Well, of course you should. But you shouldn't let their requests get in the way of your own priorities in life.
The last thing anyone needs immediately after settlement is bills. Some effort and money was invested in cleaning the place. We repaired a few things around the house that needed doing, and replaced the existing lampshades in the unit. To improve presentation prior to renting. There had never been a need for a letterbox by the previous owners, but one was required now before we could rent. Things were generally done economically. We were looking forward to getting a tenant into the place.
The property was advertised and a tenant was found remarkable quickly. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly it was taken. The agent was considering several applicants and gave it to a young woman who had a few pet cats.
Very soon after our new tenant took up residence she came to us with a request. She was concerned the unit would get hot and uncomfortable for her cats if they were locked up all day with the doors shut. The house had two sliding glass doors along with two sliding aluminium screen doors. They were security doors but not as tough as some products on the market, and of course the fly screen was nylon. Not the most durable thing when cats start scraping at the door. She was concerned the screen doors would not offer sufficient security if the main doors were left open. Could she please have security screen doors fitted?
As it happened she knew someone, a friend, or a friend of a friend, who was in the business of making and fitting security screen doors. He could do a deal because of her relationship with him and the price would be good. And he would fit a new screen door to our downstairs unit at the same discounted price.
We briefly explained our financial situation, which I doubt interested her. Basically, we were saying we couldn’t afford this. Stainless steel mesh insect screen doors are relatively expensive. She volunteered to pay for the doors herself. She must have said that without thinking, and possibly bit her tongue afterward. At least it indicated the strength of her bank account. We agreed to have the doors fitted, but only if she purchased them and we undertook to make regular repayments to her each fortnight. I find that arrangement so bizarre: she was to pay us rent for living in the property, we were to pay her for screen doors.
Anyway, we had three aluminium and stainless steel screen doors fitted to the house. I had seen these things advertised for some time. They have an aluminium frame with stainless steel mesh. The screens give the impression of having the door open which of course allows more of the view to be seen. In hindsight we should have said something along the lines: no, put up with things as they are or move out.
Experiences like these make you hard. Particularly when unexpected car repair bills hit. There were a few other expenses too. Clearing the debt was tougher than expected.
Showing posts with label rentals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rentals. Show all posts
04 November 2010
17 May 2008
Some light ($s) at the end of the tunnel
Our Melbourne real estate agent emailed me the document he said he got from the buyer’s solicitor. It was a note which could have been typed by anyone, on a plain sheet of paper, that stated our real estate agent “…is the beneficiary in a transmission from Burnt Britt Cardens – Walrod” of an amount of 15,000 in a currency type of GBP. It appeared legitimate, in so far as a few words on a piece of paper are concerned. It was a step forward.
I left a message on Mal’s answering service (Westpac) to say it had arrived. S is feeling lousy over this whole shemozzle.
There were two other properties in Flynn that we didn’t see properly last Saturday. One was in Jacobs Place and another in Rolland Place. We were at Rolland Place when B rang and we upped our offer to win the property. Rolland seemed like an ex-govie, was very ordinary and a bit depressing inside. Sure, the pool looked nice, the back garden was done up nicely but it was a sad little property, and advertised for the same price as the property I'm hoping will come through. Rolland didn’t seem worth the lower end of its advertised $340-$360k price tag. Jacobs Place on the other hand had fabulous views, and did seem a large place, but the property made no connection with me, which was just as well for the $420-$440k price tag. The agent at the property pointed me toward a property in Carandini Street for about $400k. It was an okay property, with huge windows but it overlooked the neighbours in an imposing sort of way. Little impressed me today.
I took a drive out to Fyshwick to check out the used car lots for a ute. I need a ute to be able to transport our camper van, that’s sitting in the driveway at Warrandyte, up here to Canberra. The old ute I used to have literally rusted away, and then the engine blew up, but that’s another story. There wasn’t much in the offing from the used car dealers; and they often seem so much like con-artists.
