp to 100 Amp.

For now we have about a 13,000btu (est) older Carrier window unit in
the dining room, this came with the house.  This sucker with the aid of
one fan cools the whole first floor, while the lower floor (finished
basement) is largely cool but for the hottest days.  Needless to say,
free looks a whole lot better than $4,100.

But, we will definitely need the heater this winter as the old one is
even scary (but plenty warm).  Any tips on what to look for in units
and installing companies would be very helpful to us, as we'll probably
select the company for the heater that offers the best overall
package.  Any past net-summaries or even other cost experience would be
appreciated.

There are also several options that are iffy.  Electro static filter, A
neighbor has one that sounds like an electric outdoor bug zapper (pop!
SNAP). Another option might be a humidifier.  The basement is stuffy,
but under control with a de-humidifier, this might be enough
moisture.(?)

Thanks for listening!  I'll post or make available a summary based on
what comes in.

-johnj
From: "ron kulick" <ron.kulick@execnet.com>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: humming water pipe
Date: 25 Jul 92 12:38:09 EST
Reply-To: "ron kulick" <ron.kulick@execnet.com>
Distribution: misc
Organization: Executive Networks Information

          In article <1992Jul21.143029.27012@cbnewsh.cb.att.com>
                            ERIC WU writes...


EW>My water pipes are making noises like a big transformer
EW>and the plumber cannot find the culprit.  I hope the net
EW>wisdom can help me.

EW>Does anyone know what may cause the noise and how to fix it?
EW>Thanks in advance.

  I see you mentioned the pipes touch an air duct. This can be one source
of the humming. Whenever the fan motor for the duct work is turned on it
causes the ducts to slightly vibrate. This vibration will be transferred
to the pipes.
  Another is having the water pipes not strapped to the framing of the
house. Any time a water line is *flapping in the breeze* so to say, is can
hum due to the movement of water in the pipe.
  John Miller also brought up a good point about a faulty ballcock in the
toilet tank. This will definitely cause the humming...I get it once in a
while also.

            ==================================================
               Delivered by Electronic Sled dogs......WOOF!
                  USENET ADDRESS: ron.kulick@execnet.com
            ==================================================
--
Executive Network Information System  (914) 667-4567
International ILink Host
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: davel@booboo.SanDiego.NCR.COM (David Lord)
Subject: Re: Moving Trucks: U-Haul or Ryder??
Reply-To: davel@booboo.SanDiego.NCR.COM (David Lord)
Organization: NCR Corporation, Rancho Bernardo
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 19:59:16 GMT

I just moved last weekend, I rented from Hertz/Penske. I had reserved
an 18 footer but when I got there they couldn't find the keys. (The
truck was from another dealer and the person who dropped it off
apparently forgot to leave them). Instead they gave me a 24 foot
truck. I was very leery of driving that beast around but it actually
turned out quite well, didn't have to stack pieces of furniture on
top of each other. The only difficulty was in shifting the gears.
I've driven a stick shift for at least ten years but I really had
a fight with this one.

Advice:

1) Bigger is better. You won't regret having a larger truck.

2) If you you are driving your car down the street and you
   see one of those big yellow trucks on the street, give it
   lots of room. LOTS. Remember the last time that person drove a
   truck like that was ... never. Don't pull up close behind him at
   a signal either, Reverse may be where 1st is in his regular
   vehicle.
From: sdlee@seqp4.sequoia.com (Sang Daz Lee)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Sky Lights in bedroom question
Date: 28 Jul 92 19:28:19 GMT
Organization: Sequoia Systems Inc., Marlboro, Mass.

I am thinking of installing skylights in my bedroom and
wanted to know if the shades that you can get are good
at keeping the light out.  Also any other thoughts about
this project?

Thanks,
Craig

E-mail: craigm@sequoia.com

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: krev@ieain.att.com (55661-Krevitt)
Subject: Concrete contractor recommendation wanted
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: chi
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 21:31:08 GMT
Keywords: concrete

I will be having some concrete work done at my house
soon - adding a new sidewalk, and repairing/replacing
some existing concrete.  I would appreciate hearing of
any experiences, favorable or otherwise, with concrete
contractors in the Naperville, IL area.

	Jim Krevitt
	krev@ihlpe.ih.att.com


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: wicklund@intellistor.com (Tom Wicklund)
Subject: Re: What is tax-deductible in closing cost.
Organization: Intellistor, Inc.
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 19:24:00 GMT

In <1992Jul30.164407.18139@sequent.com> bills@sequent.com (Bill Sears) writes:
>Discount points AND LOAN ORIGINATION FEES are deductible in the year
>that they are paid.  This means that if you pay for these amounts out
>of your own pocket at closing time, they can be deducted on your current
>years taxes.  If, on the other hand, you add the amount of the points
>to the total amount of the loan (generally done on refinances or home
>equity loans), the points must be amortized over the life of the loan.

Around the start of this year I saw a note in a tax letter that the
IRS has ruled that any loan costs which are figured as a percentage of
the loan amount may be considered deductable points.

