Pre-Move

We have begun the move to the new apartment. We brought over a Monet print that we had framed and hung it in the living room of the apartment. Then we ran over to Home Depot to have some tile re-cut to fix the backsplash in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the Home Depot we went to no longer does tile cutting. So, we bought a tile nipper and between the nipping and some sanding, we got the tile to fit. Kerry then installed it and grouted it all up. It turned out great. At first she was concerned it wouldn't look good. Then we decided that it only had to look good enough and darned if it didn't turn out darn nice.

We then took a couple of car loads of Kerry's shoes and clothes over first. The Rav hadn't moved all week and it tends to be fussy starting in the morning when it's cool out and if it has rained recently. I don't know what's up with that. Eventually, by 11:30 a.m., the day had warmed up enough and the Rav started up allowing us extra hauling capacity.

We made a couple other trips hauling over some of my clothes, some toiletries and a couple more loads of Kerry's stuff. We snapped up three storage lockers (we might only need two but no one else is using any of them). There is some damage we need to note on the move in check list but it's an OK apartment if a little dated. Worst of all, there is no cable outlet in the bedroom. Oh, the humanity!

So, I still need to box some small stuff up and bring it to the apartment. Probably some kitchen items that won't be used next week, some of the smaller pictures and maybe the videos and whatnot. We can bring more stuff over Sunday.

Then Hersh and Purva picked us up and took us to the White Sox game. It was a nice break. We're glad they'll be our "neighbors" in the new place.

Remind Me Again Why I Hate This Place?

Well, I get home tonight and find a nice little love note from the Condo Association. Ugh. Technically, each unit can have a maximum of two cars. I thought I'd be able to slide our three until the end of the week when we start moving to the interim apartment. Apparently not.

Even with the old sticker the Association evidently checked each serial number to make sure the numbers were up-to-date. My Rav4 has an old sticker and even though the old stickers are identical to the new ones, they still slapped the obnoxious Illegal Parking Sticker on me.

So, I had to move the car down the block to the over-flow parking. Again, it'll only be until the end of the week and then once the closing goes through I can let the Association know exactly how I feel about them. EMP! Eighteen days and counting!

Harsh & Purva's Place

Went to Oswego to see Harsh and Purva's place. They're pretty darn close to being done. Their house looks great! A fantastic lot with an exposed, walk-out basement. The front elevation has lots of great brick and half moon windows with decorative keystones which really add a touch of class. The interior has an open greatroom concept with lots of cabinetry.

Four bedrooms and plenty of square footage. If they ever finish the basement it's going to be a crazy amount of living space. Because of the exposed basement and grade of the hill on the lot, the builder has already installed a wood deck off the kitchen/dinette. It'll be great for their lab, Simba, to run around.

The view from their master bedroom is magnificent. The houses behind their lot doesn't block the view of the horizon and they have a great view of the surrounding landscape. It will only be a few short weeks before they are moved in and enjoying their new home.

I forgot to take a snapshot of the exterior of their house but here is a look at the stock photograph of the model.

Lots of Stuff

Saturday, we had our second appointment with the design advisor to review options and color schemes. For the most part, we just confirmed the choices we made at the first appointment. We did change the carpet color to a slightly darker beigey brown. We also decided to drop the garage service door and get a whirlpool jet tub in the master bath. We weren't sure if we could drop the service door since it was technically a structural change that was supposed to be decided at the first meeting but they agreed to let us drop it and that made the decision on the tub that much easier. In the end, I would have fought for the tub even if we couldn't drop the service door but I was nice that I didn't have to. I just think that a jet tub would add much value for our use and also for future re-sale.

We also went with glass doors on the butler pantry and added a couple of outlets here and there. One outlet Kerry was keen on was for a small flat screen TV in the master bathroom. It will hang off above the tub near the vanities. I ordered a 17" Magnavox HD flat screen LCD with a built in DVD player. We can also use it in the bedroom of our temporary apartment in the interim which will be nice. Never a bad thing to buy a TV.

