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(no subject)
Mar. 18th, 2025 06:26 pmWe have had a pretty steady stream of dealing with neglect for this house. Today’s revelation had to do with do-it-yourselfers and our heating sources. Thank goodness for equity. The pellet stove in the family room and the gas fireplace in our room are both no longer something we should be using due to improper installation. The plan is either June or September to fix them since the weather is getting warmer.
We have put a fair amount into getting the stove and fridge fixed. Higher end appliances come with definitely bigger bills on the fix. If I were to be honest, I would say that while we were generally prepared for a spend with a new place, I don’t think we were prepared for this level. There is a lot about this house that shows a combination of neglect and hubris. Just because you can watch a video about something doesn’t mean you should try the repair yourself.
Generally though, we love our home. We have a good plan of longterm and short term actions. Now that we have the initial fixes done, the next lot should be on our terms in terms of timing.
We have put a fair amount into getting the stove and fridge fixed. Higher end appliances come with definitely bigger bills on the fix. If I were to be honest, I would say that while we were generally prepared for a spend with a new place, I don’t think we were prepared for this level. There is a lot about this house that shows a combination of neglect and hubris. Just because you can watch a video about something doesn’t mean you should try the repair yourself.
Generally though, we love our home. We have a good plan of longterm and short term actions. Now that we have the initial fixes done, the next lot should be on our terms in terms of timing.
(no subject)
Feb. 14th, 2025 01:54 pmI ended up getting to the house at around 11:30 yesterday. Once I settled the cats in, I popped out for lunch. I had it easier than the fellas. Movers didn’t end up showing up until 3. They packed the truck until 10 and had to come back this morning. My lunatic spouse drove 2 hours and then back again this morning. When I asked him why he didn’t get a room there he told me he’d paid for a room here and didn’t want to be in Bergen County.
There was no way. i was going to make it to midnight on the sleep I’d gotten lately so I ended up being the one to stay on the air mattress. The cats made sure my not sleeping was still a thing. At one point, I woke up to a cat party. I escorted Sam and Jade out but CC hid. I awoke some time later to the grey menace *looming* over me in a rather creepy manner. So out she went. A bit after that, Jade assaulted the door and could not be convinced to stop. Cat claws are painfully loud on hardwood. I ended up letting her in and was rewarded with her flopping next to me purring until I fell asleep at which point she decided she wanted to be under the covers. I will forgive her because she is rather stressed about the change in environment.
Low of the day? Our neighbor using woke as a pejorative. I really hate that.
High? When Zan found out that Pete and Aaron were stuck, she offered to come over so we could have dinner together. I told her I wished I knew the area better for takeout. She lamented food from her part of town would get cold on the drive or she’d bring something. I told her it was okay…I was awake enough to eat a meal out. A little while later she texted me a menu from a place she found near me and offered to bring. I very gratefully accepted and she ended up staying until 10. We both are pretty happy we will now see each other more than twice a year. I think the teen versions of us would have thought our plans of Sunday breakfast followed the Schenectady Farmer’s Market would be boring but this version of me thinks it is amazing. Then again, the teen versions of us also got a ridiculous sugar high from honey roasted peanuts and were fairly easily amused by a rubber Popeye toy included as a gift with purchase with said peanuts.
Truck will be here to unload tomorrow and we go back to clean on Monday. I am gonna collapse next Tuesday.
There was no way. i was going to make it to midnight on the sleep I’d gotten lately so I ended up being the one to stay on the air mattress. The cats made sure my not sleeping was still a thing. At one point, I woke up to a cat party. I escorted Sam and Jade out but CC hid. I awoke some time later to the grey menace *looming* over me in a rather creepy manner. So out she went. A bit after that, Jade assaulted the door and could not be convinced to stop. Cat claws are painfully loud on hardwood. I ended up letting her in and was rewarded with her flopping next to me purring until I fell asleep at which point she decided she wanted to be under the covers. I will forgive her because she is rather stressed about the change in environment.
Low of the day? Our neighbor using woke as a pejorative. I really hate that.
High? When Zan found out that Pete and Aaron were stuck, she offered to come over so we could have dinner together. I told her I wished I knew the area better for takeout. She lamented food from her part of town would get cold on the drive or she’d bring something. I told her it was okay…I was awake enough to eat a meal out. A little while later she texted me a menu from a place she found near me and offered to bring. I very gratefully accepted and she ended up staying until 10. We both are pretty happy we will now see each other more than twice a year. I think the teen versions of us would have thought our plans of Sunday breakfast followed the Schenectady Farmer’s Market would be boring but this version of me thinks it is amazing. Then again, the teen versions of us also got a ridiculous sugar high from honey roasted peanuts and were fairly easily amused by a rubber Popeye toy included as a gift with purchase with said peanuts.
