Launched in 1995 as a site aggregating verified online reviews, Angie’s List reached mainstream popularity in the last few years, and boasts about 1.5 million subscribers. After constantly hearing about Angie’s List, I decided to finally give it a try. What pushed me over the edge was a recent decision to get the windows tinted [...]
June 24, 2012
Unconventional Ways to Buy a Home
When buying a home, it’s easy to get stuck in conventional modes of thinking and follow a prescribed and recommended path. This is especially true when it comes to getting a mortgage, and more so in the aftermath of the credit crunch. Banks are less willing to go outside the box and get you into [...]
May 4, 2012
The Pros and Cons of Buying a Condo
For a lot of good reasons, the first question on my list of 72 when evaluating where and what you want to buy deals with the type of home. Generally speaking, the options are single-family homes and condos, though with the second type, the selection gets more complicated. Whatever the setup, a condo is essentially [...]
April 26, 2012
Why Buying Wins Over Renting
I’ve been on and listened to both sides of this debate over the last 3+ years. Most of you are aware that one of my goals this year is to buy a home, but last year, I also outlined a long list of benefits to renting. Recently, a compelling counterpoint emerged from Baker at Man [...]
April 16, 2012
The Cost of Dental Care for Dogs
One of the first and most popular posts on the blog deals with the lifetime costs of a dog, which can be staggering. A few months ago, I did something I would have never imagined doing as a novice dog owner 5 years ago: I took my dog to the dentist. Some of you will [...]