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I wish everyone here lots of luck. Karcon is almost done with her "mi ssion" and many of us are on hold or in the midst of the ordeal. Who knew all this would have happened?" It makes me angry, sad, frustrated. I have no choice but to just wait - I just can't sell at today's prices and quite frankly, I don't have the patience to deal with today's buyers. How do realtors do it? I have moments when I feel that I may never want another house once this is sold.
Today I'm mentally cataloging all the things that have to be done before it goes on the market and then I thought - I've got lots of time - 1 step at a time (perhaps a little of Karcon's zen?) - an amazing calm came over me. I'll be a snowbird for awhile next winter - travel about and visit more of America. HOME will be here.
We all have new challenges now, that no matter how many times we've bought and sold homes, going forward will never be quite the same. This is my 4th home and I've never experienced what Karcon is going through to get her new abode.
Keep your indiviual sagas coming - it's interesting to hear and gives a heads-up on what we can expect or at least watch out for.
Don't dispair, houses are finally selling in California!
There's a house buying feeding frenzy going on in Riverside County, California. With outragiously low asking prices, cash buyers are snapping homes up at $20,000.00 or more over asking price. Homes that are move-in ready and low priced are selling within three days of listing. Once all the foreclosures and short sales are bought up, home values will start creeping back up. Two years from now, I will be able to sell my home for a decent price according to several realtor friends. Meantime, home prices in other parts of the country will still be down. I'm banking on this so I can move to the PNW. With all the firings at work, I'm busier then I've ever been. With new environmental legislation in California, (Can you say revenue enhancement?)I'm picking up a lot of side work helping people wade through the tangled web of new environmental mandates. We live in interesting times...Yesterday I got up at 5:00 am and drove a friend to the hospital in San Diego (50 miles away) for surgery. She had to get it done now before her medical insurance gets cut off by the state next month. Then I drove north 150 miles, collected some septic tank effluent samples from some unhappy property owners who got a nasty gram from the state. I took the samples to the lab for analysis and am preparing a report to submit to the state on their behalf. Hopefully, I can keep them from getting a huge fine for not submitting their annual reports in a timely manner. (They didn't know anything about submitting annual reports on their septic tanks) This is just the beginning of some creative new regulations designed to protect our waters, air, and earth from nasty pollutents. This process could cost around $3,000.00 a year or more per septic tank to maintain regulatory complience in the near future. Jeeze! And I thought the $50.00 a month I pay for sewer was high! In a couple of weeks I will be sailing around the San Juan Islands in WA, gleefully leaving my work stress behind! While up there, I'm driving around for a week checking out different areas for possible relocation. I'm looking for a cheap house in a low tax assement area (rural) not too far from Hood Canal or Puget sound so that I can further embrace my love of sailing. I love misty, foggy mornings on the coast. Once I get my fill of mist and gloom, I might head out to Utah or Arizona to spend my remaining years. Who knows? Life is a trip and I've been embracing it from the getgo. As long as my health holds up and I'm still handy with power tools, I plan on continuing this great adventure. For now, it's short get aways to the beautiful natural wonders on this planet. Camping in the High Sierras, cruising the Fiords of Norway, trapesing around New Zealand, exploring Carlsbad Caverns, whitewater rafting on the Rouge River, Kayaking Johnston Strait in British Columbia, exploring South East Alaska, reading a good book on a stormy night...I love it all! But if I stop working now, I won't be able to afford the airfare! Well, I still could enjoy reading a good book on a stormy night! Who knows, I may just keep this house and take road trips whenever I can after I retire. By the way, 60 is 3.5 years away! How time flys. I'm planning on retiring in two years if I can handle the stress and don't get fired for doing something stupid! Not likely, but who knows. I play by the rules but the rules keep changing since the new superintendent came to town and is busy creating positions for his recently laid-off cronies from the city he recently left. Such is the times we live in. Yes, it's scary, uncertain and stressful. We'll get through this like our pioneer sisters before us. We'll continue to help each other, raise our spirits and handle what life deals us. We may not have a lot of money, but we're resourceful, resilliant, and strong. We're women, after all!
Location: Monterey Bay, California -- watching the sea lions, whales and otters! :D
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Fairwinds: There's a house buying feeding frenzy going on in Riverside County, California. With outragiously low asking prices, cash buyers are snapping homes up at $20,000.00 or more over asking price. Homes that are move-in ready and low priced are selling within three days of listing. Once all the foreclosures and short sales are bought up, home values will start creeping back up. Two years from now, I will be able to sell my home for a decent price according to several realtor friends.
