Finally, after about two weeks, we've gotten online access again!
It's amazing how one gets used to having near instant access to information and how frustrating things get when that access is denied.
In any case, we're now in our apartment and I've been unpacking the past week, and there's still boxes to be emptied. We still need more bookcases, nothing new there. We haven't been able to get any new furniture yet due to an odd, to us Indiana residents at least, practice of California banks. As our previous bank has no branches in California, we had to open a new account. Then we also deposited Christy's first paycheck and reimbursement check. Then we were told that for the first month of a new account being open, you're limited to only $100 of your deposit for a week after the deposit. Supposedly, this practice is to stymie money laundering operations. So, if you're moving to California, make sure you've got a bank with branches in the state or make sure you get cash with that first deposit so you've got money to run on.
Is California more expensive? Yes and no. Rent is higher as is stuff like gas, insurance and meats. Chain restaurants such as Taco Bell and McDonald's have standard prices as does Denny's so they can be cheaper than local places. The real trick is finding the local grocery stores and cooking yourself. Safeway is a standard supermarket with a decent selection and moderate prices. Get their discount card and buy store brands to save a good bit of cash. Trader Joe's is great for organic foods and has some great prices mixed in with some high prices, so shop around. Movie theatres are similar to Indy in prices plus about $0.25-0.50. Books cost the same at the local Borders and comics are cheaper for us thanks to Cryptic giving their employees a discount. I still have to find the local game store now that our money will be available again.
So, that's where we are right now. We're still adjusting to the time difference and the location.
Well, time for dinner so I'll talk to everyone later.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
We've arrived!
We have arrived in Los Gatos, safe and sound, as of 6:00 pm Saturday 7/7/07. This is my first opportunity to get online since we left Indy as we only have a desktop system. Getting here involved a personal Odyssey including a long run after dark along Highway 50 in Nevada. As the linked article notes, AAA called this stretch of highway "The Loneliest Road in America" and let me tell you, it's true, especially after dark! Just imagine over 200 miles of rural highway with a town at either end and only one small town in the middle. There are no street-lights and it's pitch black otherwise. The only thing that kept me from thinking we were driving into a horror movie was the presence of other cars on the road. Combine the darkness with unfamiliar terrain and fatigue as this whole route took longer than we were told it would take.
What precipitated this trek you might ask? We were following our plan of taking I-80 straight across and this went well at first. We stopped in Des Moines at the Motel 6 Wednesday night. About all I can say about that leg of the trip is that Illinois had the cleanest highway rest stop I've ever seen, probably because it was staffed. The next day took us across Iowa and Nebraska before stopping in Laramie, Wyoming for the night. Iowa was a lot like Indiana and Illinois but flatter and its rest stops had free wi-fi. Nebraska was a long empty drive with a few, Old-Westy style attractions advertised but the most interesting thing was the Great Platte River Road Arch. This thing is a bit startling when you see it straddling the highway. Otherwise, we were glad to be out of Nebraska. There was a blatant change in terrain when we entered Wyoming, going through Medicine Bow National Forest. Cheyenne was a bit depressing as the area along I-80 was quite run down. Laramie, however, was great! We had dinner at a local place called the Altitude and I had a delicious steak sandwich. There were many interesting looking attractions advertised and the state is beautiful, so we plan to go back sometime.
The next day we drove through Utah and Nebraska. Salt Lake City is HUGE and its tangle of interstate ramps puts Indy's "Spaghetti Bowl" to shame. The Great Salt Lake and the Salt Flats are visually impressive and yet frightening when you think about traveling across them without modern technology. Another thing that struck me about the western states is the large number of mobile homes and single and double-wide manufactured homes. Add to that the large distances between homes and towns and the vast open areas and there was no question we were someplace different. Nevada was marked by the sudden appearance of casinos.
