Up until a few years ago I was fairly active on Facebook, now it's used mostly to keep in touch with a few friends and relatives and make the occasional post. My wife uses her account to post pictures and I'll share them. Even then we're both pretty selective about what pictures are put online.
I don't belong to Facebook but my DIL's do. Because of that I get bombarded with responses from their contacts. While I like dogs, I'm tired of seeing doggie and puppy pics showing them all dressed up about to go out and play in the snow from those people. And I don't give a damn about some pizza mix that wasn't good or seeing that someone dropped a tray load of chicken on the kitchen floor when taking it out of the oven.
Talk about needing a life. I think all of those people need one.
jmonroe
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
If you were selling a more expensive car ($20k+) how would you screen for ability to pay? Would you demand bank statements, loan guarentees from a financial institution, cashiers check....what?
For Exchange of Funds and Title---What you do is go to your bank, and hand the bank officer the title to the car. He puts it in a Fedex envelope addressed to your buyer. As soon as the buyer wires the money into your bank, the bank officer drops the title into the "mail". On a wire transfer, if the bank says it's there, then it's definitely THERE.
For Test Drive: Depends how anal you want to get here. Sometimes you can assess the buyer merely by the car he drives or how he is dressed. You can certainly ask for his driver's license and check that it is current. You can also set "ground rules" for the test drive.
Good tips. For a test drive, I tell them I need to see and snap a photo of their drver’s license.
I meet the buyer at a branch bank of mine, deposit their certified check and use the bank’s notary to sign over the title.
It's still possible that a certified check could bounce though, isn't it?
Glad we are discussing garage/tool organization. My garage & boiler room are very unorganized. I started moving a few things into the boiler room & found a great place to hang things. My entire basement (except for the boiler/oil tank room) is finished. There are some beautiful, exposed, wood studs that are just perfect for hanging things. I started the other night. I took 2 brackets that came with the blinds I bought for my basement (from Home Depot) and used them to mount my skis on the wall. Today I'm taking home some wood blocks that were used to deliver some pipe to my store this AM. I'm going to use those to mount my ski racks that I don't use during the spring/summer/fall. I'll post pics of the progress.
Show-off. :@
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Up until a few years ago I was fairly active on Facebook, now it's used mostly to keep in touch with a few friends and relatives and make the occasional post. My wife uses her account to post pictures and I'll share them. Even then we're both pretty selective about what pictures are put online.
I don't belong to Facebook but my DIL's do. Because of that I get bombarded with responses from their contacts. While I like dogs, I'm tired of seeing doggie and puppy pics showing them all dressed up about to go out and play in the snow from those people. And I don't give a damn about some pizza mix that wasn't good or seeing that someone dropped a tray load of chicken on the kitchen floor when taking it out of the oven.
Talk about needing a life. I think all of those people need one.
jmonroe
yeah, it's not like they are discussing serious issues like storage for excess nuts and bolts and all 4 shocks.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Question for you rich guys:
If you were selling a more expensive car ($20k+) how would you screen for ability to pay? Would you demand bank statements, loan guarentees from a financial institution, cashiers check....what?
For Exchange of Funds and Title---What you do is go to your bank, and hand the bank officer the title to the car. He puts it in a Fedex envelope addressed to your buyer. As soon as the buyer wires the money into your bank, the bank officer drops the title into the "mail". On a wire transfer, if the bank says it's there, then it's definitely THERE.
For Test Drive: Depends how anal you want to get here. Sometimes you can assess the buyer merely by the car he drives or how he is dressed. You can certainly ask for his driver's license and check that it is current. You can also set "ground rules" for the test drive.
Good tips. For a test drive, I tell them I need to see and snap a photo of their drver’s license.
I meet the buyer at a branch bank of mine, deposit their certified check and use the bank’s notary to sign over the title.
It's still possible that a certified check could bounce though, isn't it?
I have seen money orders bounce.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Up until a few years ago I was fairly active on Facebook, now it's used mostly to keep in touch with a few friends and relatives and make the occasional post. My wife uses her account to post pictures and I'll share them. Even then we're both pretty selective about what pictures are put online.
I don't belong to Facebook but my DIL's do. Because of that I get bombarded with responses from their contacts. While I like dogs, I'm tired of seeing doggie and puppy pics showing them all dressed up about to go out and play in the snow from those people. And I don't give a damn about some pizza mix that wasn't good or seeing that someone dropped a tray load of chicken on the kitchen floor when taking it out of the oven.
