Kitchen Cabinets Have Arrived!

Finally! After some waiting, we now see some improvements being made. Till now it's been nothing but destruction and "oh my goodness! what's happening to this house?!"

Here is a short video clip I took yesterday afternoon. Today, more work will be done and it should start looking a lot nicer. Also, the city inspector comes today to do his initial inspection. Fortunately, my contractor will be present when the inspector arrives. This is a good thing because the inspector can show my contractor first-hand exactly what he expects to see on the next inspection. It will reduce any misunderstanding from the beginning.

Enjoy the video clip and come back often for more updates!

Electrical Work Underway

The roof was done last week and now the inside work begins. My contractor works fast! The dumpster has arrived, the kitchen has been partially demoed and the electrician has completed a great deal of work already.

I have uploaded a couple of brief video updates (walk-through) for you to enjoy.


Above video clip: 1st Floor walk thru discussing electrical work currently (no pun intended) under way.


Above video clip: Basement walk thru and discussion of new electrical service panel.

I anticipate a lot of work is going to get done in the coming week. I will be meeting with a landscaper this week for a quote on the yard cleanup. This winter has been brutal and the snow-covered ground has delayed getting any quotes. But the weather has finally broke and is now cooperating.

This is the critical time in the process (in fact, I'm probably a couple weeks behind schedule on this activity) when I need to make up some flyers and distribute them to the local neighbors. It's an opportunity for them to choose their next neighbor! They can check with friends, family and coworkers to see if anyone they know would like to move into their same neighborhood.

Also, I need to put up my For Sale By Owner (FSBO) sign this week. There is no excuse for not having it up already -- I'm behind schedule on the marketing of this home. And that is totally my fault -- I need to get crackin'!

Progress Is Being Made ...

This is now March 8, 2008. It has now been two weeks since the day of closing, Feb 22, 2008, and so far I have only been able to get the roof replaced. I am having a third contractor come in next week (Monday) to give me an estimate for the interior renovations. So far I have been quoted $42K and $30K by two different contractors. Neither quote is close enough to my initial estimate for rehab, but I could have under estimated the costs due to my inexperience. But I'll keep trying.

My hope is to get the cost of rehab below $30K and below $25K, if possible. The short video (above) shows the completed roof, but it’s a very brief clip. I will do a walk around when the weather is a little nicer -- I didn’t want to trod through the snow today.

This is a picture of the water meter that was reconnected this week by the water department. It's a good thing the valves were all shut because we have some missing copper pipes that need to be replaced -- there would have been water everywhere!!

I hope to get the demo started (that’s builder language for demolition of the interior) no later than next weekend and hope to have the house completed by April 15 - it’s an aggressive schedule, but I am on a very tight budget and each day I own this house, the holding costs are adding up. So … the clock is ticking!

I will be offering this house as a FSBO (For Sale By Owner) but I am trying something that I hope works well for me. I picked up the deck of business cards that were left on the kitchen counter. These are the business cards of Realtors who have walked through the house before I bought it. It is a custom that Realtors will leave their business card behind to let other Realtors know who has been through. The more cards you see may be an indication of many things. Perhaps the house could be sold soon? Perhaps the house isn’t selling because it is priced too high? Or, maybe there is something wrong with the house that only an inspection will uncover? Who knows …

But, what I did was call these Realtors and offer to pay them a 4% commission if they bring me a qualified buyer. I save 2% off the “traditional” commission. I figure these Realtors may have interested buyers lined up - especially once they know I will be fixing the house up from top (roof) to bottom (finished basement)! I also informed them that I will supply a complete, brand new appliance package (kitchen and laundry) to the qualified buyer.

Let’s hope this advertising scheme works! I will also be putting my own sign on the lawn and will print up flyers and distribute them to the local community.

Stay tuned for more updates …..