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Dang it! House selling glitch


DawnM
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The contractor has come out a few times.  Last week he was working on a board that needed replacing near our upstairs outdoor windows and said that the windows really need to be replaced.  We agreed.   Well, they are special order size and he just found out they won't be here until the first week in February.

I had a goal of getting the house on the market the first weekend of Feb.  ARGH!

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These things always have hitches, don't they?

I'd wait on the windows, if it was me. My realtor said that her goal is always to have the house 100% as soon as the listing hits because the best offers come in the first week. Our market last year was lukewarm.

I wanted to get ours on the market last year in mid-April, but it took two weeks to get the last of the painting done (one bathroom and some touch-up) and a crack in the basement fixed.

And yes, the best offer came in the first week. We had to wait on the septic inspection and then a septic repair, but closed seven weeks later.

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2 minutes ago, DawnM said:

No, I need to wait for a few reasons.  

Just stinks.

 

That does stink but it will get listed and be in even better shape after the windows are in!  Listing anytime in Feb is a really good time to list so don't get too bummed about the wait.

Once we settle on the house we are buying we have a house to get fixed up and listed as fast as possible.  We settle at the end of Feb and my hope is to be ready to list the first week of April but that is really pushing it.  I'm trying to get everything ready now so once all the items are out of the house we can come in with a plan to just knock out projects.

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Here, the housing market is chilly in January and February, so I wouldn't stress about it.

I know that once you decide to sell, you want to get it moving. I was that way. But some delays are inevitable, and you want the house to show as well as possible.

Our buyers wrote a letter and said that they fell in love with it before seeing it from the pictures online. I was thankful that our realtor had suggestions on staging and knew how to direct the photographer for the best shots.

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Around here the housing market heats up in March and April, most years, so that people can close escrow and move during the summer when their kids are not in school.  And it stays strong throughout the summer generally.  It’s funny, because we don’t have much of a winter here.

Of course, last year was the exception.  So you never know.

 

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1 minute ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Around here the housing market heats up in March and April, most years, so that people can close escrow and move during the summer when their kids are not in school.  And it stays strong throughout the summer generally.  It’s funny, because we don’t have much of a winter here.

Of course, last year was the exception.  So you never know.

 

 

That is about what our market is like except it doesn't keep going throughout the summer.  Most people want to be closed by the end of August so your best shot at selling a house is to get it on the market by the first week of June at the latest.

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2 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Around here the housing market heats up in March and April, most years, so that people can close escrow and move during the summer when their kids are not in school.  And it stays strong throughout the summer generally.  It’s funny, because we don’t have much of a winter here.

Of course, last year was the exception.  So you never know.

 

 

Huh, we sold 3 houses in CA through the years.  None of them in the Spring or Summer.....and all 3 sold within days.

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13 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

That’s just two weeks! You. Are. A. Machine!  I continue to be impressed by your pace. 

 

The thing that ticks me off is that I asked him in early December if he could be sure and finish by the end of January.  He said, "OH, no problem!"  Now it is a problem.  And I am mad.

AND, he was supposed to fix some drywall yesterday and even came back today.  Nope.....didn't touch the drywall issue.  I have just texted him.  I will see if he responds at all.

Edited by DawnM
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9 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

The thing that ticks me off is that I asked him in early December if he could be sure and finish by the end of January.  He said, "OH, no problem!"  Now it is a problem.  And I am mad.

AND, he was supposed to fix some drywall yesterday and even came back today.  Nope.....didn't touch the drywall issue.  I have just texted him.  I will see if he responds at all.

Ok, but you KNOW to pad contractor time and budget estimations by 1/4, then be delightfully surprised if things are completed by the original date and within the original estimate. It’s the only way to not be mad and stressed throughout the process. So, yes, text and ride him as though the original date is a real thing that can happen, but know in your heart that you’ll be bartering with money and days. 

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2 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Ok, but you KNOW to pad contractor time and budget estimations by 1/4, then be delightfully surprised if things are completed by the original date and within the original estimate. It’s the only way to not be mad and stressed throughout the process. So, yes, text and ride him as though the original date is a real thing that can happen, but know in your heart that you’ll be bartering with money and days. 

 

Except I wanted him to start in Dec. and he begged to let him start after the holidays and I said, "Yes, provided you promise me to get it all done by the end of January."  He shouldn't need ANOTHER month of padding, I already padded a month.

He is the realtor's HUSBAND!  You would THINK he would want it on the market to get some $$ in their pockets.

It isn't even a big job!  It is a lot of little jobs.  But he is putzing and that ticks me off.

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2 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

Except I wanted him to start in Dec. and he begged to let him start after the holidays and I said, "Yes, provided you promise me to get it all done by the end of January."  He shouldn't need ANOTHER month of padding, I already padded a month.

He is the realtor's HUSBAND!  You would THINK he would want it on the market to get some $$ in their pockets.

It isn't even a big job!  It is a lot of little jobs.  But he is putzing and that ticks me off.

Spring will be here before you know it and you’ll be resettled in your new home. That’s exciting! And still impressively fast!

Complain to the wife too and pressure this guy in two fronts. 😄

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Yes, dealing with the contractors is part of the frustration.

The painter we used was a bit free-form. He tried to change the times twice by calling me from the house, which was an issue because we had already moved. I had some set work hours from home too, so I couldn't just run over there like it was nothing. The realtor said to be there because he never writes anything down, and it was good to make sure he hit everything. In the end, he did a good job but did need two reminders of areas he needed to do. I was cleaning that day after some other work had been done, so it all worked out. He and his helper cleaned up nicely and were very polite.