Talk about needing a life. I think all of those people need one.
jmonroe
OK...now go find some pizza dough that didn't rise and some chicken that is sprawled all over the kitchen floor.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Ya know, I have a hard time trying to figure you out. In one breath you say you have a life and want to play tennis and pickleball, then in the next breath you say you are willing to go to the hardware store every time you need to buy hardware. Did you ever think that if you had a jar rack like I described you wouldn't have to run to the hardware store so often and you'd have more time for tennis and pickle-balling. I'm sure you have a typical @driver100 reason for doing that but I'd never understand it.
Now, to answer your question and @oldfarmer50's too, about the jars. Back in the 70's I worked with a guy whose wife had quadruplets. It doesn't take long to get baby jars when you have a source like that. They were more than happy for me to take hundreds off their hands. When I say hundreds I mean hundreds. I built 3 racks (80 jars each rack) for myself and one for each of my sons. I still have a box in the basement with at least 50 or 60 jars to this day. You do the math. They are jars from Enfamil baby formula and water, with nice full screw on lids. Not the quick 1/4 turn lids.
In the future, when you buy your hardware in multi piece packs and since you are probably going to misplace the hardware you don't use right away, forward what you don't use to Edmunds c/o @jmonroe They know where I live.
jmonroe
The jar racks really are fantastic. My father put together a version of this on one of his work benches, and a mobile one at that, and it was great. Granted, he didn't have anything labeled on his, so it was still a bit of a slog for a young pup like me who didn't yet have a strong grasp of "eyeballing" the sizes, but just having the clear glass jars hanging there made looking through them quite easy.
Sadly, I ended up breaking most of them in one fell blow when I was working on an engine and miscalculated the amount of force a 2# mallet could apply. Man, that was such a mess. I think I nearly broke my old man's heart in the same stroke!
Wheaton Scientific makes some really nice 4/8/16oz jars with full-screw lids that work great for this. They're a bit pricey (compared to getting free baby food jars), but still probably far better of a solution than any commercial bin in terms of actually finding parts in the future.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
It's still possible that a certified check could bounce though, isn't it?
Not unless it's fraudulent. The advantage to a cashier's checks is the issuing bank is guaranteeing the funds, not the individual account holder.
All you need is poor data rntry, a glitch in the system or an update that goes bad and that real cashiers check isn't recognized by the bank. That cashiers check is written against an account and if somehow the funds don't make it into that account the cashiers check won't cash.
IIRC it was an system update (where cash is posted to various accounts overnight) that failed which caused a bunch of money orders we took as payment to be returned NFS.
They sent a manager over with cash to make everything right and even paid all the NSF fees we were charged.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Just found out that my grandson is going to receive a $5,000 per year academic scholarship from his mother's place of work which will help pay 1/2 of the remaining tuition/room&board costs per year. I am so proud of him. The High School honored 7 seniors this week at a banquet for National Commitment Signing Day. They all sat at a dais and signed their commitment letters. Not bad for a High School in the Desert - 7 boys received scholarships for baseball at a university.
Let's hope they can win the California State Championship for Division I high school baseball. He went 2 for 4 at the last game - two doubles and two RBI's.
If you were selling a more expensive car ($20k+) how would you screen for ability to pay? Would you demand bank statements, loan guarentees from a financial institution, cashiers check....what?
They get their own financing, and then I don't care about their ability to pay. When the keys go out of my hands, I have my $20k+ in the bank.
If you're brave enough to owner-finance a car, then you have to make sure you have the documentation to maintain a lien on it (and have that info included on the title transfer), and follow through with repossessing it if the buyer ends up defaulting.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Just found out that my grandson is going to receive a $5,000 per year academic scholarship from his mother's place of work which will help pay 1/2 of the remaining tuition/room&board costs per year. I am so proud of him. The High School honored 7 seniors this week at a banquet for National Commitment Signing Day. They all sat at a dais and signed their commitment letters. Not bad for a High School in the Desert - 7 boys received scholarships for baseball at a university.
Let's hope they can win the California State Championship for Division I high school baseball. He went 2 for 4 at the last game - two doubles and two RBI's.
Congrats Mike. Nice to hear about good things happening to family members in here.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
All you need is poor data rntry, a glitch in the system or an update that goes bad and that real cashiers check isn't recognized by the bank. That cashiers check is written against an account and if somehow the funds don't make it into that account the cashiers check won't cash.
IIRC it was an system update (where cash is posted to various accounts overnight) that failed which caused a bunch of money orders we took as payment to be returned NFS.
They sent a manager over with cash to make everything right and even paid all the NSF fees we were charged.
That's true but in my experience that would take a fairly inept teller to screw up such a routine transaction for you. When an account holder asks for a cashier's check the funds are immediately withdrawn from your account and credited to the bank's general ledger thus guaranteeing their availability. If the balance in an account is insufficient with regard to the amount needed for a cashier's check, the bank won't issue the check for the amount requested until the account holder deposits the funds (and waits for them to clear if it's not cash).
