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House Recon - OK, So Not a Cruise Blog...


WAAAYTOOO

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20 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We've decided to go back down to FL for a short visit to find a place down there to rent (if the house sells soon) and to attend our "options/upgrades" meeting in person.  That's where we choose all of the upgrades that we will get on the house and from what I understand, they are marathon events.

I don't know if your builder does this or Florida allows it, but I did this for many of my new construction buyers.  They actually would take the credit on certain items.  For example, they did not take the appliances.  Why pay a 20-30 yr loan on your fridge, because in essence that is what you are doing with a mtg.  Instead, they purchased on their own the appliances.  The only thing that creates an issue is that you will not get a CO (Certificate of Occupancy) from the county on the day of closing because you do not have your appliances.  They would get keys that day, and have the appliances delivered the same day or the next day.  The inspector would come out and give them the CO the following day.

The other thing I would suggest is to take their bottom line flooring if you are going down there.  My Mom was the one that taught me this trick.  She knew this would be a long time home, or as she always said, they will take me out of this house feet first.  She wasn't going to settle on the flooring.  She took the basics.  The day after closing she had all of it ripped out and had a specialty flooring company come in and do it the way she wanted.  (extended the foyer into other areas), and with the floors she wanted, laid the way she wanted  (she wanted diagonal 12X12 tiles in the kitchen, but they only offered only 8X8 block, that and specific gout colors).  They had it done and move in ready 3 days later.  It actually was cheaper to take their basic, rip it out and place in her higher quality than if she did their top tier upgrade which was still lower than her product.

As someone that built my current house, I don't envy you on that aspect.  As a realtor, I can tell I would cringe on those days, especially if they have a showroom you go to for their site.  It takes a full day because you go from outside to inside including everything from the roof color to the faucet on the sinks.  You will think I got it all, and than when the list is printed, you start to say...wait, I chose black granite with black faucet, but stainless steel appliances...what will the cost be if I change the appliances to black stainless appliances?  Should I now change the faucet to stainless to match the appliances?  If I do that should I change the granite?  If I do that, than should I change the bathroom faucets too?  Every change you make after that 1st print out needs to be re-inputted.  

That being said it is fun picking out the things.  Just be ready for the sticker shock when you do the options/upgrades.   Rule of thumb is add in $$$$ for those upgrades.  For me when I did it with clients in VA, it was 20% of the price of the home if they did everything with the builder.

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On 9/15/2020 at 1:54 PM, Pima1988 said:

Just be ready for the sticker shock when you do the options/upgrades. 

You're right about this !  They gave us a price list for upgrades when we were there last time.  YIKES !  $285 to have a power outlet installed in the floor (so you don't have to run extension cords all over the room for a table lamp).  I think we have already accumulated in the neighborhood of $50K in upgrades ! ....and that's just from looking at the list they gave us !  I'm sure there are plenty of upgrades that aren't even on this list.

Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you about not financing the appliances and upgrade flooring, etc. ...but with the interest rates as low as they are, they're almost financing them for free !  Sure, we could buy all of those things ourselves but we've decided to hold onto our cash.  ...and there's another factor.  Dan is absolutely DONE with home improvements and DYI.  He wants a turnkey operation and I don't blame him.  We went through 1 entire year of home renovation and he said "never again !".

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When we built, one of the upgrades was a sprinkler system and it was a must have for DW. It was $2,000 to add it and it has been well worth it. Our yard is much healthier than most of our neighbors. The guy across the street and the guy next door both have said they regretted not adding it. Their grass and flowerbeds look terrible compared to ours. 

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22 minutes ago, kadmgs said:

When we built, one of the upgrades was a sprinkler system and it was a must have for DW. It was $2,000 to add it and it has been well worth it. Our yard is much healthier than most of our neighbors. The guy across the street and the guy next door both have said they regretted not adding it. Their grass and flowerbeds look terrible compared to ours. 

Dan had an automatic sprinkler system installed here about 12 years ago.  He's a "yard guy" (he's out there right now, picking up twigs and leaves) so he has enjoyed the green yard, all year round.  The nice thing about our new community - no yard work !!  It's all included in the HOA.

