# Painter asked if I was selling or staying



## debodun (Aug 9, 2020)

The painter that came yesterday to give me an estimate on having the trim on the house painted asked if I was painting because I was selling or going to continue to live there. What difference would that make?


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## Wren (Aug 9, 2020)

Maybe he was interested in buying, if you were selling ?


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## Aunt Bea (Aug 9, 2020)

I think he was trying to find out if you just wanted him to put a little lipstick on the pig or if you wanted him to make repairs and give you a long lasting quality paint job.


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## debodun (Aug 9, 2020)




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## Gaer (Aug 9, 2020)

It would make a difference in the quality of paint.  They use a cheap paint if you are selling and a higher quality, (thicker with better coverage) if you are staying.


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## Pepper (Aug 10, 2020)

Could it be that he was just asking?  Making conversation?


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## debodun (Aug 15, 2020)

I just received the painter's estimate by e-mail:

_I got my quote for you. I will do everything we talked about on all
eaves and windows, including: *pressure wash, clean, prep, repair, and*_
*paint all the necessary trim, shakes, and windows for the total of
12k. This includes the paint and everything needed to get the job*
_*done.* Let me know how this budget works for you. If we can make it
work, then let's move forward, and I will write us a full legal
contract with all the details and timing of the job. _


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## Aneeda72 (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> I just received the painter's estimate by e-mail:
> 
> _I got my quote for you. I will do everything we talked about on all
> eaves and windows, including: *pressure wash, clean, prep, repair, and*_
> ...


That’s reasonable, a friend had the ceilings in their house painted 3 years ago, costs 6000.


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## debodun (Aug 15, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> a friend had the ceilings in their house painted 3 years ago, costs 6000.



All I can say to that is JEEEEZ-USSS! What was the paint - liquid gold?


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 15, 2020)

I think that's a reasonable price Deb, there's a lot of other work involved there aside from a basic paint job.


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## debodun (Aug 15, 2020)

It may be reasonable, but I only know what I am willing to pay for certain repairs. I posted photos of my house on a handyman web site and asked their opinion of what I should expect it to cost. The consensus was "between $4 and 10K".



This contractor says he charges $65 a gallon for paint.


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## Pinky (Aug 15, 2020)

Are you going to have the windowsills repaired before they get painted .. or is it only the interior sills that need that done?


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## debodun (Aug 15, 2020)

The estimate included any exterior wood repairs needed, but not window replacement.


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## Aneeda72 (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> It may be reasonable, but I only know what I am willing to pay for certain repairs. I posted photos of my house on a handyman web site and asked their opinion of what I should expect it to cost. The consensus was "between $4 and 10K".
> 
> View attachment 118121
> 
> This contractor says he charges $65 a gallon for paint.


Good paint is expensive.


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## Knight (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> All I can say to that is JEEEEZ-USSS! What was the paint - liquid gold?


Repairs, prepping the surface, takes time & time isn't cheap.  Maybe since you had no mortgage & obviously little in the way of spending for repair. All you have explained over the last 6 months or more you are out of touch with the cost of labor & materials.


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## Knight (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> It may be reasonable, but I only know what I am willing to pay for certain repairs. I posted photos of my house on a handyman web site and asked their opinion of what I should expect it to cost. The consensus was "between $4 and 10K".
> 
> View attachment 118121
> 
> This contractor says he charges $65 a gallon for paint.


On the top left of the attachment it shows the estimate is for getting the trim painted. Big difference between that & what you were quoted for a lot of work.


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## debodun (Aug 15, 2020)

Knight said:


> you are out of touch with the cost of labor & materials.



I totally agree, but I DO know what I am willing to pay.


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## Aneeda72 (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> I totally agree, but I DO know what I am willing to pay.


Then you are not getting the job done or, like in the past, you can get a less qualified person to do a half way job for less money and have it repaired again later.  Or you could tear down that house, which is a tear down, and sell the land or rebuild on the lot.

I think you could rebuild, live temporarily in an apartment or rental house, and have a new house designed to meet your needs and budget.


