Not just another Wednesday

charlotte989875

We made it (almost). Watched the helicopter take off this morning but still hoping for nothing crazy between now and noon. 

I loved the flags on the mall instead of people. I thought it was a beautiful way to recognize that people wouldn’t be gathering there. 

MyNameIsNot

I made the mistake of turning on the tv as soon as I sat down in my office. This idiot is speaking now. I had to mute before he ruined my day. I can't wait for him to fade into obscurity. 

banana468

I chose not to listen to him nor did I play the 20 minute speech last night after the transcript review noted that Biden is not mentioned. 

I wonder how many Melanias are on the helicopter. 

ILoveBeachMusic

Got a headache listening to him - shouldn't have done that. Glad to have a man who practices his faith in office instead of one who just does a photo op.

kvruns

For those with Meijer nearby, you can sign up on their website to be contacted when a vaccine is available for which you meet the criteria. I think that's a nice way to do it if it works as intended. 

MNNEBride

It's a good day indeed.  Hoping to watch some of the coverage over lunch.  

We've been hit hard this week for home repairs.  On Sunday, I noticed the dryer was not getting clothes dry in one cycle.  I'm not sure if it's the dryer or if we have a clogged vent.  The laundry room is not on an outside wall so the vent is long and goes through the foundation (I think, we are on a slab).  We have a service plan for appliances through our gas company so they are coming this morning to look at it.  If the machine is working properly, I'll need to call someone to clean the vent and look at our ductwork.  Will get all cleaned at same time if needed.

Yesterday, DH opened the curtain for our slider and the curtain and half of the rod fell on his head.  I was able to fix that.  After DH left for work, I went to open the garage door.  It would only open about a foot and no further.  It closed ok.  Looks like we have a broken spring.  Repair person coming today - estimate: $300.

At the end of last week we got our first gas bill at new house.  It was much higher than expected.  My brother was over on Saturday and we mentioned it to him (he works for gas co.).  He went out and read the meter.  It read lower than the "actual" reading on our bill.  So DH called company on Monday but couldn't reach anyone so he sent an email requesting a re-read of the meter.  Guy came yesterday and discovered the new electronic head on the meter was programed incorrectly and likely read double the amount of usage.  He fixed it and we should be getting a correction on our account.  

It's been a week of homeowner realities...

Edited to add:  Yes, I'm WFH and wearing pearls with my cardigan, jeans and slippers!

missJeanLouise

ILoveBeachMusic said:

Got a headache listening to him - shouldn't have done that. Glad to have a man who practices his faith in office instead of one who just does a photo op.

I think trump absolutely practiced his faith in office. His faith is self promotion, greed, narcissism. Any religious faith is a photo op, I don't believe he actually cares about any of that. 

Not a lot going on here. DH is home this week, and next, because the receptionist at his office tested positive. They aren't requiring it, he is taking advantage, lol. 

OliveOilsMom

MNNE - Welcome to the wonderful world of homeownership!

Today is the day I have waited 4 years for!  His petty ass is gone and just an hour and 15 minutes to go till we have a competent and compassionate President again!  And I'm so excited to be able to say Madame Vice President!

Yoga later.  Not sure if I updated yesterday, but DDs Covid test was negative!

ei34

I’m going to try to catch snippets of the Inauguration in a bit.  It’s streaming in the cafeteria and auditorium but I’ll be in math and science classes for most of it and I’m not sure my co-teachers will want to devote the entire period to it. Fingers crossed it goes smoothly today and (even bigger hope) that Trump and his trumpers kind of fizzle out in the next couple of months. 

banana468

I'm wearing pearls, a navy BLUE sweater and Adidas Superstars.   I don't own Chuck Taylors.

ILoveBeachMusic

missJeanLouise said:

ILoveBeachMusic said:

Got a headache listening to him - shouldn't have done that. Glad to have a man who practices his faith in office instead of one who just does a photo op.

I think trump absolutely practiced his faith in office. His faith is self promotion, greed, narcissism. Any religious faith is a photo op, I don't believe he actually cares about any of that. 