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Update -

Since the listing on our VA house went “live” yesterday (Thursday), we decided it would be best just to skeedaddle and run away to western MD to visit my daughter and see her new house.  For @coneyraven, they live in Garrett County in Oakland. I don’t know much more about the area except that it is beautiful out here in the sticks (meant lovingly).  We watched a big (probably 8 point) buck with his deer-ladies grazing in their yard (5 acres).  Simply beautiful. Of course, all Dan could talk about was shootIng them with a bow, but I avoided a philosophical confrontation on the subject.  
 

Back to the house.  I am overwhelmed by the attraction the house has generated !  We have over 30 confirmed viewing appointments between Thursday and Saturday plus an open house on Sunday. Getting out of town was the RIGHT move.  We did have 1 negative review (objection to the yard slope, which is legitimate) but everything else has been ragingly positive.  I think we’re going to be very happy with the decision to sell now. Our Agent is very pleased. We told him to hold all offers until we get back.  Don’t want to deal with that right now.

I change my mind daily (even more often some days) about whether to accept the job offer I have and remain in VA until the FL house is ready or move straight away to FL.  He keeps sweetening the job offer so it’s getting harder to decline so I outsmarted him (I hope).  I sent him a list of all my cruise dates for the next year !  That should discourage him !  Lol

Off to breakfast with the fam.  

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On 9/25/2020 at 9:48 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Update -

Since the listing on our VA house went “live” yesterday (Thursday), we decided it would be best just to skeedaddle and run away to western MD to visit my daughter and see her new house.  For @coneyraven, they live in Garrett County in Oakland. I don’t know much more about the area except that it is beautiful out here in the sticks (meant lovingly).  We watched a big (probably 8 point) buck with his deer-ladies grazing in their yard (5 acres).  Simply beautiful. Of course, all Dan could talk about was shootIng them with a bow, but I avoided a philosophical confrontation on the subject.  
 

Back to the house.  I am overwhelmed by the attraction the house has generated !  We have over 30 confirmed viewing appointments between Thursday and Saturday plus an open house on Sunday. Getting out of town was the RIGHT move.  We did have 1 negative review (objection to the yard slope, which is legitimate) but everything else has been ragingly positive.  I think we’re going to be very happy with the decision to sell now. Our Agent is very pleased. We told him to hold all offers until we get back.  Don’t want to deal with that right now.

I change my mind daily (even more often some days) about whether to accept the job offer I have and remain in VA until the FL house is ready or move straight away to FL.  He keeps sweetening the job offer so it’s getting harder to decline so I outsmarted him (I hope).  I sent him a list of all my cruise dates for the next year !  That should discourage him !  Lol

Off to breakfast with the fam.  

It really is amazing up here ..... as a native of Howard County, I've lived in the "high country" for over 25 years and have absolutely no desire to move back.  The Howard County I grew up in doesn't exist (I'm Pre-Columbian) As for Oakland, Tyna and I were out there the other day because we like the Lowe's there better than the one near Cumberland.  We live practically on the Allegany/Garrett County line so getting to either location is relatively easy.

Oakland is just one of those towns that you instantly fall in love with..... of course, it's easy to say that in the warmer months.  The running joke up here is.....we have two seasons .... Winter, and July.  I'll be so glad when this pandemic crap is over with so we can go to the Honi Honi for the live music on the lake.

As for Dan, he would fit in quite nicely up here.  He'd really have a blast during bear season.  Yes, there are that many up here that it warrants a season.  As backwoods as it can be up here, we are thankful for the cell tower up on the mountain .... Here's an example of this past Saturday, we go up to the top end of the property, drag a cooler and the Bluetooth Speaker and have a Bonfire.   Doesn't get any better than that.

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I'm amazed how hot the residential real estate market is right now. 

We have new neighbors.  The house sold within hours without a sign ever going up on the lawn.   All it took was one day that saw a stream of cars and real estate agents.   The next day there were none, it had been sold. 

It was like when a drop of ice cream falls on the ground and a hundred ants come out of nowhere to gobble it up then they are gone.   

