A friend of mine has a t-shirt that reads “When you’re my age, an ‘all nighter’ is a night you don’t need to get up to go to the bathroom.” Unfortunately, my late-night bathroom visits are not as uncommon as they once were. However, if I can keep lights and noise to a minimum, I can generally get back from the bathroom to bed and sleep in under a minute. To cut down on noise, I wanted to replace a loud pressure assisted toilet in the bathroom with a quieter gravity flush toilet. Based on reviews, I went with the very pricey (about $600) Toto Ultramax. I cannot recommend you do the same.
It was loud, but the pressure assisted toilet worked great. It flushed everything you gave it and roared for more. And it kept itself clean. My Toto Ultramax doesn’t do the job when it comes to cleaning. While it removes solid waste like nobody’s business, it leaves crud at and above the waterline. Until I bought this toilet, I hadn’t considered what other functions a toilet needs to do. I now realize that a toilet needs also remove all liquid and keep itself clean. The Ultramax has trouble with both of these tasks and as a result, I’m now cleaning my toilet several times a week.
The big problem is the the low waterline. Anything on the bowl above the water line just doesn’t get flushed. The Ultramax also doesn’t remove all liquid in a flush so you get staining at the waterline. Only a few days after cleaning the bowl, staining will show at the waterline and crud will accumulate above the water line. I don’t want a toilet that can keeps toilet water cleaner than the toilet bowl.
And the Ultramax toilet is not that much quieter than my other toilet.
The one-piece design reminds me of Europe (by way of reminding me of European toilets, that is. I don’t by any means wish to imply that Europe is like a huge, dirty toilet), and the soft-close seat makes closing the toilet seat fun. You didn’t think one could have fun closing a toilet seat, did you? But these are not reasons to buy a toilet and this toilet is expensive. I recommend you buy a cheaper toilet, and treat yourself to a weekend in Montreal for that fun, European (without the “you’re a-peein’”) feel the Ultamax can give you..
A good friend has a different model Toto toilet–a two piece design. It seems to work better than mine on all points (except the quiet toilet seat). If you need to buy a Toto, buy a two piece model.
Selling homes in 2010 v 1999
At the beginning of the 21st century, most home buyers had never viewed a home online; the three top home sale marketing methods were yard signs, newspaper ads and open houses.
In 1999, buyers who went online in search for a home were in the minority – only 37 percent of buyers used the Internet in their home search, according to data from the NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. Today, 90 percent of buyers are searching online.
Nationally, median home values over the past decade have increased more than 25 percent, from $137,600 in November 1999 to $172,600 in November 2009 (the most recent existing-home data available). Fewer people are buying detached, single family homes – 82 percent in 1999 compared to 78 percent in 2009 – but more people are buying homes in suburban neighborhoods – 46 percent in 1999 compared to 54 percent today.
Buyers themselves have also changed. A smaller proportion of married couples are buying homes these days; while married couples comprised 68 percent of all home purchases at the beginning of this century, they represent 60 percent of all buyers today. Single men and women have made up the difference – single men purchased 10 percent of all homes last year, compared to only 7 percent 10 years ago. Single women now represent more than one-fifth of all home buyers – 21 percent, up from 15 percent in 1999.
So why are real estate agencies working and charging as if it were still 1999?