We then ran some errands at the Oak Brook Mall (the weather was nice so an outdoor mall was doable). Next we ran out to Plainfield to look at the model. We already had Sunday plans to meet our friends, Harsh and Purva, in Plainfield to show them the model and our lot. The we'll drive out to Oswego (a little farther west) to see the home they're building.

Next up -- finalizing the mortgage details with the lender on Monday evening now that we know exactly how much our house and options are going to run.

Repair Day

Friday, the contractors came and did their job and took our money. The first guy to show up was one of the patio door estimators. He actually adjusted the roller for free and told us that the reason the door was sticking is because the lock hook was too big and needed to be filed down a bit. Then it would roll smoothly and the door handle wouldn't seem as loose. Kerry called the other estimator and canceled the appointment. Later in the day after all the contractors left, I did the work myself and darned if it isn't almost like a new door.

The chimney sweep/inspector arrived next and found a number of minor problems with creosote buildup and some masonry patching. He cleaned the chimney almost well enough to eat off of and performed the necessary patching. He was a very cheerful chimney guy and seemed genuinely interested in educating Kerry and me about chimney care.

As he was finishing up, the ant exterminator came through. He examined the problem and indicated that the ants are probably living in something in the pantry. It's possible although I had ants before I replaced the cabinets, cleared out all the old food, sprayed the walls before the cabinets were put back and yet the ants returned. They're apparently in a number of units in the building. The point of the exterminator is to be able to tell the buyer we had an exterminator through and get rid of the ants until closing. He sprayed here and there and set out his ant poison globbies meant for the ants to take back to the nest. He is scheduled for a second application in two weeks.

Finally, the HVAC guy showed up. He had at the pipe connection in the furnace and replaced the flexible connector with the required hard, black piping. Took about 1-1/2 hours due to the proximity of the furnace connectors and the wall. But his charge wasn't too unseemly.

Kerry and I then went to Chez Paul's Bavarian Lodge one of our favorite restaurants here in Lisle. We're going to try to hit as many of our favorite local spots in the next 7 months before we move to Plainfield.

Contractor Central

The buyer sent an inspector out Tuesday and despite our agent's attempts to hide the sticky patio door and loose handle, it was noted on the report. He also noted the lack of a carbon monoxide detector (which we have bought but not yet installed), the non-Code furnace connection and a missing PVC drain on the water heater. He also saw the little red ants that have been plaguing the building for several years.

I scheduled an exterminator for the ants. I still need to call a plumber for the water heater (and to tighten the kitchen faucet). I also have a couple of contractors scheduled to come out and make an estimate to fix the patio door. All this in addition to the chimney inspector and HVAC guy I had already called. All minor problems but they add up. I spoke to our agent and he said don't worry too much about getting everything done. It's routine negotiations. He also reminded us that the buyer wants our place as much as we want to sell it. (I thought to myself, "That doesn't seem possible").

On that point, I hired an attorney to handle the sale for us. I had planned on doing it myself but with the closing scheduled for May 11, I just won't have time to stay on top of everything well enough in addition to the fact that I want everything to go smoothly and although I did Kerry's condo closing seemingly without a hitch, I felt it would be in both our interests to pay to have it done by a third party. So I hired my boss's former associate to handle it. He has done over 1,000 closings (his mom is a real estate agent) and he has done a number of condo closings in our complex.

So, hopefully, the negotiations will go well and things will get done in a timely fashion.

Week Beginnings

Well, the weekend was busy. Now, I have lots of little things to do this week. We needed to schedule a fireplace chimney inspection and some furnace connection work to bring it up to code. I already bought the carbon monoxide detector that is now required by law. I guess that law took effect earlier this year. Probably not a bad thing but it will require a lot of stuff sticking out of the ceiling in the back hallway. The aesthetics will probably be compromised but WHO CARES, we won't be living here anymore.