1997 Honda Prelude Base - 2022 Acura MDX Type S Advance - 2021 Honda Passport Sport - 2006 BMW 330Ci ZHP
Don't even talk to me abut basement storage organization. I have more than doubled the size of my basement storage over the last year, bought a bunch of shelving units, filled them mostly up, and the place is more disorganized than ever. Sometimes you just have too much "stuff" for the space available. What I really need is a dumpster.
I have taken a cashiers check at my house. That is a judgement call. I felt good with the guy (plus his family was there), and it was a local bank. Plus the receipt was in the envelope. So I rolled with it.
I have also stood in my garage counting out piles of small bills on the trunk of the car. That was find too! Cheap cars, easy. I don’t think I would try to private sell something in the 20k range though.
One of my big post-election chores is to reorganize the basement storage area as well as the basement garage. I dread it but I know that I'll be glad that I finally tackled it.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I have taken a cashiers check at my house. That is a judgement call. I felt good with the guy (plus his family was there), and it was a local bank. Plus the receipt was in the envelope. So I rolled with it.
I have also stood in my garage counting out piles of small bills on the trunk of the car. That was find too! Cheap cars, easy. I don’t think I would try to private sell something in the 20k range though.
Cashiers check, certified check (I can't remember now what the difference is) but at one time they were the most secured way to pay for something. Now, with scammers, nothing seems to be fully secured.
I've sold a few cars and I only accepted cash. I think the most expensive one was around $850 back in the early 80's. Like you, I counted it out on the trunk of the car.
Interesting story about a cashiers/certified check:
The day before we are going to close on our second house, the attorneys office where the closing will take place calls me. The woman wants to make sure I know how much money I have to provide. I asked if it had to be a cashiers or certified check. She said, "you can write a personal check". That didn't sound right to me so I asked her to repeat that. She did, so the next morning I had money transferred from our savings account to our checking account. It saved me the small fee that either of those checks would have cost me. It wasn't much but why do it if I don't have to.
Fast forward to the closing that afternoon. We are now done with all the paper signing and the closing officer says, "all I need from you is a check for $ xxxxxxxxxx". I passed the personal check to him and he said, "I can't take a personal check". I told him that I was told that he could. He wants to know who told me that. I told him the woman's name and the attorney at the office where we are closing, excuses himself and comes back in a few minutes and says, "yeah, Sally admits to telling him that. She should know better". I said, "I can go to the bank and get what you need. The bank is only a mile down the road". The closing officer said he had to be on the other side of town for another closing and he didn't want to wait for me to go to the bank.
He said, "OK, Mr. jmonroe, I'll take your check but I want you to know that passing a bad check at a closing is a FELONY. Do you still want to give me a personal check"? I tuned to Mrs. j and said, "you're the one that wrote the check. Do you still want to give it to him"? I heard an uneasy laugh come from the closing officer. Man, those guys have no sense of humor.
Just in case you guys are wondering, the check was good. Just like all the checks Mrs. j writes.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
All you need is poor data rntry, a glitch in the system or an update that goes bad and that real cashiers check isn't recognized by the bank. That cashiers check is written against an account and if somehow the funds don't make it into that account the cashiers check won't cash.
IIRC it was an system update (where cash is posted to various accounts overnight) that failed which caused a bunch of money orders we took as payment to be returned NFS.
They sent a manager over with cash to make everything right and even paid all the NSF fees we were charged.
That's true but in my experience that would take a fairly inept teller to screw up such a routine transaction for you. When an account holder asks for a cashier's check the funds are immediately withdrawn from your account and credited to the bank's general ledger thus guaranteeing their availability. If the balance in an account is insufficient with regard to the amount needed for a cashier's check, the bank won't issue the check for the amount requested until the account holder deposits the funds (and waits for them to clear if it's not cash).
It doesn't have to be an inept teller. It could be a glitch in the system, it could be a mistake on someone elses transaction on your check overdrawls tge account, it could be a counterfeit cashiers check made it through. There are many things
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I have taken a cashiers check at my house. That is a judgement call. I felt good with the guy (plus his family was there), and it was a local bank. Plus the receipt was in the envelope. So I rolled with it.
I have also stood in my garage counting out piles of small bills on the trunk of the car. That was find too! Cheap cars, easy. I don’t think I would try to private sell something in the 20k range though.
Cashiers check, certified check (I can't remember now what the difference is) but at one time they were the most secured way to pay for something. Now, with scammers, nothing seems to be fully secured.
