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Tempting rare South Florida House with a Potential Train Room

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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, October 12, 2019 12:10 AM

hon30critter
I don't think many of us realize that we all have accents, some more pronounced than others.

My son went to school in Cincinnati, Ohio, a mere 250 miles from Cleveland. He couldn't believe how many people he encountered mentioned his "Cleveland" accent.

Then there's the various words and phrases people use, pop or soda, etc.

One of my cow**kers was describing her home and street one time and mentioned the "double-strip". Some of us listening gave a quizzical look toward each other. Doublestrip? We had to stop her and ask.

You know, the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the curb.

Oh, you mean the "tree-lawn"? She never heard it called that before. She was from Akron, about 35 miles south of Cleveland. *

In Pittsburgh one time I was in a restaurant and inquired about the beer selection. The barmaid ran down the usual list but I heard one I wasn't familiar with.

Icy Light. When I asked about the icy light she replied, you know, icy light.

No, I don't know icy light. "Wait right here," she says.

A moment later she returned with a bottle of Iron City Light. "See, icy light" she says.

Bang HeadBang HeadBang Head

Actually I could really go for an Iron City right about now.

Cheers, Ed

 

[edit] I had to actually look this one up after I posted. My Akronite friend was wrong! It isn't a "doublestrip" rather a "devilstrip"!

http://thedevilstrip.com/what-does-saying-devil-strip-say-about-akronites/

So, all these years I've been telling her story and even I was getting it mixed up!

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Posted by Tinplate Toddler on Saturday, October 12, 2019 12:13 AM

Without the intention to hijack Kevin´s thread, but accent can become a problem Smile, Wink & Grin

Back to the OP´s issue - is it really necessary to buy a new house to find the space you need for your layout? People at a certain age usually start to downsize instead of adding more burden in their lives. Maybe just a little bit of de-cluttering finds you the room you need!

Happy times!

Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)

"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Saturday, October 12, 2019 12:01 PM

gmpullman

 

 
hon30critter
I don't think many of us realize that we all have accents, some more pronounced than others.

 

My son went to school in Cincinnati, Ohio, a mere 250 miles from Cleveland. He couldn't believe how many people he encountered mentioned his "Cleveland" accent.

Then there's the various words and phrases people use, pop or soda, etc.

One of my cow**kers was describing her home and street one time and mentioned the "double-strip". Some of us listening gave a quizzical look toward each other. Doublestrip? We had to stop her and ask.

You know, the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the curb.

Oh, you mean the "tree-lawn"? She never heard it called that before. She was from Akron, about 35 miles south of Cleveland. *

In Pittsburgh one time I was in a restaurant and inquired about the beer selection. The barmaid ran down the usual list but I heard one I wasn't familiar with.

Icy Light. When I asked about the icy light she replied, you know, icy light.

No, I don't know icy light. "Wait right here," she says.

A moment later she returned with a bottle of Iron City Light. "See, icy light" she says.

Bang HeadBang HeadBang Head

Actually I could really go for an Iron City right about now.

Cheers, Ed

 

[edit] I had to actually look this one up after I posted. My Akronite friend was wrong! It isn't a "doublestrip" rather a "devilstrip"!

http://thedevilstrip.com/what-does-saying-devil-strip-say-about-akronites/

So, all these years I've been telling her story and even I was getting it mixed up!

 

Here in central Maryland, I have never heard that space called any of those things......

Sheldon

    

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Posted by rrinker on Sunday, October 13, 2019 11:12 AM

 Nor here in central/eastern PA. My street is rather narrow, so my side just has the curb and sidewalk, and then my lawn, but the other side of the street has the extra strip between the curb and sidewalk. I don't even know what they call it around here. 

 My GF is from the western part of PA, where they use 'pop' for soft drinks, we use 'soda' here. But going to Iowa/Nebraska was interesting, seems most people call it Coke if it's cola, but pop if it's any other flavor.

                                --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by York1 on Sunday, October 13, 2019 11:35 AM

rrinker
My GF is from the western part of PA, where they use 'pop' for soft drinks, we use 'soda' here. But going to Iowa/Nebraska was interesting, seems most people call it Coke if it's cola, but pop if it's any other flavor.

 

In New Orleans, we called any soft drink a "cold drink".

