We are down to 7 days. SEVEN. EEEEKKKK.
Most of the house is packed. I was hoping to get a little farther than I did over the weekend, but in all honesty...my energy level is low. I am tired of this move. I am tired of the stress. So there were a few times that I opted to watch a TV show with the kids rather than pack.
Last week was stressful. Alot of my plans got put on hold when......wait for it.......
The appraisal came in low.
I got the phone call at 4:30pm from the realtor (don't even get me started about her....I am so done). The appraisal came in $2,000 under the net price. From what she said, the appraiser was rude to her when she met him the week before, and he was half hour late. I think he was still mad that she said NO to the original day he wanted to come (she was at a closing), and then I said NO, you can not come in 2 hrs.
Realtor said most appraiser can massage the numbers a little to make it work. Since their job is to compare houses, you can choose whatever houses you want that have closed in a period of time in a given radius. The idea is to pick houses that are most like yours. But by picking THIS house over THAT house, it can change the numbers. Since a deal can fall through when the numbers don't work....most appraisers will do what they can, within reason, to make it work.
This guy didn't.
What this meant was that we, as the sellers, had to lower the price again. Additionally, the buyers were not able to roll their closing costs into the mortgage. So now everyone is having to come up with more money. The buyers agreed to do it (which was interesting since a month ago we were told unless we gave them a $7,000 credit, they weren't going to be able to buy the house....or any house for that matter).
This led into the realtor telling me how the poor buyers are victims in all of this. And how it was a miracle this whole thing didn't fall apart. I countered with "if they are the victims, what does that make us?" Additionally, the appraisal really shouldn't have taken 3 weeks....so if it was all going to fall apart, it should have done it weeks ago....not after all the wheels were in motion.
In the end, we had to make up the difference, which equated to an additional $1500 after adjusting for a smaller commission (since the purchase price was now less) and less conveyance fees. Additionally, closing now has been moved up to December 4, so we will get more of a tax credit back and it will be less days that we will have to be responsible for the house while it is empty.
The estimated number we have to bring to the closing table is $18,500. We had $19,500 put aside for the move (which was including the movers). So now we are mostly tapped out on the move. All of the remaining moving expenses that can be put on a CC (we need some cash for tips, tolls...since we only have one EZPass) will have to go there for the moment. We will have about $2,500 that will be refunded to us from escrow, utilities, home owners insurance. As soon as that cash comes in, it will go toward the new moving charges. And in Feb/March when our taxes are done...that refund money will hopefully pay off the rest.
Additionally stressors were the school not having Bossy's reports ready when they said they would, finding out that one of my doctors wants to charge me $0.65 A PAGE to copy my 400+ page charge, my boss finally realizing on Friday that I had 4 more "official" days in the office and freaking out, and a few rounds of telephone tag for other things. Plus, G-man did a "final" walkthrough on the new townhouse....and it was FAR from done.
This week is busy!! In addition to trying to finish everything up at work, phone calls, change of address at the post office, finish packing...there is also other stuff.. G-man will be here on Thursday. Friday, we have to meet with the attorney to sign paperwork and Sassy has a Chorus concert. Saturday will be taking the dead washing machine to the recycle yard and Thanksgiving dinner with friends. Sunday we get the rental car.
And to answer everyone ahead of time....at the moment....no, I am not excited. I am upset about the money and don't see us buying a house for a very long time, if ever. I am scared. I am tired and stressed out. I am lots of things....excited is not one of them right now. I am happy about our family being back together...but it is coming at a very steep price....one that we will be paying literally and figuratively for years to come.
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Monday, November 23, 2015
Thursday, November 12, 2015
It is sort of like a puzzle
The first question I get when I talk to people is "Are you guys excited??" Well, yes, of course we are. But while I am still chin deep (I have graduated from eyeball deep!) in details....my excitement is tempered with stress and more stress. My analogy of the moment is that it is like a puzzle. The blue sky part is done, as is the big red barn. The small house is almost done....but the field of wildflowers.....not there yet. I know you all can see the puzzle in your mind....
Spoke to the realtor and the inspection overall went well. A few things came up (but that is what they were paying him for and the house is 100 years old!), but nothing the buyers were overly concerned about. The appraisal will be tomorrow.
I spoke to the guidance counselor at the new school....and am so impressed and excited. We got permission to "preregister" since our lease doesn't start until December 1. This allows the school to do everything except put in an official schedule for the kids (but the guidance counselor is already putting the unofficial one together). He is setting up Special Ed meetings, scheduling testing for Sassy for the gifted program. We have already talked about the transition to high school next year and programs that he feels would be fitting for both kids.
Sassy is a little disappointed that they don't offer French at the middle school, but I told her that she can keep using the websites that she uses now to keep up her skills. And I am sure her current French teacher will be happy to e-mail Sassy, in French. :)
I have the medical stuff in process. Found a company that can do the supplies for Bossy's feeding tube, so today I will call our current doctor and ask them to send the prescription and other documents. Still need to find a vet, orthodontist, and pediatrician....but I am working on it.
We have a fully executed lease now. I sent in the security deposit, and first month rent and pet fee are due on December 1. (December will hurt a little with having to pay the mortgage and rent, plus the deposit was 1 month rent.) The unit is being painted and floors refinished this week, so G-man will go next week and have a formal walk through. He contacted all the utilities and gathered information. Not sure why he didn't just take care of it and have everything start for the 1st....he said he wanted to discuss it with me. OK, so now it is discussed....please turn the stuff on. Some utilities have a deposit, some don't. The dust is a-flyin' but we knew this would happen.
The next several days will be packing, following up on all the above stuff, and trying to get to a better place at work. Everyone is in a panic that I am leaving, and Boss has encouraged them all to pile on the work before I go. So I am trying to dig out, plus write a "manual" on how to do everything I do. I will be working on Saturday, while Bossy is at a scout merit badge day (which is closer to my office than home).
I am hoping by Sunday my little puzzle will have more of the wildflowers done.
Spoke to the realtor and the inspection overall went well. A few things came up (but that is what they were paying him for and the house is 100 years old!), but nothing the buyers were overly concerned about. The appraisal will be tomorrow.
I spoke to the guidance counselor at the new school....and am so impressed and excited. We got permission to "preregister" since our lease doesn't start until December 1. This allows the school to do everything except put in an official schedule for the kids (but the guidance counselor is already putting the unofficial one together). He is setting up Special Ed meetings, scheduling testing for Sassy for the gifted program. We have already talked about the transition to high school next year and programs that he feels would be fitting for both kids.
Sassy is a little disappointed that they don't offer French at the middle school, but I told her that she can keep using the websites that she uses now to keep up her skills. And I am sure her current French teacher will be happy to e-mail Sassy, in French. :)
I have the medical stuff in process. Found a company that can do the supplies for Bossy's feeding tube, so today I will call our current doctor and ask them to send the prescription and other documents. Still need to find a vet, orthodontist, and pediatrician....but I am working on it.
We have a fully executed lease now. I sent in the security deposit, and first month rent and pet fee are due on December 1. (December will hurt a little with having to pay the mortgage and rent, plus the deposit was 1 month rent.) The unit is being painted and floors refinished this week, so G-man will go next week and have a formal walk through. He contacted all the utilities and gathered information. Not sure why he didn't just take care of it and have everything start for the 1st....he said he wanted to discuss it with me. OK, so now it is discussed....please turn the stuff on. Some utilities have a deposit, some don't. The dust is a-flyin' but we knew this would happen.
The next several days will be packing, following up on all the above stuff, and trying to get to a better place at work. Everyone is in a panic that I am leaving, and Boss has encouraged them all to pile on the work before I go. So I am trying to dig out, plus write a "manual" on how to do everything I do. I will be working on Saturday, while Bossy is at a scout merit badge day (which is closer to my office than home).
I am hoping by Sunday my little puzzle will have more of the wildflowers done.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
20 days...time is moving FAST
There is a big wall calendar opposite my desk at work. It is a constant reminder of how fast time is moving. The moving truck comes 3 weeks from yesterday. That was 1...2...3 weeks when looking at the calendar. Three isn't a very big number.
The housing situation is FINALLY settled. There was a ton of discussion and details on that front, but as of last night, we signed a two-year lease on a 2250 sq foot townhouse. We won't need a storage unit now. The unit comes with a washer and dryer, so no need to buy a new washer for awhile (Rest in peace, washer). The whole unit is being painted this week, floors refinished. It will be good. G-man found out there is someone at his office who lives in the complex, so I already have a "walking buddy." She said it is a great complex and really likes it there. G-man is setting up all the utilities there, so we should be able to move right in.
The movers have been hired. Attorney for closing hired.
G-man is flying here on Thanksgiving, and my BFF whom we have nicknamed "Travel Goddess" found him an $88 flight! We are renting a second car to help with our handcarrying stuff, and to give the kids a little more room (plus the cats take up alot of space). And Travel Goddess found us a $65 rental...for 4 days! It seemed too good to be true, but since it was through AAA, I stopped in to a center and they confirmed it was legit. We have a hotel reservation for our last night here....the same hotel we stayed in almost 16 years ago when we moved here. Full circle....
Packing is going well. I was concerned we weren't going to have enough boxes, but we have plenty. I would say between 1/2 and 2/3 packed. There is a little work to do in the attic, but I think within a few hours that will be done.
This week's main goals are school and medical.
Now that we definitely have a new home, we can register for school. I had a few questions about the registration process, but I think most of that is settled now. I have a phone call into the school nurse about some Bossy specific things, and hopefully she will call back today. I will sign releases this week so both old and new schools can talk to each other. Transcripts are in the works. I have report card conferences on Thursday and next week is my big meeting for Bossy about all his testing.
The new school has a gifted program, so we are looking into that for Sassy. They also seem to have some type of program with Duke University, but I didn't have the chance to investigate that yet.
Medical is turning out to be a big project. Bossy has braces, so we have been calling orthodontists (unfortunately, G-man wasn't able to find anyone who has kids with braces to get a recommendation). Bossy also has a feeding tube, and we need to return his feeding pump here and get a new one there. I am in the process of dealing with that.
I have several appointments I need to cancel....work on getting copies of files....finding new doctors. Some of that may be done after we move. I need to concentrate on the parts that need to be done sooner than later.
Medical has also turned out to include the cats. I took them in for their yearly check-up and vaccinations last weekend ($$$$), and my two older cats (each 16 years) both lost some weight. They recommended testing their thyroid, and turns out that both have hyperthyroid, which is common in older cats, and very treatable. So they are starting on medication today, and need to be checked again in 4-6 weeks. We are using pills right now and will investigate compounding a liquid or the ear paste after we move. But now I have to find a vet sooner than later.
No real news on the house. The dates for bringing up issues with the house have past. The appraisal isn't done yet (but believe it or not....it has only been just over 2 weeks since we signed the contract). I have a few more questions for the realtor, so that is on the To Do list for today as well. Next week I will call and start scheduling shut off dates for the utilities. They will stay on until closing, but of course once the house is empty, usage will be minimal.
I waiver between "I got this under control" and "EEEEKKKKK!!" I have friends who want to get together to have one last night out, and I am trying to schedule all of that in too. Both kids will need a hair cut (and so do I!). Three weeks is no time at all!
Crazy!!!!
The housing situation is FINALLY settled. There was a ton of discussion and details on that front, but as of last night, we signed a two-year lease on a 2250 sq foot townhouse. We won't need a storage unit now. The unit comes with a washer and dryer, so no need to buy a new washer for awhile (Rest in peace, washer). The whole unit is being painted this week, floors refinished. It will be good. G-man found out there is someone at his office who lives in the complex, so I already have a "walking buddy." She said it is a great complex and really likes it there. G-man is setting up all the utilities there, so we should be able to move right in.
The movers have been hired. Attorney for closing hired.
G-man is flying here on Thanksgiving, and my BFF whom we have nicknamed "Travel Goddess" found him an $88 flight! We are renting a second car to help with our handcarrying stuff, and to give the kids a little more room (plus the cats take up alot of space). And Travel Goddess found us a $65 rental...for 4 days! It seemed too good to be true, but since it was through AAA, I stopped in to a center and they confirmed it was legit. We have a hotel reservation for our last night here....the same hotel we stayed in almost 16 years ago when we moved here. Full circle....
Packing is going well. I was concerned we weren't going to have enough boxes, but we have plenty. I would say between 1/2 and 2/3 packed. There is a little work to do in the attic, but I think within a few hours that will be done.
This week's main goals are school and medical.
Now that we definitely have a new home, we can register for school. I had a few questions about the registration process, but I think most of that is settled now. I have a phone call into the school nurse about some Bossy specific things, and hopefully she will call back today. I will sign releases this week so both old and new schools can talk to each other. Transcripts are in the works. I have report card conferences on Thursday and next week is my big meeting for Bossy about all his testing.
The new school has a gifted program, so we are looking into that for Sassy. They also seem to have some type of program with Duke University, but I didn't have the chance to investigate that yet.
Medical is turning out to be a big project. Bossy has braces, so we have been calling orthodontists (unfortunately, G-man wasn't able to find anyone who has kids with braces to get a recommendation). Bossy also has a feeding tube, and we need to return his feeding pump here and get a new one there. I am in the process of dealing with that.
I have several appointments I need to cancel....work on getting copies of files....finding new doctors. Some of that may be done after we move. I need to concentrate on the parts that need to be done sooner than later.
Medical has also turned out to include the cats. I took them in for their yearly check-up and vaccinations last weekend ($$$$), and my two older cats (each 16 years) both lost some weight. They recommended testing their thyroid, and turns out that both have hyperthyroid, which is common in older cats, and very treatable. So they are starting on medication today, and need to be checked again in 4-6 weeks. We are using pills right now and will investigate compounding a liquid or the ear paste after we move. But now I have to find a vet sooner than later.
No real news on the house. The dates for bringing up issues with the house have past. The appraisal isn't done yet (but believe it or not....it has only been just over 2 weeks since we signed the contract). I have a few more questions for the realtor, so that is on the To Do list for today as well. Next week I will call and start scheduling shut off dates for the utilities. They will stay on until closing, but of course once the house is empty, usage will be minimal.
