How low can you go?

I got the first offer yet for the house in Sag Harbor over the weekend. It was low. VERY low. I currently have the place priced at $2.399M, lowered from the initial price of $2.795M at the outset. That's $400K lower.

A couple from the city has come to see the house THREE TIMES. The first time was at an open house. They stayed for 40 minutes. They then went to see the house for sale next door, Sue's house, and stayed for maybe 5 minutes. No surprise, it's an ugly house, a split ranch that has no 'Sag Harbor charm'. "Can we go back and look at the other house?" they said. So back they went for an additional 20 minutes to wander around. A week and a half later they made another appointment to see it on Black Friday. Again, they wandered about for quite a while. Lillian, my broker, said "I'm positive we will get a bid, a fair one". So the next morning we get the bid: just $2M. And here's the kicker, the wife is a broker working on her own behalf. I have to pay her two and half percent of the commission as well! So add ANOTHER $50K to the price. Not good. I thought about it all day and discussed with Scott. I decided not to counter. I wasn't going to honor such a comically low bid. FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS LESS? No way. Not gonna happen. If they really like the house then they can put a real offer on the table for me to react to. I heard back that they were "disappointed there wasn't a counter". Whatever. Come back when you really want to negotiate. I've put it out of my mind after I finish this post. I'm gonna assume it's over. Finis. Bye, Felicia.

Stumped

There was an annoying tree stump in the backyard that was really upsetting my view of the backyard. It wasn't a large stump but I consider them so white trashy looking. It had to go. So I brought my table saw from Sag Harbor last week to get the job done. You make sever cuts into the top of the stump and more perpendicular to those. This makes it easier to cut it down in layers with the reciprocating saw. It's not as easy as you'd think. Holding both saws is hard on the arms. It took several layers of cutting to get it down to (almost) ground level. But it was worth it. It now blends into the rock that it was near and will continue to detiriorate with age. Here are two BEFORE & AFTER shots of it.

Joist in time

One of the things (among many) was some problems in the basement crawlspace. There were several rotted wooden joists that had become damaged over the years from a low window moisture problem. There was also an apparent leak in a waste pipe. Once my contractor Richard was able to get in there and asses what was going on he found that the pipe was ok but that the joists really did need to be replaced. It wasn't cheap ($2600) but it was far cheaper than the credit I got from negotiating with the sellers after the house's inspection. They gave me a $5000 credit, so at least on this one I came out ahead. Here are pics of the new joists in place:

'Clark Park'

We worked like demons in the yard the last few days. Well, mostly it was Scott, but I certainly did my part. He really had a vision for clearing even more brush from the periphery of the property off to the left near the street and going back a ways. He also wanted to shear the huge rhododendron bushes up along their trunks a bit, to get the lower limbs up off the ground. His hope is that more grass and pachysandra will fill in the cleared ground. He loved his handywork, he said 'it looks like a park!'. And I called it "Clark Park" after his Jack Russell, Clark. I lost track of all the wheelbarrow loads of yard debris that I hauled to the back of the property. Thank God for that ravine, I don't know how we'd get rid of all that stuff if we didn't have a place to dump it.

Bed & a backup

Since we've started camping out here at the new house we've been sleeping on air mattresses borrowed from my broker in the Hamptons, Lillian. They were fine for the first few weeks, a little squishy to sleep on but 'beggars can't be choosers', right? But I ended up wanting to make things a little more livable, so I bought a new mattress for us to sleep on. The primary bedroom is quite sizable, I decided to splurge on a king sized one to give us more room at night. The size is really conducive for two men and a little dog who insists on sleeping with his dad! I'm still testing out the firmness. I went with FIRM because my mattress in Sag was feeling a little soft and I've been suffering from backaches (or is it just old age??) A little more support was called for...but I'm still waking up with pain, ugh. So the next step is to try a mattress cover with padding. It could be the softness I need with the support underneath. I still have a few more weeks before I'm committed to this mattress so stay tuned.

