Window crap continues

today after waiting since December to get this window replacement finished I find that we are yet still tied up in this drama!

After installing the windows I called the city building department and had an inspector come out to finish up the project...only we couldn't because one of our windows was ordered wrong and didn't meet fire safety codes.  Turns out when the guy ordered the window he forgot to mark that this window needed a special hinge on it so that it would open up all the way.  And so the window that was installed in December only opened to 19 inches and needed to open to at least 20 to pass.

So we waited for a new window to be made.  I was told this would take only a few weeks, but as you can see it took much longer as I was only called to make the appointment to install it last week.

The guy gets here and first off he never showed me the window before ripping out the "old" window.  I didn't notice the new window didn't have the decorative grids that we ordered until he already had the window half installed.  OYE!  So I called up hubby, who isn't pleased at all...we paid extra for the grids.

I mentioned to the installer that the window should have had grids and he says "did the one I pulled out have grids?"  I'm ready to smack him.  Then he says "well it's always something!"

I've got an email into the sales guy...we'll see how long it takes to get this resolved.

taking Granite for granite

so DH has been shopping for granite counter tops for MIL's house...as only granite will do for a kitchen makeover to sell the house for someone else.  oye this still doesn't make any sense.

He called up and set two appointments to have someone give him an estimate for the counter tops.  One was going to be at 2:30 and the other for 4pm.  He went to work for half the day and then after lunch went over to MIL's house for the appointments.  It took him a bit to get there due to traffic...and once he did get there the driveway was nice and high full of snow thanks to the snow plows.

Meanwhile back at the ranch er house, I get a call at about 1:20 telling me that contractor #1 can't make their appointment and will have to reschedule.  I try really hard to get the message to DH, but he had already left work and had his work cell phone turned off (he doesn't carry his own cell).

DH gets the snow shoveled in time for the Realtor he's been working with to show up and they go in the house to get ready for the first contractor to show up.  They wait and wait and he's a no show.  So the Realtor who recommended this granite place calls them up...the guy is no longer with the company!  But they can send someone else out at 5.  So that's arranged and the Realtor & DH go over some paperwork.  The Realtor also went back to her office for a few things but was back by 4pm...the second contractor was no there.

He didn't show up until about 5pm!  So DH & the Realtor are with contractor #2 when...

Back at the ranch er house again, I get a call from contractor #1 (only I didn't realize that it was #1, I assumed it was #2 since #1 canceled)...only he tells me that he's outside the house and sees that there is another contractor there.  I'm confused but tell him that DH did schedule a few contractors to come out so he could get a few bids.  I tell him to go ahead and knock on the door since I don't have any way of contacting DH.  The contractor doesn't want to do that...so he'll just wait outside.

DH ends up with two bids.  For some odd reason even though DH gave everyone his work number, they insisted on calling here at the house after to send the bids and confirm that we got them.  You can have granite done at the normal thickness or now they have a granite overlay that you can get that costs less.  The one bid came in quite a bit less than the other one for thicker granite.  ???  confused?  so are we!  We decided to go with the thicker/cheaper granite.  However, I keep getting calls from the other guys (DH promises that he'll call them tomorrow and let them know they didn't get the job.)

We're hoping that these folks do a great job and that perhaps we'll use them again for our kitchen (although I still don't know that I want granite...I've never wanted it before!)

What are they thinking? - house selling woes

Hey folks.  Did you miss me?  Sorry for neglecting you so badly.  I was seriously considering giving this blog up entirely...but sigh, alas I cannot.

Darly and I had a great time doing CYT Cinderella, so much so that I've already committed to doing the next play Fiddler on the Roof...I even get to go to the production meeting. :D  Now I just have to be a good girl and just listen.  Pray for me on that one!

can I just say that I'm not a fan of whatever they're using on blogger here for posting.  the formatting while I type is driving me up the wall!

First a PSA here... a reverse mortgage is NOT what you think it is...or at least it isn't what I thought it is.  I thought that the reverse mortgage is the bank buying your house, paying you the equity and then when you die or move the house is theirs.  That's how they advertise it.  So when MIL got a reverse mortgage I was relieved that we wouldn't have to worry about selling her house. 

WRONG!!!!

What a reverse mortgage REALLY is is just another loan.  Yeah they finance the house for the entire amount that it is worth and give you the equity, but you still "own" the house and you still have to sell the thing.  UGH!

So MIL has been in heaven for a year now and the house is still "ours"  ugh.  It seems that no matter what price we set the house at that buyers want the kitchen and basement to be redone and finished.  Even when we had the price set at a ridiculously low price these folks wanted the kitchen redone.  We just don't understand why a buyer would want to have someone else pick out the kitchen when they can do it themselves.  But apparently that's what it is going to take to get this house sold. 

Now Dh is interviewing kitchen counter top installers to get prices for a brand new kitchen counter.  I DON'T EVEN HAVE MY KITCHEN REDONE!!!!!!!!!!!  But we are paying to redo MIL's kitchen...so that we can sell it.  This so totally stinks!  Now my kitchen has to wait until her house sells because all our saved up money is going to fix her house for someone else!

I'm also hating getting comments when people look at the house about how the house doesn't work for them.  They complain about things that the MLS clearly states...things their realtor should either be pointing out to the buyer or just not bothering to take them to if it won't work.  Like the house has a REALLY small yard.  I used to call it a postage stamp sized yard.  The MLS also clearly states that the house has stained glass windows, the pictures for the listing show the windows with the stained glass...yet these people still come through the house and complain that the house has stained glass.  I'm like DUH!  ugh!  I knew that this house was going to be hard to sell and I'm tired of this house.

Reasons I wouldn't buy MIL's house...
small yard - there's maybe 15 feet from the back door to the fence
on a road with heavy traffic - there's a high school down the street.  honestly when my inlaws bought the house they had no way of knowing this as the school wasn't built yet.
tiny master bedroom closet - no idea what the architect was thinking there
crazy neighbors - the one side has two bachelors who collect and park junk cars in front of the house, the other the woman is just crazy - but most folks won't find that out until it's too late.

So wish us luck folks as we really do need to sell this house.  DH is meeting with counter top folks this week and hopefully we can get that done quickly and sell!