We were doing fine along I-80 until we reached Carlin and were flagged off the interstate due to a wildfire. So we broke out the AAA maps and realized that we could cut down 278 to Highway 50 at Eureka and then take 50 west to Reno and get back on I-80. The locals said it would take about three hours and it was 4:00 pm local time, so I thought "no problem." Heh heh heh, apparently the locals drive a whole lot faster than I do. We reached Fallon, NV at about 11:00 pm local time and I was bone tired. We found out that Fallon was hosting a rodeo and most of their hotels were full. We lucked into a free room at the Super 8 and got some sleep after over 900 miles of driving.
The next day brought us through Reno, back to I-80 through Lake Tahoe which was the only place on our route that outdid Wyoming for sheer natural beauty. The terrain was so eye-catching I was having trouble driving as I needed to watch the curves of the Highway as it ran up and down the mountains but my eye kept being drawn to the landscape we were driving though. As we headed towards Sacramento, things got less interesting except for the large amount of traffic. Then the land changed yet again as we moved into the Bay area and down into Oakland and through the largest conglomeration of highway ramps I've ever seen. We pushed on and finally arrived in Los Gatos where we took a room at the Los Gatos Lodge. We'll be here until the 12th when our apartment will finally be available.
Yesterday morning we woke up and went out for breakfast, which we had at Baker's Square. While eating I was looking out the window at a great view of pine covered mountains. We did a little exploring after that, to the extent that my back would allow. (The moving aggravated an old lower back sprain and I've been gimping around since Tuesday.) The street layouts are much more irregular than what I'm used to in Indiana, where most streets follow a basic grid pattern. Here, there are many more twists and turns. Downtown Los Gatos has a strong feel of artist community like Nashville, IN combined with the small town feel of Shelbyville, IN all mixed with the upscale style that north Indianapolis/Carmel/Fishers, IN tries to project. There's actually a Lamborghini dealership here but just down the street are little antique shops and candy stores next to international restaurants and pizza and burger places.
We still feel like we're on vacation rather than actually living here. Maybe once we get our apartment and get settled in, we'll feel different.
In any case, our adventure isn't over yet. We've still got a whole new city to explore and we'll be keeping this blog updated as we do, so don't go away!
I need to let the hotel have their computer back now, so take care everyone and we'll talk to you later!
What precipitated this trek you might ask? We were following our plan of taking I-80 straight across and this went well at first. We stopped in Des Moines at the Motel 6 Wednesday night. About all I can say about that leg of the trip is that Illinois had the cleanest highway rest stop I've ever seen, probably because it was staffed. The next day took us across Iowa and Nebraska before stopping in Laramie, Wyoming for the night. Iowa was a lot like Indiana and Illinois but flatter and its rest stops had free wi-fi. Nebraska was a long empty drive with a few, Old-Westy style attractions advertised but the most interesting thing was the Great Platte River Road Arch. This thing is a bit startling when you see it straddling the highway. Otherwise, we were glad to be out of Nebraska. There was a blatant change in terrain when we entered Wyoming, going through Medicine Bow National Forest. Cheyenne was a bit depressing as the area along I-80 was quite run down. Laramie, however, was great! We had dinner at a local place called the Altitude and I had a delicious steak sandwich. There were many interesting looking attractions advertised and the state is beautiful, so we plan to go back sometime.
The next day we drove through Utah and Nebraska. Salt Lake City is HUGE and its tangle of interstate ramps puts Indy's "Spaghetti Bowl" to shame. The Great Salt Lake and the Salt Flats are visually impressive and yet frightening when you think about traveling across them without modern technology. Another thing that struck me about the western states is the large number of mobile homes and single and double-wide manufactured homes. Add to that the large distances between homes and towns and the vast open areas and there was no question we were someplace different. Nevada was marked by the sudden appearance of casinos.
We were doing fine along I-80 until we reached Carlin and were flagged off the interstate due to a wildfire. So we broke out the AAA maps and realized that we could cut down 278 to Highway 50 at Eureka and then take 50 west to Reno and get back on I-80. The locals said it would take about three hours and it was 4:00 pm local time, so I thought "no problem." Heh heh heh, apparently the locals drive a whole lot faster than I do. We reached Fallon, NV at about 11:00 pm local time and I was bone tired. We found out that Fallon was hosting a rodeo and most of their hotels were full. We lucked into a free room at the Super 8 and got some sleep after over 900 miles of driving.