This past weekend one of my 'must' tasks was to learn how to turn on and operate the electrical generator. We hear that from time to time the power goes out in this neighborhood and having this system will allow us to weather the storm so to speak. It would keep the fridge, furnace, internet going for about 12 hours on a small amount of gas. I looked up how-to videos for the make and model the previous owners left us and I was able to start it up. It's relatively easy thank God. Now I'm sorta prepared for the first outage *fingers crossed*.

The yard overhaul

Scott really wanted all the pachysandra beds around the house weeded. Also all the day lillies around the property had to go (I hate day lillies), and the weird southwestern flavored plants along the side of the house were an eyesore too. They just didn't match the vibe of the house. We want a more 'cottege-y' look. But this was a LOT of work. He decided to have a yard crew do it, the guy that does our neighbors' yard. His name is Edgar. All this was not gonna be cheap tho. I didn't have the funds right now to cover it. It was something he wanted very much so Scott sprung for the cost, a whopping $800. I asked Edgar if he'd throw in a cut of the lawns for that price, he agreed. His crew of 3 guys were here for about about 7 hours. They worked hard. It was well worth it. It would have taken us at least a month to get all that done. It was a beautiful day, crisp Autumn weather. Here are a bunch of pics, I thought it almost looked like a park!

You an innie...or an Audi?

The day that Scott attended the final walk-thru at the new house with our realtor Marc, he then went car shopping with his friend Jeff. They ended up at the Audi dealership in Fairfield. He called me and said, "Guess where I am". He had his eyes set on a gray-green number, a 2021 pre-owned with only 21,000 miles on it. He pondered and pondered and decided to get it. He was SO happy to have wheels again. The one problem was that there was a flaw in the leater on the passenger side seat, a weird crease. He got a better deal and a few complications and weeks later (a long story about getting all the right documentation for Connecticut owneship), the car was his. He brought it home last weekend and it's very nice. Tons of bells and whistles that I know nothing about. What matters most is that he loves it.

He'll keep it here in the garage and we'll use it when we want to travel around Connecticut in style ;)

Vine time

On one of the walls off the back porch was a very large overgrown vine, a climbing hydrangea. It was beautiful but had totally gotten out of hand. It was crawling into the gutter above and I was worried it would do damage to the exterior stonework. When the technicians came to do the pest exclusion they offered to help me cut it back a lot in order to make sure there were no problems with the stone OR openings where pests could possibly be gettin in. They suggested keeping the vine (I wanted to get rid of it altogether), and that if it were kept in check, flat against the stone, it would looke much better. So that's what we did. In the Spring it should start to fill out nicely. Hopefully this 'haircut' will make it flourish. BEFORE:

AFTER:

Bye, bye ugly garden

One of my tasks the last few weeks has been to take down the ugly, and I mean UGLY, garden just off the back patio. What an eyesore. Perhaps at some point it looked decent but the previous owners had let it go to wrack and ruin. Overgrown plantings, weeds for days, unsightly and dilapidated fencing surrounding it. It was a mess. I couldn't fathom why anybody would want to mar the view to the backyard with that mess. You see it from the sun room, the living room, and the primary bedroom. All you want to see is a nice pristine expanse of yard. Instead it's blocked by junk. It had to go. But it wasn't easy. In addition to the tall wooden fence, there was wire and plastice fencing at the ground level with random old pieces of slate inserted here and there. I'm sure it was to prevent critters from getting to the vegetables and plants. The major tentpoles for the fencing were buried deep. And to add to the difficulty of pulling it up, the wire and plastic were stapled AND zip-tied to the wood. I had to use wire cutters to pull out all the staples and to cut the zips. NOT easy. Very tedious. After many hours of pulling, sweating, getting eaten by mosquitos, and backaches, i finally got it all out and it's MUCH better. And it will only improve as grass takes ove the bare plot. Here are a couple of pics of the heinous BEFORE:

And here is the AFTER: :)

One more after we had a yard crew cut the lawn...

EXPLOSION!

Earlier this week was pretty much a catastrophe. In the basement there is a very large contraption. It is the septic tank pump.

