Reality

I know I begged for work and now I'm begging for relief.  This morning I moved the alarm earlier and started at 5 am.  Worked on an appraisal, did research and left at 8:10.  Rodeo was a very nice property and the morning was cool and inviting, just before I left Dana announced eggs and toast and it was wonderful.

As I was leaving Rodeo which is near highway 80 and near the bay my phone rang.  It was a lady in Castro Valley that I've been trying reach for days.  She had been out of town moving a college attending child back home for the summer.  She said I could come now so I diverted plans and drove to her home, it was excellent and I enjoyed my visit. Then I hurried to Hayward to the K&B tract where townhomes are selling for just under $400,000 and have lovely noise from nearby train tracts.  Once that one was over I went to Starbucks, had a yogurt with nuts for lunch and using my laptop found comps for Castro Valley.

Once I left Hayward I was near Castro Valley so I drove there and shot comps, then using a back road moved over to 680 and found a parking lot.  For the next precious hour traffic moved and stopped.  Of course miles later we all found cars smashed and beside the road.  So I arrived at my 4 plex in Antioch nearly an hour late with several people waiting for my arrival.  I've found that one has to keep calm and not get rushed under such circumstances or valuable things get missed.  This one is selling for $385, highest sale in last year is $355,000.  It will be a very difficult report to prepare.

The next house was in Antioch and using my lock box I accessed a dump.  Junk piled all over but that was not the high point.  For the first time in over 25000 inspections I found I could not get to the back yard.  Some nitwit had nailed the sliders closed, the windows nailed and the garage door had its handle removed.  It was over 100 inside and I was frustrated and upset.  I remembered that I carried a little tool that one of the kids got me long ago.  I went to the car and had myself a set of plyers, then i attacked the nails holding the slider and eventually got them out, my hands can tell the tale.  I finished my photos and measuring the dump, shot the comps and kept moving.

Upon arriving in Discovery Bay I had one more to see, just a block from my house.  It was beautiful and they repeatedly offers to share their drinks with me.  I declined knowing Dana had some incredible food waiting.

Its been a long one but to cap it off an hour ago I was finishing an appraisal that was demanded.  When I put the memory card in the reader, a part of the new computer, it slipped past the right opening and fell inside, I could not even see it or access it.  So I had to unplug the computer tower, tear its walls off, unscrew the reader and take it out, shake it until the card fell out, then reassemble and plug all the cables in, the appraisal is gone and I'm ready to call it quits.

Ken says we walk at 6:30 and its 11:46 right now.  This is getting tiring but I'm safe, OK and just tired.

Love to all,

Tim