The next day brought us through Reno, back to I-80 through Lake Tahoe which was the only place on our route that outdid Wyoming for sheer natural beauty. The terrain was so eye-catching I was having trouble driving as I needed to watch the curves of the Highway as it ran up and down the mountains but my eye kept being drawn to the landscape we were driving though. As we headed towards Sacramento, things got less interesting except for the large amount of traffic. Then the land changed yet again as we moved into the Bay area and down into Oakland and through the largest conglomeration of highway ramps I've ever seen. We pushed on and finally arrived in Los Gatos where we took a room at the Los Gatos Lodge. We'll be here until the 12th when our apartment will finally be available.
Yesterday morning we woke up and went out for breakfast, which we had at Baker's Square. While eating I was looking out the window at a great view of pine covered mountains. We did a little exploring after that, to the extent that my back would allow. (The moving aggravated an old lower back sprain and I've been gimping around since Tuesday.) The street layouts are much more irregular than what I'm used to in Indiana, where most streets follow a basic grid pattern. Here, there are many more twists and turns. Downtown Los Gatos has a strong feel of artist community like Nashville, IN combined with the small town feel of Shelbyville, IN all mixed with the upscale style that north Indianapolis/Carmel/Fishers, IN tries to project. There's actually a Lamborghini dealership here but just down the street are little antique shops and candy stores next to international restaurants and pizza and burger places.
We still feel like we're on vacation rather than actually living here. Maybe once we get our apartment and get settled in, we'll feel different.
In any case, our adventure isn't over yet. We've still got a whole new city to explore and we'll be keeping this blog updated as we do, so don't go away!
I need to let the hotel have their computer back now, so take care everyone and we'll talk to you later!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Down to the Wire
Wow! What a week!
We're finally all packed and nearly ready to go. This past week was a whirlwind of activity, from confusion over how Cryptic was paying Christy's moving allowance to getting our new apartment to packing and cleaning. After all that, we've still got a 2300 mile drive ahead.
Still though, it seems Christy timed this move pretty well. We found out Friday that her former employer is laying off workers. It seems our predictions of a downward spiral for them has begun.
In any case, Cryptic finally decided to just pay the bill for PODS to move our stuff and it got on the way Monday afternoon. Also, they paid the deposit on our new apartment so we now have a place to live! We'll be at the place pictured in the last post. The only problem is, due to the July 4th holiday, we probably won't be able to get in until the 12th, so we'll have a few extra nights in a hotel than anticipated but since we didn't have to pay the deposit we've got extra cash to deal with that.
Then there was the packing and cleaning. As to that, thank goodness for friends and family or we'd have never gotten it done. Mom helped pack the breakables, Dad directed the loading of the POD and got it securely packed, Mike helped Dad and proved to be the King of Lift & Carry by hoisting up to four boxes of books at a time, Amy and Carrie cleaned and made a few supply runs while Nick and Wendy drove down to help with Nick doing both lift and carry tasks and being on carpet shampoo duty while Wendy went all Domestic Goddess and led the cleaning charge. I was in awe of all the assistance provided. As a reward for all the work, we got to wind down with a couple of sessions of Ars Magica.
Now we just have to get the last few details squared away before heading out Wednesday.
We'll be taking pictures along the way and we'll update things here as soon as possible. As we don't own a laptop it might have to wait until we're settled in to the new place before the next update. So wish us luck and we'll get back to the story as soon as we can.
We're finally all packed and nearly ready to go. This past week was a whirlwind of activity, from confusion over how Cryptic was paying Christy's moving allowance to getting our new apartment to packing and cleaning. After all that, we've still got a 2300 mile drive ahead.
Still though, it seems Christy timed this move pretty well. We found out Friday that her former employer is laying off workers. It seems our predictions of a downward spiral for them has begun.