I waiver between "I got this under control" and "EEEEKKKKK!!" I have friends who want to get together to have one last night out, and I am trying to schedule all of that in too. Both kids will need a hair cut (and so do I!). Three weeks is no time at all!
Crazy!!!!
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Dropping the price and a proactive move
About 10 days ago, we dropped the price of the house $10,000. We didn't want to do it. But it was time.
Back in July when we put the house back on the market with the new realtor, we had an open house for brokers, and the price was the only REAL comment we got from them. Most would have priced the house in this new range, but after talking with the realtor....we left it where it was for the summer. However, part of that discussion was if we got to September and the house was not under contract, we may need to make changes. She asked us if our parents would just give us whatever money we may need. Um, if that was an option, we would have visited it a long time ago.
So we went through Labor Day, and then talked to her about the adjusting the price. We were all in agreement that this was the right decision. It would open up the pool of buyers since most people search in increments of 10k.
We noticed that on Zillow, our number of people who "saved" our house increased about 40%. However, we have only had one showing since we made the change. This coming weekend is a crapshoot...there is a large local fair that people attend and the weather is going to be beautiful! No idea what that will mean for real estate.
If the house sells at the current price (although we were told that most houses sell for 96-97% of the asking price), we would JUST cover the payoff on the mortgage. That leaves all the fees that go along with selling a house....realtor, conveyance, etc. Some things will get refunded down the line, but strictly speaking about going to closing...we will need 10k-12k to just close.
In order to cover the cost of dropping the house....we took out a personal loan. This loan is sort of a 2-part thing. The loan is for 22k at 6.99%, and is $435/mon for 60 months. The first $9400 went to pay off the retirement loan (although I have a feeling that we will end up making a slight overpayment since we paid this off right at the end of a paycycle and there may be an extra payment that will come out of G-man's check, which would be refunded to us). This will free up $441 a month (so a cash flow wash), which will then pay for the new loan. It also starts the 60 day "clock" that we have if we wanted to dip back into our retirement account down the line (possibly to lower the interest rate of the personal loan, money for a new house if that is a route that is open to us).
That leaves us $12,600. We originally were thinking we would need closer to 10k for the closing, and were going to use the difference ($2600) to pay off G-man's car, thus freeing up another $127 a month. However, we got nervous. I have said before, I have a problem with liquid money....I don't like to use it, because what if I NEED it (which contradicts myself since I have a hard time using it!). If we paid off the car, and then needed more for the closing, we would be scrambling. Even funneling all the "extra" money we would have in the budget (roughly $300 a month between everything that we have recently done), it would take 7-8 months to cover that amount. So, we are leaving it liquid.
We have $7000 put aside already for the moving costs (which also includes deposits for utilities, travel, etc). Add in the new $12,600....and we are at just under $20,000 cash. So this will cover the house and the move. And HOPEFULLY will have extra at the end that will then go toward some debt (at the moment, G-man's car, then my car....we are purely looking at cash flow, not at interest rates or long term goals). We also know we will have tax season coming before we know it....and if we move in 2015, our return will be much larger than usual because we will be able to deduct the move....and all of that money would go back into the debt reduction efforts.
I will update the side bar to reflect new numbers soon. So, yeah....a $12k set back. I played with the numbers until my eyes crossed. This was the option that made the most sense on paper.
I do feel better knowing that if we had to move quickly (if a buyer wanted a very quick closing), that we have this taken care of. Our cash flow isn't changing. Nothing really changes....except we now have $12k more in debt. That part....that I don't feel good about.
I guess time will tell how this will play out.
Back in July when we put the house back on the market with the new realtor, we had an open house for brokers, and the price was the only REAL comment we got from them. Most would have priced the house in this new range, but after talking with the realtor....we left it where it was for the summer. However, part of that discussion was if we got to September and the house was not under contract, we may need to make changes. She asked us if our parents would just give us whatever money we may need. Um, if that was an option, we would have visited it a long time ago.
So we went through Labor Day, and then talked to her about the adjusting the price. We were all in agreement that this was the right decision. It would open up the pool of buyers since most people search in increments of 10k.
We noticed that on Zillow, our number of people who "saved" our house increased about 40%. However, we have only had one showing since we made the change. This coming weekend is a crapshoot...there is a large local fair that people attend and the weather is going to be beautiful! No idea what that will mean for real estate.
If the house sells at the current price (although we were told that most houses sell for 96-97% of the asking price), we would JUST cover the payoff on the mortgage. That leaves all the fees that go along with selling a house....realtor, conveyance, etc. Some things will get refunded down the line, but strictly speaking about going to closing...we will need 10k-12k to just close.
In order to cover the cost of dropping the house....we took out a personal loan. This loan is sort of a 2-part thing. The loan is for 22k at 6.99%, and is $435/mon for 60 months. The first $9400 went to pay off the retirement loan (although I have a feeling that we will end up making a slight overpayment since we paid this off right at the end of a paycycle and there may be an extra payment that will come out of G-man's check, which would be refunded to us). This will free up $441 a month (so a cash flow wash), which will then pay for the new loan. It also starts the 60 day "clock" that we have if we wanted to dip back into our retirement account down the line (possibly to lower the interest rate of the personal loan, money for a new house if that is a route that is open to us).
That leaves us $12,600. We originally were thinking we would need closer to 10k for the closing, and were going to use the difference ($2600) to pay off G-man's car, thus freeing up another $127 a month. However, we got nervous. I have said before, I have a problem with liquid money....I don't like to use it, because what if I NEED it (which contradicts myself since I have a hard time using it!). If we paid off the car, and then needed more for the closing, we would be scrambling. Even funneling all the "extra" money we would have in the budget (roughly $300 a month between everything that we have recently done), it would take 7-8 months to cover that amount. So, we are leaving it liquid.
We have $7000 put aside already for the moving costs (which also includes deposits for utilities, travel, etc). Add in the new $12,600....and we are at just under $20,000 cash. So this will cover the house and the move. And HOPEFULLY will have extra at the end that will then go toward some debt (at the moment, G-man's car, then my car....we are purely looking at cash flow, not at interest rates or long term goals). We also know we will have tax season coming before we know it....and if we move in 2015, our return will be much larger than usual because we will be able to deduct the move....and all of that money would go back into the debt reduction efforts.
I will update the side bar to reflect new numbers soon. So, yeah....a $12k set back. I played with the numbers until my eyes crossed. This was the option that made the most sense on paper.
I do feel better knowing that if we had to move quickly (if a buyer wanted a very quick closing), that we have this taken care of. Our cash flow isn't changing. Nothing really changes....except we now have $12k more in debt. That part....that I don't feel good about.
I guess time will tell how this will play out.
Monday, September 14, 2015
No place that is HOME
As we approach ONE YEAR that the house is on the market, I am feeling HOME-less. I have a roof over my head, so I am not "homeless." But the things that, for me personally, make a house a HOME.....those are gone.
When we first started getting the house ready to go on the market, we started packing and purging. I can honestly say that not one thing that has been purged is missed. As for the packed...I am not 100% sure what is actually in there. I know there is decorative stuff, pictures, books, etc. I know there is kitchen stuff, and I wouldn't be surprised if alot of that gets donated.
My house is de-personalized, sans a wedding photo that sits on my dresser. And I miss my stuff!!!
I miss my pictures, and I miss my books, and I miss my "knick nacks." My house was never cluttered, in the sense that there was stuff on every surface. But pretty much everything got packed. It does make dusting easier! But it looks empty. It FEELS empty.
I started emotionally detaching from the house a year ago, getting excited for a new start. A new place to make our home. This house was the first house we bought, the house we brought our children home to and the only HOME they have ever known. But it was time to move on.
Except we didn't move on. We are still there. My husband isn't there, so there is a void that just won't be filled until we are all back together. I have a basement and attic with packed boxes...and empty boxes waiting to pack the rest of the stuff.
But I don't have a new home either. We may not be able to purchase a new house right now. Which will force us to rent (which I know alot of you think is a great idea....but we really really don't). A rental house won't feel like HOME. If we are there for a year, I won't unpack most of our stuff, just to have to pack it again. So the boxes will sit....possibly in storage. And if we think we will be renting for awhile, I will probably never feel settled as the things that make it feel like HOME to me won't be practical.
I was on Pinterest a few weeks ago and found these little painted rocks. I clicked on them, and poked around the website and found some little postcards. I loved them instantly, and at $2.50, they were a steal! I sent them to G-man, who also liked them and said "where would they go?" I HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA. I wasn't looking to purchase them....I just liked them. But when he asked where they would go...it really hit home that they didn't have a place. Without having a place to move to, I can't exactly answer that question. Again...it wasn't about purchasing them....it was about the idea that even if I did...they didn't have a place to go.
We have dropped the price of the house again....we are hoping this will be IT and it will all be over soon. More on this to come.
When we first started getting the house ready to go on the market, we started packing and purging. I can honestly say that not one thing that has been purged is missed. As for the packed...I am not 100% sure what is actually in there. I know there is decorative stuff, pictures, books, etc. I know there is kitchen stuff, and I wouldn't be surprised if alot of that gets donated.
My house is de-personalized, sans a wedding photo that sits on my dresser. And I miss my stuff!!!
I miss my pictures, and I miss my books, and I miss my "knick nacks." My house was never cluttered, in the sense that there was stuff on every surface. But pretty much everything got packed. It does make dusting easier! But it looks empty. It FEELS empty.
I started emotionally detaching from the house a year ago, getting excited for a new start. A new place to make our home. This house was the first house we bought, the house we brought our children home to and the only HOME they have ever known. But it was time to move on.
Except we didn't move on. We are still there. My husband isn't there, so there is a void that just won't be filled until we are all back together. I have a basement and attic with packed boxes...and empty boxes waiting to pack the rest of the stuff.
But I don't have a new home either. We may not be able to purchase a new house right now. Which will force us to rent (which I know alot of you think is a great idea....but we really really don't). A rental house won't feel like HOME. If we are there for a year, I won't unpack most of our stuff, just to have to pack it again. So the boxes will sit....possibly in storage. And if we think we will be renting for awhile, I will probably never feel settled as the things that make it feel like HOME to me won't be practical.
I was on Pinterest a few weeks ago and found these little painted rocks. I clicked on them, and poked around the website and found some little postcards. I loved them instantly, and at $2.50, they were a steal! I sent them to G-man, who also liked them and said "where would they go?" I HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA. I wasn't looking to purchase them....I just liked them. But when he asked where they would go...it really hit home that they didn't have a place. Without having a place to move to, I can't exactly answer that question. Again...it wasn't about purchasing them....it was about the idea that even if I did...they didn't have a place to go.
We have dropped the price of the house again....we are hoping this will be IT and it will all be over soon. More on this to come.
Monday, June 1, 2015
The Pool....part 4 of The House series
Sorry for disappearing! Last week turned into a crazy week....school stuff, scout stuff, sick kids, a "plumbing" emergency, a showing that went bad (they showed up 1.5 hrs late, and walked into my house while we were there!). Add in crazy work stuff (especially with a short week), and the normal stuff.....yeah...there ya go.
But thank you to my readers who are so interested.....
*****
So yeah...the pool.
A few people have said that the pool was a deterrent for buyers. We have no idea if this is true or not. In 2 dozen showings, the pool has only been mentioned once. That is the really frustrating thing with our feedback, it gives us no idea what the problem is. OK, we have been told that the bedrooms are small. There is nothing we can do about that. I will agree that Sassy's room is small....about 8x10. But the other two bedrooms are 12x12, so not obscenely small. But not a grand master either. Other houses have sold with smaller bedrooms, so we are all at a bit of a loss.
Back to the pool....
After the initial FUUUDDDDGGGGEEEE moment, we started to look at the options.
Option 1: Get a new panel
This option was quickly eliminated. I went back through the pool stuff (thank you previous owners for leaving it all for us), and found the make and model of the pool Turns out that the company is no longer in business. Per the pool guy, each company is proprietary, so ordering a new panel is a crapshoot if it will work. And there is no guarantee that it would pass inspection.
Option 2: Get a new pool
The pool is 15x30' oval (which is a common size). A new pool, instillation, and water would run us about $2,500 minimum. And if a buyer didn't want the pool....that would be money down the drain.
Option 3: Collapse the pool
I know so many people have said this. But this is not an easy option. This would require the actual collapsing of the pool, disposal, burying the electrical, digging out the posts that held the solar cover. Once all of that is done, then you are left with 6 inches of sand underneath that needs to either be dug out, or covered with top soil. The whole area needs to be regraded (the pool is a little lower than the grade of the rest of the yard), and then sod or grass seed needs to be applied.
After you deal with that....you turn your attention to the deck. The back end of the deck would need to be finished off (either be squared off, since it is cut out to fit the oval, or have a very odd shape). Posts need to be added either way. Plus you need to add a rail. And coding standards have changed since the deck was built (circa 1993), so if we are retrofitting things....we could be looking at a new can of worms. OR...you have to pull it down, and then dispose of it, and then deal with the "dead" area under the deck.
We had priced out having someone collapse the pool previously.....just the pool is $500. If we had them deal with the sand, dirt, etc....we are up to $2,000. And we aren't to grass or electrical yet. And we aren't dealing with the deck yet.
Option 4: As Is
At the moment.....this is the option we are using until we can move on to the next part (I am getting there!). The listing has been changed that the pool is being sold "as is" right now. If a buyer came along, we are willing to credit some money back to deal with the pool, but that will be bridge we cross if we need to. In the short term, this absolves us from the inspection issue of the pool. We checked into how long we could leave the pool this way (for example....can we winter the pool?)...and right now it is holding. We were told we could probably let the pool freeze over the winter, but if we had another bad winter, the already weakened area will probably completely give out once the water thaws, which would result in the water gushing out and flooding our yard, and probably at least 2, probably 3, of the neighbors' yards.
We ordered a new cover (so at least you aren't looking at a green pool full of dead and alive algae), and I put that on over the weekend (and stepped on a nail in the process and ended up needing a tetanus shot and have a very sore foot!).
