Hick has been working steadily on half of the Double Hovel flip house. I'd show you a few pictures, but in his typical photographic style, he has given me tight closeups that make it hard to discern which room is represented. Kind of the opposite style of his portraits of people, which show a tiny subject you must find in a vast sea of surroundings.
Anyhoo... both bathrooms are pretty much done, with toilets installed, and running water. Drywall is up in the bedrooms. Flooring is down in the bedrooms. Wednesday, the air conditioning guy put in the AC, but something isn't working, so he's ordered a part.
Thursday afternoon, a call came in on the house phone, with no message left. I saw the name and number, and asked Hick if it was somebody he knew. He said it was the guy who called him before about buying the flip house. The guy who didn't get back to Hick after Hick stood firm on the price we were asking for the property we didn't really want to sell. No idea what he wanted, but much more work has been done now, with added expense, so I'm sure that guy really wouldn't like our current asking price. Hick did not care enough to give him a call.
You'd think somebody was advertising our property! A few hours later, the house phone rang. No name on the caller ID. No message. Immediately after the machine hung up, my cell phone rang. I rarely answer numbers I don't know. I had a hunch the previous day, and picked up, and it was my doctor's office scheduling an appointment for November. So this time, I also picked up, not seeing a SCAM LIKELY notice pop up.
It was a guy asking for Hick, about his Double Hovel property! I have no idea how he got my number, but I handed over the phone. The guy said he noticed (?) that Hick had several properties throughout the county, and was he interested in selling any. He did not seem at all interested in the double lot in Backroads, which is suitable for building a single family home or a duplex. He wants to look at the Double Hovel on Monday.
At least I have the weekend to add up our expenditures, and discuss a new minimum sale price with Hick. You never know. Hick is willing to part with it for the right profit.
Funny how an hour later, The Pony sent me a text about a property he saw for sale that would make a good flip house. It's almost like The Universe is trying to tell us something.
If you enter your doctor's office number in your "contacts" the number will show when they ring you so you'll know who it is. Unless they phone on the landline.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know how word is getting around on the flip houses too. Maybe the guy has spies watching Hick coming and going.
I know the actual number associated with the doctor's office, and that was not it. So not sure if someone is calling on another phone. I'm not putting that one in my contacts.
DeleteMaybe someone is just looking for properties, and looks up records at the court house. It's public info. We may not be the only one they're calling. Odd that both calls came within hours of each other.
My doctor's office calls me from a different number sometimes, so not showing up as his office. So, I don't snatch it up or call back until later. It's annoying. I would let this guy cool his heels since you know he is eager and will call back. Imagine the rush to your door if you ever list it.
ReplyDeleteI figure if it's important, they'll leave a voicemail. This time, since it was one of the 10 or 12 local exchanges, I answered. Not that such a tactic makes a lot of sense, what with people stealing numbers and using them fakely. Once I answered a call from MYSELF! Just to see what the scam was.
DeleteHick says all we need to do is put a sign out front. We don't plan on using an agent. We mainly deal just with the seller (or buyer) and sign contracts at the abstract company. He could also put it on social media. It WILL get noticed, heh heh. The main draw is that there will be two houses, so it's an income-generator. Use one house to make your payment and live in the other one. Or two rentals. It's a nice big corner lot, so the homes aren't right on top of each other.
Make sure to include labor and time it takes to procure supplies in his truck. Maybe YOU should do the negotiating on Hick's behalf, since he seems not to value his efforts.
ReplyDeleteI DID have to remind Hick to include his own hours, along with those of his helper, but at the higher rate which his expertise commands. Haven't thought about the truck time. He DOES count his mileage for his Storage Unit Store business trips.
DeleteIf he were a contractor, it would be factored in, as well as the wear and tear on his personal vehicle.
DeleteSometimes Hick sells himself short. I guess he makes up for it with all his FREEBIES The Universe bestows upon him!
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