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We went by Honi-Honi but didn't go in.  I think they were open but the summer rush is definitely winding down.  We did eat dinner at Dutch's, which was excellent.  The single thing that Leigh misses is a decent grocery store.  The best they have in that area is a Shop 'N Save but she's a bit of a city slicker and misses her Harris Teeter and Wegman's.  She was actually talking about going all the way to Moorefield (an hour from their place) just to get to a Food Lion, which is pretty sad.  They do, however, already have a "favorite" butcher so she's very pleased with that aspect.

We enjoyed our visit with them very much.  They have a beautiful new (resale) home.  Since they are in the real estate business, they got a very VERY good price even though it needs some work.  They're young.  They can do all that work !  The house is not actually ON the water (Deep Creek), but is considered lake property.  They have another home that IS on the lake, that they rent out.  They have not had but 3 vacant days for that property since March and it is rented solid all the way through the holidays.  There is a small ski town (McHenry) nearby so with the lake and the ski lodge, that makes it a year-round destination.  Who knew ??

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So, we have very good news on the VA home sale.  It went on the market, officially, this past Thursday, Sept. 24.  By the end of the weekend, we had 13 offers with over 51 live viewings.  We accepted the latest offer this morning at more than $30K above the asking price.  YIPPEE !!!  

They are basically paying cash so financing complications are non-existent and they don't want to take possession until Nov. 16 so that will give us time to get our s**t together and head south.  I still have not completely abandoned the idea of taking the new job but I've pretty much decided that I am ready to go to Florida !

It's been a whirlwind, but it seems like all of the chips are falling into place.  We will be homeless very soon !!

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2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We accepted the latest offer this morning at more than $30K above the asking price.

So you're going to take those upgrades for the mirrored ceiling in the MBR, the parquet floors with a disco ball in the grand foyer, and the fireplace with authentic sheepskin rug?

?

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2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We went by Honi-Honi but didn't go in.  I think they were open but the summer rush is definitely winding down.  We did eat dinner at Dutch's, which was excellent.  The single thing that Leigh misses is a decent grocery store.  The best they have in that area is a Shop 'N Save but she's a bit of a city slicker and misses her Harris Teeter and Wegman's.  She was actually talking about going all the way to Moorefield (an hour from their place) just to get to a Food Lion, which is pretty sad.  They do, however, already have a "favorite" butcher so she's very pleased with that aspect.

We enjoyed our visit with them very much.  They have a beautiful new (resale) home.  Since they are in the real estate business, they got a very VERY good price even though it needs some work.  They're young.  They can do all that work !  The house is not actually ON the water (Deep Creek), but is considered lake property.  They have another home that IS on the lake, that they rent out.  They have not had but 3 vacant days for that property since March and it is rented solid all the way through the holidays.  There is a small ski town (McHenry) nearby so with the lake and the ski lodge, that makes it a year-round destination.  Who knew ??

Moorefield is quite a hike ..... They'd have better luck going to the Weis in Frostburg or Martin's in LaVale which is a little more "upscale" --- of course, there's always the Vortex (Wal-Mart).  One thing they may agree on, it's crazy up here, our real estate market, especially in Cumberland, has been non-existent.... a glut of houses for sale..... now, thanks to the pandemic, people are moving out of the city, and, since our area is so inexpensive, moving here ..... after all, if they can work from home in Rockville, they can work from home in Frostburg.  Our only downside is a lack of mid-range priced property.  We have a ton of old house that would make great fixer-uppers, and a few high end properties, like at the lake....... but not much in the middle.  For those reading this that don't know the area ...... you don't have to look far to find properties under 100k (their condition may be an issue) ---- In my case, I'm in a 150 year old coal mining company home that backs up on a mountain.....Of course, the home has been modernized, and I have about an acre of land, but the real win was that I was able to pick it up for less than 50k..... to me, the repairs didn't phase me, I wanted the land it sat on.

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4 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

So, we have very good news on the VA home sale.  It went on the market, officially, this past Thursday, Sept. 24.  By the end of the weekend, we had 13 offers with over 51 live viewings.  We accepted the latest offer this morning at more than $30K above the asking price.  YIPPEE !!!  

They are basically paying cash so financing complications are non-existent and they don't want to take possession until Nov. 16 so that will give us time to get our s**t together and head south.  I still have not completely abandoned the idea of taking the new job but I've pretty much decided that I am ready to go to Florida !

