laterbloomer
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Post by laterbloomer on Jan 5, 2019 20:56:44 GMT -5
Yes, but if there were houses out there like you describe, wouldn't you have sold the big one and bought the smaller one years ago? Wouldn't you do that right now even? Sounds like you wouldn't have changed everything, you would have just tweaked your choices. Nobody's that perfect. There's really not anything out here with the horse set up I have and a little 1800 sf ranch house, the horse properties come complete with a McMansion. Plus, I am right by family that does all my haying. I wouldn't have that if I moved. I think you are taking her talk about you liking the house a bit too literally. The point she was making is that you like where you are living and every post you make backs her up. You like living in the country, you like being near family, etc etc
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OldCoyote
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Post by OldCoyote on Jan 5, 2019 22:18:16 GMT -5
In our early year, my wife and I lived paycheck to paycheck,,, Kids and necessities ate up all the money. When the kids left, necessary items were bought and paid for, suddenly there was all kind of money!! Hmmmm, now that several years have past, with money in the bank, it is easy to be Holier than thou,, kinda forgetting the pain when there was no money!! now de cussing this brings back one of the memories of the the 15 minutes in my life that I was discouraged, and depressed! It was Christmas Eve, dropped off a friend, headed for home, I was driving a borrowed 1969 Nash Rambler, the gas gauge did not work, ran out of gas! no money what so ever. I was desperate to get home with my family for Christmas Eve, I walked 3 miles back to my friends place, he didn't have any money either,, but there was a small Christmas party going on. A stranger there gave me $10 , took me to a gas station bought me some gas took me to the car, so I could get home...
This is where I am now. Lived paycheck to paycheck while the kids were at home. Now that they've moved out, I'm in serious debt repayment/saving mode. That's great, it takes some time ,, you will get it done!
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SVT
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Post by SVT on Jan 6, 2019 0:22:25 GMT -5
I can understand those with median or lower incomes but what's interesting is those with high incomes. It's not uncommon at all for those who make 6 figures individually (x 2 with a spouse) to be living paycheck to paycheck. Children and pets and big houses and expensive cars and constantly dining out and vacations and new clothes and so forth. Most people as they make more they just increase their lifestyles by that much or even more.
This one girl I dated is an example of that and she had a modest house and no pets. Making $140k in a $250k house but drove an SUV, a 5 series BMW bought new, and her 3bd 3 level townhouse (including finished basement) had all closets throughout the house and all the drawers in all 3 bedrooms filled up with clothes when she's living there by herself. The 3rd bedroom had piles of jeans and shirts waist high all over the floor of the room that she wanted to donate/get rid of. Some of those clothes still had tags on them. She had 1 closet with nothing but jackets and coats in them.
Needless to say, she didn't have very much in retirement. She's in her late 40's. She admitted she hadn't been saving over the years like she should have been. At the same time what annoyed me sometimes is she'd keep saying that she's not making that much. And she didn't seem to understand when I would tell her that she's making 2 times the median FAMILY income in her county and surrounding counties as a single person. She would point to anecdotal evidence of how she knows many people who make the same and also have a working spouse. And she would say that it's an expensive area, which is true but again, she's making something like 2 times (or close to it) the median family income, at least from the last time I saw the figures.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jan 6, 2019 9:36:43 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space.
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Mrs. Dinero
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100% about truth & justice. Always trying to give mercy a chance.
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Post by Mrs. Dinero on Jan 6, 2019 9:49:30 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. I’ve thought the same. When watching reality shows they always want more bedrooms for guests. Wouldn’t it make more sense to pay for guests staying elsewhere when they visit than to make thousands more in mortgage payments each year?
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on Jan 6, 2019 10:01:17 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. The problem is that a house with less than two bedrooms is very hard to sell, unless it is a townhouse. At least in my area. My aunt was a realtor for years and she said that it takes forever to sell a two bedroom house because everyone wants a minimum of 3 bedrooms. I can understand it though. Even once my oldest moved out I would still never want less than 3 bedrooms. I need a place for my grandchildren to stay when she is older and has them.
