The Appraisal

Frantic Mad Dash to Prepare for Refi Appraisal

Let's just say I panicked when I got a call yesterday from an appraiser saying he needed to visit my condo to do his job for my refinance - I thought it was just based on comps of similar condos in the area - comps. I was sorely mistaken.

The madness began after work and after a doctor's appointment I couldn't change. I began with what I like to call my storage room - it just happens to have a guest bed and dresser full of linens. So many boxes - of books, pictures, T-shirts from running races and hockey tournaments that I really want to find someone to make them into a quilt - probably several quilts that I'll need more dressers or chests to hold them all. Or hey, perhaps I could hang one on a wall?!

I was straightening and throwing some things away and starting to move everything to the lanai when I decided to check in with a friend in real estate for decades in New Jersey. I text Stephen and asked if everything needed to be moved and the room a perfect bedroom for the appraisal - he said no, it's still a bedroom and I own it so I can do whatever I want to it. Phew! I got the room put together better and neater than it was just as Brendan came over to help.

We swept and mopped and moved wood and worms (millipedes!) from the house. We cleaned and moved furniture and took out garbage. Brendan vacuumed like a champ. He fought through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered to get through the mosquitoes in the dark to take donations over to a local charity consignment shop. No - the file cabinet didn't get put together - but all its pieces got put inside the skeleton of the cabinet and turned backward so that it looks like a funky yellow side table.

I broke a very nice glass 2-cup measuring Pyrex and spilled a large container of quinoa. Not too bad considering I didn't obtain any injuries in the process. I need kitchen shelves and a pantry!

We finished around 11:30 - exhausted and with more to do this morning. I left one of the more important tasks to the last minute because it seemed such a simple task - putting outlet covers on uncovered switches and outlets that I want to change from white to black but there was no time - that will have to wait. After I hunted down the lovely silver covers I have for the task this morning - and this involved moving lots of boxes in search of them - Brendan got after it, letting me continue cleaning and straightening all my clutter.

Unfortunately, without changing out the traditional old outlets to the newer rectangular "decorator" outlets, the silver covers wouldn't go on, though the switch covers worked fine. Brendan ran over to Ace and bought five or six traditional cheep plastic white covers for 50 cents a piece - and we set about covering all the outlets you could see. Open outlets are a big no no for appraisers and I would have been flagged - I think it's a fire hazard?

Finally, we tried for at least the third time to try to hang the flat-screen TV up in my bedroom - again, no luck. This time, Brendan and I discovered that there's a cross beam through the wall that throws off the stud finder - so the second set of holes I drilled also aren't in the stud and aren't holding despite the industrial metal anchors. Brendan spackled the first holes - we'll need to spackle the second ones, paint and re-drill. Saving that for another day.

I finished by cleaning glass doors, wiping down furniture, cleaning toilets (not that the appraiser cares but I read you should make your home as clean and neat as if you were showing it to sell) so aside from having the carpets cleaned and finishing the remodel I need the extra refinancing money to do, I did all I could. And I couldn't have done it without Brendan's help. He's a trooper. I'm currently doing his laundry and planning to cook dinner as repayment. :)

As I worked my job and waited for the appraiser to arrive I tried not to look around and notice anything else. Dennis arrived about 12:10 - I was his fourth appraisal today. We walked around and I told him about the improvements I have already made to the condo as he took notes. He said he would try to take pictures that only showed the finished parts and not things like the open back on the kitchen counters - but reminded me he will be making his appraisal based on what's done and not what is promised.

Dennis was here about half an hour. It seemed to go well. I hope so. More later.

Old kitchen

Today