Dear Family and Friends,
Well this has been a good one, lots of free labor accomplished and finally a report written and emailed out a few minutes ago.
Ken and I walked this morning at 6:30 and then I came in and just went to work. We took some time this morning to teach Marilyn the basics of setting up new orders and of course she caught on instantly. We ended up trying for a couple hours to make the lower office computer print to my three printers in the upper office. We were never successful but I sure wasted a bunch of precious time.
We've had orders come in all day and now I've created a large board with each order clearly marked showing when we have it scheduled, when it has been seen and when it is due. That will help keep things operating smoothly.
I dealt with many conditions today and questions, value checks and phone calls. This evening I was able to settle in and work. Now I'm totally exhausted, neck is sore, finger does not want to work but there is also a sense of accomplishment. It is one thing to pray and hope for orders, then it is the followup taking care to communicate with the clients, the homeowners and agents.
This evening I was able to make my old camera work again but instead of taking the new one back I think I'll just keep it and enjoy its nicer features and very slick size. It was only $100 so I think it is a worthy investment.
With all this work its been disappointing to not receive any money in the mail for several days. I know there is a boat load of checks coming but of course I want them now, not then.
Its a real trip to be busy again. My personality is such that I do my best work when I'm facing deadlines. I've appreciated Steve's help and today he got an order of his own from a management company. That was so exciting for both of us as I want him to prosper, he is a very solid appraiser, just got shut out of the business, now with the abundance of work he is starting to enjoy creating appraisals again.
Its time to wind it up for the day. This evening I've been listening to Frank Sinatra on XM through my computer, a nice change from the classical fare that I ususally have on. What a great blessing music is, what a pleasure to enjoy all kinds of music and feel the effect music can have, a mood maker, a mood changer.
Sending to love to all,
Tim
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Today is hard to explain.....
Some days certainly go smoother than others. I started at 6 this morning, wrote an appraisal which was submitted at 9:30 after a number of hitches popped up.
We left for Tracy where I inspected a really great property with some acreage connected, an indoor pool, a huge shop and very friendly people. As I walked up to the house and turned my camera on it failed. No amount of coaxing could get it to work again. Well I did that property with my IPhone camera and then headed to CostCo where I filled up the tank, we drove the Civic today since the bug needs brakes desperately. Then I slipped inside and purchased a $100 camera, went to the car, opened it and found out how to set the photos on the lowest setting. I also discovered that the battery was not charged and it takes a special battery, a rechargeable one.
Our next stop was Best Buys where I purchased an inverter that puts out 110 volts so i could charge the camera. 1 hour late at this point we headed to Alamo. Once again I found a beautiful property, spent time taking it all in and then went to the car to discover my research had been for Danville, not Alamo so there were no comps to shoot.
We quickly went over to Danville to see yet another property, inspected it and the camera went dead again, battery was not charged enough so we finished that inspection with the Iphone and shot some of the comps. We were so tight on time that we had to leave to drive to Pittsburg to see a little duplex. The agents promised to meet us there but of course no agents. I did have my SupraKey so I opened it up, inspected it and we completed our work.
Then it was time to head to Pleasant Hill. The inspection was a riot, the lady was so funny and bright, great visit. Then we shot the comps and drove back to Danville to complete the comps, then Marilyn thought of the pizza we had enjoyed in Clayton so we drove there and had salad and pizza. Terrific food.
Now we are home to an email full of orders, concerns, things to fix. I will say this, it is certainly a busy time right now, amazingly busy and I am so thankful. Just trying to keep up and its not easy.
Sending love to all
Tim
We left for Tracy where I inspected a really great property with some acreage connected, an indoor pool, a huge shop and very friendly people. As I walked up to the house and turned my camera on it failed. No amount of coaxing could get it to work again. Well I did that property with my IPhone camera and then headed to CostCo where I filled up the tank, we drove the Civic today since the bug needs brakes desperately. Then I slipped inside and purchased a $100 camera, went to the car, opened it and found out how to set the photos on the lowest setting. I also discovered that the battery was not charged and it takes a special battery, a rechargeable one.
