Abdullah Yahya - Page 23

Average House Prices & Rent Costs at Top 100 US Metros

Zillow provides housing and rental market data on the Research page. Using this data, I created the table below that shows the top 100 most populated cities in America along with their typical house value and monthly rent cost. GRM stands for Gross Rent Multiplier. GRM = Property Purchase Price / Annual Rental Income. It gives you an idea of how many years it will take for your rental income to pay for the cost of the property. It’s often used to compare investment properties. For example, if you buy a triplex for $490,000 and your monthly rental income from the 3 units is $3400, then

GRM = $490,000 / ($3400 x 12 months) = 11.3 years.

Note:

Houses in Texas are cheap but property taxes are some of the highest in the country. But then again, Texas has no state income tax.
Houses in Florida are cheap but the weather is humid and there are often hurricanes.
Chicago is cheap but it gets very cold during the winter there.
The weather is California is GREAT but houses are expensive.

Size Rank	Region Name	11/30/2020 Home Value Index	11/1/2020 Rent Index	GRM
1	New York, NY	$510,076	$2,528	16.81
2	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$759,102	$2,579	24.53
3	Chicago, IL	$261,177	$1,661	13.10
4	Dallas-Fort Worth, TX	$269,887	$1,570	14.33
5	Philadelphia, PA	$273,752	$1,610	14.17
6	Houston, TX	$230,373	$1,492	12.87
7	Washington, DC	$482,099	$2,039	19.70
8	Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL	$365,372	$1,935	15.74
9	Atlanta, GA	$260,613	$1,607	13.51
10	Boston, MA	$546,943	$2,270	20.08
11	San Francisco, CA	$1,216,247	$2,985	33.95
12	Detroit, MI	$195,290	$1,322	12.31
13	Riverside, CA	$427,588	$2,206	16.15
14	Phoenix, AZ	$328,585	$1,558	17.58
15	Seattle, WA	$606,462	$1,891	26.73
16	Minneapolis-St Paul, MN	$319,056	$1,546	17.20
17	San Diego, CA	$703,181	$2,355	24.88
18	St. Louis, MO	$196,236	$1,154	14.17
19	Tampa, FL	$259,430	$1,581	13.67
20	Baltimore, MD	$319,277	$1,663	16.00
21	Denver, CO	$492,525	$1,743	23.55
22	Pittsburgh, PA	$175,716	$1,186	12.35
23	Portland, OR	$456,983	$1,665	22.87
24	Charlotte, NC	$259,533	$1,533	14.11
25	Sacramento, CA	$473,185	$1,948	20.24
26	San Antonio, TX	$219,618	$1,336	13.70
27	Orlando, FL	$279,324	$1,595	14.59
28	Cincinnati, OH	$208,939	$1,309	13.30
29	Cleveland, OH	$176,987	$1,140	12.94
30	Kansas City, MO	$223,135	$1,205	15.43
31	Las Vegas, NV	$325,522	$1,483	18.29
32	Columbus, OH	$239,551	$1,333	14.98
33	Indianapolis, IN	$201,667	$1,273	13.20
34	San Jose, CA	$1,339,174	$2,958	37.73
35	Austin, TX	$372,388	$1,539	20.16
36	Virginia Beach, VA	$262,781	$1,397	15.68
37	Nashville, TN	$301,610	$1,597	15.74
38	Providence, RI	$355,752	$1,609	18.43
39	Milwaukee, WI	$211,195	$1,213	14.51
40	Jacksonville, FL	$250,879	$1,400	14.93
41	Memphis, TN	$169,436	$1,320	10.70
42	Oklahoma City, OK	$168,756	$1,103	12.75
43	Louisville-Jefferson County, KY	$195,591	$995	16.38
44	Hartford, CT	$272,229	$1,391	16.31
45	Richmond, VA	$262,456	$1,330	16.44
46	New Orleans, LA	$222,617	$1,409	13.17
47	Buffalo, NY	$190,328	$1,123	14.12
48	Raleigh, NC	$302,874	$1,526	16.54
49	Birmingham, AL	$185,236	$1,104	13.98
50	Salt Lake City, UT	$432,450	$1,416	25.45
51	Rochester, NY	$170,742	$1,164	12.22
52	Grand Rapids, MI	$244,161	$1,266	16.07
53	Tucson, AZ	$252,181	$1,259	16.69
54	Urban Honolulu, HI	$852,315	$2,107	33.71
55	Tulsa, OK	$159,970	$1,178	11.32
56	Fresno, CA	$294,949	$1,585	15.51
57	Worcester, MA	$337,964	$1,471	19.15
58	Stamford, CT	$537,126	$2,246	19.93
59	Albuquerque, NM	$233,950	$1,243	15.68
60	Albany, NY	$217,450	$1,349	13.43
61	Omaha, NE	$213,772	$1,222	14.58
62	New Haven, CT	$275,606	$1,456	15.77
63	Bakersfield, CA	$253,212	$1,374	15.36
64	Knoxville, TN	$210,770	$1,362	12.90
65	Greenville, SC	$220,927	$1,311	14.04
66	Ventura, CA	$664,216	$2,757	20.08
67	Allentown, PA	$233,511	$1,446	13.46
68	El Paso, TX	$145,456	$1,192	10.17
69	Baton Rouge, LA	$198,195	$1,187	13.91
70	Dayton, OH	$151,480	$1,050	12.02
72	Columbia, SC	$173,302	$1,198	12.05
73	Greensboro, NC	$174,750	$1,238	11.76
74	Akron, OH	$166,219	$909	15.24
75	North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL	$305,969	$2,159	11.81
76	Little Rock, AR	$167,357	$924	15.09
77	Stockton, CA	$418,915	$2,122	16.45
78	Charleston, SC	$289,926	$1,558	15.51
79	Syracuse, NY	$158,599	$1,173	11.27
80	Colorado Springs, CO	$360,902	$1,569	19.17
81	Winston-Salem, NC	$176,408	$1,277	11.51
82	Wichita, KS	$155,850	$850	15.28
83	Springfield, MA	$260,722	$1,329	16.35
84	Fort Myers, FL	$266,200	$1,930	11.49
85	Boise City, ID	$370,881	$1,402	22.04
86	Toledo, OH	$135,759	$881	12.84
87	Madison, WI	$312,394	$1,349	19.30
88	Lakeland, FL	$211,959	$1,456	12.13
89	Ogden, UT	$368,942	$1,381	22.26
90	Daytona Beach, FL	$231,262	$1,469	13.12
91	Des Moines, IA	$217,048	$1,160	15.59
92	Jackson, MS	$149,726	$1,270	9.82
93	Youngstown, OH	$108,312	$747	12.08
94	Augusta, GA	$167,244	$1,179	11.82
95	Scranton, PA	$130,549	$931	11.69
96	Harrisburg, PA	$203,742	$1,156	14.69
97	Melbourne, FL	$246,745	$1,545	13.31
98	Chattanooga, TN	$190,511	$1,299	12.22
99	Spokane, WA	$316,096	$1,343	19.61
100	Provo, UT	$401,223	$1,368	24.44
104	Durham, NC	$290,228	$1,431	16.90
119	Port St. Lucie, FL	$260,308	$1,761	12.32
159	Fort Collins, CO	$444,725	$1,568	23.64
162	Boulder, CO	$630,002	$2,078	25.26
177	Greeley, CO	$395,174	$1,589	20.72
229	Gainesville, GA	$250,664	$1,405	14.87

