Bargain House Progress: Small Bedroom

From the small bathroom of Bargain House, we now take a look at the front bedroom it adjoins. That's the door to the bathroom on the left, that is by the shower. The front bedroom looked much nicer right after Hick finished it. Now it seems to have become a storage area for Hick's tools. Especially since he had to move them from the living room to put down flooring there.

See? This does not look like a house ready to list with a real estate agent! Technically, the room is finished and ready to live in. Except for the accumulated odds and ends that might be needed elsewhere in the house. I do like the mirror hanging there, and the light fixture Hick chose.

The dresser, and the end of the bed frame that you see in the background, are furniture Hick moved from the Double Hovel flip house(s). Which originally came from the QuickFlip house we had for a couple months, then sold to an old lady and her grandson. She still lives there, and even had lunch one day a couple months ago at the Senior Center.

This front bedroom is an L shape, due to the addition of the second bathroom. Hick figured that would be a better selling point that a larger bedroom.

That's a full size bed. Otherwise, this little alcove could be used for a desk or sitting area, or to put the dresser, or kids' play area. A bed can easily fit along the front wall under the window, with the head against the side wall with the window you see in the first picture.

The Pony couldn't do much cleaning in here, other than wipe down the baseboards and Swiffer the open floor area. I'm not so sure this picture wasn't taken to shame Hick for the clutter!

Bargain House Progress: Small Bathroom

Over the next few days, I'll be showing you parts of Bargain House. I don't want to load all the pictures at once. HIPPIE has been overheating and shutting down several times a day. Also, I'm lazy, and lose interest after a couple of photos.

On Monday, Hick picked up The Pony, who was going to do some cleaning while Hick was without Old Buddy, and putting up trim board.

We'll start with the small bathroom that's off the living room, and also opens into the front bedroom.

Looks like Hick has been doing some interior decorating! I don't think I'd be wanting to use that towel to dry my hands. Especially after Hick's instructions to The Pony.

"I told Pony, 'You have to clean the toilet, too.' And Pony said, 'There isn't a toilet brush.' 

I said, 'Just use a rag and get down in there and scrub it.'"

"EWW! I wouldn't do that! Not without gloves!"

"Why not? I do it. It's just water."

"Not after you've been using it all this time while you're working there! And Old Buddy, too! I don't blame Pony a bit. That's nasty to do with bare hands."

"Well, we found the toilet brush in the big bathroom. So it got cleaned anyway." (Which was obviously after the picture was taken!)

The shower looks nice and sparkly. Though The Pony didn't take credit, saying it was already pretty clean, and will just need some Windex on the outer side, once Hick is completely done with raising dust while sawing and hammering. Hick finally put on the shower door, which he had to special order from Lowe's. The door there leads into the front bedroom.

This is the only room from the pictures The Pony sent me which actually looks ready for Bargain House to be listed for sale. Hick has been a bit misleading (shocker) about the degree of "done-ness" of Bargain House. 

Which you will see as I show the other rooms...

Dead of Winter

I made Hick stay home on Sunday, with the deadly wind chills after the 9 inches of snow. He puttered around the house, declaring that he was going to town on Monday. Which was no better weather, other than the snow was over, and the sun came out.

There's SilverRedO, parked on the side street at Bargain House. At least Hick waited until 8:00 to leave home, rather than 6:00. He said the roads were terrible.

The sidewalk for Bargain House's back door is there somewhere! Hick was planning to list Bargain House for sale this week. I persuaded him to wait until the snow has melted. I don't want the listing photos to show the snow. If it's still on the market in the summer, people are going to look at it and right away say, "Oh, something must be wrong with this one if it's been on the market so long." Whereas if the pictures are not proclaiming a certain season, they might ask for a tour, not thinking to look up how long it's been for sale.

On a sad note, Hick found out that Realtor passed away on Sunday evening. I had been worried about her since she called Hick on December 29th and said she would be retiring. Especially since her unfortunate ambulance ride she discussed at our next-to-last last closing. She was a nice lady, about a year older than Hick. She grew up in a rough part of town (according to her stories), and worked hard for what she got. She's the one who listed Pony House. Hick liked the way she did business, and we used her agency ever since. 

As Hick said, she was doing what she loved, right up until the last month. He talked to the young guy who worked with her, who said she didn't even tell HIM anything about her health, only that she was retiring to have some time for herself. She will be missed.

This is Why The Pony Needs Helicoptering

We ended up with about 9 inches of snow. Here's a view from my kitchen table, of the back porch through the window. No way am I opening the door to single-digit temps for a picture!

This was Monday. Nice and sunny. 

Hick took a picture on Sunday morning, before the accumulation was done. He DID open the door, and swept off some snow that blew right back later.

Relieved that The Pony was safe at home, with prescriptions filled and food in the fridge and the cabinets open to stave off freezing water lines... I didn't intrude on the weekend. Sunday evening, during a break watching football, I called to set up a workday with Hick at Bargain House. The Pony was planning on sweeping and Swiffering and cleaning the bathrooms. Hick was itching to get out in the 9 inches of snow and below-zero temps, and Old Buddy wasn't working.