Our next stop was Best Buys where I purchased an inverter that puts out 110 volts so i could charge the camera. 1 hour late at this point we headed to Alamo. Once again I found a beautiful property, spent time taking it all in and then went to the car to discover my research had been for Danville, not Alamo so there were no comps to shoot.
We quickly went over to Danville to see yet another property, inspected it and the camera went dead again, battery was not charged enough so we finished that inspection with the Iphone and shot some of the comps. We were so tight on time that we had to leave to drive to Pittsburg to see a little duplex. The agents promised to meet us there but of course no agents. I did have my SupraKey so I opened it up, inspected it and we completed our work.
Then it was time to head to Pleasant Hill. The inspection was a riot, the lady was so funny and bright, great visit. Then we shot the comps and drove back to Danville to complete the comps, then Marilyn thought of the pizza we had enjoyed in Clayton so we drove there and had salad and pizza. Terrific food.
Now we are home to an email full of orders, concerns, things to fix. I will say this, it is certainly a busy time right now, amazingly busy and I am so thankful. Just trying to keep up and its not easy.
Sending love to all
Tim
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Long Day
Dear Family and Friends,
On my way to bed, wishing a good week for you and yours. Worked all day, got a lot done, seeing 5 tomorrow. Up at 6 to write one more before 10 am in Tracy, then Alamo, Danville, Pittsburg and Pleasant Hill, should keep me busy.
Sending love to all
Tim
On my way to bed, wishing a good week for you and yours. Worked all day, got a lot done, seeing 5 tomorrow. Up at 6 to write one more before 10 am in Tracy, then Alamo, Danville, Pittsburg and Pleasant Hill, should keep me busy.
Sending love to all
Tim
Saturday, August 27, 2011
So the motorhome is once again on the road!!
This morning my renters arrived in mass. There were 5 of them and it took a couple hours teaching them the systems so their trip could be enjoyable. They are very nice people and I enjoyed my time with them greatly. The motorhome came together nicely so it looked good as they arrived.
Now I wait hoping all goes well for them. They seem quite capable of doing things right and I hope the motorhome holds together for them. Still have some left over issues from the last renters, broken front window, fuel gauge does not work etc.
I used some spot carpet cleaner that Bob Sorensen gave me long ago. It worked magic on a couple stains so when it comes back I'll do more of that.
It has been a lovely warm day here. Jason called to say it was in the 60s there. He knows if he is having fog that we are having a hot day. I got to talk to him for awhile while he was working the beach watching over the kids to keep them safe and behaved. Tall order for teenagers!
Well its off to bed now as tomorrow has to be a production day from start to finish with as many reports out the door as possible. many more orders have arrived so it looks like a great week ahead. Thank you Lord for work.
Love
tim
Now I wait hoping all goes well for them. They seem quite capable of doing things right and I hope the motorhome holds together for them. Still have some left over issues from the last renters, broken front window, fuel gauge does not work etc.
I used some spot carpet cleaner that Bob Sorensen gave me long ago. It worked magic on a couple stains so when it comes back I'll do more of that.
It has been a lovely warm day here. Jason called to say it was in the 60s there. He knows if he is having fog that we are having a hot day. I got to talk to him for awhile while he was working the beach watching over the kids to keep them safe and behaved. Tall order for teenagers!
Well its off to bed now as tomorrow has to be a production day from start to finish with as many reports out the door as possible. many more orders have arrived so it looks like a great week ahead. Thank you Lord for work.
Love
tim
Friday, August 26, 2011
It all comes together
Good evening
This was yet another whirlwind days. I started out this morning at 6 and wrote an appraisal, then at 8:15 I started to do research for the three properties, Napa, Pleasanton and Apple Hill here in Brentwood. Marilyn rode shotgun as we left for Napa, the traffic was decent but as we neared Highway 80 the fog bank moved in dropping the temperature to a nice 65 degrees. The home is Napa was a typical rental, rough and very lived in. The owner was a super guy and the visit went well.
On the way to Pleasanton we spotted a Sonic and made a quick stop grabbing a burger for Marilyn and a grilled cheese and tots for me. It tasted as good as it was bad for me but it sure filled the spot. Marilyn however objected to her burger which was warm on one side and cold and soggy on the other side, Picky picky!