It was a strange place for accents.  New Orleans city itself had a big city type accent, much like east coast big cities.  Right outside of the city, there was a southern accent.  TV shows that show New Orleans people with a southern drawl are off the mark.

Within the city, there were different accents, and you could often tell what part of the city someone was from by their accent.

For a real experience, head west of New Orleans about 100 miles.  You will not understand a word out in Cajun country.

York1 John       

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Sunday, October 13, 2019 2:27 PM

rrinker

 Nor here in central/eastern PA. My street is rather narrow, so my side just has the curb and sidewalk, and then my lawn, but the other side of the street has the extra strip between the curb and sidewalk. I don't even know what they call it around here. 

 My GF is from the western part of PA, where they use 'pop' for soft drinks, we use 'soda' here. But going to Iowa/Nebraska was interesting, seems most people call it Coke if it's cola, but pop if it's any other flavor.

                                --Randy

 

 

Most of my life, the streets I lived on did not have curbs and sidewalks.......

The state highway in front of the big blue house did have curbs, but no sidewalks.

So doing some math, in 62 years I have only spent about 15 years with a sidewalk in front of my home, or my parents homes.......

The new (1964) house does not have curbs or sidewalks.

So I guess that little strip does not really need a name in my world.....

Here in the Mid Atlantic it is pretty much "soda", our relatives in Michigan call it "pop".

Sheldon

    

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Posted by maxman on Sunday, October 13, 2019 4:52 PM

rrinker
the other side of the street has the extra strip between the curb and sidewalk. I don't even know what they call it around here

Wiktionary calls that a curb strip.

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Posted by rrinker on Sunday, October 13, 2019 6:26 PM

York1

 

 
rrinker
My GF is from the western part of PA, where they use 'pop' for soft drinks, we use 'soda' here. But going to Iowa/Nebraska was interesting, seems most people call it Coke if it's cola, but pop if it's any other flavor.

 

 

In New Orleans, we called any soft drink a "cold drink".

It was a strange place for accents.  New Orleans city itself had a big city type accent, much like east coast big cities.  Right outside of the city, there was a southern accent.  TV shows that show New Orleans people with a southern drawl are off the mark.

Within the city, there were different accents, and you could often tell what part of the city someone was from by their accent.

For a real experience, head west of New Orleans about 100 miles.  You will not understand a word out in Cajun country.

 

 First night I was in Baton Rouge, these two guys got on the elevator with me and were speaking Cajun Creoie. Didn't understand a word, but it sounded neat.

                                  --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, October 13, 2019 8:23 PM

maxman
Wiktionary calls that a curb strip.

— among many other terms including Road Verge.

 

https://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/tree+lawn

Talk about a thread verge.

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by York1 on Sunday, October 13, 2019 8:52 PM

One more New Orleans quirk --

The grass median down the middle of roads is called a "neutral ground".

York1 John       

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Posted by doctorwayne on Sunday, October 13, 2019 9:09 PM

York1

One more New Orleans quirk --

The grass median down the middle of roads is called a "neutral ground".

 
Up here in the Great White North, it's known as the "median" where it's between opposing lanes on a highway, but on a residential street, it's the "boulevard".
 
Wayne
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Posted by rrinker on Sunday, October 13, 2019 9:29 PM

'Boulevard' here means a road where the two opposite lanes have a grassy strip between them. Although oddly enough, my street is actually 'boulevard' although it's too narrow for two cars to pass if there is a car parked on the side. I don't know that it EVER was a proper boulevard, it's far too narrow and while my house is relatively new (70's), there are others that have been here since the 1920's at least.

                            --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by Doughless on Monday, October 14, 2019 10:14 AM

BigDaddy

I must be the only one here, that is scared off by the planned 4 lane highway? 

 

No.  I suspect that's why its still for sale.  Its hard to tell if a hiway is planned, but the open area around the house indicates to me that the new road will be used for a thoroughfare, not a 4 lane boulevard for a housing area.  Boulevard's are usually planned from the beginning, and area one of the first roads put into a residential area.  It usually comes before the houses are built, not after.

The fact that its going from an existing two-lane road.....maybe like a previous county road that got absorbed by development....into a four lane road suggests that retail development might begin to creep in.

