A breakdown of the rights you no longer have under the U. S. Patriot Act. War on Terror my ass. More like a war on the U. S. Constitution.
What I did this weekend… scraped and painted more of the house, stripped and refinished the window to go in the entry hallway. Now I need to finish stripping the outside of the window and get glass for it. I’ll have photos up when I’m finished…
Ripped down half of the crumbling plaster ceiling in the living room last night. It was remarkably easy. Just have to do some clean-up tonight and finish the ripping down, do some clean up tomorrow night, and I’ll be ready to do drywall. Dunno whether to work on the floor before drywalling or not. Pictures to follow this weekend.
We found a good quote on the sewer line, so that’s one hurdle out of the way, now I’m just waiting on the loan stuff. I’m going for a different kind of loan to make the house a bit easier to get, but the loan itself is tougher to qualify for than the other loan I was approved for. So I’ll know next week whether I’m approved or not. I have a good feeling about it. I feel like it might actually work this time.
Also, I set up an inspection on Tuesday morning, so I’ll have a complete idea of what needs to be fixed in the house, too, and I’ll be able to take photos while I’m there with the inspector. The owner also replaced the window that was out, so the house is getting more complete. Cool.
This doesn’t stop me from driving by at every opportunity, though. 🙂 Good thing the house can’t call and report me for stalking. Don’t worry; I’m not trespassing on the property, just parking in the street out front. Don’t want to get in that much trouble.
Other people buy houses and don’t make this much fuss over it, don’t they? But I can’t help it; I’m obsessed.
It’s going to be tricky, if everything works out. I’ll have less than a month to move, and I’m hoping to have all the fugly carpet and vinyl floor coverings ripped out and the floors sanded before I move in. I may not have time to get then refinished, and scramble to move at the same time, and get the current residence cleaned and fixed up.
Pretty much everything I want to look at in Herron-Morton Place is currently being being bought by investors who are planning to renovate with the bare essentials and then try to flip the property for a profit. The house on 16th that was one of my other possibilities is pending with a deal with investors, too. This sucks, because they usually have cash on hand, where I have a loan, so their offers are more attractive. Sadly, it’s not as good for the renovation and preservation of house in the long run, because it won’t be purchased by someone who wants to live there long-term.
Pretty cool site.
So, My closing date is a week away, and I’ve done everything I can possible do, but the termite problem isn’t taken care of, the foundation isn’t taken care of, and the radon is still a problem, all because Barry can’t get on the stick and get this stuff done. So I’m going to lose my interest rate because the owner is a an air-head. And I’m a bit pissed about it. Honestly, I’ve even looked into a DIY Termite Treatment Guide to handle it myself, but it’s still frustrating to deal with these issues when they should’ve been taken care of already.
I don’t think it’s too much to ask that basic home-buying steps—like, say, not inheriting a bug buffet—are squared away before closing. But here I am, dragging my sanity behind me while wondering if I’ll be sharing my future living room with a colony of freeloading termites. What makes it worse is knowing this isn’t some mystery problem. Termite issues were flagged early, and still, Barry’s moving like he’s got all the time in the world. Meanwhile, I’m over here Googling pest control hacks like I’m gearing up for a side hustle in extermination.
I even found this company, Cura Pest, and honestly, they seem like they know what they’re doing. Reviews talk about them being prompt, thorough, and actually solving problems—unlike Barry, who I’m pretty sure thinks “termites” are a kind of decorative rustic charm. I’d much rather trust someone who doesn’t treat pest control like an optional side quest. they has professional-grade treatments that don’t involve me suiting up like Ghostbusters in my own crawl space. So yes, I’m tempted to just call them myself and send the bill to Barry’s motivational speaker.
At the end of the day, I shouldn’t be the one scrambling to fix all this. Buyers should be able to focus on things like moving, decorating, or, I don’t know—not getting lung damage from radon. But here I am, doing home inspections like I’m on HGTV, minus the fun music and sponsorship deals. If the seller doesn’t want to treat termites like the serious issue they are, then maybe he should reconsider selling and go back to renting—to the termites.
And now, because of his incompetence, I’m going to lose my interest rate. The lender already warned me that if we don’t close on time, the rate lock expires, and with the way things are going in the market, there’s no way I’ll get that same deal again. It’s infuriating! I’ve jumped through every hoop—inspections, appraisals, paperwork—only to be held up because the owner (or his useless agent, Barry) can’t get their act together.
What makes it worse is that this isn’t some small hiccup; these are major issues that should’ve been addressed weeks ago. Termites? Foundation cracks? Radon levels? These aren’t minor fixes—they’re serious problems that affect the safety and value of the home! And yet, here I am, a week out from closing, with no resolution in sight.
I swear, if this falls through because of Barry’s laziness, I’m going to lose it. I’ve put in too much time, money, and emotional energy to let this collapse at the last second. And the worst part? There’s nothing else I can do but wait and hope he finally decides to do his job. Unbelievable.
The inspection on my house seems to have hit some snags. There are active termites in the basement, and the inspector recommended the foundation needs to be reinforced; two things that won’t pass the FHA. So I have to ask the owner to fix these things, and hope that he agrees to do it. The inspection took four and a half hours, during which I was crawling around in the basement, and looking over the whole house with the dude. I found out a lot about the house, and learned a lot about how to assess a house, too. Exhausting, but interesting.