Leaving the nice temps behind we arrived in Pleasanton to 97 degrees. I quickly measured the cluster home, that is a home built very near to its neighbors and with all homes sharing a common driveway. Once the comps were done we had time enough for a CostCo stop. We found water, fresh peaches, strawberries, bananas, mocha and nice soft toilet paper! Made my day.
We had taken the motorhome to Borden Junction Garage on Wednesday and Pat was able to get to it today. He dropped the tank just enough to take out the guy's channel lock wrench and remove the wiring harness from where it had been squashed. He was unable to find the wire that leads to the gas gauge so my renters will leave tomorrow without a fuel gauge which is not the best solution but with such a huge tank it will work out OK. Our goal is to try to use the motorhome, burn the gas until it is nearly empty, then Pat can drop the tank out and solve the remaining problem. He did not charge me today, just kept it in the computer for when we solve the whole problem.
So on the way back I stopped by to check up on the coach, dropped Marilyn and the groceries off and went on to Brentwood. Once again a cute house, nice family and a pleasant time. Once I was through I stopped by Ace and picked up the screws I needed to fix the door to the bathroom in the coach and came home. I was so relieved to be through for the week, actually thrilled.
So we ask Lois to join us and we went to Kentucky Fried so Marilyn could get her fix. I had a mac and cheese and root beer freeze. Lois had a pot pie. Then we went by the hardware store again and had keys made so everyone of the renters that are leaving for Burning Man tomorrow will have an access key to the coach. We also picked up more screws to fix other things that had come loose in the motorhome. A little WD40 made the door close easier and our fix of the bathroom door came out perfect. It fits perfectly and you'd never know there was a problem. We also fixed the curtain, secured the visor on the passenger side and discovered that a whole drawer of kitchen stuff is gone. We need to ask our renters where it went, I think they took it out so they would have room for their stuff and its sitting in their garage right now. Sylvia worked too hard to make sure everything was in the coach to have it disappear.
I am so thankful for the work this week has brought, for safety on the roads, for good health and for the energy to tackle tough assignments. What a week this has been, lots of stress, pressure and rewards from jobs accomplished.
Love to all
Tim
This was yet another whirlwind days. I started out this morning at 6 and wrote an appraisal, then at 8:15 I started to do research for the three properties, Napa, Pleasanton and Apple Hill here in Brentwood. Marilyn rode shotgun as we left for Napa, the traffic was decent but as we neared Highway 80 the fog bank moved in dropping the temperature to a nice 65 degrees. The home is Napa was a typical rental, rough and very lived in. The owner was a super guy and the visit went well.
On the way to Pleasanton we spotted a Sonic and made a quick stop grabbing a burger for Marilyn and a grilled cheese and tots for me. It tasted as good as it was bad for me but it sure filled the spot. Marilyn however objected to her burger which was warm on one side and cold and soggy on the other side, Picky picky!
Leaving the nice temps behind we arrived in Pleasanton to 97 degrees. I quickly measured the cluster home, that is a home built very near to its neighbors and with all homes sharing a common driveway. Once the comps were done we had time enough for a CostCo stop. We found water, fresh peaches, strawberries, bananas, mocha and nice soft toilet paper! Made my day.
We had taken the motorhome to Borden Junction Garage on Wednesday and Pat was able to get to it today. He dropped the tank just enough to take out the guy's channel lock wrench and remove the wiring harness from where it had been squashed. He was unable to find the wire that leads to the gas gauge so my renters will leave tomorrow without a fuel gauge which is not the best solution but with such a huge tank it will work out OK. Our goal is to try to use the motorhome, burn the gas until it is nearly empty, then Pat can drop the tank out and solve the remaining problem. He did not charge me today, just kept it in the computer for when we solve the whole problem.
So on the way back I stopped by to check up on the coach, dropped Marilyn and the groceries off and went on to Brentwood. Once again a cute house, nice family and a pleasant time. Once I was through I stopped by Ace and picked up the screws I needed to fix the door to the bathroom in the coach and came home. I was so relieved to be through for the week, actually thrilled.