I would think the property would tend to decline in value as a residence as time moves forward.  A person could wait long enough for McDonalds to come along and offer big bucks for it, in about 25 years.

- Douglas

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, October 14, 2019 11:35 AM

I have lived in this neighborhood for over twenty years, and there are three roads that are planned to become four lanes.

.

So far, only when new construction has been completed, ther get the curbs moved out and a wide spot put in. It all looks very funny, and people just use the wide spots as parallel parking places.

.

I expect I will no longer be among us if/when this project ever happens. It will not increase traffic volume, the roads do not connect to anything new. I suspect it will only happen if volume increases.

.

Anyway, it is not a factor in my decision. I don't have kids or pets at home. I hope it drives the price down!

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by Doughless on Monday, October 14, 2019 2:16 PM

Sure.  You know the area and circumstances better than anyone.  The 4 lane road thingy could at least scare a bunch of out of towners or Yankees looking to plunder the area for a retirement location. 

- Douglas

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Posted by Colorado Ray on Monday, October 14, 2019 8:26 PM

I "always" check transportation plans before buying a house.  The one time I forgot in Charlott, NC became a disaster.  The wonderful woods behind my newly constructed home became a four lane thoroughfare.  The speed limit was supposed to be 35 mph which would have kept some of the noise within reason.  As soon as the Road was built they raised the speed limit to 45 mph and everyone drove 55+.  

The noise was untenable.  Took forever to sell when we moved to Colorado.  Needless to say, that house was as far from a thoroughfare as possible.  When we moved back to NC and got the farm, we made sure the farmhouse was well back from the road.

My unsolicited advice would be to avoid that house like the plague.

Ray

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Posted by joe323 on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 6:34 AM

Colorado Ray

I "always" check transportation plans before buying a house.  The one time I forgot in Charlott, NC became a disaster.  The wonderful woods behind my newly constructed home became a four lane thoroughfare.  The speed limit was supposed to be 35 mph which would have kept some of the noise within reason.  As soon as the Road was built they raised the speed limit to 45 mph and everyone drove 55+.  

The noise was untenable.  Took forever to sell when we moved to Colorado.  Needless to say, that house was as far from a thoroughfare as possible.  When we moved back to NC and got the farm, we made sure the farmhouse was well back from the road.

My unsolicited advice would be to avoid that house like the plague.

Ray

 

Strange to post here but I turned down a property in Edison NJ in part because it was too close to railroad tracks and I was afraid of the noise.  Although being right off the Northeast Corridor would have been convenient. 

Joe Staten Island West 

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Posted by Tinplate Toddler on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 6:47 AM

joe323
Strange to post here but I turned down a property in Edison NJ in part because it was too close to railroad tracks and I was afraid of the noise. Although being right off the Northeast Corridor would have been convenient.

I live 50 yards away from the rather busy mainline between Hamburg and Bremen with over 250 trains each day. Fortunately, trains in my country are less noisy - no hooting the horn or ringing the bell. We got used to the trains and hardly notice them anymore.

Happy times!

Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)

"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"

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Posted by Doughless on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 7:31 AM

SeeYou190

I have lived in this neighborhood for over twenty years, and there are three roads that are planned to become four lanes.

.

So far, only when new construction has been completed, ther get the curbs moved out and a wide spot put in. It all looks very funny, and people just use the wide spots as parallel parking places.

.

I expect I will no longer be among us if/when this project ever happens. It will not increase traffic volume, the roads do not connect to anything new. I suspect it will only happen if volume increases.

.

Anyway, it is not a factor in my decision. I don't have kids or pets at home. I hope it drives the price down!

.

-Kevin

.

 

Kevin,

I looked closer at the streetview of the property and it doesn't look like there is a lot of width to widen the road very much at all without taking a good amount of other people's driveways along NE 6th street.

It looks to me like the existing road is simply pretty narrow to handle the traffic as it exists.  

So is the plan to simply add two more lanes to the road, maybe lanes for street parking, or is the city planning on adding a median too?  It doesn't seem like there is enough width to widen it to where there would be a median.  That's a good thing, IMO.  Hopefully, the city isn't buying up a lot of the neighbors ROW, or else that would make those houses really close to a busy road, dropping their values tremendously.

