3.6 My 12 reports of experience

[Sandra Koutsopoulos]

How bad is the software? I just noticed this. They couldn't even be bothered to spell check the job title.

Hilarious. What? they don't have Spell Check or AI to check their work?

 

[Sandra Koutsopoulos]

Here in Cali, Builders like building the 2,800 square foot Modern Mondo's because it's more profitable..... there's no money in building a three bedroom, two bath 1300 ft, Builder grade materials starter home.

ADU's are big out here...... especially the junk converted detached garages or sheds, LOL

I started my real estate career as a broker in Milwaukee, where there are TONS of duplexes, and I sold many of them to folks whose apartment rent was higher than the house payment on a duplex. Affordability, and the zoning was friendly to it.

Where I am in SoCal, some areas highly resist duplex zoning... but now we have ADU's, which is effectively the same thing, and it is a god-send for young ppl trying to afford to live in a nice neighborhood, but could no way afford to pay rent/purchase on the 'main house'. And it is a great help for seniors too, or anybody needing passive income to make life easier to afford.

There is one floorplan that I really like; can't remember who the builder is. But they have a 2-story house which has a separate entrance into 'the recreation room' which has a kitchenette on one wall of the large room, a bathroom, closets and (sometimes) bedroom. There is a doorway that can be locked or closed off which feeds into the main house formal dining room or family room, with LR, FR, Kit, Dining, BR & 1 bath. Then upstairs there is the primary bedroom and bath plus 2, 3 or 4 more bedrooms and bath, plus loft or home office. They call it multi-generational. It is a very functional floor plan for extended family or passive income from rental. And since it is conceived and built with the original main portion of the house, it works very well. That 'studio' area is typically 300-600 sf (depending if there's a private bedroom), which is comfortable for a home business, rental, or young generation imagining to someday fly the nest.

 

[ToddGack80]

Got another "response" from ACI regarding a property I inspected 07/28. They STILL haven't fixed it. The text is below.

"Our team is actively investigating the remaining validation issues, and while we have made significant progress, a few items are still under review. We understand the importance of resolving these as quickly as possible and are treating this with a high sense of urgency.


We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your patience while we continue working toward a resolution. Our focus is on identifying the root cause, validating the appropriate corrections, and ensuring the report can successfully complete the UAD validation process.

We will continue to keep you informed of our progress and will reach out as soon as we have additional findings or a confirmed resolution."

I was planning on retiring when my license expired next September. If I don't get a significant discount when software renewal time comes, I'll probably just retire then. What's the point of struggling for fewer and fewer dollars?

 

[George Hatch]

I started my real estate career as a broker in Milwaukee, where there are TONS of duplexes, and I sold many of them to folks whose apartment rent was higher than the house payment on a duplex. Affordability, and the zoning was friendly to it.

Where I am in SoCal, some areas highly resist duplex zoning... but now we have ADU's, which is effectively the same thing, and it is a god-send for young ppl trying to afford to live in a nice neighborhood, but could no way afford to pay rent/purchase on the 'main house'. And it is a great help for seniors too, or anybody needing passive income to make life easier to afford.

There is one floorplan that I really like; can't remember who the builder is. But they have a 2-story house which has a separate entrance into 'the recreation room' which has a kitchenette on one wall of the large room, a bathroom, closets and (sometimes) bedroom. There is a doorway that can be locked or closed off which feeds into the main house formal dining room or family room, with LR, FR, Kit, Dining, BR & 1 bath. Then upstairs there is the primary bedroom and bath plus 2, 3 or 4 more bedrooms and bath, plus loft or home office. They call it multi-generational. It is a very functional floor plan for extended family or passive income from rental. And since it is conceived and built with the original main portion of the house, it works very well. That 'studio' area is typically 300-600 sf (depending if there's a private bedroom), which is comfortable for a home business, rental, or young generation imagining to someday fly the nest.

Off topic tangent

How did your car situation work out?

 

[glenn walker]

Got another "response" from ACI regarding a property I inspected 07/28. They STILL haven't fixed it. The text is below.

"Our team is actively investigating the remaining validation issues, and while we have made significant progress, a few items are still under review. We understand the importance of resolving these as quickly as possible and are treating this with a high sense of urgency.


We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your patience while we continue working toward a resolution. Our focus is on identifying the root cause, validating the appropriate corrections, and ensuring the report can successfully complete the UAD validation process.

We will continue to keep you informed of our progress and will reach out as soon as we have additional findings or a confirmed resolution."

I was planning on retiring when my license expired next September. If I don't get a significant discount when software renewal time comes, I'll probably just retire then. What's the point of struggling for fewer and fewer dollars?

So your retirement is based on a discount on your software ? Even if they gave you free software that's maybe $2,000 dollars or less. Sounds like you should just retire
or close it down right now because your business is one vehicle repair away from bankruptcy.

 

[George Hatch]

It appears the era of 2010 appraisalware subscription prices is over.

 

[Surf Cat]

In regards to the 3.6..... per report fee including AI form filling/analysis. Done.

 

[glenn walker]

X $ Per report seems like a winner for low volume or ones who only do part time work. If ones doing only Non-lender-hard money appraisals there's still low cost providers that for $500 or less that work just fine.

 

[Sandra Koutsopoulos]

Off topic tangent

How did your car situation work out?

I am in the embrace of cataclysmic catastrophes and catatonic responses to it all. Doc said yesterday he thinks I had a mini-stroke!