If we have showings and we get alot of negative feedback, then we will move on to the next phase sooner than later. But the master plan.....
G-man will come home late August (we have a family wedding, the kids' birthday), and he and I will collapse the pool ourselves, along with the deck. We are still working out the price for a dumpster, tool rental, etc. We are hoping that we have a friend or two who are willing to take a vacation day and help us out, but we aren't counting on that. It is going to be hard work. And once we are left with the mess of our yard.....
We are debating what to do. One thought is to turn part of it into a patio/fire pit area. We already have the sand down. A 10'x10' patio will be about $400 for materials. That doesn't take care of the entire area (figure it is about 20'x40' that we have to deal with). But we can do a few steps down to the yard....make some landscaping areas....add in a pathway to a patio. We are still working all of this out while we figure out coding, cost, etc.
The lower deck will get completely redone. Depending on patio decisions, we will need to deal with rails on at least 2 sides. We need about 40 boards to redo the floor, and then the whole thing will get stained.
***
This whole thing is a huge expense that we have to now deal with. A major yard renovation was not part of our computations. We are looking at that line between what do we HAVE to do, vs NEED to do. We are going to spend money one way or the other....either we do it or we have someone do it. As we delve deeper into the process, we can decide what we are going to DIY and what we will have someone do.
Because G-man will only be home for a week....we have to be realistic on what we can do ourselves in that time frame. Once he is gone, I am on my own again. And at that time of year, school will be starting, so I will be dealing with that as well. I would love to start on this on my own....but jumping into a project you aren't prepared for is a recipe for disaster. Of course, if something with the pool changes, such as it gives out, the timeline moves up.
Of course best case scenario is that someone makes an offer, we credit them something to deal with the pool, and we can walk away from it. But I struggled with not doing all of this work NOW....I feel it is a huge red flag on our property to list the pool "as is". And it is. But G-man can't come home right now, and I can't do it myself. It is a temporary solution while we work out the rest of the details.
We had no way to anticipate this. And we knew what the work would be collapsing the pool years ago....which is why we didn't do it before. Our hand is being forced to do something.
So there is the saga.....in all of its ugliness. It is overwhelming to deal with, and it is overwhelming to think that there is a chance that the kids and I are here indefinitely. But we are doing what we need to do.
Anyone want to come destroy my backyard???? We are buying the pizza and beer (or water or soda or whatever!)
But thank you to my readers who are so interested.....
*****
So yeah...the pool.
A few people have said that the pool was a deterrent for buyers. We have no idea if this is true or not. In 2 dozen showings, the pool has only been mentioned once. That is the really frustrating thing with our feedback, it gives us no idea what the problem is. OK, we have been told that the bedrooms are small. There is nothing we can do about that. I will agree that Sassy's room is small....about 8x10. But the other two bedrooms are 12x12, so not obscenely small. But not a grand master either. Other houses have sold with smaller bedrooms, so we are all at a bit of a loss.
Back to the pool....
After the initial FUUUDDDDGGGGEEEE moment, we started to look at the options.
Option 1: Get a new panel
This option was quickly eliminated. I went back through the pool stuff (thank you previous owners for leaving it all for us), and found the make and model of the pool Turns out that the company is no longer in business. Per the pool guy, each company is proprietary, so ordering a new panel is a crapshoot if it will work. And there is no guarantee that it would pass inspection.
Option 2: Get a new pool
The pool is 15x30' oval (which is a common size). A new pool, instillation, and water would run us about $2,500 minimum. And if a buyer didn't want the pool....that would be money down the drain.
Option 3: Collapse the pool
I know so many people have said this. But this is not an easy option. This would require the actual collapsing of the pool, disposal, burying the electrical, digging out the posts that held the solar cover. Once all of that is done, then you are left with 6 inches of sand underneath that needs to either be dug out, or covered with top soil. The whole area needs to be regraded (the pool is a little lower than the grade of the rest of the yard), and then sod or grass seed needs to be applied.
After you deal with that....you turn your attention to the deck. The back end of the deck would need to be finished off (either be squared off, since it is cut out to fit the oval, or have a very odd shape). Posts need to be added either way. Plus you need to add a rail. And coding standards have changed since the deck was built (circa 1993), so if we are retrofitting things....we could be looking at a new can of worms. OR...you have to pull it down, and then dispose of it, and then deal with the "dead" area under the deck.
We had priced out having someone collapse the pool previously.....just the pool is $500. If we had them deal with the sand, dirt, etc....we are up to $2,000. And we aren't to grass or electrical yet. And we aren't dealing with the deck yet.
Option 4: As Is
At the moment.....this is the option we are using until we can move on to the next part (I am getting there!). The listing has been changed that the pool is being sold "as is" right now. If a buyer came along, we are willing to credit some money back to deal with the pool, but that will be bridge we cross if we need to. In the short term, this absolves us from the inspection issue of the pool. We checked into how long we could leave the pool this way (for example....can we winter the pool?)...and right now it is holding. We were told we could probably let the pool freeze over the winter, but if we had another bad winter, the already weakened area will probably completely give out once the water thaws, which would result in the water gushing out and flooding our yard, and probably at least 2, probably 3, of the neighbors' yards.
We ordered a new cover (so at least you aren't looking at a green pool full of dead and alive algae), and I put that on over the weekend (and stepped on a nail in the process and ended up needing a tetanus shot and have a very sore foot!).
If we have showings and we get alot of negative feedback, then we will move on to the next phase sooner than later. But the master plan.....
G-man will come home late August (we have a family wedding, the kids' birthday), and he and I will collapse the pool ourselves, along with the deck. We are still working out the price for a dumpster, tool rental, etc. We are hoping that we have a friend or two who are willing to take a vacation day and help us out, but we aren't counting on that. It is going to be hard work. And once we are left with the mess of our yard.....
We are debating what to do. One thought is to turn part of it into a patio/fire pit area. We already have the sand down. A 10'x10' patio will be about $400 for materials. That doesn't take care of the entire area (figure it is about 20'x40' that we have to deal with). But we can do a few steps down to the yard....make some landscaping areas....add in a pathway to a patio. We are still working all of this out while we figure out coding, cost, etc.
The lower deck will get completely redone. Depending on patio decisions, we will need to deal with rails on at least 2 sides. We need about 40 boards to redo the floor, and then the whole thing will get stained.
***
This whole thing is a huge expense that we have to now deal with. A major yard renovation was not part of our computations. We are looking at that line between what do we HAVE to do, vs NEED to do. We are going to spend money one way or the other....either we do it or we have someone do it. As we delve deeper into the process, we can decide what we are going to DIY and what we will have someone do.
Because G-man will only be home for a week....we have to be realistic on what we can do ourselves in that time frame. Once he is gone, I am on my own again. And at that time of year, school will be starting, so I will be dealing with that as well. I would love to start on this on my own....but jumping into a project you aren't prepared for is a recipe for disaster. Of course, if something with the pool changes, such as it gives out, the timeline moves up.
Of course best case scenario is that someone makes an offer, we credit them something to deal with the pool, and we can walk away from it. But I struggled with not doing all of this work NOW....I feel it is a huge red flag on our property to list the pool "as is". And it is. But G-man can't come home right now, and I can't do it myself. It is a temporary solution while we work out the rest of the details.
We had no way to anticipate this. And we knew what the work would be collapsing the pool years ago....which is why we didn't do it before. Our hand is being forced to do something.
So there is the saga.....in all of its ugliness. It is overwhelming to deal with, and it is overwhelming to think that there is a chance that the kids and I are here indefinitely. But we are doing what we need to do.
Anyone want to come destroy my backyard???? We are buying the pizza and beer (or water or soda or whatever!)
Thursday, May 21, 2015
The House - part 2
So yesterday I talked about our plan to stay in the house until it sells. This is a sacrifice we are making for the greater good. If we really didn't think that all of this will lead to a better quality of life when it is all said and done, we wouldn't do it. And we did talk about giving up on all of this, and waiting for a job to open up here in CT, at which point G-man would apply and try and come back. But no...no pain, no gain.
When we put the house on the market, we really did not think we would still be here come summer....or in the least it would be that the house was sold and we were on our way out. Yeah, not so much. So here I am, taking care of the house....the Spring version! The Winter version was dealing with 7 feet of snow....the Spring version is a whole other ball game.
Spring and Summer has brought new challenges to selling the house. We have been maintaining the house itself fairly well, and I have gotten much faster at getting the house ready for a showing. But now there is a whole OUTSIDE of the house to deal with.
In the 2 dozen showings, we have only had one small comment about the yard (someone who loved the house and were considering making an offer, but didn't want a pool). Otherwise, we haven't had any comments, positive or negative. But of course you always want to put your best foot forward, and the yard is the first thing you see when you pull up to the house.
Let me tell ya...I thought that the snow was rough. And it was. But I will take the snow over all of this that I do now!
The Grass
I now have to mow the lawn. I hadn't done this in over 20 years. We have a basic walk-behind type mower, and once I got the hang of it, it was fine. Takes me about 45 min to mow everything. The lawn gets mowed about once a week. I hate when I mow on Sunday, then we have a showing on Wednesday....the lawn isn't ready to be mowed again, but it has lost its freshly mowed look. But I can't control when the showings are, or the weather. So I mow it when it needs it and I can.
I had to spray weed killer, and couldn't get the hose to stretch to the back of the yard, so I did the best I could. I probably got about 3/4 of the property. The way back of the yard wasn't too bad, so I didn't stress about it.
I am afraid of the weed whacker, and G-man has already said it is very heavy and hard to handle. Yeah, I am not going there. So....the areas that I can't reach with the mower.....I cut with scissors! Yes, I cut the edge with scissors. I feel stupid, but it is better than screwing it all up with the weed whacker. Snip, snip, snip. It is mostly along the edges where we have the flowers and we built it up with pavers.
The Front Porch
I am going to repaint the porch, as the snow shovel and snow beat it up a little. Or more specifically, the 1/3 of the porch near the door got a little beat. The other 2/3 of it is fine, but since I will be painting, I might as well do the whole thing. We have extra paint, so no expense...just time. That will be Memorial Day weekend, since the likelihood of showings will be low, and it will have an extra day to dry. I also bought spray paint to freshen the mailbox and the wreath hanger on the door. I added a planter to the porch with flowers, so it looks more home-y.
The Deck
The deck really needs to be reboarded, but we weren't about to start that now. Then came the idea to restain it (putting lipstick on a pig, as my husband said). Research showed that would require WAY more work than I could do in a short period of time (I could use the "shortcut" stain and not sand the floor, but couldn't use that product for the lattice that surrounds the deck. The lattice required a different product, and that would require sanding). Just for giggles, I called a few places and found out it would be about $2000 to have someone come do it (dealing with those guys on the phone was a delight).
OK...so that isn't going to work. So the final decision was to "stage" the deck. Any money we put into this project would at least be for "us" as we would take it all with us. I moved our conversation chairs to the upper deck (which surrounds the pool), and bought 2 expensive side tables. I made some placemat pillows that we put out for showings (I haven't had a chance to waterproof them, so they move inside and out), along with some candles. For the lower deck, we bought a patio set and 2 trips to Home Depot to get it home and several hours to put it together (nothing lined up, I had to order a replacement part for a defective part...then they sent the wrong part...) and we have a more put together look. I got some stuff to dress the table, a few pots for plants, more placemat pillows. I even got a rug (the rug still needs some pizazz, which I am hoping will be a project for this weekend). Total cost....$550.
When we have a showing, I sweep it all, wipe all the tables, set the table, place the pillows. It helps distract from the deck that needs a facelift.
I really didn't want to buy this stuff. No one has said that the deck was a negative. But I was also looking at trying to sell a "lifestyle." Sitting on the deck with your beverage of choice, taking a dip in the pool. Still, I wasn't thrilled spending the money. It came from our "moving" savings, so no new debt.
The Flowers/Follage Beds
I planted some annuals in the front (a few didn't make it....sad). I still need to dig out some of the built up mulch and put fresh mulch down. We also have large beds on the sides of the property that have follage, and now I am dealing with cleaning those out as well. Weeds, sticks, misc stuff.
My peonies are on the "unused" side of the house, and they aren't even close to blooming yet. But another Memorial Day project will be cleaning up that side of the house.
Darn weeds....you pluck them...and they come back! Why can't this be a "one and done" type project?
But alas.....none of this compares to the biggest adventure....and probably the one thing that is turning out to be the deciding fate.....The Pool. Remember I said that something happened? Remember I said be careful what you wish for????
When we put the house on the market, we really did not think we would still be here come summer....or in the least it would be that the house was sold and we were on our way out. Yeah, not so much. So here I am, taking care of the house....the Spring version! The Winter version was dealing with 7 feet of snow....the Spring version is a whole other ball game.
Keeping up the house
Spring and Summer has brought new challenges to selling the house. We have been maintaining the house itself fairly well, and I have gotten much faster at getting the house ready for a showing. But now there is a whole OUTSIDE of the house to deal with.
In the 2 dozen showings, we have only had one small comment about the yard (someone who loved the house and were considering making an offer, but didn't want a pool). Otherwise, we haven't had any comments, positive or negative. But of course you always want to put your best foot forward, and the yard is the first thing you see when you pull up to the house.
Let me tell ya...I thought that the snow was rough. And it was. But I will take the snow over all of this that I do now!
The Grass
I now have to mow the lawn. I hadn't done this in over 20 years. We have a basic walk-behind type mower, and once I got the hang of it, it was fine. Takes me about 45 min to mow everything. The lawn gets mowed about once a week. I hate when I mow on Sunday, then we have a showing on Wednesday....the lawn isn't ready to be mowed again, but it has lost its freshly mowed look. But I can't control when the showings are, or the weather. So I mow it when it needs it and I can.
I had to spray weed killer, and couldn't get the hose to stretch to the back of the yard, so I did the best I could. I probably got about 3/4 of the property. The way back of the yard wasn't too bad, so I didn't stress about it.
I am afraid of the weed whacker, and G-man has already said it is very heavy and hard to handle. Yeah, I am not going there. So....the areas that I can't reach with the mower.....I cut with scissors! Yes, I cut the edge with scissors. I feel stupid, but it is better than screwing it all up with the weed whacker. Snip, snip, snip. It is mostly along the edges where we have the flowers and we built it up with pavers.