Not a lot going on here. DH is home this week, and next, because the receptionist at his office tested positive. They aren't requiring it, he is taking advantage, lol. 

I was referring to Drump's photo op in front of St. John's church last year. Biden wasn't making a photo op - he regularly attends mass.

Edited- spelling

Casadena

We officially have a new President and VP.  What an exciting day!!  I couldnt' care less about a President being religious as long as he or she is a decent person (which you absolutely don't need religion to be). But I agree that it's nice that Biden claims to be religious and actually practices.  

Does anyone have recommendations for a cleanser, cream, serum, SOMETHING to help my sensitive, acne prone, and VERY very dry face?  It's never been this bad before, but everything i'm trying is making me break out, which just makes it hurt more.  

missJeanLouise

@Casadena have you tried a cleanser/toner with witch hazel in it? There was one I used to get that was rose water with witch hazel. I think it is the same guys who make the all purpose purple camping shampoo, I swear it somehow dried and moisturized at the same time, idk how. Other than that, my skin has been super dry and dull lately so I have been putting on my night cream on during the day. But idk if that would help with the breakouts.




CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE! we finally have a president who can form complete, coherent sentences again. 

STARMOON44

wow all of that was incredible. Gaga slayed. 

short+sassy

((Rant and a lot of venting and sadness))

Here is my absolutely sickening update from yesterday.

My H just called me after leaving City Hall.  Apparently I was very mistaken.  The POS, worthless city I live in has chosen not to schedule any evictions for non-payment of rent.  Despite the fact that many people, like my tenant, do not qualify for that under the CDC moratorium.  And stupid Biden...who I like otherwise...is expected to ask the CDC to immediately extend this nightmare until September.  It's one of the reasons I despise all politicians.  They're all screaming about no evictions.  But don't put their money where their mouth is!!!!  Yeah.  It's real fucking easy to make your constituents happy when you're FORCING private companies to be the ones paying for it.

Food, running water, and electricity are also important.  But I don't see anyone forcing utilities to be free.  Or grocery stores to buy food and pay for overheard, only to have to give all their products away for free.

I'm not exaggerating.  I am sick to my stomach right now.  At even the thought that this scumbag, thieving person could potentially scam me out of $11K in rent.  And the government itself is allowing it and not protecting me.

Y'all, I'm out.  I won't sell the rentals I have.  However I will never buy another one.  In some ways, it's always been a riskier type of investment.  But now that I see how quickly and easily the government can take away my rights, it adds another 10 layers to the risk level.

NOLA is one of the highest levels of distressed properties in the country.  5% is considered a "crisis" level.  We are at 12%.  I have PERSONALLY...just me and my H, no partners...fixed up and brought back 3 distressed duplexes that were entirely vacant.  That is SIX rental units that have been brought back to market, BY ME, after being vacant for years.

And I will NEVER do that again.  I'm not the only one.  That is the long-term consequences of these kind of bullshit policies.  Me and the thousands of people like me, stop buying and fixing up rental properties.  Stop building rental properties and apartment complexes.  Over time, rental inventory shrinks and rental prices go even higher.

I work SO HARD for my money...most of my adult life I have had a f/t job along with a p/t and/or gig work job also...that I just can't do this anymore.  I cannot work this hard only to have people blatantly steal from me.

ILoveBeachMusic

missJeanLouise said:

@Casadena have you tried a cleanser/toner with witch hazel in it? There was one I used to get that was rose water with witch hazel. I think it is the same guys who make the all purpose purple camping shampoo, I swear it somehow dried and moisturized at the same time, idk how. Other than that, my skin has been super dry and dull lately so I have been putting on my night cream on during the day. But idk if that would help with the breakouts.




CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE! we finally have a president who can form complete, coherent sentences again. 

Yes and use a variety of words along with words that have more than two syllables. 

CharmedPam

I’m sorry you have no protection @short+sassy.  That sucks.  People will take advantage of this!

missJeanLouise

@short+sassy do they have landlord insurance like they have renter insurance?

MNNEBride

Can I just tell you guys that I let out a big sigh of relief after Joe took the oath of office?  

