Sneak Peak

our new home!!  :-))

We went to Best RV in Turlock a couple of weeks ago.  It was a spur of the moment trip.  We went on a weekday so they weren't busy at all.  When we arrived a salesman, Jerry, offered to help.  We already knew what we wanted.  We've known it for two years but Jerry didn't know that...  Soon the owner, Nile, came into the lobby area and asked us a few questions.  Ron mentioned that he heard the newer models have more Corian than the current models.  Nile said he just got two 2017 models in just two days prior.  He said they will cost a little more.  We're okay with that.  He said no one has stepped foot in them.  We were giddy!

Jerry took us first to see the 2016 model.  We weren't crazy about the square (sharp) top edges on the kitchen counter top.  Supposedly it was Corian but it didn't have a nice rounded edge.  I know, but it's the little things that will end up bugging you if you sacrifice.

on the hunt

We began the hunt for the 2017 model.  Finally found it all closed up and sandwiched between other rigs on the far lot.  Jerry called in the forklift to move it so we could take a better look at it.  While we waited for the crew to open the slides we stepped inside.  It sure looks different with the slides in.  We loved the new color scheme.  We loved the rounded corners of the Corian counter tops.  We loved the big single sink.  We loved everything about it and we said to Jerry, "Let's sign some papers!"

We gave them everything they asked for and maybe a bit too much.  We mentioned that we have a rental site, yet the credit report still shows us as having a mortgage.  They said our income to debt ratio was too high.  BUT, they did accept our promise to come back when the house closes and pay for it outright.  So for now, we've given them a down payment and they've put a SOLD sign on it!!

Suzanne, our realtor, has her team going to bat for us to get the house closed before the Labor Day weekend.  With the good luck we've had so far and the determination to get it done, we should be able to go back to the dealer and buy our new home next weekend!!  Just in time for us to head out to Idaho for a wedding :-))

Once it's officially ours, I'll show you the inside.  Plus, I was so caught up in the moment, I forgot to take some photos of the interior...
     

SALE PENDING!!

yep, it's for real :-))

OMG!!

That was more than fast.  That was phenomenal!!

Thursday, July 28th:

When we left McCall we thought we'd stay the night in Winnemuca, NV.  We drove into town somewhere around 9PM.  Ron used his phone to try and find a place to stay.  There was plenty of availability but the prices were too high.  So we kept driving.  We ended up spending the night at Circus Circus in Reno instead.  We went to sleep dreaming of our house "going live on the market" the next morning at 8:30 :-)

Friday, July 29th:

I received the first text around 9:30 asking if they could show our house at 12:30.  SURE!!  And more texts/calls came in asking to show the house.  Again, SURE!!  When we arrived back in town we picked up Rufus from the dog sitters and did some errands around town since we had to be away from the house.  It was kind of nice to be out and about rather than at home working on projects.

They say it only takes one.  We had our first offer before the end of the day! :-))  Turns out the very first people who saw the house fell instantly in love with it and they offered us well over our asking price! WOW!!  High 10's were happening in the Kipp household...

Saturday, July 30th:

More people wanted to view the house.  Again, SURE!!  Offer #2 came in today.  Not quite as high as Offer #1 but still over asking price!  More high 10's were exchanged.

Sunday, July 31st:

A couple of viewings today.  Offer #3 came in today.  It was priced somewhere in the middle of Offer #1 and Offer #2.  It came with a sweet letter too from a young family with a baby on the way.  We wanted to accept this offer (because of the letter), too bad the $$ didn't match Offer #1...
 
Monday, August 1st:

Offer #1 accepted!  Counter offer #1 accepted!!  And, just like that we're in escrow!!  So many high 10's have been made around here lately.  Things seem to be falling into place for us.

Present Day:

The home inspection is done.  There are some noted repair issues.  Two of them are so minor that they're already taken care of and didn't cost us anything more than some time.  The other two-minor roof repairs and some dry rot issues will be dealt with by the pros.
 
The pest inspection is done.  As we already knew, there are a few places which need work to rid the house of the dry rot.  We have contractors here as I write making the necessary repairs.

The roof inspection is done.  There's a little bit of work to do and then we'll get the 2 year certification that the buyers want.  That work will happen once the eaves and rafter tails are repaired.

The home appraisal is done.  The results match the over asking sale price!  Again, more high 10's :-)

Our Plan:

We'll be living full time in the RV-still to be purchased.  We rented a site with full hookups in a nearby town.  We signed a year lease with month to month once the lease is up.  We'll have in and out privileges so we can unhook and take off whenever we want/need to.  The park is small so we'll be part of the family.  It has a pool, onsite laundry and even comes with a small outdoor shed.

We'll keep the shop for now.  We still have customers for our fabrication side of the business, Plastic Pros.  Also, PolyMenders has customers dropping off tanks, kayaks and even slides at the shop.

We want to keep some of our furniture so we've rented a small storage locker.  I'm sure eventually it will no longer be needed but it'll serve it's purpose for now.

House Photos:

As promised here are some of the professional photos that were instrumental in our great success.  I'm sad to say that they're quite small and when I make them bigger it's pretty grainy.  So put on your readers, you'll need 'em...

Our future is looking quite promising.  Just gotta get through the next few weeks.

Our first road trip will be back to Idaho in early September for a wedding!

We Needed This Break

what happens in McCall, stays in McCall ;-)

We've been so focused on getting our house ready for selling that we've neglected ourselves for quite some time.  Our overall sanity was almost non-existent.  We needed a vacation!

