Wish I could find a way to get paid by the mile as I sure seem to be on the road a lot these days. With nearly 100 orders so far this year things are looking up and they are coming from a variety of sources, some even pay full price which is always nice.
This morning I rolled out and felt refreshed after a good nights sleep. I was in Richmond by about 10:30 to see a little duplex property and I do mean little. What a contract to the beautiful property in Lafayette yet the Lord loves the owners of each of these two contrasting properties just the same, now its much tougher for the multi millionaire to feel the need of the Lord, much tougher indeed yet God's love has a way of reaching into all hearts who will welcome Him in.
As I was driving to Lafayette to shoot the comp photos for these 3 million dollar plus mansions I found myself hungry so not wanting to get out of Pinole without eating as there is almost no fast food in the rich towns, they don't like "fast food" to be seen there. I happened on a Carl's and discovered they will make a cheese sandwich, it hit the spot and I was back on the road. There is a narrow connecting road that stretches from Highway 80 to Highway 24, from Pinole to Orinda and it winds beside a great lake of drinking water, has a hillside that loves to slide when it rains and is beautiful. Then I was in the midst of huge properties and it took a good hour to locate all these huge properties, some are tucked behind massive gates, others are just hard to see from the street but I got them all finally.
Once done I stopped by the conference office, the headquarters of the SDA church for Northern California and purchased some vege food, cheaper than Raleys and a lot more selection.
The next stop was at the board of realtors to pick up my new Supra Key to open doors of homes. This was exchange day and the new one is slick, even has a little flashlight built in. Then it was on to home to fix some reports and relax for a bit. Patty, my very special neighbor lady who I know from the grief group is fixing the curtains of the motorhome and called to say that she would be done with them by tomorrow sometime. When I spoke with her she offered to help create some new privacy curtains for the front of the motorhome, oh how nice that would be as these are old and filled with holes and stains from when the motorhome leaked all the time. She is a very good seamstress besides caring for 7 grandchildren.
So now its bedtime again, well almost. Tomorrow its off to Bethel Island for a 8:30 appointment and then on to San Ramon to see one. Then I think I come home to start cranking out reports.
Jo had a cooking accident in her kitchen and burned some fingers to a point of blisters. She is so grateful that the little ones were not near when the grease blew. She is recovering. I just cannot say enough good about the loaf of bread she sent home. Its so amazing that one hardly has to put anything on it, it has so much good taste on its own. Wow.
Sending love to all and asking for your special prayers for my family.
Tim
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Long day and short night ahead!
Say this being busy could grow on you. I've been in a flat out race for weeks now and for the most part its OK. Business keeps coming in from many different sources which is great and helps me and Steve.
Today I drove to Brentwood and found a 3 acre property right in the middle of town, with chickens and all. Then on to Rio Vista to see a poor little over 55 home which was bank owned and selling for $150,000. Wow that is cheap. Then back across the bridge in the brisk winds to meet steve at a home about a block from his house. We did that one and then I split for my rush which was located near my house. I measured about 3,800 sf of house with dock, yard, total remodeling, shot the comps and then headed for Stockton where I arrived 2 minutes late. That one is going to be tough. Its selling for $179,000 and is surrounded by homes selling for $90,000. So to get comps I drove miles in every direction. Then Starbucks for dinner and a drive against the wind on the levee road. Once home I set to work and now at 11:58 I emailed the report out. They were paying me $450 if I got it out by midnight and it was close. The things we do for money!
Lois was so kind to drive me to the repair shop tonight where the motorhome was sitting, ready and repaired after so many months. $605 in repairs, the poor guys had the tank out a couple times and finally found that the repair people in Reno on that afternoon in August had jammed the fuel pump in not checking to see if the float worked or not for the gauge. It could not and Pat, the mechanic had to reengineer the way it was mounted so the float could work properly. Now it works and I know how much fuel I have on board. They said that with so little fuel it was easier to work on, it had so little fuel that they had to add some to get it to run, it was that low! Yikes
So as I'm driving home the gauge does not seem to be moving. I could not let it go so when I got home I got the gas can and put 4 gallons into the tank and then when the key was turned on the gauge jumped right up a bit. Yea! Now if the Meineke shop in Reno would just step up and pay some of this repair bill it would be wonderful. Doubt it but of course I'll try to help them do the right thing.
Well its past bed time once again, poor body never gets a chance to recover.
