#ho-ny grip

[timetravellingshinigami]

I had to do it

[sarah-sandwich]

can i hear about michelle.mp3? 👀

oh boy oh boy oh boy

michelle.mp3 my beloved

SO it’s Michelle’s POV and it starts out with her having just broken up with Peter and left NYC. There’s a lot of reasons but the breaking point is a song that gets really popular. It’s about a secret high school crush of years passed referred to only as “MJ” in the song and the fans decide that the secret MJ is our beloved Michelle Jones based on circumstantial evidence. The name of the band? The Mary Janes.

It’s not about the song. She doesn’t hate the song. She doesn’t have a personal vendetta against the drummer for writing it and making it so ambiguous and then disappearing off the face of the planet while all of her fans chase their tails to find the girl it’s about.

It’s a good song. It makes her… it makes her wish it was about her. It makes her wish she was the object of secret admiration and longing. Her and Peter fell into place like it was pre-ordained, meant to be, effortless. Like someone looked at them and said, “Ah yes, Peter and MJ. They belong together and so they shall be.” Beginning, middle, end. Over and done without the chase or the pining or the fall.

Where’s her story? Where’s her tender, wistful love song with its haunting melody that worms into your ear and your heart until you ache with it? What her and Peter have is simple and sweet and good. Comfortable.

But what if she wants complicated? What if she wants the struggle? The unknown. The fear, the hope, joy, relief, and the ecstasy. The satisfaction of a hard battle won.

What if she wants more?

So she moves to upstate NY to a property in the country that her grandma owns. The deal is she can stay there rent-free as long as she fixes it up while she’s there. Which is great! Because the whole point of breaking up with Peter and moving out of the city she’s spent her whole life in is to get more experience. To live. To try new things. Right?

“Gramma Jones, what fresh hell have you handed me?” she murmurs as she throws the station wagon into park and cuts the engine. She keeps a tight grip on the steering wheel as she eyes the insulation poking out of the vent in the attic. “If you gave me the gift of freaky country critters when I asked for space and a project I am gonna lose it.”

Enter literal girl next door: Gwen Stacy

“Ohmigod, he’s not some creepy douchebag, right? MJ, I’m seriously worried now.”

“Ned, relax. She is very nice, okay? She even offered to let me use her tools whenever I need to.”

Ned is silent for a long moment. “Oh.” Another pause. “She’s nice?”

She pulls a face. “She has her moments. I’m in good hands, alright? You just focus on Peter and make sure to take care of yourself too, okay? Call me if it gets to be too much and I’ll figure something out.”

“Good hands?” Ned echoes, a teasing note creeping into his voice.

She hangs her head and pinches the bridge of her nose. Sometimes he’s impossible to have a conversation with.

“Drummer, chainsaw, tools…” Ned continues. “I bet she’s very good with her hands. How close are you two again?”

“I’m hanging up.”

“Ah-ha! So you admit—,”

“I admit nothing. Goodbye, Nedward.”

I think you know where this is going. Gwen is the drummer that wrote the song and then moved out in the country to write more music but also so she wouldn’t have to deal with the fallout of coming out until their next tour. She’s bored as hell and her new neighbor is the most interesting thing to come her way in weeks. She’s constantly pestering MJ for lack of anything better to do and over time they grow closer and feelings develop and it’s all very rom-commy and snarky and nice

Oh yeah and MJ is completely hopeless at even the most simple home care tasks so that’s fun for me specifically.

Each chapter is going to start with an excerpt of a song written by Gwen (inspired by Michelle) which is a dumb choice that I’m very excited about. I’m not a poet! Prose is my weakest skill as a writer!! But fuck what I’m good at I’m doing it anyway and we’ll see how it turns out lol

Ask me about a WIP on this list

[stoopsbookstore]

Kinktober Day 8 (10/08/2019)

Kinks - Parthenophilia (fetish for Virginal partner) & Corruption

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Y/N was woken up, the reality show that was in the background still playing, walking over to the window to see the darkened features of the local rebel leader, Hongjoong. Inspecting the rock dings in the windie and opening it slightly, Y/N sighed at the boy, rubbing the sleep from her eyes

"What are you doing here? You'll get in trouble!" Y/N spoke in hush tones, the rebel tracing the window sill, "it's 1am, my dad's asleep and my stepmom will kill you if she sees you."

"Oh, please. She needs to get her stick out of her ass," Hongjoong nudged at the window, Y/N keeping it ajar for quick excuses if the aforementioned stepmother was to come in, "can you let me in? Preferably don't want to stay on a roof where I could totally fall to my death."

"It's only like 20 feet, 30 at most," Y/N smiled at the leather jacket-clad Hongjoong outside her window, "what are you? A vampire? Can't come in without permission?"

Y/N walked away from the cool breeze coming in, the room growing nippy as Hongjoong opened the glass and climbed in, plopping right onto Y/N's plush bed.

"No, I just like the aesthetic," Hongjoong moved to his side, watching Y/N pace around the world, cleaning up anything she could find, "come here."

Y/N paused, looking up and down the boy on her bed, "why?"

"Because you need to calm down," Hongjoong stood up, backhugging Y/N, humming and swaying to imaginary music, "you need to stop being so Miss Goody-two-shoes and pure all the time. Shit happens."

Y/N attempted to pull Hongjoong's arms away from her waist, the grip tightening, "Hongie, I have to finish cleaning. I didn't even mean to fall asleep!"

"Y/N, baby," Hongjoong nuzzled into her neck, "you need to stop and take a moment for yourself. Not for your dad, not fot your stepmother, not for me. For you."

Y/N slumped in Hongjoong's arms, the pairing falling on Y/N's bed, the couple shuffling their bodies until they're laying face to face. Y/N put her head on Hongjoong's shoulder, Hongjoong petting her hair.

"You need to think about yourself first," Hongjoong titled Y/N's chin up, a chaste kiss on her lips, his hands roaming her back in an innocent way, "you can't always put everyone else first."

Y/N lingered on a kiss, Hongjoong's hands lower to cup her ass. A breath escaping from Y/N as she instinctively put a leg around Hongjoong.

"Ho-Hongjoong."

"Yes, baby?" Hongjoong started kissing down her neck, stopping at the hem of her shirt, his eyebrow ring cold against Y/N's skin, "use your words."

"I ha-ha-oh my God, I'm not that exp-"

"I know, baby," Hongjoong pulled Y/N's leg, Y/N now straddling him, his hands on her hips, "I'm going to teach you."

Y/N hummed, Hongjoong running his hands up Y/N's body, bringing her shirt with him.

"I can't wait to taint you, cover you in hickies, ruin you," Hongjoong leaned up, bringing his hand to lightly press on Y/N's neck, "you'll never go to any of your exes. I bet the fuckers couldn't do anything more than just a lick here and a bite there."

"Ke-keep going," Y/N started rolling her hips again Hongjoong's, the leather pants growing tighter.

"Paint you with my cum. Full you up with ny seed so fucking much, it spills out of you when you're talking to your stepmother."

"Her nam-"

"I know her name," Hongjoong thrusted up, Y/N reaching for the zipper of his pants, "I just don't feel like using it. Where was I?"

Hongjoong gently pushed Y/N on the bed, crumbling her shirt and using it as a pillow.

"You're like a flower in a field of weeds," Hongjoong kissed all over Y/N's body, her mouth hanging open, "so pristine, just calling to be ruined."

Hongjoong pulled Y/N's underdown, leaving her in just a bra, her body bare as Hongjoong kneeled on the ground, kissing her thighs and gauging her reaction.

"Just breathe, ok?" Hongjoong licked a strip up Y/N's slit, "God, this is going to be amazing. So pure, so virginal, all for me."

"What if I'm not a virgin?" Y/N breathily chuckled, Hongjoong's tongue swirling around, "Maybe I've done some things."

Hongjoong scoffed, standing up and ignoring Y/N's pleads to come back to her and finish her orgasm. The rebel had walked over to Y/N's dresser, pulling out a foil square and a toy.

"And?" Hongjoong throws the two objects next to Y/N, "I can still break you."

Y/N shivered in anticipation, Hongjoong dragging his fingers on her thighs, teasing her again.

"Are you?" Hongjoong questioned as he discarded his pants and boxers, throwing them to the foot of the bed.

"I mean, I have done some things, but it was horrible and I never got off."

"Never got off, huh?" Hongjoong left the condom to the side, pumping his two fingers in Y/N, "you're still tight. Remember, try to be quiet, so you know who doesn't come in."

Y/N spread her legs more, allowing Hongjoong to pull his fingers out and replacing them with his cock, Hongjoong moaning as Y/N sighed, Hongjoong bottoming out as he waited for the okay from Y/N.

"I could stay like th-"

"Fuck me, Hongjoong, ruin me please."

Hongjoong switched, his somewhat sweet personality dissipating into the aggressive rebel exterior.

"I'm going to ruin you, baby," Hongjoong started biting all over Y/N's chest, his hips repeatedly pounding into Y/N, her hand covering her mouth, a few noises escaping, his hands making their way to her breasts, "God, you're so perfect. The way you sway your hips in your skirts on campus, seeing you all fucked up for me right now."

Hongjoong kissed at Y/N's bra, his hips continuing at a constant pace. Y/N buried her face into a pillow, Hongjoong immediately grabbing it and throwing it on the floor.

"I want to see your face, how good I'm making you feel, how good all this is making you feel," Hongjoong whispered into her neck, "I still have so much to teach you, baby."

Y/N whined in Hongjoong's ear, his hips halting at Y/N's request and the new pet name, "fu-fuck me harder, sir."

"Sir?! Goddammit, you get on top," Hongjoong pulled out, Y/N disappointed at the loss of his cock in her, Hongjoong laying down and patting his thighs, "ride me at your own tempo."

Y/N penetrated herself on Hongjoong's hard cock, placing her hands on his chest, immediately bringing her hips to a fast pace, quiet moans leaving her lips.

"So beautiful, fill yourself up with my dick," Hongjoong clawed into Y/N's hips, indents decorating the flesh, "one of these days, you'll be coated in it. Sounds good? Your body covered in my cum, coating you."

The rhythm of Y/N's hips following no certain pace, Y/N's high crashing down as Hongjoong came a few thrusts later. Y/N fell onto Hongjoong, the exhaustion falling over her.

"I'm going to pull out, okay?" Hongjoong warned Y/N, nodding as Hongjoong unsheathed himself from Y/N, Y/N falling to the side and Hongjoong walking to the attached bathroom, bringing back a towel and wiping Y/N down. The quietness between the couple felt nice, the only noise playing was the TV in the back, infomercials and breathing filling the room.

Hongjoong laid down, Y/N borderline falling asleep as he pulled her close to him, their legs tangling within each other.

"Sir, huh?"

Y/N pushed Hongjoong away, "I just felt like it was the best thing to call you, so authoritative. And that dirty talk was the sexiest fucking thimg ever."

"Oh shit, little miss innocent cussed," Hongjoong kissed Y/N's cheek, pretending to evil laugh, "and so the corruption begins."

Y/N and Hongjoong laid in the bed, Y/N starting to go to la-la-land. Hongjoong, noticing this, shook her awake to ask her one question.

"Will you always stay?" Hongjoong curled up to Y/N, their nearly nude bodies warming each other under the blanket as the moonlight shined in.

"Always."

[israeljoffeusa]

The next Detroit: The catastrophic collapse of Atlantic City

With the closure of almost half of Atlantic City's casinos, Newark set to vote on gambling and casinos or racinos in almost every state, it seems as if the reasons for the very existence of Atlantic City are in serious jeopardy.

Israel Joffe

Atlantic City, once a major vacation spot during the roaring 20s and 1930s, as seen on HBOs Boardwalk Empire, collapsed when cheap air fare became the norm and people had no reason to head to the many beach town resorts on the East Coast. Within a few decades, the city, known for being an ‘oasis of sin’ during the prohibition era, fell into serious decline and dilapidation.

New Jersey officials felt the only way to bring Atlantic City back from the brink of disaster would be to legalize gambling. Atlantic City’s first casino, Resorts, first opened its doors in 1978. People stood shoulder to shoulder, packed into the hotel as gambling officially made its way to the East Coast. Folks in the East Coast didn't have to make a special trip all the way to Vegas in order to enjoy some craps, slots, roulette and more.

As time wore on, Atlantic City became the premier gambling spots in the country.

While detractors felt that the area still remained poor and dilapidated, officials were quick to point out that the casinos didn't bring the mass gentrification to Atlantic City as much as they hoped but the billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs for the surrounding communities was well worth it.

Atlantic City developed a reputation as more of a short-stay ‘day-cation’ type of place, yet managed to stand firm against the 'adult playground' and 'entertainment capital of the world' Las Vegas.

Through-out the 1980s, Atlantic City would become an integral part of American pop culture as a place for east coast residents to gamble, watch boxing, wrestling, concerts and other sporting events.

However in the late 1980s, a landmark ruling considered Native-American reservations to be sovereign entities not bound by state law. It was the first potential threat to the iron grip Atlantic City and Vegas had on the gambling and entertainment industry.

Huge 'mega casinos' were built on reservations that rivaled Atlantic City and Vegas. In turn, Vegas built even more impressive casinos.

Atlantic City, in an attempt to make the city more appealing to the ‘big whale’ millionaire and billionaire gamblers, and in effort to move away from its ‘seedy’ reputation, built the luxurious Borgata casino in 2003. Harrah’s created a billion dollar extension and other casinos in the area went through serious renovations and re-branded themselves.

It seemed as if the bite that the Native American casinos took out of AC and Vegas’ profits was negligible and that the dominance of those two cities in the world of gambling would remain unchallenged.

Then Macau, formally a colony of Portugal, was handed back to the Chinese in 1999. The gambling industry there had been operated under a government-issued monopoly license by Stanley Ho's Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau. The monopoly was ended in 2002 and several casino owners from Las Vegas attempted to enter the market.

Under the one country, two systems policy, the territory remained virtually unchanged aside from mega casinos popping up everywhere. All the rich ‘whales’ from the far east had no reason anymore to go to the United States to spend their money.

Then came the biggest threat.

As revenue from dog and horse racing tracks around the United States dried up, government officials needed a way to bring back jobs and revitalize the surrounding communities. Slot machines in race tracks started in Iowa in 1994 but took off in 2004 when Pennsylvania introduced ‘Racinos’ in an effort to reduce property taxes for the state and to help depressed areas bounce back.

As of 2013, racinos were legal in ten states: Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia with more expected in 2015.

Tracks like Delaware Park and West Virginia's Mountaineer Park, once considered places where local degenerates bet on broken-down nags in claiming races, are now among the wealthiest tracks around, with the best races.

The famous Aqueduct race track in Queens, NY, once facing an uncertain future, now possesses the most profitable casino in the United States.

From June 2012 to June 2013, Aqueduct matched a quarter of Atlantic City's total gaming revenue from its dozen casinos: $729.2 million compared with A.C.'s $2.9 billion. It has taken an estimated 15 percent hit on New Jersey casino revenue and climbing.

And it isn't just Aqueduct that's taking business away from them.  Atlantic City's closest major city, Philadelphia, only 35-40 minutes away, and one of the largest cities in America, now has a casino that has contributed heavily to the decline in gamers visiting the area.

New Jersey is the third state in the U.S. to have authorized internet gambling.  However, these online casinos are owned and controlled by Atlantic City casinos in an effort to boost profits in the face of fierce competition.

California, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Texas are hoping to join Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey and the U.S. Virgin Islands in offering online gambling to their residents.

With this in mind, it seems the very niche that Atlantic City once offered as a gambling and entertainment hub for east coast residents is heading toward the dustbin of history.

Time will tell if this city will end up like Detroit. However, the fact that they are losing their biggest industry to major competition, much like Detroit did, with depressed housing, casinos bankrupting/closing and businesses fleeing , it all makes Atlantic City’s fate seem eerily similar.

