March 21st, 2008
It appears there could be a potentially HUGE problem regarding the underground oil tank that will keep us from actually buying the house. I plan on discussing this further today but I have to feed the baby first. Heh. So, we may not be homeowners yet. We may back out of this entirely.
Tell me, why? Why did people think it was a good idea to bury oil tanks? I got so worked up last night and then I spent an hour thinking about all the environmental faux pas we’re currently committing that our kids and our kids’ kids are going to have to deal with once we’re dead and gone.
More later. And happy Good Friday.
Later…
We were told by our real estate agent that the whole oil tank fiasco is the leading cause of contracts falling through. During attorney review, the buyers request that the sellers have the oil tanks removed at seller’s expense and the sellers refuse. The deal ends swiftly. We’re looking at this house as a place to raise a family, sure, but we also don’t want to find that our ground is contaminated and we’re potentially in the hole (no pun intended) hundreds of thousands of dollars. I realize that’s a worst case scenario, but when planning for one’s future, one can never be too careful.
Here’s the bigger stinker: this particular oil tank isn’t just underground, it’s beneath the basement as well. Digging said tank up, or testing the soil, could prove to be one gigantic pain the ass for whoever decides to take on said feat. Not only do you have to pay to dig up the tank (which isn’t all that pricey alone) but you have to dig a giant hole in the basement, test the soil, wash the soil out (if there is any contamination) and then put the basement back together again. Scary, is the first and only word that comes to mind.
I wrote this before we entered attorney review and learned more about what lies beneath:
“We have a screened in porch that runs the entire length of the house. I am looking forward to turning it into a sanctuary for the entire family. (I envision plants, bird feeders, creaky rocking chairs, candles, and maybe a designated spot to practice yoga.) I can’t wait to listen to the chorus of crickets from that porch, let my cats curl up into fat furry balls at my feet on that porch, grow more wrinkles on that porch. I can’t wait to sit outside on hot summer nights, sipping a glass of chardonnay to wash down my Grand Old Man with my grand old man.”
I took the rose colored glasses of yesterday and am now willing to accept (as egirl put it) having to kiss a few more frogs first.
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March 19th, 2008
Crazy day.
Between The Mountain Goats show this evening, Emory’s doctor’s appointment, and my mother visiting, I haven’t had a lot of time to write. But I wanted to take a minute to say that today we became homeowners.
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February 4th, 2008
Did you know that the three most expensive counties in the United States where property taxes are concerned are Ocean County, Essex County, and Westchester County? It’s a fact. And we looked at houses in one of those counties yesterday.
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December 27th, 2007
We went to look at houses last Saturday. What a disappointment. I am appalled by how some people keep their homes, or don’t keep their homes. And I’m not talking a mess here and there (which is also a bit shocking considering they are trying to sell it during what I hear is a buyer’s market.) I’m talking about upkeep, filth, etc. We saw one house (the one I was most excited about from the pictures) that had pools of dog piss throughout the kitchen. I’m not sure what I felt worse about; the fact that someone cared so little for their house or so little for their dog. The poor dog barked crazily from a cage in the basement the entire time we were there.
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December 19th, 2007
Sometimes I realize that I write about something and then I never, ever come back to it. So, if you’ve been following along (poor thing), you may suddenly ask yourself, “Wonder what ever happened to that parking ticket?” Well, today’s post is going to put an end to some of those cliffhangers.
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December 12th, 2007
I lied about surprises. I planned a party for TobyJoe. It was held at a local tapas restaurant here in Brooklyn. I made a cake and at around 6:30, Emory and I packed everything into the car and headed out for an evening with friends. It was 100% awesome. It would have been 150% awesome had TobyJoe not shown up before everyone else. Guests were to arrive at 7 PM. TobyJoe arrived at 7:01. There were five of us there, five out of the 17 guests who would show up over the next couple of minutes. But none of that mattered because our friends are outstanding. I could not be more pleased with the people in my life. I am so unbelievably lucky. I feel so plump today, so grateful.
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November 18th, 2007
I understand why people move to New York. I moved here at age 27 because I always loved it. I decided to move to New York when I was a kid and my father took us to our first ever Yankee game. He drove us right through Harlem so he could teach us a lesson and show us just how good we had it. “Not everyone lives as comfortably as you do, kids.” In reality I think he was lost. I remember riding the subway convinced that I looked more like a New Yorker if I didn’t hold onto the bars. Only tourists need to hold onto the subway bars. I actually believed that. I believed that after living in New York for a while, you figured out how to ride the subways without having to hold on.
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May 22nd, 2007
To all those people who own houses: How did you do it? How were you able to buy your first one? (If you wish to remain anonymous, I am OK with that. Use a fake name if you leave a comment.)
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September 25th, 2006
We had a conversation on the back deck overlooking a great big lake surrounded by southern firs and humidity. The sun, as if shy from what it had done the night before, was just starting to show itself again. It was Thursday, the 5th day of our vacation. I was up before 7 AM, a feat I find impossible during the workweek. I had woken to the sound of crickets and frogs just like I had every other morning. But on Thursday it was different; it had rained the night before so their chorus was much more robust, the soundtrack to happiness.
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