360° Virtual Tours and Wide Panoramic Images

To create a 360° virtual tour, you’ll need a few things:

360° camera

Insta360 One R Twin Edition

The Insta360 One R Twin Edition camera seems like a good choice because it can double as an action cam. It’s currently on sale for $410.

Pros:

Modular and therefore can add modules that offer different / better features
HDR (high dynamic range) for better image quality
More advanced desktop editing software

Cons:

Modular and therefore can be a hassle to have to switch modules, especially quickly in order to capture a moving target

GoPro Max

Pros:

Easy to use without having to assemble modular parts

Cons:

No HDR (high dynamic range)
Desktop editing software not as powerful as the Insta360 Studio

Insta360 One X2

Pros:

Small
HDR (high dynamic range) for better image quality

Ricoh Theta SC2

After testing the GoPro Max, Insta360 One X2, and the Ricoh Theta SC2, it clear that the Insta360 One X2 is the better camera.

Virtual Reality / 3D Panorama Software

Marzipano

Marzipano is free and open source. You can use the Marzipano tool to quickly upload 360 photos and then download a complete website with all code to host yourself. However, you can only zoom out so much as shown in the screenshot below.

Kuula

Kuula lets you upload 360 photos and embed a 360 viewer of your photos on your website. You can also zoom out much more than with Marzipano as shown in the screenshot below.