It's been a whirlwind, but it seems like all of the chips are falling into place.  We will be homeless very soon !!

Guess I am VERY late getting in on this blog post...I just read through the entire 3 pages and would like to offer my CONGRATS to you on...buying...selling...and most importantly enjoying your life!!!!   Very happy for you...best of luck with the move!

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9 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Guess I am VERY late getting in on this blog post...I just read through the entire 3 pages and would like to offer my CONGRATS to you on...buying...selling...and most importantly enjoying your life!!!!   Very happy for you...best of luck with the move!


Thank you so much !!  It's a lot of work and when you get old it's even harder !

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2 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:


Thank you so much !!  It's a lot of work and when you get old it's even harder !

I hear you on that one!!  Friday I will turn 64...Oh My!!!  Where did the years go??  Only thing keeping me young (sort of) are my 5 grandkids but when they leave to go home after being here all day....boy do I feel OLD!!!!

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On 9/28/2020 at 2:13 PM, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Keep us updated on that job offer...especially after you provided all your "needed time off"!!!  If the job is still being offered to you...just might be an omen to take it!!  Extra $$$ for the casino on all those cruises!!  ?

Ok.  New plan.  Changed our minds AGAIN.  Now we are staying here, I am taking this da*n job and we are not going to FL right away.  Even after telling my prospective employer that I would be gone basically 25% of the next year (slight exaggeration), he still extended an offer that I just can't turn down.  An increase in the salary offer plus very attractive signing bonus has been introduced....I just can't say "no".

So...we will be making an interim move locally and we will spend the best part of the next year right where we are.  This actually takes quite a bit of pressure off.  We now can take our time moving as we can move incrementally rather than 1 big swoop-move.  Of course, there will be the whole WORK thing, which sucks...but since their office is still under a limited onsite situation, a significant amount of my work time will still be from home - I think.  The one and only time I went there it was basically abandoned.  I only saw 2 live bodies in the whole building.

So much for retirement.

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1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Ok.  New plan.  Changed our minds AGAIN.  Now we are staying here, I am taking this da*n job and we are not going to FL right away.  Even after telling my prospective employer that I would be gone basically 25% of the next year (slight exaggeration), he still extended an offer that I just can't turn down.  An increase in the salary offer plus very attractive signing bonus has been introduced....I just can't say "no".

So much for retirement.

Good for you...and CONGRATS on your new "fresh out of retirement" job!!  Must be something you really love to do which is not always an easy find.  Very happy for you.

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2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

An increase in the salary offer plus very attractive signing bonus has been introduced....I just can't say "no".

And clearly you're a potential employee who the new boss sees as a must-have, if he / she is making this much of an effort to draw you in, even knowing how much PTO you'll need next year.

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  • 3 weeks later...
2 minutes ago, Fairlynew said:

Just think of all the cruises you can book with the salary increase and huge signing bonus when the year is over!

Well....the latest on this....I turned the job down, after all.  When it’s time to retire, it’s time to retire.  We head to FL mid-Nov for real !   ....and the truth is, I booked those cruises anyway !  Even without the salary and the signing bonus !

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On 10/19/2020 at 3:05 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Well....the latest on this....I turned the job down, after all.  When it’s time to retire, it’s time to retire.  We head to FL mid-Nov for real !   ....and the truth is, I booked those cruises anyway !  Even without the salary and the signing bonus !

Good for you!!  I love your reasoning..."when it's time to retire, it's time to retire"!!!!   ABSOLUTELY!!!!!  

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We’re sitting in the AA Admiral’s Club waiting for our flight to Miami.  We have 2 appointments (tomorrow, (Friday) and Monday) to do our new build “options and upgrades”.  I have a headache already knowing that we have to make so many ($$) decisions. Then we get to cool our jets for 11 months and wait for it to be built. Ugh.

