The Joy of Homeownership

Have you ever heard a story of something that happened to someone and say to yourself, "What?  I've never heard of such a thing."?  I have, but I didn't think it would ever happen to ME.

A couple weeks ago we were contacted by our homeowners insurance company.  They stated that they needed to send someone out to do a 4.1 inspection on our house.  This inspection is pretty common in Florida and is required for all homes over a certain age when you first get your policy.  For those not aware, this inspection looks at the main (aka. expensive) components of the house: the air conditioner / heater, plumbing, electrical, and the roof. 

Although our house was originally built in 1970, there were many updates to the house before we moved in.  We knew the electrical and plumbing had been updated in the 90's and the roof was updated around the same time.  We knew the roof was getting old but were told when we bought the house a couple years ago that we had maybe 5 years left.  So our big concern was the air conditioner.  Hubby has fixed it to help limp it along for a while and we were worried the inspector would say it's too old.  When he didn't even look at the air handler (the thing hubby fixed), I thought we were in the clear. 

Unfortunately, that was not the case.  The middle of last week we were informed that if we don't repair 3 things, our insurance will be dropped.  The first thing mentioned was that we needed to power wash the outside of the house.  Say WHAT?!?!?  Yep, they will cancel our policy if we don't power wash our house.  And yes, every time I think about that my mouth drops. 

The second thing is that we have 2 very large trees in front of our house and some of the larger branches reach over the house.  That one's legit.  In fact, we started work on it last fall but haven't finished.  So now we have the incentive to finish sooner rather than later I suppose. 

The third and final thing is that we have to replace the shingles on our roof.  Like I said before, we knew it was coming.  We just thought we had a few more years.  So when I was informed last week that we had till Aug 2 to get everything done, my heart skipped a beat (or three).  You see, with hubby being without work for a while, we had to dig into our savings and we haven't been able to replenish it back to the point where we could redo the roof and still have money left in savings.  That means we have to get a home equity loan of some sort.  Those take time.  I've been told it could take up to a month to get approval.  Umm... that takes us beyond Aug 2 right there!  So I explained to the lovely people at the insurance company that there is no way we can get it done that quickly.  They were SO generous (insert sarcasm here) and extended the repair date to Sept 9.

Needless to say, I've been on the phone a lot the last few days.  Scheduling contractors for bids.  Contacting the county to see about whether we want to do it ourselves.  Contacting the bank to get the home equity stuff rolling. 

Contractors start coming today, so hopefully we will know how much it will cost soon.  First thing on the list is working on the branches (that way if they damage the roof, at least it wasn't the NEW roof).  We can do this ourselves while we wait for the home equity approval too.  Then we deal with the roof.  And after all the roof work is done, we can power wash the house (I'm sure the roofing will add some dirt and grime so might as well clean that off at the end).

Now I'm off to have a little lunch before the first contractor of the day shows up.  Wish us luck!

Calgon Take Me Away

Today was one of those days where I which I could have skipped to the end, because I'm not sure a redo would have helped.  I think the issues that made the day so tough have at least been worked out to such a degree that we don't have similar issues in the future.  At least I hope so, because I don't even have a bathtub I can use to relax at the end of a day like this.

Here's to bigger, brighter, and better things tomorrow.

Last Minute = Trouble

You know how I said in my last post that I had to renew my real estate license before the end of March so I frantically worked on it and got it done in time (I finished March 27).  Unfortunately, my documentation has been lost in a stack of papers with all the other people who were renewing at the end of the month.  That means that if you look online, my license has expired.  I was told that because I can prove I finished everything in time it will be renewed "retroactively," so I guess that's good (if it really works the way they say it will).

It sure would be nice if there was a more streamlined process for stuff like this (I took the class online and I had to fax them a copy of the certificate that was emailed to me the day I finished the class).  They said it could take another week before they update it in their system.  That's only 2 weeks after I finished the class.

Sigh.

Whirlwind of Emotions

Guilt
Anxiety 
Peace 
Stress 
Joy
Love
Pride

These are all emotions I experienced yesterday because of my kids teeth.  You see, yesterday both of my kids had their teeth cleaned for the first time in longer than I'd like to admit.  Let's just say, this is the first time they've been to the dentist since we moved to Florida.

Part of the reason is because money has been tight.  The main reason is because the last time they were at the dentist it didn't go well.  They tried to get x-rays of my son and he gagged non-stop (no vomiting thankfully) and they weren't able to get anything worthwhile.  My daughter did better, but only because I told them not to bother taking x-rays of her teeth.

So how did yesterday go?  Better and worse all wrapped into one.  My son's teeth got a clean bill of health.  No cavities and they were even able to get x-rays.  He didn't complain at all.  They did recommend that we see an orthodontist because his teeth look like they will be crowded, but nothing that's particularly urgent.

My daughter did great getting her teeth cleaned and x-rays as well.  Even with the cavity we knew she had.  Unfortunately, I learned that my daughter's "perfectly straight teeth" are actually so tight that she has cavities between two teeth in 4 different places.  We knew she was going to need one filling but we learned she's going to need more.

The one we knew about is the worst of them all and it looks like we caught it before it got to the nerve.  Moments ago I found out that there was a cancellation that will mean she can be seen on Monday rather than 4 weeks from now (when she was originally scheduled for).  Praise God!  I'm so happy we have an even better chance of getting it dealt with before it gets to the nerve.  Pray for us that Monday will go well.   That we did catch it in time and that we both make it through witout any mental trauma. 

It may have been a whirlwind of emotions for me, but thankfully, my kids seemed to be even keeled all day (and my daughter is looking forward to being able to eat pain-free again in the very near future).  And I think it's safe to say we found a dentist (and team) we all like and trust.

Over Analyzing

I'm not sure if it's a result of my type A personality, but I tend to over analyze.  Especially when things don't go the way I think they should.  I wonder if I could have changed things.  If I caused the issue.  Whatever the case, it's left me a bit sleep deprived lately.  I'm finding it hard to fall asleep and then when some strange noise wakes me up in the middle of the night I start thinking about it again, thus making it hard to fall back asleep.

Do any of you find yourself in similar situations?  If so, what have you found that helps you stop analyzing and get on with life?

Freaking Out

As we were eating dinner on Saturday, just before leaving the new house, hubby tells me he wants to move to the new house permanently... this week even.  We got a lot done over the 3.5 days we'd just spent there and he's been able to get an area set up for him to work, so he figured lets just move. 

I love the idea for two reasons:
1.  Maybe the landlord can get the house rented out sooner and we can get some money back, and
2.  It will mean less travel back and forth.

The down side is that now I am in super-stressed mode.  Anyone who knows me, knows I am a planner.  To be told on Saturday that the goal is to be out of the house on Wednesday (yep I have 4 days) is a bit stressful.  It's true we don't have a lot of big things to move (no furniture to speak of), but gathering together all the little things is probably more time consumptive.  Add to that, hubby is busy working on a project right now means it's mostly on me to get the prep work done.  Then there is the cleaning so the house is presentable and so we get our deposit back.  Oh, and I have a surprise trip to a movie theater planned for tomorrow to see Chimpanzee (can you say half of tomorrow is booked already with that).

I guess the good news is that although the wish is to be out of the house on Wednesday, we have more time.  I would like to be at the new house by the weekend though.  Now that I have been able to vent and share a little, I feel a bit rejuvenated, so I bid you adios as I go to pack and clean some more.