Love to all,
Tim
Today I drove to Brentwood and found a 3 acre property right in the middle of town, with chickens and all. Then on to Rio Vista to see a poor little over 55 home which was bank owned and selling for $150,000. Wow that is cheap. Then back across the bridge in the brisk winds to meet steve at a home about a block from his house. We did that one and then I split for my rush which was located near my house. I measured about 3,800 sf of house with dock, yard, total remodeling, shot the comps and then headed for Stockton where I arrived 2 minutes late. That one is going to be tough. Its selling for $179,000 and is surrounded by homes selling for $90,000. So to get comps I drove miles in every direction. Then Starbucks for dinner and a drive against the wind on the levee road. Once home I set to work and now at 11:58 I emailed the report out. They were paying me $450 if I got it out by midnight and it was close. The things we do for money!
Lois was so kind to drive me to the repair shop tonight where the motorhome was sitting, ready and repaired after so many months. $605 in repairs, the poor guys had the tank out a couple times and finally found that the repair people in Reno on that afternoon in August had jammed the fuel pump in not checking to see if the float worked or not for the gauge. It could not and Pat, the mechanic had to reengineer the way it was mounted so the float could work properly. Now it works and I know how much fuel I have on board. They said that with so little fuel it was easier to work on, it had so little fuel that they had to add some to get it to run, it was that low! Yikes
So as I'm driving home the gauge does not seem to be moving. I could not let it go so when I got home I got the gas can and put 4 gallons into the tank and then when the key was turned on the gauge jumped right up a bit. Yea! Now if the Meineke shop in Reno would just step up and pay some of this repair bill it would be wonderful. Doubt it but of course I'll try to help them do the right thing.
Well its past bed time once again, poor body never gets a chance to recover.
Love to all,
Tim
Monday, March 5, 2012
Traveled some miles, Great day
Dear Family and Friends,
How was your day? Mine has been filled with contrasts. This morning I left early and headed to the Sacramento area, Rancho Cordova to be exact. The GPS took me up 99 and then across Grantline and up Sunrise right to the subdivision. I arrived to the minute on time and the agent was there. A very balanced guy who was a joy to work with. The property was a single story and perfect, comps were nearby and by 10:40 I was on the road heading back to the office. Upon arriving I sat down and wrote up an appraisal for a Martinez property, then directly on time I left for Lafayette.
I was not really mentally prepared for what I found there. This amazing home constructed totally out of clear heart heavy beams, clinker brick, wood lined windows and exquisite construction quality. After passing through a security gate I entered onto a paver driveway that could easily park 20 cars and as I drove around to the house I found I had a panoramic view of surrounding valleys and hills. Turns out it was a 6 acre parcel with about an acre flat on the top. It took 3 years to get the city to allow construction as ridges cannot be built on in this area. This is a property which makes most sunset magazine layouts blush with envy. heat is by radiant floor tubes and each room is controlled by a computer and can be warmer or cooler, there is a crawl area with concrete floor under the entire house for all the cables, tubes, pipes and systems to snake through. Nearly every room has a slightly different kind of clear heart wood and the wood is on the ceilings, built ins have been created, every room in the entire house has a full array of musical choices from a wall panel, all lighting can be programmed to do whatever you want with it, what looks like a tile floor in the kitchen is actually small sections of stone cut and then installed side by side forming a beautiful pattern. The bar eating area in the huge kitchen has a metal top and the stove comes from france. The detail throughout the home explains the 3 million dollar construction costs plus the land. By the time I left the home it was dark, comps will have to come later once I can pin some down. All one can say is wow! What a home.
On the way home I found a Applebees and had a baked potato and salad. Now that I'm home I'm feeling so tired that bed is coming very soon. Had a rough night and was awake from about 12:30 to 2 am so getting up at 6 was touch this morning. Thank goodness for nice hot showers, a high point of my life.
Well thats it for today, more orders came in, some reports went out and a huge $35 check arrived in the mail!
Love to all,
tim
How was your day? Mine has been filled with contrasts. This morning I left early and headed to the Sacramento area, Rancho Cordova to be exact. The GPS took me up 99 and then across Grantline and up Sunrise right to the subdivision. I arrived to the minute on time and the agent was there. A very balanced guy who was a joy to work with. The property was a single story and perfect, comps were nearby and by 10:40 I was on the road heading back to the office. Upon arriving I sat down and wrote up an appraisal for a Martinez property, then directly on time I left for Lafayette.