[bloojayoolie]

Being Alone, Cats, and Children: @manhattan acc waiting 4 U! Justice 66171 -10 years old, 66 lbs Good looking, very social & friendly, playful, tail waggy, good with cats - ignores dogs on his walks HOUSETRAINED TO BE KILLED - JUNE 25, 2019 Tender love! Justice will make a believer out of ANYONE! The shelter describes him as: welcoming, very friendly and social, soft bodied, affectionate, tail wagging, and attention seeking. But there's way more! This plump and super handsome love bug might be 10 in years, but is a million in heart. He is so inviting, and yes he will squeeze into your lap (as shown in his video) He is still very playful, but in a manageable and respectful way. He does super with other doggies, and drum roll... cats too! There's really nothing lacking in this boy, except for not having a home. . Justice wears a honey colored coat, with matching honey eyes that still sparkle, and a honey sweet, sincere smile. Quality inside and out! He is a role model for all doggies, and will bring charm and good vibes to any home. Now that he is placed on the TBD list, time is quickly closing in on him. Please message our page now to see him safely out of the shelter through fostering or adopting. . JUSTICE@MANHATTAN ACC Hello, my name is Justice My animal id is #66171 I am a male tan dog at the Manhattan Animal Care Center The shelter thinks I am about 10 years old, 66 lbs Came into shelter as owner surrender 6/16/2019 Reason Stated: OWNER/PERSON HEALTH - Age related Justice is at risk for medical reasons. Justice has GI tract issues which may be attributed to a pelvic fracture. Justice is recommended for further veterinary care and an orthopedic consult to better understand the causation of the ailment as well as determining future course of treatment and management. Behaviorally, Justice would do well in most homes. My medical notes are... Weight: 66.6 lbs Vet Notes L V T Notes Medical Assistant 6/17/2019 [DVM Intake] DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: 10-12 years Microchip noted on Intake? Yes History : Owner surrender. Reported to not have had a bowel movement for over a week and straining to defecate. Subjective: BAR Observed Behavior - Very friendly. Wagging his tail. No growling, lunging, biting, etc. Evidence of Cruelty seen -No Evidence of Trauma seen -No Objective T = P =120 bpm R =eup BCS 7/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: 2/4 PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Tense, difficult to palpate deeply, could not palpate colon U/G: M/I MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, a couple skin tags, no obvious masses, healthy hair coat CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: Clean externally Assessment: -Constipated -Geriatric Prognosis: Fair to good Plan: -CBC/chem -Gave 40 oz sweet potato with 3 mL lactulose and 2 tbsp miralax mixed in food -Continue sweet potato 40 oz SID -Lactulose 10 mL PO BID in food long-term -Miralax 2 tbsp PO BID in food long-term -Sedated AXR tomorrow, thorough rectal exam, +/-enema (sedation: torb 1 mL IM, dexmedetomidine 0.8 mL IM) -Consider high fiber diet (w/d vs. fiber response) SURGERY: Permanent waiver due to age 6/17/2019 [Spay/Neuter Waiver - Age] It is the policy of ACC not to perform surgery on any animal over the age of 8-10 years due to the higher risks incurred in a shelter setting. The veterinarian is hereby issuing a permanent spay/neuter waiver, from the spay/neuter requirements of the City of NY due to the estimated age of this animal. ACC does recommend you consult with your veterinarian to determine if surgical sterilization is appropriate. 6/17/2019 CBC: -Polycythemia-r/o dehydration vs. other NOSF Chemistry: NSF Total T4: wnl 6/18/2019 Hx: dog has been having dyschezia BAR H pink 1 sec sedate and examination/radiographs Radiology Findings: R Pelvic Fracture- ischeal pubic fracture near acetabulum with some compromise to the pelvic inlet; moderately large amount of stool in distal colon Rectal exam- firm presence in cranial rectum; manually removed firm presence (very hard feces) Several enemas given CBC CHEM 6/18/2019 CBC CHEM- NSF 6/20/2019 Hx: had episode of obstipation-- responded to therapy. Has a fractured pelvis which has narrowed the pelvic inlet a little (old wound) bar h pink 1 sec eating well; going to the bathroom eent- mod tarta pln- wnl hl- 120 hr reg nm ss fp abd- relaxed msi- amb x 4 A) h/o constipation fractured pelvis-- old wound-- as dog is fully ambulatory rec'd ortho consultation BM have been regular and non-painful 6/23/2019 Not eating well and seems constipated again has a fractured pelvis (old) that is most likely affecting this dogs capability to defecate A) dyschezia secondary to pelvic fracture and pelciv inlet compromise P) seek New Hope Details on my behavior are... Behavior Condition: 1. Green Behavior History Behavior Assessment During intake Justice was friendly and affectionate will all staff members who entered the room. He had a loose body the entire time and allowed all handling without issue. He allowed counselor to scan for a microchip, collar, put on a leash, and give pets on his head and body. Date of Intake: 6/16/2019 Spay/Neuter Status: Not Applicable Basic Information:: Justice is a large mixed breed, male, who was brought in as an owner surrender. Previously lived with:: 1 adult, 1 cat How is this dog around strangers?: Justice is said to be welcoming and outgoing with strangers. It is said that he will jump on strangers to give them kisses. It is said that when he plays with adults, he will play exuberantly and can be a little rough. How is this dog around children?: Behavior is unknown How is this dog around other dogs?: It is said that when on walks, Justice is non-reactive towards other dogs. How is this dog around cats?: Justice previously live with a cat and it is said that he was playful and respectful towards the cat. Resource guarding:: It is said that Justice will growl when having his toys taken away. It is unknown how he will react to having his food or treats taken away. Bite history:: No known bite history Housetrained:: Yes Energy level/descriptors:: Medium Other Notes:: It is said that Justice can be hard to control when he is pulling on the leash. It is said that he isn't bothered by thunderstorms or fireworks. It is unknown how he will react to having his food and treats taken away, being taken off of furniture, bring given a bath, having his coat brushed, or having his nails trimmed. It is said that he will growl when having his toys taken away. It is said that when unfamiliar people approach the house, yard, and family members, he will bark. It is said that he is non-reactive to being restrained and being disturbed while sleeping. Medical Notes: It is said that Justice might have a blockage. For a New Family to Know: Justice is described as friendly, affectionate, and excitable. It is said that his favorite activity is running around. It is said that when in the home he will follow people around and enjoys being in the same room as the family. His favorite toy is said to be ball and he enjoys playing fetch. He was kept indoors and is used to sleeping in the bed with family members. He was fed both dry and wet food twice a day. It is said that he is house trained and to never has accidents in the house. It said that when left alone in the house that he is well behaved. He has never been left alone in the yard and has never been crate trained. He knows the command to sit. For exercise he is used to slow walks on leash and is said to pull hard. He has never been let off of leash. Date of intake:: 6/16/2019 Spay/Neuter status:: No Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender (In home for 5 years) Previously lived with:: An adult and a cat Behavior toward strangers:: Playful and exuberant Behavior toward dogs:: Ignores them on walks Behavior toward cats:: Playful and respectful Resource guarding:: Yes, Justice will growl when toys are taken away from him. Bite history:: None reported Housetrained:: Yes Energy level/descriptors:: Justice is described as friendly, affectionate, and excitable with a medium level of activity. Date of assessment:: 6/17/2019 Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Hard Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: None Leash walking comments: None Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Highly social Call over: Approaches readily Sociability comments: Body soft, stays by assessor Handling Soft handling: Seeks contact Exuberant handling: Seeks contact Handling comments: Body soft, leans into pets Arousal Jog: Follows (loose) Arousal comments: None Knock: Approaches Knock Comments: loose Toy: Grips, tense Toy comments: None Summary:: 6/17: When introduced off leash to the female greeter dog, Justice allows approach but mostly keeps to himself. Due to medical concerns, Justice has not been able to receive further evaluation around other dogs. It is recommend future introductions are conducted at a slow pace to respectful dogs. Date of intake:: 6/16/2019 Summary:: Social, loose body ENERGY LEVEL:: Justice is described as having a medium level of activity. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: Level 2 Behavior Asilomar: TM - Treatable-Manageable Recommendations:: No young children (under 5) Recommendations comments:: No young children: Due potential resource guarding of toys reported in his previous home and seen on his assessment, we recommend a home without young children. Potential challenges: : Resource guarding Potential challenges comments:: Resource guarding: Justice is reported to growl when his toys are taken from him. On his assessment, he became tense when the toy he was in possession of was touched. Please see handout on Resource Guarding. *** TO FOSTER OR ADOPT *** HOW TO RESERVE A “TO BE KILLED” DOG ONLINE (only for those who can get to the shelter IN PERSON to complete the adoption process, and only for the dogs on the list NOT marked New Hope Rescue Only). Follow our Step by Step directions below! *PLEASE NOTE – YOU MUST USE A PC OR TABLET – PHONE RESERVES WILL NOT WORK! ** STEP 1: CLICK ON THIS RESERVE LINK: https://newhope.shelterbuddy.com/Animal/List Step 2: Go to the red menu button on the top right corner, click register and fill in your info. Step 3: Go to your email and verify account \ Step 4: Go back to the website, click the menu button and view available dogs Step 5: Scroll to the animal you are interested and click reserve STEP 6 ( MOST IMPORTANT STEP ): GO TO THE MENU AGAIN AND VIEW YOUR CART. THE ANIMAL SHOULD NOW BE IN YOUR CART! Step 7: Fill in your credit card info and complete transaction HOW TO FOSTER OR ADOPT IF YOU *CANNOT* GET TO THE SHELTER IN PERSON, OR IF THE DOG IS NEW HOPE RESCUE ONLY! You must live within 3 – 4 hours of NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, DE, MD, MA, NH, VT, ME or Norther VA. Please PM our page for assistance. You will need to fill out applications with a New Hope Rescue Partner to foster or adopt a dog on the To Be Killed list, including those labelled Rescue Only. Hurry please, time is short, and the Rescues need time to process the applications. Shelter contact information Phone number (212) 788-4000 Email adoption@nycacc.org Shelter Addresses: Brooklyn Shelter: 2336 Linden Boulevard Brooklyn, NY 11208 Manhattan Shelter: 326 East 110 St. New York, NY 10029 Staten Island Shelter: 3139 Veterans Road West Staten Island, NY 10309 * NEW NYC ACC RATING SYSTEM * Level 1 Dogs with Level 1 determinations are suitable for the majority of homes. These dogs are not displaying concerning behaviors in shelter, and the owner surrender profile (where available) is positive. Level 2 Dogs with Level 2 determinations will be suitable for adopters with some previous dog experience. They will have displayed behavior in the shelter (or have owner reported behavior) that requires some training, or is simply not suitable for an adopter with minimal experience. Level 3 Dogs with Level 3 determinations will need to go to homes with experienced adopters, and the ACC strongly suggest that the adopter have prior experience with the challenges described and/or an understanding of the challenge and how to manage it safely in a home environment. In many cases, a trainer will be needed to manage and work on the behaviors safely in a home environment. PLEASE ADOPT. DON'T SHOP. FOSTERS ROCK TOO. :)

[kingdomsalvationsv]

Trosutövning (4)

Den frid och glädje jag talar om i dag är inte densamma som den du tror på och förstår. Du trodde tidigare att frid och glädje innebar att vara lycklig hela dagen lång, frånvaron av sjukdom och olycka i din familj, att alltid vara nöjd i ditt hjärta utan den minsta känsla av sorg samt att ha en obeskrivbar känsla av glädje oavsett hur ditt liv har utvecklats. 

Detta utöver att du får en löneförhöjning och att din son just har blivit antagen till universitetet. Med dessa saker i åtanke bad du till Gud, och då du såg att Guds nåd var så stor blev du överlycklig, log från öra till öra och kunde inte sluta att tacka Gud. Sådan frid och glädje är inte den sanna frid och glädje som kommer från att vara i besittning av den Helige Andes närvaro. Snarare är det den frid och glädje som kommer från köttets tillfredsställelse. Du borde förstå vilken tidsålder vi befinner oss i; det är inte nådens tidsålder, och inte heller är det den tidsålder då du strävar efter att fylla din mage med bröd. Du kanske är överlycklig över att allting går bra för din familj, men ditt liv kippar efter sitt sista andetag – och på så vis, oavsett hur stor din glädje är, så är den Helige Ande inte med dig. Att vinna den Helige Andes närvaro är lätt: gör det du skall ordentligt, utför väl det en människa är förpliktigad till och skickad för, och var förmögen att utrusta dig med vad du behöver för att kompensera för dina tillkortakommanden. Om ditt liv alltid är en börda och du är lycklig över att du har uppfattat en sanning eller förstått Guds nuvarande verk, är detta sannerligen att besitta den Helige Andes närvaro. Eller om du ibland grips av oro för att du st��ter på ett problem som du inte vet hur du skall lösa eller för att du inte förstår en sanning som vi har samlats kring, då bevisar detta att den Helige Ande är med dig. Dessa är vanliga tillstånd av livserfarenhet. Du måste förstå skillnaden mellan att besitta och att sakna den Helige Andes närvaro, och kan inte vara alltför enkelspårig i din syn på detta.

Tidigare sades det att besitta den Helige Andes närvaro och att besitta den Helige Andes verk inte var samma sak. Det vanliga tillstånd där man upplever den Helige Andes närvaro yttrar sig som normala tankar, normal rationalitet och normal mänsklighet. En persons karaktär kommer att förbli som den var, men inom henne råder frid och utvändigt uppför hon sig med ett helgons värdighet. Så är människor när den Helige Ande är med dem. När någon upplever den Helige Andes närvaro, är hennes tankar normala. När hon är hungrig vill hon äta, när hon är törstig vill hon dricka vatten ... Sådana yttringar av vanlig mänsklighet är inte den Helige Andes upplysning; de är folks normala tankar och det normala tillståndet av att besitta den Helige Andes närvaro. Vissa personer tror felaktigt att de som besitter den Helige Andes närvaro inte känner någon hunger, att de inte känner någon trötthet, och de tycks inte tänka på familjen, eftersom de nästan helt har avskilt sig från köttet. Faktum är att ju mer den Helige Ande finns hos människor, desto mer normala är de. De vet att lida och ge upp saker för Gud, anstränga sig till det yttersta för Gud och vara lojala mot Gud; dessutom tänker de på mat och kläder. De har med andra ord inte förlorat något av den normala mänsklighet som människor borde ha, istället är de särskilt uppfyllda av förnuft. Ibland läser de Guds ord och kontemplerar Guds verk; det finns tro i deras hjärtan och de är villiga att sträva efter sanningen. Självklart baseras den Helige Andes verk på denna grundval. Om människor saknar normalt tänkande, så har de inget förnuft — detta är inget normalt tillstånd. När människor har normalt tänkande och den Helige Ande är med dem, besitter de förvisso en normal persons förnuft och befinner sig därför i ett normalt tillstånd. När man upplever Guds verk händer det emellanåt att man besitter den Helige Andes verk, medan man däremot besitter den Helige Andes närvaro närapå konstant. Så länge som människors förnuft och tänkande är normalt och så länge som deras tillstånd är normala, är den Helige Ande förvisso med dem. När människors förnuft och tänkande inte är normalt, då är deras mänsklighet inte normal. Om den Helige Andes verk är med dig i detta ögonblick, då är säkert också den Helige Ande med dig. Men om den Helige Ande är med dig, är det inte givet att den Helige Ande definitivt verkar inom dig, för den Helige Ande verkar vid speciella tidpunkter. Att besitta den Helige Andes närvaro kan bara upprätthålla människors normala tillvaro, men den Helige Ande verkar bara vid vissa tidpunkter. Om man till exempel är en ledare eller arbetare och vattnar och ger livsuppehälle åt kyrkan kommer den Helige Ande att upplysa en om vissa ord som är uppbyggliga för andra och kan lösa vissa av ens bröders och systrars praktiska problem — vid sådana tillfällen verkar den Helige Ande. När du äter och dricker Guds ord, upplyser den Helige Ande dig ibland med vissa ord som är särskilt relevanta för dina egna upplevelser och låter dig nå större kunskap om dina egna tillstånd; och då är också detta den Helige Andes verk. Ibland när jag talar lyssnar ni och kan mäta era egna tillstånd gentemot mina ord och ibland berörs ni och inspireras; allt detta är den Helige Andes verk. Vissa människor säger att den Helige Ande alltid verkar i dem. Detta är omöjligt. Om de skulle säga att den Helige Ande alltid är med dem, så skulle det vara realistiskt. Om de skulle säga att deras tänkande och förnuft alltid är normalt så skulle det också vara realistiskt, och det skulle visa att den Helige Ande är med dem. Om de säger att den Helige Ande alltid verkar inom dem, att de är upplysta av Gud och berörda av den Helige Ande i varje ögonblick och att de förvärvar ny kunskap hela tiden, då är detta på intet vis normalt! Det är helt och hållet övernaturligt! Utan skuggan av ett tvivel är sådana människor onda andar! Till och med när Guds Ande blir kött, finns det tillfällen när han måste äta och vila – för att inte tala om människor. De som har varit besatta av onda andar verkar befriade från köttets känslor och svaghet. De kan avstå och ge upp allting, de är kapabla att utstå plågor och känner inte den minsta trötthet, som om de har överskridit köttets gränser. Är inte detta extremt övernaturligt? Onda andars verk är övernaturligt – ingen människa kan åstadkomma sådana ting! De som saknar urskillning är avundsjuka när de ser sådana människor: De säger att de har sådan kraft i sin tro på Gud, har en väldig tro och aldrig visar det minsta tecken på svaghet! Faktum är att allt detta är manifestationer av en ond andes verk. För normala människor har oundvikligen mänskliga svagheter; detta är det normala tillståndet hos dem som besitter den Helige Andes närvaro.

