Hopefully Ditch-Bound
Okay. The mode is now, "Operation Moving;" level: high. Ready, set, action. I just want to get it all over with.
We put down a deposit for the house in the ditch, but until our name is inked on the lease, I`m not relaxing. In fact, I don`t think the word "relax" will have any meaning for me, until our boxes are unpacked.
I can`t reveal where it is, nor can I even link to the craigslist posting with the photos (since it includes the address), but I will reveal that it is indeed in a certifiable flood channel. The real estate agent said, "I have to disclose that this garage has flooded in the past, when a storm drain was clogged," and she pointed to a water mark a few inches above the floor....and some sandbags.
The last time we were looking at houses in ditches, we were buying one in Tokyo , not renting. We would certainly never have bought one with any "water issues," and in fact we ruled one out for exactly this reason. But renting? That`s a whole different ballgame, and I`m realizing that a deal-breaker for a sale can be a minor inconvenience for a rental.
I mean, most of the key rooms in the house are on the second floor, plus even if there IS another flood, and even if it`s a big one and water seeps into the first floor rooms-- heck, it`s not our drywall and carpeting.
If we were looking for a house to buy, we would have heard the word "flooded" and turned right around and left -- but since we`re renting, all we thought was, "Sandbags -- okay, sure." Funny how one`s priorities can change.
The real estate agent wanted our FICO scores. I had no idea what she was talking about, since our mortgage in Tokyo is with a Japanese bank. Then I remembered that in fact, I had heard of this (uh, yeah, I`m supposed to be a financial journalist), and figured out how to get ours online. Since we have just one credit card that we pay off every month, our FICOs look like a very intelligent student`s SAT scores.
There was a another couple there with an application ready to hand in, but I had already seen the house during the week, and the agent said we expressed interest first. The owners want to meet us now, and if they like us, we can move in right away.
I`m trying to make myself feel better about the whole moving thing by telling myself that the new place, though smaller and with less storage (**but with free sandbags!**) has the only two key things that our current palatial house lacks: it`s within close walking distance of a park with swings for swing-loving Little Son, and it`s even closer to the BART station. Plus, it`s only about a mile from our current place, so our entire life remains within convenient reach.
I will miss the big lovely yard, but I will NOT miss mowing the lawn. I will miss the beautiful view of the ocean, but I will NOT miss walking up those killer hills. I will miss our current great next-door neighbors, but we will definitely stay in touch with them.
Oh, and our current neighbors on the other side -- they`re nice, too, but they`re Chinese and keep pretty much to themselves. I told the husband we were moving out, and he said, "You are the best neighbors we ever had, in all our years living here." (We actually have had very little contact with them, but I think he`s very grateful that I cleared his brush between our houses -- which I had to do, because the wild blackberry bushes on his side kept reaching out and grabbing my children.)
Ever the opportunist, I asked him to be a reference for our new apartment application, since I figure it can`t hurt to fill up the page, with neighbors. He agreed -- it was very touching, but....ill-timed.
Later that same day, he had a new driveway put in, and the workers were carving up the stones with a giant buzz saw, raising clouds of dust. But after our touching conversation, I just didn`t have the heart to complain to him about it.
My freshly-washed car now looks as if Mt. St. Helens erupted next to it.
Ordinarily, that would have ruined my day, but now all I can do is sigh, and acknowlege that it`s a very easy problem to fix.
Sorry, everyone, if my blogging has gotten increasingly myopic lately -- I know the world doesn`t revolve around me and my moving. In fact, though it looms ominously in my mind, it doesn`t even factor much into our day-to-day family life yet. Yesterday, we brought four friends of Daughter`s to Japantown to her favorite ramen place, for her birthday, and then they slept over in our huge guestroom (which is really the master bedroom).
Daughter had a great time, but all I could think was, "How many more kids` sleepovers will we host in that great room? Soon, one of them will be the last...maybe even this one...."
Sigh...
I will close by tacking on a totally unrelated quote, that deserves to be remembered for posterity.
From the San Francisco Chronicle`s coverage of Gavin Newsom`s cheating penis:
A family friend who asked not to be identified said she would have no comment.
That made me smile -- and right now I need all the smiles I can get.
We put down a deposit for the house in the ditch, but until our name is inked on the lease, I`m not relaxing. In fact, I don`t think the word "relax" will have any meaning for me, until our boxes are unpacked.
I can`t reveal where it is, nor can I even link to the craigslist posting with the photos (since it includes the address), but I will reveal that it is indeed in a certifiable flood channel. The real estate agent said, "I have to disclose that this garage has flooded in the past, when a storm drain was clogged," and she pointed to a water mark a few inches above the floor....and some sandbags.