ILoveBeachMusic

@short+sassy I'm so sorry you have been put in that position. Is there anyway to garnish wages? Or is that protected under the no eviction act. I mean if she is working, I would think you would be able to get something. My unprofessional opinion though.

And y'all, when I said it was nice to see a president that actually practices his faith, I didn't mean he needed to have a faith. Trump professed to be a Christian but in 4 years I never saw any evidence in action or character of that. Don't profess to be something you aren't.

short+sassy

CharmedPam said:

I’m sorry you have no protection @short+sassy.  That sucks.  People will take advantage of this!

Thanks for listening.

SO MANY people already have.  Which is part of why, how the government has handled it has been so utterly appalling.  I'm just sad to have also become a victim.  I'm going to check on this tactic with my RE forum but I assume that, even if she is still living in my property, I can still take her to small claims court.  Over and over again.  And keep collecting judgments I can use to garnish her wages.  Maybe if I make her life difficult enough legally...I would never do anything illegal...she'll GTFO and move on to the next sucker.

It's also frustrating because I think a lot of people assume that rent is just this big, ole' ball of profit.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It's a slim profit business considering the cost to buy and maintain properties.  The majority of rent just goes to paying for the loan, property taxes, insurance, and upkeep.  That's not just me.  That's almost all rental property owners.

Most RE investors strive to earn a net profit of $200-$250/month per door, ie per rental unit.  That's it.  I'm earning $420/door for this duplex, because we buy distressed properties and put in a lot of money and sweat equity in the beginning to keep our "all in" cost lower.  But that is only when both sides are occupied with paying tenants.  Right now, I'm losing every single dollar of profit PLUS it's taking money out of my pocket.  

banana468

@short+sassy  I'm there with you too.  

Most landlords are not Trump/Kushners as millionaires owning huge properties.  I'm one and lucky that our tenant pays us promptly.   We need that money to pay the mortgage on that property that no one wanted to buy 10 years ago because the housing market tanked.

Is there any recourse that landlords DO have?  We are not in that position and not in your state but I'm curious if there's any process that you have in light of the nonpayment.    

short+sassy

banana468 said:

@short+sassy  I'm there with you too.  

Most landlords are not Trump/Kushners as millionaires owning huge properties.  I'm one and lucky that our tenant pays us promptly.   We need that money to pay the mortgage on that property that no one wanted to buy 10 years ago because the housing market tanked.

Is there any recourse that landlords DO have?  We are not in that position and not in your state but I'm curious if there's any process that you have in light of the nonpayment.    

and to answer @ILo@ILoveBeachMusic

Right now, there isn't any government help I'm entitled to.  The care package they passed in December FINALLY had some rent relief for landlords affected.  But, because it is only a drop in the bucket compared to rents owed, there are a lot of qualifiers for it.  It's not enough a tenant hasn't paid you.  That tenant also has to be pretty much below the poverty line.  That's not specifically what it says, but that is what it boils down to.

Supposedly we can still evict her if she breaks another term in the lease and doesn't correct it.  We have a few plans and ideas, but there isn't a lot we can do.  For example, we are going to start doing a monthly inspection to make sure there is no damage since her security deposit is now gone.  Under my lease, tenants are responsible for paying damage they cause as it occurs and this is especially critical now that she is in arrears and obviously has no morals.

As mentioned in my above post, I'm also going to see if I can sue her in small claims court every 2 months or so, for the rent.

Right now, my mind is going nuclear and I'm assuming the worst because I've seen it happen to other people.  But hopefully it isn't the worst case scenario.  

I remember you all have a long-time tenant in your previous residence.  I'm so glad you all haven't had any problems with them.  Some of my tenants are like that also and they are just worth their weight in gold.  The rent for two of those units is below market.  Not a lot, $50-$100/month below.  But their awesomeness and how easy they make my life is worth more than that to me, so I've always kept their rents the same rather than risk losing them.

short+sassy

missJeanLouise said:

@short+sassy do they have landlord insurance like they have renter insurance?

