Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Short and Sweet

Well ... I'm back in Tucson.  I was actually happily parked in the Elks Lodge in Indio when my Realtor called to say he had found a three bedroom two bath modular home on one acre exactly where I had been looking.

I called Patty and Pat (who happens to live a couple hundred yards behind this place) to go take a look.  It's rough they said, but it looked mostly cosmetic.  I must be crazy in the head, because I drove seven hours straight back to the fairgrounds where I parked the rig and raced off to meet them.

They were entirely correct .... it needs a LOT of SOMETHING.  I know Dan and his tractor can make quick work of the grounds where are now covered in weeds and cactus, as well as the entry road where I can just pull my RV up to the side of the house and plug in.  That's the best part.
The inside, on the other hand, is a big fat mess.  It looks like the guy tried to remodel, texturing the walls of the 2000 square foot home.  He should have taken lessons first.  It's livable, so that's saying something, but honestly, the kitchen tile he installed is a disaster, as are both bathrooms.  It will all have to be removed and redone.   Chip and Joanna ... I need you!!

The rest just needs paint.  It has dual pane windows and absolutely no mold or mildew of any kind ... a VERY good thing.  There's a huge concrete patio out back, but the screened-in part will have to go.  There's even a small fenced in area for the puppies.

So here's the thing ... it's a short sale, which means it's cheap.  I can back out at any time if any of my inspections don't turn out well ... like the roof, foundation, termite inspection ... that sort of thing.  It is definitely a PROJECT house and I'm not sure I'm up for that.   Were I just arriving in January ... maybe.  But at this point, I was in the "going home" mode.

Right this moment, I'm going to lay on the couch and pray for a little more sleep.  As you can imagine, I was up all night long, my brain being fried and my muscles sore from the drive.  I did finally go to sleep about 2:30, but awoke to the guy next to me clanging things around in his pickup at 4:00 am.

I'll let you know how it goes.




12 comments:

  1. The hardest part is making the decision. Once you've made it you can go forward from there.

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    1. That was GREAT advice Jan ... made me feel MUCH better!! Thank you!

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  2. Short sales could be good
    Remember manufactured homes have axles they can be removed
    If you look at the property along with it,s infrastructure
    If you remove the house you still have the infrastructure in place and replaced the house with a new one would you come out ahead
    Yes Dan could probably revamp the whole yard but find a good contractor An walk through it and let him give you a price as to what it would cost to redo the whole unit which would give you a fair idea of what it would cost on top of your short sale
    If you replace with new you will get a guarantee,,, maybe you may pay a little more in taxes but you'll also be cheaper in insurance.
    If you bought it for the land value and infrastructure remove the house and now you got an RV site and it will give you plenty of time to find the style house or manufactured home that you're looking for
    But bottom line walk through it with a licensed contractor and have him give you a total remodeling price
    Have fun

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    1. Running address through Google search you'll see a price drop and the amount of days it's been on for sale
      Hope you like woo woo. trains

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    2. Thank you Ed ... I never thought of removing the house. I actually checked on three internet sites and got even more information ... turns out I didn't need it after all.

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  3. Unfortunately being a short sale means you have no control. You have all the money and emotion invested in this property and the bank can then turn down the offer at the last minute, accept a higher offer, or demand that you pay more than you agreed to. Hope that doesn't happen to you but being from Cape Coral, FL, I seen my share of Short Sales drama. It can also take forever for the bank to make a decision. It is nothing like a regular real estate transaction that you are used to. Having said all that, best of luck that it turns into a quality experience for you. At least you got the phone call before you went over the mountain and through the snow. Jim M

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    1. The good news about this one Jim, was the bank had already agreed and approved the sales price. Could have closed in 30 days. Good thing I have a good realtor because I didn't have a clue about short sales!!

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  4. Saw your blog post about the St, Louis arch. I was there today but closed for construction😕 But I figured is was a sign as I've notice a bit of "anxiety" in small space lately!

    I hope to retire in 3 years, buy an RV and experience life, the outdoors and this great place called USA! I am a single woman as well.

    I would love to learn more about RV (well, trailer to start-I bought a V8 to pull!) and life on the road. Any suggestions, blogs, groups/websites to learn more?

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    1. I hope you don't mind me chime in here try this

      www.hitchitch.com

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    2. I'm so sorry the Arch was closed. It was an amazing experience ... except for the ride in the tuna can to the top!!!

      There are many websites and blogs out there with information.
      First I would join Escapees. They have forums where you can get every question you have answered. That also provides you with discounted places to stay, not to mention all their parks around the country. Then if you wish, you can join one of their BOF "Birds of a Feather" groups that travels together for different events. Every year a huge contingency meets in the desert in Quartzsite Arizona for the Big Tent of RV shows. Tons of information there too.

      As for blogs, one of the best is Nick Russell's GypsyJournalRV.com. You may not agree with everything he says, but he will always tell you the truth. He and his lovely wife Miss Terry have been full-timing for years. He will never recommend anything that he hasn't tried and liked himself.

      Don't be afraid to head out down the road ... there are so many nice people who will help you along the way. If you have a problem, find a man from another trailer. They LOVE to help out, lucky for us. Just remember some times you have to take their advice with a grain of salt!!

      Lastly, you can always ask me anything ... If I don't know it, I can find out!!

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  5. Funny, I was sitting here watching "Chip and Joanna" when you made that comment. I'll bet they could turn that place in to one you wouldn't even recognize .....

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    1. That's what I thought Betty!!!! Great minds think alike!!

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