The last time we were looking at houses in ditches, we were buying one in Tokyo , not renting. We would certainly never have bought one with any "water issues," and in fact we ruled one out for exactly this reason. But renting? That`s a whole different ballgame, and I`m realizing that a deal-breaker for a sale can be a minor inconvenience for a rental.
I mean, most of the key rooms in the house are on the second floor, plus even if there IS another flood, and even if it`s a big one and water seeps into the first floor rooms-- heck, it`s not our drywall and carpeting.
If we were looking for a house to buy, we would have heard the word "flooded" and turned right around and left -- but since we`re renting, all we thought was, "Sandbags -- okay, sure." Funny how one`s priorities can change.
The real estate agent wanted our FICO scores. I had no idea what she was talking about, since our mortgage in Tokyo is with a Japanese bank. Then I remembered that in fact, I had heard of this (uh, yeah, I`m supposed to be a financial journalist), and figured out how to get ours online. Since we have just one credit card that we pay off every month, our FICOs look like a very intelligent student`s SAT scores.
There was a another couple there with an application ready to hand in, but I had already seen the house during the week, and the agent said we expressed interest first. The owners want to meet us now, and if they like us, we can move in right away.
I`m trying to make myself feel better about the whole moving thing by telling myself that the new place, though smaller and with less storage (**but with free sandbags!**) has the only two key things that our current palatial house lacks: it`s within close walking distance of a park with swings for swing-loving Little Son, and it`s even closer to the BART station. Plus, it`s only about a mile from our current place, so our entire life remains within convenient reach.
I will miss the big lovely yard, but I will NOT miss mowing the lawn. I will miss the beautiful view of the ocean, but I will NOT miss walking up those killer hills. I will miss our current great next-door neighbors, but we will definitely stay in touch with them.
Oh, and our current neighbors on the other side -- they`re nice, too, but they`re Chinese and keep pretty much to themselves. I told the husband we were moving out, and he said, "You are the best neighbors we ever had, in all our years living here." (We actually have had very little contact with them, but I think he`s very grateful that I cleared his brush between our houses -- which I had to do, because the wild blackberry bushes on his side kept reaching out and grabbing my children.)
Ever the opportunist, I asked him to be a reference for our new apartment application, since I figure it can`t hurt to fill up the page, with neighbors. He agreed -- it was very touching, but....ill-timed.
Later that same day, he had a new driveway put in, and the workers were carving up the stones with a giant buzz saw, raising clouds of dust. But after our touching conversation, I just didn`t have the heart to complain to him about it.
My freshly-washed car now looks as if Mt. St. Helens erupted next to it.
Ordinarily, that would have ruined my day, but now all I can do is sigh, and acknowlege that it`s a very easy problem to fix.
Sorry, everyone, if my blogging has gotten increasingly myopic lately -- I know the world doesn`t revolve around me and my moving. In fact, though it looms ominously in my mind, it doesn`t even factor much into our day-to-day family life yet. Yesterday, we brought four friends of Daughter`s to Japantown to her favorite ramen place, for her birthday, and then they slept over in our huge guestroom (which is really the master bedroom).
Daughter had a great time, but all I could think was, "How many more kids` sleepovers will we host in that great room? Soon, one of them will be the last...maybe even this one...."
Sigh...
I will close by tacking on a totally unrelated quote, that deserves to be remembered for posterity.
From the San Francisco Chronicle`s coverage of Gavin Newsom`s cheating penis:
A family friend who asked not to be identified said she would have no comment.
That made me smile -- and right now I need all the smiles I can get.
posted by L. at 2:40 PM
5 Comments:
And you gotta believe it's "50% fewer voles!"
Have to agree with the "can tolerate for renting, not for buying" thought process. Have been there myself. You might want to inquire, however, with your insurance agent to make sure that renter's insurance can be obtained for the address in question before inking your name on the lease.
Good luck with the move - have done 8 in almost 15 years, and it sucks each time - but I've found with each move it has been easier to settle in, and I'll hope it is the sam for you and your family.
L. I understand oh so completely. We've moved 4 times in 3 years. Thankfully every move has been "up" and has gone easily, but I still have a nervous breakdown every time. Prayers that everything will go well.
Free sandbags?? What more could you want woman! :)
We had the same neighbor experience leaving our home of 5 years in NM. A couple of strangers approached us at our garage sale and said,
"We are so sorry you are moving. You have been the best neighbors ever"!
The best of luck to you in your ditch.
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