Quarantine and chill and kindness chatty clubhouse: Jump in and join the conversation! All is welcome!

[Snowysmom]

@TazDev Good to see you. You will love the Alaskan cruise. Chris and I did one for our 40th anniversary and it was amazing.

Carol I hope you get to see your new grandchild today.

I am off to see 2 condos today. Both are contenders and it will just depend on how I feel when I look at them. I like the one that is a bit country and I like the one that is more city in a smaller complex. Then I am off to my younger sons for dinner with his inlaws and a sleepover with the grandkids. I am so stressed and anxious now it will be a bit of a break for me.

Have a nice Saturday.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Fingers crossed you find a great condo today, @Snowysmom!

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning all. It was sunny earlier, now the sky is dark and menacing. I have already done all of my to do list for the day. Bed stripped and remade, both bathrooms cleaned. Took the plastic off the lattice work under the front porch. It helped the outside cats keep their boxes warmer, but now that it's almost Spring, they don't need it. Made Mr L some corned beef hash for breakfast and did the dishes. Went under the front porch and swept away the cobwebs and got to the dryer vent and cleaned that off. I want to go and look at riding mowers today, he wants to wait till Mon/Tues when they aren't as busy

@TazDev--glad to see your post. Congrats that your remodel is almost complete. You will feel good when there is nothing left to do!

We used to get the paper inside the front door. Then they decided it was taking carriers too long to do their roots and went to boxes. They wanted to put it across the street by the cluster mail box, I said I am not walking down the driveway and across the street to get the paper. Either put it at the end of the driveway or forget it. We have had good carriers for years..paper never late, in plastic bags if raining (even though it goes in the plastic newspaper box (but the last 2 have been terrible. It's 9:30 and still no paper. They stopped publishing on Sun and Tues here too. It's getting to not be worth the money anymore, since the news they print is almost always 2 days old

Have a nice morning everyone

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We stopped our paper delivery years ago. Papers are so thin now, and the news was at least a day old anyway. I always felt bad, our two major newspapers shut down both their plants. One became a Whole Foods called Ink Blot (which kept some of the newspaper memorabilia inside, like tables and machinery), and the other was an eyesore along the highway for years but has since had someone take it over non-news related. My father was a huge newspaper reader. When I was little we used to go out on Saturday nights to get the rest of the Sunday paper without the news so he could start reading it! I’m the same way with news, but today it’s all online, though I liked it better when there were no paywalls. Many times, though, when you switch to Reader View, you can read anyway, despite the wall. I was just saying to DH last week we have to get rid of the newspaper holder by our mailbox it serves no purpose anymore and is looking a little ratty.

Today we’re going to work on the screen porch - despite the rain. Yesterday was a good day, up early and out with DS who invited me to go somewhere with him, which was nice. Afterwards we went out to breakfast. (Hadn’t done that since the bad week he had two months ago.) He is like a different person now, though. In a really good place, though has a sinus issue going on from allergens. It didn’t stop him from getting out on the boat yesterday to get it going for spring, though. I think they hope to take it out Monday for the first seasonal cruise. Yesterday was so nice, everyone was out, and even had some neighbors stop by to say hello while we were out. It seems like you don’t see many people in winter. I love when people start coming out of hibernation again!

Snowysmom, so hope you find something you like today, and have a nice night tonight with family. If they aren’t what you want, then don’t settle. More will come your way.

We haven’t seen B&B for a while, hope things are going ok post move!

How is Marty doing, Carol? They must be on !

I hope everyone has a good Saturday! What’s for dinner tonight, btw? We have some chicken marinating and some corn on the cob and maybe rice. Last night was leftovers everyone grabbed what they wanted. Today I have to clean out the fridge and then maybe shop a little again early in the week. Endless!

 

[PollyannaMom]

No idea what's for dinner. (Thanks for the reminder to go down and take something out!)

It's foggy here but not raining just yet. DH and I went through our mail and finished watching the American Idol that we had taped last weekend. (It's our first season watching.) I took the cat out for a bit, and that's pretty much it for today so far.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good Morning from overcast LA. It feels so much later this morning than it really is because it's darker outside. Sounds like today is a cozy at home day for all us Quackers. Good day to be cozy and read

Hug, Snowysmom and prayers one that one of the two condos you look at today does feel "home." If it truly doesn't, you will know, my friend and as Pea said, please don't settle.

