Oct
21
The Dreaded “R” Word: Renting
October 21, 2007 | 3 Comments
Fairly uneventful week in real estate land, as I continue to plug away at House #2, prepping kitchen countertops for granite tile, finalizing tile/paint colors, finishing out the framing for the two walls I opened up, getting the existing bathroom ready for tile, yada yada yada.
I did get our landscaping/trash haul-off guy out yesterday, who […]
Oct
17
Maybe I Should Stop Complaining about Persistent Would-Be Buyers
October 17, 2007 | 1 Comment
I’d mentioned awhile back about meeting with a couple interested in House #2, but hadn’t really pursued that avenue. If anything, I’d slightly avoided it, as our realtor mentioned at closing that they’d asked him again about the house, what my plans were, could they contact me directly, etc.
I didn’t really get a bad vibe […]
Oct
16
What Say Ye: Interactive House Design Time
October 16, 2007 | 1 Comment
I’ve been pretty busy with the smashy smashy the last week, and have am mostly done with the demo at House #2. Two of the walls I planned on moving are down to the studs, the master bedroom is down to the studs, and the existing bath is now tile-less.
Unfortunately, I still haven’t firmed up […]
Oct
12
Saving on Closing Costs for Title Insurance
October 12, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Closings costs are typically a necessary evil when it comes to investing in real estate. Everyone wants their own pound of flesh, so in addition to whatever purchase prive you agree to pay for a particular property, you’ll also get hit for additional money in closing costs, as far as paying for title insurance, loan […]
Oct
10
Winders Are Expensive
October 10, 2007 | 2 Comments
Still haven’t heard back from Promising Contractor. Which doesn’t exactly surprise me, but still leaves me slightly “meh”, as I was definitely hoping against hope that he’d promptly get me an estimate, it’d be reasonable, and things would be set in motion.
I did get some estimates for window replacement at House #2, which were pretty […]
Oct
7
No More Knotty Pine Paneling, Por Favor
October 7, 2007 | 1 Comment
Just about had my fill of ripping out knotty pine paneling, but it’s just about all done. Well, sort of. The workshop room attached to the garage still has some, and in all likelihood that’s coming out too, but that project is scheduled towards the end of the rehab, as an optional item I’d like […]
Oct
5
When Upside Down is Right Side Up
October 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I have to admit that I’ve been following the economic news of late with an increasing amount of attention, mainly trying to sort through all sorts of conflicting data to get a sense of just how screwed this country is in the short term. I think the long term economic future is pretty bleak (when […]
Oct
4
Finding Good Flips on the MLS
October 4, 2007 | 1 Comment
Not much in the ways of noteworthy news to relate. Still getting estimates from contractors for House #2 rehab, but I hope to wrap that up by Monday and to get cracking with the major work. The endless process of trying to wrangle people out to give estimates for work is about my least favorite […]
Oct
2
Demo and Contractors
October 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Have two meetings with contractors scheduled for later in the week for House #2, and met with one guy yesterday. Nice enough guy, but he mainly does commercial work, and got pretty squirrely when I started asking about timelines, when he could start, etc. He also was an hour late meeting me, which probably isn’t […]
Oct
2
Gourmet Kitchens and More
October 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The following is a sponsored review from EW Kitchens
You can’t shake a stick at a Flip This/That House show on television without hearing someone talk about kitchens and bathrooms selling houses. Which is kind of annoying to hear time and time again, but there’s a lot of truth to it, especially in older homes when […]