So, I called Chim-Chiminy Chimney Sweeps. An inspection will run $89.00. I scheduled it for Friday afternoon when Kerry will be home allowing her the morning to take care of personal things if necessary (I'm so thoughtful).

Next, I contacted the HVAC contractor to do the furnace connection. Apparently, the building code now requires the flexible connector pipe to be replaced with a solid, black pipe. Again, I scheduled this for the same time as the chimney inspector. Hopefully, it will only be a quick 1-2-3 in less than an hour and some simple parts.

I then went online to reserve a moving truck for May 5th. Kerry and I should have much of the little things shuttled over to the apartment the last weekend of April, but I will need the truck (and the help of some friends) to get the larger furnishings out. I got a small truck but it should fit most everything. And if we have to make a second trip, since we got the local apartment, it won't be too terribly difficult or inconvenient. I tried to call to confirm the reservation three hours after calling it in but the trucking agent hadn't received the reservation from national yet. I'll have to try again in the morning with them.

Our real estate agent called to say he was bringing the inspector over tomorrow. He asked me to leave the Association Rules and Regulations on the kitchen counter along with the carbon monoxide detector. I also worked on the patio door latch again and filled in around the gap with aluminum tape. It looks pretty good. I cleared some more gunk from the track and pour more oil in so it glides more smoothly. Hopefully, there won't be any problems tomorrow when the inspector opens the door.

I spoke to a mortgage agent from GMAC which is one of Town & Country's "preferred" lenders. Whatever that means. We went over some rough numbers over the phone and it sounds like it would be a pretty simple process to get the loan. We'll probably meet with the lender after we finalize our options at the second construction meeting scheduled for Saturday (yes, Kerry, Saturday).

I'm not 100% sure what else will need to be done this week but I'm sure whatever is necessary, we will get it done.

Renting Again

First thing Saturday morning, Kerry and I had to actually sign the sales contract. Our agent came over at 8:00 a.m. with the paperwork. Since we listed at 8:00 a.m. last Saturday, it meant that our place had been officially sold in exactly one week. Put that in your soft condo market and stuff it.

Next, Kerry and I had to find a place to live in the interim. Our thoughts had been moving closer to Plainfield so we could get used to the area and be near to watch the construction. The other consideration was to maybe save a couple of hundred dollars a month under the cost of our mortgage and assessment.

We found three complexes online and set off to check them out. The first one was in Bolingbrook just north of Route 53 and I-55 that advertised one bedroom units for $575.00. We came in and sat down with the saleslady who got basic information and then asked us, "You're both employed?" We answered, "Yes." She then pulled out a chart that had some salary levels marked and asked if we made more than $45,000 a year combined. When we told her we did, she said that we couldn't qualify for the complex because they're tax-subsidized for the poor. And that was that. When then headed off to look for the next complex.

That was in Romeoville south of I-55 off of Weber Road. It was actually fairly nearby the Romeoville new construction subdivision Kerry and I had been contemplating. We drove through but decided to check out a unit in Crest Hill (between Joliet and Plainfield) before stopping in here.

We drove to Crest Hill going west on I-55 to Route 30 and through some local construction. The complex itself didn't look bad. The saleslady was a little dingy. Couldn't find the right unit, brought the wrong key. Eventually, we found the 436 square foot studio unit. It was small and a little dark but we figured since Kerry is traveling, we could get away with a tiny apartment and moving most of the furniture into storage. Even with the short term rental premium, we'd be saving $175.00 a month. (Which would be partially consumed by the larger storage unit I would have to rent). We saw it and realized we would be looking at having the sleeper sofa, a T.V. and maybe a chair. I could tell Kerry was not thrilled with the prospect of living like that.

Nonetheless, we went ahead with the application process to put a hold on the unit while we prayed to find something better. The complex had a no-fee hold and application so it didn't cost us anything. We could always call to cancel before the move in date.