Our daughter, Jessica and her husband, Mike were planning to visit Mike's grandparents at their home in McCall, Idaho.  Dan and Cathie invited us to come out for a few days so we could visit with the kids.  Also invited were Mike's mom and sister.  It would be a mini family get together.

We were planning to leave Sunday, July 24 but it didn't work out that way.  We were up until 2AM that night/morning trying to get the house show ready...  The photographer was scheduled to arrive at 10AM.

We sent a quick email to Suzanne letting her know we were still at the house and that we wouldn't interfere with the photographer.  She was super understanding and sympathetic to our situation.  I'm actually glad we were here because we were able to move a few pieces of furniture which otherwise might have been obtrusive (computers and such).  The photos are absolutely gorgeous.  I'll be sharing them in my next post.

For now let's concentrate on our vacation to Idaho...

We finally got on the road Monday night around 5PM.  We were wanting to stop along the way somewhere to spend the night.  We thought perhaps a place in Winnemuca, NV would work.  If we had stayed there it would mean a long-a$$ drive the next day.  We were ready to drive further but there really is NOTHING between Winnemuca  and Boise.  We'd been in communication with the kids (they were already with Dan and Cathie) on our progress.  We were more than happy to accept an invitation to spend the night at Dan and Cathie's condo in Boise!!  Yippee, no hunting for a hotel :-)  We got there sometime between 2 and 3AM.  After sleeping comfortably it was time to hit the road again.

We arrived in beautiful McCall, ID just as it was time to go to the boat rental office.  Talk about perfect timing!  A quick unloading of suitcases and a change of clothes and we were at the dock.

our ride for the afternoon

The weather was perfect.  Wispy clouds, just the right amount of wind and mid 80's made our mood swing from frantic to relaxed in a matter of minutes.

We had the boat for 4 hours.  Most of the time was spent puttering about.  We did have some beach time for lunch, some time for deep water swimming and of course some time for laying in the sun. 

Payette Lake goes from beach to woods in a matter of feet

the gang enjoys frolicking in the water

four brave souls take up deep water swimming

can you see me now??

Jessica and Heather soaking up the afternoon sunshine

Once the boat was returned it was time for burgers and brew at the local bar and grill.  Although we had just arrived earlier in the day, Christine, Mike's mom, and Heather, Mike's sister, had to start their trek back to Sacramento.  Heather had her first day of work at a new job and she couldn't be late.  Luckily for us they live in the same town so we can see them often.  I'm sure they're glad to have been able to spend some time with their family.

Wednesday started as a lazy day for us.  We had the pleasure of staying in the above garage guest apartment.  Cathie is the designer of the entire house.  The first building completed was the garage and upstairs apartment.  It's similar to a studio apartment but so much better!  We were still a bit weary from our long drive the two days before and we really didn't want to get moving but there was fun to be had...

Fun in the back country of Idaho, where you can shoot rifles and pistols without anyone asking why :-)  Here's a little info about me that you may not know.  My mom is a retired San Jose, California police officer.  She was one tough cop too.  Her duty was to patrol the crime ridden streets of San Jose.  She was solo most of the time and I'm sure she could tell stories that would frighten most people.  She keeps most of the horror stories to herself though.  Growing up as a child of a police officer I have the utmost respect for fire arms of any kind.  I have never held or shot a gun.  That is until this trip to McCall, ID.

Dan borrowed a clay skeet thrower and a few guns too.  Of course, some of the ones we shot belong to family too.  Cathie brought a gun that belonged to her grandfather, a double barrel shotgun from 1912.  Mike said it had quite the kick.

L-R: Cathie, Jessica, Dan, Mike & Ron

Ron gets into position

Jessica was the winner shooting the most targets :-)

look closely and you can see target fragments

Jessica and Mike take turns

I may be a newbie at this, but I hit a couple too :-)

yep, first time holding, let alone shooting a pistol for me...

After a few hours of shooting the sun was beginning to turn some of us a few shades of pink.  Time to lay low for awhile.  It was also a great time to get in a bite to eat and some ice cream with Jessica.  We snuck her away and held her hostage for a small bit of time :-))

it's always a good time when we can visit with one of our kiddos!

As a small thank you I made dinner for the gang.  I brought my Instant Pot along with a recipe book.  Turns out Jessica and Mike also have an IP.  I let Mike pick the meal.  He's a chili fan and picked Chicken Chili.  It was a big hit with everyone.  No leftovers for this hungry family.  And since I cooked it was only fair that I volunteer Mike and Ron for clean up duty.

real men wash dishes!

After another comfy sleep in our mountain oasis, it was morning all too soon.  And this was the day we had to pack up and leave this mountain paradise.  But not before first having another glorious adventure with Jessica and Mike.  We put on our tennis shoes, carried our water bottles and slathered on the sunscreen before heading out to nearby Ponderosa State Park.  We took the scenic route to one of the marshes in the park.  Along the way we chatted, took some photos, laughed and we all had a great time.

they call it a marsh, I call it serene

as he gets a photo of me...

I get a photo of Mike

the trees are so big and it smells wonderful too 

 

looks like the looney bin is missing a few faces...

When we reach the marsh we're all feeling a bit goofy.  It's hard to believe Ron and I have to go home today.  We've had a great mini vacation.  Next time we'll have to stay longer!!

A most sincere Thank You to our wonderful hosts: Cathie and Dan