I've sold a few cars and I only accepted cash. I think the most expensive one was around $850 back in the early 80's. Like you, I counted it out on the trunk of the car.
Interesting story about a cashiers/certified check:
The day before we are going to close on our second house, the attorneys office where the closing will take place calls me. The woman wants to make sure I know how much money I have to provide. I asked if it had to be a cashiers or certified check. She said, "you can write a personal check". That didn't sound right to me so I asked her to repeat that. She did, so the next morning I had money transferred from our savings account to our checking account. It saved me the small fee that either of those checks would have cost me. It wasn't much but why do it if I don't have to.
Fast forward to the closing that afternoon. We are now done with all the paper signing and the closing officer says, "all I need from you is a check for $ xxxxxxxxxx". I passed the personal check to him and he said, "I can't take a personal check". I told him that I was told that he could. He wants to know who told me that. I told him the woman's name and the attorney at the office where we are closing, excuses himself and comes back in a few minutes and says, "yeah, Sally admits to telling him that. She should know better". I said, "I can go to the bank and get what you need. The bank is only a mile down the road". The closing officer said he had to be on the other side of town for another closing and he didn't want to wait for me to go to the bank.
He said, "OK, Mr. jmonroe, I'll take your check but I want you to know that passing a bad check at a closing is a FELONY. Do you still want to give me a personal check"? I tuned to Mrs. j and said, "you're the one that wrote the check. Do you still want to give it to him"? I heard an uneasy laugh come from the closing officer. Man, those guys have no sense of humor.
Just in case you guys are wondering, the check was good. Just like all the checks Mrs. j writes.
jmonroe
Cashiers checks are checks written on a banks own account after the person requesting the check turns the funds over to the bank.
A certified check is a check written on a personal account that a bank certifies that there are funds to cover the check in the account.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Cashiers cheques rule, certified, not so much. If the deal is cash, make sure you have one of the little pens that gives you a bit more confidence that the cash is real.
Isn't it wonderful that we have to go through all this? Your key ring and your three-page password list (in my case, anyway) are monuments to the fact that enough people are a**holes that we have to go through all this. I grew up in small towns where no one locked anything up. Now I'm here and have to put up with all this crap, besides which I get the "negative" label.
I started out very different. Today's so-called society got me to where I am today -- trust no one at the outset; wait and see -- maybe they're worthy (but probably not).
I suspect any paper check can be easily faked these days. If you want to be certain, perform a transaction at the bank, and have the cash validated before completion.
I am pretty sure in the great world of the past (it isn't coming back), there were plenty of scammers, too. Today the tech is better to aid in the scamming, and people are definitely no less gullible. There's a way to not have to put up with any of it, simply refrain from large in-person physical transactions.
You know how, some mornings, you wake up and think to yourself "Gee, I think I'm going to buy a new car today"? No forethought, no research, just - BOOM! - you make a decision and you follow through with it. And a new car is in your driveway by the end of the day.
(warning - lost post ahead)
My wife is like that - except it is with houses, not cars.
The Tuesday before last she decides she wants to move to a new house (there are legitimate reasons for doing this, not a complete whim). She found a house that was interesting to her on line that morning. We call our realtor and set up an appointment for that afternoon. We look at the house, decide it's the one she wants, and we make an offer. Offer accepted about noon the next day, which means we have to get our house prepped to be put on the market ASAP (our offer was not contingent on our house selling).
One day staging the house and having pictures taken - half our garage is now filled with furniture and accessories that didn't make the cut. House goes on MLS a week ago today. We decide to hold two open houses - one Saturday, one Sunday. We schedule over a dozen showings in those two days - did I mention that the real estate market in Denver is muy caliente?
A full price offer is submitted on our house this past Tuesday and we accepted.
We close on the sale of our house on 5/7 and the new house on 5/11. Which means I have less than a month to sort, organize, toss out, donate or give away anything and everything we don't want to take with us. And pack the rest.
If you were selling a more expensive car ($20k+) how would you screen for ability to pay? Would you demand bank statements, loan guarentees from a financial institution, cashiers check....what?
They get their own financing, and then I don't care about their ability to pay. When the keys go out of my hands, I have my $20k+ in the bank.
If you're brave enough to owner-finance a car, then you have to make sure you have the documentation to maintain a lien on it (and have that info included on the title transfer), and follow through with repossessing it if the buyer ends up defaulting.
