One year ago today: July 4, 2014, I dislike yachtsmen.
Five years ago today: July 4, 2010, coincidental real estate.
Six years ago today: July 4, 2009, the barmaid did better.
MORNING
Big holiday? Maybe for you. We have a ton of work to be completed before we hit that [house] auction. We know nothing about the rules on back taxes or titles and deeds, except that they must be contended with. Then again, there is such a thing as beginner’s luck and I’ve had my spectacular share of it before. It has been decided that our test case will be up in the interior, so next we will pick an arbitrary courthouse, maybe Winter Haven.
Back to the auction. We learn fast and one of the early lessons is that these real estate listings are not accurate. I don’t mean intentionally misleading, they are that too, but I mean errors in listings. Wrong addresses, estate sales labeled as foreclosures, on-line auctions that are not on-line, it has to be sorted out manually. I suspect things are messy because the companies posting the info have no incentive to be careful. They are paid by the listing, not by the sale.
One major item that concerns us is something the system calls “occupancy status”. The records do not simply state, as one expects or should be able to expect, whether the premises is occupied or vacant. Instead generally the strongest wording of the listing emphasizes that it is a “responsibility assumed” by the buyer. What does that mean?
Overall, we remain encouraged by our experiences of the trip. We had a fantastic mini-holiday and some of the towns were more than laid back. My long term experience is that many who live in small towns did not move there to retire, but were those who for one reason or another, just could not get along in a larger city. So make certain the town you pick is not too small. Otherwise, it can be like two Einsteins showing up at an amateur retard convention.
NOON
“Trust your neighbor, but brand your cattle.” ~Texas wisdom
On my part, in addition to the research, I have to be prepared to act entirely on my own if need be. We’ve all had situations before where the best of intentions fall flat. I think I’ll make the decision of which courthouse tomorrow or Tuesday, which means getting the brakes fixed on the Honda. I didn’t mention that? Oh, when the flat tire was fixed, the back break now malfunctions. Unlike a regular motorycle, the sidecar remains completely driveable with just the front brake. But I hesitate to take it on the highway.
Shown here is JZ beside the new truck. Um, I was misinformed of the price paid for this unit, and the most I can say at this time is that it was twice what I was first told. You know, it rides virtually identical to my old Cadillac and has most of the identical luxury features. It rides just as smooth and despite the presence of a lot more plastic (and corresponding absence of leather), this Toyota is remarkable for all the features. I don’t like the cruise control position or operation and the steering is over-responsive.
This photo is revealing of real estate we viewed. The land is a few yards higher than coastal Florida and the tree cover changes remarkably. You may notice the Spanish moss and greener lawns. This scene shows the area has more forest where Miami has bush. Not only are the yards generally larger (my estimate is 25%) but the trees are shadier. In some cases, the yard was so expansive I thought there was a vacant lot next door. There is an architectural oddity I don’t understand in that many of the older houses have very large “attics”. On a single-storey house, the roof is several feet higher than expected. Maybe a way to keep cooler back before air conditioning was invented?
NIGHT
I found a snap of the “big attic” feature just mentioned. See here, the weird shape of this house? Sorry for the bad angle, but I was trying to take a shot of the Toyota (can you see the front hood) and this [photo] turned up instead. Good, it shows my topic quite well. The height of the ground floor ends just above the two windows shown (we peeked in the windows and saw the ceilings) but then extends up another six or eight feet.
First, this applies only to certain states, and since this was gleaned off the Internet, it could be wrong. But at least I’m aware of it. There is an option for first-time home buyers to place a bid on the property for a certain period before the auction. If the bid is acceptable to the mortgage holder, it is accepted and the actual auction is canceled. Hmmm.
Another provision is that the original homeowner is given the option to purchase the property for the price of the highest bid. Well, that really sucks, it should be none of his business. So what, from what I saw y’day, a couple thousand bucks would put most of that bunch out of the running. Still, it essentially guarantees you won’t get the house for the reserve bid of $100. And it provides an unneccessary opportunity for fiddling and collusion, which is not how auctions are supposed to operate.
Furthermore, you cannot really inspect the property and there is a waiting period before you can take possession. This is to settle up all the liens and taxes that may be outstanding. And I spotted that provision that if the house is occupied, the new owner “may require legal help” to evict. All this does is give the occupant plenty of time to trash the place.
This is why I will decide in advance exactly my own cut-off price. The objective here is to learn the system, not buy a house. But be ready just in case.
Last Laugh
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