I was not really mentally prepared for what I found there. This amazing home constructed totally out of clear heart heavy beams, clinker brick, wood lined windows and exquisite construction quality. After passing through a security gate I entered onto a paver driveway that could easily park 20 cars and as I drove around to the house I found I had a panoramic view of surrounding valleys and hills. Turns out it was a 6 acre parcel with about an acre flat on the top. It took 3 years to get the city to allow construction as ridges cannot be built on in this area. This is a property which makes most sunset magazine layouts blush with envy. heat is by radiant floor tubes and each room is controlled by a computer and can be warmer or cooler, there is a crawl area with concrete floor under the entire house for all the cables, tubes, pipes and systems to snake through. Nearly every room has a slightly different kind of clear heart wood and the wood is on the ceilings, built ins have been created, every room in the entire house has a full array of musical choices from a wall panel, all lighting can be programmed to do whatever you want with it, what looks like a tile floor in the kitchen is actually small sections of stone cut and then installed side by side forming a beautiful pattern. The bar eating area in the huge kitchen has a metal top and the stove comes from france. The detail throughout the home explains the 3 million dollar construction costs plus the land. By the time I left the home it was dark, comps will have to come later once I can pin some down. All one can say is wow! What a home.
On the way home I found a Applebees and had a baked potato and salad. Now that I'm home I'm feeling so tired that bed is coming very soon. Had a rough night and was awake from about 12:30 to 2 am so getting up at 6 was touch this morning. Thank goodness for nice hot showers, a high point of my life.
Well thats it for today, more orders came in, some reports went out and a huge $35 check arrived in the mail!
Love to all,
tim
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Beat but satisfied
I'm beat, neck hurts so much that I can't turn my head, comes from sitting and writing reports all day, when I was not doing my 4 loads of laundry. Been a productive day and these reports today were not easy in any way. oh wow.
So we have a new week with spring weather all around, weeds and flowers are growing in my front yard. Flowers are ones planted by Nan so many years ago, I can't remember too much now about specifics but I know it was never boring living with a beautiful lady who always had ideas, travel, food, celebrations, what a wonderful ride it was to be on board with Nan but the train came to a stop and I've been stuck in the station ever since. I wonder how long I can last living like I live right now.
Well early start tomorrow, have to be in Rancho Cordova at 9:30 and thats 1.5 hours away from here plus research and prep time. Should be an interesting morning.
Sending love to all,
Tim
So we have a new week with spring weather all around, weeds and flowers are growing in my front yard. Flowers are ones planted by Nan so many years ago, I can't remember too much now about specifics but I know it was never boring living with a beautiful lady who always had ideas, travel, food, celebrations, what a wonderful ride it was to be on board with Nan but the train came to a stop and I've been stuck in the station ever since. I wonder how long I can last living like I live right now.
Well early start tomorrow, have to be in Rancho Cordova at 9:30 and thats 1.5 hours away from here plus research and prep time. Should be an interesting morning.
Sending love to all,
Tim
A great visit to the Mustards
Dear Family and Friends
It started this morning at 6:30 and I picked up Kallie at 7:30. We hit the road and found traffic light. We arrived at MBA at 9:33 only to find empty Sabbath School classrooms. So we drove over to see the family. We learned that SS is at 10 am. Once we went to SS we found the room full of little kiddos and a great teacher Natalie. They sang songs, heard stories and made a great craft with paper, their shoe print and it became a caribou.
We attended some of the worship service but Mia was very tired and ready for a nap, While Mia slept we had delicious food including Jo's amazing bread. Timothy chowed down on his salad like a champ and then we took naps too. Kallie and Timothy played semi quietly and eventually we roused ourselves to head to the beach where the kiddos enjoyed the sand and a perfect day by the ocean.
Late afternoon we decided to head home and our trip was uneventful. We arrived at Nikki and Steve's about 8 and since Kallie had slept for a couple hours I left her sitting up in her recliner telling her mom about the day.
I came home to toast and devour some of that great bread that Jo had shared with me and I've been enjoying DVR episodes of NCIS. Great stuff. I also took time to build a fire that has taken the chill off the room this evening. It is nice to come home.
Even thought it was only a day I did find emotional refreshment by spending a day with family, the breezes, the ocean and a special trip with Kallie.