My original question was meant to ask how a seller could avoid giving test drives to lookie loos or joy riders who had no means to buy rather than transfer of funds but I would think a simple way to get paid would be to go to the buyer's bank and have him/her get a teller's check based on funds in his/her account. Can't imagine how that would bounce.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Wow! Y'all just moved into this one! Well, good luck with the move, sir. At least you don't have to wonder what you'll be doing for the next four weeks.... Or even eight weeks, at that!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
It's still possible that a certified check could bounce though, isn't it?
Not unless it's fraudulent. The advantage to a cashier's checks is the issuing bank is guaranteeing the funds, not the individual account holder.
All you need is poor data rntry, a glitch in the system or an update that goes bad and that real cashiers check isn't recognized by the bank. That cashiers check is written against an account and if somehow the funds don't make it into that account the cashiers check won't cash.
IIRC it was an system update (where cash is posted to various accounts overnight) that failed which caused a bunch of money orders we took as payment to be returned NFS.
They sent a manager over with cash to make everything right and even paid all the NSF fees we were charged.
But how do you pre qualify a potential buyer before you waste time test driving with a dead beat? Mike alluded to FICO scores. I know when I showed a car salesman mine it got immediate attention. What would you ask from a kid who answers your car ad and wants to get behind the wheel of your car?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Cashiers cheques rule, certified, not so much. If the deal is cash, make sure you have one of the little pens that gives you a bit more confidence that the cash is real.
Isn't it wonderful that we have to go through all this? Your key ring and your three-page password list (in my case, anyway) are monuments to the fact that enough people are a**holes that we have to go through all this. I grew up in small towns where no one locked anything up. Now I'm here and have to put up with all this crap, besides which I get the "negative" label.
I started out very different. Today's so-called society got me to where I am today -- trust no one at the outset; wait and see -- maybe they're worthy (but probably not).
I can't see it as negative to be careful. You have to risk insulting a totally honest person by not trusting them. People who know we trust me implicitly. When I worked for my apple grower buddy last summer he thought nothing of handing me his cash box with $1000 inside but so few people have those internal controls these days that you can't risk that with just anybody.
It still amazes me how people can hook up with total strangers for intimate contact not knowing anything about the other person.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Just found out that my grandson is going to receive a $5,000 per year academic scholarship from his mother's place of work which will help pay 1/2 of the remaining tuition/room&board costs per year. I am so proud of him. The High School honored 7 seniors this week at a banquet for National Commitment Signing Day. They all sat at a dais and signed their commitment letters. Not bad for a High School in the Desert - 7 boys received scholarships for baseball at a university.
Let's hope they can win the California State Championship for Division I high school baseball. He went 2 for 4 at the last game - two doubles and two RBI's.
That's great Mike. You must be very proud.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
You know how, some mornings, you wake up and think to yourself "Gee, I think I'm going to buy a new car today"? No forethought, no research, just - BOOM! - you make a decision and you follow through with it. And a new car is in your driveway by the end of the day.
(warning - lost post ahead)
My wife is like that - except it is with houses, not cars.
The Tuesday before last she decides she wants to move to a new house (there are legitimate reasons for doing this, not a complete whim). She found a house that was interesting to her on line that morning. We call our realtor and set up an appointment for that afternoon. We look at the house, decide it's the one she wants, and we make an offer. Offer accepted about noon the next day, which means we have to get our house prepped to be put on the market ASAP (our offer was not contingent on our house selling).
One day staging the house and having pictures taken - half our garage is now filled with furniture and accessories that didn't make the cut. House goes on MLS a week ago today. We decide to hold two open houses - one Saturday, one Sunday. We schedule over a dozen showings in those two days - did I mention that the real estate market in Denver is muy caliente?
A full price offer is submitted on our house this past Tuesday and we accepted.
We close on the sale of our house on 5/7 and the new house on 5/11. Which means I have less than a month to sort, organize, toss out, donate or give away anything and everything we don't want to take with us. And pack the rest.
My head hurts.
Wow. Ummm...congrats?
so what will you do for the 4 days in between? It was a MAJOR PITA when we were homeless for about a week.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
You know how, some mornings, you wake up and think to yourself "Gee, I think I'm going to buy a new car today"? No forethought, no research, just - BOOM! - you make a decision and you follow through with it. And a new car is in your driveway by the end of the day.
(warning - lost post ahead)
My wife is like that - except it is with houses, not cars.
The Tuesday before last she decides she wants to move to a new house (there are legitimate reasons for doing this, not a complete whim). She found a house that was interesting to her on line that morning. We call our realtor and set up an appointment for that afternoon. We look at the house, decide it's the one she wants, and we make an offer. Offer accepted about noon the next day, which means we have to get our house prepped to be put on the market ASAP (our offer was not contingent on our house selling).