You can then take a screenshot of the zoomed out 360 photo which doesn’t show very warped and curved lines.

Metareal

Metareal is a great alternative to MatterPort. You can create floorplans as well and pay a nominal fee to have Metareal convert your 360 photos into virtual tours for you.

Photoshop

In Adobe Photoshop, you can import a 3D panorama photo

In the lower left corner, when you have the white grid enabled, you will see orbit, pan and dolly buttons to move the image around.

Under Properties, you can adjust the Vertical FOV (Field of View) to zoom in and out.

GoPro Player Desktop App

The GoPro Player desktop app will also open 360 photos and let you rotate and zoom in and out. But, unlike Photoshop and Kuula, you’ll get a fisheye view as shown below.

Google Photos Mobile App

The Google Photos mobile app has a Panorama feature but you have to move your camera horizontally or vertically to capture create the panorama. It’s not a full 360 degree panorama but it does support scrolling in Google Photos.

Insta360 Studio

The Insta360 Studio desktop app is definitely better than the GoPro Player desktop app. It’s got more features and is intuitive to use.

To Buy or To Rent? That is the Question.

It is January 2, 2021 and the previous year has surprised everyone. Analysts predicted home prices to fall due to the global Coronavirus pandemic but in the US, home prices surged despite millions of Americans losing their jobs.

House Price Index for California

The surge is likely due to

Very low inventory of houses for sale
Super low interest rates for 30 year fixed rate mortgage

If we look at historical interest rates, we find that they are historically low.

30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States

At this time, the cost to rent an apartment in Hayward, California is

~$1600 / month for a 1 bedroom apartment
~$1800 / month for a 2 bedroom apartment

Now, let’s see how much it costs to buy a house with the following assumptions:

Buyer credit score is 680
Buyer has never purchased a home before

The top half of the table below shows 4 different loan scenarios.

Conventional loan requiring a 20% down payment and a purchase price of $300K
FHA (first time home buyer) loan requiring a 3.5% down payment and mortgage insurance for a purchase price of $200K, $250K, and $300K

At this time, Zillow indicates that one with a credit score between 680 and 699 can get a 30 fixed rate mortgage for 3%.

For a conventional loan of house costing $300K, if one has $60K for the 20% down payment, their monthly mortgage including principal, interest, taxes, and insurance (PITI) would be $1287. This is far below the the cost to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in Hayward, CA.

For the FHA loan, one would only need a 3.5% down payment but they’d have to pay mortgage insurance. The total monthly mortgage-related expenses (PITI) are

$1155 for a $200K purchase price
$1405 for a $250K purchase price
$1732 for a $300K purchase price

These costs are all lower or equal to the cost to rent in Hayward, CA. The problem, however, is house prices in Hayward are very high. The closest large city with house prices between $200 and $300K is in Stockton, CA, e.g.

Now, just because the monthly mortgage expenses are lower than the cost to rent, that doesn’t mean one would qualify for a loan. Lenders require

mortgage expenses (PITI) to be no more than 28% of one’s gross monthly income before taxes
total debt (including mortgage expenses) to be no more than 43% of one’s gross monthly income before taxes

The bottom half of the table below shows different income scenarios as follows:

Having a gross annual income of $46K and buying a single family home
Having a gross annual income of $46K, buying a duplex and renting one unit out for $1200 per month
Having a gross annual income of $60K and buying a single family home
Having a gross annual income of $60K, buying a duplex and renting one unit out for $1200 per month
Having a gross annual income of $75K and buying a single family home

In these scenarios, we find that:

If you have a gross annual income of $46K and

you buy a single family home, then your maximum mortgage expenses can be $1073.33. In this case, you can buy a house for $200K (yellow cells)
you buy a duplex and rent out one unit for $1200 per month, then your maximum mortgage expenses can be $1409.33. In this case, you can buy a duplex for $250K (green cells)

If you have a gross annual income of $60K and

you buy a single family home, then your maximum mortgage expenses can be $1400. In this case, you can buy a house for $250K (green cells)
you buy a duplex and rent out one unit for $1200 per month, then your maximum mortgage expenses can be $1736. In this case, you can buy a duplex for $300K (blue cells)

If you have a gross annual income of $75K and

you buy a single family home, then your maximum mortgage expenses can be $1750. In this case, you can buy a house for $300K (blue cells)

But Stockton is too far from Hayward!