When this house was built back in the 1930's there were two septic tanks for two parts of the house. At some point one of the tanks was closed down, probably filled. As a consequence all the waste water from the dishwasher, washing machine, and kitchen now goes into one tank. It gets there via this large pump. If there were waste from the sewing room bathroom or the powder room it would also go thru it. The waste from the primary bath and upstairs bathroom goes directly into the septic as it's in the side yard by those rooms, no need to travel thru the pump. All good, except when it's not. There is a monitoring alarm system connected to the pump. The other night it started beeping. LOUDLY. And there were flashing lights.

I was freaking out. I had just put a load of wash on, could that be setting it off? Luckily there was a sticker on the pipes above it that said 'In case of emergency call this number', Garrity Water Solutions. Garrity was the company that had done the inspection on the well and had installed the new well pump a few weeks ago. I called them and they told me to umplug the pump and re-set it. I did that and it seemed to work, but they would come out the following day. Two nice technicians showed up in the afternoon, Ben and Wes. They were working away in the basement checking out the system when all of a sudden I heard a very loud noise, almost a full-blown explosion. Then voices, yelling. "Fuck! FUCK!! TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!!" Then, "It got in my eyes...and my mouth!" This did not sound good. A few minutes later I went downstairs, "Are you guys ok??" The were not. A pipe gasket above the pump gave out. Waste water went everywhere. They were drenched in it. The grossness of this cannot be overstated. There was water all over the basement floor. They said that whover had installed the pump did it very poorly. They had used fittings and gaskets that were the completely wrong size to stand up to the pressure the pump needs to generate to get the waste up and out to the septic tank in the side yard. I asked if I was going to need a new pump, or, worse, if the whole system was shot. They said no, they'd take care of it. Awhile later they had replaced the problem joint piece and left. Surprisingly, they were in good spirits considereing they were wet with yuck. Later, I was glad it was not poop water, just old kitchen waste water. But that's not the end of it. Fifteen minutes after they left I was hand washing some dishes when THE ALARM WENT OFF AGAIN. I re-set it again and went to take a shower. When I got out it was beeping AGAIN. I called the emergency 24 hour emergency number (it was 11:30). I think I woke up who I later found out was the owner, Evan Garrity. He said they'd show up tomorrow. Even himself showed up. After examination he determined that the problem was a faulty float inside the pump tank. It goes off if waste level gets too high for the pump to grind up and push out. He also replaced several of the pipe joint gaskets around the pump to make sure they were strong enough to withstand the pump's pressure. So a THOUSAND dollars later for parts and labor, all was fixed. Very expensive but if it prevents another explosion it was well worth it.

The Yard Man Cometh

I woke up that first morning in the house to find Scott had been up since 6:30 (it was now 8:00). He had been working in the yard already chopping down shrubs and bushes left and right. He was drenched with sweat because the day was so humid. Clark was watching him tethered to an in-ground stake. As a reminder, here is the house BEFORE he started...

and here is the AFTER...

Clark looking on with the cut down bushes by the wayside...

He was doing all this with a HAND SAW! Poor thing, he got blisters on his hands. I went to Home Depot and bought him a new toy, a Milwaukee brand reciprocating saw.

They're typically not used in the yard but I Googled if it was possible to cut branches with them and the answer was 'yes, if you use the right blade'. The next time he worked in the yard it worked like a charm to cut down the stumps. He cut down EVEN MORE branches on other trees...and I don't think he's done!

And so it begins...

I drove up that Friday after the closing. I picked up Scott who was staying with his good friend Jeff who lives in nearby Norwalk. We camped out at the house that weekend. I brought two air mattresses I borrowed from my Hamptons broker, Lillian, and we slept on those. I brought some basic kitchen things, linens, towels, gardening tools, etc. I woke up on Saturday morning and Scott had been up since 6 working in the yard. He had already chopped down and/or pruned many bushes, shrubs, and tree limbs. It was a super humid day and he was drenched in sweat. I decided to jump right in and begin fixin some of the house issues that the inspection report detailed. I immediately got a pest control company to start the process of sealing up the house from 'critters'. The put poison and traps in the attic space and came back a week later to see what was caught (just one mouse as it turns out). Then they cam back a week later for the exclusion process. Two technicians came and stayed all day, sealing, caulking, covering any place where pests could get in.

