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    Guest Post: Surviving Cancer from Asbestos

     
    I don’t typically run guest posts around these parts, but when Heather contacted me about a message that she wanted to share with a wider audience, I was honored to share this space with her. I think a lot about environmental toxins–in our furniture, mattresses, Tupperware, pots and pans, paint, makeup–and it scares the daylights out of me. It scares me because asbestos was once considered to be a miracle product. Which of today’s everyday materials will turn out to be a killer in a couple decades? Without further ado, here’s Heather with her story:
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    Triumph Over Tragedy 

    When I heard those three dreadful words—“You have cancer”—talk
    about

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    House Update

    I’m sorry for my lack of posting yesterday! When you see sporadic posting, it usually means I had a hectic weekend and I’m trying to play catch-up during the week.
    On Saturday, I had a four-hour work meeting. On Sunday, I had a two-hour board meeting. I used all of my free time (Matt and I each take time to ourselves on the weekends) to prepare for the board meeting. I didn’t even go into the week with a complete action plan ready to go. I hate that feeling. 
    I owe you a long response to all the comments on the House Flipping post (and also a response to a
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    Building a Home: The Waiting Game

    Just to give you a quick update on the house front: We qualified for an 85% loan (we’ll switch to an 80% loan for our permanent loan, once construction is complete). That wasn’t really a surprise because we’ve been crunching the numbers for a long time, but it was still a relief. 
    Next step: Wait to hear how the appraisal goes. In order to actually get the loan, the total cost of the house we’re going to build (plus the land it sits on) has to be comparable to other houses in the neighborhood. This process can be difficult in gentrifying areas, since the sales prices of homes fluctuate wildly.
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