Another thing, it looks like it is the most expensive house in the neighborhood.    A triple lot too.  When comparing houses to determine value, it might be hard to find other houses in the area with which to compare.  Being unique means its hard for appraisers and banks to determine a value with which to loan against.  Makes it hard to determine a sales price too.

None of this may matter to you. 

- Douglas

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Posted by thomas81z on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 6:03 PM

I would love that house its NE near pine island ???

SeeYou190

I know all you guys that live up North buy train rooms with houses on top. I get it. Down here, no basements and no attics, so train rooms are hard to come by.

.

This house is for sale in my neighborhood.

.

.

.

It has a three car garage and a four car garage. It is not a duplex. That four car garage could easily become my 24 by 40 foot train room.

.

The house has been on the market for a few months. It is now below $400,000.00 asking price. If you want to see details in Zillow, the address is 1710 NE 6th ST, Cape Coral, FL, 33909.

.

With my possible downpayment, the payments would be about $1,500.00 per month on a fifteen year amortization of mortgage.

.

I am now beginning to consider this house, not seriously, but I have an  interest and some curiosity. There are a lot of downsides to it compared to my current house. It is too big, it is on a non-access canal, and the location is worse. It is on a road intended to be widened to four lanes in the next ten years, and it is close to a cement plant.

.

The house is 15 years old, and all original. It is just about to begin having problems with A/C, roof, etc. It is also not built to Category 5 Hurricane Standards.

.

And... It is not very well-off in the curb appeal department.

.

It currently takes me 1.8 days at work per month to earn enough to pay my mortgage. That would change a lot. 

.

But... It has a train room! That is one heck of a huge plus.

.

It seems irresponsible to buy a house just to get a train room. Especially when I have a remodel and track plan to put a layout in this house. This house also gives me extreme financial security.

.

But... It has a train room!

.

-Kevin

.

 

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Posted by joe323 on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 6:20 AM

thomas81z

you live in cape ?? me too NW cape down by nelson & diplomat

have a garage layout lol

 
SeeYou190

I know all you guys that live up North buy train rooms with houses on top. I get it. Down here, no basements and no attics, so train rooms are hard to come by.

.

This house is for sale in my neighborhood.

.

.

.

It has a three car garage and a four car garage. It is not a duplex. That four car garage could easily become my 24 by 40 foot train room.

.

The house has been on the market for a few months. It is now below $400,000.00 asking price. If you want to see details in Zillow, the address is 1710 NE 6th ST, Cape Coral, FL, 33909.

.

With my possible downpayment, the payments would be about $1,500.00 per month on a fifteen year amortization of mortgage.

.

I am now beginning to consider this house, not seriously, but I have an  interest and some curiosity. There are a lot of downsides to it compared to my current house. It is too big, it is on a non-access canal, and the location is worse. It is on a road intended to be widened to four lanes in the next ten years, and it is close to a cement plant.

.

The house is 15 years old, and all original. It is just about to begin having problems with A/C, roof, etc. It is also not built to Category 5 Hurricane Standards.

.

And... It is not very well-off in the curb appeal department.

.

It currently takes me 1.8 days at work per month to earn enough to pay my mortgage. That would change a lot. 

.

But... It has a train room! That is one heck of a huge plus.

.

It seems irresponsible to buy a house just to get a train room. Especially when I have a remodel and track plan to put a layout in this house. This house also gives me extreme financial security.

.

But... It has a train room!

.

-Kevin

.

 

 

 

Maybe buy a house with spare bedroom?

Joe Staten Island West 

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, December 6, 2019 10:39 PM

thomas81z
I would love that house its NE near pine island ???

.

Thomas, yes, it is only a few hundred yards away from NE Pine Island Road.

.

The address is 1710 NE 6th Street, Cape Coral, Florida.

.

The price just dropped again, to $365,000.00 which is still too high in my oppinion. Read my next post.

.

Yes, I live in Cape Coral.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, December 6, 2019 10:56 PM

Well, I finally could not take the temptation any longer, and I made an appointment with a real estate agent and toured the property.

.

I am so glad I looked at it. Now all temptations are gone. There is no way I am moving out of my house into that one. The additional $150,000.00 cannot be justified. I never need to look back and wonder "what if..."

