Condo Sale

With the building of the new house to take into November or December, we have plenty of time to get the condo sold. Of course, with spring fast approaching, we want to get the place ready to be put on the market as quick as possible.

We had already taken steps towards the sale. About two weeks ago or so, hired an electrician through ServiceMaster, a handyman listing service. We hired him to come in and put in CFI outlets in the bathroom and kitchen in order to bring the electrical up to code. He also installed a new white range hood over the new white range we had purchased in early February. So now all of our appliances were new (or at least newish enough) and matching. A new ceiling fan was installed in the dining area replacing the antique brass that had not matched any of the brushed nickel hardware in the rest of the condo for about 4 years or so. The guy did a good job but was over an hour and a half late and didn't call with a new ETA screwing up Kerry's entire morning plans.

We also had Empire (of 988-2300 jingle fame) come out to install a new bathroom shower and tub surround. The yellow tile in the bathroom was OK (great if you want a Packers motif environment in which to to your business) but the soap dish/face towel bar was old and corroded. We didn't think it could be removed without destroying the surrounding tile so we hired experts.

I warned Kerry that about 8 years ago I had Empire come out to quote me for new carpets. When theire quote was about $2,300 more than any other quote, I told the guy I needed to think about it. And the SOB wouldn't leave. I argued with him for 40 minutes before I finally got him out the door. So Kerry was mentally prepared for the on-slaught. The salesman arrived and made his quote which was about what another contractor had quoted but still much higher than we wanted to spend. So she dickered for awhile and got him to drop about $1,300 off the price. Makes you realize how much margin is built into their prices (especially the initial quotes).

They came out two days later and installed the surround making the bathroom almost unrecognizable (not a bad thing). All that was left was to repaint the walls and maybe some caulking around the sink. At least until the vanity lights went out the next day. Odd thing is the fan switch and the outlet both still work. So I have no idea what is wrong with it and for the last 3 days we've been showering in the dark or with minimal light from the hallway.

The blackout in the bathroom necessitated calling the electrician back. Kerry and I had picked up a second new ceiling fan - this one to replace the fan in the bedroom. I also forgot to have the electrician install a new thermostat that I had purchased years ago but never had the nerve to try to install myself. We also wanted the electrician to replace some of the switches with newer hardware. This was scheduled for between 10am and 11 am today. But as of right now (12:44 pm), the electrician still hasn't shown up. Looks like they're getting another lukewarm review on ServiceMaster.

Later tonight, Kerry and I will attempt to hang a new fireplace mantle and replace the brass fireplace door frame with a new nickel frame. It doesn't look too involved but if I screw it up, we can always hire someone to do it.

Finally, much of the weekend was spent cleaning out our closets and hiding things in storage. Getting rid of alot of the clutter to make the place more presentable for sale. Hopefully, our hard work will pay off with a quick sale at price. That will result in us having to find short-term rental space (since we have no family in the area) but that'll be a good problem to have and we can jump off that bridge when we get to it.