The Front Porch
I am going to repaint the porch, as the snow shovel and snow beat it up a little. Or more specifically, the 1/3 of the porch near the door got a little beat. The other 2/3 of it is fine, but since I will be painting, I might as well do the whole thing. We have extra paint, so no expense...just time. That will be Memorial Day weekend, since the likelihood of showings will be low, and it will have an extra day to dry. I also bought spray paint to freshen the mailbox and the wreath hanger on the door. I added a planter to the porch with flowers, so it looks more home-y.
The Deck
The deck really needs to be reboarded, but we weren't about to start that now. Then came the idea to restain it (putting lipstick on a pig, as my husband said). Research showed that would require WAY more work than I could do in a short period of time (I could use the "shortcut" stain and not sand the floor, but couldn't use that product for the lattice that surrounds the deck. The lattice required a different product, and that would require sanding). Just for giggles, I called a few places and found out it would be about $2000 to have someone come do it (dealing with those guys on the phone was a delight).
OK...so that isn't going to work. So the final decision was to "stage" the deck. Any money we put into this project would at least be for "us" as we would take it all with us. I moved our conversation chairs to the upper deck (which surrounds the pool), and bought 2 expensive side tables. I made some placemat pillows that we put out for showings (I haven't had a chance to waterproof them, so they move inside and out), along with some candles. For the lower deck, we bought a patio set and 2 trips to Home Depot to get it home and several hours to put it together (nothing lined up, I had to order a replacement part for a defective part...then they sent the wrong part...) and we have a more put together look. I got some stuff to dress the table, a few pots for plants, more placemat pillows. I even got a rug (the rug still needs some pizazz, which I am hoping will be a project for this weekend). Total cost....$550.
When we have a showing, I sweep it all, wipe all the tables, set the table, place the pillows. It helps distract from the deck that needs a facelift.
I really didn't want to buy this stuff. No one has said that the deck was a negative. But I was also looking at trying to sell a "lifestyle." Sitting on the deck with your beverage of choice, taking a dip in the pool. Still, I wasn't thrilled spending the money. It came from our "moving" savings, so no new debt.
The Flowers/Follage Beds
I planted some annuals in the front (a few didn't make it....sad). I still need to dig out some of the built up mulch and put fresh mulch down. We also have large beds on the sides of the property that have follage, and now I am dealing with cleaning those out as well. Weeds, sticks, misc stuff.
My peonies are on the "unused" side of the house, and they aren't even close to blooming yet. But another Memorial Day project will be cleaning up that side of the house.
Darn weeds....you pluck them...and they come back! Why can't this be a "one and done" type project?
But alas.....none of this compares to the biggest adventure....and probably the one thing that is turning out to be the deciding fate.....The Pool. Remember I said that something happened? Remember I said be careful what you wish for????
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
The House - part 1
I had to break this topic into 3 parts.....yeah, it got that long and complicated. Heck, this is just part 1, and it is already too long.
I have been hoping for SOMETHING to happen that would set us on a path. While the house has been on the market, we are just at a crossroads. We can't move forward. We can't move back. We just sit and wait for something to happen. Be careful for what you wish for....or in the least....be careful how you word your wishes....
Many people over the past months have said to me to "just" rent out the house. "Just" has turned into my least favorite word. Nothing is JUST. There is a much larger picture. Maybe it is a blessing...or a curse...to be able to see the next ten steps in these cases, but it isn't as easy as JUST doing it. All decisions have consequences.
We considered renting out the CT house for August 1. In this scenario, we would be forced to also rent a home in our new location. If we wanted the kids to start school there, August 1 would be the drop dead date to have moved (school starts 2 weeks later). They would only have one year at their new school, and then they will be in high school. Bossy has his "triennial" testing due (by law, the school has to test Special Education students every 3 years....and it is a huge ordeal), and this will determine how we structure his high school program. So it is important that we stay in the same district.
This leads us to a very narrow area to look at. And in that area, rentals are not plentiful. We have been looking. It isn't even the cost....there just aren't many rentals. Additionally, we have no idea how long we would be there....hopefully only a year. But depending on what happened here, it could be longer. Also, the owners of that house could be trying to sell as well, and may decide to not renew a lease. This would require another move, and if we are trying to stay in the same area, once again our options would be very limited. So this whole scenario is very up in the air.
But back to renting out our house here....
Being 800 miles away, we would not be able to monitor the house. If a faucet leaked, we couldn't come over and fix it. And if the house was on the market....we would be at the mercy of the tenants. None of these things are good. So we contacted property management companies to find out how their services worked.
Basically, they get paid a "finders fee" of one month rent (we could get around this by going through our realtor to find a tenant, but then the management company is absolved of any "bad tenant" issues since they were not part of the vetting process). Then they would charge us about $150 per month for their services, and realistically for most months...all they would do is collect rent, take their share, and then forward the remainder. They would really "earn" their money if something went wrong with the house. We would also have to keep $500 in a "maintenance" account to draw from for basic repairs. (If the tenant turned out to be a pain, this account could disappear fast). A major repair (such as the furnace dying)....then they would charge us 5% above the cost of the repair to put it on a CC, or we could forfeit our rent money until the repair was paid for. (In this scenario, we would then be covering the mortgage on the house until the repair was done, in addition to the monthly rent we would be paying for the house we were living in).
Additionally, we would still have the pool to deal with. They would not assume any liability of the pool (which we figured). They also treat the pool the same as you would if you were renting an apartment that had pool facilities....AKA the landlords are responsible for the day to day upkeep of the pool. That would require hiring a pool company who would charge about $600 for opening and closing the pool, and another $1200-$2400 to maintain the pool (depending if we went with weekly or bi-weekly service).
We didn't even get to the insurance portion of it....because our insurance would also change. Some people told us it would go down, since it wouldn't be an owner-occupied dwelling. Some said it would go up because of the liability of the pool.
PLUS, if we tried to sell the house toward the end of the lease, the management company would not ask the tenants to deal with showing and such (the promise of quiet and peaceful living), so we would have to wait for them to be out, then show the house empty, and assume the monthly cost of the house until it sold, or then have to get another tenant. We were also told that most people won't want a 1-year only lease (because "you know, it is expensive and time consuming to move"....gee, really??? I didn't know that.....) And if all of that wasn't already rainbows and sunshine....we were also told that many people who know that a lease is only for a year may stop paying rent toward the end because they know that an eviction process takes time, and they will be gone anyway. We would then have to chase after them for the back rent, and in most cases it is such a hassle that people give up, and if they do pursue it...it is questionable if we ever would really see the money.
We did not talk about lease to own, because we were already at a point where we were beyond a financial point that we could handle. The average rent for our type of house would just about cover our mortgage, but then we would be kicking in $150 a month to the management company, and almost $2000 (which would be all paid in a 3-4 month time frame) for the pool (probably more, because the water bill would come after a tenant would leave, and we would end up responsible for that).
So we made the very hard decision that the kids and I would stay in CT until the house sold. We can always re-evaluate as we go, but for now, we will continue to live our separate CT/NC lives. We are having to change our game plan for the kids, since now we will probably be here for the summer and into the fall .
Unless something changes with the house....wait.....something has changed with the house. Stay tuned.
I have been hoping for SOMETHING to happen that would set us on a path. While the house has been on the market, we are just at a crossroads. We can't move forward. We can't move back. We just sit and wait for something to happen. Be careful for what you wish for....or in the least....be careful how you word your wishes....
Renting out the house
Many people over the past months have said to me to "just" rent out the house. "Just" has turned into my least favorite word. Nothing is JUST. There is a much larger picture. Maybe it is a blessing...or a curse...to be able to see the next ten steps in these cases, but it isn't as easy as JUST doing it. All decisions have consequences.
We considered renting out the CT house for August 1. In this scenario, we would be forced to also rent a home in our new location. If we wanted the kids to start school there, August 1 would be the drop dead date to have moved (school starts 2 weeks later). They would only have one year at their new school, and then they will be in high school. Bossy has his "triennial" testing due (by law, the school has to test Special Education students every 3 years....and it is a huge ordeal), and this will determine how we structure his high school program. So it is important that we stay in the same district.
This leads us to a very narrow area to look at. And in that area, rentals are not plentiful. We have been looking. It isn't even the cost....there just aren't many rentals. Additionally, we have no idea how long we would be there....hopefully only a year. But depending on what happened here, it could be longer. Also, the owners of that house could be trying to sell as well, and may decide to not renew a lease. This would require another move, and if we are trying to stay in the same area, once again our options would be very limited. So this whole scenario is very up in the air.
But back to renting out our house here....
Being 800 miles away, we would not be able to monitor the house. If a faucet leaked, we couldn't come over and fix it. And if the house was on the market....we would be at the mercy of the tenants. None of these things are good. So we contacted property management companies to find out how their services worked.
Basically, they get paid a "finders fee" of one month rent (we could get around this by going through our realtor to find a tenant, but then the management company is absolved of any "bad tenant" issues since they were not part of the vetting process). Then they would charge us about $150 per month for their services, and realistically for most months...all they would do is collect rent, take their share, and then forward the remainder. They would really "earn" their money if something went wrong with the house. We would also have to keep $500 in a "maintenance" account to draw from for basic repairs. (If the tenant turned out to be a pain, this account could disappear fast). A major repair (such as the furnace dying)....then they would charge us 5% above the cost of the repair to put it on a CC, or we could forfeit our rent money until the repair was paid for. (In this scenario, we would then be covering the mortgage on the house until the repair was done, in addition to the monthly rent we would be paying for the house we were living in).
Additionally, we would still have the pool to deal with. They would not assume any liability of the pool (which we figured). They also treat the pool the same as you would if you were renting an apartment that had pool facilities....AKA the landlords are responsible for the day to day upkeep of the pool. That would require hiring a pool company who would charge about $600 for opening and closing the pool, and another $1200-$2400 to maintain the pool (depending if we went with weekly or bi-weekly service).
We didn't even get to the insurance portion of it....because our insurance would also change. Some people told us it would go down, since it wouldn't be an owner-occupied dwelling. Some said it would go up because of the liability of the pool.
PLUS, if we tried to sell the house toward the end of the lease, the management company would not ask the tenants to deal with showing and such (the promise of quiet and peaceful living), so we would have to wait for them to be out, then show the house empty, and assume the monthly cost of the house until it sold, or then have to get another tenant. We were also told that most people won't want a 1-year only lease (because "you know, it is expensive and time consuming to move"....gee, really??? I didn't know that.....) And if all of that wasn't already rainbows and sunshine....we were also told that many people who know that a lease is only for a year may stop paying rent toward the end because they know that an eviction process takes time, and they will be gone anyway. We would then have to chase after them for the back rent, and in most cases it is such a hassle that people give up, and if they do pursue it...it is questionable if we ever would really see the money.
We did not talk about lease to own, because we were already at a point where we were beyond a financial point that we could handle. The average rent for our type of house would just about cover our mortgage, but then we would be kicking in $150 a month to the management company, and almost $2000 (which would be all paid in a 3-4 month time frame) for the pool (probably more, because the water bill would come after a tenant would leave, and we would end up responsible for that).
So we made the very hard decision that the kids and I would stay in CT until the house sold. We can always re-evaluate as we go, but for now, we will continue to live our separate CT/NC lives. We are having to change our game plan for the kids, since now we will probably be here for the summer and into the fall .
Unless something changes with the house....wait.....something has changed with the house. Stay tuned.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
3rd Reset Anniversary - the talking part
Happy 3-year reset anniversary to us! For those who don't know....the quick version is this is when we took out the current retirement loan to consolidate high interest credit cards and were at an all time high of debt.
Some day I will actually figure out how much debt we have paid, since it has gone up and down. For example...we paid off G-man's car in 2011....and then bought my car in 2011, and his current car in 2013. Just those 2 purchases added about $19,000 of debt that wasn't part of the original number back in 2009 when I started tracking. And as a side tangent...I wish I had tracked certain things better...
This past year has definitely brought about changes. It was June 2014 that a possible move came into play (and as an aside....having talked about a move for a year is REALLY tedious). Once this was on the table, we had to rethink plans. It was late August 2014 that G-man was offered the job, and our house went on the market a few weeks later. We spent money prepping the house for sale (and lots and lots of hours cleaning things out!!). We had to build up a buffer of money for him to draw from, start planning for a change in salary, and figure out how to pay for a move. All of this really drove the major decisions.
My car decided to break down in January, to the tune of almost $2,000. Yeah, that was fun.
We also spent about $900 sending Sassy to Quebec....a choice that I am 1000% happy we did, and I know that the 4 days she spent will go down as some of her favorite memories. She experienced things that she may never get to experience again.
Over the year, there were quick dinners out because of poor planning and impulse purchases here and there (nothing major...but little things can add up). There were things that I did for myself that weren't budgeted for, but I needed to do for my self-esteem, sanity, and to drag myself up from the bottom of the hierarchy of importance (why am I ok buying shoes for my husband when his are falling apart....but I am not ok buying a pair for myself when mine are?)
For good or for bad, these were just some of the things that impact our newest numbers.
A little over a year ago, I was hoping this total would be under 40k. Part of that plan was using part of G-man's second job pay and using any bonuses (as small and few as they are), tax returns, etc to make some large payments. After looking at the numbers (which will be revealed Monday!), we would have been in the ballpark if the move wasn't happening. I have played with numbers just to see where the most "bang for our buck" would have been if we used that money for debt. I really never decided what I would do....but it was sort of fun playing around with it.
And here is my usual disclaimer: We are not gazzelle intense. There have been choices along the way that we made that we felt were in the best interest of our family. You don't have to agree, and you don't have to do what I have done. We have made mistakes. We are human. We have worked within our income to find a repayment system that we can live with. And no....I don't lose sleep over any of this at this point.
