Day 82- June 2, 2020

Day 82- June 2, 2020

A day of getting help from the pros.  Jeff had called in our contractor buddy Mike to handle some work that was beyond the scope of what we can do.  He and his worker switched out lights, cut the cabinets to make room for the fridge (it fits!), and refaced the dishwasher, which now has a stainless steel front that matches the rest of the appliances.  The new stove was delivered, and the old one hauled away, and everything was going swimmingly.

But of course, nothing goes completely smoothly, and if this were an HGTV show, this is the part when the music would get all dramatic, someone would say, "We may have a problem", and you'd cut to commercial.

Because there was a septic tank inspection scheduled for today, which did not go according to plan.  Instead, the inspector informed Jeff that there was no septic.  Yep, it's a cesspool.  If you aren't familiar with what that is, please feel free to Google it, I'll wait.  And you'll understand pretty quickly why this is a problem.

You literally can't transfer a deed in our state with a cesspool.  Instead, Sammy is going to have to pay to have a new septic installed.  This is a substantial financial hit, upwards of $25K for a four bedroom.  But we're all taking it in stride and trying to make the best of the situation.  It may actually be a blessing in disguise, because now, instead of saying "septic as is" (which is a huge red flag to many buyers), you can say "brand new septic to be installed by closing".  Sounds better, right?

The window, covered in artwork.

And there's a little wrinkle that Mike threw in which might make even more sense.  There's a room in the house that is currently an office, because there is no closet.  It's the size of a normal bedroom, has windows, is ground level, even has a powder room right next to it.  If you add a closet, you have a 5 bedroom house.  Running the comps, Jeff quickly noticed that in the last 2 years, 5 bedrooms sold for over 700K with the exception of 2 (which both sold for about 600K, and were in less desirable locations).  So if she adds the closet, and installs a 5 bedroom septic, this whole thing may end up helping her and her sisters make a little extra money.

The front door, covered.

The other major occurrence today was that I let the girls go through their bags from school.  Last  week, I picked up their belongings outside of school, where they had been relegated to blue garbage bags with the girls' names on them.  We wanted to let everything sit outside for a few days, so the bags were on the porch (this was to let any germs that had been on them from being put together could dissipate).  They were so excited to see their artwork, writing, and notebooks.  There were colored pencils, and notes that they had in their desks.  This week is the "Art From Home" show, where kids can put up their artwork in the windows of their homes, so that people on walks can view them.

So my children found the tape dispenser, and our windows are now covered in a variety of projects.  It's definitely cheery and something that can brighten up the days of people walking by, but it reminds me that there's one more thing they miss out on this year- the annual art show.   Parents and kids walking through the halls, with the children eagerly pulling Mom and Dad around, pointing out their pieces.  

There are always bright colors, and creative frames, and the talent and creativity on display never ceases to amaze.  Last year, their art show was on the same day as softball, so we have photos of them in the halls of their school, their uniforms covered in dirt, and their smiles ear to ear as they pose with other children in uniforms, arms around each other, happily showing off clay donuts and ice cream, laughing under balloons, and posing in the school garden.  Hopefully by next year, we'll be back to the hallways and tugging, but in the meantime, an art walk around the neighborhood will have to do.