I think that the lender must now issue a 1098 form stating how much of
the loan costs are deductable.  This wasn't true a couple years ago,
but I just looked back at the 1992 JK Lasser tax book and it mentioned
the 1098.  Your lender should be able to identify deductable and
non-deductable costs.  Alternately, get a good tax guide (most
libraries have them for the past couple years if you need it outside
tax season) like the JK Lasser book.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: wml@sei.cmu.edu (Walter Lamia)
Subject: "Smelly" ice cubes
Organization: Software Engineering Institute
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 13:41:11 GMT


I need some advice on what causes ice cubes in the freezer to pick up odors,
and what do to about it.  This is a 1-yr old Amana refrigerator in a new
house, but I have noticed the problem in other refrigerators.  The odor is
vaguely like onion or garlic.  An open box of baking soda doesn't seem to
help, either.

I presume this is caused by something else stored in the freezer, but
everything is frozen hard, and wrapped in plastic.  Can anyone suggest what
might be the exact culprit, and what I might try to eliminate the problem?

Thanks in advance,
--
Walter Lamia	            Voice: 412-268-3443  Software Engineering Institute
Internet: wml@sei.cmu.edu     FAX: 412-268-5758  Carnegie Mellon University
Usenet: ...uunet!sei.cmu.edu!wml                 Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.invest.real-estate
From: ajg@controls.ccd.harris.com (Arnold Goldberg)
Subject: Re: Refinancing while trying to sell your house.....
Followup-To: misc.consumers.house,misc.invest.real-estate
Organization: Harris Controls and Compositions
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 09:48:42 GMT

>>>>> On 28 Jul 92 23:05:21 GMT, jxt@calmasd.Prime.COM (Jawahar Tembulkar) said:
	Jawahar> net.oracle,

	Jawahar> Will lending institutions raise objections to funding a real
	Jawahar> estate loan in case the owner ( and resident ) has put the
	Jawahar> house on the market ?

	Jawahar> Thanks,

The net.oracle answers:

If I understand the questions correctly, you have a house that you're
trying to get a loan on but are in the process of selling??

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense but the answer is this:

Yes, if the banks realize that there is a high chance that the loan will
be paid off soon they might squawk.  Especially if they deal in FNMA loans
(ie. they'll sell them to FNMA soon after originating them).

Solution:
Don't tell them it's on the market.


--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arnold Goldberg                            Email:  ajg@ccd.harris.com
Phone: (407)242-5051                       Snail:  Harris Corporation
Fax  : (407)242-4262                               407 John Rodes Blvd.
                                                   Melbourne, FL 32905
The opinions expressed are my own and do not in any way represent Harris 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jheath@CERIS.Purdue.EDU (Jim Heath)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Deer-resistant Foliage Recommendations Sought
Date: 24 Jul 92 20:37:09 GMT
Organization: Center for Environmental and Regulatory Information Systems, Purdue University

From article <22752@oasys.dt.navy.mil>, by burnett@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Cathy Burnett):
> I read (somewhere) that if you take an old nylon sock
> and stuff it with human hair and tie it to a stick
> near your plants, the deer will stay away.  I knew
> someone who tried that and it worked!
>

According to Spider Robinson in one of his books, if you "mark"
your property like dogs do, it will keep the bunnies and deer
away.  He further said that this would not work for vegetarians.
It might be if you have a dog and can persuade him/her to do this
that it would work also.

Has anyone tried those deer, rabbit, dog, whatever repellents?  I
have always wondered if they work? 
-- 
"Land of song, said the warrior bard,           Jim Heath
Though all the world betrays thee.
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard, (The Minstrel Boy)
One faithful harp will praise thee."         (Thomas Moore)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: glosson@convex.com (Allen Glosson)
Subject: Re: Geothermal heatpump
Organization: Engineering, CONVEX Computer Corp., Richardson, Tx., USA
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 17:41:49 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

In <1992Jul27.160826.14429@CERIS.Purdue.EDU> jheath@CERIS.Purdue.EDU (Jim Heath) writes:

>From article <1992Jul27.042152.20503@dg-rtp.dg.com>, by eliot@chutney.rtp.dg.com (Topher Eliot):
>> Everybody I've spoken to here (in NC) who has or had a heat pump didn't like
>> it.  They said it blew barely-warm air, which made it feel drafty.  I would
>> definitely choose gas over a heat pump.
>>

>Did you know anyone who tried one of those "geothermal" heatpumps
>where the input (and output?) for the pump is buried below the
>frostline?  I have heard that they are much better. 
>-- 

Well, here in Texas, my father has installed a WaterFurnace system which
is a geothermal system.  In the middle of the summer, daytime temps ~100F
nighttime ~76F, he has the thermostat set on 75F.  In his 3700 sq ft house,
his largest electric bill has been just over $100.  The house is not drafty
at all.  The initial cost of the system is about $2-3K more than a high
efficiency heat pump, but the lower utility bills will return the cost in
about 3-4 yrs.

The system itself consists of pipes circulating water approximately 300 ft
under the ground.  Other variants which can be done are to run the pipes in
a loop aound the property several ft beneath the surface or to use a local
lake, if allowed.  The system uses about 1lb of freon  to accomplish
the heat transfer.  (I don't know what type of gas will be used in future
models.)  Water in the pipes stays at ~56F yearround.


If you want more info, send me email.

Allen Glosson, glosson@convex.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house