Assuming you currently live and work in or around Hayward, then it’s true that Stockton is a bit far. According to Google Maps, it’s about a 1 hour drive in no traffic between the two. However, according to this article, many people who work in the Bay Area can no longer afford local housing and have moved to Stockton and commute.

What if I save money and buy a house later?

If you make $46K a year and rent an apartment for $1800 per month, you probably won’t have much left over to save. And, even if you could save $100 per month, house value appreciation could outpace your savings. When you buy a house, some of your monthly payments go towards paying down the principal on your home loan. That, in effect, is a form of savings (pink cells in table) but in the form of equity in the house rather than cash in the bank. After a few years, your wealth could grow in 2 ways:

Appreciation of house value
Equity in paying down the principal on your home loan

You could then potentially sell the house and use the proceeds to put 20% down on another house thereby reducing your monthly mortgage payments even further.

What if the house value drops?

According to this article, recessions typically occur around every 10 years but they don’t necessarily cause house prices to flatten or drop. Housing busts typically occur every 18 years. The last housing crisis was in 2008 so the next one may occur in 2026 (5 years from now).

House Value Trends

Using data from Zillow Research Data, we can create a custom graph showing house value trends like the one below.

Similarly, we can chart the rent cost over time. Below is an example using US and Stockton, CA rents.

Cost to Remodel a House

Assuming you have 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom 1100 square foot investment property, following is a breakdown of costs to remodel it relatively cheaply and quickly using neutral colors.

Floor Plan

Using Live Home 3D, this is an example of a 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage house. The kitchen is U-shaped. The bedrooms are almost all the same size. Two of the three bedrooms have walk-in closets. The laundry is central to the house. There is a small patio next to the kitchen and living room.

Colors

Here are the neutral colors we’ll be choosing.

Floor – beige or light gray
Wall – beige (Roman Plaster PPU7-10U) Behr / Home Depot
Ceiling – same as wall color for simplicity or Swiss Coffee
Baseboard – pure white
Kitchen cabinets – light gray
Kitchen appliances – stainless steel
Kitchen countertop – white
Bathroom vanity – light gray
Bathroom sink – white
Doors – pure white

Wall

Replace all outlets and switches with Dekora ones

(Roman Plaster PPU7-10U)
Behr / Home Depot

Ceiling

Spray walls and ceiling same color for simplicity. Or, spray ceiling Swiss Coffee.

Swiss Coffee

Floor

Choose large 12”x24” tiles for fewer grout lines and quicker completion.

Decorelle Galileo 11-Pack Gray 12-in x 22-in Glazed Ceramic Stone Look Wall Tile

99¢ /sq. Ft.

Kitchen

Get cabinets from IKEA. They deliver.
Average 10×10 kitchen

Insignia™ – 18.1 Cu. Ft. Top-Freezer Refrigerator – White

$500

Amana – 24″ Built-In Dishwasher – Stainless steel

$350

Amana 1.6 cu. ft. Over the Range Microwave in Stainless Steel

$200

IKEA 10×10 kitchen

~ $3500

Light gray cabinets with off white countertop

Go with a solid color so in case it gets damaged, it can easily be painted gray.

Amana – 4.8 Cu. Ft. Freestanding Electric Range – Stainless steel

$450

Kohler Verse Drop-in Stainless Steel 33 in. 4-Hole Single Bowl Kitchen Sink

$200

Single hole, Single handle

Single Hole Single-Handle Kitchen Faucet in Brushed Nickel

$50

GAGALIFE Built in Sink Soap Dispenser or Lotion Dispenser for Kitchen Sink, Chrome ABS Pump Head, with 13 Ounce Large PET Soap Bottle

$18

Bathroom

Glacier Bay 1-Piece 1.1 GPF/1.6 GPF High Efficiency Dual Flush Elongated All-in-One Toilet in White

$150

Glacier Bay Everdean 30.5 in. W x 19 in. D x 34 in. H Vanity in Pearl Gray with Cultured Marble Vanity Top in White with White Sink

$230

Go with a solid color so in case it gets damaged, it can easily be painted gray.

