The Missing Puzzle Piece

My horoscope for today:

Ever been on the verge of finishing a jigsaw puzzle only to discover the last piece has gone missing? And remember how frustrating it feels to not find it after hours of searching, only to discover it a day later hiding under the sofa's dust ruffle? A small but possibly life-changing piece of your own personal puzzle will fall into place, but only when you're not hunting for it. Don't try and force this; it'll happen quite nicely on its own.

Interesting.

I thought it was worth a blog post of it's own, seeing how my whole theme here is "one puzzling piece at a time".

In other news....

I had a showing on my condo last night and I have another showing tonight! PRAY PRAY PRAY that I get an offer on this thing! My renter is moving out the end of September and I am ready to let it go. So I ask all of my readers, send some good vibes my way, will you? That one of these showings results in an offer and a contract!

Also, I am working with a new buyer, and of course Crystal's house will finally close on the 17th.

Real Estate is becoming my friend!

Wonder if that's the missing piece? Eh, I don't care what it is, as long as whatever is missing is GOOD.

When did I get so busy?

I either need to start getting up earlier in the morning, or drafting my blog posts at night. I just don't have time at work to blog anymore!!!

I've been given several blog awards recently (thank you!!!) and haven't even gotten them posted yet, or even worse...passed on.

Oh, and I'm feeling all kinds of crappy today. Sore throat, stuffed head, the beginnings of a cough, body aches. Ugh. Whoever gave this to me...take it back.

So don't expect a lot out of me today, I have to leave work at 3:30 anyway and I'm swamped between now and then. Consider this my Monday blog post and let's hope tomorrow's is a little more entertaining!

In other news...

I got the dishwasher installed at the condo this weekend, and that went well. And even better is that my renter gave me a check for November's rent already! Woohoo! I'm so used to having to spend the first 10 days of the month tracking my renter down for it, I forgot what it was like to have someone just voluntarily pay me!!!!

Lastly, thoughts and prayers go out to Jennifer Hudson and her sister. I saw where they found a little boy's body this morning. I cannot imagine the heartbreak they are going through, losing everyone in their family except each other. So very, very tragic.

Oh, one more thing! Does anybody know anyone (or a place) that will transfer VHS tapes onto DVD's? I have about 10 tapes from when my son was born and his first few years that I definitely want preserved, but I don't know where to get this done....

Any ideas?

Things are calming down. I think.

So, while it started out to be a bit of a crazy week, things seem to be calming down some now.

My old tenant moved out of my condo, although I just discovered he left me with a $155 water bill. He did at least leave it in great shape, so there wasn't much I had to do other than clean the carpets. Got the new tenant her keys yesterday and she's moving in this weekend. So basically I managed to not have to pay any money out of pocket for mortgage on this place, and I'm good to go for at least another year unless she breaks her lease for some reason. She's on a lease option so ideally she'll buy it in the next 12 months.

I hate landlording. I have owned this condo since 1994, and because of the area it's located in, the property values have doubled since I bought it. I lived there for 10 years, and then moved 5 months after I got married when the ex and I bought my dream house (I talked about it in this post). Little did I know I would only be in that house for a year and a half before I had to run for my life.

I guess I should be happy that I didn't sell the condo when we moved into our house, because my ex would have gotten half of the equity in it, and let's face it, he took enough from me at the end of our marriage as it is. At least I came out of it with that, even though now I own two houses and have to be a landlord. As most of you know, a year after my divorce my tenant at that time trashed my condo to the tune of $6,000 in repairs and another $11,000 in mortgage payments for almost a year while I tried to sell it. I had no choice but to get another renter in there or I was going to go bankrupt. So I did, and he was supposed to buy it and didn't, and now I have yet another renter and still haven't sold the damn thing. But I have a good feeling about this girl, and I think this time I have a true buyer.

In other news...