For now, it's short get aways to the beautiful natural wonders on this planet. Camping in the High Sierras, cruising the Fiords of Norway, trapesing around New Zealand, exploring Carlsbad Caverns, whitewater rafting on the Rouge River, Kayaking Johnston Strait in British Columbia, exploring South East Alaska, reading a good book on a stormy night...I love it all! But if I stop working now, I won't be able to afford the airfare! Well, I still could enjoy reading a good book on a stormy night! Who knows, I may just keep this house and take road trips whenever I can after I retire. By the way, 60 is 3.5 years away!
Whoa, you're in a WHOLE different position than ME, or many of us here (NEG, Anomoly, etc.). Geez, you've got the life! You won't be retiring on a literal shoestring! Yikes!
Riverside County is VERY far from me....and I am in a VERY different type of place. Around here, it is NOT moving. California's a big state, with lots of different areas, so it's all relative.
Well, Fairwinds, sounds like you've got a plan and you will sail away with the winds of happiness -- whatever you've done, you've done it right.
Happy to read your post. Interesting info. Can't wait to hear how your trip turns out and what you discover in the PNW. I know it will be a great holiday for you sailing and investigating -- hope you see lots of wildlife out there (praying for whale sightings).
Putting on my eye patch and saluting you with a "ho ho ho" and a bottle of rum. Have fun!! Argh matey!
Whoa, you're in a WHOLE different position than ME, or many of us here (NEG, Anomoly, etc.). Geez, you've got the life! You won't be retiring on a literal shoestring! Yikes!
Riverside County is VERY far from me....and I am in a VERY different type of place. Around here, it is NOT moving. California's a big state, with lots of different areas, so it's all relative.
Well, Fairwinds, sounds like you've got a plan and you will sail away with the winds of happiness -- whatever you've done, you've done it right.
Maybe it will turn around soon out there. My niece is trying to buy a house (in Redding, so still not near you) and was outbid for the 6th time. She's getting a little frustrated on the other side of it which shouldn't be happening so much in a buyers market. Here's hoping for you
There's a house buying feeding frenzy going on in Riverside County, California. With outragiously low asking prices, cash buyers are snapping homes up at $20,000.00 or more over asking price. Homes that are move-in ready and low priced are selling within three days of listing. Once all the foreclosures and short sales are bought up, home values will start creeping back up. Two years from now, I will be able to sell my home for a decent price according to several realtor friends. Meantime, home prices in other parts of the country will still be down. I'm banking on this so I can move to the PNW. With all the firings at work, I'm busier then I've ever been. With new environmental legislation in California, (Can you say revenue enhancement?)I'm picking up a lot of side work helping people wade through the tangled web of new environmental mandates. We live in interesting times...Yesterday I got up at 5:00 am and drove a friend to the hospital in San Diego (50 miles away) for surgery. She had to get it done now before her medical insurance gets cut off by the state next month. Then I drove north 150 miles, collected some septic tank effluent samples from some unhappy property owners who got a nasty gram from the state. I took the samples to the lab for analysis and am preparing a report to submit to the state on their behalf. Hopefully, I can keep them from getting a huge fine for not submitting their annual reports in a timely manner. (They didn't know anything about submitting annual reports on their septic tanks) This is just the beginning of some creative new regulations designed to protect our waters, air, and earth from nasty pollutents. This process could cost around $3,000.00 a year or more per septic tank to maintain regulatory complience in the near future. Jeeze! And I thought the $50.00 a month I pay for sewer was high! In a couple of weeks I will be sailing around the San Juan Islands in WA, gleefully leaving my work stress behind! While up there, I'm driving around for a week checking out different areas for possible relocation. I'm looking for a cheap house in a low tax assement area (rural) not too far from Hood Canal or Puget sound so that I can further embrace my love of sailing. I love misty, foggy mornings on the coast. Once I get my fill of mist and gloom, I might head out to Utah or Arizona to spend my remaining years. Who knows? Life is a trip and I've been embracing it from the getgo. As long as my health holds up and I'm still handy with power tools, I plan on continuing this great adventure. For now, it's short get aways to the beautiful natural wonders on this planet. Camping in the High Sierras, cruising the Fiords of Norway, trapesing around New Zealand, exploring Carlsbad Caverns, whitewater rafting on the Rouge River, Kayaking Johnston Strait in British Columbia, exploring South East Alaska, reading a good book on a stormy night...I love it all! But if I stop working now, I won't be able to afford the airfare! Well, I still could enjoy reading a good book on a stormy night! Who knows, I may just keep this house and take road trips whenever I can after I retire. By the way, 60 is 3.5 years away! How time flys. I'm planning on retiring in two years if I can handle the stress and don't get fired for doing something stupid! Not likely, but who knows. I play by the rules but the rules keep changing since the new superintendent came to town and is busy creating positions for his recently laid-off cronies from the city he recently left. Such is the times we live in. Yes, it's scary, uncertain and stressful. We'll get through this like our pioneer sisters before us. We'll continue to help each other, raise our spirits and handle what life deals us. We may not have a lot of money, but we're resourceful, resilliant, and strong. We're women, after all!