One day staging the house and having pictures taken - half our garage is now filled with furniture and accessories that didn't make the cut. House goes on MLS a week ago today. We decide to hold two open houses - one Saturday, one Sunday. We schedule over a dozen showings in those two days - did I mention that the real estate market in Denver is muy caliente?
A full price offer is submitted on our house this past Tuesday and we accepted.
We close on the sale of our house on 5/7 and the new house on 5/11. Which means I have less than a month to sort, organize, toss out, donate or give away anything and everything we don't want to take with us. And pack the rest.
My head hurts.
Wow! That's all I can say. I could never make a decision of that size that quick. My hat's off to you and your spouse.
BTW, I would be willing to take all your old dirty cars off your hands, no charge to help you get rid of the clutter.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Cashiers cheques rule, certified, not so much. If the deal is cash, make sure you have one of the little pens that gives you a bit more confidence that the cash is real.
Isn't it wonderful that we have to go through all this? Your key ring and your three-page password list (in my case, anyway) are monuments to the fact that enough people are a**holes that we have to go through all this. I grew up in small towns where no one locked anything up. Now I'm here and have to put up with all this crap, besides which I get the "negative" label.
I started out very different. Today's so-called society got me to where I am today -- trust no one at the outset; wait and see -- maybe they're worthy (but probably not).
I can't see it as negative to be careful. You have to risk insulting a totally honest person by not trusting them. People who know we trust me implicitly. When I worked for my apple grower buddy last summer he thought nothing of handing me his cash box with $1000 inside but so few people have those internal controls these days that you can't risk that with just anybody.
It still amazes me how people can hook up with total strangers for intimate contact not knowing anything about the other person.
How in the world did we wind up on prostitution!??
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
We close on the sale of our house on 5/7 and the new house on 5/11. Which means I have less than a month to sort, organize, toss out, donate or give away anything and everything we don't want to take with us. And pack the rest.
My head hurts.
Jeebus, Michaell... I seem to recall a previous move not long ago? Would be curious to better understand the rationale, but a new house always sounds good if the one you have is not satisfying in some way. Congrats! Hope the new mortgage is easily handled. And at least the process was relatively quick and painless. Except for the packing...
Cashiers cheques rule, certified, not so much. If the deal is cash, make sure you have one of the little pens that gives you a bit more confidence that the cash is real.
Isn't it wonderful that we have to go through all this? Your key ring and your three-page password list (in my case, anyway) are monuments to the fact that enough people are a**holes that we have to go through all this. I grew up in small towns where no one locked anything up. Now I'm here and have to put up with all this crap, besides which I get the "negative" label.
I started out very different. Today's so-called society got me to where I am today -- trust no one at the outset; wait and see -- maybe they're worthy (but probably not).
I get it.
When I bought the ATS last year I brought my checkbook to the dealership on the day that was set to do the paperwork and pick up the car. This would be the 6th vehicle I had bought from a dealer, and in all of the previous 5 I just wrote a check for the amount. Given this was the 3rd consecutive vehicle I had bought at this same place I had no inkling that would not be the same this time. It wasn't. They insisted on a certified or cashiers cheque. No wire/E transfer either. And they wouldn't take a sack full of cash because of money laundering woes. I had to trek to the bank and get a cahier's cheque and then go back to the dealership. I was rather irritated.
Yes, been in our current house only 2.5 years, but there are some things about it that we can never address, that the new house does.
It helps that we are in such an active market.
No old cars lying about, sadly. The Jetta will likely go back at the end of the lease, and not be replaced. Wife and daughter drive to work together about 98% of the time, so there is always a car in the garage for emergencies.
Congrats, @Michaell and godspeed on this one. Our move timeline was similar this past fall and it was amazing how quickly we had to get our stuff together.
2025 Jetta GLI Autobahn, 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xE
@michaell, Congrats on the house flip. If the market is hot, it might have been worth it to go through with the open houses. Skipping the stress, priceless.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
I suspect any paper check can be easily faked these days. If you want to be certain, perform a transaction at the bank, and have the cash validated before completion.
I am pretty sure in the great world of the past (it isn't coming back), there were plenty of scammers, too. Today the tech is better to aid in the scamming, and people are definitely no less gullible. There's a way to not have to put up with any of it, simply refrain from large in-person physical transactions.
George C. Parker comes to mind. He was the guy who sold many New York City landmarks including the Brooklyn Bridge multiple times. Todays con artists are small play next to him.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
We did hold the open houses - many of the showings were concurrent with those times.
Yeah, Denver housing market is hot, but not Seattle hot. We priced the house right and decided we didn't want a bidding war. First offer included everything we wanted (including an accelerated closing schedule), so no point waiting for more.