The septic contractor didn't smooth out the dirt as well as I liked, so I had to go over and pick out the rocks and use a shovel to make it flatter. Yes, we could have called him back, but it took me all of 15 minutes when I needed to mow that day anyway and needed it flat.

The plumber was good, and I was already there waxing the cabinets. However, when I was checking a week later, I noticed that he hadn't vacuumed under the sink and stove where he worked. Good thing I still had the shop vac there.

The general handyman was great. He used the lock box and cleaned up after himself each time. One time that he was there, I was getting ready to mow couldn't start the lawn tractor, and his helper jumped for me and didn't put that on the bill. I later found out that he was actually a licensed contractor and had built the realtor's home, but had stepped back to a handyman business because he didn't want to work as much.

The countertop people were great too. They were a little late, but were very organized and finished on time. I was impressed with their efficiency and how they cleaned up.

Oh, what a process though. At times I find renting so much easier because I'm not in charge of that type of thing. The house we're renting is worn and needs work, but mostly we just leave it as-is. One of my oldest's friends did come over to install more fire detectors and a new bathroom fan, but the landlord paid for the materials and gave me a break that month.

Edited by G5052
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51 minutes ago, G5052 said:

Yes, dealing with the contractors is part of the frustration.

The painter we used was a bit free-form. He tried to change the times twice by calling me from the house, which was an issue because we had already moved. I had some set work hours from home too, so I couldn't just run over there like it was nothing. The realtor said to be there because he never writes anything down, and it was good to make sure he hit everything. In the end, he did a good job but did need two reminders of areas he needed to do. I was cleaning that day after some other work had been done, so it all worked out. He and his helper cleaned up nicely and were very polite.

The septic contractor didn't smooth out the dirt as well as I liked, so I had to go over and pick out the rocks and use a shovel to make it flatter. Yes, we could have called him back, but it took me all of 15 minutes when I needed to mow that day anyway and needed it flat.

The plumber was good, and I was already there waxing the cabinets. However, when I was checking a week later, I noticed that he hadn't vacuumed under the sink and stove where he worked. Good thing I still had the shop vac there.

The general handyman was great. He used the lock box and cleaned up after himself each time. One time that he was there, I was getting ready to mow couldn't start the lawn tractor, and his helper jumped for me and didn't put that on the bill. I later found out that he was actually a licensed contractor and had built the realtor's home, but had stepped back to a handyman business because he didn't want to work as much.

The countertop people were great too. They were a little late, but were very organized and finished on time. I was impressed with their efficiency and how they cleaned up.

Oh, what a process though. At times I find renting so much easier because I'm not in charge of that type of thing. The house we're renting is worn and needs work, but mostly we just leave it as-is. One of my oldest's friends did come over to install more fire detectors and a new bathroom fan, but the landlord paid for the materials and gave me a break that month.

I tell ya, a handyman, contractor, tradesman, whatever...they would always have plenty of work if they would show up, be polite, do good work, finish as promised and clean up after their work.  Usually any given worker will have some but not all of that. 

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Today the landscaper and his wife are coming.   They are FRIENDS, but he could use the work, and we have used him before and he did a good job, so I am hopeful.  And the wife will help me finish packing up the garages and the office, which are my weekend goals!  (although the downstairs garage is mostly DH's stuff so he may have to do that or the realtor may say he can leave most of it.....it is just tools and stuff on shelves.)

Cleaner/organizer is coming Sunday evening to do a walk through to tell me what she thinks I should do and have me list what I want her to do so she can estimate the time needed.  My guess is that she will clean for 20 hours.....I want cabinets wiped down, everything spotless.  And then I plan to ask her to come back once a week until it is sold.

Realtor is coming Monday (I have off of work for MLK) and she will do a walk through and tell me what I still need to do.  I think that will help her to go home and light a fire under her husband's butt....but we will see.

So, new goal is completely on the market by Feb. 15.  I mean I can wait until the end of Feb. but I don't want to!  You see how I operate.....once I am DONE, I am DONE.  It is one of the things my husband loves and hates about me! 😝 

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On ‎1‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 10:45 AM, DawnM said:

The contractor has come out a few times.  Last week he was working on a board that needed replacing near our upstairs outdoor windows and said that the windows really need to be replaced.  We agreed.   Well, they are special order size and he just found out they won't be here until the first week in February.

I had a goal of getting the house on the market the first weekend of Feb.  ARGH!

I'm sorry!!!! We are trying to get our house ready to sell, too. The painter called this morning and said the wall behind where the fridge used to be (we've moved out) has water damage that does not look like it was done by the hose leading to the icemaker.  So,  he called out a guy to get into the wall. We, too, had hoped to be on the market by the beginning of February. We'll see what the problem is with the water stuff. If it's not one thing....

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4 hours ago, DawnM said:

  You see how I operate.....once I am DONE, I am DONE.  It is one of the things my husband loves and hates about me! 😝 

 

this is me. Once I have it in my head that something needs to get done it is getting done.  Today, I packed a bit and designed the new kitchen we'll install using Ikea's planner. the design looks good but something seems off with the base cabinets because the new design is missing an entire cabinet. It may just be because the new corner cabinet is larger than the current one.  I'm going to remeasure the kitchen with dh this weekend and make sure everything is super accurate. The only way this house is getting listed in April is if I light a fire under everyone's butts now.

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