The joys and frustrations of home buying...

[JediMAC]

Packing a Two weeks will NOT be enough. Although you don't have a two-year-old to "help," if your collection is as big as mine, I hope you don't have a long transit to the new home. collection is TEDIOUS...

Other than that, prepare to be sore. As a flabby 36-year-old, I lost 12 pounds doing the most exercise I have in years. Moving FROM a 3-story home TO another 3-story home is like Stairmaster™ HELL. If your legs need a workout, I can recommend this one.  

Yeah, I'm fully expecting to be sore and exhausted as hell, as a flabby 33 year old myself...  I think I mentioned somewhere above that I'd probably be hitting the Advil pretty hard over the next couple weeks...

As for the collection, you're talking seriously 25 years worth of stuff (with no break at all, even during the "dark ages" of the late 80's).  Vintage, a COMPLETE carded and loose collection of the entire modern era, with many, many ships, beasts, playsets, etc..., plus the hoardes of "other SW collectibles" that I have...  It's going to be an immense challenge.  But fortunately (in this case), most of the stuff is already in storage.  I've got two giant storage facilities out of town, plus a ton more stuff stashed away at my parents and aunt's houses.  So I've probably got only about a tenth of my collection here at my current place, which is the only stuff I HAVE TO move right away.  I can get to the rest later on when I've got a little more time...  

Still won't come close to fitting it all in the house, so I'm going to have to keep at least one of those damned storage units...    Oh well, at least I can finally get some stuff set up and displayed!

Very nice of you to sacrifice the collection room for your son John!  I mean, what's another 16 years, right?!  

[MisterPL]

Actually the boy will be 11 this fall, my daughter is the 2-year-old I was referring to. Once HE'S out, if SHE wants a "playroom," she can have HIS bedroom and I'LL take the 3rd floor playroom.

If your the Emperor, you have to plan ahead.  

[JediMAC]

Actually the boy will be 11 this fall, my daughter is the 2-year-old I was referring to. Once HE'S out, if SHE wants a "playroom," she can have HIS bedroom and I'LL take the 3rd floor playroom.

If your the Emperor, you have to plan ahead.  

Well that's good news!  Phew...  I was thinking you had 16 years to go.  7's not quite as bad.  That's about what I've had to wait in our current place, 'til we get moved in a few days.  Good luck with the waiting period!  

Our new place is "tri-level" so I'll be getting a workout on the stairs as well.  Fortunately, it's only about 8 stairs from floor to floor, since it's not actually a "3-story" house.  Regardless, my body's gonna be toast!  

[Morgbug]

Matt, if you feel like saving some money on storage, I'd be pleased to pay the shipping for you to get rid of all of your 'extras'.

[Membraneman]

Man, I started to pack up my collection today, YIKES!!, do I have allot of crap!!  I started at 10
this morning, only breaking for lunch and I've just about packed all the newer stuff except the bigger
boxes.  

I'm charging my Dig. Cam battery right now, when it's ready I'll take a few pics.

We went out to the new house today to check it out
and I made a  few measurements for my new Collection
room. WoooHooo it's going to be nice. Only thing is, it's going to be a few weeks or more before anything
gets unpacked, groan!!

[DSJ™]

Man, I started to pack up my collection today, YIKES!!, do I have allot of crap!!

Don't we all my friend, don't we all!  

Packing is the hard part then after that, the unpacking. But atleast you can take your time. You gotta give yourself something to do in the cold winter months ahead!  

[Membraneman]

So I get up today and find these. I guess they wanted out. Damn Chickens,  

[MisterPL]

Bob, I think Raid™ makes an indoor fogger for those. Knocks 'em right out.

And Matt, seven years ain't bad at all. I mean, Hasbro has the license 'til 2018 or something, right? (Who am I kidding. I'll need another house by then...)

[Nicklab]

Looks like I should check in here.   I've been checking out some condo's with a local realtor, and the whole thing is frightening, to say the least!  Living in the NY tri-state area is not all it's cracked up to be, especially when it comes to real estate.

[MisterPL]

Done packing, Matt?  

[Mikey D]

The wife and I closed on Thursday night, so we are now homeowners.  The Jersey thing didn't work out, but we find a fixer upper for a great price in a great neighborhood that convient for both of us work wise.  Today was our first full day of improvements and I am sore.  We cleaned out the yard, and I demoed the kitchen while she painted.    We're completely re-doing the kitchen, so I tore out the old cabinets.  This house had that old faux brick on the kitchen walls, so of course that had to come down.

What a pain in the ass.  First I had to chisel the "brick" off, then with a smaller chisel take off the glue and backerboard.  It sucked.  Now I have to fill some holes with spackle, sand and then paint.  But it will be well worth it to have a brand new kitchen with state of the art appliances and new cabinetry.

[Famine]

What a pain in the ass.  First I had to chisel the "brick" off, then with a smaller chisel take off the glue and backerboard.  It sucked.  Now I have to fill some holes with spackle, sand and then paint.

Why didn't you just go to the corner of the wall, chissel the brick untill you found the backerboard, and then go the seam of the wall on either end. You could have stuck a prybar or a large screwdriver between wall and board, and popped that sucker off!

You might have had to do it a couple more times in some spots, but its a hell of alot quicker than chisseling everything!

Kevin

[Infamy Of Crete]

I owned both of my houses for about 7 years now I just sold the 1st one a few months back....what irrattes me the most. no matter what state oyulive in there is always something you get jerked around with during the whole process. I'm pretty much a no nonsense guy don't bull**** me don;t him and hll give it to me straight and your going to get much farther with me. There hasn;t been one real estate transaction that I have made that has gone smooth because of either other people inept abilities or my lack of patients(yes I admit I am part of the problem). The sale of real estate should be one of the happiest moments in your life if your buying personally if your buying as a business(which i have) that's all out the window.

My ramblings are leading me here  No matter what you can expect to get jacked around and don;t sweat the stupid stuff your not going to back out of a house because the seller isn;t going togive you the fir place tools. so don't sweet the small stuff.

[JediMAC]

Congrats on the new pad Mikey!  So where did you wind up moving, if not Jersey?  Are you still in/near Boston?  Fixing a place up can definitely be a pain in the ass, but the hard work will all prove worth it in the end, so keep at it Mikey!

BTW John, no - 8 months later and we're STILL not done packing!    

[Mikey D]

Why didn't you just go to the corner of the wall, chissel the brick untill you found the backerboard, and then go the seam of the wall on either end. You could have stuck a prybar or a large screwdriver between wall and board, and popped that sucker off!

You might have had to do it a couple more times in some spots, but its a hell of alot quicker than chisseling everything!


Kevin

It's not drywall, it's plaster.  So there's no finding a section and just ripping that out.  Once I got the learning curve down, it went a lot smoother.  Just have to patch up some small holes with compound, sand and finish.  It will look so much better than faux brick.  

Congrats on the new pad Mikey!  So where did you wind up moving, if not Jersey?  Are you still in/near Boston?  Fixing a place up can definitely be a pain in the ass, but the hard work will all prove worth it in the end, so keep at it Mikey!

Thanks Matt!  Still near Boston (Waltham if anyone in Mass is wondering).  Unfortunely, the job market in Jersey / Philly when I started looking wasn't that great.  The decision wasn't easy, but we decided to start looking in Mass and stop pissing our money away renting.  

Today was fairly easy.  Painted the master bedroom and bathroom and cleaned up the debris from yesterday.  That's one great thing about just buying a house - you get to buy all new toys.  I got a wet / dry Shop Vac and Dewalt drill to use now.