Vad innebär det att vara fast förankrad i sitt vittnesbörd? Vissa människor säger att de bara följer som de gör nu utan att bekymra sig om huruvida de har förmåga att vinna liv; de strävar inte efter liv, men de drar sig heller inte undan. De erkänner bara att det här stadiet av verket utförs av Gud. Brister inte deras vittnesbörd då? Sådana människor vittnar inte ens om att ha blivit erövrade. De som har erövrats följer, oavsett allt annat, och har förmågan att sträva efter liv. Deras tro handlar inte bara om den praktiska guden, men också om hur de skall följa Guds planer. Sådana är de som vittnar. De som inte vittnar har aldrig strävat efter liv, och följer genom att hanka sig fram. Du kan följa, men det innebär inte att du erövrats, för du har ingen insikt i Guds verk just nu. Vissa villkor måste uppfyllas för att man skall bli erövrad. Att följa behöver inte betyda att ha erövrats, för i ditt hjärta förstår du inget om varför du måste följa Gud just nu, inte heller hur du har klarat dig hittills, inte heller vem som har stöttat dig fram tills idag. Vissa människors praktiserande av sin gudstro är alltid luddig och förvirrad; att följa innebär därför inte nödvändigtvis att bära vittnesbörd. Vad är egentligen ett sant vittnesbörd? Det vittnesbörd som avses här har två delar: den ena delen avser att bli erövrad och den andra att göras fullkomlig (vilket naturligt blir det vittnesbörd som följer på de större prövningarna i framtiden). Med andra ord, om du klarar av att stå fast under prövningar och vedermödor så kommer du att ha genomgått vittnesbördets andra steg. Det avgörande idag är det första steget: att stå fast under varje prövning av tuktan och dom. Detta är vittnesbördet om att bli erövrad, för nu är erövringens tid. (Du skall veta att nu är tiden för Guds verk på jorden; den inkarnerade gudens huvudsakliga verk på jorden är att erövra denna grupp människor som följer honom genom dom och tuktan.) Din förmåga att vittna om att ha blivit erövrad eller inte beror inte bara på om du kan följa honom ända till slutet, utan än viktigare är om du kan få en verklig förståelse av Guds tuktan och dom och om du verkligen förnimmer hela hans verk allteftersom du genomgår varje steg av hans verk. Du kommer inte undan med att bara följa med till slutet. Du måste vara villig att underkasta dig all tuktan och dom, måste verkligen kunna förstå varje steg av verket som du upplever och måste kunna uppnå kunskap om och lydnad inför Guds sinnelag. Detta är det slutgiltiga vittnesbördet om att bli erövrad som du måste bära fram; detta vittnesbörd hänvisar främst till din kunskap om Guds inkarnation. Avgörande för detta steg av vittnesbördet är att det avser Guds inkarnation. Det spelar ingen roll vad du gör eller säger inför världens folk eller dem som har makt; det allra viktigaste är att du kan lyda alla ord från Guds mun och hela hans verk. Därför är denna del av vittnesbördet riktat mot Satan och alla Guds fiender – demonerna och de fientliga som inte tror att Gud kommer att komma hit en andra gång i köttet för att uträtta ännu större verk, och dessutom inte tror på att Gud återkommit i köttet. Med andra ord riktar det sig till alla antikrister – alla fiender som inte tror på Guds inkarnation.

Att tänka på Gud och längta efter Gud bevisar inte att du har erövrats av Gud; det beror på om du tror att han är ordet som har blivit kött, om du tror att ordet har blivit kött och om du tror att anden har blivit ordet och att ordet har framträtt i köttet. Det är det avgörande vittnesbördet. Det spelar ingen roll hur du följer, inte heller hur du anstränger dig; det avgörande är om du kan upptäcka att ur denna normala mänsklighet har ordet blivit kött och sanningens ande har förverkligats i köttet – att hela sanningen, vägen och livet har framträtt i köttet, att Guds ande verkligen har anlänt till jorden och att anden har framträtt i köttet. Även om detta ytligt sett tycks annorlunda än avlelsen genom den Helige Ande, kan du tydligare se i det här verket att anden redan har förverkligats i köttet och, vidare, att ordet har blivit kött och att ordet har framträtt i köttet. Du förstår den sanna betydelsen av orden: ”I begynnelsen var Ordet, och Ordet var hos Gud, och Ordet var Gud.” Dessutom måste du förstå att dagens ord är Gud och se att ordet blir kött. Detta är det bästa vittnesbörd du kan ge. Det visar att du besitter verklig kunskap om att Gud blir kött – du känner honom inte bara, utan du är också medveten om att vägen du går idag är livets och sanningens väg. Det skede av verket som Jesus utförde uppfyllde bara andemeningen av ”Ordet var hos Gud”: Guds sanning var hos Gud och Guds ande var hos köttet och var oskiljaktigt från detta kött. Det vill säga, den inkarnerade gudens kött kom med Guds ande, vilket är ett större bevis för att Guds första inkarnation var att Jesus blev människa. Detta stadium av verket uppfyller exakt den inre betydelsen av ”Ordet blir kött”, ger en djupare mening till ”Ordet var hos Gud och ordet var Gud” och låter dig stadfast tro på orden ”I begynnelsen var ordet”. Vilket vill säga att vid tiden för skapelsen var Gud uppfylld av ord, hans ord var med honom och oskiljaktiga från honom. Den sista tidsåldern gör kraften och auktoriteten i hans ord tydligare och låter människan se alla hans ord – höra alla hans ord. Sådant är verket i den sista tidsåldern. Du måste få en grundlig förståelse av alla dessa saker. Det är inte fråga om att känna köttet, utan om hur du förstår köttet och ordet. Det är det du måste vittna om, det som alla måste få veta. Eftersom detta är den andra inkarnationens verk – och den sista gången som Gud blir kött – fullbordar den inkarnationens betydelse, utfärdar och grundligen genomför Guds verk i köttet och avslutar eran av Guds tillvaro i köttet. Därför måste du känna till inkarnationens betydelse. Det spelar ingen roll hur mycket du springer omkring eller hur bra du utför andra externa frågor; det som spelar roll är om du klarar av att verkligen underkasta dig den inkarnerade guden och hänge hela ditt väsen åt Gud och lyda alla ord som kommer ur hans mun. Det här är vad du skall göra och vad du skall rätta dig efter.

Det sista steget av vittnesbördet vittnar om huruvida du kan fullkomnas – det vill säga, efter att du har förstått alla ord som kommer från den inkarnerade gudens mun får du kunskap om Gud och blir säker på honom, lever ut alla ord som kommer ur Guds mun och uppnår de tillstånd som Gud ber dig om – Petrus stil och Jobs tro – så att du kan lyda intill döden, ge dig själv åt honom helt och hållet och slutligen åstadkomma en avbild av en person av rätt standard, vilket innebär en avbild av någon som har erövrats och fullkomnats efter att ha upplevt Guds dom och tuktan. Detta är det slutgiltiga vittnesbördet – det vittnesbörd som skall bäras fram av någon som har fullkomnats. Dessa är de två stegen i vittnesbördet du måste bära fram och de är sammankopplade, vart och ett oundgängligt. Men det finns en sak du måste veta: det vittnesbörd jag kräver av dig idag riktar sig inte mot världens människor, eller en enskild individ, utan åt det jag ber dig om. Måttstocken gäller huruvida du kan tillfredsställa mig och om du helt och hållet kan uppfylla de krav jag ställer på var och en av er. Det är vad ni måste förstå.

Att rekommendera: Trosutövning (3)

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Trosutövning (4)

Den frid och glädje jag talar om i dag är inte densamma som den du tror på och förstår. Du trodde tidigare att frid och glädje innebar att vara lycklig hela dagen lång, frånvaron av sjukdom och olycka i din familj, att alltid vara nöjd i ditt hjärta utan den minsta känsla av sorg samt att ha en obeskrivbar känsla av glädje oavsett hur ditt liv har utvecklats.

 Detta utöver att du får en löneförhöjning och att din son just har blivit antagen till universitetet. Med dessa saker i åtanke bad du till Gud, och då du såg att Guds nåd var så stor blev du överlycklig, log från öra till öra och kunde inte sluta att tacka Gud. Sådan frid och glädje är inte den sanna frid och glädje som kommer från att vara i besittning av den Helige Andes närvaro. Snarare är det den frid och glädje som kommer från köttets tillfredsställelse. Du borde förstå vilken tidsålder vi befinner oss i; det är inte nådens tidsålder, och inte heller är det den tidsålder då du strävar efter att fylla din mage med bröd. Du kanske är överlycklig över att allting går bra för din familj, men ditt liv kippar efter sitt sista andetag – och på så vis, oavsett hur stor din glädje är, så är den Helige Ande inte med dig. Att vinna den Helige Andes närvaro är lätt: gör det du skall ordentligt, utför väl det en människa är förpliktigad till och skickad för, och var förmögen att utrusta dig med vad du behöver för att kompensera för dina tillkortakommanden. Om ditt liv alltid är en börda och du är lycklig över att du har uppfattat en sanning eller förstått Guds nuvarande verk, är detta sannerligen att besitta den Helige Andes närvaro. Eller om du ibland grips av oro för att du stöter på ett problem som du inte vet hur du skall lösa eller för att du inte förstår en sanning som vi har samlats kring, då bevisar detta att den Helige Ande är med dig. Dessa är vanliga tillstånd av livserfarenhet. Du måste förstå skillnaden mellan att besitta och att sakna den Helige Andes närvaro, och kan inte vara alltför enkelspårig i din syn på detta.

Tidigare sades det att besitta den Helige Andes närvaro och att besitta den Helige Andes verk inte var samma sak. Det vanliga tillstånd där man upplever den Helige Andes närvaro yttrar sig som normala tankar, normal rationalitet och normal mänsklighet. En persons karaktär kommer att förbli som den var, men inom henne råder frid och utvändigt uppför hon sig med ett helgons värdighet. Så är människor när den Helige Ande är med dem. När någon upplever den Helige Andes närvaro, är hennes tankar normala. När hon är hungrig vill hon äta, när hon är törstig vill hon dricka vatten ... Sådana yttringar av vanlig mänsklighet är inte den Helige Andes upplysning; de är folks normala tankar och det normala tillståndet av att besitta den Helige Andes närvaro. Vissa personer tror felaktigt att de som besitter den Helige Andes närvaro inte känner någon hunger, att de inte känner någon trötthet, och de tycks inte tänka på familjen, eftersom de nästan helt har avskilt sig från köttet. Faktum är att ju mer den Helige Ande finns hos människor, desto mer normala är de. De vet att lida och ge upp saker för Gud, anstränga sig till det yttersta för Gud och vara lojala mot Gud; dessutom tänker de på mat och kläder. De har med andra ord inte förlorat något av den normala mänsklighet som människor borde ha, istället är de särskilt uppfyllda av förnuft. Ibland läser de Guds ord och kontemplerar Guds verk; det finns tro i deras hjärtan och de är villiga att sträva efter sanningen. Självklart baseras den Helige Andes verk på denna grundval. Om människor saknar normalt tänkande, så har de inget förnuft — detta är inget normalt tillstånd. När människor har normalt tänkande och den Helige Ande är med dem, besitter de förvisso en normal persons förnuft och befinner sig därför i ett normalt tillstånd. När man upplever Guds verk händer det emellanåt att man besitter den Helige Andes verk, medan man däremot besitter den Helige Andes närvaro närapå konstant. Så länge som människors förnuft och tänkande är normalt och så länge som deras tillstånd är normala, är den Helige Ande förvisso med dem. När människors förnuft och tänkande inte är normalt, då är deras mänsklighet inte normal. Om den Helige Andes verk är med dig i detta ögonblick, då är säkert också den Helige Ande med dig. Men om den Helige Ande är med dig, är det inte givet att den Helige Ande definitivt verkar inom dig, för den Helige Ande verkar vid speciella tidpunkter. Att besitta den Helige Andes närvaro kan bara upprätthålla människors normala tillvaro, men den Helige Ande verkar bara vid vissa tidpunkter. Om man till exempel är en ledare eller arbetare och vattnar och ger livsuppehälle åt kyrkan kommer den Helige Ande att upplysa en om vissa ord som är uppbyggliga för andra och kan lösa vissa av ens bröders och systrars praktiska problem — vid sådana tillfällen verkar den Helige Ande. När du äter och dricker Guds ord, upplyser den Helige Ande dig ibland med vissa ord som är särskilt relevanta för dina egna upplevelser och låter dig nå större kunskap om dina egna tillstånd; och då är också detta den Helige Andes verk. Ibland när jag talar lyssnar ni och kan mäta era egna tillstånd gentemot mina ord och ibland berörs ni och inspireras; allt detta är den Helige Andes verk. Vissa människor säger att den Helige Ande alltid verkar i dem. Detta är omöjligt. Om de skulle säga att den Helige Ande alltid är med dem, så skulle det vara realistiskt. Om de skulle säga att deras tänkande och förnuft alltid är normalt så skulle det också vara realistiskt, och det skulle visa att den Helige Ande är med dem. Om de säger att den Helige Ande alltid verkar inom dem, att de är upplysta av Gud och berörda av den Helige Ande i varje ögonblick och att de förvärvar ny kunskap hela tiden, då är detta på intet vis normalt! Det är helt och hållet övernaturligt! Utan skuggan av ett tvivel är sådana människor onda andar! Till och med när Guds Ande blir kött, finns det tillfällen när han måste äta och vila – för att inte tala om människor. De som har varit besatta av onda andar verkar befriade från köttets känslor och svaghet. De kan avstå och ge upp allting, de är kapabla att utstå plågor och känner inte den minsta trötthet, som om de har överskridit köttets gränser. Är inte detta extremt övernaturligt? Onda andars verk är övernaturligt – ingen människa kan åstadkomma sådana ting! De som saknar urskillning är avundsjuka när de ser sådana människor: De säger att de har sådan kraft i sin tro på Gud, har en väldig tro och aldrig visar det minsta tecken på svaghet! Faktum är att allt detta är manifestationer av en ond andes verk. För normala människor har oundvikligen mänskliga svagheter; detta är det normala tillståndet hos dem som besitter den Helige Andes närvaro.

Vad innebär det att vara fast förankrad i sitt vittnesbörd? Vissa människor säger att de bara följer som de gör nu utan att bekymra sig om huruvida de har förmåga att vinna liv; de strävar inte efter liv, men de drar sig heller inte undan. De erkänner bara att det här stadiet av verket utförs av Gud. Brister inte deras vittnesbörd då? Sådana människor vittnar inte ens om att ha blivit erövrade. De som har erövrats följer, oavsett allt annat, och har förmågan att sträva efter liv. Deras tro handlar inte bara om den praktiska guden, men också om hur de skall följa Guds planer. Sådana är de som vittnar. De som inte vittnar har aldrig strävat efter liv, och följer genom att hanka sig fram. Du kan följa, men det innebär inte att du erövrats, för du har ingen insikt i Guds verk just nu. Vissa villkor måste uppfyllas för att man skall bli erövrad. Att följa behöver inte betyda att ha erövrats, för i ditt hjärta förstår du inget om varför du måste följa Gud just nu, inte heller hur du har klarat dig hittills, inte heller vem som har stöttat dig fram tills idag. Vissa människors praktiserande av sin gudstro är alltid luddig och förvirrad; att följa innebär därför inte nödvändigtvis att bära vittnesbörd. Vad är egentligen ett sant vittnesbörd? Det vittnesbörd som avses här har två delar: den ena delen avser att bli erövrad och den andra att göras fullkomlig (vilket naturligt blir det vittnesbörd som följer på de större prövningarna i framtiden). Med andra ord, om du klarar av att stå fast under prövningar och vedermödor så kommer du att ha genomgått vittnesbördets andra steg. Det avgörande idag är det första steget: att stå fast under varje prövning av tuktan och dom. Detta är vittnesbördet om att bli erövrad, för nu är erövringens tid. (Du skall veta att nu är tiden för Guds verk på jorden; den inkarnerade gudens huvudsakliga verk på jorden är att erövra denna grupp människor som följer honom genom dom och tuktan.) Din förmåga att vittna om att ha blivit erövrad eller inte beror inte bara på om du kan följa honom ända till slutet, utan än viktigare är om du kan få en verklig förståelse av Guds tuktan och dom och om du verkligen förnimmer hela hans verk allteftersom du genomgår varje steg av hans verk. Du kommer inte undan med att bara följa med till slutet. Du måste vara villig att underkasta dig all tuktan och dom, måste verkligen kunna förstå varje steg av verket som du upplever och måste kunna uppnå kunskap om och lydnad inför Guds sinnelag. Detta är det slutgiltiga vittnesbördet om att bli erövrad som du måste bära fram; detta vittnesbörd hänvisar främst till din kunskap om Guds inkarnation. Avgörande för detta steg av vittnesbördet är att det avser Guds inkarnation. Det spelar ingen roll vad du gör eller säger inför världens folk eller dem som har makt; det allra viktigaste är att du kan lyda alla ord från Guds mun och hela hans verk. Därför är denna del av vittnesbördet riktat mot Satan och alla Guds fiender – demonerna och de fientliga som inte tror att Gud kommer att komma hit en andra gång i köttet för att uträtta ännu större verk, och dessutom inte tror på att Gud återkommit i köttet. Med andra ord riktar det sig till alla antikrister – alla fiender som inte tror på Guds inkarnation.

Att tänka på Gud och längta efter Gud bevisar inte att du har erövrats av Gud; det beror på om du tror att han är ordet som har blivit kött, om du tror att ordet har blivit kött och om du tror att anden har blivit ordet och att ordet har framträtt i köttet. Det är det avgörande vittnesbördet. Det spelar ingen roll hur du följer, inte heller hur du anstränger dig; det avgörande är om du kan upptäcka att ur denna normala mänsklighet har ordet blivit kött och sanningens ande har förverkligats i köttet – att hela sanningen, vägen och livet har framträtt i köttet, att Guds ande verkligen har anlänt till jorden och att anden har framträtt i köttet. Även om detta ytligt sett tycks annorlunda än avlelsen genom den Helige Ande, kan du tydligare se i det här verket att anden redan har förverkligats i köttet och, vidare, att ordet har blivit kött och att ordet har framträtt i köttet. Du förstår den sanna betydelsen av orden: ”I begynnelsen var Ordet, och Ordet var hos Gud, och Ordet var Gud.” Dessutom måste du förstå att dagens ord är Gud och se att ordet blir kött. Detta är det bästa vittnesbörd du kan ge. Det visar att du besitter verklig kunskap om att Gud blir kött – du känner honom inte bara, utan du är också medveten om att vägen du går idag är livets och sanningens väg. Det skede av verket som Jesus utförde uppfyllde bara andemeningen av ”Ordet var hos Gud”: Guds sanning var hos Gud och Guds ande var hos köttet och var oskiljaktigt från detta kött. Det vill säga, den inkarnerade gudens kött kom med Guds ande, vilket är ett större bevis för att Guds första inkarnation var att Jesus blev människa. Detta stadium av verket uppfyller exakt den inre betydelsen av ”Ordet blir kött”, ger en djupare mening till ”Ordet var hos Gud och ordet var Gud” och låter dig stadfast tro på orden ”I begynnelsen var ordet”. Vilket vill säga att vid tiden för skapelsen var Gud uppfylld av ord, hans ord var med honom och oskiljaktiga från honom. Den sista tidsåldern gör kraften och auktoriteten i hans ord tydligare och låter människan se alla hans ord – höra alla hans ord. Sådant är verket i den sista tidsåldern. Du måste få en grundlig förståelse av alla dessa saker. Det är inte fråga om att känna köttet, utan om hur du förstår köttet och ordet. Det är det du måste vittna om, det som alla måste få veta. Eftersom detta är den andra inkarnationens verk – och den sista gången som Gud blir kött – fullbordar den inkarnationens betydelse, utfärdar och grundligen genomför Guds verk i köttet och avslutar eran av Guds tillvaro i köttet. Därför måste du känna till inkarnationens betydelse. Det spelar ingen roll hur mycket du springer omkring eller hur bra du utför andra externa frågor; det som spelar roll är om du klarar av att verkligen underkasta dig den inkarnerade guden och hänge hela ditt väsen åt Gud och lyda alla ord som kommer ur hans mun. Det här är vad du skall göra och vad du skall rätta dig efter.

