Archive for April, 2008
Pretty Houses Still Need Home Inspections
This morning I went to preview a house for a client. It was a “pretty house” that had recently been flipped. Just about everything had been redone; new kitchen, baths, paint, windows, everything. It was even staged very nicely, straight out of Better Homes and Gardens.
I can see a buyer walking into this house and being very impressed. It would be easy for a person to envision themselves living there, and not having to do a thing except move in.
I almost skipped looking at the basement of this home because it wasn’t finished. I’m glad I didn’t because there was something weird going on.
Have you ever seen one of these adjustable Lally columns in a basement? Maybe you even have one in your home to help provide some extra support where there is a little sagging.
I have one in my own basement. It helps support a sagging corner in my entryway.
This house had a lot of adjustable Lally columns.
So what does this mean for a buyer? Potentially nothing. I’m not a home inspector, nor a structural engineer. Based on what I’ve heard on various home inspection, these really aren’t supposed to be used for permanent support.
Just a friendly reminder…as a buyer, no matter how pretty the house, please consider having a home inspection conducted by a reputable professional. Not only will they educate you on how to operate your new home, they may also unearth some mechanical, structural, or safety issues that need to be addressed. A pretty house is no good if it’s not a safe place to live.
Mean Cats
I’m showing a house in Newington tomorrow and I’ve been warned: mean cat. I’ve encountered the mean cat warning before, but this one was a little sterner, so it has me slightly concerned.
As in, the mean cat might follow you around.
And more specifically, “Don’t try to touch it, it’s a mean cat. You’ll get scratched and maybe bitten.”
Huh. Maybe the cat doesn’t want to move. Who can blame him?
What is your pet doing to deter a sale?
No More $280 Burritos in the West End
Kyle and I live near some very good restaurants on Farmington Avenue in the West End of Hartford; Tisane, Ichiban, Abyssinian, and Monte Alban.
A few months ago we met some friends for dinner at Monte Alban. Because we were running late and it was cold outside, I whined my way into convincing Kyle to drive us there, rather than making the .4 mile walk. There was no close street parking available, so we parked way in the back of the “Kinko’s lot” on Farmington Avenue, at the corner of Kenyon and Farmington.
The lot was essentially empty, it was after 6:30pm, and we thought everything was fine. Apparently we missed the “We will tow you with no exceptions” signs that were posted on the side of the building, not anywhere near where we parked.
We went into Monte Alban and enjoyed our dinner, which took about an hour. Then we proceeded back to the parking lot and the following dialogue went like this…
Amy: Hey, where’s the car? Didn’t we park right there? [pointing to empty parking space]
Kyle: Huh, the car doesn’t appear to be here. [scratching head]
Amy: Was the car stolen?!?!? [twitching and flailing starts]
Kyle: Calm down, calm down. I think we were towed. Yep, hey look, it says on the building that they’ll tow you. [starts rummaging for cell phone to call faded number on sign]
Amy: Towed? Towed where? Towed why? This lot is completely empty and no one is parked here! [voice getting shriller, flailing increasing]
Kyle: [speaking with towing company] Do you have our car? It’s a BlahBlah, license plate Blah. Okay, well where do we pick it up? Berlin. How much will that cost? $280, cash only. When can I get it?
Amy: Berlin? Why is the car in Berlin? $280?!? Are you kidding me?!?! [cursing starts, time to be spent in purgatory greatly increasing]
Long story short: we walk home, drive to the far reaches of Berlin, wait a half hour to meet some guy at a completely shady location, pay him $280 in cash (IRS audit anyone?), and drive home. Amy is in the doghouse for being “lazy” and making it the most expensive burrito dinner ever. [Although I later heard from another friend that they once had a $280 beer at Tisane due to the same unfortunate circumstances]
So why am I telling you about this? The parking situation for these four popular restaurants has recently improved. Some proactive West End residents worked with the property manager of the “Kinko’s lot” to secure some after hours parking spots for these restaurants.
You can now park in one of these 27 yellow-lined spots at the back of the parking lot…
Just make sure you follow these rules…
Seriously, follow the rules. If you park in a non-yellow lined space and leave that lot for other business, you will be towed. All the way to Berlin. So they can charge you $4 a mile for the towing. Am I still bitter? Nah…