I "kind of" do.  But it is capped at $1,000, per tenant.  Overall, insurance like that doesn't really exist.  The $1,000 unpaid rent, per tenant is an add-on for the property insurance I have.  It's not something that can be purchased outside of an insurance policy.  The insurance company I use for that property is primarily geared toward rentals.

However, if the "no rent" was due to a calamity covered under my insurance policy, then I would be covered for the full rent up to 6 months.  But that would be like if the building burned down or had fire damage.  Or if the roof was ripped off in a hurricane.

missJeanLouise

@short+sassy a pandemic doesn't count as a calamity? Insurance is such a scam.

short+sassy

missJeanLouise said:

@short+sassy a pandemic doesn't count as a calamity? Insurance is such a scam.

Weelll, not one that causes property damage, lmao.  And that's literally what that clause of that "lost rent" insurance is about.  That if an insured event occurs that causes the unit or property to become uninhabitable, then they will pay the rent up to 6 months.

Here's a good example of that.  If the property floods from outside forces, ie heavy rain water or a levee breaking, etc., this is a typical property insurance that does not cover flooding.  My flood insurance is a separate policy with a different company.  But if the property becomes uninhabitable due to floodwaters, the main insurance company doesn't cover the rents for that either because it's not a "covered peril" with them.  Unfortunately, most flood policies don't have the "lost rent" option for flood damage.

VarunaTT

I feel like a crushing weight has been lifted from my chest, honestly.  Trump laid out some bullshit before leaving that directly affects my community, but hopefully Biden takes care of that quickly.  The White House website contact now requests your pronouns...what 4 hours after he was sworn in?  Representation and validation matters.

I watched the inauguration and I cried through a lot of it.  Seeing Kamala sworn in meant a lot to me; I can't even imagine what it must've felt like for Black women and South Asian women.  Just seeing politicians who seemed to have emotions, real genuine love and excitement on their face, rather than that puckered up sullen orange face...it just made me feel so much better, so much more human.  Gaga slayed the anthem, JLo didn't mess up, Garth was okay, but the inauguration was 100000% stolen by Amanda Gorman.  Her poetry moved me greatly; I think hearing a young black woman speak with hope and promise about our country unfurled something in my chest and helped me find some hope again too.

I'm going for a celebratory drink after work and then probably heading home.  I'm struggling with my allergies and asthma and I'm over it.  Still a lot on my plate at work, which is nice.

kvruns

that sucks @short+sassy  GUessing you can't get anything from the new set of PPP funds? Or is that what you referenced saying that there are too many who already qualify now so not likely to get any?

short+sassy

VarunaTT said:

I feel like a crushing weight has been lifted from my chest, honestly.  Trump laid out some bullshit before leaving that directly affects my community, but hopefully Biden takes care of that quickly.  The White House website contact now requests your pronouns...what 4 hours after he was sworn in?  Representation and validation matters.

I watched the inauguration and I cried through a lot of it.  Seeing Kamala sworn in meant a lot to me; I can't even imagine what it must've felt like for Black women and South Asian women.  Just seeing politicians who seemed to have emotions, real genuine love and excitement on their face, rather than that puckered up sullen orange face...it just made me feel so much better, so much more human.  Gaga slayed the anthem, JLo didn't mess up, Garth was okay, but the inauguration was 100000% stolen by Amanda Gorman.  Her poetry moved me greatly; I think hearing a young black woman speak with hope and promise about our country unfurled something in my chest and helped me find some hope again too.

I'm going for a celebratory drink after work and then probably heading home.  I'm struggling with my allergies and asthma and I'm over it.  Still a lot on my plate at work, which is nice.

I couldn't watch because I was working.  I appreciate the summary and your thoughts.

And maybe I shouldn't even share a downer.  Because I know Rome wasn't built in a day.  But one of the headlines I read this morning really bummed me out.  On a day that should be filled with hope and promise.  It was a reminder of the bullshit world we still live in.  An article about VP Harris's inauguration outfit and that it was created by a black designer.  

(My thoughts as if I was speaking to the article).  Cool.  And who was Biden wearing?  (Silence.  I tap on my imaginary microphone.  Hello?  Who was Biden wearing?)

