So Much To Write, So Little Time

Wow. So much has happened over the last several days, I'm not sure where to begin.

House #1

The tenants finally moved out on Saturday. Man, it was tough to see them go as they were the best tenants anyone could ever dream of having. The lady kept insisting that her husband would mow the grass one last time, but their lawn mower had broke recently and they would ned to borrow one. I told her not to worry about it. I went by the place Sunday to do a formal walk-through and was absolutely stunned at how clean it was. The carpet looked in better shape than when I gave it to them, so I guess they did get a professional carpet cleaning crew in to clean it. It just looked like an almost brand new home.

I picked up a "For Sale By Owner" sign at HD, along with a flyer tube. When I got to the house to inspect it, I totally forgot about a magic marker, so I'll put the sign up later today. I'm also going to make a small sign on a piece of corrugated plastic I have that says "FOR LEASE", so I can market it that way as well.

House #2

I spent a few hours last Thu and Fri at the house doing more projects. Every time I went by the house, I would forget the digital camera, so I don't have before pics of the drywall holes. I already fixed the two smaller areas, but just need to spackle them (and paint, of course, later). The larger, 3'x4' section was a pain to repair - especially since it has a light switch right in the middle. I had to buy a 2"x4" and cut it into 2' sections to act as a brace. I also got a bandit sign stake to use as a brace in a 2"x4' section on the adjacent wall. Once that was up, I got some joint compound and covered the edges and screw heads. I still nee to apply some "mud" to level it out and then spackle and paint it, so I still have a long way to go before it's finished.

My main chore right now has been painting. I finished Bedroom #1 and the adjacent hallway section on Friday. Saturday was my wife's birthday, so I only managed to get in a couple of hours. I spent most of those doing the drywall I mentioned above. Sunday, I spent 8 hours over there. In that time, I got the remainder of the hallway, Bedroom #2, the Utility Room, and the pantry area all painted. I swear it takes more time prepping an area to paint than actually painting it. I also got the kitchen prepped for painting, too. I still need to paint it, the breakfast, the family room, the master bedroom and bath, the entry and the dining rooms. Whew! I also have to around and caulk a lot of areas, buy/hang doors, do something about the carpet, and do general cleaning inside and out. Lots more to do.

Builder Going "Cheap"?

When I first started working on the house, I would notice small things about the house that at first I thought were poor housekeeping by the previous tenants. Now, I'm really starting to think the builder went cheap with this house. It's mainly small things, but added up really show me this builder really gets the cheapest materials and the cheapest labor (evidentally). For example, almos anywhere there is caulk, it is already rotting and falling off. Joints where the baseboards and door frames meet have a noticeable gap. The linoleum in the breakfast and utility room is already starting to curl. And so on.

24" = 23.5"?

Okay, maybe someone out there can explain this to me. Question: When does 24" = 23.5"? Answer: When you buy an interior door. Seriously, what the heck is up with buying interior doors? I have to replace (at least) 7 interior doors in House #2 due to holes in them, etc. I bought one door early on for Bathroom #2. I measured the original door and it was 24" exactly. So, I go to Home Depot and buy a 6-panel, 24", prehung interior door. Not only were the brackets not aligned, but there was a gap in the door when it was in the closed position! I measured the door, and it said 23.5"!!! WTF?!?!?! n one of my daily trips to Home Depot, I borrowed one of their tape measures and started measuring likeable doors on their floor. All the 24" doors I measured were 23.5". The 30" doors? 29.5". The 36" doors? 35.5". And so on. Can some tell me why this is?

Carpet

The more I walk around the house, the more my gut feel is telling me to have someone just install new carpet. The cheap stuff will do as I am hedging towards renting this property out (at least for 12 months). There are just too many small rust-colored stains all over the place, it needs restretched in multiple areas, and it looks very worn in the high-traffic areas. I'm guessing the builder already put the cheapest carpet available in the place, since the place is only 3 years old and the carpet is already worn. There is carpet everywhere except the kitchen, breakfast, entry, and bathrooms, so I may be able to get it all done for only a couple grand. Still deciding.

Reimbursement

Just today, I finally got the check from my broker for his reimbursing us for the HUD extension. It's been 12 days since we closed, and I've been trying to meet with him to pick it up. Finally, I just gave him directions to my work and told him to leave it witht he receptionist. I went by there today and sure enough it was waiting there for me. Now to see if it clears.

Possible Networking Connection

While I was in Home Depot yesterday picking up yard signs, I ran into a lady that works there. I happened to be carrying the "FOR RENT" sign I'm going to use for House #2 at the time, and she stopped me and started asking me questions. She wanted to know what types of rentals I have, and I told her I have one 4/2 available now and a 3/2 available in a couple of weeks. She said she manages a small apartment complex in a nearby town as well as working at Home Depot part time, and she says she always has tenants that move out and want to rent (or own) a home in this area. I told her that'd be great. She then told me the name of the apartment complex she manages, and the name rang a bell in my head. I had run across this same complex for sale recently, so I asked her if it was the same one. She said, "Yes". I asked her if she knew why the owner was selling, and she said due to health reasons. She gave me her info and the apartment complex owner's info, and I told her I would call them both soon.

If I recall, the apartment complex wasn't a great deal, so I'll have to redo the numbers. If possible, I may offer the owner a creative offer to see if he bites, but I want to talk to him first to get a better idea of his position and what he REALLY wants to do.