I'm really enjoying life without all the drama my ex causes. Not seeing or talking to him is WONDERFUL. I'm free finally!!!!!!!!!!! It's been a long time coming, and after his maniacal rantings via text last weekend, I realize that even trying to be his friend is impossible. He is not stable. (And if you saw his follow up email to me on Tuesday, you would understand why I say that) I made the decision when I was having police patrol my house last Saturday, to cut all ties with him no matter what. Even if that means it affects my relationship with his mother, then so be it. My first priority is protecting myself and my son.

And yes, Cheri...I cancelled my Vegas trip. I couldn't get my airfare refunded because I had booked it using the free ticket I got for getting bumped off my flight in April coming home from Vegas, but I don't care. There was too high of a price to pay physcially, mentally and emotionally for that free trip back to Vegas with him. He'd have probably buried my body out in the desert somewhere anyway.

So, who's got big plans this weekend?

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I am very happy to announce that just yesterday, I signed a contract with a new renter on a lease option for my condo!!!!!!!!

Which means my current renter moves out the end of the month, and the new one moves in, and I DON'T HAVE TO PAY THE MORTGAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Get off your asses and do the happy dance with me!

(Wait, that counts as exercise for today, right?)

More on the condo....

I just went over to put a For Sale sign in the yard, and a lockbox/key on the door, and went inside to look around. It looks really good, and I'm really happy about that! After my last tenant trashed the place and abandoned it, I went $15,000 in debt in repairs and paying the mortgage myself for a year while I tried to sell it, so I am VERY HAPPY (Thank You!) that I will have little to do other than probably clean the carpets.

As I mentioned yesterday, I do have a showing at 4pm today, so everybody put your collective good thoughts together that I get an offer on it!!!!!

Weekend Report

Well, other than the fiasco of my renter bailing on me, the rest of the weekend was pretty nice.

Saturday afternoon, the Ex picked me up in his new truck and we went to lunch and then to the house of the car salesman who sold him the truck, so that he could look at some wiring the guy needs done. The house was very nice, a little overdone for my design taste (there is such a thing as TOO much faux painting!) but the lady had done some amazing work. This is her copper tile backsplash in the kitchen...except that it's plain boring white tiles that she faux finished to look like copper. The pictures do not do it justice at all.





I forgot to take a picture of the new truck. I'm so glad he bought it. He's a truck kind of guy, you know? Some guys just need a truck, and he's one of them. He's had one since we met, and a few months ago he traded his truck for a Honda, and it just wasn't right!!! Every time he'd pick me up in it, it felt so strange. So Saturday when he pulled up in my driveway in this Crimson metallic truck (which is GORGEOUS, I might add), it felt so normal! LOL...riding in the truck I felt like the world was right again...and things felt the way they should because he was back in a truck. It's weird, I know...because things aren't ever going to be "right" or " normal" with us again. This "friends" thing is as abnormal as it gets. Oh well...at least we have something to pull the boat with again.

Had a family party at my brother-in-law's house on Saturday night to celebrate my niece Maggie's birthday. A lot of wine was consumed. It was nice, I needed it badly. My sister-in-law Phyllis and I have a running joke between us about wine, and I was so pre-occupied in my mind with the condo issue that when she threw it out there in the midst of conversation, it went right over my head and we almost busted ourselves out!!! The rest of the family was like "Huh? What?" and looking at me, who was equally not getting the joke. That almost made it funnier when she had to take me aside and explain what I wasn't getting!!!

Sunday, Ex and I were going to take the boat out but the thingy on the hitch thingy on the trailer thingy that plugs into the outlet thingy on the truck so that the brakes on the trailer work...didn't work. So we ended up going to Costco to get my membership card, went to see "Swingvote" (that's an hour and a half of my life that I'll never get back) and then out to dinner at an Italian place. It was actually a very nice day.

F*ck F*ck F*ck F*ck F*ck F*ck

My renter has informed me he is not buying my condo after all, and will be moving.

This comes as quite a surprise seeing how 3 weeks ago I had to write a letter on his behalf to the mortgage company he was working with to secure the loan, verifying he'd been renting from me for almost a year, etc.

Needless to say, his email this morning fairly surprised me. I was confident before I opened it that it would say he had been approved and closing was days away.