Oh yeah!  That's right.  We almost never talk about what men wear.  Only women.  Even when they are the Vice President of the United States.

short+sassy

kvruns said:

that sucks @short+sassy  GUessing you can't get anything from the new set of PPP funds? Or is that what you referenced saying that there are too many who already qualify now so not likely to get any?

The PPP is only to encourage companies from laying people off.  The only thing a PPP loan considers is payroll expenses.  I looked into it last year and qualified for $3400 because "I'm" an employee.  Funny enough, not so much because of my rentals, but because my gig job had been suspended.  I don't really have my business set up to pay a paycheck to myself, but it was allowed for sole owner LLC's also.

Except, even though I applied for it through multiple banks, all of them were "too busy" to process my loan.  One of them went all the way through to where I spoke to an underwriter who told me it would be sent to the SBA within the next few days.  Only to get a rejection letter two months later because "due to time constraints, we never sent your loan to the SBA".  So I never got a damn thing.

I will try again this time around with a local, brick and mortar bank.  The lobbies for all of those were closed last time, so I was trying to use online banks.  Hindsight being 20/20, obviously a $3400 mistake.  Now I can try with banks I have a relationship with.

No, what I was referencing before is a specific part in the Dec. package that is $25B dollars allocated just for rent relief and will be sent directly to landlords that have tenants in arrears.  It will be allocated to states based on their population (not tenant) numbers.  Oh, wait though, unless your state has cities with a population greater than 500K and then that city will get its own allocation (I guess outside of the state allocation).  And then state and local agencies will dole it out.  So, as you can see with going through many layers of government, it will turn into a giant and inefficient clusterf**k.  In fact, I think states and cities are still waiting to see what their allocation will be.

The article I just read also gave a great example of one of the major flaws.  CA has a greater population than NY.  But NY, primarily because of NYC, has twice as many renters per capita as CA does.  So CA's potential rent relief per tenant is twice as much as NY's. 

VarunaTT

short+sassy said:

VarunaTT said:

I feel like a crushing weight has been lifted from my chest, honestly.  Trump laid out some bullshit before leaving that directly affects my community, but hopefully Biden takes care of that quickly.  The White House website contact now requests your pronouns...what 4 hours after he was sworn in?  Representation and validation matters.

I watched the inauguration and I cried through a lot of it.  Seeing Kamala sworn in meant a lot to me; I can't even imagine what it must've felt like for Black women and South Asian women.  Just seeing politicians who seemed to have emotions, real genuine love and excitement on their face, rather than that puckered up sullen orange face...it just made me feel so much better, so much more human.  Gaga slayed the anthem, JLo didn't mess up, Garth was okay, but the inauguration was 100000% stolen by Amanda Gorman.  Her poetry moved me greatly; I think hearing a young black woman speak with hope and promise about our country unfurled something in my chest and helped me find some hope again too.

I'm going for a celebratory drink after work and then probably heading home.  I'm struggling with my allergies and asthma and I'm over it.  Still a lot on my plate at work, which is nice.

I couldn't watch because I was working.  I appreciate the summary and your thoughts.

And maybe I shouldn't even share a downer.  Because I know Rome wasn't built in a day.  But one of the headlines I read this morning really bummed me out.  On a day that should be filled with hope and promise.  It was a reminder of the bullshit world we still live in.  An article about VP Harris's inauguration outfit and that it was created by a black designer.  

(My thoughts as if I was speaking to the article).  Cool.  And who was Biden wearing?  (Silence.  I tap on my imaginary microphone.  Hello?  Who was Biden wearing?)

Oh yeah!  That's right.  We almost never talk about what men wear.  Only women.  Even when they are the Vice President of the United States.

In somewhat the same mode, the far left is already bitching about how Biden isn't progressive enough, his 100 day agenda isn't pushing enough, and student loans cancellation, or that there's still work to be done, we shouldn't all be celebrating like there isn't.

Look, every ally, activist, and advocate out there KNOWS there's work to be done.  We also need moments of success and joy b/c that is what keeps us going.  So STFU for a damn day and let us have some joy.