In any case, Cryptic finally decided to just pay the bill for PODS to move our stuff and it got on the way Monday afternoon. Also, they paid the deposit on our new apartment so we now have a place to live! We'll be at the place pictured in the last post. The only problem is, due to the July 4th holiday, we probably won't be able to get in until the 12th, so we'll have a few extra nights in a hotel than anticipated but since we didn't have to pay the deposit we've got extra cash to deal with that.
Then there was the packing and cleaning. As to that, thank goodness for friends and family or we'd have never gotten it done. Mom helped pack the breakables, Dad directed the loading of the POD and got it securely packed, Mike helped Dad and proved to be the King of Lift & Carry by hoisting up to four boxes of books at a time, Amy and Carrie cleaned and made a few supply runs while Nick and Wendy drove down to help with Nick doing both lift and carry tasks and being on carpet shampoo duty while Wendy went all Domestic Goddess and led the cleaning charge. I was in awe of all the assistance provided. As a reward for all the work, we got to wind down with a couple of sessions of Ars Magica.
Now we just have to get the last few details squared away before heading out Wednesday.
We'll be taking pictures along the way and we'll update things here as soon as possible. As we don't own a laptop it might have to wait until we're settled in to the new place before the next update. So wish us luck and we'll get back to the story as soon as we can.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Steady Progress
As Christy posted, we've got our house listed now. We'll have to go through a "short sell" as they call it but it'll get done and shouldn't devastate our credit like a forclosure would. Also, we've got a solid apartment possibillity. It's in a great location and just down the street from Cryptic so as to save on gas. Take a look at some pictures of the complex we were sent:
Thursday, June 14, 2007
You know you want it
You can't deny it ... you know you want it ... you are mesmerized by the possibilities ... you want to Buy this house!
OK, so my Internet hypnotism act could use some work, but seriously -- you've got to put your stuff somewhere, don't you?
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Packing and Prioritising
Wow, we've got a lot of books! Not that that's new, but the amount has grown over the past seven years. One thing about a big move like this where it's "get it moved the first time or it doesn't go" is that it really forces one to prioritise what stuff is necessary, what things you really enjoy and want to keep and what's unneccessary and unimportant and thus can be dispensed with. We've already cleaned out a chunk of stuff via a garage sale and liqudating a few things on ebay. Even with that we're still looking at having a large amount of Goodwill donations to serve as a tax deduction before we move. We've got closets with boxes that haven't been open since we moved here. Those will be gone through just to make sure there isn't anything we've been looking for or which should be given over to family care and the rest goes. So if anyone's looking for anything, in general or particular, let us know.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Plot Complication!
It's official, Christy has formally accepted the Cryptic job, in writing. We're planning to be heading California way the first of July and allowing a week to get there and find at least temporary housing. We're going to be using one of those P.O.D.S. you see advertised on TV to move most of our stuff and the car for the cats, important records, the computer and any other essentials. The P.O.D.S. looks to be our best option at about $4K for drop off at the house, we load it, they pick it up and ship it to CA where they will store it for up to one month (very important!) and then deliver it to our apartment once we've picked one. We had a lower estimate but some quick Internet searching turned up many tales of scams perpetrated by that unnamed company. Note for any potential movers: always do your research! So, we've got the essentials of the move taken care of and all that's needed is to pack and prioritize because whatever doesn't fit in the POD or the car isn't going! Oh well, we both come from long lines of pack-rats so we need to clean out stuff anyway.
Our big Plot Complication comes from our house. Back in November, we refinanced and had an appraisal done that showed us having about $30K in equity. As our house needs some cosmetics (painting, trim replacement, carpet) for ideal saleability and we just don't have the time or money to do that and pay deposits and other moving expenses, I thought we could talk to an investor who we could sell our house to for what we owed plus a few $K and they could do the cosmetics quickly and get a profitable flip. We had a nice guy from Home Vestors come out and talk to us. Like I said, he was a nice guy, very professional and honest. Sadly for us, he honestly gave us some bad news. He'd run a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) and had three home listings that had sold most recently in our neighborhood. The bad news was that since our appraisal in November, property values had dropped $30K! There went our equity and there went the possibility of a quick flip for Home Vestors. I did some research of my own and found that this wasn't just a freak occurrence. List prices are down all over Franklin Township and most of Indianapolis as well. It seems to be due to the recent sales of the numerous foreclosures of which Indiana has had record levels the past few years, combined with the loss of many manufacturing and other well paying blue-collar jobs in the area. Indy is a buyer's market with a dearth of buyers! Yet another sign of the economic downturn in Indy that makes the CA move a smart one on our part.