.

The house was originally built without the Four Car Garage on the West side of the house. That was an addition that was added. The four car garage cannot be accessed from the main house.

.

1) It does not have three bathrooms as advertised. There are two full bathrooms in the house and a toilet/washroom by what should be the pool deck.

.

2) It is not Lakefront as listed. The realtor tried to pass it off to me "lake view", but you really need to look far and away to see the lake.

.

3) The kitchen is horribly cheap particle board nightmare. It is not even "builders grade", I doubt it is suitable for a mobile home.

.

4) There are insects and spiders infested everywhere. There appears to be termite activity around the front door frame, it needs to be inspected.

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5) The windows are cheap and not soundproof or insulated. With the close proximity to Oldcastle Precast Concrete, these would be a must.

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6) The electrical service into the house looks light weight to me.

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7) The main air conditioner looks like it is on its way out, so does the water heater.

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8) There are ZERO upgrades anywhere. The whole house looks like it was built as cheaply as it could and still pass code/inspection.

.

9) The roof definitely does not look category 5, and the shutters are corrugated garbage. I don't know how it survived Irma.

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10) The lawn is a disaster and needs serious attention.

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11) The layout of the master bedroom is terrible. There is a hallway to the master bath that has the closet doors, and there is no comfortable way to open and enter the closets. The master bathroom is a huge example of wasted space. The shower must be 100 square feet, but only has one shower head. So weird.

.

12) The layout of the living room/dining room/breakfast nook is so weird that all the funiture would need to be small to get around it. Terrible use of space.

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13) There are very few outlets, and almost no lighting fixtures. I would need to run extension cords for almost everything.

.

14) There is a car lift, but it is not included in the sale of the house.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by doctorwayne on Saturday, December 7, 2019 12:25 AM

I dunno, Kevin...all that stuff is just a house and could easily be ignored, 'cause it's got a layout room!!

If the on-line listing didn't show a lot of interior photos, or a video tour, it's usually a good sign that what you'd see would be....let's say, rather off-putting. 

Even some listings which show views that look good can be a letdown when seen in person.

Wayne

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Posted by Doughless on Saturday, December 7, 2019 8:45 AM

Kevin,

What you're describing is probably not surprising?   

Building a materially bigger and what looks like a house that is more premium than the surrounding houses simply doesn't make economic sense.  Apparently, the owner had to cut corners and forego maintenance to get the numbers to work.  

I'm not talking about rural areas or older areas, but Cape Coral probably has a bunch of Planned Unit Developments where the size and features of the houses in the planned subdivisions are similar.  Uniformity keeps the economics of things predictable and more stable. 

If you drive down the street and you see house, house, house, house.....lot.....house, house house..., and somebody builds a bigger and fancier house on that last lot; something has to give in order for it to work economically.  Its rare that someone would simply not care. 

- Douglas

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, December 7, 2019 9:21 AM

Doughless
Cape Coral probably has a bunch of Planned Unit Developments where the size and features of the houses in the planned subdivisions are similar. Uniformity keeps the economics of things predictable and more stable.

.

That is not the case in Cape Coral.

.

The community was laid out in the 1950s, and building really started in the late 60s, and there was no pattern to it at all.

.

Originally there were only a few design houses by GDU, and there are two of these on my street. The house I live in while in High School was a GDU house.

.

There have been thousands of approved models for Cape Coral spread all over the city, and many thousands of one-off custom homes built.

.

My house was built in 1988, there are two houses across the street built in the 1960s, and about ten houses on my street from the 1970s. I bought my house 20 years ago, an we have gained on my street about one house every two years or so.

.

There is a new house across the street under construction right now. It does not look similar to anything else on the street.

.

Houses on my street range in value from $150,000.00 to over $400,00.00.

.

Cape Coral is definitely not a homogenized cookie cutter city.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by MJ4562 on Saturday, December 7, 2019 10:02 AM

If you have enough land you can build a separate building to house the layout.  In many ways that is the ideal layout space if you have the room and local building codes allow it.  Economically it makes a lot more sense than selling your house and buying a new one for no other reason than a train room.  Real estate has significant transaction costs (and other hidden costs) that most people overlook or casually ignore unless you sit down with them and itemize.

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