Det sista steget av vittnesbördet vittnar om huruvida du kan fullkomnas – det vill säga, efter att du har förstått alla ord som kommer från den inkarnerade gudens mun får du kunskap om Gud och blir säker på honom, lever ut alla ord som kommer ur Guds mun och uppnår de tillstånd som Gud ber dig om – Petrus stil och Jobs tro – så att du kan lyda intill döden, ge dig själv åt honom helt och hållet och slutligen åstadkomma en avbild av en person av rätt standard, vilket innebär en avbild av någon som har erövrats och fullkomnats efter att ha upplevt Guds dom och tuktan. Detta är det slutgiltiga vittnesbördet – det vittnesbörd som skall bäras fram av någon som har fullkomnats. Dessa är de två stegen i vittnesbördet du måste bära fram och de är sammankopplade, vart och ett oundgängligt. Men det finns en sak du måste veta: det vittnesbörd jag kräver av dig idag riktar sig inte mot världens människor, eller en enskild individ, utan åt det jag ber dig om. Måttstocken gäller huruvida du kan tillfredsställa mig och om du helt och hållet kan uppfylla de krav jag ställer på var och en av er. Det är vad ni måste förstå

Att rekommendera: Trosutövning (3)

[annoyinglysupersong-blog]

Bedste Håndstøvsuger Test

Find reservedelsnummeret på tegningerne, indtast det i søgefeltet øverst til højre på hjemmesiden. Støvbeholderen tømmes enkelt ved et enkelt klik, så du ikke kommer i berøring med støvet. Ved at vælge en robotstøvsuger med en tank der kan rumme meget støv, slipper folk for hele tiden i den hensigt at skulle tømme maskinen plus sætte den i avenue igen. Støvsugerposerne fås til støvsugere fra Electrolux, Miele, Bosch/Siemens og Nilfisk. Så hvis støvsuger test vi forestiller os, for at du hver uge støvsuger i ca. tre hjem på fulde drøn, så skal støvsugeren kunne holde til det i 16 år. Slangen bliver testet, den bliver strukket og bøjet og i det hele taget udsat for det, som du overveje udsætte den for under brug. Du kan spare afsnit på rengøringen med man helt rigtige hjælpere - og et af de allervigtigste redskaber i alle de mange hjem, er støvsugeren. Støvsugeren er derfor også mærket med støvemission A. Bliver nogen i husstanden særligt følsomme over for støv, så bør du gå efter en støvsuger med bedste støvsuger støvemission A. Mange støvsuger købt hos os kunne være med HEPA-filter, parkeringssystem, elektronisk regulering, støjsvag motor, cyklonteknologi mm. Førnævnte handler bare om, alt sammen dine behov er. Så lagt i det omfang, at posemodellerne mister sugestyrke, ja så kommer de bare ned på det niveau, som Dyson har konstant, « siger Rasmus Partsch. Det handler ikke blot om at tilstræbe fra start. Maskinen er i energiklasse A samt bedste støvsuger i test ydermere udført i genbrugsplast, hvilket dog ikke går ud over kvaliteten, som lever op til konkurrenternes. Til og med, at støvsugeren er poseløs og hver filtre kan vaskes, så undgår du også udgifter til disse. Vi håber at du finder førnævnte håndstøvsuger test anvendelig, eftersom vores mission er for at gøre det nemmere, plus mere gennemskueligt for dig at købe produkter online. Såfremt man skal vælge en håndstøvsuger, er der forskellige muligheder; enten kan man udse bedste støvsuger i test sig en håndholdt støvsuger, mange 2-i-1- eller en ledningsfri støvsuger. Du kommer aldrig nogensinde i kontakt med støvet selv, da du magter åbne beholderen med isoleret tryk på en knap - og med mange kapacitet på 1, 6 liter skal du aldrig nogensinde bekymre dig om støvsugerposer igen! Fællesnævneren for folks sortiment af støvsugere fra Bosch, AEG, Electrolux samt Siemens, er at kvaliteten er i helt top. Opret dig ligesom bruger eller log ind for at deltage i debatten. Til slut skal vi igen se bedste støvsuger på en robotstøvsuger fra iRobot, og dette findes Roomba 880-modellen. Herunder at selv løbende vil modtage nyhedsbreve pr. email. Af dem findes seks på det danske marked og medtages i Søndagsavisens test. Kjøp håndstøvsuger best i test billig lagt i nettbutikkene. Robotstøvsuger: Oplevelsen af en robotstøvsuger fra LG gør det hele nemmere for enhver. Mange brugervenlig støvsuger, der ret sikkert overraskede os til vores støvsuger test 2017! Hvis du (og jeg) investerer over 1000 kr. i bedste støvsuger en ny støvsuger vil kvaliteten være i orden. En forbedret aktionsradius på 1 meter, magter betyde meget i et større hus og kan også hjælpe med for at gøre støvsugningen hurtigere samt mere effektivt. Støvsugeren bruger ikke støvsugerposer, men samler i stedet støvet i en aftagelig beholder, som du blot tømmer i skraldespanden, når nogen er fuld. I mandagens udgave af 'I forbrugernes tjeneste' bliver fem populære støvsuger-modeller testet. Laboratoriet testede støvsugere med støvsuger test en motoreffekt under den nye maksimalgrænse på 1. 600 watt, og alverden på nær støvsugeren fra Nilfisk holder sig endda under den grænse på 900 watt, som træder i kraft, når reglerne strammes yderligere i 2017. Førnævnte er den bedste maner at finde ud bort om resultatet og besværet er godt nok fortil dig. I folks støvsuger test kigger de også på arbejdsradiusen på støvsugerne. Støvsugere er energimærket, ligesom du kender ovenstående fra køleskabe. Med en vægt på blot 1, to støvsuger test kilo og ergonomisk soft-grip-håndtag er den samtidig behagelig at arbejde med. For at aktivere menuen samt se de aftalte priser skal du være logget på. Hvis man mangler login eller nogle aftale, så se info på denne side og alternativt kontakt kundeservice. Førnævnte er faktisk noget air venner og bekendte tit spørger mig om, plus det er helt klart det bedste svar selv kan give. Desværre må rengøringsevnen derfor vurderes ligesom begrænset i forhold i bedste støvsuger prisen på over fire. 000 kroner. Med Dirt Detect to kan Roombaen lettere drage frem al slags skidt på gulvet, og også større ting som popcorn og clips. Samtidig med i den hensigt at nye støvsugere skal mærkes, vil de værste energislugere fjernes fra markedet. Der medfølger desuden mange specialudviklet børste, som er egnet til brug på hårde og følsomme gulve. Modellen kommer ligevis med Sensor Control og LongLife motor, som findes nogle af de største højdepunkter. Vi stiller høje krav til standarder på vores varer, for de bedste støvsuger i test ved, at det samme gør vores kunder. Dette bliver desuden testet i DR-tv, hvor denne model valg blev testvinder med laveste støvudledning af 6 modeller.

[stormdoors78476]

Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home

avajjon/iStock; Sauliaka/iStock; realtor.com

When it’s finally time to get off the starting blocks and buy a new home, one of the first thing most folks do is … the math. How much do you need to in order to get a place—and how much do you need in order to keep it?

People tend to focus an awful lot on that towering down payment. Then they carefully calculate their closing costs and monthly mortgage payments. Maybe they’ll even factor in the cost of a plush new sofa, and a hot new SUV to park in the driveway. But before they settle into sweet domestic bliss, they really need to come to grips with something else, too: the true costs of homeownership.

Because they aren’t aways so obvious.

Property taxes, leaky roofs, home insurance, and termites — oh my. Truth be told, there are all sorts of hidden costs that could turn your bargain basement deal into a den of financial horrors. Unless, that is, you go in with eyes open wide. We’re here to help!  Our data team at realtor.com® ran the numbers to figure out the cities with the highest hidden costs of homeownership, all in the interest of helping fend off major coronary episodes once the bills come in.

Before you panic and renew your lease, remember that in most places, buying still beats renting in the long run—even with all the costs of ownership included. You’re building equity, remember?

The bottom line is: Be prepared for all the costs of ownership. Financial adviser Jenna Rogers with Mission Wealth Management often advises first-time home buyers to make a list of all the expenses that are expected for at least the first year.

“Open a new savings account, and designate it as the ‘home account,'” Rogers says. “Send the necessary amount to this home account every month. That way, when you have to pay property taxes, for example, you’ve already had the cash build up.”

Still, those costs can vary dramatically, depending on where you live. We ranked the 100 largest metropolitan areas by the following criteria:

Property tax rates

Home insurance premiums

Remodeling costs

Maintenance and repair costs

Hourly rate of housekeepers, home cleaners, gardeners, and landscapers

Pest control costs

Electricity, heating oil, and natural gas bills

Household goods, like a 40-inch flat-screen TV, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.

Hidden cost No. 1: Property taxes

Property taxes are one of the biggest home expenses you’ll have after a mortgage. Long-time homeowners have gotten used to this harsh reality, but newbie homeowners could be surprised to discover just how costly their tax bills can be, especially in the Northeast.

And sometimes, property taxes can seem surprisingly high. Homeowners in the Buffalo, NY, metro area, which covers the upstate counties of Erie and Niagara, pay a whopping 2.9% of their home’s value in tax. Rochester, Buffalo’s next-door neighbor, has a 2.8% rate on average.

Despite their top-ranking property tax rates, though, those cities did not make our overall top 10 list, because their cost of living is otherwise pretty low.

So what determines the home tax rate in a given area? They’re set and collected by state, county, or municipal agencies—in fact, multiple agencies often tax the same property. They’re tied to home values in an area, and used to pay for services, such as schools, and fire and police departments. That’s why they can be tough to predict. For example, some cash-strapped cities will charge a higher rate in order to fund better services.

And sometimes, they’re just indicators of ultra-expensive markets. Property taxes are particularly high in the New York metropolitan statistical area, which spans New York City, as well as Jersey City and Newark in New Jersey. Homeowners there pay an average of $7,300* in property tax, roughly 2% of their home’s value. (Metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget, are highly populated areas made up of one or more city cores, surrounded by suburban and rural communities that share economic ties.)

That’s way over the national average of just over $2,100, according to the Census Bureau.

This is where the equation gets simpler: “In states where you have wealthier people with more expensive homes, that tends to drive property taxes higher,” says John Buhl, spokesperson for the Tax Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

The heavy tax burden is among the leading reasons that taxpayers are fleeing New York—the state is losing more residents than any other, according to a study by newgeography.com.

Connecticut also has two metros that made our top 10, mostly because of high tax rates. Homeowners in metro Bridgeport pay 1.7% of their home’s value in tax, and those in metro New Haven pay 2.1%. Because the Bridgeport metro area stretches into wealthy Fairfield County enclaves like New Canaan and Greenwich—where hedge-fund managers and CEOs drop millions on real estate—the area has an average property tax bill of nearly $7,000 a year.

Texas, with its sprawling properties and famously affordable real estate, has surprisingly expensive property taxes. The Lone State doesn’t collect income taxes, meaning that the government relies more heavily on property taxes to fund agencies and services. The tax rate in Houston is 1.8%.

Hidden cost No. 2: Home insurance Skip the flood insurance, and you could be looking at a deluge of expenses.

EEI_Tony/iStock

Even if you’re a gambler at heart, home insurance is indispensable when it comes to protecting major assets. And they don’t get much larger than a home. For those who take out a mortgage, it’s required by the lender. For everyone else, insurance is highly recommended—who wants to risk a six-digit loss? Because stuff happens.

Florida, with a long coastline that bears the brunt of hurricanes and tropical storms, has the country’s highest average home insurance cost, at $298** per month. That’s nearly three times the national average of $102, according to Insurance.com. The pricey premiums add to the financial burdens of homeowners in Cape Coral and Miami, which both rank high on the list.

Insurance also takes a big bite out of the paychecks of New Orleans homeowners. Think two names: Katrina and Rita. After those hurricanes, not being able to find affordable insurance has become a hurdle for home buyers, especially first-timers. Why do they call this place the Big Easy again?

“In high flood-risk neighborhoods, the insurance is so expensive that it’s nearly impossible for a young couple to buy,” says Richard Jeansonne, a broker at French Quarter Realty in New Orleans. “With mortgage, flood insurance, and other expenses, it’s just not something they can afford.”

Because the cost of flood insurance is based on on the elevation of the house, buying a home on higher ground reduces the premium. Homes along the Mississippi River, like in the French Quarter and Uptown neighborhoods, are built on an elevated riverbank and are therefore cheaper to insure.

Everything’s bigger in Texas—and so are insurance premiums. After all, Texas residents are susceptible to a myriad of perils, from hailstorms to tornadoes to wildfires to floods. All the risks amount to an average of $162 in home insurance every month. Ouch!

In disaster-prone areas, homeowners could get a discount on insurance for securing the foundation and installing a metal roof, according to Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna. A good security system and close proximity to highly rated fire departments also reduce the premium. And maintaining a high credit score can lower your insurance rates too—sort of a housing win-win.

Hidden cost No. 3: Maintenance and remodeling Need a new roof? It’ll cost ya.

tinabelle/iStock

One of the biggest fears of cash-strapped homeowners everywhere: an issue they might not have noticed, like a leaky roof or cracked foundation, will snowball into a catastrophe, and cost a fortune to repair.

No wonder conventional real estate wisdom (CREW) dictates that you should set aside 1% of your home’s value for maintenance each year. But the real amount depends on the condition and location of your home. Repairs to storm-beaten New Orleans homes cost $31,650 on average, among the highest in our study.

In addition to repairs, homeowners need to continue investing in their homes to maintain—or better yet, increase—valuations. That’s why American homeowners are shelling out more and more on improvements. In 2016, they spent $361 billion, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. That’s up 13.5% from the previous peak in 2007.

Serious renovation, of course, goes way beyond picking out curtain patterns in Home Depot. A standard kitchen remodel project costs around $21,680 nationally, and even repainting a home’s interior costs around $1,700, according to HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide. And the number goes up exponentially where labor and material costs are high. In Los Angeles, the average cost of kitchen renovation is $31,177.

“When the house price is higher on average, it feels more justifiable to spend more on the house itself,” says Brad Hunter, HomeAdvisor chief economist. “Somebody in Los Angeles and San Francisco is going to be willing to pay a lot more on a kitchen than, say, Provo, Utah.”

Hidden cost No. 4: Utility bills

Homeowners can’t forget those bills for water, power, and trash that arrive each month. If you’re moving from an apartment to a home for the first time, know that the increase in square footage can pack a real punch, in a bigger utility bill.

Connecticut homeowners spend the most on heating oil, at $104 a month, according to a WalletHub analysis. In the Bridgeport metro, heating oil plus natural gas and electricity totals $309 a month, the highest in our study.

Florida’s sunny climate means that residents aren’t likely to have high heating bills. But the summer heat and humidity means that Floridians are likely to be cranking those air conditioners. Homeowners in Cape Coral pay some of the country’s highest electricity bills, at $216 a month. Not too far away, in Miami, they pay $184 a month for electricity.

In Hawaii, electricity is produced by petroleum-fired power plants. As you might imagine, petroleum must be shipped onto the islands, adding to the cost of production—and utility bills. Frugal homeowners usually install solar panels. This helps to cut down on their electricity bills, which average $172 a month in Honolulu.

Hidden cost No. 5: Domestic labor Those windows won’t wash themselves…

Bill Oxford/iStock

After a few months lugging canister vacuums up and down two flights of stairs, you may finally give up and decide to hire someone to maintain your sanity. But don’t underestimate the price of this peace of mind.

The average rate of a housekeeper is $12.50 an hour across the country, according to Care.com, an online marketplace for housekeepers and care providers. If you hire a housekeeper for three hours every month, that adds up to $450 a year.

Depending on where you live, the rate could also go up considerably—to $15 an hour or above in New York, America’s most expensive city.

Dealing with pests like mice, termites, cockroaches, and bedbugs costs $178 on average, according to HomeAdvisor. In Honolulu, the cost goes up to almost $300. The cost of living in paradise vermin-free is steep.

Mowing the lawns and blowing leaves are traditionally DIY projects, but they’re easy ones to neglect. Before you know it, your nosy neighbor has already blabbed to the neighborhood association, and fines are accruing. Bummer! The cost of outsourcing varies, depending on lawn size and the extent of the work. On average, homeowners spend about $156 on lawn services, according to HomeAdvisor.

Does it make sense to shell out for such upkeep? Says financial adviser Rogers, “It’s really all a matter of budgeting, and finding out what’s most important to you.”