Buy at Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx for less

Delta Modern Single Hole Single-Handle Bathroom Faucet in Chrome

$80

Hampton Bay 4-Light Chrome Raceway Vanity Light

$20

Laundry

Amana 3.5 cu. ft. White Top Load Washing Machine

$450

Amana 6.5 cu. ft. 240-Volt White Electric Vented Dryer with Wrinkle Prevent Option

$450

Landscaping

3/4″ Ginger rock

By at a rockery and have delivered

Italian Cypress Trees

$40 / tree at Costco (only available in Spring)

$100 / tree at a nursery

Garage Floor and Driveway

5 Gal. Tan Granite Grip Decorative Flat Interior/Exterior Concrete Floor Coating

$224

Whole House Renovation Plan

Turn on water, gas and electricity
Use laser measure to measure each room
Use Live Home 3D to draw floor plan
Print multiple copies of floor plan and staple to wall
Demolition – Day 1 – 2
1. Wear coveralls / protective clothing
2. Lay down large tarp in driveway to make debris cleanup easier
3. Demolish kitchen using Bosch jackhammer, monster sawzall and pry bar
1. Remove both bathroom toilets and and vanities
1. Remove all flooring.
2. Rent floor surface prep tool to smoothen floor. Include the garage floor.
3. Remove all outlets and switch covers
4. Remove all interior door knobs, if necessary
5. Put all debris in driveway
6. Vacuum all dust using cyclone filter to minimize filter clogs and simplify disposal
Drywall – Day 3
1. Add drywall where necessary
2. Patch holes in walls where necessary
3. Texture walls where necessary
Paint – Day 4
1. If reusing baseboard, label each baseboard with a number and label corresponding wall in the floorplan with the same number
2. Remove baseboard and put on floor and cover with plastic
3. For each area that needs to be covered, e.g. outlets, ceiling lights, registers, vents, etc, cut painter’s plastic to size
4. Spray glue around the area that needs to be cover and stick plastic to it
5. Wear coveralls / protective clothing
6. Use air sprayer to spray paint on walls and ceilings.
7. If necessary, spray paint doors white
Floor and Wall Fixtures – Day 5 – Day 9
1. Pay someone to install tile flooring on all floors
2. While floor tiles are being installed, do following
  1. Replace outlets, switches and plates with Dekora ones
  2. Install bathroom lights
  3. Install bathroom towel hangers
  4. Replace all door knobs, if necessary
  5. Paint baseboard
Kitchen – Day 10 – Day 13
1. Pay someone to install IKEA kitchen
2. Install kitchen appliances
3. Pay someone to install quartz countertop
Bathrooms – Day 13
1. Install toilets
2. Install vanity
3. Install vanity faucet
Landscaping – Day 14 – 18
1. Remove trees
2. Rent mini skid steer to remove 3 inches of dirt
3. Rent excavator to dig holes for Cypress trees
4. Plants Cypress trees
5. Lay down weed fabric
6. Lay down cement board
7. Pour and level Ginger rocks
Debris removal – Day 19
1. Rent dumpster
2. Transfer all debris from driveway to dumpster for haulaway
Fence, garage floor, driveway, and exterior cement walkways – Day 20 – Day 21
1. Pressure wash the garage floor, driveway and fence
2. Spray tan Granite Grip using air compressor
3. Paint fence

Cost Breakdown

Using a spreadsheet, create a cost breakdown like below.

Based on this, we can estimate that including labor and other items, the total cost for a whole house renovation would be around $20K.

Beef Stew in a Pressure Cooker Recipe

So, I tried making this traditional beef stew in a Crock-Pot pressure cooker and it came out so good that I had to post the recipe.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1.75 lbs stewing beef
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tsp minced garlic (prepackaged wet or dry)
2 tsp finely chopped thyme (dried is easier if available)
4 tbsp tomato paste
1.5 cups diced carrots (frozen is easier if available)
1 cup diced onions (frozen is easier if available)
1.5 cups quartered baby red potatoes (prewashed is easier if available)
1 cup pearl onions, peeled (if not available, substitute with regular onion)
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
3 bay leaves
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp chopped chives (dried is easier if available)

Directions

Press BROWN/SEAR, set temperature to HIGH, and then press START/STOP. Allow multi-cooker to preheat.
Add oil to cooking pot.
Toss beef with salt and pepper and add to cooking pot.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes or until well browned.
Add
- garlic
- thyme
- tomato paste
Stir for 1 minute
Add
- carrots
- chopped onions
- potatoes
- pearl onions
- broth
- bay leaves

Stir and bring to boil
Press Start / Stop to stop all functions
Secure the lid
Press MEAT / STEW
Set pressure to HIGH
Set timer for 35 minutes
Close Steam Release valve
Press START / STOP to star the pressure cooking
When cooking is done, add
1. peas
2. chives

10. Remove bay leaves and enjoy!

Yummy Coffee Recipe

This is the recipe to make Yummy Coffee. I call it Yummy Coffee because it’s yummy.