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## Knight (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> I totally agree, but I DO know what I am willing to pay.


Then the saying "You get what you pay for" rings true since you have complained about previous low cost work done.


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## Pepper (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> I totally agree, but I DO know what I am willing to pay.


You could be willing your way out of a paint job.  Hey, I'm only willing to pay $8,000 for a brand new Lexus.  You are the customer, Take It or Leave It.  Personally, I would only spend, at least at first, for jobs needed for safety.  Concentrate on those.


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## Knight (Aug 15, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> Then you are not getting the job done or, like in the past, you can get a less qualified person to do a half way job for less money and have it repaired again later.  Or you could tear down that house, which is a tear down, and sell the land or rebuild on the lot.
> 
> I think you could rebuild, live temporarily in an apartment or rental house, and have a new house designed to meet your needs and budget.


If Deb found a master contractor to repair the multitude of problems she has for 150k or less she could end up living in a really great home. She was looking at a rancher listed for $240,000. 00 & was thinking of offering less for cash. Having the ability to pay that much in cash tells me she isn't really interested in doing anything but posting to get a response. Or considering moving to where homes cost far less and living out her years in comfort not fear mold or other health hazards.


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## debodun (Aug 15, 2020)

It's the Lexus dealer's loss if he doesn't want to sell me the car. It will sit on the lot until it rusts. At least if he sold it to me, he'd have SOME money back.

Like that house I made an offer on. I was willing to pay the full market assessed value and it wasn't accepted. They are holding out on a grossly inflated price. I see it's still for sale.


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## debodun (Aug 15, 2020)

Knight said:


> She was looking at a rancher listed for $240,000. 00



It was $255K. Having money and be willing to spend it are two different things. Even Bill Gates doesn't want to pay any more than he has to for things. I don't know where the idea that people with money don't mind throwing it around.


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## Knight (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> It was $255K.


what difference does 15k make you weren't really interested anyway.


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## Aneeda72 (Aug 15, 2020)

Knight said:


> If Deb found a master contractor to repair the multitude of problems she has for 150k or less she could end up living in a really great home. She was looking at a rancher listed for $240,000. 00 & was thinking of offering less for cash. Having the ability to pay that much in cash tells me she isn't really interested in doing anything but posting to get a response. Or considering moving to where homes cost far less and living out her years in comfort not fear mold or other health hazards.


I agree.


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## debodun (Aug 15, 2020)

Knight said:


> what difference does 15k make you weren't really interested anyway.



Because you were wrong. I was just correcting your error.


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## Pepper (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> It's the Lexus dealer's loss if he doesn't want to sell me the car. It will sit on the lot until it rusts. At least if he sold it to me, he'd have SOME money back.
> 
> Like that house I made an offer on. I was willing to pay the full market assessed value and it wasn't accepted. They are holding out on a grossly inflated price. I see it's still for sale.


Nope.  He'd take it off his taxes and make more money.  Or ship it to South America, etc. and make more money.  You would be without your Lexus and he would be fine.


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## debodun (Aug 15, 2020)

If he wants to go to all that trouble to make a few bucks...goody for him.


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## Pepper (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> If he wants to go to all that trouble to make a few bucks...goody for him.


I hope everything is goody for you (Wow, haven't heard that word in Years).  I mean that sincerely.  I live in an old coop apartment (my family moved here in '53) and since my dad died in '81, it has been neglected.  Because it's a co-op, all plumbing, electrical, etc. is paid for, but I'd sure like to do a basic update.


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## debodun (Aug 15, 2020)

I guess we are in the same boat, but you are probably not as tight-fisted as I am. I am not a penny pincher, I'm a penny strangler. I just can't help but feel contractors are always overcharging by taking advantage of my ignorance, gender, age and marital status (older, female and alone).


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## Pepper (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> I guess we are in the same boat, but you are probably not as tight-fisted as I am. I am not a penny pincher, I'm a penny strangler. I just can't help but feel contractors are always overcharging by taking advantage of my ignorance, gender, age and marital status (older, female and alone).


