raee- It's hard to comment since you don't say how much the house is supposedly worth. I live in an area where housing is horribly expensive and variations like that are in the noise level. You also have to remember that the replacement value of the house can be a lot less than what the total property is appraised for since the land itself is a part of the value, but is unaffected if your house burns down. Whether the amount of "replacement value" is adequate for the property is also a function of what the policy fine print calls out. Good companies recognize that replacement cost is a number that can vary over time. I review my coverage each year and try to keep my coverage at the amount that is an accurate reflection of replacement value. I have a 100% replacement value policy, and it will pay even more than the named amount if the reconstruction costs more, as long as the house was insured for at least 80% of what the actual replacement costs. Some policies will only cover you for up to the specified amount. It's also good to remember to get an automatic inflation adjusment clause in your policy. It's too easy to set an amount and not change it: 10 years later, when your house burns down, you're underinsured and you've got a huge loss. Yes, it costs a little more each year, but isn't it foolish to try to save a few bucks when you have this huge asset at risk? I'm not a gambler so I'm not willing to give up 10's or 100's of thousands of dollars of coverage in order to save a couple of hundred bucks a year. If you carry homeowner's insurance, my view is it should cover all imaginable perils, and that includes complete loss.

This is fun, Red. THanks for starting the conversation. 1. Do you always buy new furniture for your home? (When I can find what I want, but I often can't. I'm in a small town with only a few furniture stores, and most of their stuff is either the wrong style or cheaply made and sold at ridiculous prices. My LR couch, LR chairs, DR set, DH's collapsing DIY-from-Target dresser, and kids' bunk bed were new: pretty much everything else is used.) 2. Do you Ever order furniture online? (Yes, but I've been burned. An Overstock chair described as aniline leather was actually bicast, and looks like vinyl. A Crate and Barrel chair needs constant tightening to keep the frame sturdy. I am especially wary of Ebay stuff, though I know other people have had good experiences...) 3. Do you Ever shop for used furniture through Ebay, Craigslist, The newspaper classifieds, Estate and garage sales? (Yes to all but Ebay. I agree with previous posters that if you don't get up with the birds, it's not worth the bother. And I have definitely gone on some wild goose chases. But I've also had some real luck with the classifieds and Craigslist, also our local Habitat Restore.) 4. A. In your area, Do you have good garage & estate sales? (No -- they're an exception.) B. Good things attractively priced on Craigslist? (Feast or famine. Enough terrific MCM stuff of late to make Flyleft jealous. (: But not always.) C. Nice things available through classified ads or thrifty nickel papers? (Haven't pursued these in a while, thanks to Craiglist. I'm spoiled now: I want to see a pic with the listing!) 5. Do you see other's estate sale finds or CL purchases and wish you could find stuff like that or have the courage and time to look for used? (Yes: I never have enough time. That, and I'm unwilling to get up and out early on the weekends.) 6. Does worry over not being able to return things purchased used or not being able to do layaway or credit deter you from looking in those areas? (No, not really.) 7. Are you uncomfortable buying used or antique? Do you worry about 'other people's stuff' or negotiating prices? (Not at all, esp after your wise words about dealing with cat dander, Red. In fact, I just scored a great upholstered chair at the Restore yesterday!) 8. Has this board and it's great stories/photos/threads inspired you to take the leap and look at used stuff, try Craigslist for the first time, or bid at Ebay for furniture or decor? (No, I was already into it. I do get good reminders here. I'm wary of my Ebay karma, so while I applaud lucky buyers who've posted here, I'll never go that route.) 9. Have you ever bought something at retail that you felt 'stuck with' because of the amount you spent? (Yes, my heinous, oversized, cheap-looking Flexsteel couch. It wasn't one of the floor models; we found it in the store's Flexsteel catalogue, and I persuaded DH it would be OK. Was I ever wrong. I hate the damn thing more each time I look at it. I am thinking of entirely remaking the back and side cushions to make it more bearable. Plus it's too big for the room, and makes rearranging furniture really hard. I will never buy another couch without giving it the tush test, and will measure many, many more times.) 10. If you've Mostly bought furniture and decorative items at retail stores, what antique or used venue would you most like to try right now? (I wish we had a really good antiques mall here, with more furniture and art.) 11. How much time does it usually take YOU to find what you want.... A. At a local or national retailer? (We don't have many of them here: a few weeks, but I usually don't find what I want.) B. Through Craigslist ad? (I don't really time these finds, because they're so random. I've been looking for a nice bed for several years: just found a solid-wood classic-lined bed from NC for $150, so my patience paid off!) C. Through Classified listing? (using these infrequently of late) D. Garage or Estate sales? (like Craigslist, these are chancy. I'd say I stumble across a good one a few times a year.) All in all, the more I read here and at the Furniture Forum, the more interested I am in used furniture. I like the hunt and the creativity involved in remaking it; it's in my price range; and I think it's a better value than today's laminated frames and polyfill cushions. I'm about to embark on my first experience with reupholstering an old chair. Wish me luck!

I'm not sure where you are, but in CT you can get a single lot line surveyed, but you might need all your other bounds are marked. Call around and ask a couple of reputable surveyors. You can usually go to the municipal offices for your town and get a copy of the deed for your property as well as the problem neighbor's and a map of each. (Ask the surveyor if you get all the deeds and maps they need if they will lower what they charge you because you've done some of the leg work they charge by the hour for sometimes. Some might be willing some not. Worth a shot anyway, right?) Then you can see for yourself where the pins are, if they are still in place. I think if the surveyor has some of the pins in place he won't have to do as much work. Anyway, good luck with it.

"Having moved to Florida from NYC the experience being on Medicare has mixed results. I don't want to get into details, but I feel my late husband would have had much better medical care if his insurance was private. We had the best supplement to Medicare, but Medicare really does not pay much for top medical care." Jane, I'm truly very sorry for your troubles. There's no need of course for you to provide further details but i will say the bad experiences you allude to are quite different from my own and those of my family members. Most of them gravitated toward faculty practices of medical schools and got the very best of care. I've done the same. We have two terrific medical schools in our area to choose from and our experiences with them are the same, top notch. They have different strengths and we choose where we go accordingly. Both accept Medicare fully. As do most physicians. The ones that don't are often those in concierge practices for primary care and of course what they're offering (and charging for) is service, response time, and attention. Not medical care. Best wishes.