@Tracy, sorry for very late reply, I just saw your comment. I did notice creaking at some areas while it was still being installed and I pointed out to my installer. Apparently, although I had the floors leveled right before installation, it wasn’t leveled enough. So I asked him to remove the floors, re-level the concrete and reinstall. That fixed the issue for me. Now my floors don’t creak at all. Not even slightly. It’ll be 3 years in couple of months since installation and thankfully still no issues. 🤞

I think that it is strange that some can plainly see the flaws in the lending system (which obviously need to be "corrected") while nearly totally overlooking or denying its sister problem of inflated home prices (which obviously need to be "protected"). I don't see how both can possibly be achieved. I know that market conditions are different everywhere but here is an example of what unsustainable lending and market assumptions/attitudes have created here: In my town of about 20,000 (the largest for about 60 miles) there are 325 houses for sale under 750k and very few over. The median household income is about 35k. What used to be seen in the past as sound budgeting advice was to look for a house that was priced at around 2.5 times your gross annual income. Guess how many of those 325 houses fall into this range ..... 2! Lets try 3x and under ..... 8! 4x and under .... 33! Population growth over the last year is near 0. Last year at this time there was around 3 months of housing inventory, this year 10 and obviously growing. I think that the base of the pyramid has been completely wiped out. Who is left to buy these houses after lending practices have been changed especially at the "low end"? I don't think prices have risen so dramatically in recent years because all the people with spotless credit and sizeable downpayments have ran them up. Increased supply + reduced demand = lower prices. Perhaps people should pay for their own mistakes. If a house in your neighborhood is reclaimed by its owner maybe in a few weeks-months-years someone who can manage and pay their bills will be living in it and all will be well and fair - problem corrected.

Shelly They like to see what kind of possible trade you may have. There is no way they can "check" your credit from you license plate. In order for them to check you credit you have to sign to give them permission. I would not do this until you have found the car you want. If you haven't check your credit yourself recently I would do that before you go out shopping so you won't have any surprises. You are allowed to get a free credit report once a year. You have to pay a small amount if you want the credit score. Pulling your own credit report does not impact you credit score. However many inquires can cause it to dip a few points. Going car shopping "armed" with as much information as you can will make you an informed buyer. Go online, you will be able to find out true invoice pricing on the cars you are thinking about also find out how they hold their value. Car A maybe $3000 less than Car B but in 3 years Car B maybe worth $3000 more than Car A. You will also be able to get an idea what you car is worth as a trade in. If you belong to a Credit Union or have a good relationship with your bank ask them what their rates are. You know how much you can afford to pay each month, by asking your bank or credit union you will know how much you can afford to spend to get that payment.They may also have a program where you are pre-approved for the total amount you want to spend and they will issue you a check for up to that amount. Again do not share this with the dealer. DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT tell the dealer how much you want to spend each month on payments. The difference between lets say $300 a month and $350 a month may not seem much but can equal a much higher profit for the dealer and a longer loan for you. Keep repeating you want the price out the door for the car not monthly payment. Once you have found the car you want and have negotiated the price you want you can then pull out your check from the bank. Allot of car manufactures have "0" %or "1.9" % financing the only people that "qualify" for this are the ones with really high credit scores usually over 720. and you will know this because you have pulled your own credit. :) Sorry if this is long but I must be one of the few people that LOVE car shopping. Friends and family usually drag me along to "help" them . Hope this helps Karla

And how about this to round out your day. Sigh. IMO...the info system is broken...exposing all citizens to risks far beyond what they ever envisioned when they innocently [for example] opened up an account with Sears to buy a new washer/dryer. Can we go back to a cash only way of life? As appealing as that may sound right about now...I doubt it's even a realistic possibility. We've all been too trusting of a system that, obviously, hasn't been well supervised and/or managed. It's time to get back to the nitty-gritty of scrupulously [and religiously] overseeing the management of our own affairs to the extent that we can. We need to take back ownership. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/business/sec-hacking-attack.html?hpw&rref=business&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well