And the Appraisal Is In!

$105,000.  On the lower end of my guesstimated range, but within it, and fair.  My place was evaluated without regard for planned updating, while two of the comps had significant updating, and I could quibble that he gave no bump for being on the golf course against comps that back onto other buildings.  He had an explanation when I asked about it, I'm not sure I bought it.  Appraisal is an art, not a science, and another appraiser might have approached it differently.  This guy also made a couple of small factual errors, shorting me on a few feet of square footage, etc.  But it doesn't matter at all, because I'm only taking out a smallish mortgage and am well below 80% loan to value even at this number. I'm still quite pleased that this place has appreciated about 13%, by a very conservative estimate, since I bought it in November, 2011. 

So, hopefully in the next week or two I'll get called about scheduling the closing.  Then the fun begins - I have to get serious about planning and designing and finding time to get stuff done.  Because this place needs to be dragged into the 21st century from stem to stern.  From tile on the front and rear balconies, re-screening the rear balcony, new flooring and lighting, a whole new kitchen, clawing down 80s era wallpaper in the foyer and hall bath, new bathroom sinks and vanities, and of course, replacing the hated, hated carpet. 

I'm not going hog wild and spending a fortune on this, because this is just a nice little condo in a well-built, well maintained older neighborhood in the burbs.  I will have fun with it, making it fresh and new, but I can do math and know how much makes sense to spend, and what would be wild over-improvement.

Now, the question:  Logistics. HOW the HELL do I get this stuff done, with two dogs underfoot and a full-time job?  Much of it will have to wait until I can take a block of time off, and I've only been on this job two months.  My boss is a doll, but I wouldn't ask him to let me work from home for a week while my kitchen is being remodeled just yet.   So it's going to get done piecemeal and over time, but it's going to get done over the next year.