Love to all,
Tim
It started this morning at 6:30 and I picked up Kallie at 7:30. We hit the road and found traffic light. We arrived at MBA at 9:33 only to find empty Sabbath School classrooms. So we drove over to see the family. We learned that SS is at 10 am. Once we went to SS we found the room full of little kiddos and a great teacher Natalie. They sang songs, heard stories and made a great craft with paper, their shoe print and it became a caribou.
We attended some of the worship service but Mia was very tired and ready for a nap, While Mia slept we had delicious food including Jo's amazing bread. Timothy chowed down on his salad like a champ and then we took naps too. Kallie and Timothy played semi quietly and eventually we roused ourselves to head to the beach where the kiddos enjoyed the sand and a perfect day by the ocean.
Late afternoon we decided to head home and our trip was uneventful. We arrived at Nikki and Steve's about 8 and since Kallie had slept for a couple hours I left her sitting up in her recliner telling her mom about the day.
I came home to toast and devour some of that great bread that Jo had shared with me and I've been enjoying DVR episodes of NCIS. Great stuff. I also took time to build a fire that has taken the chill off the room this evening. It is nice to come home.
Even thought it was only a day I did find emotional refreshment by spending a day with family, the breezes, the ocean and a special trip with Kallie.
Love to all,
Tim
Friday, March 2, 2012
Well I'm still home, not at MBA
Good evening family and friends,
Its been quite a week for us all and tonight I must just express my gratitude for God's protection and leading in all of our lives. No matter what we are still here and we are going to hang tough.
The new medicine I'm taking has caused the cough to become much worse, call that progress! last night there was so much on my mind that at 12:30 I gave up on trying to fall back to sleep and came down, worked 3 hours in my robe, pretty much finished a report that was needed and finally at 3 went back to bed. Not fun and not fun today as I'm so tired as a result.
Its been sunny and warm and I enjoyed my first visit very much, cute little house and a very nice lady who obviously loves life, her family and is looking forward to moving to Brentwood into a huge house.
After the inspection was over I drove back home to begin working here in the office. I had let the rest of the house just stay cold but used my little trusty heater under my desk, it was cozy and I think I saved money but oh it was cold when I ventured out to grab a bite.
This evening Pat from Borden Junction let me know that they have solved the fuel gauge problem, they pulled the tank and checked the wiring, it was all good, then they ordered a new fuel pump and when they hooked it up the fuel gauge worked perfectly, problem was the fuel pump was the wrong one for the motorhome and had to be sent back. So the motorhome could have been used this weekend but I decided to just drive down tomorrow with Kallie and spend the day. Then I will be able to use Sunday to keep on catching up with work. At least now we know that the problem can be solved and on Monday when they deliver a different fuel pump then the motorhome might just work right again. After 7 months it would be nice.
Well I'm very glad for the Sabbath and I hope your weekend goes great. I've heard from Art and Jerry this evening, both are doing well, Jerry recovering from his knee surgery and Art in the middle of his proton program at Loma Linda.
Good night to all,
Love
tim
Its been quite a week for us all and tonight I must just express my gratitude for God's protection and leading in all of our lives. No matter what we are still here and we are going to hang tough.
The new medicine I'm taking has caused the cough to become much worse, call that progress! last night there was so much on my mind that at 12:30 I gave up on trying to fall back to sleep and came down, worked 3 hours in my robe, pretty much finished a report that was needed and finally at 3 went back to bed. Not fun and not fun today as I'm so tired as a result.
Its been sunny and warm and I enjoyed my first visit very much, cute little house and a very nice lady who obviously loves life, her family and is looking forward to moving to Brentwood into a huge house.
After the inspection was over I drove back home to begin working here in the office. I had let the rest of the house just stay cold but used my little trusty heater under my desk, it was cozy and I think I saved money but oh it was cold when I ventured out to grab a bite.
This evening Pat from Borden Junction let me know that they have solved the fuel gauge problem, they pulled the tank and checked the wiring, it was all good, then they ordered a new fuel pump and when they hooked it up the fuel gauge worked perfectly, problem was the fuel pump was the wrong one for the motorhome and had to be sent back. So the motorhome could have been used this weekend but I decided to just drive down tomorrow with Kallie and spend the day. Then I will be able to use Sunday to keep on catching up with work. At least now we know that the problem can be solved and on Monday when they deliver a different fuel pump then the motorhome might just work right again. After 7 months it would be nice.