Until we move, there is too much that is unsettled. I am not willing to do anything MAJOR at the moment to change any of this. Each month we make a payment. No big surprises in there. No "killing it" with some gigantic payment. We took a paycut when G-man left....and while his new part time job is helping with the "extra" stuff that we save for....his base salary took a hit. We simply don't have anything more to put toward this.
We are paying bills that are not part of the cost of living for where he is earning his salary. $300 oil bills don't exist there. Gas and food are less expensive. Taxes are less expensive. I can't change this. And consumption isn't the issue...the fact that they exist is enough.
So right now....outside of this annual updates...the month to month stuff is boring. There isn't anything to talk about. This is about as exciting as watching paint dry (well...I guess that could be exciting if you are re-doing a room and can't wait to get all the decorating done).
I think this will be my last full update for awhile, simply because it is boring. I may highlight something as we go....if we hit a milestone or something. But otherwise, I will update the sidebar, and there ya go. As a whole....the number is down. I don't want to say too much about the numbers without showing you the numbers....because there is something to talk about as a whole this time. So come back Monday for the number reveal!
Some day I will actually figure out how much debt we have paid, since it has gone up and down. For example...we paid off G-man's car in 2011....and then bought my car in 2011, and his current car in 2013. Just those 2 purchases added about $19,000 of debt that wasn't part of the original number back in 2009 when I started tracking. And as a side tangent...I wish I had tracked certain things better...
This past year has definitely brought about changes. It was June 2014 that a possible move came into play (and as an aside....having talked about a move for a year is REALLY tedious). Once this was on the table, we had to rethink plans. It was late August 2014 that G-man was offered the job, and our house went on the market a few weeks later. We spent money prepping the house for sale (and lots and lots of hours cleaning things out!!). We had to build up a buffer of money for him to draw from, start planning for a change in salary, and figure out how to pay for a move. All of this really drove the major decisions.
My car decided to break down in January, to the tune of almost $2,000. Yeah, that was fun.
We also spent about $900 sending Sassy to Quebec....a choice that I am 1000% happy we did, and I know that the 4 days she spent will go down as some of her favorite memories. She experienced things that she may never get to experience again.
Over the year, there were quick dinners out because of poor planning and impulse purchases here and there (nothing major...but little things can add up). There were things that I did for myself that weren't budgeted for, but I needed to do for my self-esteem, sanity, and to drag myself up from the bottom of the hierarchy of importance (why am I ok buying shoes for my husband when his are falling apart....but I am not ok buying a pair for myself when mine are?)
For good or for bad, these were just some of the things that impact our newest numbers.
A little over a year ago, I was hoping this total would be under 40k. Part of that plan was using part of G-man's second job pay and using any bonuses (as small and few as they are), tax returns, etc to make some large payments. After looking at the numbers (which will be revealed Monday!), we would have been in the ballpark if the move wasn't happening. I have played with numbers just to see where the most "bang for our buck" would have been if we used that money for debt. I really never decided what I would do....but it was sort of fun playing around with it.
And here is my usual disclaimer: We are not gazzelle intense. There have been choices along the way that we made that we felt were in the best interest of our family. You don't have to agree, and you don't have to do what I have done. We have made mistakes. We are human. We have worked within our income to find a repayment system that we can live with. And no....I don't lose sleep over any of this at this point.
Until we move, there is too much that is unsettled. I am not willing to do anything MAJOR at the moment to change any of this. Each month we make a payment. No big surprises in there. No "killing it" with some gigantic payment. We took a paycut when G-man left....and while his new part time job is helping with the "extra" stuff that we save for....his base salary took a hit. We simply don't have anything more to put toward this.
We are paying bills that are not part of the cost of living for where he is earning his salary. $300 oil bills don't exist there. Gas and food are less expensive. Taxes are less expensive. I can't change this. And consumption isn't the issue...the fact that they exist is enough.
So right now....outside of this annual updates...the month to month stuff is boring. There isn't anything to talk about. This is about as exciting as watching paint dry (well...I guess that could be exciting if you are re-doing a room and can't wait to get all the decorating done).
I think this will be my last full update for awhile, simply because it is boring. I may highlight something as we go....if we hit a milestone or something. But otherwise, I will update the sidebar, and there ya go. As a whole....the number is down. I don't want to say too much about the numbers without showing you the numbers....because there is something to talk about as a whole this time. So come back Monday for the number reveal!
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Remember Me? Busy and Boring
It has been 2 weeks since I posted! April has been BUSY! The short and to-the-point summary is....we are fine, nothing has changed. Life is just BUSY! Additionally....life is sort of "boring." Busy and boring? Yep. Busy because all the usual things just take up time. Boring because it is all the same ole, same ole.
So in an attempt to fill you in on the busy and the boring, here is a very long, not very interesting update!
More showings, nothing new to speak of. Met with the realtor last week, and we are talking about dropping the price in a few weeks. We want to give Spring Home Buyers a little time (considering there are still areas with SNOW....not us, but some areas). We have also discussed listing the house as" buy or rent", but we aren't ready to do it yet. Renting out the house here pretty much seals the deal that we won't be able to buy a new house, and I am not ready to give up yet. We are getting closer to the deadline where that decision needs to be made.
Again, renting out the house here is just a laundry list of issues (management company, pool liability, no control how the house looks when it goes back on the market...just to name a few). And renting a new house locks us in to a small area in regards to school when we are ready to buy, we have to move again, not being able to make a real "forever"home. Ugh. We have thought about a rent-to-own option (on both ends), if it is available and we are able to find a house that we would want to do this with.
The frenzy of a few weeks ago has unleashed its wrath on me. I knew this was coming. But it is making for very full days, and a constant feeling of being "behind." Nothing is late, but I can't seem to find the bottom of any pile. Anytime I do, it just fills up 2 hrs later. Additionally, other staff members are "behind" so then they spend a few hours playing catch up, and then DUMP EVERYTHING on me. I get hours upon hours of work dumped in a matter of seconds. And there are 12 full time people.....you do the math.
I took off 1.5 days, and my desk looked like a paper factory exploded. I have another day off in 2 weeks, and the timing of it is horrible. But right now, it won't matter WHAT day I take, it will always be horrible. So I am taking the day for myself, and that is that. I have been bring work home in the evenings and on the weekend to make up for my time off, and so far, I have been able to mostly make up my time. Good for the pay check. My upcoming day off is the first day of the payperiod, so I will have plenty of time to squeeze in the "extra" hours.
Both are fine.
Sassy is really turning into a moody little thing. Welcome to teenage years. She can be this incredibly sweet girl...and then BAM! ATT-I-TUDE. I think part of it is age...part of it is just being sick of being here and not with Dad. She also isn't eating well. She says she isn't hungry. This has been going on for months. I spoke to her doctor at her last check-up, and the doctor talked to her about the importance of eating. She is growing and healthy....she just "forgets" to eat unless I remind her...especially on the weekends.
Bossy completed 2 Merit Badges for scouts this month, and should be getting a total of 4 at June's Court of Honor. Braces are going well so far. His eating has decreased....so I am fighting to make sure he eats enough. He is on this kick where he thinks we should get a snake....NO. Not a chance in all that is good and green that this is gonna happen.
He came home for a visit last week, and left this past Tuesday. It was rough. We all fell into the "routine" of having Dad home, and having to say goodbye again was difficult on all of us. We were able to accomplish all of our Dad To-Do list in a week though:
Family Time: We each got a 1-on-1 date with Dad. Plus, as a family, we went to the trampoline park, outlet shopping (these darn growing kids!!), and a beautiful nature hike. PLUS family dinners, hanging out and watching favorite tv shows, and the kids were able to play basketball, help him with some yard stuff, and misc other stuff while I was at work. Orange Kitty needed 3 teeth removed, so we also had that done (I am a wuss...I was so afraid something "bad" would happen with the cat and then I would be on my own to deal with my own grief and help the kids with their grief....so I waited to do the surgery while he was here.) And while not "family" time...G-man also got a night out with his peeps from his old office (I was invited along...but declined. Hanging out with his work friends when I don't really know them, and they would just be talking about work stuff....no thanks.)
House Stuff: G-man changed out the storm windows back to screens, turned on the water to the outside faucet, put out the patio furniture. He did some yard work, helped me get ready for the 2 showings we had while he was home, and just helped with the day-to-day stuff. Plus, he and I went through stuff in the attic that we hadn't gotten to yet....most of which was donated. We have a big pile of "trash" that will need to go out a little at a time as we can fit it in the trash can. The attic looks terrific....it looked good before....now it is even better.
Moving Stuff: We met with the realtor (see above). We did alot of talking about next steps. He was able to bring our attic stuff to Goodwill, so that cleared more space and is a tax write off.
We are nearing the "reset" anniversary date, so stay tuned for that....I am hoping to have a milestone to report...but not sure yet. I don't think it will happen, but I may be able to jockey a few things. In general...there isn't much to say. The bills come....I pay them. Until after the move, there isn't going to be alot of "effort" here. Our pay cut has left the day to day budget incredibly tight, so I just do what I have to do. With the exception of the credit card, which is more "variable" in payment....everything else is on autopilot. The balances go down each month...nothing exciting to report.
That's it folks. I wish I had something interesting to say...but I really don't. I am in this holding pattern that is driving me batty. I really am looking forward to moving FORWARD. But in the meantime...I might be scarce. Unless there is something you would like to know. Let me know!
So in an attempt to fill you in on the busy and the boring, here is a very long, not very interesting update!
House/Moving
More showings, nothing new to speak of. Met with the realtor last week, and we are talking about dropping the price in a few weeks. We want to give Spring Home Buyers a little time (considering there are still areas with SNOW....not us, but some areas). We have also discussed listing the house as" buy or rent", but we aren't ready to do it yet. Renting out the house here pretty much seals the deal that we won't be able to buy a new house, and I am not ready to give up yet. We are getting closer to the deadline where that decision needs to be made.
Again, renting out the house here is just a laundry list of issues (management company, pool liability, no control how the house looks when it goes back on the market...just to name a few). And renting a new house locks us in to a small area in regards to school when we are ready to buy, we have to move again, not being able to make a real "forever"home. Ugh. We have thought about a rent-to-own option (on both ends), if it is available and we are able to find a house that we would want to do this with.
Work
The frenzy of a few weeks ago has unleashed its wrath on me. I knew this was coming. But it is making for very full days, and a constant feeling of being "behind." Nothing is late, but I can't seem to find the bottom of any pile. Anytime I do, it just fills up 2 hrs later. Additionally, other staff members are "behind" so then they spend a few hours playing catch up, and then DUMP EVERYTHING on me. I get hours upon hours of work dumped in a matter of seconds. And there are 12 full time people.....you do the math.
I took off 1.5 days, and my desk looked like a paper factory exploded. I have another day off in 2 weeks, and the timing of it is horrible. But right now, it won't matter WHAT day I take, it will always be horrible. So I am taking the day for myself, and that is that. I have been bring work home in the evenings and on the weekend to make up for my time off, and so far, I have been able to mostly make up my time. Good for the pay check. My upcoming day off is the first day of the payperiod, so I will have plenty of time to squeeze in the "extra" hours.
Kids
Both are fine.
Sassy is really turning into a moody little thing. Welcome to teenage years. She can be this incredibly sweet girl...and then BAM! ATT-I-TUDE. I think part of it is age...part of it is just being sick of being here and not with Dad. She also isn't eating well. She says she isn't hungry. This has been going on for months. I spoke to her doctor at her last check-up, and the doctor talked to her about the importance of eating. She is growing and healthy....she just "forgets" to eat unless I remind her...especially on the weekends.
Bossy completed 2 Merit Badges for scouts this month, and should be getting a total of 4 at June's Court of Honor. Braces are going well so far. His eating has decreased....so I am fighting to make sure he eats enough. He is on this kick where he thinks we should get a snake....NO. Not a chance in all that is good and green that this is gonna happen.
G-man's Visit
He came home for a visit last week, and left this past Tuesday. It was rough. We all fell into the "routine" of having Dad home, and having to say goodbye again was difficult on all of us. We were able to accomplish all of our Dad To-Do list in a week though:
Family Time: We each got a 1-on-1 date with Dad. Plus, as a family, we went to the trampoline park, outlet shopping (these darn growing kids!!), and a beautiful nature hike. PLUS family dinners, hanging out and watching favorite tv shows, and the kids were able to play basketball, help him with some yard stuff, and misc other stuff while I was at work. Orange Kitty needed 3 teeth removed, so we also had that done (I am a wuss...I was so afraid something "bad" would happen with the cat and then I would be on my own to deal with my own grief and help the kids with their grief....so I waited to do the surgery while he was here.) And while not "family" time...G-man also got a night out with his peeps from his old office (I was invited along...but declined. Hanging out with his work friends when I don't really know them, and they would just be talking about work stuff....no thanks.)
House Stuff: G-man changed out the storm windows back to screens, turned on the water to the outside faucet, put out the patio furniture. He did some yard work, helped me get ready for the 2 showings we had while he was home, and just helped with the day-to-day stuff. Plus, he and I went through stuff in the attic that we hadn't gotten to yet....most of which was donated. We have a big pile of "trash" that will need to go out a little at a time as we can fit it in the trash can. The attic looks terrific....it looked good before....now it is even better.
Moving Stuff: We met with the realtor (see above). We did alot of talking about next steps. He was able to bring our attic stuff to Goodwill, so that cleared more space and is a tax write off.
Finances
We are nearing the "reset" anniversary date, so stay tuned for that....I am hoping to have a milestone to report...but not sure yet. I don't think it will happen, but I may be able to jockey a few things. In general...there isn't much to say. The bills come....I pay them. Until after the move, there isn't going to be alot of "effort" here. Our pay cut has left the day to day budget incredibly tight, so I just do what I have to do. With the exception of the credit card, which is more "variable" in payment....everything else is on autopilot. The balances go down each month...nothing exciting to report.
That's it folks. I wish I had something interesting to say...but I really don't. I am in this holding pattern that is driving me batty. I really am looking forward to moving FORWARD. But in the meantime...I might be scarce. Unless there is something you would like to know. Let me know!