* Property tax rates are calculated using the U.S. Census Bureau’s median tax and median home value. For every metro area, tax rates are the average of all counties within the metro boundary. The boundary is defined by the Office of Management and Budget. 

** Average cost of insurance refers to policies on a $200,000 home with a $1,000 deductible and a $100,000 liability.

The post Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2sHMBzr

[chpatdoorsl3z0a1]

Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home

avajjon/iStock; Sauliaka/iStock; realtor.com

When it’s finally time to get off the starting blocks and buy a new home, one of the first thing most folks do is … the math. How much do you need to in order to get a place—and how much do you need in order to keep it?

People tend to focus an awful lot on that towering down payment. Then they carefully calculate their closing costs and monthly mortgage payments. Maybe they’ll even factor in the cost of a plush new sofa, and a hot new SUV to park in the driveway. But before they settle into sweet domestic bliss, they really need to come to grips with something else, too: the true costs of homeownership.

Because they aren’t aways so obvious.

Property taxes, leaky roofs, home insurance, and termites — oh my. Truth be told, there are all sorts of hidden costs that could turn your bargain basement deal into a den of financial horrors. Unless, that is, you go in with eyes open wide. We’re here to help!  Our data team at realtor.com® ran the numbers to figure out the cities with the highest hidden costs of homeownership, all in the interest of helping fend off major coronary episodes once the bills come in.

Before you panic and renew your lease, remember that in most places, buying still beats renting in the long run—even with all the costs of ownership included. You’re building equity, remember?

The bottom line is: Be prepared for all the costs of ownership. Financial adviser Jenna Rogers with Mission Wealth Management often advises first-time home buyers to make a list of all the expenses that are expected for at least the first year.

“Open a new savings account, and designate it as the ‘home account,'” Rogers says. “Send the necessary amount to this home account every month. That way, when you have to pay property taxes, for example, you’ve already had the cash build up.”

Still, those costs can vary dramatically, depending on where you live. We ranked the 100 largest metropolitan areas by the following criteria:

Property tax rates

Home insurance premiums

Remodeling costs

Maintenance and repair costs

Hourly rate of housekeepers, home cleaners, gardeners, and landscapers

Pest control costs

Electricity, heating oil, and natural gas bills

Household goods, like a 40-inch flat-screen TV, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.

Hidden cost No. 1: Property taxes

Property taxes are one of the biggest home expenses you’ll have after a mortgage. Long-time homeowners have gotten used to this harsh reality, but newbie homeowners could be surprised to discover just how costly their tax bills can be, especially in the Northeast.

And sometimes, property taxes can seem surprisingly high. Homeowners in the Buffalo, NY, metro area, which covers the upstate counties of Erie and Niagara, pay a whopping 2.9% of their home’s value in tax. Rochester, Buffalo’s next-door neighbor, has a 2.8% rate on average.

Despite their top-ranking property tax rates, though, those cities did not make our overall top 10 list, because their cost of living is otherwise pretty low.

So what determines the home tax rate in a given area? They’re set and collected by state, county, or municipal agencies—in fact, multiple agencies often tax the same property. They’re tied to home values in an area, and used to pay for services, such as schools, and fire and police departments. That’s why they can be tough to predict. For example, some cash-strapped cities will charge a higher rate in order to fund better services.

And sometimes, they’re just indicators of ultra-expensive markets. Property taxes are particularly high in the New York metropolitan statistical area, which spans New York City, as well as Jersey City and Newark in New Jersey. Homeowners there pay an average of $7,300* in property tax, roughly 2% of their home’s value. (Metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget, are highly populated areas made up of one or more city cores, surrounded by suburban and rural communities that share economic ties.)

That’s way over the national average of just over $2,100, according to the Census Bureau.

This is where the equation gets simpler: “In states where you have wealthier people with more expensive homes, that tends to drive property taxes higher,” says John Buhl, spokesperson for the Tax Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

The heavy tax burden is among the leading reasons that taxpayers are fleeing New York—the state is losing more residents than any other, according to a study by newgeography.com.

Connecticut also has two metros that made our top 10, mostly because of high tax rates. Homeowners in metro Bridgeport pay 1.7% of their home’s value in tax, and those in metro New Haven pay 2.1%. Because the Bridgeport metro area stretches into wealthy Fairfield County enclaves like New Canaan and Greenwich—where hedge-fund managers and CEOs drop millions on real estate—the area has an average property tax bill of nearly $7,000 a year.

Texas, with its sprawling properties and famously affordable real estate, has surprisingly expensive property taxes. The Lone State doesn’t collect income taxes, meaning that the government relies more heavily on property taxes to fund agencies and services. The tax rate in Houston is 1.8%.

Hidden cost No. 2: Home insurance Skip the flood insurance, and you could be looking at a deluge of expenses.

EEI_Tony/iStock

Even if you’re a gambler at heart, home insurance is indispensable when it comes to protecting major assets. And they don’t get much larger than a home. For those who take out a mortgage, it’s required by the lender. For everyone else, insurance is highly recommended—who wants to risk a six-digit loss? Because stuff happens.

Florida, with a long coastline that bears the brunt of hurricanes and tropical storms, has the country’s highest average home insurance cost, at $298** per month. That’s nearly three times the national average of $102, according to Insurance.com. The pricey premiums add to the financial burdens of homeowners in Cape Coral and Miami, which both rank high on the list.

Insurance also takes a big bite out of the paychecks of New Orleans homeowners. Think two names: Katrina and Rita. After those hurricanes, not being able to find affordable insurance has become a hurdle for home buyers, especially first-timers. Why do they call this place the Big Easy again?

“In high flood-risk neighborhoods, the insurance is so expensive that it’s nearly impossible for a young couple to buy,” says Richard Jeansonne, a broker at French Quarter Realty in New Orleans. “With mortgage, flood insurance, and other expenses, it’s just not something they can afford.”

Because the cost of flood insurance is based on on the elevation of the house, buying a home on higher ground reduces the premium. Homes along the Mississippi River, like in the French Quarter and Uptown neighborhoods, are built on an elevated riverbank and are therefore cheaper to insure.

Everything’s bigger in Texas—and so are insurance premiums. After all, Texas residents are susceptible to a myriad of perils, from hailstorms to tornadoes to wildfires to floods. All the risks amount to an average of $162 in home insurance every month. Ouch!

In disaster-prone areas, homeowners could get a discount on insurance for securing the foundation and installing a metal roof, according to Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna. A good security system and close proximity to highly rated fire departments also reduce the premium. And maintaining a high credit score can lower your insurance rates too—sort of a housing win-win.

Hidden cost No. 3: Maintenance and remodeling Need a new roof? It’ll cost ya.

tinabelle/iStock

One of the biggest fears of cash-strapped homeowners everywhere: an issue they might not have noticed, like a leaky roof or cracked foundation, will snowball into a catastrophe, and cost a fortune to repair.

No wonder conventional real estate wisdom (CREW) dictates that you should set aside 1% of your home’s value for maintenance each year. But the real amount depends on the condition and location of your home. Repairs to storm-beaten New Orleans homes cost $31,650 on average, among the highest in our study.

In addition to repairs, homeowners need to continue investing in their homes to maintain—or better yet, increase—valuations. That’s why American homeowners are shelling out more and more on improvements. In 2016, they spent $361 billion, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. That’s up 13.5% from the previous peak in 2007.

Serious renovation, of course, goes way beyond picking out curtain patterns in Home Depot. A standard kitchen remodel project costs around $21,680 nationally, and even repainting a home’s interior costs around $1,700, according to HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide. And the number goes up exponentially where labor and material costs are high. In Los Angeles, the average cost of kitchen renovation is $31,177.

“When the house price is higher on average, it feels more justifiable to spend more on the house itself,” says Brad Hunter, HomeAdvisor chief economist. “Somebody in Los Angeles and San Francisco is going to be willing to pay a lot more on a kitchen than, say, Provo, Utah.”

Hidden cost No. 4: Utility bills

Homeowners can’t forget those bills for water, power, and trash that arrive each month. If you’re moving from an apartment to a home for the first time, know that the increase in square footage can pack a real punch, in a bigger utility bill.

Connecticut homeowners spend the most on heating oil, at $104 a month, according to a WalletHub analysis. In the Bridgeport metro, heating oil plus natural gas and electricity totals $309 a month, the highest in our study.

Florida’s sunny climate means that residents aren’t likely to have high heating bills. But the summer heat and humidity means that Floridians are likely to be cranking those air conditioners. Homeowners in Cape Coral pay some of the country’s highest electricity bills, at $216 a month. Not too far away, in Miami, they pay $184 a month for electricity.

In Hawaii, electricity is produced by petroleum-fired power plants. As you might imagine, petroleum must be shipped onto the islands, adding to the cost of production—and utility bills. Frugal homeowners usually install solar panels. This helps to cut down on their electricity bills, which average $172 a month in Honolulu.

Hidden cost No. 5: Domestic labor Those windows won’t wash themselves…

Bill Oxford/iStock

After a few months lugging canister vacuums up and down two flights of stairs, you may finally give up and decide to hire someone to maintain your sanity. But don’t underestimate the price of this peace of mind.

The average rate of a housekeeper is $12.50 an hour across the country, according to Care.com, an online marketplace for housekeepers and care providers. If you hire a housekeeper for three hours every month, that adds up to $450 a year.

Depending on where you live, the rate could also go up considerably—to $15 an hour or above in New York, America’s most expensive city.

Dealing with pests like mice, termites, cockroaches, and bedbugs costs $178 on average, according to HomeAdvisor. In Honolulu, the cost goes up to almost $300. The cost of living in paradise vermin-free is steep.

Mowing the lawns and blowing leaves are traditionally DIY projects, but they’re easy ones to neglect. Before you know it, your nosy neighbor has already blabbed to the neighborhood association, and fines are accruing. Bummer! The cost of outsourcing varies, depending on lawn size and the extent of the work. On average, homeowners spend about $156 on lawn services, according to HomeAdvisor.

Does it make sense to shell out for such upkeep? Says financial adviser Rogers, “It’s really all a matter of budgeting, and finding out what’s most important to you.”

* Property tax rates are calculated using the U.S. Census Bureau’s median tax and median home value. For every metro area, tax rates are the average of all counties within the metro boundary. The boundary is defined by the Office of Management and Budget. 

** Average cost of insurance refers to policies on a $200,000 home with a $1,000 deductible and a $100,000 liability.

The post Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2sHMBzr

[gillespialfredoe01806ld]

Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home

avajjon/iStock; Sauliaka/iStock; realtor.com

When it’s finally time to get off the starting blocks and buy a new home, one of the first thing most folks do is … the math. How much do you need to in order to get a place—and how much do you need in order to keep it?

People tend to focus an awful lot on that towering down payment. Then they carefully calculate their closing costs and monthly mortgage payments. Maybe they’ll even factor in the cost of a plush new sofa, and a hot new SUV to park in the driveway. But before they settle into sweet domestic bliss, they really need to come to grips with something else, too: the true costs of homeownership.

Because they aren’t aways so obvious.

Property taxes, leaky roofs, home insurance, and termites — oh my. Truth be told, there are all sorts of hidden costs that could turn your bargain basement deal into a den of financial horrors. Unless, that is, you go in with eyes open wide. We’re here to help!  Our data team at realtor.com® ran the numbers to figure out the cities with the highest hidden costs of homeownership, all in the interest of helping fend off major coronary episodes once the bills come in.

Before you panic and renew your lease, remember that in most places, buying still beats renting in the long run—even with all the costs of ownership included. You’re building equity, remember?

The bottom line is: Be prepared for all the costs of ownership. Financial adviser Jenna Rogers with Mission Wealth Management often advises first-time home buyers to make a list of all the expenses that are expected for at least the first year.

“Open a new savings account, and designate it as the ‘home account,'” Rogers says. “Send the necessary amount to this home account every month. That way, when you have to pay property taxes, for example, you’ve already had the cash build up.”

Still, those costs can vary dramatically, depending on where you live. We ranked the 100 largest metropolitan areas by the following criteria:

Property tax rates

Home insurance premiums

Remodeling costs

Maintenance and repair costs

Hourly rate of housekeepers, home cleaners, gardeners, and landscapers

Pest control costs

Electricity, heating oil, and natural gas bills

Household goods, like a 40-inch flat-screen TV, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.

Hidden cost No. 1: Property taxes

Property taxes are one of the biggest home expenses you’ll have after a mortgage. Long-time homeowners have gotten used to this harsh reality, but newbie homeowners could be surprised to discover just how costly their tax bills can be, especially in the Northeast.

And sometimes, property taxes can seem surprisingly high. Homeowners in the Buffalo, NY, metro area, which covers the upstate counties of Erie and Niagara, pay a whopping 2.9% of their home’s value in tax. Rochester, Buffalo’s next-door neighbor, has a 2.8% rate on average.

Despite their top-ranking property tax rates, though, those cities did not make our overall top 10 list, because their cost of living is otherwise pretty low.

So what determines the home tax rate in a given area? They’re set and collected by state, county, or municipal agencies—in fact, multiple agencies often tax the same property. They’re tied to home values in an area, and used to pay for services, such as schools, and fire and police departments. That’s why they can be tough to predict. For example, some cash-strapped cities will charge a higher rate in order to fund better services.

And sometimes, they’re just indicators of ultra-expensive markets. Property taxes are particularly high in the New York metropolitan statistical area, which spans New York City, as well as Jersey City and Newark in New Jersey. Homeowners there pay an average of $7,300* in property tax, roughly 2% of their home’s value. (Metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget, are highly populated areas made up of one or more city cores, surrounded by suburban and rural communities that share economic ties.)

That’s way over the national average of just over $2,100, according to the Census Bureau.

This is where the equation gets simpler: “In states where you have wealthier people with more expensive homes, that tends to drive property taxes higher,” says John Buhl, spokesperson for the Tax Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

The heavy tax burden is among the leading reasons that taxpayers are fleeing New York—the state is losing more residents than any other, according to a study by newgeography.com.

Connecticut also has two metros that made our top 10, mostly because of high tax rates. Homeowners in metro Bridgeport pay 1.7% of their home’s value in tax, and those in metro New Haven pay 2.1%. Because the Bridgeport metro area stretches into wealthy Fairfield County enclaves like New Canaan and Greenwich—where hedge-fund managers and CEOs drop millions on real estate—the area has an average property tax bill of nearly $7,000 a year.

Texas, with its sprawling properties and famously affordable real estate, has surprisingly expensive property taxes. The Lone State doesn’t collect income taxes, meaning that the government relies more heavily on property taxes to fund agencies and services. The tax rate in Houston is 1.8%.

Hidden cost No. 2: Home insurance Skip the flood insurance, and you could be looking at a deluge of expenses.

EEI_Tony/iStock

Even if you’re a gambler at heart, home insurance is indispensable when it comes to protecting major assets. And they don’t get much larger than a home. For those who take out a mortgage, it’s required by the lender. For everyone else, insurance is highly recommended—who wants to risk a six-digit loss? Because stuff happens.

Florida, with a long coastline that bears the brunt of hurricanes and tropical storms, has the country’s highest average home insurance cost, at $298** per month. That’s nearly three times the national average of $102, according to Insurance.com. The pricey premiums add to the financial burdens of homeowners in Cape Coral and Miami, which both rank high on the list.

Insurance also takes a big bite out of the paychecks of New Orleans homeowners. Think two names: Katrina and Rita. After those hurricanes, not being able to find affordable insurance has become a hurdle for home buyers, especially first-timers. Why do they call this place the Big Easy again?

“In high flood-risk neighborhoods, the insurance is so expensive that it’s nearly impossible for a young couple to buy,” says Richard Jeansonne, a broker at French Quarter Realty in New Orleans. “With mortgage, flood insurance, and other expenses, it’s just not something they can afford.”

Because the cost of flood insurance is based on on the elevation of the house, buying a home on higher ground reduces the premium. Homes along the Mississippi River, like in the French Quarter and Uptown neighborhoods, are built on an elevated riverbank and are therefore cheaper to insure.

Everything’s bigger in Texas—and so are insurance premiums. After all, Texas residents are susceptible to a myriad of perils, from hailstorms to tornadoes to wildfires to floods. All the risks amount to an average of $162 in home insurance every month. Ouch!

In disaster-prone areas, homeowners could get a discount on insurance for securing the foundation and installing a metal roof, according to Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna. A good security system and close proximity to highly rated fire departments also reduce the premium. And maintaining a high credit score can lower your insurance rates too—sort of a housing win-win.

Hidden cost No. 3: Maintenance and remodeling Need a new roof? It’ll cost ya.

tinabelle/iStock

One of the biggest fears of cash-strapped homeowners everywhere: an issue they might not have noticed, like a leaky roof or cracked foundation, will snowball into a catastrophe, and cost a fortune to repair.

No wonder conventional real estate wisdom (CREW) dictates that you should set aside 1% of your home’s value for maintenance each year. But the real amount depends on the condition and location of your home. Repairs to storm-beaten New Orleans homes cost $31,650 on average, among the highest in our study.

In addition to repairs, homeowners need to continue investing in their homes to maintain—or better yet, increase—valuations. That’s why American homeowners are shelling out more and more on improvements. In 2016, they spent $361 billion, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. That’s up 13.5% from the previous peak in 2007.

Serious renovation, of course, goes way beyond picking out curtain patterns in Home Depot. A standard kitchen remodel project costs around $21,680 nationally, and even repainting a home’s interior costs around $1,700, according to HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide. And the number goes up exponentially where labor and material costs are high. In Los Angeles, the average cost of kitchen renovation is $31,177.