No.  I'm afraid to spend money in case I live longer than I think I will.  My 'fortune' has shrunk considerably since GWBush.  I barely spend.


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## peramangkelder (Aug 15, 2020)

Get another quote and then compare them


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## Keesha (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> The estimate included any exterior wood repairs needed, but not window replacement.


Wait! What? So all those windows that need replacing including all the brickwork that needs replacing since the mortar job was done wrong and is all falling apart, you are going to spend $12,000 to get this to look pretty?

If you are doing this to spruce up the house to sell, the buyers would most likely hire a home inspector and let the potential buyers know  all the work that would need doing which would make this a complete waste of time. I’m pretty sure you have to disclose the things you know are wrong with the house and you have some serious foundation ssues due to water damage which also hasn’t been fixed. Then there’s all the electrical that needs doing. You’ve written about it online.

Are you not hiring an inspector or an appraiser so you can claim you don’t know these things?
To me getting your house painted at this stage in the game seems like a complete waste of money.

Hiring someone who can tell you exactly what’s wrong with your house and an estimate of how much it will cost to get fixed seems like a more logical place to start. Then get an update assessment of your house to find out how much it’s ‘currently’ worth. Then decide what to do from there.


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## Aneeda72 (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> I guess we are in the same boat, but you are probably not as tight-fisted as I am. I am not a penny pincher, I'm a penny strangler. I just can't help but feel contractors are always overcharging by taking advantage of my ignorance, gender, age and marital status (older, female and alone).


But they are not doing that, the bid you have is valid.


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## hellomimi (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> It was $255K. Having money and be willing to spend it are two different things. Even Bill Gates doesn't want to pay any more than he has to for things. I don't know where the idea that people with money don't mind throwing it around.


Bottomline here is whether you want to spend your money to live in a nice house OR continue to hoard money and live in one full of issues.

Even my cheapskate aunt once said regarding discussion on why mooncakes are expensive. She said, "Can you eat your money?" This put me in perspective how to treat money. It is a means to enjoy life, spend it if I have it as long as I don't have to beg, steal or borrow.


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## Pinky (Aug 15, 2020)

Would it make sense to have the bricks re-pointed (or whatever they call it), then get the windowsills re-done .. then have the roof and painting done?


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## Aneeda72 (Aug 15, 2020)

hellomimi said:


> Bottomline here is whether you want to spend your money to live in a nice house OR continue to hoard money and live in one full of issues.
> 
> Even my cheapskate aunt once said regarding discussion on why mooncakes are expensive. She said, "Can you eat your money?" This put me in perspective how to treat money. It is a means to enjoy life, spend it if I have it as long as I don't have to beg, steal or borrow.


The one thing I have NEVER been accused of in my entire life is hoarding money.  Course I’ve never had any money to hoard but, still, I love that statement.


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## hellomimi (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> I am not a penny pincher, I'm a penny strangler. I just can't help but feel contractors are always overcharging by taking advantage of my ignorance, gender, age and marital status (older, female and alone).


There lies your problem in all issues you've complained about. You are suspicious of everyone/everything and I can't blame you. However, things won't change until you loosen up a bit Deb. Choice is yours.

You're a reasonably intelligent person who may be a magnet to scammers due to age and marital status, but with careful thought, you can come up with reasonable solutions.

It's deplorable to live without money but more  to tragic to have lots of  that one would rather hoard than make it their slave to enjoy life.


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## Gary O' (Aug 15, 2020)

Pepper said:


> You could be willing your way out of a paint job. Hey, I'm only willing to pay $8,000 for a brand new Lexus. You are the customer, Take It or Leave It. Personally,





debodun said:


> It's the Lexus dealer's loss if he doesn't want to sell me the car. It will sit on the lot until it rusts. At least if he sold it to me, he'd have SOME money back.
> 
> Like that house I made an offer on. I was willing to pay the full market *assessed value *and it wasn't accepted. They are holding out on a grossly inflated price. I see it's still for sale.