Believe it or not, there has been yet another curve ball in the “will-she-or-won’t-she” employment saga. It seems that my colleague, to whom I had willed sole control of my previous DoD project, is leaving her position to go over to the dark side (leaving the contractor world to become a Fed...<shudder>).  This leaves the contract out of compliance with the “critical personnel” requirement. I received a frantic text from another colleague on Tuesday afternoon asking what it would take to get me to come back - even part time.  CRAP !  We chatted yesterday on the phone. I explained that I was up to my a** in moving boxes and am headed south, permanently.  “Not a problem”, he exclaimed !  “We don’t care where you live, we just need your credentials....errr...I mean...we miss you so much” !  I said, “I have 101 cruise nights booked in 2021” !  “We’ll work around that.  Work whenever you want, if you don’t want to travel, we will hire someone to do that for you.” Oh sh*t.

I told him that we were heading out of town for 6 days and that I would think about it.  The secret truth is, the part of the job that I truly miss is the awesome travel that we did.  Having sites all over the world, we got to do some really fun things. So if I DO decide to do this, no way am I gonna let anyone else do the fun trips !  The ones coming up next would be back to Bahrain and over to Australia. So....maybe.

I guess I will be a mercenary and let $$ do the talking. If the money’s good enough and they don’t care where I live or how often I’m around, can I really say “no” ? But then, we’ve been THERE before, right ?  A job too good to refuse ?  This is different though. These are my peeps.  I know the players, the clients, I created the entire program from nothing, worked it for 17 years... Anyone out there willing to guess how this will go ?

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1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We’re sitting in the AA Admiral’s Club waiting for our flight to Miami.  We have 2 appointments (tomorrow, (Friday) and Monday) to do our new build “options and upgrades”.  I have a headache already knowing that we have to make so many ($$) decisions. Then we get to cool our jets for 11 months and wait for it to be built. Ugh.

Believe it or not, there has been yet another curve ball in the “will-she-or-won’t-she” employment saga. It seems that my colleague, to whom I had willed sole control of my previous DoD project, is leaving her position to go over to the dark side (leaving the contractor world to become a Fed...<shudder>).  This leaves the contract out of compliance with the “critical personnel” requirement. I received a frantic text from another colleague on Tuesday afternoon asking what it would take to get me to come back - even part time.  CRAP !  We chatted yesterday on the phone. I explained that I was up to my a** in moving boxes and am headed south, permanently.  “Not a problem”, he exclaimed !  “We don’t care where you live, we just need your credentials....errr...I mean...we miss you so much” !  I said, “I have 101 cruise nights booked in 2021” !  “We’ll work around that.  Work whenever you want, if you don’t want to travel, we will hire someone to do that for you.” Oh sh*t.

I told him that we were heading out of town for 6 days and that I would think about it.  The secret truth is, the part of the job that I truly miss is the awesome travel that we did.  Having sites all over the world, we got to do some really fun things. So if I DO decide to do this, no way am I gonna let anyone else do the fun trips !  The ones coming up next would be back to Bahrain and over to Australia. So....maybe.

I guess I will be a mercenary and let $$ do the talking. If the money’s good enough and they don’t care where I live or how often I’m around, can I really say “no” ? But then, we’ve been THERE before, right ?  A job too good to refuse ?  This is different though. These are my peeps.  I know the players, the clients, I created the entire program from nothing, worked it for 17 years... Anyone out there willing to guess how this will go ?

OK so there are frequent flyer and hotel points still in play too.  That's the only thing I miss about business travel are the points, but I don't fondly appreciate what it did to my neck back after 3 million miles.

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6 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Anyone out there willing to guess how this will go ?

I know nothing of what your job is or pays...but your hesitations just seem to indicate you still have some part of you not willing to end it all for full retirement status.  So...my guess is you will stay connected to your work...in some capacity.  My opinion: if there is no real stressors and you truly love the work (and perks) and you have nothing else keeping you from the dedication of the job, then keep doing it!  But perhaps you could at least set a goal to determine exactly when you would like to truly and fully RETIRE and stick to it.  I feel as though you will know when it is the time...

No one can make that important decision other than you (with helpful input from your husband, of course).  Best of luck!!

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11 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

 “We don’t care where you live, we just need your credentials....errr...I mean...we miss you so much” !  

Please be careful 'your credentials' are not being used by someone less capable.... It sounds like you have a good reputation so do no not jeopardize it....Though I think you are a smart cookie and trust your colleagues sometimes the almighty buck can tempt people off the path...Good luck whatever you decide

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