Sold Out

In just over a month we are sold out!

Two significant results:

1. No more sleepless nights for Heyday

2. A somewhat unexpected result is that all the buyers are people we'd like to have as neighbors: A school teacher, a graphic designer, an architect, one that prints stationary... a lot of creative professional types.
The design and product type really shaped the community residents as much as the built environment. Just as you'd expect to see a Prius in the garage more than a Hummer, these buyers fit in in the same fashion.

One House Left!

After another busy open house weekend there is only one home left that is not in escrow: Lot 8, a Plan D. It was nearly in escrow, to the point that we weren't accepting contracts, when the buyer backed out. 

Lot 3, Plan A is not officially in escrow at this point but there are several qualified buyers lined up for it so it will be gone in the next day or so.

Deja Vu

Phase 2 foundations are laid out and excavated. The second phase should be much faster with the subs since one of each of the plans was built for Phase 1 so all the dimensions can be taken from the full scale mock-ups we have a few feet away.

Sales Update: 9 In Escrow

Last week we reached 9 contracts in escrow. For Phase 1 there is only a Plan A and a Plan D left for July move in. The open house was busy yesterday since it was the first one after going on the MLS so there should be another couple contracts coming in this week.

Also the camera broke so pictures of the Phase 2 excavation will have to wait until later this week.

City

So yesterday I'm down at the city processing a couple final clearances to get the tract map recorded. I'm at B permits, a department that is notoriously bureaucratic, looking for a clearance for the removal of any existing street trees. The great thing is that there were no street trees so this should be painless. 

Nope. 

First he tells me there is a street tree that will cost $1500 to remove. I show him a picture of the site when I bought it with no trees. He shows me a CAD drawing with a tree on it and says clearly there was one. OK so assume there's a tree there and I've never seen it and I pay $1500 to remove the imaginary tree and plant another one somewhere then am I cleared?

Nope.

He asks if I've gotten a $39,000 bond for the construction of a street light. He was surprised when I answered yes. I told him I would love to know how this is related to removing imaginary trees and he says, "Welcome to B permits."

I jump through a couple more hoops and we're actually moving forward when he starts to print  a file and the printer runs out of paper. This is where it gets interesting. Instead of getting more paper he actually tells me to come back the next day! WTF! I've been talking to this guy for an hour at this point and he can't get more paper. Then he actually tells me that's why he loves working at the city: no responsibility! I'm looking for Steve Carell at this point because the only other place I've witnessed this level of incompetency is on The Office. Luckily a fellow employee who has a minimal level of competency tries to print a couple minutes later, realizes there's no paper and goes and gets some. With the printer now working he gives me a form to take to another department that says I have been authorized by B permits to remove the tree. There is no tree.

Selling

Sales update: After being on the market less than two weeks there are five homes in escrow and another three serious buyers.

In conversation with the framing subcontractor he asked how sales were going. I responded that we were off to a very good start and he said: "Wow, that is very good news, but I'm not surprised because when you put your heart into a building it takes it and it shows."
I ran to the bathroom so the workers wouldn't see me shed a tear in public.

Drywall Delivery

The drywall arrived for the remaining six. Each sheet weighs 70 lbs, so this is over 25000 lbs. of drywall or 4200 lbs per house. A typical car weighs around 2800 lbs.