Well, hubby, the chef/car guy, is in Wisconsin filling in for another Greek chef who is vacationing with his family in Greece for a month. So as I'm coming out of the foothills above Banning, 3 days after he leaves, my oil light comes on with a strong beep! Hubby says add a qt of oil if it is low, and drive home on streets, not freeway, & take it to the shop first thing in the morning, which I did. The shop mgr test drove it a few blocks & came back, head down & shaking, and tells me, "I'm pretty sure you have a bad bearing in the back of the engine; you are on borrowed time; don't drive it running high RPMs; your engine is shot & will seize up at any moment... anywhere." I park the car in my driveway, where it is now just a placeholder.

Meanwhile, my D/L had to be renewed shortly, requiring an eye exam, and the eye doc appt wasn't for another week, and in the interim I rented vehicles from Enterprise to do my work. Enterprise requires unexpired D/L, so I had to drive my potential disaster car to the eye doc, and to glasses-maker, and to DMV and get home safely, as my D/L was about to expire. My luck seemed to be turning around, as eye doc gave me a written statement good at DMV that said I had cataract surgery & lenses implanted were found to be within DMV eyeball guidelines, so I skipped the glasses & went right to DMV on Diaz Rd (Murrieta) expecting to wait 2-3 hours like last time. NO! They have a new system & I was in/out within 45 minutes (no glasses required). Another good sign!

During those days, I was trying to find another 2005 Buick LeSabre Limited, thinking I may be able to swap out parts or something since I had just spent over $10,000 during the past 1.5 years on my original Buick, and had replaced virtually everything but the engine! Tranny, radiator, fuel filters, EMC, shocks & springs, etc.

Anyhow, by this time I am officially out of my mind, and the mechanics and folks at Enterprise Car Rental know me on a first name basis, cuz you know, the houses don't come to us, we have to drive to them, so no car, no moola. I was chasing cars on OfferUp, and most were already sold, or didn't respond or something, but then, Voila! Found another 2005 Buick LeSabre Limited in Phoenix, $1600... a bargain, right?! Not so much, as it turns out. I rented an Enterprise Car, drove it to Phoenix, buy the clone car, find a few "issues" as I'm driving it home same day, and limp it back to the shop in the morning.

Meanwhile, I hear from my "Bestie" in WI, that she desperately needs my assistance, has been 86'd from the assisted living place she was at, was hospitalized with 500 sugar in hospital, then put in rehab, and her beloved cat was temporarily being cared for by another patient who was headed to hospice in a few days; and my Bestie was about to be put on the street in her hospital gown and not even any shoes, since the ambulance folks were in a hurry to get her to hospital.

That morning the car was in the shop to be thoroughly checked out to see if it was safe to drive, as I rented another Enterprise Car again to do work. When I got back, the shop manager said there are multiple oil leaks in the car, and it was a wonder I made it back from Phoenix, and 2 tires had tread coming apart, and... he thinks I might have a bad engine, as he was checking on oil making it into the engine/coolant system or...??!! Hubby says put 2 new tires on the front, rotate, front end alignment and drive safely. Mo $$$ money.

Later that day, I had a mini-stroke, according to my cardiologist yesterday.

Next day I took the car to the auto glass guy to remove the dark film from rear window, as I could hardly see out of it, plus the driver side mirror's black gel was oozing 1/3 down to the bottom of the mirror--pitch black--so I couldn't see clearly in that mirror either. (Subsequently I have installed a replacement mirror on top of the original one, which works great for only $35! Bargain of the week.) The glass guy successfully removed the black film & saved the defrost wires for $80. But his guy rolled down the passenger window, and it wouldn't go back up. $304 to install a new window regulator, but there's still some electronic bits that hubby will have to work on, as that window (and door locks) only can be operated from driver side.

So now I may be facing replacing 2 engines, plus the rack & pinyon in the original Buick. I source an engine. $1100 delivered, he says. I ask, "Can I get a discount if I buy TWO?" He thinks I'm kidding. I'm not. Yes, $900 each for two. SUCH a DEAL!!! OMG!

Hubby says, drive the replacement car carefully, he'll be home in 3 weeks or so. I'm headed to LA for an inspection, what could possibly go wrong?! Well, I'm feeling a little bumpity in the seat, and then the Check Tire Pressure light comes on! I immediately cancelled my inspection & returned to the shop. When I asked them to see what happened, the assistant manager there allowed the most inane stupid words to come out of his mouth that I have ever heard. He said, "Well, it was cooler last night, and with the temperature changing, the sensors often will set off the Tire Pressure light." Mind you, it has been 107'F to 116'F every day here, and I'm sure the temp didn't fall below 70'F... and I asked him if millions of people every day wake up most mornings to find their tire pressure light goes on?! Too Stupid.

Took me 4 days to get my LA trips to confirm a reschedule of appts, and so I've got Bell Gardens, downtown LA and Canoga Park lined up (from Lake Elsinore) during the next 5 days. Each is about 200 miles round trip. Fingers crossed I make it through the next few weeks. Hubby doesn't trust the shop, and says 'Don't do anything til I get there'. The clone car got remarkably good mileage for a potentially 'bad engine'--25.5 mpg compared to my original Buick only about 22 mpg. If hubby determines the engine is bad, we have a solid heavy duty mechanic who will put in the replacement engine and rack & pinyon at the same time. I hope the clone car turns out OK. If the original Buick with all its new parts is solid, I can sell the clone car and get a good chunk of my money back. If the clone car is functional, it beats renting a car at $63/day for likely 10 or more days a month.
And that's how my car situation is working out at this moment.

 

[Tom D]

With cars, you either pay monthly for a new car, or yearly for an old car, works out the same. Either way, i did the new car, for safety sake for me and the daughter. Never, ever, replace a car engine. The rest of the car will go soon. Seems like leasing a cheap car might be your best bet. A cheap used car is a safety hazard, and probable a loss in the long term. The thing is to get a new car that will last 150,000 miles or more. Paid off in 5 years, lasts another 10-15 years, works out cheaper in the long run.