Truck will be here to unload tomorrow and we go back to clean on Monday. I am gonna collapse next Tuesday.
(no subject)
Feb. 12th, 2025 07:20 amLast day. In true Pete style, my husband left for an eye appointment today. I am…not exactly angry. This is a known quantity in my move planning. That man will work so hard on a great many things but when it comes to moving, he does anything and everything to get out of it when he can. The difference being this time he is on his own for certain things. I laid everything out carefully ahead of time to make things go smoothly. I pointed out the garage shelves with his tools and electronics as not being in my wheelhouse. He agreed and now all of those things still need packing. I also spoke about his habits with my move planner and she assured me it wasn’t a problem in the grand scheme of our move. The house is about 95% at this point and I am confident in my work.
Tomorrow morning I will take Pete to the rental agency for a car and then come back to load the cats and head up ahead of the movers. Our amazing neighbor texted Pete last night and is helping us get someone to take care of the driveway. She has also told us that she is bringing us lunch on Friday. I nearly cried over this when Pete told me. I have missed good neighbors and community. Of all the places we’ve lived, Bergen county has been the most hostile and has made us feel so isolated. It will be good to be somewhere where kindness isn’t considered a flaw.
Tomorrow morning I will take Pete to the rental agency for a car and then come back to load the cats and head up ahead of the movers. Our amazing neighbor texted Pete last night and is helping us get someone to take care of the driveway. She has also told us that she is bringing us lunch on Friday. I nearly cried over this when Pete told me. I have missed good neighbors and community. Of all the places we’ve lived, Bergen county has been the most hostile and has made us feel so isolated. It will be good to be somewhere where kindness isn’t considered a flaw.
(no subject)
Feb. 11th, 2025 08:55 am2 days. I actually get a bit of a break today. We are down last pack. Some can’t be done until tomorrow afternoon. Electronics are also underway earlier than usual. Even if I falter now, the movers can easily deal with what is left. They won’t have to but it would be easy.
We may end up in a situation with bad weather. Trying not to think about it too much as it just adds to the stress.
We may end up in a situation with bad weather. Trying not to think about it too much as it just adds to the stress.
(no subject)
Feb. 10th, 2025 01:23 pm3 days. There’s a good landlord rant in me right now after Marian commented to Pete that she hoped the house was as clean as they left it for us. My angry response would have been that I’d have trouble finding enough mouse droppings or the time to make it so floors made socks turn black within minutes. It has been deemed best that I am not here for the walkthrough.
We’ve been here for nearly 5 years and have gone above and beyond to keep this place in good shape. In the meantime they have gotten worse and worse about repairs. The window in the upstairs bathroom will literally fall out before much longer. We have repeatedly asked for a fix for 2 years. Last time when they came to fix the garage it was looked at and mumbled over and never a follow through. Instead they screwed up the garage door opener fix *and* messed up the other side so on sunny days when you try to close it cannot. Then they wanted us to find someone to finish the repair. In fact, when Pete initially told her we were closing on a house and giving her 60 days notice (30 more than we need to) she wanted to know of we’d had anyone over about the garage. Every time anyone contacts her she goes on a diatribe about how hard it will be to find a tenant this time of year. We are literally paying her for an extra 6 weeks and she should be grateful we are doing so.
She’s gonna freak when she finds out how well we know rental deposit law. Pretty sure she never put ours in the bank. Which means when she can’t prove the account exists that she owes us 7% interest. Doesn’t pay back in 30 days? We get it doubled and she has to pay court costs in addition to other fines. Pretty sure they never got a CO for this place. I don’t like being hard on people but I am beyond treating this woman with kid gloves. As always we have been exemplary tenants and now that we have given notice she has just been exhausting to deal with. Like I don’t have enough going on without someone trying to make their problems mine.
Sorry for the rant. House things themselves are happiness making. I am just tired and stressed and sick of landlords.