We went back to Romeoville but the saleslady there said she didn't know if any of their units would be available for short term leasing. The units seemed nice. Much nicer than the Crest Hill studio (and not only because it was a one bedroom as opposed to a studio). She took our information and said she would call us on Monday if there would be availability for a seven month lease.

So we headed up to Lisle again to see how much it would cost to get a larger storage unit. The saleslady there told us that we could cancel my current unit and open a new, larger 10x10 unit and get the $1.00 first month rental that existing customers were not eligible to receive. Then the price would be for an additional $50/month over what I was paying now for my 5x10 unit. We asked the saleslady if she knew of any cheap apartments in the area and she suggested we go to an apartment finder agency down the road. We left and headed out to find the agency.

On the way looking for the unit, we passed Lakeside Apartments where our good friend, Alycia, used to live. We thought it might be a little pricier than we wanted to do but decided to take a look. I hit the bathroom and Kerry covered our story with the salesguy. He said usually the premium surcharge for a short term (less than one year) lease was $200. But he would see if his manager would work with us since we'd be there for more than 6 months.

We looked at the second floor apartment and it was identical to the unit Alycia had. Right down to the odd cylindrical fireplace. It wasn't an upgraded unit but they were charging more for those. We went back to see if there was a first floor unit available and to check on if we could get a break on the premium.

There was a first floor unit (it didn't have a fireplace but so what?) and the manager agreed to a $100 premium for us. So we decided that we would sign the lease from April 28, 2007 until December 31, 2007. Our credit check flew through a we were renting again. In the end, it was about the same as our current mortgage and a bit more than the Crest Hill complex (if you factor in the additional storage costs). Add in Kerry's emotional turmoil in living in that teeny-tiny place and the decision was easy.

As soon as I got home, I called the Crest Hill complex and released the hold. Hopefully, the didn't lose any potential leases but we had to do what he had to do. And they'l have all day tomorrow to try to move it.

So now we need to round up a couple of people to help with the move. At least we'll have 2 weekends to get out.

Done Deal! Now What?

Well, no sooner had I posted that last blog than does my agent call to say they buyer came up another grand. The agent wanted to recounter for another $500 but I told him we're done. THE CONDO IS SOLD!!! Yea! Happy day!

So, we're now homeless.

I guess its still subject to financing but my agent says that the buyer is pre-qualified and if he also has $20K or so in the bank from an inheritance as we've been told, it shouldn't be a problem. We'd like to avoid the nightmare Kerry went through contracting with a couple with a horrible financial record.

I guess we next have to find a place to move to. I'd like someplace in the Plainfield area. That way we can get used to the area and I can get used to the drive. We will have to figure out if we're going to get an unfurnished apartment or if we'll put our stuff into storage and get one of those "In Town" suite type places. That runs about $239.00 a week so all talleyed up with the fact that utilities would be included, it would be a wash against our mortgage and assessment.

The anticipated closing is May 11, 2007. So we don't have a ton of time. But that's good. If figured that the sale would go one of two ways: either it would go down to the bitter end before the house was built and Kerry would have a nervous breakdown or it would sell very quickly and be as inconvenient as possible for us. I much prefer the latter over the former.

Closer Still

We now have an acceptable offer. Just not an "Accepted" offer. Our counter was countered just at the bottom level of what Kerry and I would take to sell. We countered again and the next move should be the final deal. Unless our counter kills it all. Here's hoping it didn't. But as I said before, that's the art of the deal.

First Offers and Negotiations

We have our first offer already. So much for the soft condo market, I guess. Less than one week on the market. Not bad for the little rat-trap. The potential buyer a seemingly young guy (the market I figured we'd attract) who came into some family money. Read: No contingency sale. So that's good.

Of course, he's trying to low-ball us. Kerry and I have a set sale price range that we're not very willing to move on given the fact that the place hasn't even been on the market for a week. He's about three grand under our bottom line. Our agent says we should come down about two grand from our listing price and hopefully we'll meet in the middle and that would put is right into our range for sale.