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buystoys
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Post by buystoys on Jan 6, 2019 10:05:25 GMT -5
And if you prefer to buy a 2/2 or 2/1, it's hard to find that in a house rather than a town house. In this area, 3/2 is popular and the most available.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jan 6, 2019 10:11:46 GMT -5
yeah I guess. I would say just get a condo, but after my last 2 apartment adventures I am all aboard the detached home train! But we will have 3 people so it makes sense to look at 3+ bedroom homes.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jan 6, 2019 10:18:02 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. The problem is that a house with less than two bedrooms is very hard to sell, unless it is a townhouse. At least in my area. My aunt was a realtor for years and she said that it takes forever to sell a two bedroom house because everyone wants a minimum of 3 bedrooms. I can understand it though. Even once my oldest moved out I would still never want less than 3 bedrooms. I need a place for my grandchildren to stay when she is older and has them. This is the only reason I live in a 3 bedroom house.
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on Jan 6, 2019 10:23:03 GMT -5
yeah I guess. I would say just get a condo, but after my last 2 apartment adventures I am all aboard the detached home train! But we will have 3 people so it makes sense to look at 3+ bedroom homes. What did I miss? Who is the 3rd person? I need details!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2019 11:20:07 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. My house has 3 bedrooms, but it's not a large house. When my kids moved out, it seemed the perfect size for me living alone. The other bedrooms don't necessarily have to be used as bedrooms. My intention was to turn one of them into a zen like yoga room since I already have hardwood floors.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2019 11:39:06 GMT -5
yeah I guess. I would say just get a condo, but after my last 2 apartment adventures I am all aboard the detached home train! But we will have 3 people so it makes sense to look at 3+ bedroom homes. What did I miss? Who is the 3rd person? I need details!! Her mom and her were going to get a place together.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jan 6, 2019 12:55:28 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. This seems to be a not-uncommon reaction to single people, especially single women, choosing to live in a "family-sized" house. I had a (now deceased) relative who actually berated me every time she saw me because, in her mind, by living by myself in a 4-bedroom house, I was "depriving a family of a home." As long as they don't expect anyone else to pay for it, people get to decide what size house they want to live in. Even single women with no children or pets. We don't have to feel we only deserve to live in a studio apartment or tiny condo. I want to live in a 4-bedroom house in a nice neighborhood. I can afford it, so that's where I live. In my area, even if I wanted a studio apartment or a tiny condo, they are not located in neighborhoods I want to live in. I want a home in a safe neighborhood with good schools and stable home values to protect my investment. The choice is not always made on the basis of size but rather on the location in terms of safety or other amenities. But even it the choice is based on size, so what? I like my house. I like my neighborhood. I like my neighbors. I don't care what anyone else thinks about where I choose to live.
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resolution
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Post by resolution on Jan 6, 2019 13:37:02 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. The problem is that a house with less than two bedrooms is very hard to sell, unless it is a townhouse. At least in my area. My aunt was a realtor for years and she said that it takes forever to sell a two bedroom house because everyone wants a minimum of 3 bedrooms. That was my reasoning when i bought a three bedroom house, and it worked out very well for me. I had room for a roommate the first few years, and then after she moved out I had a computer room and a guest bedroom. When I moved out, I rented the house out to a family.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 6, 2019 13:46:11 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. Because if you buy, a 3 BR house is easier to sell. I had a 2 BR apartment and could have definitely used an extra room. My guest room was my office. I hated that I needed to store and file stuff when people were staying over.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jan 6, 2019 13:48:12 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. I could totally do a three bedroom if it was just me: one bedroom for sleeping one bedroom for crafting one bedroom for teaching A girl can dream, I suppose.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jan 6, 2019 13:57:01 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. This seems to be a not-uncommon reaction to single people, especially single women, choosing to live in a "family-sized" house. I had a (now deceased) relative who actually berated me every time she saw me because, in her mind, by living by myself in a 4-bedroom house, I was "depriving a family of a home." As long as they don't expect anyone else to pay for it, people get to decide what size house they want to live in. Even single women with no children or pets. We don't have to feel we only deserve to live in a studio apartment or tiny condo. I want to live in a 4-bedroom house in a nice neighborhood. I can afford it, so that's where I live. In my area, even if I wanted a studio apartment or a tiny condo, they are not located in neighborhoods I want to live in. I want a home in a safe neighborhood with good schools and stable home values to protect my investment. The choice is not always made on the basis of size but rather on the location in terms of safety or other amenities. But even it the choice is based on size, so what? I like my house. I like my neighborhood. I like my neighbors. I don't care what anyone else thinks about where I choose to live. yes, you can live wherever you want and I'm allowed to have an opinion on it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2019 14:01:43 GMT -5
The problem is that a house with less than two bedrooms is very hard to sell, unless it is a townhouse. At least in my area. My aunt was a realtor for years and she said that it takes forever to sell a two bedroom house because everyone wants a minimum of 3 bedrooms. That was my reasoning when i bought a three bedroom house, and it worked out very well for me. I had room for a roommate the first few years, and then after she moved out I had a computer room and a guest bedroom. When I moved out, I rented the house out to a family. It's one of those "nice to have" things even if you don't need it. My first house I converted from a 2 bedroom 1 bath to a 3 bedroom 2 bath and sold it for close to double what I paid for it. I didn't change the square footage at all, just gutted and changed the layout and made it more efficient. I wouldn't pay extra to RENT rooms I wasn't going to use, but when buying I think about resale value and really it doesn't cost me much more to have the extra rooms.
