Random crap with Uno.

[Unorthodox]

Well, that's a new atmospheric condition. 

So, the inversion is horrid, and it's created freezing fog around here the last few days.  Well, the particulates in the air are now so dense, the fog is freezing right to particles in the air, forming snow, and it's snowing without a storm system. 

[Unorthodox]

So, on a whim we put in a lowball offer on a house, as the plan for constructing our own house has been derailed time and time again.... and it looks like they might accept!?!

Crazy place.  https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/fsba,fsbo_lt/24567408_zpid/globalrelevanceex_sort/42.506401,-83.321965,42.492843,-83.342157_rect/15_zm/1_rs/

Just barely seeing this, don't know how I missed it.  Love that wood room.  Any updates?

[Rusty Edge]

Well, that's a new atmospheric condition. 

So, the inversion is horrid, and it's created freezing fog around here the last few days.  Well, the particulates in the air are now so dense, the fog is freezing right to particles in the air, forming snow, and it's snowing without a storm system.

My sister in Seattle said they were having freezing fog, too. Terrible for commuting. On the upside, it can make for some beautiful photos.

[Unorthodox]

Yeah, this is beyond freezing fog, that usually just makes crystals on all surfaces.  This is just forming snow in mid air, it's odd.

[Spacy]

So, on a whim we put in a lowball offer on a house, as the plan for constructing our own house has been derailed time and time again.... and it looks like they might accept!?!

Crazy place.  https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/fsba,fsbo_lt/24567408_zpid/globalrelevanceex_sort/42.506401,-83.321965,42.492843,-83.342157_rect/15_zm/1_rs/

Just barely seeing this, don't know how I missed it.  Love that wood room.  Any updates?

They accepted our lowball - but as we got the inspections done discovered that it has over 50K of broken things like all the pool mechanicals, all the AC's, one of the furnaces, foundation settling, etc.  Also, a lot of safety issues (baluster spacing being the #1).  Our lowball was to account for all the cosmetics - the vile carpeting with the pet stains, the 8 sliding glass doors that are original to the house, etc.  So, in negotiations with the seller as we will accept the cosmetic stuff we have to deal with, but not really willing to take on 50K plus worth of stuff that just doesn't work when they would have to have them all fixed for any purchaser. 

[Unorthodox]

I would think the pool and foundation things would be the most problematic.  (We've decided to avoid both pool and hot tub talk in our remodeling as maintenance is just a pain in the ass)

Hopefully it can get worked out.  Any chance they just leave you with the 50 k to fix it?  Or is it law they have to fix some of those things?

[Unorthodox]

! No longer available

[Spacy]

That movie looks good.

So, we negotiated some pricing issues.  I expect we will get stuck with 10K worth of mechanicals for the pool that we really shouldn't, but that will be about it, and that will be the cost of moving forward.  Wife and I already discussed and we are willing to go forward, as long as they take care of the rest.  Even with that, it is within the realm of the value of home, and we can do some really nice upgrades that would make it far more economical in terms of maintenance and upkeep. 

[Unorthodox]

That movie looks good.

So, we negotiated some pricing issues.  I expect we will get stuck with 10K worth of mechanicals for the pool that we really shouldn't, but that will be about it, and that will be the cost of moving forward.  Wife and I already discussed and we are willing to go forward, as long as they take care of the rest.  Even with that, it is within the realm of the value of home, and we can do some really nice upgrades that would make it far more economical in terms of maintenance and upkeep. 

Looks like a hell of a place.  I was always nervous about asking former owners to fix anything as their hearts are no longer in doing a good job, just a quick and cheap one.  Much preferred to get money and fix it myself. 

So, been talking around in circles about pithenge in our back yard for quite a while.  Think we've settled in on more or less a plan, but finding the stones is still proving to be the long pole in the tent, so to speak. 

There is a gravel pit near that regularly gets larger granite boulders out of the mountain as well.  They usually blast them smaller and sell as landscaping boulders.  Present plan (and by far the most cost efficient) is to go hand select a bunch at the quarry and hope for the best.  There's some details on how to transport them without breaking further, and how, exactly to set them, but I don't believe either of those to be insurmountable. 

If that falls through (not big enough, or just too round), I have a local place that will cut sandstone pillars that would work, and a place in Washington that would ship me basalt columns for about the same price.  Both these options are favorable for being lighter stones, with some option of coloring, and easier to work with on site as a result. 

[Spacy]

Have you looked at making your own stones with concrete? 

[Unorthodox]

That's a last resort, really.

There's a couple of guncrete places around here, but only one really has experience at the kind of sculpting we'd be doing.  While I'm confident I can get the sculpt down, staining it properly (which is just as critical) I'm not so confident.  The granite option is actually cheaper as well, presuming we can find the right stones. 

[Spacy]

Agreed on pricing.  Seller is being a B and won't let us add to the mortgage to get some extra cash to put into the house, but otherwise all is done except scheduling the closing. 

[Unorthodox]

Agreed on pricing.  Seller is being a B and won't let us add to the mortgage to get some extra cash to put into the house, but otherwise all is done except scheduling the closing. 

Some state rule?  I don't know that the seller has any say in the mortgage here. 

[Spacy]

Probably.

Here, what we do if we want to get, say, 25k or so added to the mortgage and handed to us as cash is that we get the seller to "increase" the price on the house, but with an addendum of a "cash back for home improvements" added in as well for the same amount.  I expect this was more to get around all the banking rules than anything else, but I honestly don't know.  Well, the seller here is a true piece of work - and long story short we are not getting a great, or even a good deal, but not a bad one either - it is just OK.  If we walk away from the house in the next 2 years or less, we won't make anything, but won't likely loose either. 

We just love the house.  To build it today would be 1.5-2 million, which is so far out of the realm for us, but this one, with work needed, doesn't scare us, we know we can do it, and that we have the time and skills to do so.  It has almost 0 lawn maintenance (my plus), indoor pool (ack, now I have to figure out how to manage a pool and keep that clean - but I love this idea!) workshop that is ideal for woodworking and furniture restoration (yay me) and so much else.  Gretchen is basically missing only 1 thing from her wish list - 1st floor master (which, we think we can adjust things later on to add in if necessary) otherwise it hit all her high spots as well - no visibility to the kitchen from the front door, big & private master bathroom, etc.  It is a no brainer for us.  And, it is so much cheaper than the construction of the new house, which we wouldn't even get 1/2 of our wish list items on.  Big changes happening fast, though, so stressful.  But exciting and fun all at the same time.

[Unorthodox]

Probably.

Here, what we do if we want to get, say, 25k or so added to the mortgage and handed to us as cash is that we get the seller to "increase" the price on the house, but with an addendum of a "cash back for home improvements" added in as well for the same amount.  I expect this was more to get around all the banking rules than anything else, but I honestly don't know. 

Yeah, definitely not how it works here, we'd just handle that cash back portion with the bank directly and it would depend on the appraisal of the home.  (which is a very adaptable prospect)

Sounds like a good choice for you guys, hope it all goes well. 

Kind of like how everyone said we were nuts for our remodel, we should just build new.  Not realizing the economics we were involved in and how it made more sense for our particular situation to remodel.  I'm still a little baffled that we 'made money' with the remodel.