Ingredients

Nespresso
- Variations Italia Amaretti Flavor – Limited Edition
- Forest Almond Flavor – Limited Edition
1/4 tsp Erythritol
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Little bit of whole milk

Instructions

Make espresso using the Variations Italia Amaretti capsule
Froth a little bit of milk in a milk frother
Pour milk + froth into espresso
Add Erythritol and cinnamon
Stir and enjoy

Convert Text to Speech Using Google API

If you go to Google Translate, you can not only translate text from one language to another, but you can also listen to the translation. For example, this English to Chinese translation allows you to listen to the pronunciation of the Chinese text.

Google’s Cloud Text-to-Speech API allows you to programmatically generate mp3s of any text. Below are steps to do it on Windows using PHP.

1. Follow These Instructions

https://cloud.google.com/text-to-speech/docs/quickstart-client-libraries#client-libraries-install-php

2. Set Environment Variable

When you follow the steps above, you will download a JSON file containing your credentials. You need to set an environment variable by opening a command prompt and entering

set GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=path-to-json-file

You can then verify it is set by typing “set”.

That environment variable is temporary and will persist for the duration of the terminal session. To set the environment variable permanently, follow these steps.

3. Install PHP Composer

https://getcomposer.org/download/

Composer will need a php.ini file. If one doesn’t exist, it will create one.

4. Update php.ini

To ensure your SSL certificates are up-to-date, download the latest cacert.pem from https://curl.haxx.se/ca/cacert.pem. Then, edit php.ini as follows:

curl.cainfo=”/path/to/downloaded/cacert.pem”

5. Create PHP Script

Copy and paste the example code from the instructions in step 1. This is a PHP script so wrap the code in <?php … ?>. Save it as test-text-to-speech.php somewhere.

6. Run PHP Script

At the command prompt, verify the Google environment variable is set and then run the PHP script. If PHP is in your path, you can run, for example,

This will output an audio file (output.mp3) in the same folder. By default, the text is “Hello, world!” and the language code is en-US. You can change the text to Chinese, for example: 这是一个测试 and change the language code accordingly to cmn-CN. Then, you’ll get the same speech as what you hear in Google Translate.

See list of text-to-speech voices (language codes)

There are two types of voice synthesis models: standard (parametric) and Wavenet. Wavenet is more expensive but sounds more natural.

Google Text-to-Speech pricing is based on the number of characters processed.

For additional customization of text to speech, use Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML).

Install a Keyed Fence Gate Lock

Fence gate locks are usually simple locks that can only be opened from one side. There are times, however, when you wish you could just open the gate from outside instead of opening the main door to your house and then walking all the way to open the gate from the inside. One popular two-sided gate lock is YardLock. It’s a keyless gate lock that costs $55 on Amazon.

Another option is to install a traditional keyed deadbolt lock. You can also get one that allows rekeying the lock so that you can use the same key as you have for your main door like this one from Kwikset which costs $35.

To prevent water from getting into the lock and to make it difficult for intruders from reaching over the fence to unlock the door, you can install a weatherproof 2 gang outdoor outlet cover like this one for $18.

Of course, you’d also need to drill 3 holes for the lock and the bolt like you would for a traditional door. Here’s an example of an attempt at this approach. The photos below show how the lock looks from the outside. For weather protection, I just cover the lock a piece of fence wood attached to a door hinge. Instead of a fancy knob, I just screwed a metal clamp into it.

The photos below show how the lock looks from the inside.

It’s not as elegant of a solution as the Yardlock although it can be made to look elegant. It does have the advantage of being more secure than the Yardlock.

Find the Highest Paying Job With Lowest Education

Not everyone has specialized skills or the ability to get a 4 year degree or higher due to their unique circumstances. Though having a college education normally results in higher pay, you don’t always get paid more for having a higher education. One must wonder, then, what is the highest paying job for the lowest level of education. Fortunately, the US government collects labor data and provides a ton of information to help people compare careers, salaries, education requirements, and more. This information is updated regularly and available at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook website.

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

Here, we can search for careers starting from the lowest level of education up to having a 2-year associate’s degree. With each search, we can filter by average annual salary. Here are the results. Occupations with salaries below $40,000 a year are excluded.

Education Level: No formal educational credential

2019 Median Annual Salary	Number of Occupations
$80,000 or more	0 occupations
$60,000 to $80,000	2 occupations e.g. artist, farm labor contractor
$40,000 to $60,000	20 occupations e.g. painter, carpet installer

The occupations in the results above are mostly manual labor jobs like carpentry, landscaping, cooking, construction, driving, farming, machine operating, etc.

