Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Happy 2022!

 Another year full of hope and promise. So far this year I have gotten a raise, my sister agreed to let me buy her half of my house and my neighbor, who I live with during the winter, adopted a new dog. Of those three things, the one that affects me on a daily basis, is the dog. He is young and energetic and, of course, too cute. So far the other dogs are annoyed by him.


I am thrilled to be able to own the whole house. Although the paperwork isn't complete yet, it will greatly simplify my retirement calculations. Trying to manage a hybrid rental home with partners was too complicated. I should have known better since I don't even like the property management company that I have for one of my rental homes. I like making decisions alone.

This is a good time to review my properties:

1. House near the airport - rented through a property management company.

2. House near downtown- rented out by me.

3. Nephew in mobile home on 4.5 acres in the desert - I banished him there.

4. House that I live in but rent out in the winter- rented through VRBO.

5. Tiny house next to mobile home in the desert- currently unfinished inside. This is my emergency backup housing.

So, the exciting news is that I added up my account balances and I could safely retire in two months. The bad news is that I raided both of my maintenance funds to pay for half of the house so it wouldn't be prudent to quit yet especially since the house needs a new heat/AC unit ($6k).  I must focus on replenishing those accounts and keep working towards my backup funds of $1500/month. My spreadsheet says in 2 years I could do it. I bet I can do it quicker!

9 comments:

Dave said...

Daizy dear, forgive me if you have mentioned this before. Do you own all your houses outright, or are there mortgages on them? If you own them outright, won't you be able to replenish your maintenance funds rather quickly with the rental incomes on some of them? And does your nephew pay any rent?

At least you didn't list out all of your upcoming tasks, a list which wears me out! Cute Augie Doggie, too! :)

The Quilting Doberman said...

That puppy is so cute! I love it. And thank you for the motivation. You have your plans way better laid out than me. Sam

Jean said...

So glad I didn't hit "mark all as read", on my blog feed today! I love the update and glad you are still out there taking life on by the horns!

mckemie said...

I imagine you have considered PV? Under the following conditions, DIY ground mount can be VERY cheap. Lax or absent HOAs and zoning. And an electric provider that encourages customer production. The best case is that the provider is willing to buy for cash all your excess production. Electric Coops seem to be the best providers. "Professionally" installed roof top is likely to cost around $600 per panel; DIY ground mount can be as cheap as $75-$100 per panel total cost. DIY ground mount can have pay back periods of 4-6 years.

Daizy said...

Hi Dave, I do own them all outright. My nephew pays a small sum plus his own utilities for a few more years and then I told him the rent will go up to market rate or he needs to move out. This was supposed to encourage him to go to school and work to save up.
Yes, theoretically I should be able to replenish the maintenance fund soon if all goes well.

Daizy said...

Hello Quilting Doberman, Ever-changing plans are still plans I guess.I do like to have back-up plans A, B and C. It keeps me busy.

Daizy said...

Hello McKemie, I am very interested in PV. If I was living at my tiny house full time I would have already set it up. I have plenty of space for ground mount and no HOA. I am also thinking about adding it to my house in town but like you said, the cost is higher for professional installation. Having a flat roof is a plus and I doubt my HOA would mind. I have a friend who got it installed last year. I should ask her if she is still as enthusiastic as she was back then.

Big Sis said...

I love seeing you start the new year with energy, excitement, and eagerness. And such good news! You have the house 100% That's awesome.
So can I ship you some small adorable dogs from Texas? You can enlarge your collection?

philo said...

Hi Daizy! It's always so enjoyable to get an update from you. You have found a good friend (a priceless resource) in your neighbour, and I'm sure they think the same.