My disaster in home repairs

Keesha said:
So go beyond a ten mile radius. Find an area that has your budget in mind. I wouldn’t expect that area to. I’d think way outside the box. Ten miles is nothing. Might as well camp in your backyard. 😂😉
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As often happens, @Keesha, we were thinking along the same lines.

I learned a long time ago that once you're past walking distance it doesn't much matter if you're driving 10 minutes or 20.

@debodun, a longer drive beats living in a high-maintenance house that's falling apart at the seams alongside neighbors you don't like.
 

debodun said:
I did have one done, but that was a few years after my mom passed. It is probably not worth the paper it's written on now.

This is what it says about my house on the county assessment website:

View attachment 111082
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It's worth a lot of money, Deb. So long as the structure itself is solid, investing $20K -$30K to clean things up and bring a few things up to snuff, not only would be an easy sell for me, but it would bring the home closer to being a market contender if you decided to sell down the road.

I know you're waiting to hear back from a few contractors, but what my hubby would love to see you do, is have an overall assessment done as to how much you would need to spend to revive the home, that way you would be able to sit down with figures in hand and weigh-over the pros and cons. Would be a terrible shame to let the house go for cheap (give it away), versus spending a little to tidy things up and enjoying a higher return (resale) if that's what you decided to do, or if you choose to remain living in the home, taking comfort in knowing you will be able to live safe and sound for years to come.

I see it as a win-win situation whatever you do, but you deserve better than to be living in a home with broken ceilings and an electrical system on the fritz.
 
Well, my search for a contractor is fizzling out. The few that replied have either retired from the business or aren't working at the moment because of illness or injury. Some I am getting failure notices from the email addresses I have for them. Still waiting to hear back from a few, but I assume if I haven't heard by now, they either aren't interested, too busy, or for the other reasons cited here. I called one from which I had a business card and a woman answered. I asked to speak to Mr. XXXXX. She asked me why and I told her I had a business card from him indicating he did contracting. She asked how old the business card I had was. I couldn't remember and she said she was his widow and he had passed away in 2004! How was I to know that?
 
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debodun said:
It's what's available here.

This is in an apartment in the next town. I don't like the stove placement - I'd be banging my ankles on that baseboard heater all the time.

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Even goofier than the setup of the stove, is how ridiculously absurd it would be to move the stove to wash under it! I mean whoever dreamed that setup has a geranium in their cranium (I believe it was Dear Abby, that coined that term)!
 
I did hear from the county. Apparently I contacted the wrong department first and my message was forwarded. This is the answer to my inquiry:

Unfortunately, we don't keep a listing of maintenance contractors and can't recommend one over another. There's a program called Umbrella that can sometimes help with locating and hiring someone at a reduced rate. Their website is www.theumbrella.org

I have a vague memory of contacting them years ago. I found out that you have to pay Umbrella to find a contractor, then you have to pay the contractor on top of that. So where's the savings?
 
debodun said:
I did hear from the county. Apparently I contacted the wrong department first and my message was forwarded. This is the answer to my inquiry:

Unfortunately, we don't keep a listing of maintenance contractors and can't recommend one over another. There's a program called Umbrella that can sometimes help with locating and hiring someone at a reduced rate. Their website is www.theumbrella.org

I have a vague memory of contacting them years ago. I found out that you have to pay Umbrella to find a contractor, then you have to pay the contractor on top of that. So where's the savings?
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No, don't do it, Deb, that's a rip-off!

How about an ad in the paper? Maybe you have an advertising type newspaper that comes our regularly. Another option, ask around your immediate neighbourhood as to anyone knowing anyone that does handyman work. Word of mouth is a powerful thing.
 
debodun said:
This is the page for that apartment with other views. Most apartments have refrigerator with freezer-on-top style. I prefer freezer-on-bottom.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/S-2nd-Ave-Mechanicville-NY-12118/2080668570_zpid/
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Goodness gracious! The way the refrigerator stands out from the wall and into the room! Totally off-the-wall - and away from the wall, too!

Here's hoping the individual that designed the layout of that kitchen hangs onto their day job, because they sure weren't born with the talent for designing the layout of kitchens in homes.
 
Aunt Marg said:
You'd be banging your elbows, too. Very strange stove setup.
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Lol yeah.
debodun said:
This is the page for that apartment with other views. Most apartments have refrigerator with freezer-on-top style. I prefer freezer-on-bottom. The bathroom sink looks miniscule and it's too close to the door.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/S-2nd-Ave-Mechanicville-NY-12118/2080668570_zpid/
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Thats a pathetic looking apartment. The kitchen looks like an afterthought. Like.. hey if a fridge and stove fit in the room, we’ll call it a kitchen. Plus if the owners are willing to put an oven right up against an inner wall, what else have they done that’s not seen? I wouldn’t consider that. There’s much better out there. Why not look in a different area?
 
Aunt Marg said:
Goodness gracious! The way the refrigerator stands out from the wall and into the room! Totally off-the-wall - and away from the wall, too!

Here's hoping the individual that designed the layout of that kitchen hangs onto their day job, because they sure weren't born with the talent for designing the layout of kitchens in homes.
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My thoughts exactly. And if they are bold enough to think this is ok, what other types of things are wrong that we can’t see?
 
Keesha said:
St

Thats a pathetic looking apartment. The kitchen looks like an afterthought. Like.. hey if a fridge and stove fit in the room, we’ll call it a kitchen. Plus if the owners are willing to put an oven right up against an inner wall, whatever have they done that’s not seen. I wouldn’t consider that. There’s much better out there. Why not look in a different area?
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I agree, Keesha! I've been sitting here staring at that kitchen, shaking my head back and forth, and now I'm down to chuckling. I've seen bad before, but this kitchen is the icing! ROFLMAO!
 
StarSong said:
Would you really consider renting a two story, 5 BR, 3 BA, 2600 SF house on nearly half an acre just for yourself, @debodun?
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If our home was badly deteriorated I'd move in a heartbeat. Thankfully I've enough skill in home repair & renovation we've always made a huge profit when we moved. Since debodun indicated moving isn't an issue, she says she doesn't qualify for assistance programs. Why not look outside of a high cost area.

Compare the home she was looking at to these.



$90,000 4 bd 4 ba 3,197 sqft
Price cut: $15K (5/27)2268 Crabtree Ln, Johnstown, PA 15905
For saleZestimate®: $84,805

Est. payment:
$490/mo


$99,000 3 bd 2 ba 1,294 sqft
287 Candler Ln, Johnstown, PA 15909
For saleZestimate®: $99,000

Est. payment:
$539/mo


$227,900 4 bd 3 ba 2,429 sqft
2136 Ellsworth St, Johnstown, PA 15905
For saleZestimate®: $226,964

Est. payment:
$1,188/mo


Johnstown Real Estate - Johnstown PA Homes For Sale | Zillowwww.zillow.com › johnstown-pa

There are many more that could suit any budget.
 
You might have termites as well.

Its really seems too late to fix your house. Looks like you will have to sell it for the land value. I don’t know your finances but if you make under 25,000 a year, I wouldn’t put another dime into it. Move out, get your stuff safe, and then put it up for sale and let it be someone else’s headache.

There are probably flippers in your area who buy homes quickly. We sold a house to a flipper and it’s easy and fast. Living in a house without adequate wiring makes it a death trap. What I don’t understand, is why you let it get in such poor shape over the years.

Why didn’t you keep it up as the years passed? I see a lot of people in this position so I am curious. It’s the same with the house husband just bought. As soon as we moved in we had to make several emergency repairs including the electrical and plumbing. Houses are such money pits.
 

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