Sounds like you have the life I always envisioned and worked for. Dam- Bush! I'll stop with the politics, but, I commend your spirit. I haven't given up yet - plans have changed dramatically but going forward I have to wait out another year, maybe two, to recover some of my loss (at least, a little). Who needs all these challenges - I thought my days of dealing with constant stress were over when I left my company - wrong - things must change soon (please, please please). I'm really surprised at how fast the homes are selling there - sounds like they either have a lot of faith or know something the rest of us don't. I'm probably wrong, but is that the area where they are just bulldozing homes rather than deal with them?
Good luck - I would love to be with you sailing around - that's what retirement should be all about
I wish everyone here lots of luck. Karcon is almost done with her "mi ssion" and many of us are on hold or in the midst of the ordeal. Who knew all this would have happened?" It makes me angry, sad, frustrated. I have no choice but to just wait - I just can't sell at today's prices and quite frankly, I don't have the patience to deal with today's buyers. How do realtors do it? I have moments when I feel that I may never want another house once this is sold.
Today I'm mentally cataloging all the things that have to be done before it goes on the market and then I thought - I've got lots of time - 1 step at a time (perhaps a little of Karcon's zen?) - an amazing calm came over me. I'll be a snowbird for awhile next winter - travel about and visit more of America. HOME will be here.
We all have new challenges now, that no matter how many times we've bought and sold homes, going forward will never be quite the same. This is my 4th home and I've never experienced what Karcon is going through to get her new abode.
Keep your indiviual sagas coming - it's interesting to hear and gives a heads-up on what we can expect or at least watch out for.
Is anyone going with FSBO?
MN2CO; I am glad I haven't had a house to sell - it is a buyers market. Appraisals are coming in lower than the sale price because lenders know housing costs are still going down and so they have the appraiser come in lower than actual value. Not meant for this to be a downer but that has been my experience.
As to the buying process - nightmare all the way around. Documents from loan processor just got to the title company today (closing scheduled for tomorrow). At 4 p.m. I still didn't know how much $$ to bring for closing. Title processor finally called and the number she quoted - well I just was dumbstruck. It was $11,000 over the good faith estimate. No way in "h" that could be. Turned out she didn't even have the right figures on the offer price. She said she'd call me back. At that point I just said "x x ," that's it. Stuff is going into storage and I'm just going to get in the car and drive. So back to the drawing board. Title person called back, never received the amendment to the sales price () but the figure she quoted was more in line but still a bit over. The clincher is, the HUD doc the title company sent to the loan officer and me says the lender has not approved the HUD doc. So, am I approved for final or not?
This is my 4th home and I've never experienced what Karcon is going through to get her new abode. I know it's been a looong time since I bought/owned a house but this has been torture. It's a little more than 12 hours to closing, and I'm still not sure what is going on. If sellers are discouraged, imagine how the buyers feels jumping through every hoop imaginable (and unimaginable). At this point, I beginning not to care one way or the other. This is it - zen time -- ommmmmmmm - ommmmmm - ommmmmmm!
I love misty, foggy mornings on the coast. Once I get my fill of mist and gloom, I might head out to Utah or Arizona to spend my remaining years. Who knows? Life is a trip and I've been embracing it from the getgo. As long as my health holds up and I'm still handy with power tools, I plan on continuing this great adventure. For now, it's short get aways to the beautiful natural wonders on this planet. Camping in the High Sierras, cruising the Fiords of Norway, trapesing around New Zealand, exploring Carlsbad Caverns, whitewater rafting on the Rouge River, Kayaking Johnston Strait in British Columbia, exploring South East Alaska, reading a good book on a stormy night...I love it all!
Let me get in the envious line! I love Puget Sound and San Juan Islands. The misty, foggy mornings on the PNW coast are the most beautiful I've ever experienced. Like one morning in Ecola State Park in Cannon Beach, OR - I felt like I had come home. The fog and mist rolled in a wave of beauty and surrounded me in its comfort. Sailing, kayaking, and hiking are my nirvana.
Are you doing all this on your own? Of course you are!!!!! This is when it helps to have someone (you can trust?) by your side. It sounds like you are a strong, capable women - all the luck - when it's over - get crazy!
I have bought 4 homes - never did anything but pick it out - pay whatever - show up for closing and move in. I never doubted that it wouldn't go well. Now, I'm scared to death to buy the next one. Are these people incompetent, or what?