So, we sat down and asked ourselves "What's the worst case scenario?" Our answer is that we move to CA, can't afford mortgage and rent and so we get foreclosed on and lose our house and get cruddy credit and won't be able to get a new mortgage for at least 7-10 years. Then we asked ourselves if we were willing to accept that outcome. Well, we're moving to CA where the housing market is so inflated we can't afford a house anyway and will be having to rent an apartment. The credit hit won't be good but it can also be explained and thus is dealable. Plus, in this day and age, less than ideal credit is a good defense against identity theft! Additionally, we know that if we talk to our mortgage company before things get bad we can probably just surrender the house to them without a foreclosure if we list it and can't sell. Combined with our not likely needing a mortgage until near retirement, or in the event of a massive drop in CA housing costs, we still have plenty of time to repair any credit damage done. As such, we decided we can accept the worst case scenario.
So, now we need to at least try and sell the place. A mix of Craig's List posting and Internet searches turned up a few possibilities.
First there was a Realtor who said he represented an investor was interested in talking to us. He worked for one of those offices that have their people wear distinctive colored jackets and use what's arguably the biggest yard signs in the biz. Long story short, he had an appointment to meet us at home at 2:00 this afternoon. At 2:03 he calls to "confirm" our appointment and after I do so he says he'll see us at his office! "Waitaminnit!" I say, "we're supposed to meet here." "Oh, I can do that." he says. "I'll be there in half an hour." Hmmm... This doesn't bode well. 2:30 comes and goes... "I'm giving him until 2:45 and then we're leaving. I'm hungry." Christy says and I agree. 2:45 comes and goes, so we leave. Turns out he shows up about 3 minutes after we leave, according to a friend. How unprofessional can you be? Even cutting him slack on messing up where the appointment was still puts him over 15 minutes late! I'd be mortified! Not to mention how stupid such a mistake is in a 100% commission business. It's not only a lack of professionalism but also a total lack of respect for us and our time.
Then we heard from a guy wanting to buy on contract with us maintaining our mortgage, with him paying our expenses, until he can arrange financing in about a year. This isn't an uncommon arrangement, often referred to as seller financing, but we decided it was just too complicated and risky with us moving so far away. Besides, with the market being what it is, what if it dropped more over the next year and he couldn't finance enough to pay off our mortgage? Even with the help of one of our attorney friends, it just seemed a bad idea.
Lastly, we've heard from another Realtor who thinks he can list our house for enough to sell it for what we owe, provide an allowance for the cosmetic repairs to a buyer and pay commissions and related costs. He's also willing to offer a guaranteed buy program, which covers us if he's wrong. Additionally, he might be able to refer us to an agent in CA who could help us find a place to rent out there. We're going to make an appointment and see how things look. Being a former real-estate agent myself, I'm sure I can look out for us and spot a scam, plus this guy would be contracted as our listing agent and so owe us fiduciary responsibility such that any scam or dishonesty could cost him his license and/or Realtor status. As long as he doesn't turn out to be like Mr. 45 Minutes Late for an Appointment, above, things look good.
As the axiom goes, "Expect the best, plan for the worst." Once you're ready to accept the worst case scenario, anything else is a step to the better! Most of all, take the advice of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and "DON'T PANIC"
Our adventure continues.
Next up: Packing and Prioritizing!
