Good News: I got my car back! It seems that its primary problem was that something had been chewing away on wiring inside the engine compartment. I guess that this is what happens when you basically leave your car sitting, unmoving, for six months. The damaged wiring was replaced to the tune of a few hundred dollars -- more than the 'nothing' that I wanted to spend, but better than the thousands dancing around in nightmarish visions inside my head. I was told to drive the car around for a week before my next smog test, to give the engine-control computer a chance to fully clear itself out -- one more week, and I'll be fully legal!
Bad News: After some preliminary research on the house mentioned in my last installment, our realtor found that it was purchased this March by an investment company for $440,000. This mysterious entity bought the house, made some unknown improvements -- added the picket fence? refinished the hardwood floors? -- and is now trying to 'flip' it less than five months later for a profit of thirty-three percent! We'd assumed that the house was empty for reasons that would be advantageous to us -- the seller moved, and was desperate to get rid of the old house, or somebody died, and his heirs were desperate to turn the house into cash -- but now it looks like we're dealing with someone/something that'll be hot to reap !!BIG PROFIT$!! from its 'investment' and thus won't be amenable to negotiating downwards.
Well, we'll see. It's not the only house in the world. We go up to see it with our realtor tomorrow; today we'll be driving around Eagle Rock/Glendale/Burbank.
Posted by Kevin at August 7, 2004 11:24 AM