 June
1, 2009 - Now 2 More Months. Yup, only 2 more months from today before the baby is due. Akiko is
looking really pregnant now and very happy. We spend a lot of
time now outside relaxing and meeting friends. Waiting for
the temperatures to warm up a bit though. |
 Us
again. |
 Side
view. |
 Side
view. |
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view. |
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view. |
|
June 1, 2009 - Email
Message -
Maichan. Mademoiselle.
Le film a beau sens.
Beaucoup de gens ne peuvent pas comprendre.
Je vous le dis parce que je sais que vous comprenez.
Votre esprit est très belle et libre.
J'aime parler avec vous.
Howie. |
|
June 2, 2009
- Nothing Special Today.
We pretty much stayed in and worked on our projects. |
|
June
3, 2009 - Weeding University. Actually I was planning to write about something different
today, then I read my email and decided this was prefect. My
English site is extremely popular now and used in over 180
countries. I installed many surveys throughout the site in
an effort to get students to practice writing in English.
The classroom section of the site has a lesson for each day
of the year, which is almost complete. Anyway, I decided to
cancel class for tomorrow because of our wedding
anniversary. I installed a survey on there for students to
send us a greeting if they want. This was the initial post
and really cute. Quote:
Hi, Happy weeding university.
I wish for you the best, and a long life full of happiness. |
June 3, 2009 - Email
Message -
hi.
A new photograph was seen.
Congratulations on the marriage anniversary it soon.
It is happy forever. ～～～☆☆☆☆☆・・・......：””””☆☆☆.....～～～＾＾。maiko.
June 3, 2009 - Email
Message -
Maichan.
Hi. I want to thank you for the nice email.
Talk to you again.
Howie. |
 June
4, 2009 - Wedding Anniversary. Happy Anniversary to my wonderful wife.
Today Akiko and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We
went out for a picnic together and then enjoyed a nice quiet
dinner at home. Neither one of us are really into spending
time around a bunch of noisy people on our special days.
Usually not into putting email or other private
communications online but I received an anniversary card
from my closest and longest time friend. The card was from
Sandy. Any of you who know about my past in Buffalo can
remember how close we were. We go back over 30 years, and
even after all this time, we continue to be close and be
there for each other. Anyway, enough rambling on. Anyone in
a relationship should read this card and really think about
the meaning behind it. Thank you Sandy for sending such
wonderful thoughts. You really are a true friend.
Anniversary Message and Thoughts From Sandy
(Note: the Ecard does not
load properly in the Google Chrome browser) |
June 5, 2009
- Classroom Section Finished, Site Award Received.
After months of work making lessons, videos, tests, and
surveys, the Classroom section of my Fun Easy English site
is finally finished. Now I can turn my attention to other
projects. The site was named one of the top English language
sites in 2008 in an independent survey.
EnglishClub.com Award Page |
June 5, 2009 - Email
Message -
Maichan.
Hi. I want to purchase a house in Japan.
I found a house and posted on my site.
http://howiehayman.com/
Talk to you again.
Howie.
June 5, 2009 -
Facebook Post -
Happy Anniversary to….um….us. Yup, today we are celebrating our wedding
anniversary. Akiko and I planned a nice quiet dinner and a movie for tonight. |
June 6, 2009
- Possibly Going to Japan Early?
For quite a few weeks now, we searched the real estate
database in Japan looking for a house to purchase. The house
needs to be two stories, pretty standard in Japan, with at
least two bedrooms upstairs, one or two rooms on the first
floor to be used for our English school, and a kitchen which
is located towards the rear of the house. Even more
important, the house needs to be relatively close to a train
station, which makes the price higher, but is better for
getting students. We found a house located in Hōryū-ji which
is perfect. Hōryū-ji is a temple complex located in Nara,
Japan. The temple is widely acknowledged to have one of the
oldest wooden buildings existing in the world, and is one of
the most celebrated temples in Japan. In 1993, Hōryū-ji was
inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Japanese
government lists it as a National Treasure. The house is
only 2 miles from the temple. Really cool. Anyway, we plan
to chat with our family in Japan this morning to talk about
the house. Click the links for more information.