"Dad says he can come pick you up tomorrow at 10:00, and you can work on cleaning Bargain House while he finishes some painting. Make sure to wear real shoes. And a coat. In case you get stranded in the snow. I know it's only a couple miles from your house, but this is deadly cold."

"Yeah. And how many cars did dad run off the road when he tried to pick you up from the hospital in that snowstorm?"

"At least two!"

"I was with him in the last one, waiting to get pulled out!"

"He's taking that same road again, if our blacktop road hasn't been plowed."

"Oh, great. Hey, wanna hear something you might find disturbing?"

"Well... I guess so."

"You know how I've been telling you I think squirrels are getting in my attic? From the corner of my house by the driveway? I wanted to see if they were leaving footprints out there where I suspect they're going in. So I went outside in the snow to look. I was running a hot bath. I went out to walk along the back of my house and look around the corner. Without shoes."

"NOOOO! You could lose your feet! What if you fell? You could have died in a few minutes! It's SO COLD!!!"

"I'm fine, Mom. Remember when our hot tub used to work? And Dad would take me and Genius out there in the winter?"

"Yes. You were probably 4 or 5."

"Sometimes there was snow that had blown in under the porch. Or just the concrete being so cold. But the first 30 seconds of putting my cold feet in the hot water felt SO GOOD! Just like today when I put my snowy feet in the bathtub!"

"Dang it, Pony! I'm trying to keep you alive! Don't do stuff like that!"

"Mom. I'm fine. I'll wear shoes to go work on the house."

No word on whether The Pony found squirrel-invasion evidence. I didn't think to ask.

The Universe Even Smiles on Val's Rumpus Some Days

Wednesday evening, Hick came in with a stack of three papers. Papers that needed filling out by Thursday. Papers that would not be filled out by Hick, whose writing is virtually illegible. His Rs look like Ws. I can barely decipher the NUMBERS on the monthly itemization of cash outlays for Bargain House. At least there are only 10 numbers. Not 26 letters.

___________________________________________________________

Welp! Here's a prime example of why I must do the filling out of forms. I just had a space cadet moment, forgetting if there are 24 or 26 letters in the alphabet. I called out the question to Hick. 

"How many letters in the alphabet?"

"27."

"No way! I know it's 24 or 26. It's definitely not 27!"

"A...B...C..." Hick was counting on his fingers. "Yep! 27!"

"NO! I know that's too many!"

"Look it up on your phone, then!" Hick said as I sat in front of HIPPIE, typing.

I consulted my estranged BFF Google. "It's 26. What'd you do, make up a letter?"

"I guess I left one out." 

Looks like I won't consult Hick about math, either!

___________________________________________________________

Anyhoo... this paperwork was forms from the title company Hick brought home to fill out for the sale of HIS LAND.

"I thought they were doing all the paperwork. That's what we're paying them for."

"They just need this basic stuff to put in. Like the legal description of the property. And our signatures saying we're married. That's why you have to go by there tomorrow to sign papers. Because I'm married to you. I signed all the papers today. Now you have to."

This was not something I particularly wanted to do, but I looked up the legal description with township and plot and block from the tax receipts, and filled out all the info I knew. Then I had to call The Pony so we could meet earlier for Errand Day, to allow time for the title office. 

Usually we are all there together for such a transaction. Now Hick had abandoned me. But The Pony was willing to accompany me, to stop my rolly chair from sliding out from under me, and to assist me with a hand in getting up from the table after the signing.

"I really hate this, Pony. I've been stressing all night. I think I'll take my cane. I feel more secure. Nobody wants to have to get me up off the floor!"

"I'll help you, Mom. No problem."

"Maybe you can take in these forms, and just say, 'My mom needed to drop these off and sign papers. Are you ready for that now, or should she come back. She wanted to know before she walked in.' They know us there. They know how I hobble."

"Yes. I can do that."

The Pony trotted in, while I readied my cane. They have a nice concrete ramp there, with a rail. Or three steps with a rail. But the doorjamb is a step up. The Pony returned in five minutes.

"She looked at the papers, and went to the file to see if they were ready. She says she can bring them out to you if that would be more convenient."

"YES! That's great!"

The Pony went back to tell her. The gal came out. It's not the one we usually have at closings, who Hick had talked to and was doing the title search. I don't recall having met this one. But she was SO NICE! I got those papers signed in no time, from the comfort of T-Hoe's leather seat.

"Thank you so much for bringing these out. It really helps me. Oh, and my name is spelled wrong on all three signature places."

"Oh, no!"

"Maybe I could cross through them, and print the right spelling, and initial?"

"No. I think we have a way we can fix it. I need to check the other papers, too. To make sure we get it right. We already have a copy of your ID from the last closing, so I don't have to get that."