Best wishes..make sure to let us know how this ends!
Are you doing all this on your own? Of course you are!!!!! This is when it helps to have someone (you can trust?) by your side. It sounds like you are a strong, capable women - all the luck - when it's over - get crazy!
I have bought 4 homes - never did anything but pick it out - pay whatever - show up for closing and move in. I never doubted that it wouldn't go well. Now, I'm scared to death to buy the next one. Are these people incompetent, or what?
Best wishes..make sure to let us know how this ends!
Yes, all on my own - including moving! I think a film crew for a realty show called "single woman, retired moving on her own" now in theaters near you - a comedy, a tragedy and don't try this at home!
The way you say is the way I remember it - at least I wasn't having memory hallucinations!
I think there are so many incompetents out there - there's the HO6/HO3 debacle; the water company that was suppose to send a letter of credit to the new water of company failed to follow through until I called today and someone else was to clean up that mess; the title/loan co. and now the cable company in trying to get my home phone through the cable co. instead of the phone co.
first time setting it up was told - no problem; called to confirm everything and was told they can't to that 'til I move; then told I could and it was set up to have my current number transfer over; then told no, I have to have phone co. service there first then change to cable co. I told them to forget the phone service. So I called the phone co. and everything was fine until the rep said, the cable co. had put a hold on my phone number and only they could take it off and the change was going into effect tomorrow!
So called cable co and their rep said the hold had been lifted and that had been take care of on such and such date, was acknowledged by the phone co. and gave me a confirmation number. Called phone co. back who then called the cable co. to find out that only one party had signed off but not another!! Confused is an understatement. The phone co. rep must have stayed late to clear this up and called me after 6 tonight to say it was finally straighted out and the cable co. had release my phone number.
And all of these incompetents have been so nice and pleasant. Usually I can loose it a bit and end up being the b word (or feeling like it anyway) but things get done. This time I said I'm not letting the stress get to me, I'm going to be pleasant and thank everyone for their time and help. I think I'm just too tired to be b'chy.
The last time I moved was in July 2000 and I don't ever remember any of this being this difficult. I think customer service people are so ingrained to be pleasant that somehow being pleasant and competent are no longer in the same vocabulary. Nice before anything else and then it's someone else's problem.
After being on the phone for four hours today, I did have a fight with an 8 ft. bookcase. I was wondering how I was going to get it out into the garage and decided it was going to happen today. got the flat dolly out, jiggled the bookcase so I could lean it against the wall and slide the dolly under. All was well until I tried to get the bookcase on the dolly. Lost control and it was falling against the wall with me holding it as long as possible. HA! It thought it won! Yeah, it fell with me in it but it didn't gouge the wall. And, I got it on the dolly dragged it through the house, out into garage and up against the wall where it now sits sulking!!!! Nothing like a little adrenaline and anger to get things done.
Well, final chapter tomorrow. Will see if this is a tragedy or a comedy !
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) - an amazing calm came over me. I'll be a snowbird for awhile next winter - travel about and visit more of America. HOME will be here.
.
Don't dispair, houses are finally selling in California!
I'm busier then I've ever been. With new environmental legislation in California, (Can you say revenue enhancement?)I'm picking up a lot of side work helping people wade through the tangled web of new environmental mandates. 
We live in interesting times...Yesterday I got up at 5:00 am and drove a friend to the hospital in San Diego (50 miles away) for surgery. She had to get it done now before her medical insurance gets cut off by the state next month. Then I drove north 150 miles, collected some septic tank effluent samples from some unhappy property owners who got a nasty gram from the state. I took the samples to the lab for analysis and am preparing a report to submit to the state on their behalf. Hopefully, I can keep them from getting a huge fine for not submitting their annual reports in a timely manner. (They didn't know anything about submitting annual reports on their septic tanks) This is just the beginning of some creative new regulations designed to protect our waters, air, and earth from nasty pollutents. This process could cost around $3,000.00 a year or more per septic tank to maintain regulatory complience in the near future. Jeeze! And I thought the $50.00 a month I pay for sewer was high! In a couple of weeks I will be sailing around the San Juan Islands in WA, gleefully leaving my work stress behind! While up there, I'm driving around for a week checking out different areas for possible relocation. I'm looking for a cheap house in a low tax assement area (rural) not too far from Hood Canal or Puget sound so that I can further embrace my love of sailing. I love misty, foggy mornings on the coast. Once I get my fill of mist and gloom, I might head out to Utah or Arizona to spend my remaining years. Who knows?
). I'm really surprised at how fast the homes are selling there - sounds like they either have a lot of faith or know something the rest of us don't. I'm probably wrong, but is that the area where they are just bulldozing homes rather than deal with them?
