The staircase is similar to the one in the picture however is much older and hasn't received TLC since I don't know when.It's Maine - snowy winters and humid summers are a thing.

@Marc Winter my deductible of 5k might not make it worth it to use insurance thats why.

A couple of things I am keeping an eye on in New Zealand is what will happen when the wage subsidy ends and when the six months mortgage repayment holiday ends.

Use rental income from quadplex purchase,existing duplex rented out both units, to supplement income of the househack later this year around winter timeframe.I intend to do the remaining 11 years I have left in the navy east coast if possible.

A PM informed us that he could easily rent it for $1700 (possibly lower at $1600 in winter time).

Obviously, this will be at a cost of about $4k/unit ($28k total) or I could simply keep things as they are and spend $8k to replace the furnaces before next winter? 

The sales agent tells me it takes 84 days to build the house, plus weekends and holidays. 

Too, there are some advantages in the winter, as one unit has heat on and that helps keep the vacant unit a little warmer and water moving in the plumbing, so lower odds of frozen pipes. 

For me it's the first workday of the month that is not a federal holiday.

My credit score is fluctuating between 650 and 670.For the past 3 years I have been spending winter months in Los Angeles.