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Some progress in "plans" as thought about last post...


Looks like we will be in Wisconsin! Most likely on a lake somewhere between Baraboo and Madison. Sounds like I won't be making "engineering" money to begin with, but will have some other perks, such as a car and housing!! The plans are beginning to solidify to move in Fall '08. Since we won't have to have a down payment on a new house we can take the profit of selling our KCK house ($50k+) and pay off any credit or bad loans (i.e. current car). SO......


Ultimately that changes some of our current decisions in Warrensburg! I now just want to get rid of the house (even if we have to lose a little). My realtor quoted me $850 to fix our crappy bathroom and sand and patch the hallway. Which is about what I started thinking....$1000 to just get it done. We'll paint what needs to be painted (bedrooms, hallway and ceilings) and just see if we get any bites on the market! We HAVE to sell for $95k but with the huge fenced in backyard, storage shed, off street parking in the back, no dead trees, full basement (that needs work), usable second bath in basement, 3 bedrooms, and all appliances included, we should be able to get that amount. Big negatives on the house: kitchen counters are outdated (<$500), dishwasher needs work the look "complete"(<<$200), basement has some water issues (~$2000), wiring is not grounded (~$2000), nice wood floors need to be refinished (~$1500). So if I wanted to make the house near perfect another $5000 does would make it close. BUT I don't want to spend that kind of cash with no guarantee on returns. It would be great if we could hired a contractor and make those changes and get $110k, but there are no guarantees and the market sucks so...we'll hope for the best with what be got and not lose any more money on the house!!

Thoughts

Sitting here with a gut rolling with Arby's 5-4-595, finishing up a report for the KC downtown airport, thinking...


What's next?

Well in the present tense: wait for Damian to finish (or start) reviewing my report to compile and send out. Head to Lee's Summit for more commissioning, then to W'burg to verify the house is powered and empty.

But then what? I'm not meaning tonight or tomorrow or even this weekend, though this weekend may have a HUGE impact on "what's next"

What's next is the next phase of life. Amber and I have spent the past couple years "playing house". We've lived our lives basically by ourselves and for ourselves. Some connect with my family, very little with hers. This weekend I hope to talk with Dad and determine the first steps for "what's next".

The plan for the past year or so has been to pick up and move back to Iowa and work for/with my Dad running his furniture stores. Now I originally wanted nothing to do with working for my Dad, hence why I went to school in Indiana and got an engineering degree. At the end of my senior year I the idea was more tolerable, spending the better part of 4 years on my own, doing what and who I wanted. Little to no responsibility other than graduating (which I somehow accomplished in a clean 4 years). I took the GMAT (with Daddy's money) with the idea that since my GPA wasn't great I would go and get my MBA. I pushed it and actually got accepted to couple Iowa colleges (UNI & U of Dubuque), was all but ready to pull the trigger and start the next 2-3 year run of school. But my finger fell off the trigger and let those opportunities fall to the wayside with the hopes of making my own money and not relying on Dad for another couple years. Ironically I worked for him for 6 months while attempting to find my own money, living in his cabin and driving his insured car. Amber was a foregone conclusion, we were going to get married, just when and where. Now don't get me wrong, I did question whether I was ready or even wanted that commitment, but lets face it, I love the woman. Even with all the little stuff I wouldn't change that decision. So I finally get the job in Sedalia, MO for way to little money and 7 hours from home. I didn't ask for help (hell I never actually asked for the interim job after I graduated). I moved myself down to Sedalia, and decided to move Amber down with me. She hadn't officially graduated and did not have a job, and there was little to no options in Sedalia for ChemE so it fell to much decent-but-not-130k-tuition-degree paycheck. We rent a nice little country house and got Max, our first "kid" that was ours (Domino was first but he was Amber's). We got married and decided we wanted to move to Warrensburg so she could maybe find a job in the city (KC). So we bought our 100% financed first house and went 90k in debt (aside from the misuse of credit cards along the way). The house had so much potential and we wanted to do some much to it and with it. But there's that little problem of $$. We added a fence and shed in the back yard (on credit of course) and made some minor changes inside, mostly paint. I then move on a better paying job in KC and increase my mediocre paycheck to at least average (20% increase from Sedalia). To accommodate this pay increase we decide to buy a car (debt now totaling almost 200k). Amber finds her perfect job which means another move and another house. We could have gotten something small and cheap but hey we're DINKs now and can get whatever we want, right? So we find a 180k house and arrange for that too. We found friends of friends to rent-to-own the W'burg house so we're set. For some unknown reason the bank allows us to 100% finance this house too. Yep thats ~$350k with two houses, a car, school loans, and credit cards. Not once do we ask for help from our parents (though I thought we might have to). Granted Dad was nice enough to furnish our house with lots of really nice things so thats one big thing we've never had to pay for and he gave us the title to the car I had been driving.

Wow this has gotten long....

Now I sit, still wishing I wouldn't have eaten all that Arbys, with what could be a huge weight of bills and problems on my shoulders. We've received a grand total of two months rent from our "tenants". So we've been paying two mortgages and all our other bills (plus tithing). Amber does the bills and checkbook so I rarely if ever look at our bottom line, but she stresses enough for the both of us. But that brings us back around to that question of "what's next?"

Our tenants have moved out and we will begin fixing some basics at the Wburg house to make a sellable. We are hoping to receive the whole years rent from our former tenants ($7500 btw). And to sell the cotton-picking house ASAP without losing our ass on realtor fees (5% of sale price ~$5000).

Then there's this weekend when I talk with Dad and find out his "master plan." I am looking forward to moving back "home" though that could either be W'loo, Dubuque, or WI. Ultimately I would prefer to "fix" the gaps in his business, specifically technologically, and slowly work my way to "owner." Mom has said that he wants to just give me a store. That scares the crap out of me!! I have no doubt in his ability to help me, but I want to work hard not to work hard, ha! I don't want to put in 80 hours a week and be constantly be stressed about "how bad business is." At the same time, enough of Dad has rubbed off on me and I want to "win." I want to be the best at the business thing. I'm not sure yet what "win" means yet: most money made (net or gross), run everyone else in the ground, both or even stuff I haven't thought of yet!! I still plan on going back for my MBA so I can be a prepared as possible for what may be coming ahead, what ever that may be.

This next phase in life all may include kids. The actual non-furry (hopefully), two-legged, boob-chugging rugrats. Amber wants babies. I'm not so keen on the idea. Ultimately its the last sign of "growing up." Granted many would argue being a third of a million dollars in debt is grown up. But I've seen many "kids" that are owned by the bank and creditor. I'm not saying I have a complete "Peter Pan" thing going but there's just something about "growing up" that scares me.