While I was at Fyshwick I spotted a branch of Avis, and wondered about truck rentals. I paid them a visit. Prices for trucks, that can be driven by people with only a car driver’s licence, though pricey are within my budget. The trucks were a very good size too. We have a lot of stuff that we don’t trust removalists with. This might be a solution.
I left a message on Mal’s answering service (Westpac) to say it had arrived. S is feeling lousy over this whole shemozzle.
There were two other properties in Flynn that we didn’t see properly last Saturday. One was in Jacobs Place and another in Rolland Place. We were at Rolland Place when B rang and we upped our offer to win the property. Rolland seemed like an ex-govie, was very ordinary and a bit depressing inside. Sure, the pool looked nice, the back garden was done up nicely but it was a sad little property, and advertised for the same price as the property I'm hoping will come through. Rolland didn’t seem worth the lower end of its advertised $340-$360k price tag. Jacobs Place on the other hand had fabulous views, and did seem a large place, but the property made no connection with me, which was just as well for the $420-$440k price tag. The agent at the property pointed me toward a property in Carandini Street for about $400k. It was an okay property, with huge windows but it overlooked the neighbours in an imposing sort of way. Little impressed me today.
I took a drive out to Fyshwick to check out the used car lots for a ute. I need a ute to be able to transport our camper van, that’s sitting in the driveway at Warrandyte, up here to Canberra. The old ute I used to have literally rusted away, and then the engine blew up, but that’s another story. There wasn’t much in the offing from the used car dealers; and they often seem so much like con-artists.
While I was at Fyshwick I spotted a branch of Avis, and wondered about truck rentals. I paid them a visit. Prices for trucks, that can be driven by people with only a car driver’s licence, though pricey are within my budget. The trucks were a very good size too. We have a lot of stuff that we don’t trust removalists with. This might be a solution.
27 March 2008
Problems and solutions
The sore throat I was developing in Melbourne seemed to have changing into a cold. An early night for me. It seems that S caught it too, and feeling grouchy.
A couple of people who saw the house a few days ago had prepared a list of questions. Our real estate agent was able to deal with all but two of their questions. They were passed on.
A couple of people who saw the house a few days ago had prepared a list of questions. Our real estate agent was able to deal with all but two of their questions. They were passed on.
- What’s the water in the hole at the side of the house? Oops! That was the drain at the side of the house; the problem I had been trying to fix with a suction plunger and length of wire. Unsuccessfully, it would seem. I can’t help wondering if the question was an attempt at sarcasm. Isn’t it obvious: a blocked drain.
- What’s the serial/model number of the solar hot water heater? Apparently they wanted to confirm the capacity with the manufacturer. (They’ve got to be joking.)
20 February 2008
The last tidy up
It was an intensive few days in Melbourne. S had been advised by our stylist to make some changes to our house, the general theme of which was to reduce the clutter. So, we rented some space from the Fort Knox storage facility in Eltham and went to Rent-a-Bomb for a van to cart the stuff. It was a bomb to be sure, making my EXA seem like a luxury vehicle. Driving the thing was an interesting experience. It was difficult to tell the difference between 2nd and 4th gear, and at the first set of traffic lights in this thing I pulled the hand brake on and had difficulty releasing it. So, without really panicking, but feeling a sense of tension I worked at it. It doesn’t take long before the people behind you start honking their horns.
Anyway, the van rattled along and it did the job. We ended up putting the good desk in storage (we had two of these monsters), along with the chairs we’d been asked to get rid of, the box seats, filing cabinet, table and a few boxes packed with stuff. If you pack these storage facilities carefully, with stuff stacked well, it’s amazing just how much you can fit inside. After about two van loads the storage room still looked mostly empty.
The stylist said she had an arrangement with Fort Knox to give us a discount, but when we mentioned this they claimed ignorance, saying they didn’t know our stylist. Now that’s interesting. Someone was lying. Anyway, they gave us the first month free. Perhaps we just looked honest. It all helps.