Education Level: High school diploma or equivalent

2019 Median Annual Salary	Number of Occupations
$80,000 or more	8 occupations e.g. airline pilot
$60,000 to $80,000	30 occupations e.g. train operator, police patrol
$40,000 to $60,000	134 occupations e.g. travel agent, clerk, typist

Education Level: Some college, not degree

2019 Median Annual Salary	Number of Occupations
$80,000 or more	0 occupations
$60,000 to $80,000	0 occupations
$40,000 to $60,000	2 occupations e.g. bookkeeper, computer user

Education Level: Postsecondary non-degree award

2019 Median Annual Salary	Number of Occupations
$80,000 or more	1 occupation Electrician
$60,000 to $80,000	9 occupations e.g. Court reporter, insurance appraiser, aircraft mechanic
$40,000 to $60,000	20 occupations e.g. dental assistant, auto mechanic, firefighter

Education Level: 2-Year Associate’s Degree

2019 Median Annual Salary	Number of Occupations
$80,000 or more	3 occupations e.g. radiation therapist, air traffic controller
$60,000 to $80,000	15 occupations e.g. healthcare technician, computer specialist
$40,000 to $60,000	25 occupations e.g. technician, paralegal

Some conclusions

people with specialized skills get higher salaries
people working in healthcare tend to get higher salaries

Now, let’s see what we need to do to get the highest paying job in a growing field in each education category.

Education Level: High school diploma or equivalent

For this education level, the fastest growing occupation is “Airline or Commercial Pilot” with a 2019 Median Pay of $121,430 per year.

On the summary page for “Airline or Commercial Pilot” we find a link for how to become an airline pilot. We also find that airline pilots must have a 4-year bachelor’s degree so the information on commercial pilot salaries is not particularly accurate.

Education Level: Some college, not degree

For this education level, the fastest growing occupation is “Computer Support Specialist” with a 2019 Median Pay of $26.33 per hour or $54,760 per year.

On the summary page for “Computer Support Specialist” we find a link for how to become a computer support specialist. We see that due to the wide range of skills, there is no simple answer as one could get a certificate in a particular area or learn on their own.

Education Level: Postsecondary non-degree award

For this education level, there is only one occupation in the $80,000 more category. It is “Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers” with a 2019 Median Pay of $28.40 per hour or $59,080 per year. However, this occupation is in decline and not growing.

On the summary page for “Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers” we find a link for how to become a Electrical or Electronics Installer and Repairer. It looks like one would go to a vocational or apprenticeship school and take specific courses to become an electrician.
A Google search reveals that in California, you must be licensed and there are 5 types of licenses. You would need to enroll in a State-approved electrician trainee school. For example, one school located in San Leandro, California is called Alameda County Electrical JATC. This is a 5 year program includes 8000 hours of paid on-the-job training during the day and 900 hours of classroom instruction during day and evenings.

Costs:

$620 for books (first year)
$500 for tools

Electrician License Requirements by State | CoverWallet — An electrician

Education Level: 2 Year Associate’s Degree

For this education level, the fastest growing occupation is “Radiation Therapist” with a 2019 Median Pay of $41.14 per hour or $85,560 per year.

On the summary page for “Radiation Therapist” we find a link for how to become a Radiation Therapist. In most states, radiation therapists must be licensed or certified. Employers usually prefer to hire applicants who have an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree in radiation therapy. However, candidates may qualify for some positions by completing a certificate program. In 2016, there were about 110 accredited educational programs recognized by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). There are many community colleges that offer 2 year programs such as this one at City College of San Francisco (CCSF).

Radiation Therapy | Allied Health | University of Nebraska Medical Center — Radiation Therapists

Easily Edit Your Face in 3D From a Photo

People’s faces vary significantly from one to another and with time as they age. Some men lose hair, some women pluck and lose their eyebrows or change the shape of their eyebrows, some men change their beard or mustache style, and last but not least, some people have or develop some natural or accidental issue with their nose, whether it’s crooked, asymmetric, bumpy, droopy, too large, or so shallow that they can’t comfortably where glasses.

For men, the most common operation is probably a hair transplant. For women, the most common operation is probably rhinoplasty (nose job) although many women should probably just get an eyebrow transplant instead of drawing their eyebrows on their skin which looks obviously fake.