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laterbloomer
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Post by laterbloomer on Jan 6, 2019 14:03:02 GMT -5
yeah I guess. I would say just get a condo, but after my last 2 apartment adventures I am all aboard the detached home train! But we will have 3 people so it makes sense to look at 3+ bedroom homes. I have that reaction to family with 5000 sq ft houses. For a 4 person family that's 1250 sq ft each! They must never want to see each other!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2019 14:07:46 GMT -5
yeah I guess. I would say just get a condo, but after my last 2 apartment adventures I am all aboard the detached home train! But we will have 3 people so it makes sense to look at 3+ bedroom homes. I have that reaction to family with 5000 sq ft houses. For a 4 person family that's 1250 sq ft each! They must never want to see each other! LOL I say that's why my teen and I get along so well. I have 3200 square feet and he has the lower level entirely to himself. He's going to be in shock if he goes away to college! My 8 year old and I share the upper level.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jan 6, 2019 14:08:51 GMT -5
yeah I guess. I would say just get a condo, but after my last 2 apartment adventures I am all aboard the detached home train! But we will have 3 people so it makes sense to look at 3+ bedroom homes. I have that reaction to family with 5000 sq ft houses. For a 4 person family that's 1250 sq ft each! They must never want to see each other! well to be fair, when my mom and I discussed going in on a house together when she retires and comes up here, it needs to be either 4 beds or 3 beds with finished basement/enclosed sun room/an alternate non-bedroom living space. We love each other very much, but we cannot live on top of each other or there will be violence.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jan 6, 2019 14:34:50 GMT -5
When I was single, I looked at a lot of 2 bedroom, 1000 sf homes. That seemed like just the right size for just me. (These all included full basements and garages.) I looked at a ton of houses, with 2-4 bedrooms. I was looking for a good layout with closets in logical places. It was hard to find one for the right price (that didn't scare me). Then I coupled up, and I could relax a little on the price, and looked for a little more space. Our house is just under 1700 (plus a full finished basement). Until kids, we pretty much lived in only 2 rooms--the den and our bedroom. We ate in front of the TV, and never used the dining room. We never used the living room. Now, we always use the living room and rarely use the den, but always eat in the dining room. Progress! I just wish the space was split up a little better--giving more space to the kitchen and bedrooms, and less to an additional den or living room. Oh, well--live and learn!
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Jan 6, 2019 14:45:14 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. My "how I see my life in 15-20 years" (which is semi morbid as it assumes my husband has died), I buy a smallish 2 bedroom house with a basement and a smaller yard. When DS comes and visits, there will be room in the basement for him. DD would have the other bedroom when she visits. My Great Aunt's house is the house base my wants on, just with a better kitchen...she never used her kitchen so the fact it was a small galley in the middle of the house was fine for her...seriously, her oven which was a minimum of 40 years old, had never been used.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 6, 2019 16:40:07 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. My "how I see my life in 15-20 years" (which is semi morbid as it assumes my husband has died), I buy a smallish 2 bedroom house with a basement and a smaller yard. When DS comes and visits, there will be room in the basement for him. DD would have the other bedroom when she visits. My Great Aunt's house is the house base my wants on, just with a better kitchen...she never used her kitchen so the fact it was a small galley in the middle of the house was fine for her...seriously, her oven which was a minimum of 40 years old, had never been used. I'd like to do this, the only problem that I have with it is that a smallish 2 bedroom house does not exist in this city. It would either be a condo, or a total tear down job and neither of them we want to do. We have considered selling out and buying a piece of property overlooking the bay and building, but we like our neighbors, the neighborhood and the location of where we live right now. I don't think downsizing would really save us any money.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2019 17:04:06 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. Where I live, 2-bedroom houses have poor resell value. You have a guest room and turn the extra room into an office or workout room.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Jan 6, 2019 17:25:39 GMT -5
I never understood 1 person with no kids/pets needing a 3 bedroom house. Unless you have overnight guests a lot, it seems like way too much living space. Resale.