Friday, March 20, 2015
Follow-up
WOW! I had no idea so many people would weigh in on the St. Joseph concept. My take away from the discussion was that it really is the power of belief and faith, along with positive thinking, not necessarily St. Joseph himself that is the key. I also found it interesting the number of people who had never heard of this, including Catholics! It sort of makes you wonder how traditions are started and spread......that is a whole other concept, but an interesting one. Any Anthropologists out there??? I am still not inclined to actually go through the ritual, but maybe I will explore other rituals that are more in line with my personal beliefs. So thank you for all of that!
A few people made some comment that I did want to address.
The Price. We had many discussions about the price. The price was set based on several things, one of which includes our current mortgage. But it also was based on the fact that our property is about 2x the size of alot of the properties in our neighborhood, and bigger than most of the properties in the "comp" area. We also have a deck and pool (which could be a negative as well....but it really comes down to a buyer). It is also NOT in disrepair (more on this in a minute).
The discussion we had (between us, and with the realtor) was that if we set the price where we did, and we weren't getting traffic, then we would have to assume it was the price. If we were getting activity, then we would then assume that the price wasn't the barrier. If people are willing to look at the house, then from the start they are willing to spend this amount of money on a house, even if it this isn't THE house for them after they have seen it.
We dropped the price in November. But we also knew when we put our house on the market that we were looking at a long haul. Unless the house sold by October, we were probably not going to sell it until Spring. No one wants to move during the holidays. And January and February in New England are really not prime either!
But here we are at Mid-March, and this IS the time that people want to buy and move. I am just a little weary after a long winter.
The buyer doesn't care about our personal situation....totally get that. We aren't trying to make money on this house. We just need to clear the mortgage. If the house doesn't sell as we get further into the spring, then more discussions will be had. But right now...here is where we are.
Condition. One commenter (unpublished) assumed that my house is in such a state of disrepair and that we are refusing to fix things! NO!!!!
My house is NOT in disrepair. Disrepair means that things are broken. Nothing is broken. Anything that was broken was fixed (such as a cracked window pane). In fact, all of the comments we have had from the showings have commented that the house is very clean and well maintained.
My house needs some UPGRADING by today's tastes. We do not have granite countertops or 42" cherry cabinets or glass tile backsplashes. If that is what you are looking for, that is NOT in this house. And as the realtor has said, if that is what you are wanting.....then you are looking in the wrong price range to start with.
But the cabinets are not falling apart. The floors are not rotted. The appliances work (even though they are older). With the exception of the kitchen, the house has a neutral color scheme (ok...Sassy's room screams 12 year old girl....). There is nothing that a new buyer HAS to do to make the house livable.....but all people want to put their personal stamp on things. I fully expect a new homeowner will paint, or rip out the vanity in the downstairs bathroom (which was Golden Oak and we painted about 5 years ago...but stylistically it is an older vanity). We have older items....but they still are in working condition.
I have complained about my house....and if that has led people to think it is worse than it it....I am sorry. But in reality, the house is fine. It just doesn't suit us anymore. In 2001, it was perfect. In 2015, not as much. If we were staying here forever, then we would upgrade things in the coming years. But we aren't staying. And ripping out a kitchen to put in a cheap upgrade isn't the answer to selling the house. All that looks like is that we put a cheap upgrade in.
We originally were going to take the house off the market for the winter and put it back on, well...NOW. The realtor talked us into leaving it on the market. That was a mistake. Yes, we had alot of traffic in January and February. But I think most of those buyer were new to looking at homes, and weren't ready to buy yet. Plus, the added pressure of the weather made it very difficult. If we had left it off, I would still be where I am....just less weary.
So here we are....Spring this weekend (but we will still have snow on the ground, and 2"-4" coming later today!). I will trade my snow shovel for a lawnmower in a few weeks. We can't do any planting for awhile, as it typically is May before we get past the frost point. Once we are able to, I look forward to putting a few plants in the front yard, taking out the patio furniture, and doing some sprucing up outside after the winter. I probably will get a Spring Wreath for the front door.
Inside, I think some fresh air will be lovely, when we can open the windows again! I already have a "spring" set of curtains (ok...they are actually table runners we use as curtains!) for the living room that will go up this weekend, and I may get some new "spring" hand towels for the kitchen.
So come on Spring....come on buyers!
A few people made some comment that I did want to address.
The Price. We had many discussions about the price. The price was set based on several things, one of which includes our current mortgage. But it also was based on the fact that our property is about 2x the size of alot of the properties in our neighborhood, and bigger than most of the properties in the "comp" area. We also have a deck and pool (which could be a negative as well....but it really comes down to a buyer). It is also NOT in disrepair (more on this in a minute).
The discussion we had (between us, and with the realtor) was that if we set the price where we did, and we weren't getting traffic, then we would have to assume it was the price. If we were getting activity, then we would then assume that the price wasn't the barrier. If people are willing to look at the house, then from the start they are willing to spend this amount of money on a house, even if it this isn't THE house for them after they have seen it.
We dropped the price in November. But we also knew when we put our house on the market that we were looking at a long haul. Unless the house sold by October, we were probably not going to sell it until Spring. No one wants to move during the holidays. And January and February in New England are really not prime either!
But here we are at Mid-March, and this IS the time that people want to buy and move. I am just a little weary after a long winter.
The buyer doesn't care about our personal situation....totally get that. We aren't trying to make money on this house. We just need to clear the mortgage. If the house doesn't sell as we get further into the spring, then more discussions will be had. But right now...here is where we are.
Condition. One commenter (unpublished) assumed that my house is in such a state of disrepair and that we are refusing to fix things! NO!!!!
My house is NOT in disrepair. Disrepair means that things are broken. Nothing is broken. Anything that was broken was fixed (such as a cracked window pane). In fact, all of the comments we have had from the showings have commented that the house is very clean and well maintained.
My house needs some UPGRADING by today's tastes. We do not have granite countertops or 42" cherry cabinets or glass tile backsplashes. If that is what you are looking for, that is NOT in this house. And as the realtor has said, if that is what you are wanting.....then you are looking in the wrong price range to start with.
But the cabinets are not falling apart. The floors are not rotted. The appliances work (even though they are older). With the exception of the kitchen, the house has a neutral color scheme (ok...Sassy's room screams 12 year old girl....). There is nothing that a new buyer HAS to do to make the house livable.....but all people want to put their personal stamp on things. I fully expect a new homeowner will paint, or rip out the vanity in the downstairs bathroom (which was Golden Oak and we painted about 5 years ago...but stylistically it is an older vanity). We have older items....but they still are in working condition.
I have complained about my house....and if that has led people to think it is worse than it it....I am sorry. But in reality, the house is fine. It just doesn't suit us anymore. In 2001, it was perfect. In 2015, not as much. If we were staying here forever, then we would upgrade things in the coming years. But we aren't staying. And ripping out a kitchen to put in a cheap upgrade isn't the answer to selling the house. All that looks like is that we put a cheap upgrade in.
We originally were going to take the house off the market for the winter and put it back on, well...NOW. The realtor talked us into leaving it on the market. That was a mistake. Yes, we had alot of traffic in January and February. But I think most of those buyer were new to looking at homes, and weren't ready to buy yet. Plus, the added pressure of the weather made it very difficult. If we had left it off, I would still be where I am....just less weary.
So here we are....Spring this weekend (but we will still have snow on the ground, and 2"-4" coming later today!). I will trade my snow shovel for a lawnmower in a few weeks. We can't do any planting for awhile, as it typically is May before we get past the frost point. Once we are able to, I look forward to putting a few plants in the front yard, taking out the patio furniture, and doing some sprucing up outside after the winter. I probably will get a Spring Wreath for the front door.
Inside, I think some fresh air will be lovely, when we can open the windows again! I already have a "spring" set of curtains (ok...they are actually table runners we use as curtains!) for the living room that will go up this weekend, and I may get some new "spring" hand towels for the kitchen.
So come on Spring....come on buyers!
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
So...how did I do???
First off...a huge shout out to my incredible son! He did soooo well at the orthodontist. I am just so proud of him. We were at the orthodontist for just under 2 hrs, and emerged with a mouth full of braces, with green and orange bands (no idea why he picked those...whatever!). We will go back in 6 weeks for our first check up. In the meantime, he will just need to learn how to talk with them, brushing more carefully, etc.
We had soft tacos, his favorite, for dinner and I have not really heard any complaints out of him. He looks so grown up now......my little boy is disappearing before my eyes and he is becoming a young man. *sigh*
***
So my Get 'Er Done day started at home before the orthodontist. I did about an hour of work I brought home with me, which set the pace for the day.
While at the appointment, I did another 45 min of work, and then spent 45 min balancing the checkbook. I didn't quite finish, so that carried over to home. I dropped Bossy off at school about 11am, which left me 4 hrs of "quiet" before the kids came home.
Once home....my time just flew by. I finished the checkbook (which included having to figure out why I was SO off....I subtracted something instead of adding....so once I fixed that error, we were good to go). Paid some bills...always fun.
Then it was phone call time.
(and just a note on the tax refund...a few hundred will go toward a trip home for G-man in April, unless we are moving sooner than later....then we will just wait. The remainder will go toward moving expenses....and between what we have saved and what we are getting back...we will be able to pay for the move in CASH!! But boy would I have loved to put it to debt....)
In the middle of all of this...I was doing laundry, dishes, ate lunch (which was late, then I wasn't hungry at dinner, but then got hungry at 8pm and ate cereal).
Before I knew it, it was time to start dinner (tacos). Right after dinner, I made dinner for tonight (green chile chicken casserole). I even deboned some chicken thighs (saved the bones for stock!) and prepped those for dinner another night. I wanted to make meatballs for the freezer, but I had to move on to other stuff.
I still had more "work" to do, so I spent just over an hour on that (totally not the most efficient way of breaking it all up...but that is how it ended up). I finally "stopped" at 8:30pm. I had some pots in the sink that I should have done, another load of laundry to fold, and a zillion other things. But 14.5 hrs of just about solid work and I was done.
I am glad that I took the day off, even if it was unpaid. I am still not caught up, but I am better than I was. I am shooting for truly CAUGHT UP by the end of the weekend. I guess we will see.
We had soft tacos, his favorite, for dinner and I have not really heard any complaints out of him. He looks so grown up now......my little boy is disappearing before my eyes and he is becoming a young man. *sigh*
***
So my Get 'Er Done day started at home before the orthodontist. I did about an hour of work I brought home with me, which set the pace for the day.
While at the appointment, I did another 45 min of work, and then spent 45 min balancing the checkbook. I didn't quite finish, so that carried over to home. I dropped Bossy off at school about 11am, which left me 4 hrs of "quiet" before the kids came home.
Once home....my time just flew by. I finished the checkbook (which included having to figure out why I was SO off....I subtracted something instead of adding....so once I fixed that error, we were good to go). Paid some bills...always fun.
Then it was phone call time.
- Check on blood work that was done....all normal (I told ya, Doc!!)
- Verizon....got my bill lowered $20 a month!
- Insurance Company...check on coverage
- Scheduled mammogram....save the ta-tas!
(and just a note on the tax refund...a few hundred will go toward a trip home for G-man in April, unless we are moving sooner than later....then we will just wait. The remainder will go toward moving expenses....and between what we have saved and what we are getting back...we will be able to pay for the move in CASH!! But boy would I have loved to put it to debt....)
In the middle of all of this...I was doing laundry, dishes, ate lunch (which was late, then I wasn't hungry at dinner, but then got hungry at 8pm and ate cereal).
Before I knew it, it was time to start dinner (tacos). Right after dinner, I made dinner for tonight (green chile chicken casserole). I even deboned some chicken thighs (saved the bones for stock!) and prepped those for dinner another night. I wanted to make meatballs for the freezer, but I had to move on to other stuff.
I still had more "work" to do, so I spent just over an hour on that (totally not the most efficient way of breaking it all up...but that is how it ended up). I finally "stopped" at 8:30pm. I had some pots in the sink that I should have done, another load of laundry to fold, and a zillion other things. But 14.5 hrs of just about solid work and I was done.
I am glad that I took the day off, even if it was unpaid. I am still not caught up, but I am better than I was. I am shooting for truly CAUGHT UP by the end of the weekend. I guess we will see.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Bits and Bobbles
Since January 24...my world has been at MACH-10. I am ready for it slow down a little. Not sure that is actually going to happen....but it is a nice fantasy.
****
Ooh La La
I was glad that I wasn't the only parent on Saturday morning who needed "one more hug" when dropping the kids off for Quebec. (And thank you for all the support on our decision to do this!) They made it there safely, although later than expected. The teacher has sent an email each night (or morning, as it is posted at 1am!!) that everyone is fine and having fun, even though it is COLD.
Sassy has NOT e-mailed us....which either means she couldn't figure it out with the Wifi (and we told her to ask an adult for help....) or she is just too busy/excited and having fun. Either way...not happy that she is not checking in. But very happy she is enjoying herself (or at least she appears to be in the few pictures she has been in that the teacher posted). And she had her camera in the pictures we saw....so at least we know that she hasn't lost it. lol
****
SNOW!
Yes, this is New England in the winter. It snows here. But we have had back to back storms for 2 weeks...enough. Need a break.
It is snowing now, and my office is closed until Noon, but I told Boss that I am just going to work from home today anyway. No school today....still need to shovel....and
****
My Car
My car is back in the shop....for the third time in 2 weeks. I had to get a rental car last Thursday that I still have (and that was a story in itself....seriously.....not everything should be a story, but it seems like in my world, that is just how I roll).
My car actually is at a different shop (again....a story) and should be done today. Front drive shaft....$724. On top of the $812 we already paid...oh and the $93.....oh and the rental car..... this little episode is somewhere around $1800 now.
****
Finances
I have to balance the checkbook, pay some bills, sort some stuff out. I have just been in crisis mode for 2 weeks, and I have just done the bare basics to get by. I "think" that is on the slate for tomorrow night.
I would like to do our taxes this coming weekend and be done with that. Plus, we could use the refund.
****
Treating Myself
I am going out on Valentine's Day with a girlfriend, and a few of her friends. We are going to have dinner...and go to see THE MOVIE. If you don't know the movie....you should be able to figure it out fairly easily. I NEED some time off!!!