S had done a surprisingly reasonable job of the painting, considering some of the work was very awkward, and she doesn’t like painting. I just couldn’t keep on going when I was at it a few weeks earlier. Anyway, I touched up some gaps on the ceiling that seemed to be missed, and fixed up the gaps in the cornices, which all turned out okay. I find it amazing how interior paint (flat or semi-gloss) can blend into the existing paint without showing any tell tale marks. Doing this might be a quick way of freshening up the place, with the minimum of effort. If you don’t have time to paint the whole place, and you can’t wash off any scuff marks that have developed over the years, just paint over the marks. It does a great job, and you’d never know there was a touch up, unless of course the paint is very old and faded.
We removed the lounge room curtains as we had been advised by the stylist, as well as removing the fly screen doors, and they went to Fort Knox. This seemed like a very strange thing to do, I thought. But it worked. This house was a bit unusual in that the front entrance had two standard sized glass doors that swung open, kind of like French doors, only larger. So with both doors open wide and no curtains hanging it left the lounge with a wonderful open feeling. The vista from the floor to ceiling windows, which occupied the entire length of one side of the lounge, was spectacular, and with the doors open it had a pleasantly inviting feeling. It brought a surprisingly pleasant atmosphere to the room, and made it very light inside as you’d imagine. Though, the effect was kind of cold and exposed at night, but was fabulous in the day. Anyway, the punters only come during the day, and it was done for their benefit.
Lots of little things were done. We dusted the lounge ceiling to get rid of the cobwebs (cathedral ceiling), got the whipper snippering finished, repaired the nest of tables, a bit roughly I must say. We removed the various boxes that were cluttering the place, and removed the wall hanging, which all went into storage. The amount of dirt that was impregnated in the wall hanging over the years was amazing. Tiny pieces of brick and cement must have been falling from the ceiling. You wonder how it happens. I got some boxes packed and into the EXA for the trip back. I also took the small filing cabinet with me, so the car was well loaded.
We got rid of a spare mattress from under the bed. Perhaps it should have chucked out, but why do that with stuff when it’s still good. People throw too much away. It went into the caravan for storage. It was a very neat fit in the caravan, standing on its edge in the walkway of the caravan.
I was disappointed I couldn’t clear an outside drain that was at the side of the house, and there was the smell of something dead somewhere out there too. Bugger. I hope the blockage had nothing to do with the smell; thinking something might have crawled down the drain and died. The smell of something dead is the last thing we needed when the punters come round.
I got most of the garage sorted. It’s funny how the stuff builds up in sheds. I was surprised by the amount of rat and possum crap all over the place, the smell of which was almost overpowering. Which was all very disappointing because I had some good things stored in there. I had a stereo amp, turntable, notebooks and textbooks carefully wrapped in old sheets, plastic wrapping and in cardboard boxes and the little blighters had used as building materials to build their nests. Their little teeth marks were everywhere, as well as the holes they had made in the timber sideboard to get to where the stuff was kept, there were nibble marks everywhere. Of course the cardboard boxes were no trouble for them. This material and the pages from my textbooks must have made lovely nesting material for them.
We were beginning to get ruthless in sorting through what could be kept and what gets dumped. That’s a lesson on starting the job in plenty of time. It takes a lot of time to go through your old stuff, and you do become distracted in looking through things you haven’t seen in years, reminiscing in old notebooks that you had at school or wherever. It can be difficult to decide whether to keep or discard them.
So, in the end a lot of work had been done, and although the place was cleaner, a whole heap of a mess was left for S to put out in the rubbish. A lot of work was left to do before the photographer came. Still feeling unhappy with the selling price. Considering talking to the agent with a view to increasing it.
Anyway, the van rattled along and it did the job. We ended up putting the good desk in storage (we had two of these monsters), along with the chairs we’d been asked to get rid of, the box seats, filing cabinet, table and a few boxes packed with stuff. If you pack these storage facilities carefully, with stuff stacked well, it’s amazing just how much you can fit inside. After about two van loads the storage room still looked mostly empty.