Carol, I also hope you get to meet baby Marty today and that he and mom are continuing to do well!

I'm glad you get to have a quieter Saturday, too, PollyannaMom.

Waiting for an Amazon package and not much else.

Have a good day everyone. I'll check in later.

 

[lynxstch]

Full sun now,,temp is 70. Just washed the kitchen rugs, vacuumed, then swiffered it. We had a surprise phone call..both of the stepsons are coming up from Ocean City/Salisbury. Will be here in a few hours. I haven't seen the oldest one since Mr L was in the hospital (July) and the other one since November. They are stopping for a light lunch on the way, so I will have to come up with a dinner plan, or they can just order a pizza or hoagies from their favorite place here

 

[AuntieMe3]

Happy Saturday all....missed a couple days. DH ended up needing to call in reinforcements at work so his coworker and his wife(our really good friends) ending up joining us out of town. They were only there 2 days before they had to shut the job down for some reason or another so we ending up getting to come home earlier than we expected. It felt so nice to get home yesterday and the dog was super happy to see us.

I never did got my request for my med refill until Wed, after it was requested Thursday of last week. By that time, we knew our friends were coming so I asked if they could stop by our house and get my meds from DD.

Super excited I'll probably get to see the baby today, finally, she's almost a month old. If not today, then this week for sure. Also getting excited for our upcoming weekend cruise. While the guys were working last week, my friend and I were going over everything, making sure our meal times coordinated and discussing whether or not we wanted an excursion in Mexico. We also found out our rooms are one room apart, same deck and all. We booked separately and were fine to be seperate so that was a nice surprise to be so close.

Congratulations Carol on the arrival of your new grandbaby.

@Snowysmom good luck on your home hunt today and enjoy your night with the family.

@Pea-n-Me so glad you a had a nice morning with DS yesterday.

Hmmm... know there was more I wanted to comment on but didn't do quotes and now I forgot...lol. Oh well, just know I'm thinking of you all.

Oh wait I remember one... dinner...we're going to our friends house and taking some carnitas(pork meat) for tacos, rice, beans, chips, salsa and some Mexican sweet bread. Yum. We didn't get to spend enough time with them while out of town and it had been about a month before since we'd seen them last so we've missed them and decided to get together tonight.

That's all for all I guess since I can't remember and everytime I scroll away some of what I've already typed out is missing.

Hope you all have a great day.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Warmed up here a little. I'll take it

Lynn and prayers you and Mr. L have a nice visit with your stepsons

to you as well, AuntieMe3, I've been thinking of you and wondering whether you were home yet. Glad to hear you safely are. Aw, enjoy meeting the baby!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

We did get to visit with baby Marty today. Mom is in one tower at Johns Hopkins and Marty is in another. That place is huge. He is still in NICU but making progress toward going home. Mom is doing well too.

Its been an exciting two days.

 

[Judique]

We did get to visit with baby Marty today. Mom is in one tower at Johns Hopkins and Marty is in another. That place is huge. He is still in NICU but making progress toward going home. Mom is doing well too.

Its been an exciting two days.

Yes, it is huge! I get lost each time I go there and have to relearn how to find food.

Good to hear baby is doing fine!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Very thankful to hear such good news, Carol. Praise God.

Thinking extra of you right now, Snowysmom and praying visiting both of the condos went well and brought you extra peace

Lynn, I hope you and Mr. L enjoyed your visit with your stepsons.

Wishing all sweet with love.

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning everyone. Its very windy here, and the temp today will only be 50 after getting to 77 yesterday. Had a nice visit with the stepsons, then they left for the hotel, and to visit a couple of other friends. They will be back today on their way out of town. They did stop at their favorite place and have steak and cheese hoagies. They rave about them, I don't care for them, lol

No plans for the day, I have a headache and just feel blah. So going to take it easy.

Have a nice morning ~

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Hug and please take care to feel better, dear Lynn! I am so glad you and Mr. L had a nice visit with your stepsons yesterday and that you'll also get to see them again today. Love the Mickey picture.

Happy First Day of Spring ❤

 

[PollyannaMom]

Happy Spring, Quacker Friends!!

