Writings

You only need one

Travis

We held our open house for our Somerset rental today. We’ve only been marketing it for a few days, but inquiries have been slow. I’m not sure if it’s the time of the year, month, or the fact that we’re priced aggressively for the area.

I imagine it’s a combination of all the above.

We know it’s a long shot trying to get it rented before we leave for California. And honestly, I won’t be too bent out of shape if we don’t. That means I wouldn’t have to scramble getting a lease signed, getting a furnace and water heater back in the house, and having appliances delivered.

I would welcome less on my plate right now.

We only had four people show up, but they all seemed qualified. You only need one.

Here’s to hoping we rent it before we leave… or don’t.

Assessment overload

Travis

I’m feeling pretty stressed right now. We’re working on getting our Somerset house rented, started the rehab on The McCarty House, need to knock out the section 8 inspection checklist, it’s tax season, and now Detroit property tax assessments came out.

With all this happening right now, we’re preparing to head to California for a month. I’m not looking forward to flying across the country with a three-and-a-half, one-and-a-half, and dog but it will be worth it. At least that’s what Kaitlin keeps telling me.

So on top of everything else I’m now scrambling to figure out everything I need to do to appeal our tax assessments which all were adjusted significantly higher.

And while Mike Duggan & Co. tout this as a win, it’s not all it’s not feeling like it.

Yes, real estate prices in Detroit are on the rise. Yes, I’m happy to see the city collecting increasingly more tax dollars. It will only fuel more progress.

But most of our properties are in dire need of significant repairs. Significantly bumping the property taxes isn’t exactly an incentive for people like me that are trying to improve the city.

That said, I’m thankful there’s a process in place to appeal the assessments, even if it is all a bit foreign for me right now. I’ll have to take a trip or two down to the assessors office, but I’m hopeful I’ll be successful getting these lowered.

Caped Catsader

Travis

I spent the better part of my day saving two cats.

The assholes we finally got out of The McCarty house left them behind with no power, heat, or much food. We called a couple shelters and finally found the Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society (MACS). We called on Saturday, but they were closed Sunday and Monday.

It wasn’t until today, when we were headed to the house, that we were able to swing by MACS and borrow two live traps and some bait (aka cat food). When I got the The McCarty house I saw both cats upon entering (we think there are just two), and as I was setting the traps one of them came running at the sound of food.

We headed down the street to take marketing photos of a nearby house, came back, and found we’d captured one of the cats. The other trap had fired, but it was empty. So I reset that trap and we headed back to MACS to drop of cat number one.

I then went home, waited a couple hours before coming back, and found this little guy waiting for me:

I was able to get him to MACS before they closed.

This took up the bulk of my day, and it’s not something I’d have foreseen myself doing as a product of purchasing real estate, but I’m glad both cats are now safe and hopeful they’ll find loving homes.

The folks at MACS are terrific people, and clearly care about animals. I don’t know much about them, but I’m glad to see Detroit has a resource like this.

Section 8 scramble

Travis

We had our first section 8 inspection last month. It happens annually, but this is the first one we’ve had to go through. I didn’t suspect anything major would crop up, because I’m already pretty familiar with what The Great Greydale needs.

Here’s a punch list of required repairs:

  • Bathroom: Repair faulty electrical, repair clogged sink drain, re-glaze peeling tub
  • 2nd Floor Bathrrom: Repair clogged toilet, re-caulk tub
  • Building Exterior: Clean out gutters, replace furnace filter

The inspection was done on the 22nd, and we should have checked our PO Box sooner, but we’re now left scrambling to get these repairs done before the 17th when they’ll return between 9am and 5pm (super helpful window).

According to the notice, we also need to get it rental certified before June. That shouldn’t be too much of a pain, but it’s yet another thing to do.

False alarm before a quiet super bowl

Travis

We were invited to a super bowl party, and planned on going for awhile. Kids were welcome, but we lined up a sitter because we never get out without them.

Our alarm system at Somerset went off about an hour before we were supposed to leave.

Not good.

Honestly, I wasn’t too worried since anything valuable had already been stolen the other day. But it’s never fun wondering if one of your homes was broken into all night. So we decided I should make the 30 minute, one-way drive and check on it, arriving back just in time to hop out the door to the part.

I have no idea what triggered the alarm, but there was clearly no entry. So it was a touch and go at Somerset and back home.

The super bowl party was… a super bowl part, but with kids. I’m pretty anti-social, so hanging out with a bunch of people I literally have never met isn’t exactly my idea of a good time. But I did manage to find a couch in the living room where nobody else was congregating, partially watch the game, and text with some real estate friends while Kaitlin socialized.