We’ve been here for nearly 5 years and have gone above and beyond to keep this place in good shape. In the meantime they have gotten worse and worse about repairs. The window in the upstairs bathroom will literally fall out before much longer. We have repeatedly asked for a fix for 2 years. Last time when they came to fix the garage it was looked at and mumbled over and never a follow through. Instead they screwed up the garage door opener fix *and* messed up the other side so on sunny days when you try to close it cannot. Then they wanted us to find someone to finish the repair. In fact, when Pete initially told her we were closing on a house and giving her 60 days notice (30 more than we need to) she wanted to know of we’d had anyone over about the garage. Every time anyone contacts her she goes on a diatribe about how hard it will be to find a tenant this time of year. We are literally paying her for an extra 6 weeks and she should be grateful we are doing so.
She’s gonna freak when she finds out how well we know rental deposit law. Pretty sure she never put ours in the bank. Which means when she can’t prove the account exists that she owes us 7% interest. Doesn’t pay back in 30 days? We get it doubled and she has to pay court costs in addition to other fines. Pretty sure they never got a CO for this place. I don’t like being hard on people but I am beyond treating this woman with kid gloves. As always we have been exemplary tenants and now that we have given notice she has just been exhausting to deal with. Like I don’t have enough going on without someone trying to make their problems mine.
Sorry for the rant. House things themselves are happiness making. I am just tired and stressed and sick of landlords.
(no subject)
Feb. 1st, 2025 12:51 pmToday we are at the house for Verizon. Once we are done we shall head back to NJ. 12 more days until we move and we really wish it was *now*! I would post a pic of my view but the service here isn’t great without a provider. Most of the time I can barely get my phone to a site.:)
Pete has gone out to grab burgers while we wait for the Verizon guy to figure out how he’s going to get fiber to us now that the house is wired. It was supposed to be available so we will see what happens next.
Gotta move, gotta move, gotta move!!!!!!
Pete has gone out to grab burgers while we wait for the Verizon guy to figure out how he’s going to get fiber to us now that the house is wired. It was supposed to be available so we will see what happens next.
Gotta move, gotta move, gotta move!!!!!!
(no subject)
Jan. 2nd, 2025 06:26 pm Conditional approval day. One of those conditions will be happening Saturday with the inspection. We are going up tomorrow afternoon and staying with Zan. No particular problems are expected. if things stay on track we will be moving in March.
Landlady has been having a meltdown but it isn’t my problem. She will be getting her 60 days and we have more than taken care of this house.
Landlady has been having a meltdown but it isn’t my problem. She will be getting her 60 days and we have more than taken care of this house.
(no subject)
Dec. 27th, 2024 10:57 amI had no idea that this would become such an emotional roller coaster.
Like everything else we have done in our lives, we've done it a little weird. It is the slowest time of year in real estate so everyone is available when we need them to be. That whole look at many homes, make many offers and have your heart broken a few times just wasn't something we had to endure.
At the same time? This is a lifetime of planning and preparing. When friends asked us about buying we would say it wasn't going to happen without our 20%. As time when on that seemed further out of reach.We watched as people we knew bought houses and then floundered because they go in over their heads. In some cases, even turning to the internet to fund their staving off foreclosure. We didn't want that. We made sure we were truly ready to buy our house so that it doesn't break our finances.
Pete has taken to calling it chasing the dragon when it comes to IT salaries. It sounds good when they hire you and you then find you are living in an expensive area and the hinted at raises and bonuses are enough to keep you somewhere but you never get ahead. Now Pete isn't in IT and in a company that gives equity. We didn't quite fully understand what that meant until this past year we helped Aaron get loans paid down quite a bit and then end the year with having our downpayment. Even better is how much he loves his job and how much they appreciate him.
So now we move forward with our plan. I gravitate from terrified to elated. I am so thankful that we have an amazing realtor holding our hands through this to make it all easier. I promised her when I met her 2 years ago that while we weren't ready at the time, when we were we would likely know just what we wanted. I was right...Pete saw the house and the words "it ticks a lot of my boxes" have been uttered a million times. in return, she has made sure that while she can't take all the stress away, she can make things as smooth and painless as possible.
Anyway...long post. Shorter version is "so excited, I hope I don't barf."
Like everything else we have done in our lives, we've done it a little weird. It is the slowest time of year in real estate so everyone is available when we need them to be. That whole look at many homes, make many offers and have your heart broken a few times just wasn't something we had to endure.
At the same time? This is a lifetime of planning and preparing. When friends asked us about buying we would say it wasn't going to happen without our 20%. As time when on that seemed further out of reach.We watched as people we knew bought houses and then floundered because they go in over their heads. In some cases, even turning to the internet to fund their staving off foreclosure. We didn't want that. We made sure we were truly ready to buy our house so that it doesn't break our finances.