“When the house price is higher on average, it feels more justifiable to spend more on the house itself,” says Brad Hunter, HomeAdvisor chief economist. “Somebody in Los Angeles and San Francisco is going to be willing to pay a lot more on a kitchen than, say, Provo, Utah.”

Hidden cost No. 4: Utility bills

Homeowners can’t forget those bills for water, power, and trash that arrive each month. If you’re moving from an apartment to a home for the first time, know that the increase in square footage can pack a real punch, in a bigger utility bill.

Connecticut homeowners spend the most on heating oil, at $104 a month, according to a WalletHub analysis. In the Bridgeport metro, heating oil plus natural gas and electricity totals $309 a month, the highest in our study.

Florida’s sunny climate means that residents aren’t likely to have high heating bills. But the summer heat and humidity means that Floridians are likely to be cranking those air conditioners. Homeowners in Cape Coral pay some of the country’s highest electricity bills, at $216 a month. Not too far away, in Miami, they pay $184 a month for electricity.

In Hawaii, electricity is produced by petroleum-fired power plants. As you might imagine, petroleum must be shipped onto the islands, adding to the cost of production—and utility bills. Frugal homeowners usually install solar panels. This helps to cut down on their electricity bills, which average $172 a month in Honolulu.

Hidden cost No. 5: Domestic labor Those windows won’t wash themselves…

Bill Oxford/iStock

After a few months lugging canister vacuums up and down two flights of stairs, you may finally give up and decide to hire someone to maintain your sanity. But don’t underestimate the price of this peace of mind.

The average rate of a housekeeper is $12.50 an hour across the country, according to Care.com, an online marketplace for housekeepers and care providers. If you hire a housekeeper for three hours every month, that adds up to $450 a year.

Depending on where you live, the rate could also go up considerably—to $15 an hour or above in New York, America’s most expensive city.

Dealing with pests like mice, termites, cockroaches, and bedbugs costs $178 on average, according to HomeAdvisor. In Honolulu, the cost goes up to almost $300. The cost of living in paradise vermin-free is steep.

Mowing the lawns and blowing leaves are traditionally DIY projects, but they’re easy ones to neglect. Before you know it, your nosy neighbor has already blabbed to the neighborhood association, and fines are accruing. Bummer! The cost of outsourcing varies, depending on lawn size and the extent of the work. On average, homeowners spend about $156 on lawn services, according to HomeAdvisor.

Does it make sense to shell out for such upkeep? Says financial adviser Rogers, “It’s really all a matter of budgeting, and finding out what’s most important to you.”

* Property tax rates are calculated using the U.S. Census Bureau’s median tax and median home value. For every metro area, tax rates are the average of all counties within the metro boundary. The boundary is defined by the Office of Management and Budget. 

** Average cost of insurance refers to policies on a $200,000 home with a $1,000 deductible and a $100,000 liability.

The post Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2sHMBzr

[porchenclose10019]

Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home

avajjon/iStock; Sauliaka/iStock; realtor.com

When it’s finally time to get off the starting blocks and buy a new home, one of the first thing most folks do is … the math. How much do you need to in order to get a place—and how much do you need in order to keep it?

People tend to focus an awful lot on that towering down payment. Then they carefully calculate their closing costs and monthly mortgage payments. Maybe they’ll even factor in the cost of a plush new sofa, and a hot new SUV to park in the driveway. But before they settle into sweet domestic bliss, they really need to come to grips with something else, too: the true costs of homeownership.

Because they aren’t aways so obvious.

Property taxes, leaky roofs, home insurance, and termites — oh my. Truth be told, there are all sorts of hidden costs that could turn your bargain basement deal into a den of financial horrors. Unless, that is, you go in with eyes open wide. We’re here to help!  Our data team at realtor.com® ran the numbers to figure out the cities with the highest hidden costs of homeownership, all in the interest of helping fend off major coronary episodes once the bills come in.

Before you panic and renew your lease, remember that in most places, buying still beats renting in the long run—even with all the costs of ownership included. You’re building equity, remember?

The bottom line is: Be prepared for all the costs of ownership. Financial adviser Jenna Rogers with Mission Wealth Management often advises first-time home buyers to make a list of all the expenses that are expected for at least the first year.

“Open a new savings account, and designate it as the ‘home account,'” Rogers says. “Send the necessary amount to this home account every month. That way, when you have to pay property taxes, for example, you’ve already had the cash build up.”

Still, those costs can vary dramatically, depending on where you live. We ranked the 100 largest metropolitan areas by the following criteria:

Property tax rates

Home insurance premiums

Remodeling costs

Maintenance and repair costs

Hourly rate of housekeepers, home cleaners, gardeners, and landscapers

Pest control costs

Electricity, heating oil, and natural gas bills

Household goods, like a 40-inch flat-screen TV, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.

Hidden cost No. 1: Property taxes

Property taxes are one of the biggest home expenses you’ll have after a mortgage. Long-time homeowners have gotten used to this harsh reality, but newbie homeowners could be surprised to discover just how costly their tax bills can be, especially in the Northeast.

And sometimes, property taxes can seem surprisingly high. Homeowners in the Buffalo, NY, metro area, which covers the upstate counties of Erie and Niagara, pay a whopping 2.9% of their home’s value in tax. Rochester, Buffalo’s next-door neighbor, has a 2.8% rate on average.

Despite their top-ranking property tax rates, though, those cities did not make our overall top 10 list, because their cost of living is otherwise pretty low.

So what determines the home tax rate in a given area? They’re set and collected by state, county, or municipal agencies—in fact, multiple agencies often tax the same property. They’re tied to home values in an area, and used to pay for services, such as schools, and fire and police departments. That’s why they can be tough to predict. For example, some cash-strapped cities will charge a higher rate in order to fund better services.

And sometimes, they’re just indicators of ultra-expensive markets. Property taxes are particularly high in the New York metropolitan statistical area, which spans New York City, as well as Jersey City and Newark in New Jersey. Homeowners there pay an average of $7,300* in property tax, roughly 2% of their home’s value. (Metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget, are highly populated areas made up of one or more city cores, surrounded by suburban and rural communities that share economic ties.)

That’s way over the national average of just over $2,100, according to the Census Bureau.

This is where the equation gets simpler: “In states where you have wealthier people with more expensive homes, that tends to drive property taxes higher,” says John Buhl, spokesperson for the Tax Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

The heavy tax burden is among the leading reasons that taxpayers are fleeing New York—the state is losing more residents than any other, according to a study by newgeography.com.

Connecticut also has two metros that made our top 10, mostly because of high tax rates. Homeowners in metro Bridgeport pay 1.7% of their home’s value in tax, and those in metro New Haven pay 2.1%. Because the Bridgeport metro area stretches into wealthy Fairfield County enclaves like New Canaan and Greenwich—where hedge-fund managers and CEOs drop millions on real estate—the area has an average property tax bill of nearly $7,000 a year.

Texas, with its sprawling properties and famously affordable real estate, has surprisingly expensive property taxes. The Lone State doesn’t collect income taxes, meaning that the government relies more heavily on property taxes to fund agencies and services. The tax rate in Houston is 1.8%.

Hidden cost No. 2: Home insurance Skip the flood insurance, and you could be looking at a deluge of expenses.

EEI_Tony/iStock

Even if you’re a gambler at heart, home insurance is indispensable when it comes to protecting major assets. And they don’t get much larger than a home. For those who take out a mortgage, it’s required by the lender. For everyone else, insurance is highly recommended—who wants to risk a six-digit loss? Because stuff happens.

Florida, with a long coastline that bears the brunt of hurricanes and tropical storms, has the country’s highest average home insurance cost, at $298** per month. That’s nearly three times the national average of $102, according to Insurance.com. The pricey premiums add to the financial burdens of homeowners in Cape Coral and Miami, which both rank high on the list.

Insurance also takes a big bite out of the paychecks of New Orleans homeowners. Think two names: Katrina and Rita. After those hurricanes, not being able to find affordable insurance has become a hurdle for home buyers, especially first-timers. Why do they call this place the Big Easy again?

“In high flood-risk neighborhoods, the insurance is so expensive that it’s nearly impossible for a young couple to buy,” says Richard Jeansonne, a broker at French Quarter Realty in New Orleans. “With mortgage, flood insurance, and other expenses, it’s just not something they can afford.”

Because the cost of flood insurance is based on on the elevation of the house, buying a home on higher ground reduces the premium. Homes along the Mississippi River, like in the French Quarter and Uptown neighborhoods, are built on an elevated riverbank and are therefore cheaper to insure.

Everything’s bigger in Texas—and so are insurance premiums. After all, Texas residents are susceptible to a myriad of perils, from hailstorms to tornadoes to wildfires to floods. All the risks amount to an average of $162 in home insurance every month. Ouch!

In disaster-prone areas, homeowners could get a discount on insurance for securing the foundation and installing a metal roof, according to Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna. A good security system and close proximity to highly rated fire departments also reduce the premium. And maintaining a high credit score can lower your insurance rates too—sort of a housing win-win.

Hidden cost No. 3: Maintenance and remodeling Need a new roof? It’ll cost ya.

tinabelle/iStock

One of the biggest fears of cash-strapped homeowners everywhere: an issue they might not have noticed, like a leaky roof or cracked foundation, will snowball into a catastrophe, and cost a fortune to repair.

No wonder conventional real estate wisdom (CREW) dictates that you should set aside 1% of your home’s value for maintenance each year. But the real amount depends on the condition and location of your home. Repairs to storm-beaten New Orleans homes cost $31,650 on average, among the highest in our study.

In addition to repairs, homeowners need to continue investing in their homes to maintain—or better yet, increase—valuations. That’s why American homeowners are shelling out more and more on improvements. In 2016, they spent $361 billion, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. That’s up 13.5% from the previous peak in 2007.

Serious renovation, of course, goes way beyond picking out curtain patterns in Home Depot. A standard kitchen remodel project costs around $21,680 nationally, and even repainting a home’s interior costs around $1,700, according to HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide. And the number goes up exponentially where labor and material costs are high. In Los Angeles, the average cost of kitchen renovation is $31,177.

“When the house price is higher on average, it feels more justifiable to spend more on the house itself,” says Brad Hunter, HomeAdvisor chief economist. “Somebody in Los Angeles and San Francisco is going to be willing to pay a lot more on a kitchen than, say, Provo, Utah.”

Hidden cost No. 4: Utility bills

Homeowners can’t forget those bills for water, power, and trash that arrive each month. If you’re moving from an apartment to a home for the first time, know that the increase in square footage can pack a real punch, in a bigger utility bill.

Connecticut homeowners spend the most on heating oil, at $104 a month, according to a WalletHub analysis. In the Bridgeport metro, heating oil plus natural gas and electricity totals $309 a month, the highest in our study.

Florida’s sunny climate means that residents aren’t likely to have high heating bills. But the summer heat and humidity means that Floridians are likely to be cranking those air conditioners. Homeowners in Cape Coral pay some of the country’s highest electricity bills, at $216 a month. Not too far away, in Miami, they pay $184 a month for electricity.

In Hawaii, electricity is produced by petroleum-fired power plants. As you might imagine, petroleum must be shipped onto the islands, adding to the cost of production—and utility bills. Frugal homeowners usually install solar panels. This helps to cut down on their electricity bills, which average $172 a month in Honolulu.

Hidden cost No. 5: Domestic labor Those windows won’t wash themselves…

Bill Oxford/iStock

After a few months lugging canister vacuums up and down two flights of stairs, you may finally give up and decide to hire someone to maintain your sanity. But don’t underestimate the price of this peace of mind.

The average rate of a housekeeper is $12.50 an hour across the country, according to Care.com, an online marketplace for housekeepers and care providers. If you hire a housekeeper for three hours every month, that adds up to $450 a year.

Depending on where you live, the rate could also go up considerably—to $15 an hour or above in New York, America’s most expensive city.

Dealing with pests like mice, termites, cockroaches, and bedbugs costs $178 on average, according to HomeAdvisor. In Honolulu, the cost goes up to almost $300. The cost of living in paradise vermin-free is steep.

Mowing the lawns and blowing leaves are traditionally DIY projects, but they’re easy ones to neglect. Before you know it, your nosy neighbor has already blabbed to the neighborhood association, and fines are accruing. Bummer! The cost of outsourcing varies, depending on lawn size and the extent of the work. On average, homeowners spend about $156 on lawn services, according to HomeAdvisor.

Does it make sense to shell out for such upkeep? Says financial adviser Rogers, “It’s really all a matter of budgeting, and finding out what’s most important to you.”

* Property tax rates are calculated using the U.S. Census Bureau’s median tax and median home value. For every metro area, tax rates are the average of all counties within the metro boundary. The boundary is defined by the Office of Management and Budget. 

** Average cost of insurance refers to policies on a $200,000 home with a $1,000 deductible and a $100,000 liability.

The post Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2sHMBzr

[exfrenchdorsl4p0a1]

Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home

avajjon/iStock; Sauliaka/iStock; realtor.com

When it’s finally time to get off the starting blocks and buy a new home, one of the first thing most folks do is … the math. How much do you need to in order to get a place—and how much do you need in order to keep it?

People tend to focus an awful lot on that towering down payment. Then they carefully calculate their closing costs and monthly mortgage payments. Maybe they’ll even factor in the cost of a plush new sofa, and a hot new SUV to park in the driveway. But before they settle into sweet domestic bliss, they really need to come to grips with something else, too: the true costs of homeownership.

Because they aren’t aways so obvious.

Property taxes, leaky roofs, home insurance, and termites — oh my. Truth be told, there are all sorts of hidden costs that could turn your bargain basement deal into a den of financial horrors. Unless, that is, you go in with eyes open wide. We’re here to help!  Our data team at realtor.com® ran the numbers to figure out the cities with the highest hidden costs of homeownership, all in the interest of helping fend off major coronary episodes once the bills come in.

Before you panic and renew your lease, remember that in most places, buying still beats renting in the long run—even with all the costs of ownership included. You’re building equity, remember?

The bottom line is: Be prepared for all the costs of ownership. Financial adviser Jenna Rogers with Mission Wealth Management often advises first-time home buyers to make a list of all the expenses that are expected for at least the first year.

“Open a new savings account, and designate it as the ‘home account,'” Rogers says. “Send the necessary amount to this home account every month. That way, when you have to pay property taxes, for example, you’ve already had the cash build up.”

Still, those costs can vary dramatically, depending on where you live. We ranked the 100 largest metropolitan areas by the following criteria:

Property tax rates

Home insurance premiums

Remodeling costs

Maintenance and repair costs

Hourly rate of housekeepers, home cleaners, gardeners, and landscapers

Pest control costs

Electricity, heating oil, and natural gas bills

Household goods, like a 40-inch flat-screen TV, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.

Hidden cost No. 1: Property taxes

Property taxes are one of the biggest home expenses you’ll have after a mortgage. Long-time homeowners have gotten used to this harsh reality, but newbie homeowners could be surprised to discover just how costly their tax bills can be, especially in the Northeast.

And sometimes, property taxes can seem surprisingly high. Homeowners in the Buffalo, NY, metro area, which covers the upstate counties of Erie and Niagara, pay a whopping 2.9% of their home’s value in tax. Rochester, Buffalo’s next-door neighbor, has a 2.8% rate on average.

Despite their top-ranking property tax rates, though, those cities did not make our overall top 10 list, because their cost of living is otherwise pretty low.

So what determines the home tax rate in a given area? They’re set and collected by state, county, or municipal agencies—in fact, multiple agencies often tax the same property. They’re tied to home values in an area, and used to pay for services, such as schools, and fire and police departments. That’s why they can be tough to predict. For example, some cash-strapped cities will charge a higher rate in order to fund better services.

And sometimes, they’re just indicators of ultra-expensive markets. Property taxes are particularly high in the New York metropolitan statistical area, which spans New York City, as well as Jersey City and Newark in New Jersey. Homeowners there pay an average of $7,300* in property tax, roughly 2% of their home’s value. (Metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget, are highly populated areas made up of one or more city cores, surrounded by suburban and rural communities that share economic ties.)

That’s way over the national average of just over $2,100, according to the Census Bureau.

This is where the equation gets simpler: “In states where you have wealthier people with more expensive homes, that tends to drive property taxes higher,” says John Buhl, spokesperson for the Tax Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

The heavy tax burden is among the leading reasons that taxpayers are fleeing New York—the state is losing more residents than any other, according to a study by newgeography.com.

Connecticut also has two metros that made our top 10, mostly because of high tax rates. Homeowners in metro Bridgeport pay 1.7% of their home’s value in tax, and those in metro New Haven pay 2.1%. Because the Bridgeport metro area stretches into wealthy Fairfield County enclaves like New Canaan and Greenwich—where hedge-fund managers and CEOs drop millions on real estate—the area has an average property tax bill of nearly $7,000 a year.

Texas, with its sprawling properties and famously affordable real estate, has surprisingly expensive property taxes. The Lone State doesn’t collect income taxes, meaning that the government relies more heavily on property taxes to fund agencies and services. The tax rate in Houston is 1.8%.

Hidden cost No. 2: Home insurance Skip the flood insurance, and you could be looking at a deluge of expenses.

EEI_Tony/iStock

Even if you’re a gambler at heart, home insurance is indispensable when it comes to protecting major assets. And they don’t get much larger than a home. For those who take out a mortgage, it’s required by the lender. For everyone else, insurance is highly recommended—who wants to risk a six-digit loss? Because stuff happens.

Florida, with a long coastline that bears the brunt of hurricanes and tropical storms, has the country’s highest average home insurance cost, at $298** per month. That’s nearly three times the national average of $102, according to Insurance.com. The pricey premiums add to the financial burdens of homeowners in Cape Coral and Miami, which both rank high on the list.