*Assessed value*, as in tax value
*Market value* is a whole other game


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## Pepper (Aug 15, 2020)

@Gary O' 
You are a Genuine Treasure.


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## Gary O' (Aug 15, 2020)

Pepper said:


> You are a Genuine Treasure


Doubt Deboblivious will be buying into that

but

I admire your sense of value


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## hellomimi (Aug 15, 2020)

You're a sage @Gary O' . I want to grow ageless like you!


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## Knight (Aug 15, 2020)

Somewhere in the myriad of posts Deb mentioned her mother was suspicious of people. Wouldn't let people in her house. Present day Deb is suspicious of neighbors, a mask on her sidewalk, & any person that shows up to give her an estimate. Any advice to remedy her disaster of her home discarded. Lacks any real understanding of the cost of labor & materials plus the need to make a profit. 

It's to bad Deb doesn't have family that cared enough to guide her all these years in keeping up a home. Socializing or at least having a circle of friends that she could enjoy social events with. 

I suspect her childhood & early adult life left her as she comes across to me as an anti social, hoarder of money & items left by her parents. And that is not a great way to live in senior years. I truly feel sorry for her & wish I were able to help her.

The good is she is sentient & able to interact with those that respond to her posts


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## hellomimi (Aug 15, 2020)

Knight said:


> The good is she is sentient & able to interact with those that respond to her posts


Deb ought to listen to the collective wisdom of golden strangers. I wonder what will make her loosen up? If not a what, perhaps a who? 

Who knows what wonders the power of love can do to Deb? It's never too late, but first step is to give love a chance...it may be the next guy who gives you a quote. Smile your sweetest hon, let love find you.


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## Keesha (Aug 15, 2020)

debodun said:


> It was $255K. Having money and be willing to spend it are two different things. Even Bill Gates doesn't want to pay any more than he has to for things. I don't know where the idea that people with money don't mind throwing it around.





debodun said:


> I guess we are in the same boat, but you are probably not as tight-fisted as I am. I am not a penny pincher, I'm a penny strangler. I just can't help but feel contractors are always overcharging by taking advantage of my ignorance, gender, age and marital status (older, female and alone).


There’s a huge gap between ‘throwing around money’ and being a penny strangler. Both these extreme ends aren’t logical  or healthy attitudes to have about money.  Having extreme obsessions about anything isn’t healthy and the main problem with holding possessions and money is that you end up having more than you need at the expense of ripping yourself off. It becomes counter productive but isn’t acknowledged due to mental dysfunction. 

You are ripping yourself off by worshipping and hoarding money instead of using it for what it’s been made for. You can’t take it with you. It’s time to cash in. You have a perfect opportunity to get that house but your own mental illness gets in the way and while I don’t have money obsessions I DO have obsessions so understand how difficult they are to let go of. It’s an excruciating mental battle at times.

It’s so much easier for others to see this within us  than it is for us so some sense of ‘trust’ is needed. If you have none then you’ll never get past defeating yourself like this. My parents were lucky that they had children watching out for them or they would have been in a really sorry state. You don’t have any children or anyone close enough whom you trust and in the end you might end up stranded in your home not able to get to your bank to get any of these strangled pennies. Either you spend it or somebody else will, most likely the government.
I pray that someone you know and trust steps in to help you with this.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.agingcare.com/articles/amp/133679


https://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/diogenes-syndrome/


https://www.thiscaringhome.org/hoarding-dementia-what-makes-someone-a-hoarder-and-how-to-stop-it/


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## Gary O' (Aug 15, 2020)

hellomimi said:


> You're a sage @Gary O' . I want to grow ageless like you!


Baby steps, mimi....baby steps


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## Lara (Aug 15, 2020)

Hi Deb...this is a hard thing you're going through. I understand. Here's the reality for those selling an older home...I think renovation shows on TV have changed the perspective of what buyers are looking for in a house. What I'm seeing is that buyers either want a fixer-upper for a really low price that they can make into a perfect home themselves for 50k-100k+ of their own money......

