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This and That

April 9th, 2014 at 07:51 pm

I added $9.68 to the coin jar. DH cleaned out his wallet last night before heading back to Alaska and that was all the ones and change that he had, plus 3 quarters from my purse that were knocking around.

After all the building we have done so far this spring, we have decided to put the green house on hold. With the duck house yet to be built and a turkey house next on the agenda, then fixing all the rabbit tractors with new roofs and building a large outdoor hutch with two big grow out cages for the rabbits that we can put in deep shade during the heart of the summer's heat, I just can't see it getting done.

That is okay though. We are planning on a straw bale garden, so it will be an easy set-up. We can put low tunnels over them to keep the birds out of the ones they would love to eat.

There have still been no serious buyers on the house. There are people that want it but don't have any money ready to buy it. I am hoping that now that it is spring and we are heading into summer that there will be someone who actually has money who wants it. It is such a nice house. If it weren't for the location I'm sure it would be long sold.

If it doesn't sell by summer, I think we are going to try to rent it. I know of one person who has said they would rent it for $1000 a month and pay all the utilities. That was the guy who painted the house in exchange for our old car. That way I could at least start paying the handyman back. He did the work based on being paid when it sold and being allowed to use it for his portfolio book, though all materials were paid for at the time. We just owe him on the labor.

If the house ever sells, we are planning on paying off the van with part of the proceeds. That will give us a smaller down payment, but it will free up a lot of money each month.

The mortgage hit and the remaining balance is 5362.82, so after May's payment it will be under $5K. I am so tempted to just pay it off using half the Emergency Fund. I could then use the money I've been putting on the mortgage to get the Emergency Fund back up to $10K. It would be a risk. Everything is these days, but to own the house free and clear means that at least in an Emergency situation no one could take that away from us, evening if it means moving back to the boonies.

I have been thinking about getting a used fridge and washing machine to put in the house, too. I am wondering if that might not be a small issue with some of the people looking to buy. They might want to have it ready to just walk in and live, not have to buy a few big appliances themselves. If they are only looking at the listing and seeing it doesn't have that, it might be enough to keep them from coming out and falling in love with the house. At the very least I think it needs a fridge. I see fridges on Craigslist for $100 quite often and washers from $50 to $150. It would be a small investment to possibly make a big difference.

5 Responses to “This and That”

  1. Another Reader Says:
    1397083845

    There is a saying in the real estate business, price fixes everything. If a property is listed for sale for a while and it's not selling, it's overpriced. If you really want to sell it, talk to your agent and get a realistic opinion on what price reduction it would take to get it sold in 60 days. If that price is less than you are willing to accept, there is not much point in leaving it on the market. If you can get a renter out in the boonies, that might be a better choice if you are unwilling to reduce the price.

    No agent should be showing the property to unqualified buyers. That's a waste of everyone's time. Appliances can't get an unqualified buyer to qualify. A lower price will attract qualified buyers. Vacant properties are also fire and vandalism risks. In your shoes, I would check your insurance to make sure the property is insured if it is vacant for an extended time. My rental insurance policies allow only 60 days of vacancy before the coverage lapses.

  2. ThriftoRama Says:
    1397097881

    So is that why you don't live in the house? The location doesn't suit you?

  3. LuckyRobin Says:
    1397105048

    Thrift--

    We moved for many reasons. One of the biggest reason we moved is because my daughter's friend was murdered by her mother's drunk boyfriend down the block and he committed suicide. It was very difficult on both children to be reminded of that every day. Also the land isn't enough for what we want to do. The HoA wouldn't allow us to keep chickens or rabbits or ducks. I also needed a lot of help after my last two surgeries. I had to do a lot of physical therapy to be able to walk and that was located here. The drive was almost impossible for me at that point. And after ten years of mountain living, with all the snow, I was done. It was a mistake to buy there in the first place. If I could pick up the house and move it to new land and sell the lot, I would.

  4. LuckyRobin Says:
    1397105293

    AN--It is priced comparably to similar homes in the area that have sold. In fact ours is in better shape than some of them. We just put it on the market at a bad time. Our insurance is fine. We adjusted it to fit the situation. We may do a price drop in a couple of months, but the spring buyers are just starting to look now.

    Several agents have shown our house and to unqualified buyers so they are doing it regardless of whether or not they should be.

  5. ThriftoRama Says:
    1397258062

    Wow, LR. I am so shocked. I understand now. I'm sorry if my asking brought up any bad thoughts or emotions. I had no idea.

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