 

[AuntieMe3]

Cold and windy here this morning...I'm ready for warmer weather. Not HOT, just warmer....lol

I finally got to hold the baby yesterday. She is sooo stinking cute and tiny. Only 6lbs....DD was 9lbs 6oz so a giant compared to this baby. Haha DH took a few pictures with his phone he hasn't sent to me yet, I'll share one when I get them. Really enjoyed our friend time and baby time last night.

We're being lazy today, nothing planned beside hanging out at home. DD is house/dog-sitting for my dad this weekend so I'll probably go hang out with her for a while before my dad gets home tonight.

Hope you all have a great rest of the day.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Quiet thread this Sunday!

What cute fuzzy duckies, PollyannaMom, thank you

Hug, AuntieMe3, so happy you for to have closer baby-time yesterday. I am so ready for warmer weather. I won't even mind the heat because I'll be so thankful to not be cold!

Have a great rest of the afternoon, friends.

 

[lynxstch]

Mostly cloudy, temp is only 49, winds have died down some. Everyone left about an hour ago. Even Summer (stepdaughter) came over while her brothers were here. They were cordial to each other,,even though they really don't get along. It was a good visit, and made Mr L happy, that's all that counts. I just took a long hot bath, washed my hair (hoping it would help my headache, but it didn't) and put my comfy pjs on. Dinner is going to be hot dogs, baked beans, maybe fries, and coleslaw
Have a nice rest of the day

 

[Snowysmom]

I am back from my busy weekend. It was nice to see the grandkids and have a nice corned beef and cabbage dinner with DS's inlaws. My older DGD got sick last night with a stomach bug but by this morning she was feeling better, eating toast and playing games with me. I loved reading them a bedtime story last night. I enjoyed my time with younger DS looking at the 2 condos and just talking things over. I asked him to drive. One of the things I miss is Chris driving us places. He usually drove and I was the navigator. I miss so many little things like that.

The condo hunt was interesting. The first one was a no go. It was OK, in a nice area, but the first floor where I would spend most of my time was cramped and laid out strangely. The upstairs had large bedrooms and a walk in closet that was the size of a small bedroom. The agent was pretty clueless when you asked her questions. But, DS and I agreed that it is not the one. Then we went to the one that spoke to me in pictures. It spoke to me in person too. We looked at it very closely. The downstairs flowed very nicely and had a master bedroom and walk in shower. The upstairs had a loft like area as well as a good sized bedroom and bathroom. The rugs were new and the hardwood floors in great condition. I loved the blue countertops as they went well with the cabinets. The basement was clean and large. It had a nice garage. DS and I agreed that I should put in an offer. Lots of people were there. I went as high as I could go cash wise and no inspection. I would do my own. They got 14 offers, 6 cash. Last night my agent called me to say the owner wanted to move up the condo doc review and signing the P&S each by one day. OK but now my gut was telling me something was fishy. The owner is now living out of the country and has been for more than a year. He just wants cash quickly. I said OK but it bothered me all night. Something did not feel right. This morning my agent called me and said the agent told him I am one of 3 in the running but I am the lowest of the 3. My agent then said he was angry and did not agree with what the owner wants to do. The owner wants me to go up 10K in my offer. He wants buyers to waive the condo doc review and sign the P&S by early Monday morning. No way will I go up 10K or waive reviewing condo docs and I will not sign a P&S until an attorney reviews it. I told my agent that the owner and his agent are unethical. My agent told them that his client just lost her husband and now you are doing this when she offers on the condo. He recommended rescinding the offer so I did. I am not going to deal with people who have no integrity. I don't trust them now. My DS thinks there may be an assessment coming that the owner doesn't want potential buyers to see. My gut told me something was fishy and it was right. I really liked the condo but I am moving on. It is frustrating though. Maybe something will come on the market this week.

It is a nice day here around 60. Great walking weather.

@AuntieMe3 Glad you got to hold the baby. Snuggle time is so nice.

@BreezyCarol Did you get to see your new grandson?

Have a nice Sunday.

