ELWC Sold
Fifteen days from list to close.
My real estate agent Jim Pettigrew was outstanding. He arranged the repairs, painting, cleaning, staging, photography, and coordinated the bid review process so that I had every possible advantage that a seller can have.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Rewind.
When I moved away from Seattle in 2013, the real estate market was improving, but still hadn't recovered to it's pre-recession values. Zillow valued my condo (purchased in 2006 for $185k) for around $170k. So, I'd have needed to take out a sizable personal loan for the privilege of no longer owning a condo. Not wise. Instead, I hired a rental management company and let someone else pay the mortgage for five years. It sounds more malicious than it really was... I kept the rent low (by Seattle standards), so it was just enough to break even on the mortgage, HOA dues, property taxes, and management fee. My taxes got more complicated, but otherwise, it was money for nothing.
Now with the market in full rebound mode, it looked like a good time to stop the business of being a cross-country landlord. I gave notice to my tenant in November, and he moved out at the end of January. (I didn't want to kick him out on New Year's Eve... that's just mean.) Then we started to evaluate the damage. I was dismayed to learn that his cat had used my closet as a litter box and marking ground... so I had to have flooring and drywall replaced to get rid of the stench. I had to get the drywall and trim behind the toilet ripped out and replaced. I shudder to think how the behind-the-toilet wall got so nasty.
Jim's crew painted every square inch of the place. Replaced light switches and smoke detecters. Polished the floor to hide scratches. Cleaned, and cleaned again. Oxygen filters freshened the air, and the place miraculously turned shiny new again.
Listing Photos
A simple and straight-forward plan, we the listing the condo for $240k on Thursday March 15th. I had ordered the condo disclosure documents in advance, so they were available for potential buyers to review before making an offer. Open house on both Saturday and Sunday. Offers due by noon on Wednesday, March 21st. I'm not used to a real estate market this hot, so I nervously awaited to see if I got any bites.
Well, that was energy wasted on worry. Not just bites... it was a feeding frenzy. Jim and I culled through dozens of offers that night, and carefully selected one that would give us the best chance of a quick successful sale. We chose (well, I did the choosing, but he was happy about it) an all-cash offer with no contingencies... no appraisal, no inspection, no HOA review period... nada. At $45k over asking, and with just 15 days to close. Sight-unseen.
They are a couple from 6 hrs down the Oregon coast who had been looking a long time in this competitive market. I later learned that their realtor is a family member who had seen the condo prior to putting the offer in. They did drive up on Thursday to see it in person, and I think it's safe to say they were not disappointed. (I think WA has a 24-hr "cooling-off" period, so they could have walked away and forfeited their earnest deposit.) They wanted a place to stay when they drive north to visit their Seattle-based children.
In the end, we closed a week early... on March 23rd. It's amazing what you can make happen when you don't need a bank involved. My amazement continues... listed to closed in just 15 days.
![Day at the [Indoor] Park with Wendell](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58cb29d4d482e91781bc0952/1521770725979-6VUNWEWNXIYMD0907T1O/Screen+Shot+2018-03-22+at+10.02.59+PM.png)
Day at the [Indoor] Park with Wendell
Our black lab friend Wendell came over to play. This was his first time being exposed to agility equipment, but he seemed to take to it like a champ.
Wendell 1 (0:37)
Wendell 2 (1:02)
Wendell 3 (0:36)
Wendell 4 (1:42)
Guest Bedroom
New colors and accessories for a fresh, airy, relaxing look.
Paint - Martha Stewart Living 'Endive'
Full Moon Window
It’s hard not to join in the howling when the moon glows this beautifully through my living room window.
Maddox’s Bed
My little girl tousles her blankets like a teenager.
Maddox makes her bed like she’s a teenager: messy. I straighten the blankets out - fully intending to keep the dog hair at bay - and she fluffs them up to suit her better. She probably can’t figure out why I keep messing with her perfect nest.
Silent Protest
On glucosamine pills:
Maddox: “I reject the lump of disgust you’ve so rudely heaved into my bowl.”
Sadie: “Can I have hers?”
Craft Room
I scraped the popcorn ceiling about a year ago, and have been looking at the splotchy gray and white ever since. So... why not make it an annual thing? I spent my Christmas stay-cation determined to finish what I had started.
Behr Oslo Blue
(PPU13-13)
Entrance Lights
The entrance lights were mis-matched and falling off the wall. Out they went.
This light was loosely attached, and too wide for the narrow space between the door frame and the corner. I also found that the junction box was placed on the outside of the house, and the Romex for the driveway light was tucked under the siding. That’s a project for another day.
The carport light is a nice dual-bright fixture, but it was wobbly and didn’t match the other fixture.
I picked up a matched set of sharp black wall motion-sensor sconces with seeded glass. They’re not dual-bright (i.e., the light is dimly on all night long, and then brightens up when it senses motion), but they’ll do.
Portfolio 11.5-in H Black Motion Activated Outdoor Wall Light
The junction box tacked onto the outside of the house will be a project for a different day. The hanging wire gets hidden behind the batten and then drapes loosely underneath the front door before disappearing into the dirt to power the driveway light. (Ten guesses why this circuit has a habit of tripping when it rains heavily. Related: Solar Driveway Light)
Hall Light (Part 2)
[Prior Post: Hall Light (Part 1)] After searching around for a while, I decided that I needed a light that would stretch down the length of the hallway a little better than a single pendant, but still only require one electrical mounting point. I tried a few different models, including an ill-fated attempt at track lighting. This one seems to do the trick, although I’m not so in love with it that I won’t keep my eyes out for something else.
23 Trees and Hopefully Done Counting
First there was the small birch just behind the shed that leaned at a 45-degree angle right through where I was installing my fence.