Insurance also takes a big bite out of the paychecks of New Orleans homeowners. Think two names: Katrina and Rita. After those hurricanes, not being able to find affordable insurance has become a hurdle for home buyers, especially first-timers. Why do they call this place the Big Easy again?

“In high flood-risk neighborhoods, the insurance is so expensive that it’s nearly impossible for a young couple to buy,” says Richard Jeansonne, a broker at French Quarter Realty in New Orleans. “With mortgage, flood insurance, and other expenses, it’s just not something they can afford.”

Because the cost of flood insurance is based on on the elevation of the house, buying a home on higher ground reduces the premium. Homes along the Mississippi River, like in the French Quarter and Uptown neighborhoods, are built on an elevated riverbank and are therefore cheaper to insure.

Everything’s bigger in Texas—and so are insurance premiums. After all, Texas residents are susceptible to a myriad of perils, from hailstorms to tornadoes to wildfires to floods. All the risks amount to an average of $162 in home insurance every month. Ouch!

In disaster-prone areas, homeowners could get a discount on insurance for securing the foundation and installing a metal roof, according to Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna. A good security system and close proximity to highly rated fire departments also reduce the premium. And maintaining a high credit score can lower your insurance rates too—sort of a housing win-win.

Hidden cost No. 3: Maintenance and remodeling Need a new roof? It’ll cost ya.

tinabelle/iStock

One of the biggest fears of cash-strapped homeowners everywhere: an issue they might not have noticed, like a leaky roof or cracked foundation, will snowball into a catastrophe, and cost a fortune to repair.

No wonder conventional real estate wisdom (CREW) dictates that you should set aside 1% of your home’s value for maintenance each year. But the real amount depends on the condition and location of your home. Repairs to storm-beaten New Orleans homes cost $31,650 on average, among the highest in our study.

In addition to repairs, homeowners need to continue investing in their homes to maintain—or better yet, increase—valuations. That’s why American homeowners are shelling out more and more on improvements. In 2016, they spent $361 billion, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. That’s up 13.5% from the previous peak in 2007.

Serious renovation, of course, goes way beyond picking out curtain patterns in Home Depot. A standard kitchen remodel project costs around $21,680 nationally, and even repainting a home’s interior costs around $1,700, according to HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide. And the number goes up exponentially where labor and material costs are high. In Los Angeles, the average cost of kitchen renovation is $31,177.

“When the house price is higher on average, it feels more justifiable to spend more on the house itself,” says Brad Hunter, HomeAdvisor chief economist. “Somebody in Los Angeles and San Francisco is going to be willing to pay a lot more on a kitchen than, say, Provo, Utah.”

Hidden cost No. 4: Utility bills

Homeowners can’t forget those bills for water, power, and trash that arrive each month. If you’re moving from an apartment to a home for the first time, know that the increase in square footage can pack a real punch, in a bigger utility bill.

Connecticut homeowners spend the most on heating oil, at $104 a month, according to a WalletHub analysis. In the Bridgeport metro, heating oil plus natural gas and electricity totals $309 a month, the highest in our study.

Florida’s sunny climate means that residents aren’t likely to have high heating bills. But the summer heat and humidity means that Floridians are likely to be cranking those air conditioners. Homeowners in Cape Coral pay some of the country’s highest electricity bills, at $216 a month. Not too far away, in Miami, they pay $184 a month for electricity.

In Hawaii, electricity is produced by petroleum-fired power plants. As you might imagine, petroleum must be shipped onto the islands, adding to the cost of production—and utility bills. Frugal homeowners usually install solar panels. This helps to cut down on their electricity bills, which average $172 a month in Honolulu.

Hidden cost No. 5: Domestic labor Those windows won’t wash themselves…

Bill Oxford/iStock

After a few months lugging canister vacuums up and down two flights of stairs, you may finally give up and decide to hire someone to maintain your sanity. But don’t underestimate the price of this peace of mind.

The average rate of a housekeeper is $12.50 an hour across the country, according to Care.com, an online marketplace for housekeepers and care providers. If you hire a housekeeper for three hours every month, that adds up to $450 a year.

Depending on where you live, the rate could also go up considerably—to $15 an hour or above in New York, America’s most expensive city.

Dealing with pests like mice, termites, cockroaches, and bedbugs costs $178 on average, according to HomeAdvisor. In Honolulu, the cost goes up to almost $300. The cost of living in paradise vermin-free is steep.

Mowing the lawns and blowing leaves are traditionally DIY projects, but they’re easy ones to neglect. Before you know it, your nosy neighbor has already blabbed to the neighborhood association, and fines are accruing. Bummer! The cost of outsourcing varies, depending on lawn size and the extent of the work. On average, homeowners spend about $156 on lawn services, according to HomeAdvisor.

Does it make sense to shell out for such upkeep? Says financial adviser Rogers, “It’s really all a matter of budgeting, and finding out what’s most important to you.”

* Property tax rates are calculated using the U.S. Census Bureau’s median tax and median home value. For every metro area, tax rates are the average of all counties within the metro boundary. The boundary is defined by the Office of Management and Budget. 

** Average cost of insurance refers to policies on a $200,000 home with a $1,000 deductible and a $100,000 liability.

The post Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2sHMBzr

[rtawngs20815]

Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home

avajjon/iStock; Sauliaka/iStock; realtor.com

When it’s finally time to get off the starting blocks and buy a new home, one of the first thing most folks do is … the math. How much do you need to in order to get a place—and how much do you need in order to keep it?

People tend to focus an awful lot on that towering down payment. Then they carefully calculate their closing costs and monthly mortgage payments. Maybe they’ll even factor in the cost of a plush new sofa, and a hot new SUV to park in the driveway. But before they settle into sweet domestic bliss, they really need to come to grips with something else, too: the true costs of homeownership.

Because they aren’t aways so obvious.

Property taxes, leaky roofs, home insurance, and termites — oh my. Truth be told, there are all sorts of hidden costs that could turn your bargain basement deal into a den of financial horrors. Unless, that is, you go in with eyes open wide. We’re here to help!  Our data team at realtor.com® ran the numbers to figure out the cities with the highest hidden costs of homeownership, all in the interest of helping fend off major coronary episodes once the bills come in.

Before you panic and renew your lease, remember that in most places, buying still beats renting in the long run—even with all the costs of ownership included. You’re building equity, remember?

The bottom line is: Be prepared for all the costs of ownership. Financial adviser Jenna Rogers with Mission Wealth Management often advises first-time home buyers to make a list of all the expenses that are expected for at least the first year.

“Open a new savings account, and designate it as the ‘home account,'” Rogers says. “Send the necessary amount to this home account every month. That way, when you have to pay property taxes, for example, you’ve already had the cash build up.”

Still, those costs can vary dramatically, depending on where you live. We ranked the 100 largest metropolitan areas by the following criteria:

Property tax rates

Home insurance premiums

Remodeling costs

Maintenance and repair costs

Hourly rate of housekeepers, home cleaners, gardeners, and landscapers

Pest control costs

Electricity, heating oil, and natural gas bills

Household goods, like a 40-inch flat-screen TV, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.

Hidden cost No. 1: Property taxes

Property taxes are one of the biggest home expenses you’ll have after a mortgage. Long-time homeowners have gotten used to this harsh reality, but newbie homeowners could be surprised to discover just how costly their tax bills can be, especially in the Northeast.

And sometimes, property taxes can seem surprisingly high. Homeowners in the Buffalo, NY, metro area, which covers the upstate counties of Erie and Niagara, pay a whopping 2.9% of their home’s value in tax. Rochester, Buffalo’s next-door neighbor, has a 2.8% rate on average.

Despite their top-ranking property tax rates, though, those cities did not make our overall top 10 list, because their cost of living is otherwise pretty low.

So what determines the home tax rate in a given area? They’re set and collected by state, county, or municipal agencies—in fact, multiple agencies often tax the same property. They’re tied to home values in an area, and used to pay for services, such as schools, and fire and police departments. That’s why they can be tough to predict. For example, some cash-strapped cities will charge a higher rate in order to fund better services.

And sometimes, they’re just indicators of ultra-expensive markets. Property taxes are particularly high in the New York metropolitan statistical area, which spans New York City, as well as Jersey City and Newark in New Jersey. Homeowners there pay an average of $7,300* in property tax, roughly 2% of their home’s value. (Metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget, are highly populated areas made up of one or more city cores, surrounded by suburban and rural communities that share economic ties.)

That’s way over the national average of just over $2,100, according to the Census Bureau.

This is where the equation gets simpler: “In states where you have wealthier people with more expensive homes, that tends to drive property taxes higher,” says John Buhl, spokesperson for the Tax Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

The heavy tax burden is among the leading reasons that taxpayers are fleeing New York—the state is losing more residents than any other, according to a study by newgeography.com.

Connecticut also has two metros that made our top 10, mostly because of high tax rates. Homeowners in metro Bridgeport pay 1.7% of their home’s value in tax, and those in metro New Haven pay 2.1%. Because the Bridgeport metro area stretches into wealthy Fairfield County enclaves like New Canaan and Greenwich—where hedge-fund managers and CEOs drop millions on real estate—the area has an average property tax bill of nearly $7,000 a year.

Texas, with its sprawling properties and famously affordable real estate, has surprisingly expensive property taxes. The Lone State doesn’t collect income taxes, meaning that the government relies more heavily on property taxes to fund agencies and services. The tax rate in Houston is 1.8%.

Hidden cost No. 2: Home insurance Skip the flood insurance, and you could be looking at a deluge of expenses.

EEI_Tony/iStock

Even if you’re a gambler at heart, home insurance is indispensable when it comes to protecting major assets. And they don’t get much larger than a home. For those who take out a mortgage, it’s required by the lender. For everyone else, insurance is highly recommended—who wants to risk a six-digit loss? Because stuff happens.

Florida, with a long coastline that bears the brunt of hurricanes and tropical storms, has the country’s highest average home insurance cost, at $298** per month. That’s nearly three times the national average of $102, according to Insurance.com. The pricey premiums add to the financial burdens of homeowners in Cape Coral and Miami, which both rank high on the list.

Insurance also takes a big bite out of the paychecks of New Orleans homeowners. Think two names: Katrina and Rita. After those hurricanes, not being able to find affordable insurance has become a hurdle for home buyers, especially first-timers. Why do they call this place the Big Easy again?

“In high flood-risk neighborhoods, the insurance is so expensive that it’s nearly impossible for a young couple to buy,” says Richard Jeansonne, a broker at French Quarter Realty in New Orleans. “With mortgage, flood insurance, and other expenses, it’s just not something they can afford.”

Because the cost of flood insurance is based on on the elevation of the house, buying a home on higher ground reduces the premium. Homes along the Mississippi River, like in the French Quarter and Uptown neighborhoods, are built on an elevated riverbank and are therefore cheaper to insure.

Everything’s bigger in Texas—and so are insurance premiums. After all, Texas residents are susceptible to a myriad of perils, from hailstorms to tornadoes to wildfires to floods. All the risks amount to an average of $162 in home insurance every month. Ouch!

In disaster-prone areas, homeowners could get a discount on insurance for securing the foundation and installing a metal roof, according to Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna. A good security system and close proximity to highly rated fire departments also reduce the premium. And maintaining a high credit score can lower your insurance rates too—sort of a housing win-win.

Hidden cost No. 3: Maintenance and remodeling Need a new roof? It’ll cost ya.

tinabelle/iStock

One of the biggest fears of cash-strapped homeowners everywhere: an issue they might not have noticed, like a leaky roof or cracked foundation, will snowball into a catastrophe, and cost a fortune to repair.

No wonder conventional real estate wisdom (CREW) dictates that you should set aside 1% of your home’s value for maintenance each year. But the real amount depends on the condition and location of your home. Repairs to storm-beaten New Orleans homes cost $31,650 on average, among the highest in our study.

In addition to repairs, homeowners need to continue investing in their homes to maintain—or better yet, increase—valuations. That’s why American homeowners are shelling out more and more on improvements. In 2016, they spent $361 billion, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. That’s up 13.5% from the previous peak in 2007.

Serious renovation, of course, goes way beyond picking out curtain patterns in Home Depot. A standard kitchen remodel project costs around $21,680 nationally, and even repainting a home’s interior costs around $1,700, according to HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide. And the number goes up exponentially where labor and material costs are high. In Los Angeles, the average cost of kitchen renovation is $31,177.

“When the house price is higher on average, it feels more justifiable to spend more on the house itself,” says Brad Hunter, HomeAdvisor chief economist. “Somebody in Los Angeles and San Francisco is going to be willing to pay a lot more on a kitchen than, say, Provo, Utah.”

Hidden cost No. 4: Utility bills

Homeowners can’t forget those bills for water, power, and trash that arrive each month. If you’re moving from an apartment to a home for the first time, know that the increase in square footage can pack a real punch, in a bigger utility bill.

Connecticut homeowners spend the most on heating oil, at $104 a month, according to a WalletHub analysis. In the Bridgeport metro, heating oil plus natural gas and electricity totals $309 a month, the highest in our study.

Florida’s sunny climate means that residents aren’t likely to have high heating bills. But the summer heat and humidity means that Floridians are likely to be cranking those air conditioners. Homeowners in Cape Coral pay some of the country’s highest electricity bills, at $216 a month. Not too far away, in Miami, they pay $184 a month for electricity.

In Hawaii, electricity is produced by petroleum-fired power plants. As you might imagine, petroleum must be shipped onto the islands, adding to the cost of production—and utility bills. Frugal homeowners usually install solar panels. This helps to cut down on their electricity bills, which average $172 a month in Honolulu.

Hidden cost No. 5: Domestic labor Those windows won’t wash themselves…

Bill Oxford/iStock

After a few months lugging canister vacuums up and down two flights of stairs, you may finally give up and decide to hire someone to maintain your sanity. But don’t underestimate the price of this peace of mind.

The average rate of a housekeeper is $12.50 an hour across the country, according to Care.com, an online marketplace for housekeepers and care providers. If you hire a housekeeper for three hours every month, that adds up to $450 a year.

Depending on where you live, the rate could also go up considerably—to $15 an hour or above in New York, America’s most expensive city.

Dealing with pests like mice, termites, cockroaches, and bedbugs costs $178 on average, according to HomeAdvisor. In Honolulu, the cost goes up to almost $300. The cost of living in paradise vermin-free is steep.

Mowing the lawns and blowing leaves are traditionally DIY projects, but they’re easy ones to neglect. Before you know it, your nosy neighbor has already blabbed to the neighborhood association, and fines are accruing. Bummer! The cost of outsourcing varies, depending on lawn size and the extent of the work. On average, homeowners spend about $156 on lawn services, according to HomeAdvisor.

Does it make sense to shell out for such upkeep? Says financial adviser Rogers, “It’s really all a matter of budgeting, and finding out what’s most important to you.”

* Property tax rates are calculated using the U.S. Census Bureau’s median tax and median home value. For every metro area, tax rates are the average of all counties within the metro boundary. The boundary is defined by the Office of Management and Budget. 

** Average cost of insurance refers to policies on a $200,000 home with a $1,000 deductible and a $100,000 liability.

The post Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2sHMBzr

[grgedoors02142]

Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home

avajjon/iStock; Sauliaka/iStock; realtor.com

When it’s finally time to get off the starting blocks and buy a new home, one of the first thing most folks do is … the math. How much do you need to in order to get a place—and how much do you need in order to keep it?

People tend to focus an awful lot on that towering down payment. Then they carefully calculate their closing costs and monthly mortgage payments. Maybe they’ll even factor in the cost of a plush new sofa, and a hot new SUV to park in the driveway. But before they settle into sweet domestic bliss, they really need to come to grips with something else, too: the true costs of homeownership.

Because they aren’t aways so obvious.

Property taxes, leaky roofs, home insurance, and termites — oh my. Truth be told, there are all sorts of hidden costs that could turn your bargain basement deal into a den of financial horrors. Unless, that is, you go in with eyes open wide. We’re here to help!  Our data team at realtor.com® ran the numbers to figure out the cities with the highest hidden costs of homeownership, all in the interest of helping fend off major coronary episodes once the bills come in.

Before you panic and renew your lease, remember that in most places, buying still beats renting in the long run—even with all the costs of ownership included. You’re building equity, remember?

The bottom line is: Be prepared for all the costs of ownership. Financial adviser Jenna Rogers with Mission Wealth Management often advises first-time home buyers to make a list of all the expenses that are expected for at least the first year.

“Open a new savings account, and designate it as the ‘home account,'” Rogers says. “Send the necessary amount to this home account every month. That way, when you have to pay property taxes, for example, you’ve already had the cash build up.”

Still, those costs can vary dramatically, depending on where you live. We ranked the 100 largest metropolitan areas by the following criteria:

Property tax rates

Home insurance premiums

Remodeling costs

Maintenance and repair costs

Hourly rate of housekeepers, home cleaners, gardeners, and landscapers

Pest control costs

Electricity, heating oil, and natural gas bills

Household goods, like a 40-inch flat-screen TV, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.

Hidden cost No. 1: Property taxes

Property taxes are one of the biggest home expenses you’ll have after a mortgage. Long-time homeowners have gotten used to this harsh reality, but newbie homeowners could be surprised to discover just how costly their tax bills can be, especially in the Northeast.

And sometimes, property taxes can seem surprisingly high. Homeowners in the Buffalo, NY, metro area, which covers the upstate counties of Erie and Niagara, pay a whopping 2.9% of their home’s value in tax. Rochester, Buffalo’s next-door neighbor, has a 2.8% rate on average.