So, I guess it's back to listing the condo, praying it sells fast, and meanwhile preparing to rent it out yet again if necessary, because I don't have an extra $750 a month to cover that mortgage too.

Screw the *'s. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK.

Ahhh...a day off.

And there's no sun. WTF? Maggie and I are supposed to be hanging out at the pool today! We've got it all to ourselves...so come on, sun!

Installed a cool tracker on my blog yesterday. Not only can I see how many people visit the site, but I can see where they come from as well! It's kind of interesting to monitor! I saw a visit from Cassie in Canada, and Cheri in Logan, and Mary in Virginia!!!

Speaking of Mary....she's my cousin, and my sisters and I are planning a girl's weekend with her in October! I can't wait, it should be loads of fun! Her sister Connie lives close, so the girl cousins will have a good time hanging out. It's funny....my mom had three daughters and her sister (Mary's mom) had three daughters and they are all basically the same ages. Then, of course, I came along 9 years later, so I was always the "kid sister" and too young to hang with the big girls when they all got together. Fortunately, now that we're all older, I get to sit at the adult table. LOL So Sue Ellen, Patty and I are flying down to Mary's the first weekend in October, and perhaps her other sister will be able to fly in from California to join the party. All that would be missing is my sister Linda...and she is very missed. She would have loved attending this get together. I can assure you, we will drink a lot of wine in her honor!

Still no word on the mortgage being approved for my condo buyer. But I have complete faith that the good news will come any day now. I'd love to close on it by the end of this month but I'm guessing it will be early August now. Keep those good thoughts and prayers coming...

Good news!

1. My mother-in-law is doing well. She may be getting out of the hospital today. The doctor feels they got all of the cancer with the removal of her right breast, lymph nodes and colon mass. She still has the lung and head/neck that she's dealing with, but two down, two to go. She's a tough old broad...LOL

2. My renter is in the mortgage process to buy my condo!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!! He emailed me Monday that he needed a letter from me for underwriting verifying what he pays for rent, etc. So keep good thoughts coming my way that he'll get approved and we can close in the next couple of weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weekend Update

Went to the Good Guys car show this weekend. Saw a car that cracked me up. This is an old BMW that seats one person. The door is the front of the car!





It was wild!!!!!!!!!! It's about as much protection as wearing a coat and roller skates!

Ooooh, good news! Finally heard from my renter, and he is working with a mortgage person to buy my condo! I had to write a letter on his behalf today as his landlord, and evidently it's going to underwriting, so with any luck I'll be closing on it in the next couple of weeks and will be out from underneath that finally! Woohooooooooooooooooo!

So, my renter has defaulted on his rent...

And I'm going to have to start eviction proceedings. I have chased this guy down every freaking month to get his rent, and he's been living in my condo since September and STILL has not put the gas bill in his name. I end up having to pay it because it's in mine, and while he does reimburse me, it still pisses me off that he refuses to put it in his name.

So being unfamiliar with how the eviction process works, I have to spend the day figuring it out. I believe I have to give him a Notice of Default and allow him 15 days (per the lease) to remedy the situation. If he doesn't, then I post a 3 Day Eviction notice on his door, and after that if he doesn't move then I have to file eviction papers in the court.

THIS SUCKS. As some of you know, when my last renter ditched me and left me with $6,000 in damages, I ended up also paying the mortgage for a year while it was on the market before I finally gave in and re-rented it again, so I incurred $17,000 of debt thanks to my last renter. Now, just as I got a big raise at work and am finally able to throw extra money at that debt....this asshole decides not to pay his rent.

I'm so pissed I can't even see straight.

*************************************************

OK so to follow this up, I finally got a hold of him this morning. He said he just dropped off the rent check and the late fee and the utility payment to my house, along with a letter apologizing for not calling me and paying late etc. He still wants to buy the condo and asked me for the name and number of the mortgage person I work with. So I'm going to hook them up, and get him to buy the damn thing so that I don't have to be a landlord anymore. This has not been my idea of a good time.

And let it be known that on the day of closing, when I no longer own the condo after 14 years....I will get drunk and dance down the street.