If the final offer is still low, I'm going to try to get the agents to take a hit on their commission. If the final offer is still a grand or so under our bottom line, I'll ask them to drop their rate 1/2 a percent. Certainly, our agent should be willing to do that since he really hasn't had to do a whole heckuvalot to get this sale. And 2% of the sale price would be better than 0% of no sale and running the risk of the listing expiring in four months. Of course, taking a grand or two less today may be worth eating several thousand dollars in October when we're desperate to get out and have the money for the new place. But that's the art of the deal.

The other thing about the offer is they want our gas logs for the fireplace and the carbon monoxide detector. Ummm, the listing says "wood fireplace". There are no gas logs and there is no gas connection. Also, as far as I know, we don't have a carbon monoxide detector. Our smoke detector is hard-wired to the electrical system and is maintained by the condo association. If we have one, he can have it. If it's a huge deal breaker for him, I'll go out and buy the damn thing. They only cost $20.00.

Showing! Showing!

We've had the condo on the market for 3 days and we've already had one showing! This morning a Prudential agent called and said she wanted to bring a client through and wanted to make sure the place could be shown. It was and I told her to go ahead whenever she could get there. I zipped a little text message off to Kerry to let her know (we can all use good news now and again).

That's pretty cool but the kicker is that this afternoon, she called again saying she wanted to bring her client back because it was in his "final cut." Of course, I told her, "Any time." I then texted Kerry again and let her know but this time I had to qualify it with a: "I'm not messing with you on this!"

I then ran to Menard's and picked up the 6' mirrored closet door to replace the one that had cracked a year or so ago. It was an ordeal bringing it home since it didn't fit well in the Rav. But with enough bungee cords, some careful driving and a little luck, I got it home. I also picked up a wood chisel and mini-saw to cut into the trim above the front door to allow me to connect the door closer.

I started by getting the broken closet door taken down. Then 24 started so I turned my attention to the front door closer which was near the T.V. I used the mini-saw to cut into the trim and then used the chisel to pop the piece out where the connector had to be screwed into the wall. Once the trim was cut the screws went in clean and voila' another Donovan masterpiece.

24 ended and after taking a call from a friend I hadn't talked to in far too long, I went back at the closet door. I extended the rollers at the top and popped them into the track that my mom's husband, Gerry, put in about 2 years ago. That long already? Wow.

I extended the top rollers to even it up with the other rolling door and then extended the bottom guides into the tracks. And I'll be danged if I didn't do it again. Yea, me!

I don't know if it will make the difference in getting a sale tomorrow but it can't hurt. Maybe the potential buyer didn't even notice anything amiss. You just never know. We remain hopeful but there are no guarantees. We'll see what we see.

Listing!

Kerry and I listed the condo with a real estate broker Saturday. We went with the mother-son team that listed my condo back in 1995 when I bought it.

We had thought about listing with the agent that sold Kerry's condo but on reflection we both wondered "Why the heck would we do that?" That agent originally brought us an offer from unqualified buyers (we shouldn't have accepted the offer but we were fairly desperate at that point). Our desperation got worse as the "buyers" had their tie-in sale fall through and their financing completely collapsed. Unfortunately, this didn't happen until extension after extension was granted basically shooting our whole summer of potential sales to hell.

Eventually, a qualified buyer was found but by then Kerry and I had been beaten into submission and we accepted an offer that after the cash back on close resulted in a net loss. To add insult to injury the agent calculated her commission on the gross price not the next price after cash back. It was a difference of maybe $500 but it was the principle of the thing. The only ones who had to bite the bullet were Kerry and me.

So the agent came out on Saturday morning and we got listed. By the afternoon, he had us on the MLS system and had a lock box in the lobby. He seeemed impressed with our upgrades and immediately recognized the new kitchen features and really liked the remodeled bathroom. He did try to temper our enthusiasm (of which we had little anyways) but saying that the condo market is pretty weak for sellers but he noted that our price point was very competitive and few units were at our price or less and it was doubtful they had the upgrades we had. We'll see.