That week I also had a water systems company come and replace the well pump. The old one was working but was on it's last legs. The installers took quite a while to get the new one in. I heard a LOT of grunting and yelling comeing from the basement, it couldn't have been easy to get that thing in the small pump room. They told me the well was 125 feet down, pretty average as it goes.

Next up was getting the washing machine and dryer up to speed. They were both in good condition but the gasket on the washer was filthy...mold and what looked like pet hair clogged around the edges. I wanted to start fresh and clean with a new gasket, plus have the dryer looked at, just in case there were any lint build-up issues. $400 later that was taken care of.

Last on this week's list was installing the internet modem. Scott really needed wifi for when he was at the house doing his work. He offered to pay for the installation until I sold the Sag Harbor house. At first the technician and I couldn't find the right wire...then we discovered it went up into the home office, so that's where the modem will sit. Scott is buying two extenders to push the signal more efficiently thru the house.

In addition, I'm getting a bid for all the 'mechanical' list of things on the house that need fixing/updating, things that don't require an architect's attention. I also have Steve the architect working on the kitchen design. I'm not pressuring him for that as I can't pay for it until Sag sells.

It was meant to be (the love letter)

The asking price was $897K. I had learned that you didn't make an offer right at asking in this crazy Connecticut market. You had to bid over asking. The open house was on a Saturday and they were expecting "best and final" offers by Monday with a probably answer by Tuesday. Things happened super fast. I decided to bid $940K, thinking it was a decent offer, well over asking. Now remember, the kitchen and the primary bath needed an overhaul AND I wanted to open up the living room and dining room with case openings. I figured I was in for at least $200K if I also wanted to put in a small pool. Scott pointed out that other houses in the neighborhood were Zillow priced at around $1.5M so I'd be well under that all in with these costs.

I also decided on a secret weapon: a 'love letter' to the owners, telling them how much I wanted the house. Just a couple of weeks before I saw a TikTok video with the real estate maven Barbara Corcoran talking about these kind of letters sometimes make the difference in a bidding war, they make your bid stand out from all the others. I thought 'what the hell, can't hurt and it could help', so I wrote mine and laid it on THICK. Here it is... July 31, 2023 To the Owners of 98 Dogwood Lane, Yesterday was a very special day for me. After a full year of searching for a new home I think I’ve (hopefully) found the one....your beautiful house. From the moment I spotted the listing online I fell in love with so many of the details that make it special...the Tudor style, the stonework, the carefully thought-out landscaping, small things like the oculus window in front to big things like the soaring ceiling height in the main living room. All features that I never dreamed could be found in one home but there it was! BLAME IT ON LUCY When I was a kid growing up watching endless re-runs of “I Love Lucy”, I always wanted a home in Connecticut just like the Ricardos had when they moved out of NewYork. There was something about a lovely home amid tall trees and grass in a locale with real history that really spoke to this city kid. THE ARCHITECTURAL CHERRY ON TOP My minor way back in my college days was architectural history. So imagine my surprise to find that your home has such a famous pedigree in it’s designer. I am familar with Gustav Steinbeck’s work and it would be a complete honor to actually own such a fine example of his work, truly amazing. PRESERVATION IS MY MIDDLE NAME If I were lucky enough to own this home I would treasure it’s design and do everything to maintain it’s architectural integrity.Any upgrades would stay true to the historic feeling... why tamper with success? I BELIEVE IN SIGNS One of the first things that drew me to my current home was the sprawling dogwood tree right in front, I look forward to those white blooms every Spring. And now I find a house to purchase on DOGWOOD LANE...kismet? karma? divine intervention? whatever it is,The Universe could be imparting something here... So please know as you review my bid that I honestly LOVE this house and am convinced that I could spend many happy years there. I promise to be good custodian to it’s many wonderful charms, rest assured that the home would be in very caring hands. THANK YOU & sincerely, Ron Castillo I found out that Monday from my broker Marc that I didn't get it. I was the third highest bid. Bummer. I sighed a big sigh and thought "oh well". The selling broker told Marc that my love letter almost made the sellers go with me, but not quite, NATCH (money wins out every time). After another day of thinking I texted Marc and told him that I was pulling the plug on this house search, at least in these 'shoreline' towns. It was out of my price range, the process was too cumbersome, I was tired of it. I was done. Cut to one week later. Marc texted me to say that "the first two buyers have back out, Dogwood is yours if you want it". Apparentlyt the highest bidder, a woman, had "too much going on right now" and backed out of the deal. The second highest bidders had already found another place. That left me. In times like this I believe in signs. The Universe was telling me I should have this house. So I took it. And just like that it was mine. Of course I think it was the love letter that did the trick! LOL But first I needed to do the house inspection. Marc reco'd a company called Pillar to Post. They were not cheap. To do the most thorough inspection they offered was TWO GRAND. Ugh. But I figured this had to be done right so I swallowed and went for it.