Well I'm very glad for the Sabbath and I hope your weekend goes great. I've heard from Art and Jerry this evening, both are doing well, Jerry recovering from his knee surgery and Art in the middle of his proton program at Loma Linda.
Good night to all,
Love
tim
Thursday, March 1, 2012
A delightful dinner
This has been a rugged day, since I slept poorly last night I experienced being sleepy during the day. Due to planning I was out most of the day and the first of the day, a house with a sleeping cop, a 2 year little girl and a very pregnant mom was a challenge, to keep the dad sleeping, yet get photos in the room, keep the little girl from crashing in on her daddy and then avoid the dog patties in the back yard. Oh well mission accomplished.
Then it was on the road for Berkeley but on the way the owner called to say she was putting the whole thing on hold so I was not needed, good bye $275, oh well I went to Berkeley anyway to take some comp photos and of course a stop at Starbucks for a whole wheat bagel and a skinny mocha was in order. So good and such a waste of hard earned money! I know.
In Berkeley I found diesel for the amazingly low price of just $4.43 a gallon so I got just a few gallons and hit the road. The next stop was in Martinez and I was honored to see a perfect property. I mean perfect. The owner of a small business who has not had a job for the past 3 months, nothing to bid on. But a pleasant dad who loves his kids, will only do good work and sure knows how to care for a property. Wow, it was perfect.
Then on to the delightful dinner at LaVilla in Bethel Island. The girls drove out to meet me and we had a delightful mean of bean burritos with sauce, rice and whole beans on the side. It was perfect and I got to catch up with all the events in each of three lives. Oh yes there are lots of events!
Then I raced home to drive the motorhome to the nearby garage and Nikki met me there and brought me home. Tomorrow we hope to have the problem of the gas gauge fixed for good. A problem caused by a shoddy workman in Reno last August, a problem that shop will not pay to have fixed, its been a long painful process in which promises have been made but are not being kept by the owner of the Meineke Shop. I think they are crooks and tomorrow we'll probably find out more about the terrible job they did when attempting to repair the motorhome last summer.
Now its past bed time. My eyes just judged by Kaiser to be in good shape keep crossing, probably not a good deal.
This afternoon Steve's truck was being driven by a friend of his and a lady came to a sudden stop, the friend stopped but the driver of a big truck behind did not stop, he managed to pretty well trash Steve nice little pickup in the process, not something Steve needed right now. Please pray for my kiddos, all 8 of them, big and little and thank you.
Love
Tim
Then it was on the road for Berkeley but on the way the owner called to say she was putting the whole thing on hold so I was not needed, good bye $275, oh well I went to Berkeley anyway to take some comp photos and of course a stop at Starbucks for a whole wheat bagel and a skinny mocha was in order. So good and such a waste of hard earned money! I know.
In Berkeley I found diesel for the amazingly low price of just $4.43 a gallon so I got just a few gallons and hit the road. The next stop was in Martinez and I was honored to see a perfect property. I mean perfect. The owner of a small business who has not had a job for the past 3 months, nothing to bid on. But a pleasant dad who loves his kids, will only do good work and sure knows how to care for a property. Wow, it was perfect.
Then on to the delightful dinner at LaVilla in Bethel Island. The girls drove out to meet me and we had a delightful mean of bean burritos with sauce, rice and whole beans on the side. It was perfect and I got to catch up with all the events in each of three lives. Oh yes there are lots of events!
Then I raced home to drive the motorhome to the nearby garage and Nikki met me there and brought me home. Tomorrow we hope to have the problem of the gas gauge fixed for good. A problem caused by a shoddy workman in Reno last August, a problem that shop will not pay to have fixed, its been a long painful process in which promises have been made but are not being kept by the owner of the Meineke Shop. I think they are crooks and tomorrow we'll probably find out more about the terrible job they did when attempting to repair the motorhome last summer.
Now its past bed time. My eyes just judged by Kaiser to be in good shape keep crossing, probably not a good deal.
This afternoon Steve's truck was being driven by a friend of his and a lady came to a sudden stop, the friend stopped but the driver of a big truck behind did not stop, he managed to pretty well trash Steve nice little pickup in the process, not something Steve needed right now. Please pray for my kiddos, all 8 of them, big and little and thank you.
Love
Tim
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