Fredericksburg Texas

I’ve been patient.  I’ve been more than patient.  Now it’s time to blow off some frustration about the worker dudes at the Austin Street remodel in Fredericksburg Texas.

If you have been patiently following this process, you’ll note 1 or 2 times when I’ve expressed mild frustration or dismay with the worker dudes and their quality, attention to detail and thought processes.  Anyone who has ever attempted new construction or remodeling know what I’m talking about.

We are down to the nitty-gritty now, the small stuff the punch list.  We are also down to the end of the budget and there appears to be a growing gap in the correlation between work remaining and funds remaining.  Did I mention we are leased with a move-in of 5/15?  I am hearing things like “I got to get my guys out of here and on to the next job”, “you’re getting a real good deal on this” and (my personal favorite) “this is costing me more than I thought it would” from Mr. Contractor.

Yesterday was the final straw and is going to result in one of those “come to Jesus” talks that everyone eventually has with their contractor.  I went over with the wife to check things out (the worker dudes only worked a half day and are off today for a “retreat”) and we really gave the place the once over.  Examples of what we found include trim on newly installed window frames that looked like they were painted by my 4 yr. old (including the obvious paint slopped all over the screen material), the metal screen material is dented, the wood floors show wide swaths where the various coats of sealer were not applied, the screens and shutters on the small house were in the trash pile (they were to be painted and replaced), the window glass in all the windows on the small house have been sprayed over with primer, I could go on and on.

I’m psyching myself up to hold my temper when on Monday I will surely here excuse after excuse about how they’ve bent over backwards and are not making money, blah, blah, blah.  My responses will be along the lines of “you bid it, you deal with it”, “if your guys had not done “blank” then we wouldn’t be having this conversation”, etc.  Wish me luck!  Visit  Fredericksburg Texas

Check back a few posts where I detail the real truth about what we, as realtors in Fredericksburg Texas, take home out of those lofty commissions we all are swimming in. 

Now multiply the number of miles we drive in a year by the record gas prices and I think we’d have a strong case to make for a fuel surcharge (like the plumbers, electricians, airlines and delivery services are doing).  Bottom line, the cost of every phase of our business is increasing while commissions (and the subsequent splits) stay the same.  Sure, sure prices are rising so the commissions are too, right?  Wrong.  Too many agents! Free entry…ring a bell?  Don’t worry, if we (as a profession) don’t have the spine to raise our professional standards, we sure as heck won’t have the spine to have consumers help us offset our costs.

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Wow.  Is it just me or has the level of professionalism in marketing and presentation materials slipped?  In the last week, I’ve seen two promotional pieces, reportedly prepared by “professionals” in Fredericksburg Texas that are sure to cause embarrassment for the firms they were intended to benefit.

Who prepares this trash?  Doesn’t anyone proofread it?  If they did proofread it and didn’t catch the problems, what does that say?  Even scarier, will anyone but me notice?

This all goes back to my previous rants about “free entry” into our profession. Setting low standards for experience and licensure inevitably reflects poorly on all of us.  I am proud of what I do and I am proud of what I have accomplished in my career.  Many participants in the realm of residential realty hold their opinion of agents right up there with used car salesman.  That’s too bad (but not unexpected when you see what I’ve seen).  Visit Fredericksburg Texas

We’re about two weeks out from completion of our remodel in Fredericksburg Texas.  The “For Lease” sign is up and the calls are coming in.  FYI, we’re asking $975/month for a 12 month lease with a 1 month deposit.  Pets are not an option as I have removed the old and tired fencing to improve the exterior look of the home.  I will attempt to re-use some of that old “loop” fencing to create a perimeter around the smaller home once we start on it.

Since the last installment, the guys have finished the bathroom (trim etc.), laid the “retro” vinyl tile in the bathroom and kitchen, replaced and re-glazed all the windows, installed and painted the two new front doors (with new hardware and locksets), replaced all the cabinet hardware and created the “cut-out” for the refrigerator.  The items remaining include staining and sealing the wood floors, hanging the exterior window screens and screen doors, misc. trim clean-up and a few other “punch list” items too small to mention here.

As promised, I’ll post some before and after photos either here in the body of the blog or in an album.

To buy or sell property in Fredericksburg Texas visit Fredericksburg Texas

In a post on March 8, 2006 titled “Geeze Louise!” I referenced an article in the NY Times called “Endangered Species”.  Among other things, the post relates:

The latest.

The interior painting is complete and they are in the touch-up phase.  The floor in the bathroom has been repaired, the old tub has been replaced with a more modern (and usable) tub/shower combo and the fixtures have been re-plumbed.  All the floors (except for the kitchen) have been stripped and sanded and should be ready to stain this week.  The kitchen floor will be topped with vinyl tile laid in an interesting pattern.

All the electrical work is complete.  All switches, plates, fixtures and fans have been installed.

We’re getting down to the “nitty-gritty”! Items to complete include (in no particular order): stain and urethane the floors, install new front doors and locksets on all three exterior doors, carve out niche in kitchen for refrigerator, purchase and install appliances (frig and stove only), lay floors in kitchen and bath, install metal awning over back door, fix broken window glass, install exterior window screens, remove existing yard fencing, etc. etc. 

Believe it or not, I think we’re only about two weeks out from completion.  I’ll probably get the “For Lease” sign up later this week and start fielding calls.  Once this house is done, the guys will move over to the exterior of the smaller house and begin work on its exterior.  They’ll work there til we run out of $$.  I promise pictures in the next update!

Fredericksburg Texas Real Estate