The couple who are buying our house included a cute letter explaining why they were in LOVE (their caps, not mine) with our house, how they would take care of it, etc.
We never got emotionally attached to this house.
If anyone is interested, the zillow listing is here
Cashiers cheques rule, certified, not so much. If the deal is cash, make sure you have one of the little pens that gives you a bit more confidence that the cash is real.
Isn't it wonderful that we have to go through all this? Your key ring and your three-page password list (in my case, anyway) are monuments to the fact that enough people are a**holes that we have to go through all this. I grew up in small towns where no one locked anything up. Now I'm here and have to put up with all this crap, besides which I get the "negative" label.
I started out very different. Today's so-called society got me to where I am today -- trust no one at the outset; wait and see -- maybe they're worthy (but probably not).
I can't see it as negative to be careful. You have to risk insulting a totally honest person by not trusting them. People who know we trust me implicitly. When I worked for my apple grower buddy last summer he thought nothing of handing me his cash box with $1000 inside but so few people have those internal controls these days that you can't risk that with just anybody.
It still amazes me how people can hook up with total strangers for intimate contact not knowing anything about the other person.
How in the world did we wind up on prostitution!??
Never said that. I was talking about trusting strangers and I used the many anonymous hook up sites as an example. But now that you mention it, hiring a hooker would require a level of trust beyond my ability.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Congratulations Michael on buying the new house in being able to sell the old one the warning for long so quickly always a good thing we can still do your one fast hopefully that happens with us down the road when we sell here in New York and eventually move down to north Carolina the next year or two
Thanks, all
Yes, been in our current house only 2.5 years, but there are some things about it that we can never address, that the new house does.
It helps that we are in such an active market.
No old cars lying about, sadly. The Jetta will likely go back at the end of the lease, and not be replaced. Wife and daughter drive to work together about 98% of the time, so there is always a car in the garage for emergencies.
If buying and selling a house was that quick and that easy, I think I would do it professionally - wait! Doing it professionally is what a realtor does! NO WAY! But it sounds like you and your wife made it sound sooo easy and rewarding.
Congrats, Michaell. You deserve it. Enjoy your new home.
Comments
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Sadly, I ended up breaking most of them in one fell blow when I was working on an engine and miscalculated the amount of force a 2# mallet could apply. Man, that was such a mess. I think I nearly broke my old man's heart in the same stroke!
Wheaton Scientific makes some really nice 4/8/16oz jars with full-screw lids that work great for this. They're a bit pricey (compared to getting free baby food jars), but still probably far better of a solution than any commercial bin in terms of actually finding parts in the future.
IIRC it was an system update (where cash is posted to various accounts overnight) that failed which caused a bunch of money orders we took as payment to be returned NFS.
They sent a manager over with cash to make everything right and even paid all the NSF fees we were charged.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Let's hope they can win the California State Championship for Division I high school baseball. He went 2 for 4 at the last game - two doubles and two RBI's.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
If you're brave enough to owner-finance a car, then you have to make sure you have the documentation to maintain a lien on it (and have that info included on the title transfer), and follow through with repossessing it if the buyer ends up defaulting.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I have also stood in my garage counting out piles of small bills on the trunk of the car. That was find too! Cheap cars, easy. I don’t think I would try to private sell something in the 20k range though.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Cashiers check, certified check (I can't remember now what the difference is) but at one time they were the most secured way to pay for something. Now, with scammers, nothing seems to be fully secured.
I've sold a few cars and I only accepted cash. I think the most expensive one was around $850 back in the early 80's. Like you, I counted it out on the trunk of the car.
Interesting story about a cashiers/certified check:
The day before we are going to close on our second house, the attorneys office where the closing will take place calls me. The woman wants to make sure I know how much money I have to provide. I asked if it had to be a cashiers or certified check. She said, "you can write a personal check". That didn't sound right to me so I asked her to repeat that. She did, so the next morning I had money transferred from our savings account to our checking account. It saved me the small fee that either of those checks would have cost me. It wasn't much but why do it if I don't have to.
Fast forward to the closing that afternoon. We are now done with all the paper signing and the closing officer says, "all I need from you is a check for $ xxxxxxxxxx". I passed the personal check to him and he said, "I can't take a personal check". I told him that I was told that he could. He wants to know who told me that. I told him the woman's name and the attorney at the office where we are closing, excuses himself and comes back in a few minutes and says, "yeah, Sally admits to telling him that. She should know better". I said, "I can go to the bank and get what you need. The bank is only a mile down the road". The closing officer said he had to be on the other side of town for another closing and he didn't want to wait for me to go to the bank.
