House 3: My Signing Scheduled

I hadn't heard back from the escrow company by mid-afternoon, so I decided to give them a call. Turns out, my escrow officer is out of the office the rest of the day because his grandfather's health is failing. His assistant has "put my file on top of his desk" and I've made an appointment to sign the papers at 11 AM tomorrow. We close on Monday, but I'll be out of town then and my Friday is rapidly filling up as well, so I'm running out of time...

House 3: Less Than 1 Week Left

I spoke with my escrow officer today to see if the closing, which is scheduled for Monday, is on track. Unfortunately, his response was a bit disappointing. He said the file was on his desk and he was planning on starting work on it in a day or two. This is what I hate about title companies. They've had this file for three weeks and they haven't done a thing with it yet. What will happen is they will suddenly need stuff done at the last minute and...

House 3: Increased Police Patrols

I called the police department today and spoke with an officer in the Community Response Office and told them what has been going on at my property. They filed a request for increased patrols in the area. This doesn't mean they will guarantee increased patrols, but it does mean that whenever the police have some extra time, they are supposed to spend it patrolling the neighborhood. Hopefully, that will help cut down on the cri...

House 3: Can't Get Rid Of It Fast Enough

My handyman called me Sunday afternoon. This was not a good sign, since he was finished repairing the window and back door on Friday. He was in the neighborhood and drove by the house just to check it out and he saw someone had pulled out the window air conditioner unit from the converted carport. He said it didn't look like they broke into the house, but just pulled it out from outside. He's stopping by today (Monday) to board up the hole and, the...

House 3: Burgled Again!

My agent called me yesterday with the results of the buyer's inspection. The buyer basically faxed over the inspector's report and wants everything fixed. That's not going to happen. But the scarier news was the inspector called and told us the house had been broken into. They only stole the new stove that I just put in - that's about all that is in the house anyway. That by itself isn't a big deal. What scared the crap out of me however, was what...

House 3: May Fall Through (Updated)

I just found out that the buyer's lender found out this property was a flip and they want an addendum to the contract. The addendum states that I will sell the house for whatever the appraisal comes back at (or $205,000, whichever is less) AND I will still contribute 3% of the price.There is no way any seller in their right mind would agree to this. Suppose the appraisal comes back at $175,000? I'm not going to agree to sell the property for an unknown...

House 3: Insurance Obtained

I've got another company to insure the property from May 15th, when my current coverage expires, until I sell the place. I just did an online search and pretty much chose a company at random. I have to pay for a year, but since the house is selling soon, I'll get most of that back when I cancel the policy. The company I got was about $100 more per year than what my current insurance company charged me, so this exercise provided a nice little verification...

House 3: Sale Moving Forward

Last night, I faxed my agent the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement and Lead Based Paint forms. That should be the extent of the info I need to provide the seller.I also contacted the escrow company this morning to make sure a couple things were clear. I mentioned that my title insurance policy should be the same as the one I bought last time, since I paid extra to hold the policy open. I confirmed I was getting investor rates. We also discovered...

House 3: A Double Dose Of Not So Good News (Updated)

A while back, I got notice that my insurance company was canceling coverage of this house, effective May 15. I had asked my agent to see if there was a way they would extend coverage until it was sold. I had not heard back from him yet, so I sent him an email over the weekend. This morning, I got a reply. They will not cover the property based on the condition of the rear patio and roof, not even until it is sold. So that leaves me without coverage...

House 3: Sold!!

Just got the word that my counter offer was accepted! The house is sold! The only condition is that the title company I requested be used have a Spanish speaking employee to translate for the buyer. I'll check on that on Monday.One more oops - I neglected to notice that I will be out of town on the day we are supposed to close escrow, June 5th. I'll be in Los Angeles seeing a Springsteen concert :-) I should be able to get all my stuff done early...

House 3: Offer Received

An offer came in last night at around 9 PM. The agent's cover sheet said the buyers fell in love with the house and will work to make the sale happen. I have the house listed at $199,000. They offered $205,000 with me contributing 3% towards the purchase - meaning their offer is really for $198,850. They also want me to pay for the appraisal and home warranty. I'm going to counter back that they pay for the appraisal and warranty. The only drawback...

House 3: The Wait Begins

My handyman contacted me yesterday to say he picked up the gas flex hose, connected the stove, and tested it. All is working.No offers yet, but the house hasn't even been listed for a full week yet. I'm estimating it will be on the market for a month before it gets sold, than we'll have another month in escr...

Not That I Would Ever Do A Shady Deal..

.. but I like this Dilbert: (click to enlar...

House 3: Before And After Pictures

Here are some before and after pictures of House 3. The original Before pictures were part of this post, but I've reposted them here for comparison. Unfortunately, I did not take any before pictures of the outside of the house. I also tried to take pictures from the same perspective, but I didn't always succeed.Entryway / Family RoomThe archway in the after pics is to the right in the before pic.Before:After:Converted...