Speaking of smelly animals, Kamper, not super stinky at the moment, is in dire need of a haircut and I just got some clippers for him. I’ve never sheared a dog before and feel that only a pandemic could make me this excited to do it. But, these hot days are getting hotter and poor Kamper is paying a price. But, man, he’s so cute all shaggy.
As far as Sterling goes, he’s also so cute. He’s asking me to cut his hair, too, but I like it long, so I’m procrastinating.
We gave in and let the boys play with the neighbor kids. I think it was 100% necessary. They need this emotionally, psychologically, physically- all the reasons. It makes me really happy to see them play and laugh with other kids. So happy, in fact, that I also played and laughed with some friends over the weekend. It was great to have some time with people I love and although I ended up working for a bunch of the time I was supposed to be visiting, it did wonders for my soul just being around them.
The boys will be headed to camp soon, too. For all my complaining about needing to work and wishing I had more space, part of me is sad to see them gone during the day. (Don’t worry, I have a feeling I’ll settle in nicely without them.) We’ve heard that when school goes back into session at the end of August, there’s a chance it’ll only be for one day a week, the rest of the week will be remote learning again. Frankly, I’m terrified.
Tag is doing great and excited that this job is almost over and he’ll be moving to a new site. Best part, he’ll be working alongside one of his friends. In fact, it’s the friend who got him involved with crane work. We met him and his wife several years ago when I owned a boutique in Georgetown. They came in all the time and we’d talk with them for hours. We really enjoy their company and they helped Tag figure out what he wanted to do when he decided he no longer wanted to work as a firefighter at Buffalo Creek. This is what we call: full circle.
I’m getting excited because my mom is planning to come here and visit soon. My dad is also re-planning his own visit (not at the same time) that was supposed to take place just before all this quarantining started. He lives in Sweden, but I’m used to seeing him a couple times a year and cannot wait for him to get here. I mean, no dates or anything yet, but having these visits to look forward to is awesome.
I’m happy that we have Tag’s parents here and so close, they’re such a big part of our lives, so not seeing them over the past few months has taken a toll. We’re planning to have a distanced picnic with them soon. So, again, very excited.
Realtorly Advice
My clients have gotten the results back from the home inspection we had last week. Let me just preface by saying no house is perfect, there will always be something that comes back on the report, so be prepared for that.
There were six things they wanted to have fixed, but one could be pretty major and that’s the Kitec tubing. This is a system that was used in the late 90s and early 2000s, but some lawsuits appeared due to piping and fitting failure. When this system is used, they say it’s not a matter of “if” with this plumbing, but “when” it will fail.
My buyers aren’t comfortable with it. This house will be used as their second home and if they’re not there all the time, the damage could occur while they’re away and be significant. So, we put in our inspection objection.
There was a rebuttal that said if we have it flushed out and serviced regularly all should be fine. But, we’re not super comfortable with that and did lots of research on the internet- all of it is bad. So, we decided to have a plumber and not an HVAC person look at the system before we terminate.
I sincerely hope we don’t lose this house because it really is a unicorn house for this couple. It’s so perfect (besides Kitec). No work is needed at all. I know most agents may have let them terminate already, but I wanted to exhaust every possible source of fixing the problem first. We spoke to a plumber who will be meeting us to look at the system and give us solid advice.
Next week: what the plumber had to say.
Week Seven of The Home Buying Process
The next big step in the home-buying process comes from the appraisal and lending process.
An independent appraiser will need to come out and tell you if the home is worth what you offered. If it’s not, you go back to the drawing board, but if it is, all good and moving forward can commence.
If you don’t need a lender, you don’t need an appraiser, by the way. The lender does this so they know what the house is worth.
It’s important to note that during these COVID times, an appraiser may not go inside the house, so be sure he/she knows all of the benefits the house offers, the updates, and anything that’s special about it. Appraisers will base their pricing on comps, recent sale prices in the area, the past sale of the house, the current market, and the specifics of the house aka beds, baths, square footage, etc. So, build up the house as much as ethically possible and make sure they know everything about it so you get a fair appraisal.
I hope you’re all feeling well and staying safe and happy. Try to make a plan for later in the summer so you have something to look forward to, it’s proven to make you more festive!