Interesting fact: Iran has the highest rate of nose surgery in the world, and according to a report in the conservative Etemad newspaper, as many as 200,000 Iranians, mostly women, go to cosmetic surgeons each year for a nose job. Source

This article explains one way to edit a 3D version of your face. It can be helpful if you are just curious about what a change may look like or if you are trying to explain your desired outcome to someone.

The following image shows the photos I started with (left column), the 3D faces generated from the photos (middle column), and the 3D faces after editing (right column).

1. Take a photo of someone’s face

For demonstration purposes, I took a screenshot of a 3D image of a random person on Sketchfab. You can take just a front photo but it’s better to take pictures of both sides as well.

When taking photos, you should look straight and not tilt your head. You should have neutral gestures (no smiling, etc), and you shouldn’t wear glasses.

2. Load the photos into FaceGen 3D Print

Download FaceGen 3D Print. You can download the demo version. You won’t get all of the features but you may not need all the features. The cheapest paid version costs $69. Install the program, click Create > Photo > and upload the photos from step 1.

3. Mark specific points

FaceGen will then instruct you to mark specific points on your photos so that it can better generate a 3D image.

4. Generate 3D image

After you click the “Create from photo(s)” button, FaceGen will take about 30 seconds to analyze the photos and then generate a 3D image. This technique of generating a 3D image from photos is called Photogammetry. If you have a 3D scanner, you can also load a 3D image.

You can drag the 3D image around in any direction. Since I’m using the demo version, there is a blue FG (FaceGen) watermark on the image.

5. Overlay original photo to check accuracy

The generated 3D image may not be perfect. To fix that, we can overlay our still photos on the FaceGen window and tweak the 3D image to match the photos. One overlay utility that works is called Overlay. After installing it, load your still photo, drag the Overlay window over the FaceGen window, scale the overlaid photo so that the face elements of the overlaid photo and the underlying 3D image are almost the same. You can then see whether the generated 3D image is sufficiently accurate or needs tweaking.

6. Edit the 3D image to match the photos

Click the “Float” button in the Overlay controls. Then, in FaceGen, click Modify > Interactive and edit the 3D image as follows:

Hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key then left-click and drag any point on the face (symmetric).
Hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key then right-click and drag any point on the face (asymmetric).

Symmetric will make changes symmetrically, e.g. if you edit the left eyebrow, then the right eyebrow will get the exact same edits. If you only want to edit one side / location, then use the asymmetric option.

In this step, your goal is to just tweak the 3D image to more closely match the photos.

7. Edit the 3D image to your desired result

After tweaking the 3D image to match the still photos, you can start editing the 3D image to your desired transformation using the same technique as in the previous step. Following are some extreme examples for demonstration purposes.

If you click on Modify > Shape, you can modify preset facial elements, e.g. nose nostril size, etc.

8. Further editing

Though FaceGen has many features, it seems to lack the ability to modify 3D images in certain ways. For example, one complaint many people seem to have is of a hump on their nose.

FaceGen doesn’t seem to have a way to reshape a hump like that. To resolve this, export the 3D image out of FaceGen as an OBJ file.

Then, download AutoDesk MeshMixer. It’s free. Install MeshMixer and import the 3D image you exported from FaceGen. With MeshMixer, you can sculpt your 3D image, e.g. click Sculpt > Brushes > Drag, adjust the strength, size, depth, etc of the brush, and then drag on the 3D image. Since my demo model didn’t have a hump on the nose, I created (an exaggerated) one. Note that all of this editing is in 3D so you can rotate the image around.

Another tool you can use is FaceTouchUp. But, it only works with 2D flat images, which, depending on your needs / goals, may be sufficient.

8. Upload 3D image for sharing

After you export your 3D image as an OBJ file, you can upload it to Sketchfab where you can share it with others. For example, below is an embed of the 3D image I took for this demo.

Micheal by POP (obj) by Revopoint3d on Sketchfab

9. Morph the before and after images

If you took a screenshot of the 3D image before and after you made edits, you can use a morphing program to show the transformation from the before state to the after one.

3D Scanner

Generating a 3D image from still photos works pretty well. But, you can also create a 3D image of your face (or any object) using a 3D scanner. Revopoint POP 3D Scanner ($500) is one such scanner. It’s supposed to generate a more accurate 3D model by using infrared light to calculate depth. However, it doesn’t capture anything in black so if you have black hair or a black beard, it will not pick those up.

Other Examples

Click to enlarge