Our big Plot Complication comes from our house. Back in November, we refinanced and had an appraisal done that showed us having about $30K in equity. As our house needs some cosmetics (painting, trim replacement, carpet) for ideal saleability and we just don't have the time or money to do that and pay deposits and other moving expenses, I thought we could talk to an investor who we could sell our house to for what we owed plus a few $K and they could do the cosmetics quickly and get a profitable flip. We had a nice guy from Home Vestors come out and talk to us. Like I said, he was a nice guy, very professional and honest. Sadly for us, he honestly gave us some bad news. He'd run a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) and had three home listings that had sold most recently in our neighborhood. The bad news was that since our appraisal in November, property values had dropped $30K! There went our equity and there went the possibility of a quick flip for Home Vestors. I did some research of my own and found that this wasn't just a freak occurrence. List prices are down all over Franklin Township and most of Indianapolis as well. It seems to be due to the recent sales of the numerous foreclosures of which Indiana has had record levels the past few years, combined with the loss of many manufacturing and other well paying blue-collar jobs in the area. Indy is a buyer's market with a dearth of buyers! Yet another sign of the economic downturn in Indy that makes the CA move a smart one on our part.
So, we sat down and asked ourselves "What's the worst case scenario?" Our answer is that we move to CA, can't afford mortgage and rent and so we get foreclosed on and lose our house and get cruddy credit and won't be able to get a new mortgage for at least 7-10 years. Then we asked ourselves if we were willing to accept that outcome. Well, we're moving to CA where the housing market is so inflated we can't afford a house anyway and will be having to rent an apartment. The credit hit won't be good but it can also be explained and thus is dealable. Plus, in this day and age, less than ideal credit is a good defense against identity theft! Additionally, we know that if we talk to our mortgage company before things get bad we can probably just surrender the house to them without a foreclosure if we list it and can't sell. Combined with our not likely needing a mortgage until near retirement, or in the event of a massive drop in CA housing costs, we still have plenty of time to repair any credit damage done. As such, we decided we can accept the worst case scenario.
So, now we need to at least try and sell the place. A mix of Craig's List posting and Internet searches turned up a few possibilities.
First there was a Realtor who said he represented an investor was interested in talking to us. He worked for one of those offices that have their people wear distinctive colored jackets and use what's arguably the biggest yard signs in the biz. Long story short, he had an appointment to meet us at home at 2:00 this afternoon. At 2:03 he calls to "confirm" our appointment and after I do so he says he'll see us at his office! "Waitaminnit!" I say, "we're supposed to meet here." "Oh, I can do that." he says. "I'll be there in half an hour." Hmmm... This doesn't bode well. 2:30 comes and goes... "I'm giving him until 2:45 and then we're leaving. I'm hungry." Christy says and I agree. 2:45 comes and goes, so we leave. Turns out he shows up about 3 minutes after we leave, according to a friend. How unprofessional can you be? Even cutting him slack on messing up where the appointment was still puts him over 15 minutes late! I'd be mortified! Not to mention how stupid such a mistake is in a 100% commission business. It's not only a lack of professionalism but also a total lack of respect for us and our time.
Then we heard from a guy wanting to buy on contract with us maintaining our mortgage, with him paying our expenses, until he can arrange financing in about a year. This isn't an uncommon arrangement, often referred to as seller financing, but we decided it was just too complicated and risky with us moving so far away. Besides, with the market being what it is, what if it dropped more over the next year and he couldn't finance enough to pay off our mortgage? Even with the help of one of our attorney friends, it just seemed a bad idea.
Lastly, we've heard from another Realtor who thinks he can list our house for enough to sell it for what we owe, provide an allowance for the cosmetic repairs to a buyer and pay commissions and related costs. He's also willing to offer a guaranteed buy program, which covers us if he's wrong. Additionally, he might be able to refer us to an agent in CA who could help us find a place to rent out there. We're going to make an appointment and see how things look. Being a former real-estate agent myself, I'm sure I can look out for us and spot a scam, plus this guy would be contracted as our listing agent and so owe us fiduciary responsibility such that any scam or dishonesty could cost him his license and/or Realtor status. As long as he doesn't turn out to be like Mr. 45 Minutes Late for an Appointment, above, things look good.
As the axiom goes, "Expect the best, plan for the worst." Once you're ready to accept the worst case scenario, anything else is a step to the better! Most of all, take the advice of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and "DON'T PANIC"
Our adventure continues.
Next up: Packing and Prioritizing!
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