Then there was the dead tree that had been strangled by wire.
Then there was the tree that fell on my fence during the Thanksgiving 2014 snow storm. It became one of the 18 trees I had removed earlier this year... I thought I was done.
Nope.
This fir was one of three in a small stand, so of course when it toppled in a wind storm (core rot), I didn't like the bare look of the two remaining, which probably also had core rot.
The advantage is that I now see a lot more sky when I sit on my deck and look at the stars. And my vegetable garden will get more sun.
Post-Radiation
Sadie's last day of radiation was on August 7th, and I knew that much like a sunburn, it would get worse before it got better. I took these pictures so I could get a better sense of the progress.
Sadie's last day of radiation was on August 7th, and I knew that much like a sunburn, it would get worse before it got better. I took these pictures so I could get a better sense of the progress.
8/13 (6 days after her last treatment): whitish flesh (mucositis) inside her lip...
... and sloughing later the same day.
8/16 (9 days later): fat lip is still a little cracked, but healing.
8/17 (10 days later): pink & looking more supple.
8/25 (18 days later): inside her cheek returning to normal...
... and a little fur missing from her cheek.
9/4 (28 days later): smooth & healed inside cheek...
... and more obvious fur loss on her muzzle.
Babies enjoy homemade applesauce & peanut butter frozen yogurt on a hot day.
Happy girl allowed to swim in the local pond once again!
Followup December 7, 2017: Sadie's last chemo visit was today, so she has 14 more pills and then she's done. We'll keep monitoring, but for now, her chest x-ray and abdominal ultrasounds showed no signs of spreading cancer. Fingers crossed! Here she is relaxing on her small couch, showing off the patch of white fur that grew back in at the radiation site. I call it her Angell Kiss.
Bird Feeders
Miss Sadie, Protector of the Realm, Defender of the Bird Feeder, and Chaser of Squirrels
Guest Bathroom
A quickie makeover with fresh paint and peel-and-stick tile flooring.
I decided to give the guest bathroom a quickie makeover.
I was never really a fan of the speckled blue tile, so I jumped at the bargain bin floor tiles when I found them at Home Depot. I laid out all the full-size tiles, and managed to make a few straight cuts with scissors. I'm ready to upgrade to an exacto knife. My biggest challenge so far has been determining what line to use to define "straight". Nothing is perfectly square, so i figured I'd start with the angle you see first when you walk in.
I also picked a few paint samples. I went with the medium gray, since the dark gray looked too dark when backlit by the window.
Angell Animal Medical Center, Boston
Leaving at 5 am to battle traffic into Boston is well worth it for the chance to keep my little girl healthy.
This my morning commute for the next few weeks.
Angell is located in Jamaica Plain, Boston... about an hour from my house if there's no traffic. Which means I leave at 5:15 am to get there at 6:30, or face the hoards of people heading south during rush hour.
They are a FANTASTIC facility with state-of-the-art technology and amazingly talented staff. After our initial visit with her radiation oncologist Dr. Kubicek, Sadie was tended to by a number of oncology personnel, especially Stacey (client care coordinator), Cheryl (radiation therapist), Kayla (radiation assistant), Amy (radiation anesthesiologist), and Jillian who greets patients at the front door.
This hospital has been pioneers of veterinary medicine since the early 1900s, and frequently makes headlines with their groundbreaking advancements. I feel very lucky to have such an incredible facility nearby.
Sadie sports her tie-dye #CancerChamp bandana, while Maddox offers solidarity with luck-of-the-Boston-Irish green.
18 Bags of Poop
A big steaming load for my new flower garden.
Well, manure. I loaded up the front garden with dark black yummy compost soil, rather than more mulch. It already has too much wood debris from the stump grinding... I figured this would be better for the plants. Now I should probably Preen the crap out of it.
Before
After
Basement Shelves
Installing shelving just inside the basement means that everything is close at hand for outdoor entertaining.
Mack's Apples to Adam's Pond
Short, sweet, and local... this hike is a lovely place to wander the woods and take a dip with the pups.
Treat yourself to a magical wander along this wildflower-lined, dog-loving trail. My favorite is to park at the edge of the U-Pick orchard (#1), walk up the east side to the narrow little boardwalk path lined with wildflowers in the spring and Concord grapes in the fall, and then spills into the forest at the corner of this tiny lake. When we're pressed for time, we park at the edge of the forest trailhead (#2) and shortcut to the lake. When we're extra energetic (for a pack of old ladies, anyway), we park at the pumpkin patch across from Mac's Apples (#3) and walk the 3/4 miles through the forest to the lake.
Location (Google Maps)
Foster's Pond
A short loop around a lovely pond. My favorite spot is the peninsula mid-way through the walk... I can sit and read while the girls wander the shore and sniff and wade and drink.
My hands-down favorite local haunt. Beautifully maintained, with feeder streams to wade in and lap up all along the way. The real gem is the small peninsula about 1/2 way around the lake that is home to a stand of tall pines, some toads, and a few herons. It's a perfect spot for the pups to jump in the lake for a swim.
- Location (Google Maps)
- Waking in Windham brochure (1998) - see page 6
Yellow-to-Blue Trail at Kendall Pond
Forest and creek not far from town.
This cute little trail is a little close to a busy road, so plan on practicing your perfect recall, or keep the fur babies on a leash. Fortunately for my kids, the interesting smells are on the water side, so I let them run loose. Beaver Brook is cool and clear, and only 3/4 mi from the trailhead.
When you're done, stop by PetsPlus just around the corner and stock up on yummy treats... our favorites are the small heart-shaped Darford cookies. Sadie sticks her head right in the bin as soon as we walk in the door.