Apparently the hostess said to her at one point that she “wishes I felt more comfortable” there. Sitting alone, not having to make small talk with people I don’t know and likely won’t ever see again… yeah, I can’t get more comfortable than that.

I don’t care about sports. I don’t watch them at all. Sure, I’d have liked to see the 49ers win, but I won’t lose sleep over it or think about it ever again.

Thoughtful thieves and dirty photos

Travis

I hate being woken up by my phone vibrating. Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s a spam caller, so I’ve grown accustomed to rolling over and blocking it out.

Today was the other one-percent.

When I woke, about an hour after the call, I saw that it was actually our live monitoring service for our security system we have in place on our Somerset house.

Not good.

I’ve had false alarms before, but this one felt different. For one, the app showed that the basement motion detector was triggered.

Really not good.

I knew my handyman would be at the house around 9:00am, so I texted him and asked if he’d let me know what he found when he got there.

The electrical meter had been tampered with:

It’s unclear if they were intentionally trying to cut the power before entering or damaged it by climbing on it to get in through the window. The back window was the clear point of entry. The thieves had pushed on it hard enough to both crack it and pop the locks on the inside, allowing them to push it open.

Of course, the water heater and furnace were stolen. They also snipped the cord to our inside camera, and ran water over some of the alarm equipment. But those still work.

Then they locked the door on the way out. Such thoughtful thieves!

This is the second time I’ve had a break in and theft. It’s not fun, and I don’t suppose it will ever be. For now, sadly, this is the cost of business when dealing in Detroit.

After checking in with my handyman I headed over to The McCarty House to meet a junk removal and demo crew so they could take some photos and give us a quote. I’m happy to report that the stove was no longer on, and the house seemed to have been undisturbed since I was last there.

Here’s a link to the photo album our crew took. Getting this baby cleaned out will feel good.

Upward and onward.

Still burning

Travis

I went down to the Somerset house today, the one we recently evicted our inherited tenants from, in an effort to get some photos to list it for rent. It’s not quite there yet, so I punted on the photos. We have a fantastic handyman doing the final touch-ups, and I love him, but I wish he had another guy to help him move a bit faster.

Since I was there I asked Joe, our handyman, if he’d like to come take a look at our next couple projects since they’re just down the road. He obliged.

Our first stop was The McCarty house and, to my surprise, upon entering the back door, all four burners on the gas stove were on full blast again. There was also a mattress on the floor in the dining room that definitely wasn’t there before.

I went outside to check the garage to know more, recalling that my locksmith had said, “Ha, there’s a car in the garage!”, when we were there changing the locks. I hadn’t bothered to look at it, mentally blocking out that PITA (it’s not easy getting rid of an abandoned car, apparently) for the meantime.

The car was gone. I guess that was the good news.

Whoever was crashing at the house (I had a feeling it was Ms. McCarty’s son), was getting in through an unlocked window in the back of the house. That was evident by the five-gallon paint can that was sitting just below it.

It was trash day, so we got rid of the bucket, locked the window, and I had Kaitlin text Ms. McCarty alerting her that the next time we found someone in the house we’d be having the police come to pick them up.

She had, “no idea” what was going on over there (of course!), but hopefully that’s the last we see of anyone.

Fire sale

Travis

We listed the Fire House for sale today. It’s actually on the MLS. A friend is helping me attempt to move it, but I have no idea who’d want it.

Ok, that’s not entirely true. I am in contact with two, clearly psychotic, individuals that want the house. Neither has the money to buy it outright though, and we really don’t want to hassle with a land contract unless we have to.

The house is gorgeous though. I hate seeing such amazing homes burned out or in complete disrepair. But it’s all over Detroit. It makes me sad, but it’s also part of the fun being able to bring these homes back to life.

Seven hours of toll roads

Travis

I left Altoona today around 11:30am. I attempted to route myself around toll roads since I got stuck on a series of them on my way there and figured there must be a more economical route.

I gave up after about 30 minutes. It seemed I was destined to drive all the way back on dirt roads. I have no clue why large swaths of I-80 seem to be privatized, but it seems like a hell of a business. I texted a friend that it’s “real estate 2.0”.

I was reminded how much I hate driving. Not for the toll roads, but for the toll that it takes on your body. It’s incredibly monotonous, and the tech industry has figured this out. I welcome our autonomous driving overlords, but I doubt truckers feel the same unless we elect Andrew Yang.