Journey, Not A Destination

Geez, I need to get out of PA!!

I believe this inspection covers mold, wood and insects though. So maybe it's not as expensive as it seems.



I've thought about it but I don't want to push the sellers away...

I also don't want to spend 10s of thousands shortly after moving in though.

If that inspection covers mold and pest inspections then it's not so bad a price after all. You might want to get it tested for radon if you're going to live there awhile. Radon levels tend to be pretty high out East.

I say definitely get the roof inspected or at least an estimate of replacement so that you know where you stand. You said yourself that you don't want to walk into a money pit. Ever seen that movie? :D
 
I've been pushing some boundaries considering I'm not eating as much as I should be given my workload.

Why aren't you eating enough? You used to be the Boss Tycoon of 4,000 calorie days! ;)

Hey Steve, good news, after taking off a few months of barbell squats because of self consciousness about my muscular and huge quads, I said ahh fuck it and started up again with 115 lbs. Big thighs are big thighs, I have em, so I might as well accept it. Hell, they make me place in races!

By the way, rock climbing makes me sore in places on my arms, hands and upper back that I didn't ever have consciousness of being capable of soreness. I'm reading a few books so don't worry about me! Pinky pull-ups here I come (yeah right!)
 
Good for you. Now, how ya gonna sell your home fast in this market? :biggrinjester:

First I'm going to offer it to my cousin who is currently looking for a home to buy. Then Im going to offer it to a family friend who buys properties for rental.

And neither of them are interested, I'm going to pick up an agent for myself... I might use this lady since besides a few things I've liked dealing with her.

Well, a dual agent is a whole nother ball of wax..lol. She now loses her ability to advise either party regarding price. However, she still has an obligation to present all offers on your behalf and to the sellers. That bit hasn't changed. The only thing about holding your own is in regards to the terms and inspections. But perhaps I've "learned" you well enough that you can manage on your own young grasshopper. :biggrinjester:

I think you have, coupled with my own stubbornness. I just refuse to get ripped.

It might not have been a mistake to make her a dual agent,

I didn't make her a dual agent. She simply explained herself as being such when we first met. Maybe if I was more experienced I could have told her no thanks... I don't think I would have been any further along in this process but I certainly learned a lot!

b/c since she would be getting double the commission
,

So does the seller and the buyer both pay commission to the dual agent?

she will probably be willing to take a slight hit in it which will give the sellers more room to come down in price.

This leads me to believe yes.

Like I said, she isn't really working for you, whereas a buyer's agent would be. Still, as a dual agent she has to be ethical in her dealing with you. I just don't know that she is going to negotiate on your behalf as well as a non-dual agent would. Like I said, there are so many other things involved than price. There are terms, inspections, and little problems that may arise where it's good to have someone looking out for you. Personally, if I ever get out of the real estate biz, I would get my own buyer's agent to represent me. I want someone who is completely on my side. :)[/quote]

And since I'm unwilling to budge at all on anything but price, it's the only variable that is dynamic, thank the lord!

She sounds like she's new to the biz if that situation intimidates her..lol. I'd bet she's a new agent.

I don't know if she is or not. She's an older woman but that doesn't mean she isn't new to the biz.

My guess is she inexperienced and might be wondering if she can save someone some inspection money. Do you pay for the septic inspection?

Yes... I have to pay for all inspections.

If so, what does she care, as it's not costing the sellers any extra money. Maybe she's afraid of what the inspection will reveal. Who knows.

I was thinking this too... which is why I'm a bit concerned.
 
If that inspection covers mold and pest inspections then it's not so bad a price after all. You might want to get it tested for radon if you're going to live there awhile. Radon levels tend to be pretty high out East.

I say definitely get the roof inspected or at least an estimate of replacement so that you know where you stand. You said yourself that you don't want to walk into a money pit. Ever seen that movie? :D

Yea, that movie is hilarious. If it became my reality I'd flip shit, lol.
 
Why aren't you eating enough? You used to be the Boss Tycoon of 4,000 calorie days! ;)

I was dieting.

Then life got real hectic and busy and I went from dieting to sort of eating whatever. I mean I still eat healthy but I've been paying no attention to calories.

Hey Steve, good news, after taking off a few months of barbell squats because of self consciousness about my muscular and huge quads, I said ahh fuck it and started up again with 115 lbs. Big thighs are big thighs, I have em, so I might as well accept it. Hell, they make me place in races!

Big thighs are hot... don't ditch them! Nice with the 115!

By the way, rock climbing makes me sore in places on my arms, hands and upper back that I didn't ever have consciousness of being capable of soreness. I'm reading a few books so don't worry about me! Pinky pull-ups here I come (yeah right!)

Heck yea, that can make you sore. I haven't done it a lot but each time left me whimpering in soreness.
 
Thanks Mal. I am taking the day off today and the weather is phenomenal. I'm not sure what I'm doing today though... definitely have to finish writing my speech, lol. The rehearsal dinner is tonight too.