Pete has taken to calling it chasing the dragon when it comes to IT salaries. It sounds good when they hire you and you then find you are living in an expensive area and the hinted at raises and bonuses are enough to keep you somewhere but you never get ahead. Now Pete isn't in IT and in a company that gives equity. We didn't quite fully understand what that meant until this past year we helped Aaron get loans paid down quite a bit and then end the year with having our downpayment. Even better is how much he loves his job and how much they appreciate him.
So now we move forward with our plan. I gravitate from terrified to elated. I am so thankful that we have an amazing realtor holding our hands through this to make it all easier. I promised her when I met her 2 years ago that while we weren't ready at the time, when we were we would likely know just what we wanted. I was right...Pete saw the house and the words "it ticks a lot of my boxes" have been uttered a million times. in return, she has made sure that while she can't take all the stress away, she can make things as smooth and painless as possible.
Anyway...long post. Shorter version is "so excited, I hope I don't barf."
(no subject)
Dec. 20th, 2024 04:08 pmAt this very moment, I feel a bit like I might throw up. Oddly enough this is not from anything negative but rather that we just put an offer in on our first house. We're kinda getting older as people doing this for the first time but it is what it is. We have the full 20% and we're in a range that isn't as hot of a market as some others.
Trying not to worry too much about this. I love the house but the world won't end if we don't get it. Mostly the feeling of throwing up is that this is such a major purchase and our savings will mostly disappear.
Trying not to worry too much about this. I love the house but the world won't end if we don't get it. Mostly the feeling of throwing up is that this is such a major purchase and our savings will mostly disappear.
(no subject)
Apr. 3rd, 2024 02:01 pmI hadn't intended to drop this again but...I am still busy and still bad about posts using my phone. Something about an actual keyboard makes it flow better for me. Since I am doing listings for the first time in a while I thought I'd give it a go. Speaking of listings, I have gotten more than 100 yogurt pots out of the house at this point. Hooray for being a professional yogurt eater.;)
Life is going well. Pete is thriving in his job, to the point that at least once a week he will tool by me with some version of "I Iove my job!" on his lips. It really is a good fit. The amount of positive feedback he gets from coworkers is also nice. After Morgan, he finally feels like what he is doing isn't just spinning wheels. As I have been saying a lot lately, IT has been taken over by Bro culture. It's gone from actual work to projects to make someone look good without actually doing anything. The switch away has done him so much good.
Aaron's first round of loans has been paid. Now he's working on the plus loans and we are throwing in what we can. I think it can be paid off within 4 years. If Pete gets more RSUs next year it will be even faster.
Most of all, we have a real plan in place. The house hunting is on the back burner but it's a combination of seeing what the market does in 2025 and having a bigger down payment. The goal is a 10 year loan which if we move to NY will be super easy.
Hope all is well with anyone who still reads.
Life is going well. Pete is thriving in his job, to the point that at least once a week he will tool by me with some version of "I Iove my job!" on his lips. It really is a good fit. The amount of positive feedback he gets from coworkers is also nice. After Morgan, he finally feels like what he is doing isn't just spinning wheels. As I have been saying a lot lately, IT has been taken over by Bro culture. It's gone from actual work to projects to make someone look good without actually doing anything. The switch away has done him so much good.
Aaron's first round of loans has been paid. Now he's working on the plus loans and we are throwing in what we can. I think it can be paid off within 4 years. If Pete gets more RSUs next year it will be even faster.
Most of all, we have a real plan in place. The house hunting is on the back burner but it's a combination of seeing what the market does in 2025 and having a bigger down payment. The goal is a 10 year loan which if we move to NY will be super easy.
Hope all is well with anyone who still reads.
(no subject)
Dec. 24th, 2023 11:51 amHaha. Sure, let’s throw kransekake in with everything else today.
I have acquired an Aide-de-camp for the general. After 25+ years and thousands of cookies, the general has stopped making a clean cut. For the first time in all of my searching, the exact cutter came up on ebay. After a bath in 6% vinegar, the new cutter is shining brightly and making great cookies for the minion army.
I have acquired an Aide-de-camp for the general. After 25+ years and thousands of cookies, the general has stopped making a clean cut. For the first time in all of my searching, the exact cutter came up on ebay. After a bath in 6% vinegar, the new cutter is shining brightly and making great cookies for the minion army.