I did take Bossy to the trampoline park this weekend, with 2 friends and their kids. I thought I would feel silly jumping on the trampoline, but it was INCREDIBLE stress relief. I highly recommend it.
****
The House
Things are starting to roll! I am holding off on reporting too much right now, but we are hopeful at this point.
As for a new house...we are actually looking at a NEW house. Never did we think we would be able to do that! But there is a popular builder who is an "all inclusive" (i.e., many of the standard features are what most think of as upgrades) and we are looking at that community. While there is a floor plan that I LOVE....that one is out of our price range. But there is another we like and IS in the price range. The community has a pool. It is the school system we wanted, and because this area is a little further out than we wanted...the taxes are even cheaper. Our drive will be just a hair bit longer than we were hoping for, but still less than we are doing now. And this is an up and coming area, so there is a good chance that our house value will continue to go up.
****
Like I said....bits and bobbles!
****
Ooh La La
I was glad that I wasn't the only parent on Saturday morning who needed "one more hug" when dropping the kids off for Quebec. (And thank you for all the support on our decision to do this!) They made it there safely, although later than expected. The teacher has sent an email each night (or morning, as it is posted at 1am!!) that everyone is fine and having fun, even though it is COLD.
Sassy has NOT e-mailed us....which either means she couldn't figure it out with the Wifi (and we told her to ask an adult for help....) or she is just too busy/excited and having fun. Either way...not happy that she is not checking in. But very happy she is enjoying herself (or at least she appears to be in the few pictures she has been in that the teacher posted). And she had her camera in the pictures we saw....so at least we know that she hasn't lost it. lol
****
SNOW!
Yes, this is New England in the winter. It snows here. But we have had back to back storms for 2 weeks...enough. Need a break.
It is snowing now, and my office is closed until Noon, but I told Boss that I am just going to work from home today anyway. No school today....still need to shovel....and
****
My Car
My car is back in the shop....for the third time in 2 weeks. I had to get a rental car last Thursday that I still have (and that was a story in itself....seriously.....not everything should be a story, but it seems like in my world, that is just how I roll).
My car actually is at a different shop (again....a story) and should be done today. Front drive shaft....$724. On top of the $812 we already paid...oh and the $93.....oh and the rental car..... this little episode is somewhere around $1800 now.
****
Finances
I have to balance the checkbook, pay some bills, sort some stuff out. I have just been in crisis mode for 2 weeks, and I have just done the bare basics to get by. I "think" that is on the slate for tomorrow night.
I would like to do our taxes this coming weekend and be done with that. Plus, we could use the refund.
****
Treating Myself
I am going out on Valentine's Day with a girlfriend, and a few of her friends. We are going to have dinner...and go to see THE MOVIE. If you don't know the movie....you should be able to figure it out fairly easily. I NEED some time off!!!
I did take Bossy to the trampoline park this weekend, with 2 friends and their kids. I thought I would feel silly jumping on the trampoline, but it was INCREDIBLE stress relief. I highly recommend it.
****
The House
Things are starting to roll! I am holding off on reporting too much right now, but we are hopeful at this point.
As for a new house...we are actually looking at a NEW house. Never did we think we would be able to do that! But there is a popular builder who is an "all inclusive" (i.e., many of the standard features are what most think of as upgrades) and we are looking at that community. While there is a floor plan that I LOVE....that one is out of our price range. But there is another we like and IS in the price range. The community has a pool. It is the school system we wanted, and because this area is a little further out than we wanted...the taxes are even cheaper. Our drive will be just a hair bit longer than we were hoping for, but still less than we are doing now. And this is an up and coming area, so there is a good chance that our house value will continue to go up.
****
Like I said....bits and bobbles!
Thursday, January 22, 2015
People....perceptions...and organization
Thanks for everyone's thoughts on yesterday's post. Honestly, I was a little surprised. As I said in a comment...I really wonder if the issue is a regional one. But I will definitely take advice for when I am no longer in this region!!!
***
We have had a few showings this month on the house. My feeling is that people who are interested in buying a home this year all said "oh, we will start looking after the first of the year." And here we are. None of these buyers are OUR buyer, but we have learned a few things.
1) People are messy. The first showing left us with dirty feet prints all over my downstairs. Even though we have a door mat, they didn't wipe their feet (or did a poor job). I came home to my freshly mopped and vacuumed home covered with shoe prints and dirt. We now have shoe booties....not because my house is so elite that people can't walk in it...but if I am going to take the time to clean my home....I would like it to stay that way for longer than 15 min. However...booties backfired a bit on showing #2...when they left their dirty booties on my radiator. *sigh*
2) People don't understand older homes. Our house was built in 1910....which means it wasn't built with modern furniture and "stuff" in mind. It is a challenge sometimes. You buy this house because it has the original stained glass window and floors....because you like the charm of an older home. Don't confuse "older home" with "old." I am fully aware that the kitchen needs updating by today's trends. But that can be changed, if you choose to do so.
And closets....closets were not as prevalent in 1910. The closets in the kids' rooms were both "add-ons" that the previous owner did. Our bedroom doesn't have a closet (we share with Bossy, and use the landing area for the attic walk-up). You can certainly build a closet in there...but the room is small to start with (again....made even smaller by the size of modern furniture). But no, it doesn't have a closet. Bossy's room is the same dimensions as ours...feel free to use that bedroom as the master bedroom if you wish.
3) Perception is a HUGE thing. The second buyer liked the house but was turned off by the "crumbling supports." What crumbling supports? Oh wait....
In our basement, someone many moons ago (at least 2 owners ago that we know of by report) placed a parge coat around the chimney. Because it is a damp basement (and always has been...), the cement has loosened over the years and is not fully intact. The previous owner chose not to repair the mortar on the chimney....and just hide it. The STRUCTURE is fine...the finish is crumbling.
But the buyer saw this as a structural problem. We know it isn't structural....our inspection report from 2001 when we bought the house said so. How do I know this....
4) Organization for the win!!! While discussing the "crumbling supports," with our realtor...he asked if we happen to still have the report. Um, probably....packed in a box. So I went to the attic, pulled apart our lovely pile of boxes, and looked for the box. I had an idea of what I was looking for....it was a file where I kept all of the papers that went with the purchase of this house. It has the original mortgage papers, reports, correspondence. So I had to look for the box that was labeled OFFICE, and FILE "some year span that included 2001". Less than 5 minutes later...I found the box and e-mailed the realtor. Go me!
5) The pool. We knew there was a chance that the pool would be an issue. Buyer #1 had said they wanted the pool taken down. We already knew that taking the pool down creates A LOT of issues (the sand under the pool, having to re-grade the yard, removal of electrical, removal of cemented in posts, adding a rail to the deck....). So we researched the cost associated with just removing the pool....and disposing of it. Nothing else. If this comes up in an offer, we will say we will credit them $500 for THEM to remove the pool (or hire someone to do it). We have estimates that support that number. They can deal with the mess after.
Oh, and it is winter...the pool is frozen. It can't be done until the spring anyway.
I will be so happy to put all of this behind us!!!
***
We have had a few showings this month on the house. My feeling is that people who are interested in buying a home this year all said "oh, we will start looking after the first of the year." And here we are. None of these buyers are OUR buyer, but we have learned a few things.
1) People are messy. The first showing left us with dirty feet prints all over my downstairs. Even though we have a door mat, they didn't wipe their feet (or did a poor job). I came home to my freshly mopped and vacuumed home covered with shoe prints and dirt. We now have shoe booties....not because my house is so elite that people can't walk in it...but if I am going to take the time to clean my home....I would like it to stay that way for longer than 15 min. However...booties backfired a bit on showing #2...when they left their dirty booties on my radiator. *sigh*
2) People don't understand older homes. Our house was built in 1910....which means it wasn't built with modern furniture and "stuff" in mind. It is a challenge sometimes. You buy this house because it has the original stained glass window and floors....because you like the charm of an older home. Don't confuse "older home" with "old." I am fully aware that the kitchen needs updating by today's trends. But that can be changed, if you choose to do so.
And closets....closets were not as prevalent in 1910. The closets in the kids' rooms were both "add-ons" that the previous owner did. Our bedroom doesn't have a closet (we share with Bossy, and use the landing area for the attic walk-up). You can certainly build a closet in there...but the room is small to start with (again....made even smaller by the size of modern furniture). But no, it doesn't have a closet. Bossy's room is the same dimensions as ours...feel free to use that bedroom as the master bedroom if you wish.
3) Perception is a HUGE thing. The second buyer liked the house but was turned off by the "crumbling supports." What crumbling supports? Oh wait....
In our basement, someone many moons ago (at least 2 owners ago that we know of by report) placed a parge coat around the chimney. Because it is a damp basement (and always has been...), the cement has loosened over the years and is not fully intact. The previous owner chose not to repair the mortar on the chimney....and just hide it. The STRUCTURE is fine...the finish is crumbling.
But the buyer saw this as a structural problem. We know it isn't structural....our inspection report from 2001 when we bought the house said so. How do I know this....
4) Organization for the win!!! While discussing the "crumbling supports," with our realtor...he asked if we happen to still have the report. Um, probably....packed in a box. So I went to the attic, pulled apart our lovely pile of boxes, and looked for the box. I had an idea of what I was looking for....it was a file where I kept all of the papers that went with the purchase of this house. It has the original mortgage papers, reports, correspondence. So I had to look for the box that was labeled OFFICE, and FILE "some year span that included 2001". Less than 5 minutes later...I found the box and e-mailed the realtor. Go me!
5) The pool. We knew there was a chance that the pool would be an issue. Buyer #1 had said they wanted the pool taken down. We already knew that taking the pool down creates A LOT of issues (the sand under the pool, having to re-grade the yard, removal of electrical, removal of cemented in posts, adding a rail to the deck....). So we researched the cost associated with just removing the pool....and disposing of it. Nothing else. If this comes up in an offer, we will say we will credit them $500 for THEM to remove the pool (or hire someone to do it). We have estimates that support that number. They can deal with the mess after.
Oh, and it is winter...the pool is frozen. It can't be done until the spring anyway.
I will be so happy to put all of this behind us!!!
Saturday, January 17, 2015
The best part.....
Of having a showing on a Saturday morning is that your house is all clean for the weekend! Bonus points that it is a three day weekend! *HAPPY DANCE*
Activity on the house has picked up. Keeping our fingers and toes crossed.
Enjoy your weekend!
Activity on the house has picked up. Keeping our fingers and toes crossed.
Enjoy your weekend!
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Financial Update...part 2
I promise....part 3....or the Year in review....or some post.....will talk about the side bar and the soon to be updated number. But here is a continuation of part 1 from last week.....
The Boat
G-man sold the boat 3 weeks ago. I hated the money sucking boat (even though it hasn't really been a financial issue for awhile). But when the new owner was driving it away....I got sad. The boat was purchased 6 months before G-man and I met, and I do remember the pre-kid days when we would take the boat out...he would fish, I would read. Couple that with the major changes we have in general, and I just got overwhelmed.
We got $2000 for the boat. Blue book was around $5000 for an excellent condition boat, and this was far from excellent. It probably needs a few thousand in work, and time. For the 20-something kid that bought it, who's best friend's dad is going to help him fix it up....they got an excellent deal (a trailer and a boat).
So we now have $2000 in cash......plus
Miscellaneous Money
Way earlier in the year we had saved about $2000 to make a massive snowball payment. I just had a really hard time actually pulling the trigger, so it sat for a bit. Then the move entered into the picture. We used about $800 toward the getting-the-house-ready, and another $100 went to something that is escaping me right now....leaving $1100.
Add in the boat money, and we are at $3100.
Plus, we received a cash gift when G-man left his CT office. That is another $350.
So now we are at $3450. This is not our regular savings account. This is not part of our EF. This is pure "extra."
As usual, I can't just pull the trigger on one thing with the extra money. In some parallel universe there is a Mysti who has ONE plan and just follows it. If I ever meet her, I will ask her how that is working out for her.
Meanwhile, in this universe, I keep running numbers....in no particular order.....
In the short term.....it is going to sit and wait. The next 10 days are just not the right time to make a decision, so we will mull it over. (Although I would love to pull the trigger on 12/31 and bring out 2014 down!!!) I am trying not to split the money into small piles, because it really doesn't help the big picture.
I really do wish we were in a situation where we could SPEND this. But we aren't. So this option is not an option. But the thought was nice for the 1.3 seconds that it lasted.
Feel free to interject. Am I missing something?
The Boat
G-man sold the boat 3 weeks ago. I hated the money sucking boat (even though it hasn't really been a financial issue for awhile). But when the new owner was driving it away....I got sad. The boat was purchased 6 months before G-man and I met, and I do remember the pre-kid days when we would take the boat out...he would fish, I would read. Couple that with the major changes we have in general, and I just got overwhelmed.
We got $2000 for the boat. Blue book was around $5000 for an excellent condition boat, and this was far from excellent. It probably needs a few thousand in work, and time. For the 20-something kid that bought it, who's best friend's dad is going to help him fix it up....they got an excellent deal (a trailer and a boat).
So we now have $2000 in cash......plus
Miscellaneous Money
Way earlier in the year we had saved about $2000 to make a massive snowball payment. I just had a really hard time actually pulling the trigger, so it sat for a bit. Then the move entered into the picture. We used about $800 toward the getting-the-house-ready, and another $100 went to something that is escaping me right now....leaving $1100.
Add in the boat money, and we are at $3100.
Plus, we received a cash gift when G-man left his CT office. That is another $350.
So now we are at $3450. This is not our regular savings account. This is not part of our EF. This is pure "extra."
The Debate
As usual, I can't just pull the trigger on one thing with the extra money. In some parallel universe there is a Mysti who has ONE plan and just follows it. If I ever meet her, I will ask her how that is working out for her.
Meanwhile, in this universe, I keep running numbers....in no particular order.....
- Pay off G-man's car. I haven't updated the side bar yet, but G-man's car is about $3472 with the December payment. We keep a little slush in the account, so another $20-ish dollars and the car loan is gone, freeing up $127 a month, which could go toward debt or toward living expenses while we are living in 2 households.