Despite their top-ranking property tax rates, though, those cities did not make our overall top 10 list, because their cost of living is otherwise pretty low.

So what determines the home tax rate in a given area? They’re set and collected by state, county, or municipal agencies—in fact, multiple agencies often tax the same property. They’re tied to home values in an area, and used to pay for services, such as schools, and fire and police departments. That’s why they can be tough to predict. For example, some cash-strapped cities will charge a higher rate in order to fund better services.

And sometimes, they’re just indicators of ultra-expensive markets. Property taxes are particularly high in the New York metropolitan statistical area, which spans New York City, as well as Jersey City and Newark in New Jersey. Homeowners there pay an average of $7,300* in property tax, roughly 2% of their home’s value. (Metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget, are highly populated areas made up of one or more city cores, surrounded by suburban and rural communities that share economic ties.)

That’s way over the national average of just over $2,100, according to the Census Bureau.

This is where the equation gets simpler: “In states where you have wealthier people with more expensive homes, that tends to drive property taxes higher,” says John Buhl, spokesperson for the Tax Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

The heavy tax burden is among the leading reasons that taxpayers are fleeing New York—the state is losing more residents than any other, according to a study by newgeography.com.

Connecticut also has two metros that made our top 10, mostly because of high tax rates. Homeowners in metro Bridgeport pay 1.7% of their home’s value in tax, and those in metro New Haven pay 2.1%. Because the Bridgeport metro area stretches into wealthy Fairfield County enclaves like New Canaan and Greenwich—where hedge-fund managers and CEOs drop millions on real estate—the area has an average property tax bill of nearly $7,000 a year.

Texas, with its sprawling properties and famously affordable real estate, has surprisingly expensive property taxes. The Lone State doesn’t collect income taxes, meaning that the government relies more heavily on property taxes to fund agencies and services. The tax rate in Houston is 1.8%.

Hidden cost No. 2: Home insurance Skip the flood insurance, and you could be looking at a deluge of expenses.

EEI_Tony/iStock

Even if you’re a gambler at heart, home insurance is indispensable when it comes to protecting major assets. And they don’t get much larger than a home. For those who take out a mortgage, it’s required by the lender. For everyone else, insurance is highly recommended—who wants to risk a six-digit loss? Because stuff happens.

Florida, with a long coastline that bears the brunt of hurricanes and tropical storms, has the country’s highest average home insurance cost, at $298** per month. That’s nearly three times the national average of $102, according to Insurance.com. The pricey premiums add to the financial burdens of homeowners in Cape Coral and Miami, which both rank high on the list.

Insurance also takes a big bite out of the paychecks of New Orleans homeowners. Think two names: Katrina and Rita. After those hurricanes, not being able to find affordable insurance has become a hurdle for home buyers, especially first-timers. Why do they call this place the Big Easy again?

“In high flood-risk neighborhoods, the insurance is so expensive that it’s nearly impossible for a young couple to buy,” says Richard Jeansonne, a broker at French Quarter Realty in New Orleans. “With mortgage, flood insurance, and other expenses, it’s just not something they can afford.”

Because the cost of flood insurance is based on on the elevation of the house, buying a home on higher ground reduces the premium. Homes along the Mississippi River, like in the French Quarter and Uptown neighborhoods, are built on an elevated riverbank and are therefore cheaper to insure.

Everything’s bigger in Texas—and so are insurance premiums. After all, Texas residents are susceptible to a myriad of perils, from hailstorms to tornadoes to wildfires to floods. All the risks amount to an average of $162 in home insurance every month. Ouch!

In disaster-prone areas, homeowners could get a discount on insurance for securing the foundation and installing a metal roof, according to Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna. A good security system and close proximity to highly rated fire departments also reduce the premium. And maintaining a high credit score can lower your insurance rates too—sort of a housing win-win.

Hidden cost No. 3: Maintenance and remodeling Need a new roof? It’ll cost ya.

tinabelle/iStock

One of the biggest fears of cash-strapped homeowners everywhere: an issue they might not have noticed, like a leaky roof or cracked foundation, will snowball into a catastrophe, and cost a fortune to repair.

No wonder conventional real estate wisdom (CREW) dictates that you should set aside 1% of your home’s value for maintenance each year. But the real amount depends on the condition and location of your home. Repairs to storm-beaten New Orleans homes cost $31,650 on average, among the highest in our study.

In addition to repairs, homeowners need to continue investing in their homes to maintain—or better yet, increase—valuations. That’s why American homeowners are shelling out more and more on improvements. In 2016, they spent $361 billion, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. That’s up 13.5% from the previous peak in 2007.

Serious renovation, of course, goes way beyond picking out curtain patterns in Home Depot. A standard kitchen remodel project costs around $21,680 nationally, and even repainting a home’s interior costs around $1,700, according to HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide. And the number goes up exponentially where labor and material costs are high. In Los Angeles, the average cost of kitchen renovation is $31,177.

“When the house price is higher on average, it feels more justifiable to spend more on the house itself,” says Brad Hunter, HomeAdvisor chief economist. “Somebody in Los Angeles and San Francisco is going to be willing to pay a lot more on a kitchen than, say, Provo, Utah.”

Hidden cost No. 4: Utility bills

Homeowners can’t forget those bills for water, power, and trash that arrive each month. If you’re moving from an apartment to a home for the first time, know that the increase in square footage can pack a real punch, in a bigger utility bill.

Connecticut homeowners spend the most on heating oil, at $104 a month, according to a WalletHub analysis. In the Bridgeport metro, heating oil plus natural gas and electricity totals $309 a month, the highest in our study.

Florida’s sunny climate means that residents aren’t likely to have high heating bills. But the summer heat and humidity means that Floridians are likely to be cranking those air conditioners. Homeowners in Cape Coral pay some of the country’s highest electricity bills, at $216 a month. Not too far away, in Miami, they pay $184 a month for electricity.

In Hawaii, electricity is produced by petroleum-fired power plants. As you might imagine, petroleum must be shipped onto the islands, adding to the cost of production—and utility bills. Frugal homeowners usually install solar panels. This helps to cut down on their electricity bills, which average $172 a month in Honolulu.

Hidden cost No. 5: Domestic labor Those windows won’t wash themselves…

Bill Oxford/iStock

After a few months lugging canister vacuums up and down two flights of stairs, you may finally give up and decide to hire someone to maintain your sanity. But don’t underestimate the price of this peace of mind.

The average rate of a housekeeper is $12.50 an hour across the country, according to Care.com, an online marketplace for housekeepers and care providers. If you hire a housekeeper for three hours every month, that adds up to $450 a year.

Depending on where you live, the rate could also go up considerably—to $15 an hour or above in New York, America’s most expensive city.

Dealing with pests like mice, termites, cockroaches, and bedbugs costs $178 on average, according to HomeAdvisor. In Honolulu, the cost goes up to almost $300. The cost of living in paradise vermin-free is steep.

Mowing the lawns and blowing leaves are traditionally DIY projects, but they’re easy ones to neglect. Before you know it, your nosy neighbor has already blabbed to the neighborhood association, and fines are accruing. Bummer! The cost of outsourcing varies, depending on lawn size and the extent of the work. On average, homeowners spend about $156 on lawn services, according to HomeAdvisor.

Does it make sense to shell out for such upkeep? Says financial adviser Rogers, “It’s really all a matter of budgeting, and finding out what’s most important to you.”

* Property tax rates are calculated using the U.S. Census Bureau’s median tax and median home value. For every metro area, tax rates are the average of all counties within the metro boundary. The boundary is defined by the Office of Management and Budget. 

** Average cost of insurance refers to policies on a $200,000 home with a $1,000 deductible and a $100,000 liability.

The post Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2sHMBzr

[repwincoml4a0a5]

Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home

avajjon/iStock; Sauliaka/iStock; realtor.com

When it’s finally time to get off the starting blocks and buy a new home, one of the first thing most folks do is … the math. How much do you need to in order to get a place—and how much do you need in order to keep it?

People tend to focus an awful lot on that towering down payment. Then they carefully calculate their closing costs and monthly mortgage payments. Maybe they’ll even factor in the cost of a plush new sofa, and a hot new SUV to park in the driveway. But before they settle into sweet domestic bliss, they really need to come to grips with something else, too: the true costs of homeownership.

Because they aren’t aways so obvious.

Property taxes, leaky roofs, home insurance, and termites — oh my. Truth be told, there are all sorts of hidden costs that could turn your bargain basement deal into a den of financial horrors. Unless, that is, you go in with eyes open wide. We’re here to help!  Our data team at realtor.com® ran the numbers to figure out the cities with the highest hidden costs of homeownership, all in the interest of helping fend off major coronary episodes once the bills come in.

Before you panic and renew your lease, remember that in most places, buying still beats renting in the long run—even with all the costs of ownership included. You’re building equity, remember?

The bottom line is: Be prepared for all the costs of ownership. Financial adviser Jenna Rogers with Mission Wealth Management often advises first-time home buyers to make a list of all the expenses that are expected for at least the first year.

“Open a new savings account, and designate it as the ‘home account,'” Rogers says. “Send the necessary amount to this home account every month. That way, when you have to pay property taxes, for example, you’ve already had the cash build up.”

Still, those costs can vary dramatically, depending on where you live. We ranked the 100 largest metropolitan areas by the following criteria:

Property tax rates

Home insurance premiums

Remodeling costs

Maintenance and repair costs

Hourly rate of housekeepers, home cleaners, gardeners, and landscapers

Pest control costs

Electricity, heating oil, and natural gas bills

Household goods, like a 40-inch flat-screen TV, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.

Hidden cost No. 1: Property taxes

Property taxes are one of the biggest home expenses you’ll have after a mortgage. Long-time homeowners have gotten used to this harsh reality, but newbie homeowners could be surprised to discover just how costly their tax bills can be, especially in the Northeast.

And sometimes, property taxes can seem surprisingly high. Homeowners in the Buffalo, NY, metro area, which covers the upstate counties of Erie and Niagara, pay a whopping 2.9% of their home’s value in tax. Rochester, Buffalo’s next-door neighbor, has a 2.8% rate on average.

Despite their top-ranking property tax rates, though, those cities did not make our overall top 10 list, because their cost of living is otherwise pretty low.

So what determines the home tax rate in a given area? They’re set and collected by state, county, or municipal agencies—in fact, multiple agencies often tax the same property. They’re tied to home values in an area, and used to pay for services, such as schools, and fire and police departments. That’s why they can be tough to predict. For example, some cash-strapped cities will charge a higher rate in order to fund better services.

And sometimes, they’re just indicators of ultra-expensive markets. Property taxes are particularly high in the New York metropolitan statistical area, which spans New York City, as well as Jersey City and Newark in New Jersey. Homeowners there pay an average of $7,300* in property tax, roughly 2% of their home’s value. (Metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget, are highly populated areas made up of one or more city cores, surrounded by suburban and rural communities that share economic ties.)

That’s way over the national average of just over $2,100, according to the Census Bureau.

This is where the equation gets simpler: “In states where you have wealthier people with more expensive homes, that tends to drive property taxes higher,” says John Buhl, spokesperson for the Tax Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

The heavy tax burden is among the leading reasons that taxpayers are fleeing New York—the state is losing more residents than any other, according to a study by newgeography.com.

Connecticut also has two metros that made our top 10, mostly because of high tax rates. Homeowners in metro Bridgeport pay 1.7% of their home’s value in tax, and those in metro New Haven pay 2.1%. Because the Bridgeport metro area stretches into wealthy Fairfield County enclaves like New Canaan and Greenwich—where hedge-fund managers and CEOs drop millions on real estate—the area has an average property tax bill of nearly $7,000 a year.

Texas, with its sprawling properties and famously affordable real estate, has surprisingly expensive property taxes. The Lone State doesn’t collect income taxes, meaning that the government relies more heavily on property taxes to fund agencies and services. The tax rate in Houston is 1.8%.

Hidden cost No. 2: Home insurance Skip the flood insurance, and you could be looking at a deluge of expenses.

EEI_Tony/iStock

Even if you’re a gambler at heart, home insurance is indispensable when it comes to protecting major assets. And they don’t get much larger than a home. For those who take out a mortgage, it’s required by the lender. For everyone else, insurance is highly recommended—who wants to risk a six-digit loss? Because stuff happens.

Florida, with a long coastline that bears the brunt of hurricanes and tropical storms, has the country’s highest average home insurance cost, at $298** per month. That’s nearly three times the national average of $102, according to Insurance.com. The pricey premiums add to the financial burdens of homeowners in Cape Coral and Miami, which both rank high on the list.

Insurance also takes a big bite out of the paychecks of New Orleans homeowners. Think two names: Katrina and Rita. After those hurricanes, not being able to find affordable insurance has become a hurdle for home buyers, especially first-timers. Why do they call this place the Big Easy again?

“In high flood-risk neighborhoods, the insurance is so expensive that it’s nearly impossible for a young couple to buy,” says Richard Jeansonne, a broker at French Quarter Realty in New Orleans. “With mortgage, flood insurance, and other expenses, it’s just not something they can afford.”

Because the cost of flood insurance is based on on the elevation of the house, buying a home on higher ground reduces the premium. Homes along the Mississippi River, like in the French Quarter and Uptown neighborhoods, are built on an elevated riverbank and are therefore cheaper to insure.

Everything’s bigger in Texas—and so are insurance premiums. After all, Texas residents are susceptible to a myriad of perils, from hailstorms to tornadoes to wildfires to floods. All the risks amount to an average of $162 in home insurance every month. Ouch!

In disaster-prone areas, homeowners could get a discount on insurance for securing the foundation and installing a metal roof, according to Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna. A good security system and close proximity to highly rated fire departments also reduce the premium. And maintaining a high credit score can lower your insurance rates too—sort of a housing win-win.

Hidden cost No. 3: Maintenance and remodeling Need a new roof? It’ll cost ya.

tinabelle/iStock

One of the biggest fears of cash-strapped homeowners everywhere: an issue they might not have noticed, like a leaky roof or cracked foundation, will snowball into a catastrophe, and cost a fortune to repair.

No wonder conventional real estate wisdom (CREW) dictates that you should set aside 1% of your home’s value for maintenance each year. But the real amount depends on the condition and location of your home. Repairs to storm-beaten New Orleans homes cost $31,650 on average, among the highest in our study.

In addition to repairs, homeowners need to continue investing in their homes to maintain—or better yet, increase—valuations. That’s why American homeowners are shelling out more and more on improvements. In 2016, they spent $361 billion, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. That’s up 13.5% from the previous peak in 2007.

Serious renovation, of course, goes way beyond picking out curtain patterns in Home Depot. A standard kitchen remodel project costs around $21,680 nationally, and even repainting a home’s interior costs around $1,700, according to HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide. And the number goes up exponentially where labor and material costs are high. In Los Angeles, the average cost of kitchen renovation is $31,177.

“When the house price is higher on average, it feels more justifiable to spend more on the house itself,” says Brad Hunter, HomeAdvisor chief economist. “Somebody in Los Angeles and San Francisco is going to be willing to pay a lot more on a kitchen than, say, Provo, Utah.”

Hidden cost No. 4: Utility bills

Homeowners can’t forget those bills for water, power, and trash that arrive each month. If you’re moving from an apartment to a home for the first time, know that the increase in square footage can pack a real punch, in a bigger utility bill.

Connecticut homeowners spend the most on heating oil, at $104 a month, according to a WalletHub analysis. In the Bridgeport metro, heating oil plus natural gas and electricity totals $309 a month, the highest in our study.

Florida’s sunny climate means that residents aren’t likely to have high heating bills. But the summer heat and humidity means that Floridians are likely to be cranking those air conditioners. Homeowners in Cape Coral pay some of the country’s highest electricity bills, at $216 a month. Not too far away, in Miami, they pay $184 a month for electricity.

In Hawaii, electricity is produced by petroleum-fired power plants. As you might imagine, petroleum must be shipped onto the islands, adding to the cost of production—and utility bills. Frugal homeowners usually install solar panels. This helps to cut down on their electricity bills, which average $172 a month in Honolulu.

Hidden cost No. 5: Domestic labor Those windows won’t wash themselves…

Bill Oxford/iStock

After a few months lugging canister vacuums up and down two flights of stairs, you may finally give up and decide to hire someone to maintain your sanity. But don’t underestimate the price of this peace of mind.

The average rate of a housekeeper is $12.50 an hour across the country, according to Care.com, an online marketplace for housekeepers and care providers. If you hire a housekeeper for three hours every month, that adds up to $450 a year.

Depending on where you live, the rate could also go up considerably—to $15 an hour or above in New York, America’s most expensive city.

Dealing with pests like mice, termites, cockroaches, and bedbugs costs $178 on average, according to HomeAdvisor. In Honolulu, the cost goes up to almost $300. The cost of living in paradise vermin-free is steep.

Mowing the lawns and blowing leaves are traditionally DIY projects, but they’re easy ones to neglect. Before you know it, your nosy neighbor has already blabbed to the neighborhood association, and fines are accruing. Bummer! The cost of outsourcing varies, depending on lawn size and the extent of the work. On average, homeowners spend about $156 on lawn services, according to HomeAdvisor.

Does it make sense to shell out for such upkeep? Says financial adviser Rogers, “It’s really all a matter of budgeting, and finding out what’s most important to you.”

* Property tax rates are calculated using the U.S. Census Bureau’s median tax and median home value. For every metro area, tax rates are the average of all counties within the metro boundary. The boundary is defined by the Office of Management and Budget. 

** Average cost of insurance refers to policies on a $200,000 home with a $1,000 deductible and a $100,000 liability.

The post Top 10 Markets With the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2sHMBzr