(no subject)
Dec. 19th, 2023 10:37 amI have been a good little citizen and got my vaccinations today. I am the last in the house to do so. We stagger them so we can prop each other up in the aftermath. Both Pete and Aaron were not too bad after. I am set up in my office with some reading materials, stitching stuff, water and tylenol along with instructions to take it easy.
With a week left until Christmas, I am as set as I am going to be this year. We have sent to some friends and the last to get their package will have it on Thursday. We leaned heavily on the Limoncello and various other fruit things we did. No one seems to mind. For Pete and Aaron I have a few nice ideas that I hope will go over well. Once again we are trying to be more minimal in our gifting within the house. Meaningful stuff that won’t be forgotten in a week.
Okay well there was going to be more but I am achy and scattered. Ttfn
(no subject)
Dec. 2nd, 2023 02:14 pmI finished the village last week. As always it took me longer than I thought it would. Plus the poor people in the village are being terrorized by a giant tabby cat. Thank goodness Jade is graceful. This year is a big expansion on Mill Creek. There are two new building for this year too with a grocery store and historic Chelsea Mansion. I am still working on getting more pieces to the Architectural series but I am not in any particular hurry. The pieces I like the best are from a less popular era of D56 so not terribly hard to get.
Busy weekend again. Hope everyone is well.
Busy weekend again. Hope everyone is well.
(no subject)
Nov. 22nd, 2023 01:42 pmSo in a post that will tell you just how long it has been since I have been in an electronics store....when did TV's get as big a wall and so cheap? We went in last week because the TV in my office is not a happy one. It was oddly difficult to find anything under 55 inches.
Sold a bunch of Christmas pots, yay! Had someone contact me about combining shipping so we hashed out a deal and I made a new posting for her. Mostly because my boxes are pre-pack and I have enough pots for the time being to be able to do requests. Since those are my rarest and therefore priciest, I did okay even after ebay took its nearly 14%. Eventually I will have a normal amount of yogurt pots which I figure is 2 per color.
Today is clean the bedroom and deal with Thanksgiving decor. Pete decided he wanted a Lego centerpiece from the botanicals collection.:) So I am going to go watch a bad movie and put together the centerpiece I guess. Pumpkin bundt cake goes in there somewhere too.
Happy Thanksgiving my friends!
Oh...if anyone wants a Christmas card from the Deuel family, please let me know. I love getting the Crane fancy paper stuff out!
Sold a bunch of Christmas pots, yay! Had someone contact me about combining shipping so we hashed out a deal and I made a new posting for her. Mostly because my boxes are pre-pack and I have enough pots for the time being to be able to do requests. Since those are my rarest and therefore priciest, I did okay even after ebay took its nearly 14%. Eventually I will have a normal amount of yogurt pots which I figure is 2 per color.
Today is clean the bedroom and deal with Thanksgiving decor. Pete decided he wanted a Lego centerpiece from the botanicals collection.:) So I am going to go watch a bad movie and put together the centerpiece I guess. Pumpkin bundt cake goes in there somewhere too.
Happy Thanksgiving my friends!
Oh...if anyone wants a Christmas card from the Deuel family, please let me know. I love getting the Crane fancy paper stuff out!
(no subject)
Nov. 21st, 2023 04:09 pmThe anniversary was perfect. We took a bottle of wine to our favorite place and had an amazing meal. The Barolo was soooooo good. Only 4 left of the last year Giacosa made by Bruno himself. We haven't tried his daughter's wines yet...we should.
Work is going so well. Broadcom is definitely worth having waited and I am so glad. Pete ends his days downright chipper. He's even still pitching in to help more now too, which is much appreciated by me.
My room is currently full of Lego. I moved it out of the library section in anticipation of Christmas decor this coming week. I am stupidly excited about this year's village. I haven't had the chance to paint the new town sign yet... I may have to use Langhorne for now until I think of a Twain related rural village name. Clemensville perhaps?
Gotta run. I hear sad cat noises and there's only a couple of minutes until my pasta is done!
Work is going so well. Broadcom is definitely worth having waited and I am so glad. Pete ends his days downright chipper. He's even still pitching in to help more now too, which is much appreciated by me.
My room is currently full of Lego. I moved it out of the library section in anticipation of Christmas decor this coming week. I am stupidly excited about this year's village. I haven't had the chance to paint the new town sign yet... I may have to use Langhorne for now until I think of a Twain related rural village name. Clemensville perhaps?
Gotta run. I hear sad cat noises and there's only a couple of minutes until my pasta is done!