So we ask Lois to join us and we went to Kentucky Fried so Marilyn could get her fix. I had a mac and cheese and root beer freeze. Lois had a pot pie. Then we went by the hardware store again and had keys made so everyone of the renters that are leaving for Burning Man tomorrow will have an access key to the coach. We also picked up more screws to fix other things that had come loose in the motorhome. A little WD40 made the door close easier and our fix of the bathroom door came out perfect. It fits perfectly and you'd never know there was a problem. We also fixed the curtain, secured the visor on the passenger side and discovered that a whole drawer of kitchen stuff is gone. We need to ask our renters where it went, I think they took it out so they would have room for their stuff and its sitting in their garage right now. Sylvia worked too hard to make sure everything was in the coach to have it disappear.
I am so thankful for the work this week has brought, for safety on the roads, for good health and for the energy to tackle tough assignments. What a week this has been, lots of stress, pressure and rewards from jobs accomplished.
Love to all
Tim
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A Very Long Day
Good evening
We are just back from doing two appraisals in Oakland. The first was an amazing ultra modern house home with a nice family, she a fashion designer and he a contractor. The second required our driving all over the oakland hills to find 7 comps the original appraiser had used in the report.
Now we are home and I'm so tired that this missive will be short.
I wrote two reports this morning, did reseach, made appointments and found out that the shop has not been able to even check out the motorhome yet, time is running very short for the repairs I need to make.
Lots of stress in the air right now with orders all over the place, people with needs asking for help but if I could stop coughing life would be pretty good, today the coughing has been awful and tonight my throat is very sore, raw even. When I get the doctor bill paid I'll head back for a followup.
So thankful for work, just need strength to get it done.
Sending love
Tim
We are just back from doing two appraisals in Oakland. The first was an amazing ultra modern house home with a nice family, she a fashion designer and he a contractor. The second required our driving all over the oakland hills to find 7 comps the original appraiser had used in the report.
Now we are home and I'm so tired that this missive will be short.
I wrote two reports this morning, did reseach, made appointments and found out that the shop has not been able to even check out the motorhome yet, time is running very short for the repairs I need to make.
Lots of stress in the air right now with orders all over the place, people with needs asking for help but if I could stop coughing life would be pretty good, today the coughing has been awful and tonight my throat is very sore, raw even. When I get the doctor bill paid I'll head back for a followup.
So thankful for work, just need strength to get it done.
Sending love
Tim
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Cranking out the work
As long as the work is available I'm going to try to take advantage of it and crank through it.
Today I was able to see a couple properties with Steve so we both can get stuff done faster. Its been warm today, warmer than usual for this nice summer.
This morning Ken and I walked at 6 and then he was kind enough to help me get the motorhome to Borden Junction Garage where I have my work done often. I've not heard back from them today but I did have an unpleasant conversation with Jason, the manager of Meineke in Reno. I don't think he gets it, how close he came to causing a fire that could have endangered the lives of this precious family. He still has a lot of bluster, I asked him to pay the local shop doing the fix up work directly and he was pretty upset about that. Not sure how all of this will shake out but I know the Lord is still in control.
Keanna came this afternoon, worked on her cursive writing, we read a story together and her ability to liven up a story is just great, had me cracking up.
Well I've seen two today and written two plus mess with the motorhome stuff as well. Now its time for BED.
Love to all
Tim
Today I was able to see a couple properties with Steve so we both can get stuff done faster. Its been warm today, warmer than usual for this nice summer.
This morning Ken and I walked at 6 and then he was kind enough to help me get the motorhome to Borden Junction Garage where I have my work done often. I've not heard back from them today but I did have an unpleasant conversation with Jason, the manager of Meineke in Reno. I don't think he gets it, how close he came to causing a fire that could have endangered the lives of this precious family. He still has a lot of bluster, I asked him to pay the local shop doing the fix up work directly and he was pretty upset about that. Not sure how all of this will shake out but I know the Lord is still in control.
Keanna came this afternoon, worked on her cursive writing, we read a story together and her ability to liven up a story is just great, had me cracking up.
Well I've seen two today and written two plus mess with the motorhome stuff as well. Now its time for BED.
Love to all
Tim
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