 

[Judique]

I am back from my busy weekend. It was nice to see the grandkids and have a nice corned beef and cabbage dinner with DS's inlaws. My older DGD got sick last night with a stomach bug but by this morning she was feeling better, eating toast and playing games with me. I loved reading them a bedtime story last night. I enjoyed my time with younger DS looking at the 2 condos and just talking things over. I asked him to drive. One of the things I miss is Chris driving us places. He usually drove and I was the navigator. I miss so many little things like that.

The condo hunt was interesting. The first one was a no go. It was OK, in a nice area, but the first floor where I would spend most of my time was cramped and laid out strangely. The upstairs had large bedrooms and a walk in closet that was the size of a small bedroom. The agent was pretty clueless when you asked her questions. But, DS and I agreed that it is not the one. Then we went to the one that spoke to me in pictures. It spoke to me in person too. We looked at it very closely. The downstairs flowed very nicely and had a master bedroom and walk in shower. The upstairs had a loft like area as well as a good sized bedroom and bathroom. The rugs were new and the hardwood floors in great condition. I loved the blue countertops as they went well with the cabinets. The basement was clean and large. It had a nice garage. DS and I agreed that I should put in an offer. Lots of people were there. I went as high as I could go cash wise and no inspection. I would do my own. They got 14 offers, 6 cash. Last night my agent called me to say the owner wanted to move up the condo doc review and signing the P&S each by one day. OK but now my gut was telling me something was fishy. The owner is now living out of the country and has been for more than a year. He just wants cash quickly. I said OK but it bothered me all night. Something did not feel right. This morning my agent called me and said the agent told him I am one of 3 in the running but I am the lowest of the 3. My agent then said he was angry and did not agree with what the owner wants to do. The owner wants me to go up 10K in my offer. He wants buyers to waive the condo doc review and sign the P&S by early Monday morning. No way will I go up 10K or waive reviewing condo docs and I will not sign a P&S until an attorney reviews it. I told my agent that the owner and his agent are unethical. My agent told them that his client just lost her husband and now you are doing this when she offers on the condo. He recommended rescinding the offer so I did. I am not going to deal with people who have no integrity. I don't trust them now. My DS thinks there may be an assessment coming that the owner doesn't want potential buyers to see. My gut told me something was fishy and it was right. I really liked the condo but I am moving on. It is frustrating though. Maybe something will come on the market this week.

It is a nice day here around 60. Great walking weather.

@AuntieMe3 Glad you got to hold the baby. Snuggle time is so nice.

@BreezyCarol Did you get to see your new grandson?

Have a nice Sunday.

Hmmm. Reading what you experienced with the condo you made an offer on.

I actually held a realtor's license for 10 years as a sideline back in late 80ties/early 90ties.

There was a reason why I studied and learned about real estate. It was because I was trying to buy a home for myself and my children pending divorce. I was unhappy with not understanding what made the market run. I went in blind making offers on properties. Lost good ones by bidding too low and fortunately also lost bad ones through my inexperience. It was not my first house but it was my first house alone.

Most people are inexperienced in real estate. Yes, you can make it through a few sales where everything is simple. And it makes you complacent until you hit a wall of problems.

One problem can be the owner and their expectations - ie the person who owned the condo you found interesting enough to make an offer on. It may be a distress issue where it will go into foreclosure soon or is there and the owner is trying to get it sold before everything is finalized. The property may be fine, but the owner may need funds very quickly - think of the world situation - American dollars are not yet worthless. Especially an owner in another country. Just a couple of scenarios.

I am surprised your realtor suggested rescinding your offer. They 'may' know something they haven't told you. My reason for saying that is most realtors will hang onto a deal and try to push it through - some way. 10K is not a whole lot added to a mortgage with today's interest rates, but may be tight with a cash offer. I wouldn't let 10k hold me back if the property was right. This is assuming you underbid the asking price and didn't over extend your own funding. If the owner is asking for 10k more above and beyond the asking price, well, that's another ball of wax. Though not unheard of.

Did your realtor do any homework on the listing? There is lots of public info on real estate, even in a private sale. The situation has peaked my interest and I'm sort of curious as to what is driving the sale, but if you are out, I'll never know.

One thing is for sure. The market will always change and fluctuate. No two days are the same. So, keep your hand on your wallet and keep trying. Now you know a building that has floor plans you like. Maybe another will open up as the buying season gets hotter.