More Rental Follies

[drscott]

So we spent another week talking to the Dolores Heights Victorian people. They agreed to our price ($7500 vs. their asking of $8900) and we were working through details of how their move-out had changed what had been indicated would be included -- smudged paint, all of the track light lights removed from one bedroom, missing kitchen island chairs -- and had a cashier's check in hand for the lease signing meeting, when they backed out, saying our "demands" were too great and they didn't think we were the people they wanted. Very strange -- suggest you never deal with a certain Dace Dislere as agent. As I wrote to David:

This morning I'm feeling better about not getting Dolores, given Paul's feelings about working longer. Smaller/cheaper/closer will work better for a shortened run in SF with a house in PS as well. They readvertised the place at $8300, down $600; but it doesn't show as well now. I would be surprised if anyone good bites at $7500, and the irony is they will have to do everything we asked to get a renter anyway, and they lose months of rent. Dace blew it by transferring my requests to the owners when we could have resolved them easily between us. And the owners are apparently not being realistic; it might have been worth what they ask furnished as a short-term rental, but the price must be much more reasonable for a longer-term, unfurnished rental.

Now on the track of another, smaller condo unit much closer to the center of the Castro.

BTW, visited a MCM, supposedly fully renovated house near where we are now: pointed out by foodpoisoningsf, it looked really good in pictures. As usual, it was small (no square footage listed), and the "fully remodeled" kitchen featured standard Euroappliances installed with original crappy plywood cabinets which had been painted over. The granite counters were single-thickness (a sometimes-defensible design decision, but adding to the apparent cheapness of everything). Our cheap cabinet refacing in Sunnyvale looked a lot more expensive. The picture windows were unmodified single-pane. And they committed the cardinal sin (in my livability book) of installing a pedestal sink in the master bathroom. Very disappointing for the price, and not very comfortable, as well as too far to walk.

In other news, we had Trevor [not on LJ] Pendley, friend of David's, as a houseguest over the weekend. We were too caught up in drama to spend much time with him, but we'll see him again. I've been stressed out and too busy to have anything on my mind but finding a place (and my mother's short trip to the hospital again last week.) One of these days I'll get back to writing here more....

Comments

installing a pedestal sink in the master bathroom

[mister-don.livejournal.com]

which makes me gladder than ever to have a cheap rental standard issue bathroom vanity that holds stuff, even if it's encased in genuine stimulated paste-on wood-grain plastic contact paper!

Re: installing a pedestal sink in the master bathroom

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

I've lived with plenty of those! Ugly but at least functional, as opposed to stylish but useless in the real world. Like certain people, come to think of it...

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Rental agents are a tough bunch at least partly because a goodly number of the people they deal with are dishonest. There are few incentives for them to be honest themselves, and most aren't. She at first claimed she had never said the chairs would be left, then she said that it didn't matter since it wasn't in writing... which just confirmed my impression of her as lacking integrity. As agent between two high-level parties she did pretty badly; being able to deal with low-end rentals and high-end rentals at the same time would require some skill in shifting your own mindset to be effective.

[pklexton.livejournal.com]

That's awful about Dolores Hts. but even more bullet-dodgey sounding after Bob's comment.

You've been missed around here. If you come back I'll even promise not to load up your comment sections with political arguments!

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

The house would have been nice, and we would only rarely have had to deal with the agent. The owners would likely have been away for years so it was more secure as a rental than most of the places we've seen. Too bad, but then it appears we may not actually want something so grand....

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

...and I don't have to post on politics when it's clear everyone now understands what I was trying to tell them!

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Having read all of the posts about the Delores Heights house, it really sounds like you've dodged a bullet. The owners would have always been a headache, always whiny. It will be awhile before they understand the market and discover their mistakes ... come begging with their collective tail between their legs. Actually, I'm relieved for you. :)

HUGS!