The stylist said she had an arrangement with Fort Knox to give us a discount, but when we mentioned this they claimed ignorance, saying they didn’t know our stylist. Now that’s interesting. Someone was lying. Anyway, they gave us the first month free. Perhaps we just looked honest. It all helps.
S had done a surprisingly reasonable job of the painting, considering some of the work was very awkward, and she doesn’t like painting. I just couldn’t keep on going when I was at it a few weeks earlier. Anyway, I touched up some gaps on the ceiling that seemed to be missed, and fixed up the gaps in the cornices, which all turned out okay. I find it amazing how interior paint (flat or semi-gloss) can blend into the existing paint without showing any tell tale marks. Doing this might be a quick way of freshening up the place, with the minimum of effort. If you don’t have time to paint the whole place, and you can’t wash off any scuff marks that have developed over the years, just paint over the marks. It does a great job, and you’d never know there was a touch up, unless of course the paint is very old and faded.
We removed the lounge room curtains as we had been advised by the stylist, as well as removing the fly screen doors, and they went to Fort Knox. This seemed like a very strange thing to do, I thought. But it worked. This house was a bit unusual in that the front entrance had two standard sized glass doors that swung open, kind of like French doors, only larger. So with both doors open wide and no curtains hanging it left the lounge with a wonderful open feeling. The vista from the floor to ceiling windows, which occupied the entire length of one side of the lounge, was spectacular, and with the doors open it had a pleasantly inviting feeling. It brought a surprisingly pleasant atmosphere to the room, and made it very light inside as you’d imagine. Though, the effect was kind of cold and exposed at night, but was fabulous in the day. Anyway, the punters only come during the day, and it was done for their benefit.
Lots of little things were done. We dusted the lounge ceiling to get rid of the cobwebs (cathedral ceiling), got the whipper snippering finished, repaired the nest of tables, a bit roughly I must say. We removed the various boxes that were cluttering the place, and removed the wall hanging, which all went into storage. The amount of dirt that was impregnated in the wall hanging over the years was amazing. Tiny pieces of brick and cement must have been falling from the ceiling. You wonder how it happens. I got some boxes packed and into the EXA for the trip back. I also took the small filing cabinet with me, so the car was well loaded.
We got rid of a spare mattress from under the bed. Perhaps it should have chucked out, but why do that with stuff when it’s still good. People throw too much away. It went into the caravan for storage. It was a very neat fit in the caravan, standing on its edge in the walkway of the caravan.
I was disappointed I couldn’t clear an outside drain that was at the side of the house, and there was the smell of something dead somewhere out there too. Bugger. I hope the blockage had nothing to do with the smell; thinking something might have crawled down the drain and died. The smell of something dead is the last thing we needed when the punters come round.
I got most of the garage sorted. It’s funny how the stuff builds up in sheds. I was surprised by the amount of rat and possum crap all over the place, the smell of which was almost overpowering. Which was all very disappointing because I had some good things stored in there. I had a stereo amp, turntable, notebooks and textbooks carefully wrapped in old sheets, plastic wrapping and in cardboard boxes and the little blighters had used as building materials to build their nests. Their little teeth marks were everywhere, as well as the holes they had made in the timber sideboard to get to where the stuff was kept, there were nibble marks everywhere. Of course the cardboard boxes were no trouble for them. This material and the pages from my textbooks must have made lovely nesting material for them.
We were beginning to get ruthless in sorting through what could be kept and what gets dumped. That’s a lesson on starting the job in plenty of time. It takes a lot of time to go through your old stuff, and you do become distracted in looking through things you haven’t seen in years, reminiscing in old notebooks that you had at school or wherever. It can be difficult to decide whether to keep or discard them.
So, in the end a lot of work had been done, and although the place was cleaner, a whole heap of a mess was left for S to put out in the rubbish. A lot of work was left to do before the photographer came. Still feeling unhappy with the selling price. Considering talking to the agent with a view to increasing it.
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