He said, "OK, Mr. jmonroe, I'll take your check but I want you to know that passing a bad check at a closing is a FELONY. Do you still want to give me a personal check"? I tuned to Mrs. j and said, "you're the one that wrote the check. Do you still want to give it to him"? I heard an uneasy laugh come from the closing officer. Man, those guys have no sense of humor.
Just in case you guys are wondering, the check was good. Just like all the checks Mrs. j writes.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
A certified check is a check written on a personal account that a bank certifies that there are funds to cover the check in the account.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Isn't it wonderful that we have to go through all this? Your key ring and your three-page password list (in my case, anyway) are monuments to the fact that enough people are a**holes that we have to go through all this. I grew up in small towns where no one locked anything up. Now I'm here and have to put up with all this crap, besides which I get the "negative" label.
I started out very different. Today's so-called society got me to where I am today -- trust no one at the outset; wait and see -- maybe they're worthy (but probably not).
I am pretty sure in the great world of the past (it isn't coming back), there were plenty of scammers, too. Today the tech is better to aid in the scamming, and people are definitely no less gullible. There's a way to not have to put up with any of it, simply refrain from large in-person physical transactions.
(warning - lost post ahead)
My wife is like that - except it is with houses, not cars.
The Tuesday before last she decides she wants to move to a new house (there are legitimate reasons for doing this, not a complete whim). She found a house that was interesting to her on line that morning. We call our realtor and set up an appointment for that afternoon. We look at the house, decide it's the one she wants, and we make an offer. Offer accepted about noon the next day, which means we have to get our house prepped to be put on the market ASAP (our offer was not contingent on our house selling).
One day staging the house and having pictures taken - half our garage is now filled with furniture and accessories that didn't make the cut. House goes on MLS a week ago today. We decide to hold two open houses - one Saturday, one Sunday. We schedule over a dozen showings in those two days - did I mention that the real estate market in Denver is muy caliente?
A full price offer is submitted on our house this past Tuesday and we accepted.
We close on the sale of our house on 5/7 and the new house on 5/11. Which means I have less than a month to sort, organize, toss out, donate or give away anything and everything we don't want to take with us. And pack the rest.
My head hurts.
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2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
IIRC it was an system update (where cash is posted to various accounts overnight) that failed which caused a bunch of money orders we took as payment to be returned NFS.
They sent a manager over with cash to make everything right and even paid all the NSF fees we were charged.
But how do you pre qualify a potential buyer before you waste time test driving with a dead beat? Mike alluded to FICO scores. I know when I showed a car salesman mine it got immediate attention. What would you ask from a kid who answers your car ad and wants to get behind the wheel of your car?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
It still amazes me how people can hook up with total strangers for intimate contact not knowing anything about the other person.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
so what will you do for the 4 days in between? It was a MAJOR PITA when we were homeless for about a week.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
BTW, I would be willing to take all your old dirty cars off your hands, no charge to help you get rid of the clutter.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
When I bought the ATS last year I brought my checkbook to the dealership on the day that was set to do the paperwork and pick up the car. This would be the 6th vehicle I had bought from a dealer, and in all of the previous 5 I just wrote a check for the amount. Given this was the 3rd consecutive vehicle I had bought at this same place I had no inkling that would not be the same this time. It wasn't. They insisted on a certified or cashiers cheque. No wire/E transfer either. And they wouldn't take a sack full of cash because of money laundering woes. I had to trek to the bank and get a cahier's cheque and then go back to the dealership. I was rather irritated.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Yes, been in our current house only 2.5 years, but there are some things about it that we can never address, that the new house does.
It helps that we are in such an active market.
No old cars lying about, sadly. The Jetta will likely go back at the end of the lease, and not be replaced. Wife and daughter drive to work together about 98% of the time, so there is always a car in the garage for emergencies.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
I'm only half-joking.
Congrats on cashing in!
Congrats on the house flip.
If the market is hot, it might have been worth it to go through with the open houses.
Skipping the stress, priceless.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Yeah, Denver housing market is hot, but not Seattle hot. We priced the house right and decided we didn't want a bidding war. First offer included everything we wanted (including an accelerated closing schedule), so no point waiting for more.
The couple who are buying our house included a cute letter explaining why they were in LOVE (their caps, not mine) with our house, how they would take care of it, etc.
We never got emotionally attached to this house.
If anyone is interested, the zillow listing is here
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Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
Let me ask a dumb question. Did anyone ask about LED lighting?
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
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Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
Never said that. I was talking about trusting strangers and I used the many anonymous hook up sites as an example. But now that you mention it, hiring a hooker would require a level of trust beyond my ability.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Congrats, Michaell. You deserve it. Enjoy your new home.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6