u/wbgeorge80

I tried to post this a while ago but got no reponses so not sure it worked. If this is a repeat, mods please feel free to take it down. Eight years ago I inherited a Chickering quarter grand piano. I have neither the space for it nor the skills to play it and would like to sell it. Since then it has been in the possession of a piano shop in Tennessee. I have figured they would have a much better chance of selling it than I would. However, there have been no serious inquiries in that time. I can tell them to drop the asking price (currently 35K) considerably. Other than that, are there any suggestions on how to sell something this specialized? It seems to be in a gray zone below Steinway but well above most pianos, which may make it harder to sell.

Edit -- Thanks all, I think I have the info I need. Clearly the market is a fraction of what the shop is asking. I may try piano mart or may just tell them to sell it for 3-5K. Or I may look for a family member who has space and an interest in it, which would be the most satisfying outcome for me (and the person I inherited it from).

I recently did a short backpacking trip in RMNP. Shortly after coming home, I came down with a strong allergic reaction to something -- itching and hives. I generally don't have allergies. Because of the timing, I'm wondering if anything I touched in the park could have triggered this. Poison ivy and poison oak don't grow there; something called western poison ivy might, but seems unlikely where we were. We did have to bushwhack through shrubs and grasses a couple times. Any ideas, or is it just coincidence? I am OK now so it's just curiosity not a medical emergency.

I use a Polar sensor on a strap and the Polar Beat app to monitor my workouts. I'm using the calorie number as a gauge of how much I did in each session. But I'm not sure what that is really telling me as the only variable from day to day is my heart rate (the personal data I enter stays the same). So is that number really just a formula based on heart rate? Is it an accurate measure of calories burned, if even if not Is it still useful as a way to compare sessions to each other?

We are considering adding panels, but may not be in the house more than 5-10 years. Normally we could figure that the energy bill savings would result in a higher sale price, but where we live the odds are at least 50% that the house will be torn down to build a much bigger one. Is there a secondary market where we might be able to recoup at least some of the cost of the panels?

EDIT: To be clear, I am looking to be a seller, not a buyer. Sounds like I wouldn't get much for my old panels being sold.

We installed solar panels 13 years ago that cover 50% to 2/3 of our energy needs. I keep hearing that panels have gotten better and cheaper, and am wondering if they are cheap enough to justify replacing the old ones with a new set that would take care of most or all of our needs. (We have a small, energy efficient house and our annual bill now is $750.)

EDIT - appreciate the suggestions. I don't think I have room for more panels but adding instead of replacing seems like the best approach. Several people said replace if you are putting on a new roof. I have been thinking about that, but when I run the numbers it doesn't seem to change things. If I replace the roof I would have to remove and reinstall the old panels, and putting on new ones would save the second half of that cost. But its a relatively small savings relative to the total cost of new panels so doesn't seem to make new panels pay off much sooner. Maybe I'm missing something here.

I'm sure this gets asked a lot. Our roof is over 25 years old. Basic shingles, nothing special. It probably is time to replace, but we are in our 70s and not likely to live here more than 5-10 years. Where we live, it's 50% chance or more that the house will be torn down to build something better, so the roof won't add much to the sale value. We don't have any leaks. There is moss in a few spots but nothing looks terrible to my nonprofessional eye. Can we just hang on to the old roof and hope for the best, or is that asking for trouble? We are also thinking about solar panels and wonder if that affects the calculation.

Reactions to comments: Still digesting all the great advice. I'm hearing that there isn't a magic expiration date and if we don't have problems now we can keep living with it. Also that we should get an independent inspector to look at it -- good idea. New roof would add to the resale value but I'm still discounting that because I think the house would likely just get torn down to build a bigger one. Several questioned why we'd consider solar panels if we're unsure about replacing the roof. Fair point and I'm checking out whether there is any resale value if the house is sold and the buyer doesn't want them. If not the chances of recouping the investment aren't good.

I've got an H10 sensor that I've had for ten years. Lately, my calorie count has been dropping off significantly for more or less the same workouts. My trainer suggested it could be the sensor getting old. Before I invest in a now one, does that seem like a likely explanation? I'm getting old too (74), maybe that affects how it computes calories. My workouts are not as demanding as ten years ago but the dropoff has been over a few months recently so I don't think that's it. I do like an accurate calorie count as a way of measuring the overall amount of work I'm doing each time.