...OR they want a "turn-key" aka "move-in ready" house that they are willing to pay "market value" for BUT not necessarily enough for the seller to recoup their investment in renovations. It must not need any more upgrades. It must have all new kitchen appliances, granite countertops, new kitchen cabinets, new hardware throughout (doorknobs, faucets, showers, etc), newish HVAC, upgraded lighting, new window treatments, refinished floors, no popcorn ceilings, no repairs needed, good roof, fresh paint, staged, no personal items in the house, etc. The house must be immaculate, light and airy.

The problem with dumping your own money into renovations is they may not like the choices you've made like, say, installing a new gas stove but they wanted electric. For your desired asking price, buyers most likely will want total upgrades in kitchens, all bathrooms, throughout the house. There is no in-between anymore. Be careful putting any of your own money into your home that you may not recoup in the sale.

Prepare yourself for disappointment....unless you live in a highly desirable area where it's a HOT seller's market, like a resort-like vacation-like area, then you may end up being on the market for a long time as you continually lower your price...

It's a hard decision to make...sell at a low asking price for pretty much as-is, or risk losing money on renovations. Also, now's not a good time to list your house. Spring is best, like April.

By the way, I paid $13,000 for a painter and his 5 helpers, to paint inside and outside trim/shutters (not the brick). They touched every nook and cranny inside including some 2-story high ceilings, every closet, french door/window slats, stair turned-wood, refinished the front door, wrought-iron railing, painted the garage floor and door, powerwashed the outside of house, sidewalk, and driveway. They did a good job so I felt it was worth it and I tipped them $300 (I don't know if that's necessary though) BUT...

Beware: My painter also asked if I was selling the house when we were discussing one facia board repair. I said yes. Later, he proudly told me he repaired about 9 facia board spots at no extra charge. They now leak and is an issue to get repaired since he fell off a ladder at his next house after mine and badly broke his hip.


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## Aneeda72 (Aug 16, 2020)

Lara said:


> Hi Deb...this is a hard thing you're going through. I understand. Here's the reality for those selling an older home...I think renovation shows on TV have changed the perspective of what buyers are looking for in a house. What I'm seeing is that buyers either want a fixer-upper for a really low price that they can make into a perfect home themselves for 50k-100k+ of their own money......
> 
> ...OR they want a "turn-key" aka "move-in ready" house that they are willing to pay "market value" for BUT not necessarily enough for the seller to recoup their investment in renovations. It must not need any more upgrades. It must have all new kitchen appliances, granite countertops, new kitchen cabinets, new hardware throughout (doorknobs, faucets, showers, etc), newish HVAC, upgraded lighting, new window treatments, refinished floors, no popcorn ceilings, no repairs needed, good roof, fresh paint, staged, no personal items in the house, etc. The house must be immaculate, light and airy.
> 
> ...


Aren’t facia board leaks due to a leak in the roof?

We live in a very HOT selling area.  It took off about 6 years ago.  We paid 35,000 for our home that we lived in for 35 years.  Eight years ago we couldn’t give it away.  A money pit which we had to constantly update and we did a lot of the work ourselves.  Six years ago we sold it to a flipper for 120,000.

The neighbor across the street updated his house but not as much as us.  Same model type, same age house, and the flipper bought his house for 100,000.  It took a while for the flipper to sell our house and it sold for, hmm, 160,000, after 8 months.   Neighbors house became a rental.

Three years later, our old area really took off, that same type of house, the house next door to mine sold for 255,000.  All these houses are eleven hundred square feet and were built in 1955.  They have 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and no garage.

Six months ago, we bought a house near our old house and paid 255,000.  After we bought it, we got realtors calling to see if we wanted to turn around and sell it.  It would now sell for 275,000 to 300,000.  The area has increased 17% in general.  We have already done a lot of necessary updates.

Lara is right!  Unless you are in an area like mine, where growth is huge and demand is never ending, pouring money into a tear down is like pouring money down a drain.  IMO.


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