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haapai
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Post by haapai on Jan 6, 2019 17:52:47 GMT -5
I still have nightmares about trying to sell the tiny little house that I was in love with before this one came on the market.
In order to sell that bugger, I would have had to spend years making the place dollhouse perfect. Then I would have to move out, probably to somewhere nearby, and keep it perfect until it finally sold. Between the lousy appreciation and the cost of shifting it, I would be an extremely unhappy camper.
It's also worth noting that in a low-cost area, utilities and maintenance can be pretty similar to the PITI and these do not shrink very much by having one less bedroom. The house still needs a fridge, a furnace, a hot water heater, a roof, and minimal utilities and the costs of those major expenses don't drop by 25% when you opt for a house with 25% less square feet.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jan 6, 2019 18:45:12 GMT -5
I do know that I will never buy a condo or townhouse in a big complex. I've lived like that and had too many noisy neighbors.
This house is attached to one house. There is a one foot cement barrier between the units. I have never heard noise from the other half. I only hear anything in the summer when I have windows open and they are outside.
This house is not large at all. I've certainly owned larger houses.
In the unit to the west of me, there are three people and a dog. In the unit to the east of me, there is one person and at least 2 dogs. She might have 3 dogs.
I have Lucy Cat.
The homes behind me are larger and they are not attached to another home. They are mostly occupied by families.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Jan 6, 2019 21:55:50 GMT -5
We have a large house (2,602 sq ft ... 4 bedroom/3 bath) for the two of us, 6 cats, and untold number of foster kittens. When we were house shopping 16 years ago, we were looking for a standard 3/2 around 2,000-2,200 sq ft, but we couldn't find one on the market in our price range. (We're in California). We started looking at FSBOs (for sale by owners) and found our current house .... it had fallen out of escrow twice before. So, despite some of its issues, we jumped in and bought it.
(What were the issues? More wallpaper than should ever be in a house. They'd wallpapered some of the CEILINGS. The ceiling fans. The major appliances. Some of the doors. The switchplate covers, The air vents. They also loved their glue gun and decorative plates ... which were glued to the front of every kitchen cupboard and all over the large paneled walls in the family room. We used a hammer to get them all off!)
So, yes, we have more house than we need ... but that's OK. It was in the neighborhood we wanted, it had the yard, mature landscaping and pool that we wanted, and it was in our budget so that we could purchase it with a fixed-rate 15-year mortgage.
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azucena
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Post by azucena on Jan 7, 2019 9:06:05 GMT -5
We have a large house (2,602 sq ft ... 4 bedroom/3 bath) for the two of us, 6 cats, and untold number of foster kittens. When we were house shopping 16 years ago, we were looking for a standard 3/2 around 2,000-2,200 sq ft, but we couldn't find one on the market in our price range. (We're in California). We started looking at FSBOs (for sale by owners) and found our current house .... it had fallen out of escrow twice before. So, despite some of its issues, we jumped in and bought it. (What were the issues? More wallpaper than should ever be in a house. They'd wallpapered some of the CEILINGS. The ceiling fans. The major appliances. Some of the doors. The switchplate covers, The air vents. They also loved their glue gun and decorative plates ... which were glued to the front of every kitchen cupboard and all over the large paneled walls in the family room. We used a hammer to get them all off!)So, yes, we have more house than we need ... but that's OK. It was in the neighborhood we wanted, it had the yard, mature landscaping and pool that we wanted, and it was in our budget so that we could purchase it with a fixed-rate 15-year mortgage. I saw a wallpapered house when we were shopping but nothing like this - do you have any photos to share?
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