It was the easiest closing ever! Hick asked later if she gave me the check. But she had told us the other party had not yet been there to sign. So they'll call Hick when they have the check ready, after subtracting out our half of the closing costs.

That darn Hick needs to learn how to spell my name! And if the title company had my ID, why didn't they check THAT to make sure the spelling was right? Probably because they trusted Hick to know how to spell his own wife's name the first time we were there, and he got it wrong. They must have been referring to those initial papers when drawing up new ones. Because I've had to tell them it's wrong at other closings, too. Oh, and Hick still hasn't changed my name on the title on his new old trailer yet.

Pony Goes A-Druggin', Uh Huh

We were able to squeeze in Errand Day on Thursday, ahead of the upcoming storm. I wanted to make sure The Pony was prepared.

"Do you need things from the store while we're there? Because you won't want to get out. Tomorrow the high will be in single digits, and the wind chill below zero. Then the snow Friday night and Saturday. You don't need to be out getting food, or making someone else risk their life to deliver it."

"I have a few things to get, like apples and peanut butter and bread. But my freezer is full."

So I was relieved when I dropped The Pony off later. No need to get out in the dangerous weather.

"When I leave, you back your car out, and then back into your driveway. That way you're facing out, in case the street gets plowed and leaves a snowbank. Also, if your car won't start, Dad can pull in nose-to-nose to jump your battery. Or AAA, or whoever. But they won't have to drive in your yard and risk sliding down into your car or the house."

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure my battery won't be a problem, because Dad just got me a new one a few months ago."

"You never know with these below-zero temperatures for four days!"

"Okay. And I'll also pop up my windshield wipers. Because I know how hard it is to get them loose with snow or ice over them."

Of course I called when I got home, to make sure The Pony had done those two things. As well as open up the kitchen cabinets under the sink, to help the water not freeze, and let the tap drip.

"Yeah. But I didn't turn on the water yet. And I'm leaving the windshield wipers down, because I checked, and I need to pick up a refill on one of my prescriptions tomorrow."

"Tomorrow! It's going to be so cold!"

"I'll be fine, Mom. I've been out in the cold before."

"You wear a coat! And actual SHOES! Not those slides!"

"Okay. I will."

"And text me when you're back home and inside the house!"

"I will, Mother."

Except Friday at 11:00, The Pony sent me a text:

"I just checked, I can wait until Monday or Tuesday to get the prescription so I won't do a town trip. So you can relax. I love you, Mom!"

"There might be snow then!!! And it'll be just as cold! You can go today. Safer today."

The Pony waffled on that idea. But a phone call and my insistence that being out on a cold day was better than being out on a cold day with snow on the roads. The Pony countered that the roads would be clear on Tuesday. I begged to differ. "The chemicals won't work at temps this low! We're getting 9-12 inches! Those roads won't be clear for a while. And the pharmacy might be closed, because their workers can't get in."

By 12:30, The Pony was ready to leave. It was the lesser of two possible heart attacks for me! The Pony agreed to text me at each stop. Which now included lunch out.

It looked delicious to me, who was having no lunch. Except for the sushi. I recognize white rice, crab rangoons, and sweet and sour chicken. I'd eat the other stuff, too, though I don't know what it is.

Anyhoo... The Pony was home by 1:47. With the refill. Backed in. Wipers up.

Such a relief. It's really hard for my helicopter to lift off, in singe digit temps, especially after being up on blocks for so long.

The Stick Might Be Too Long to Reach the Carrot

Remember way back in September, when Val was overruled by Hick and The Pony, concerning a possible new flip house? Which, for obvious reasons, we call Cheap House. Too good to be true. Which is proving to be the case.

In October, we still hadn't heard anything about a closing date. By December, I was starting to think this deal would never be completed. 

Last week, Hick went by the financial institution to take out some of HIS MONEY to buy merchandise for his SUS2.5 (Storage Unit Store 2.5) on the day he (deliberately or not) avoided bringing me home a REUBEN. He talked to Loan Officer about what was taking so long to get a closing date.

"He said they are going to foreclose. That the lady can't pay off the judgements against the property that they found in the title search. That one of them alone is over $10,000. And she ain't been callin' me about it lately, either. 

Loan Officer says they have to post a notice in the paper. Then it will have to be auctioned on the courthouse steps. That's legally how they have to do it. But once they foreclose on it, the judgements go away. We can't be responsible for any money owed. That falls back on the owner who got foreclosed."

"So we might not end up with it at all? If somebody else bids more than what our offer was, that they already approved?"

"Yeah. I guess they could take the best offer."

"I'm not paying one cent more than our original offer!"

"I know. I'm not, either."

"It won't bother me all that much if we don't get it."

"Yeah. It's a good price for where it is, but I'm not changing anything we've talked about to buy it."

I called The Pony, who agrees that with it having been so much trouble already, trying to acquire this house, maybe it's not meant to be. The Pony is fine with letting it go to somebody else, rather than increase our offer.

Something else will come along. Or nobody else will want this property, and we'll get it for our previously agreed-upon (and approved) price.