- Huge snowball to Mysti's car. My car loan is about $5100. Add in whatever we get from our tax return, and there is a pretty good chance that by spring the loan is paid off, freeing $230 a month. Again, go to debt.....or living expenses. The biggest downsides to this option are that the loan has a very low interest rate so we aren't saving a huge amount there, and there is at least a few month delay before this is actually paid off....so the freeing of the money doesn't help in the short term.
- Huge snowball to the CC. Obviously it doesn't get rid of the debt, but it is a boost to your credit score, which has fallen a few points because of the utilization ratio. We are still in the high 700's, but I get an icky feeling seeing it drop. As always, the concern is that using the CC as a crutch will bring the total up again.....yes, the simple answer is don't do it. But let's just lay the cards on the table...there is a chance this is going to happen. I know some of you will yell at me about this, but your yelling doesn't solve the problem that is "cash flow."
- Save it for the move. We already know the move is going to run us in the $6500 range (between the movers, my trip to go house hunting, misc travel expenses, setting up a few home expenses, etc). Obviously this covers about half....add in the tax return in a few months, and we should have about 3/4 covered. We had figured at least some of our move would be charged, with the plan that we would have it as a tax write off...but that won't happen until 2016. Whatever money we get back will go to debt in one form or another, it will just depend on what the situation looks like in 2016.
- Living expenses. I started writing this post before we got paid yesterday and saw our $159 check. The idea of saving it for living expenses was sort of on the bottom of the priority because a) we really didn't think the check would be THAT low, b) concern that it would get eaten away at "nothing", and c) G-man getting a second job was always a consideration to make up for a deficit. But now that we know that we have about $330 less per month....this would float us for 10 months. And we already know that this move is going to happen before then (hoping for May or June!)
- Fund the miscellaneous accounts. I have talked many times about our on-line funds to pre save for expenses, such as car insurance and maintenance, water bill, taxes, etc. We also save for the cats, kids activities, Christmas....but right at this moment, those are secondary. We could put aside money we know we are going to need for at least the next 6 months and not have to worry where that is going to come from.
In the short term.....it is going to sit and wait. The next 10 days are just not the right time to make a decision, so we will mull it over. (Although I would love to pull the trigger on 12/31 and bring out 2014 down!!!) I am trying not to split the money into small piles, because it really doesn't help the big picture.
I really do wish we were in a situation where we could SPEND this. But we aren't. So this option is not an option. But the thought was nice for the 1.3 seconds that it lasted.
Feel free to interject. Am I missing something?
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
A new house....
The photographer comes today at 8am. Ugh. 8am. I won't even be here, and G-man will only be here for about 30 min as he has a dentist appt. 8am means that I was polishing until 9pm last night, and now in the wee hours of the morning, we will be wiping down the last few things, making the beds, etc.
The realtor we are working with down south set up an automatic MLS e-mail that sends us houses that fit criteria. She set the price range a little higher than we discussed....I am guessing so that 1) we have a little negotiation room, but also 2) a higher commission.
Well it happened....a house came up.....and we LOVE it. Like seriously love....there have been a few that we liked, and we said we would want to look at when the time comes (if they are still available). But this one....my heart went pitter patter. It is in one of the most desirable neighborhoods, 5 bed, 3 full bath. It is so pretty and open. It has just enough upgrades to make you feel like you have way more house than what is there (although it is almost 3000 sq ft...that's over twice the size of our current house!)
It is also currently listed at 25k higher than where we wanted to be.
In a "what if" scenario....if we were able to get the buying price down a little, and you add in a 3.5% down payment (and we are still figuring out that piece).....it comes down to the ballpark......maybe the parking lot....not actually in the stadium.
I am not worried about the monthly cost....it is just the getting into a house costs!
The reality is that until our house sells, we have no idea what we can really do. And also that this house that I already started figuring out where stuff can go (I kid....well.....sort of.....) is probably just out of reach. I am trying to comfort myself that it will probably be gone before we can see it anyway.
In my "make it work" mind.....if I found a job before we left.....and the sellers agreed.....we would have to hold off on closing for 30 days, as FHA guidelines state I have to be employed for 30 days in order to use my salary to qualify. Maybe we could rent it for a month! Yeah!!!
For the record....we talked to a mortgage lender who pre-qualified us for 200k on just G-man's salary. This house is 225k.....so we should easily qualify with my salary.
All of this is fantasy land.....I know that. Just let me stay here for a minute before I have to go back to reality, ok?
The realtor we are working with down south set up an automatic MLS e-mail that sends us houses that fit criteria. She set the price range a little higher than we discussed....I am guessing so that 1) we have a little negotiation room, but also 2) a higher commission.
Well it happened....a house came up.....and we LOVE it. Like seriously love....there have been a few that we liked, and we said we would want to look at when the time comes (if they are still available). But this one....my heart went pitter patter. It is in one of the most desirable neighborhoods, 5 bed, 3 full bath. It is so pretty and open. It has just enough upgrades to make you feel like you have way more house than what is there (although it is almost 3000 sq ft...that's over twice the size of our current house!)
It is also currently listed at 25k higher than where we wanted to be.
In a "what if" scenario....if we were able to get the buying price down a little, and you add in a 3.5% down payment (and we are still figuring out that piece).....it comes down to the ballpark......maybe the parking lot....not actually in the stadium.
I am not worried about the monthly cost....it is just the getting into a house costs!
The reality is that until our house sells, we have no idea what we can really do. And also that this house that I already started figuring out where stuff can go (I kid....well.....sort of.....) is probably just out of reach. I am trying to comfort myself that it will probably be gone before we can see it anyway.
In my "make it work" mind.....if I found a job before we left.....and the sellers agreed.....we would have to hold off on closing for 30 days, as FHA guidelines state I have to be employed for 30 days in order to use my salary to qualify. Maybe we could rent it for a month! Yeah!!!
For the record....we talked to a mortgage lender who pre-qualified us for 200k on just G-man's salary. This house is 225k.....so we should easily qualify with my salary.
All of this is fantasy land.....I know that. Just let me stay here for a minute before I have to go back to reality, ok?
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Are You Going To Find A Job?
I have lost track of how many people have asked me this since announcing our move.
Um, yes. I didn't know NOT finding a job was an option!!! We have $58k in debt, adding to it because of the move. Taking a pay cut due to losing locality pay and night differential. How does any of this equate to me NOT working?
Even in a scenario where we were doubling our salary and could pay everything off in a matter of months....I don't think I would be happy at home full time. I was a full time stay at home mom when the kids were born until Kindergarten. At that age, I was always busy, and honestly I don't think I did a great job with the non-kid stuff. Not the way I thought I should have at least. Now the kids are bigger, and in school all day. I could have the day to myself....but eventually I think I be unhappy.
Oh, I do fantasize about having an impeccably clean house, clearing everything off of the DVR, being able to do craft projects all day. But eventually....I think I would miss working. I could volunteer....and I know how much WORK volunteering is!
But the bottom line is that we NEED my salary. I am really hoping that I can find something that will give me the mental stimulation along with the financial compensation that I deserve. I can't really apply yet....I don't know when we are moving. As soon as I do....then the resumes will be out in full force.
I am still struggling with what to apply for. Super fantastic Jill of all Trades doesn't yield many results on Career Builder!
Um, yes. I didn't know NOT finding a job was an option!!! We have $58k in debt, adding to it because of the move. Taking a pay cut due to losing locality pay and night differential. How does any of this equate to me NOT working?
Even in a scenario where we were doubling our salary and could pay everything off in a matter of months....I don't think I would be happy at home full time. I was a full time stay at home mom when the kids were born until Kindergarten. At that age, I was always busy, and honestly I don't think I did a great job with the non-kid stuff. Not the way I thought I should have at least. Now the kids are bigger, and in school all day. I could have the day to myself....but eventually I think I be unhappy.
Oh, I do fantasize about having an impeccably clean house, clearing everything off of the DVR, being able to do craft projects all day. But eventually....I think I would miss working. I could volunteer....and I know how much WORK volunteering is!
But the bottom line is that we NEED my salary. I am really hoping that I can find something that will give me the mental stimulation along with the financial compensation that I deserve. I can't really apply yet....I don't know when we are moving. As soon as I do....then the resumes will be out in full force.
I am still struggling with what to apply for. Super fantastic Jill of all Trades doesn't yield many results on Career Builder!
Monday, September 15, 2014
Box of Stuff
I have a problem finishing things. I can get all the way to the goal line, and then stop.
I am finding out what a problem this is as I am readying the house for sale (contract with the realtor is signed...the sign and the lock box go on this week!). I have been cleaning and purging and PURGING and packing. But I keep ending up with a "box of stuff."
This box is left over after all the the rest of the stuff. And typically it is stuff that goes with something else, or something that is "homeless" in the house. I have been really trying to be ruthless and get rid of stuff. We have thrown out at LEAST 2 dozen bags of junk, and that doesn't include the donated stuff. But I keep ending up with a box!
These boxes (there is one in the office, two in the bedroom - one is G-man's stuff) is causing me alot of anxiety. I want a room to be DONE. And I have this box mocking me.
I am going to guess if I put the boxes together, I will end up with that darling box marked MISC, and I should just call it a day. I know there are a few things in the office box that are still needed and can't be packed, so I need to figure out that. But I can't stand the box.
Moving has really opened my eyes to the amount of JUNK we had. It has also confirmed that our house has inadequate storage and the importance of taking care of stuff right away instead of "later."
In the meantime....the photographer will be here later this week. We basically have today and tomorrow to get to the finish line. And then we have to maintain everything....oh, that is another anxiety provoker!
And we have to hope we get a buyer. My gut is saying that it isn't going to happen now. I know all about being positive....but I am a realist. And I just think that what we need to get from the house isn't going to happen now.
One thing at a time.....
I am finding out what a problem this is as I am readying the house for sale (contract with the realtor is signed...the sign and the lock box go on this week!). I have been cleaning and purging and PURGING and packing. But I keep ending up with a "box of stuff."
This box is left over after all the the rest of the stuff. And typically it is stuff that goes with something else, or something that is "homeless" in the house. I have been really trying to be ruthless and get rid of stuff. We have thrown out at LEAST 2 dozen bags of junk, and that doesn't include the donated stuff. But I keep ending up with a box!
These boxes (there is one in the office, two in the bedroom - one is G-man's stuff) is causing me alot of anxiety. I want a room to be DONE. And I have this box mocking me.
I am going to guess if I put the boxes together, I will end up with that darling box marked MISC, and I should just call it a day. I know there are a few things in the office box that are still needed and can't be packed, so I need to figure out that. But I can't stand the box.
Moving has really opened my eyes to the amount of JUNK we had. It has also confirmed that our house has inadequate storage and the importance of taking care of stuff right away instead of "later."
In the meantime....the photographer will be here later this week. We basically have today and tomorrow to get to the finish line. And then we have to maintain everything....oh, that is another anxiety provoker!
And we have to hope we get a buyer. My gut is saying that it isn't going to happen now. I know all about being positive....but I am a realist. And I just think that what we need to get from the house isn't going to happen now.
One thing at a time.....
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
A nothing interesting update
I miss you guys! I skim posts, but I haven't really had time to read! But I hope everyone is doing a-ok! I am hoping that things will calm down soon.
The realtor had to cancel for yesterday, so we rescheduled for Saturday morning. I am emotionally ready to get the show on the road....let's get this puppy listed and sold! Physically...we are still working on things. Everytime we think we are almost done...something else pops up. It is like a selling your house version of Whack a Mole.]
The house is conspiring against us. Stuff keeps breaking. All of a sudden. The thorn in the side right now is the main bathroom faucet. We have a European faucet, so the replacement parts are not off the shelf. We contacted the place where we purchased the faucet, and purchased $20 of parts to fix it. They came....with postage due.....over the weekend. Once we got the parts on Monday, G-man discovered that they sent incorrect parts (one was totally wrong, and one seemed to be a "universal" part that didn't fit). Called them again....they are sending new ones. In the meantime, we ordered a new faucet from Amazon, just in case. It should be here by next week. It can always be returned....but at least we have a back up plan.
The window we ordered 10 days ago was suppose to ship yesterday (it said 2-9 days to ship....nothing like being at the high end of the range). It should be here Tuesday.
Why is everything we need taking so long to get here.....grrr.......
The weather here has turned cool. G-man is going to close up the pool (that we barely used this summer) in the next day or so. I am ready to take out the a/c units, but he wants to wait a few more days....just in case. Whatever.
I told the office staff at our meeting on Monday that I am leaving....and one said, there is no snow there! (Which isn't totally accurate....they get a very little, tiny bit) I said....yup....want my snow boots? :)
The realtor had to cancel for yesterday, so we rescheduled for Saturday morning. I am emotionally ready to get the show on the road....let's get this puppy listed and sold! Physically...we are still working on things. Everytime we think we are almost done...something else pops up. It is like a selling your house version of Whack a Mole.]
The house is conspiring against us. Stuff keeps breaking. All of a sudden. The thorn in the side right now is the main bathroom faucet. We have a European faucet, so the replacement parts are not off the shelf. We contacted the place where we purchased the faucet, and purchased $20 of parts to fix it. They came....with postage due.....over the weekend. Once we got the parts on Monday, G-man discovered that they sent incorrect parts (one was totally wrong, and one seemed to be a "universal" part that didn't fit). Called them again....they are sending new ones. In the meantime, we ordered a new faucet from Amazon, just in case. It should be here by next week. It can always be returned....but at least we have a back up plan.
The window we ordered 10 days ago was suppose to ship yesterday (it said 2-9 days to ship....nothing like being at the high end of the range). It should be here Tuesday.
Why is everything we need taking so long to get here.....grrr.......
The weather here has turned cool. G-man is going to close up the pool (that we barely used this summer) in the next day or so. I am ready to take out the a/c units, but he wants to wait a few more days....just in case. Whatever.
I told the office staff at our meeting on Monday that I am leaving....and one said, there is no snow there! (Which isn't totally accurate....they get a very little, tiny bit) I said....yup....want my snow boots? :)
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