The Surprising Origins of the Tiny House Phenomenon
Why ancient hermits are the key to understanding our tiny home obsession
Excerpts"
Invariably, someone will remind you that civilization emerged from tiny houses-caves, yurts, tents, wigwams, igloos, grass huts, and so forth.
These early antecedents are beside the point. Sioux, Samoans, and Inuits were not offered more spacious alternatives. But people who opt for tiny houses-meaning the kind that tug at heartstrings and star on cable-generally choose to live small. The reasons aren't just practical, but also ethical and emotional.
the true parents of tiny-house living are hermits. From the ancient Chinese Taoists in mountain caves to the Desert Fathers of third century Christianity and onward (the word "hermit" derives from the Greek word for "desert"), hermits were the first people to actively downsize to confined, remote, and minimally furnished living spaces.
Read the full story here:
My comment: The most interesting article I have read on tiny houses. Of course, I started sailing sailboats in the early 1970s. Living aboard a sailboat is the Ultimate Tiny House!! Narrow and long but very portable... Another good link from Jonathan Miller...
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FHA Case Transfer, issued July 26, FHA INFO #16-49
Mortgagees should note the following about case transfers relative to appraisal reports in both the EAD (electronic appraisal delivery) portal and FHAC:
If, prior to case transfer, the original mortgagee uploaded an appraisal for the case, the mortgagee that the case was transferred to (new mortgagee) will be unable to view the appraisal in EAD.
The new mortgagee must obtain a copy of the appraisal, in the required format, from the original mortgagee according to current FHA policy, and submit the appraisal to FHA through the EAD portal.
The original mortgagee must first transfer the case number to the new mortgagee in FHAC before the new mortgagee will be able to submit an appraisal in EAD for the case. Once the case transfer is complete, the new mortgagee should allow an overnight update before submitting an appraisal so that the case transfer information from FHAC can be updated in the EAD portal.
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What operating system do you primarily use?
Take this week's poll: What percentage of your work do you receive from AMCs?
My comment: I guess lots of appraisers "bought into" Windows 10. I never upgrade to the latest Microserf OS. Too many problems. I have two computers on windows 7, two on windows xp, and two macs (have both pc and mac software installed). The old mac uses bootcamp and the new one uses VMWare. I have a 7 year old macbook pro that works great on the mac side, but not working very well on the pc side. Same hardware, different OS. No Linux? I wonder what "other" is? Typewriter?
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FHA to begin insuring mortgages with PACE loans
No super priority loans allowed
Excerpts: The Federal Housing Administration will soon begin insuring mortgages that also carry liens created by energy retrofit programs, as long as the energy lien remains subordinate to the mortgage, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday.
HUD laid the groundwork for this move last year, when it announced its intentions to issue guidance that would preserve the priority status of FHA loans over loans created by the Property Assessed Clean Energy program, also called PACE.
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In a statement, NAR President Tom Salomone welcomed the announcement, but expressed concern about the fact that for delinquent PACE obligations or foreclosed properties, PACE loans will retain a first-lien position.
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Condo legislation passes in Senate, offers relief for homebuyers
Excerpt: These changes will make the Federal Housing Administration's recertification process much easier, and it will lower the FHA's current owner-occupancy requirement from 50% to 35%. The bill also requires FHA to replace existing policy on transfer fees with the less-restrictive model already in place at the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
My comment: Of course, HOAs can still restrict the number of rentals. I lived in a condo loft project for 2 years from 2008-2010. During that time the project shifted to tenants as the original buyers could not sell their units. With more tenants, there was a lot more turnover, fewer owners for the condo board, etc. When my newspapers kept getting "taken", I finally moved.