We drove out the day of the inspection and met one of Marc's co-worker who was covering for him, Sue. Marc was on vacation in Europe. Sue was a dotty British woman who was quick with her opinions. She reminded me a lot of the character Aunt Clara from the old 60's sitcom "Bewitched". We were there for over 3 hours. In the end we found out that the well pump was old and needed to be replaced. There were also some leaks in some basement crawlspace pipes due to a low window that needed better drainage. I told Marc to go back at the sellers with a revised bid taking $11,500K off the initial offer. They countered at $10K and I accepted. Marc gave me the name of a local attorney who handled all the paperwork for me. His name was Jim Miller. A very nice man who was quick to let me know that he was legally blind. I never met him in person but I enjoyed every conversation I had with him, he had a genuine friendly personality. The closing came and went in a flash. It was all handled by the lawyers by FedEx. Scott met Marc that morning at the house for the final walk-thru. All was well and shortly after that the house was mine on September 7th.

The Forever Home?

Scott spotted it first. He loves to haunt Zillow and he came across a house that looked almost too good to be true. An English Tudor Revival in the town of Stamford, a town I knew absolutely nothing about. It was just so striking and handsome, it had me from the first picture in the listing. And that red door...I MEAN...

There was an open house that weekend, so I said "Let's go". Of course there were lots of people there when we pulled into the driveway. The house sits so nicely on the property, you look up at it placed elegantly on a small hill. It was built in 1939 and it's oozing with period charm...a high-ceilinged living room with rustic beams, a big stone fireplace, nicely proportioned rooms that are TOO big. Aside from the exterior lovliness, the layout of the floorplan is what's so interesting. The entryway and living room are flanked on one side by the bedrooms and home office, and on the other side is the dining room, sun porch, kitchen, and family room/den. Best of all is a whole separate upstairs bedroom and bath billed in the listing as the 'au pair suite'. I think back in the day it was probably called 'the maid's quarters'. That clinched it. That room would be an absulutely fanastic sewing room. Lot of space for me to do my thing, a creative sanctuary that no one would ever see except me, I loved it. Now the bad news: the kitchen and priamary bath were (and still are) terrible. My guess was that they were an early 90's renovation that the owners probably did with the best of intentions, but they haven't aged well at all, totally anachronistic to the style of the period the house was built. I also want to open up a couple of walls to create some case openings from the kitchen to the dining room and family den. I'm sure NONE of this will be cheap but it will look great once it'sre-done. Are these spaces fine for now? Absulutely. But could they be made SO much better? NO DOUBT. It was destined to be an adventure that would last at least 9 or 10 months, NOT a small undertaking. Here are the initial pics from the listing, the 'BEFORE' photos, if you will...

I decided to take the plunge yet again and make an offer. But this time it was going to be well over the asking price, I was determined to play this game better this time around.