The Condo...
Seven years ago, I started working for a company that was 40 miles from my home. Nearly all highway miles, I've tolerated bad drivers and never ending road construction. With no traffic and obeying the speed limit, it's around 50 minutes one way, door to door. On a bad day it's more than 90 minutes to reach the office.Except for the crazy drivers, I actually enjoy driving. Unless I were a professional driver getting paid to be on the road, it shouldn't be part of my career. I try to optimize my travels and visit projects before I get to the office, but that's not always possible. Sometimes, I have meetings at office first, then I travel out on appointments.
When I started this job, I owned an old Toyota Celica and after 220,000 miles I bought a new Hyundai Veloster in 2014 that's past 125,000 miles and the 4th set of tires.
My first choice was to purchase a house near the office, but that was totally out of my price range. Then I considered renting an apartment, but I didn't want to walk away with nothing to show for my efforts. That got me to condo shopping as that is the least expense to make things work. My wife had an apartment in China and was fine with that lifestyle. While there are lots of freedoms with a house (and no Homeowners Association) that would be traded for someone else maintaining the place but I would have to accept a list of 'cannot do' this or that, typical with condo living.
Shopping on and off for two years got accelerated in the last 6 months. Although house prices are rising, I found that the units I viewed usually were sold and quickly taken off the market. The last agent I dealt with has more sales than all the others combined and I decided to go with her. She was very helpful in making a purchase.
What I got was someone who already printed reports for the units we planned to visit and actually knew something about each one and not reading details from their cellphone like the other agents I met. Mentioned in previous blogs, the last one I saw was matched more of the conditions for a purchase. For example:
Price range, less work needed to be able to move in, no one had died in the unit, bedroom was on the east side and away from the heat of the afternoon sun, easy access from the entrance gate, laundry in the unit and not community coin laundry.
I made an offer, negotiated a bit, placed a deposit. Approved by the mortgage company and the homeowners association, I was cleared to move ahead. The home inspection showed no leaking roof and no trouble with the appliances. That said, I coughed up the money and met with a cashier's check for the closing.
The sellers had all their furniture and belongings removed the day before the closing. I arranged to have utilities turned on in my name. They left me a bar of soap in one bathroom and a bottle of water in the refrigerator!
The purpose of this blog is to track my progress with the renovation and document the pitfalls as well as the successful moments.
Comments (85)
No one had lived there in nearly a year. Dusty and musty, my first goal is to paint.
So far, 2 bedroom walls and closets are done. I'll do the ceilings this weekend.
The living room had blue walls so we painted with white first and expect to do the final color this weekend.
I measured the closets and will add additional shelves to the ones already installed.
No linen closet so I'm planning to use part of closet #2 for that.
I suspect the original water heater had leaked and was replaced 7 years ago. That area is difficult to reach so I sprayed the walls with a product called Concrobium Mold Control.
Depending on my progress with painting, I'll vacuum the a/c duct work and spray the inside with Concrobium.
The weather is very cool this morning (58f) and I may postpone the painting until it warms up.
Jim, the sellers are in their 70's so it's doubtful they actually handled any of the move out.
No toilet paper on the holder... yes, empty rolls.
All the rooms have ceiling fans, 2 have light fixtures... with bulbs.
V, I don't know about the Clintons. the one gift I did get is a wall mounted TV bracket for a large (50 inch or greater) screen. We're not into (wall mounted) TV and or was removed (and the holes patched) on Wednesday.
This is what we found on the walk thru...
Merry Christmas !
Merry Christmas...
I helped move a woman out of their apartment while he was bowling.
I am not making that up. She took EVERYTHING. The light bulbs, the toilet paper, EVERYTHING.
There wasn't a thumbtack left.
I can only imagine the look on his face when he came home from bowling.
I got paid $100 to drive the truck that hauled all the stuff to her new apartment about 10 towns away
from her old apartment.
I've got internet and working from my laptop on a folding table.
A few more days of painting in the schedule.
Very few flaws that I can correct by skim coat tomorrow with sandable drywall compound.
If it's not too chilly I should be able to add more primer/sealer to the areas I touched up and final paint before dark!
We filled a contractor-size trash bag with all the ceiling popcorn. The dumpster at the condo warns 'no construction materials' so I stopped at the office as we have a 30 cubic yard dumpster in the back of the warehouse.
Breakfast this morning... 975mg. Aspirin!
Yeah, me too!
fiorenza, I have to 'peel everything back' as the dust collects on the openings of the filter mask. The day before I had a shirt with a collar and less dust got inside and around my neck.
I'm guessing we need a few days to assemble things.
Still waiting on confirmation for delivery of the mattresses.
The realty is 2 weeks as the paint smell and new furniture smell will be overwhelming.
I hope your condo experience is a lot better than mine was!
I wish i was working this hard in my place.
owning property and making home is a great project
Fay, I'm interviewing a new accountant. All the contractors I'm working with pay much less than me.
Len, right now, the money is escaping my bank. At some point all the repairs will be completed. Long term, should I sell is when I will see some benefit to all this madness.
He finished patching the ceiling, removed the old light fixtures and connected the new duct work for the bathroom fans.
This is the original ceiling grid with tiles removed showing the old fixtures and heat lamp.
All the grid, heat lamp and fixtures were removed. A 70cfm vent with heater added, all the electrical work upgraded and a light over the shower and vanity will be included in this upgrade.
We were unable to get the new ceiling tight to the top because of existing electrical conduit, but the new finished ceiling will be about 7 inches higher than the old one.
Repaired cracks in the living room ceiling and repainted.
Smoothed out repairs to the living room walls and repainted.
Installed fan and ductwork in 2nd bathroom.
awesome, inspirational. Fantastic !
2 weeks behind my revised schedule and $2,000 more in labor to finish.
The best part of this would be the arm and neck muscle pain has gone away.
1-17-2019
Floor to ceiling mirror on one wall of the living room removed. Need several trips to the dump to haul it away.
I can hear people talking as they walk up the stairs and pass by my door. It reminds me of apartment living.
This is a no dogs community and the woman on the first floor is constantly scolding her dog from barking.
The guy who faces the courtyard is a chain smoker and likes to sit in his screened porch puffing away. It's not always cigarettes he smokes.
Drywall ceilings in both bathrooms.
When you get a chance call me and let me tell you about another option you might want to research too.
It's a thought to find another one to renovate and flip this one.
Long term planning.
We're off to IKEA, they have a sale (again) so I'm busy for a while.
I'll contact you later in the afternoon.
Thanks
All the drywall work is done in the bathrooms, primed and holes filled.
They are ready for painting.
Living room walls all repaired, primed and ready for final paint.
Ceiling crack showed up a few times. It's been repaired and ready for final sanding and painting.
Home Depot is offering a 25% off up to $200 so I measured for mini-blinds and probably go there on the weekend.
Bathroom ceiling primed and ready for final paint.