I've been putting my interview with Lyle together all morning. I still have two more questions to ask him but I'm happy with how it's going so far. It sucks b/c I want to release the blog immediately but the site isn't done... killing me.
 
it will get there...

you could always consider doing a staged release of the site...

release it to the public with XXX done - and then do the rest as time permits...

It probably goes against your perfectionist type nature... but ...

And as always anytthing i can do to help you.. :D
 
without putting any thought iinto it -

you can rename your main page to something else...

and repalce it with a generic UNDER CONSTRUCTION COMING SOON page...

basically don't delete the existing main page... but change it's name so you can still work on it... and put up a generic page
 
I likey...

Once I'm done with the interview I'll decide if I want to do this. Knowing Lyle it will be another few weeks until we're through... especially given my last two questions.
 
You working on any other interviews? I hope you keep it layman in Lyle's interview. I've checked out his site a few times. He is a little over my head lol
 
Lyle is hard to keep layman. Some of his responses are wordy but they're really good.

I'm going to try to interview Tom Venuto soon... I think he'll be a good interview. I just talked to him recently and he showed some interest.
 
I don't think you want to dumb down stuff - though some things might need an after the fact explanation... I have faith that you will present this interview in a way the majority of yuor audience will understand it and be able to take something away from it..
 
Hey Steve,

The house looks great, and what a setting!

The roof doesn't really look like cedar from the pics though, to me it looks like Timberline Architectural shingles (good thing, if so). If mildew has started on it there's a solution that you can apply and then hose off that will clean it.

The roof ridge line looks straight enough that I suspect that it has all been updated.

Is the stone portion the 300 year old part and the rest are later additions? That would be good because likely lots of it has been updated already over the centuries and probably the foundation is good. Stone houses on bad foundations tend to fall over.

Houses that old have often burned because they were lit and heated with open flames. Since the stone is usually not damaged beyond repair, they built new structure within and atop it the rebuilt stonework. So it's a bit like George Washington's hatchet, the head's been replaced and the handle is new, but it occupies the same space.

While it might be a dissappointment from a historical point of view it is good news from nearly all other aspects. You get the look, the feel and the sense of history of an old house with modern updates and comfort.

I lived in an old original colonial house for years with few updates. It can be cold, drafty, wet, noisy, moldy and a constant maintenance problem. Updating the house may violate its historical authenticity, but it makes it a good bit more comfortable.

Looks like a good buy to me!

David
 
I don't think you want to dumb down stuff - though some things might need an after the fact explanation... I have faith that you will present this interview in a way the majority of yuor audience will understand it and be able to take something away from it..

I've been trying to simplify some of his responses in my own words with a summary of sorts. I sort of feel bad doing so but I have faith that if Lyle doesn't like my responses he'll speak up. Right now he has only seen the questions and his answers. I have my own 'transitions' I'm adding in between so he'll see that when I send him the final before it 'goes to print.'
 
Hey Steve,

The house looks great, and what a setting!

Thanks David!

I received an email from the realtor yesterday. The sellers are traveling until Monday or Tuesday and they will be discussing my offer while they're away. I have a good feeling... but who knows.

The roof doesn't really look like cedar from the pics though, to me it looks like Timberline Architectural shingles (good thing, if so). If mildew has started on it there's a solution that you can apply and then hose off that will clean it.

I plan on getting some more info on the roof next week.

The roof ridge line looks straight enough that I suspect that it has all been updated.

That would be nice!

Is the stone portion the 300 year old part and the rest are later additions?

Yup.

That would be good because likely lots of it has been updated already over the centuries and probably the foundation is good. Stone houses on bad foundations tend to fall over.

Falling over would not be a good thing, lol. How do I or the inspectors know if the foundation is good?

Houses that old have often burned because they were lit and heated with open flames. Since the stone is usually not damaged beyond repair, they built new structure within and atop it the rebuilt stonework. So it's a bit like George Washington's hatchet, the head's been replaced and the handle is new, but it occupies the same space.

While it might be a dissappointment from a historical point of view it is good news from nearly all other aspects. You get the look, the feel and the sense of history of an old house with modern updates and comfort.

From what I know the original house hasn't been changed all that much. Many of the interior walls are open faced stone, if that makes some sense. The floors are all 'new' but are wood with old barn boards.

It has so much personality.

I lived in an old original colonial house for years with few updates. It can be cold, drafty, wet, noisy, moldy and a constant maintenance problem. Updating the house may violate its historical authenticity, but it makes it a good bit more comfortable.

That's why I was surprised they have central air... thank goodness!
 
I don't think you want to dumb down stuff - though some things might need an after the fact explanation... I have faith that you will present this interview in a way the majority of yuor audience will understand it and be able to take something away from it..

Well I didnt really mean dumb it down, I just meant that I was hoping that the interview was going to be about subject matter that the beginner-intermediate can understand and implement.
 
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