House Information - Written in Japanese
Wikipedia - Hōryū-ji Information in English |
June 7, 2009
- New, um Old House in Japan.
We are now officially in negotiations with a real estate
agent in Japan to purchase this house. The property is
located in Nara City, approximately 4 miles from Nara Park,
an historic site housing Tōdai-ji, the largest wooden
building in the world. The house is a piece of crap with
tons of cosmetic problems, mold, and dryrot. Since I am able
to repair pretty much any house problems, a fixer is
definitely the way we decided to go. Japanese people
generally want a house in move-in condition and are not
do-it-yourselfers like many Americans are. The interesting
point about this house is the fact that, since it is located
in an historic area, the house cannot be knocked down or
modified. This is a deterrent for Japanese people as they
typically knock a house down after about 30 years and build
new. With Japanese property the value is in the land. If we
are able to get this house, we would most likely move to
Japan a few months ahead of schedule in order to open the
English language school sometime during Spring 2010.
House Information - Written in Japanese
House Layout - Written in Japanese
Wikipedia - Nara Park Information in English
Wikipedia - Tōdai-ji Information in English |
June
8, 2009 - Japanese Study - Thanks MBS Radio. Yup, MBS Radio in Japan puts on a ton of online radio
programs. These are really useful for learning Japanese
since the programs are taped and you can listen to the same
conversations over and over. This particular show is Minna
no Hokkaido (みんなの北海道), which means Everyone's Hokkaido. For those of
you who are not versed in Japanese geography, Hokkaido is
one of the four main islands of Japan.
みんなの北海道 Radio Show |
June 9, 2009 -
Total Fixer, Excellent Location. Possible home purchase in Horyuji, Nara, Japan.
We are focusing our attention towards purchasing this
house now. The house in my post on June 7, 2009 turned out
to be in a location not considered desirable if you talk
with the locals. This house is in an excellent location,
only one mile from Hōryū-ji, a temple complex located in
Nara, Japan. Read the June 6, 2009 post for more information
about this place. Anyway, due to the proximity to the
temple, the city rule is this property cannot be torn down
and rebuilt, a deterrent for most would-be-purchasers in
Japan. The house is basically structurally sound but needs
lots of cosmetic work. A fun project for sure. It should
take me about 2 months to remodel and around $5,000 for
materials.
The floor plan is pretty basic. Without getting into a lot
of specifics about Japanese real estate, a little bit of
information will make this post more interesting. The entry
to a Japanese house is called a genkan (kanji = 玄関) which
you can see on the first floor. The rooms colored in green
are tatami rooms or washitsu (kanji = 和室) which are rooms
using tatami mats for the flooring. The rooms colored in
yellow are standard rooms youshitsu (kanji = 洋室) using wood
for the flooring. The square meters in each room is measured
in number of tatami mats or “jou” (kanji =帖). The plan is
for the English classes to be in the middle room on the
first floor with our living space all on the second floor.
This property is located about a half a mile from an
elementary school and a middle school which means getting
students would be extremely easy. Click the following link
to see more pictures of this beautiful estate. (many
pictures - could take some time for the page to load)
More pictures of the house
More information about the house in Japanese
More information about the house in Japanese |
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June 10, 2009 -
Exact Location of the Property.
Tonight
we received email from the real estate agent in Japan
showing the exact location of the property. It turns out to
be almost exactly one mile from Hōryū-ji which is a temple
complex located in Nara, Japan. The temple is widely
acknowledged to have one of the oldest wooden buildings
existing in the world, and is one of the most celebrated
temples in Japan. The following link shows the location of
the Hōryū-ji temple complex (the gray area located in the
upper right hand corner of the map) and the "A" on the map
is the location of the property we might purchase.
Google map showing the location of Hōryū-ji (listed as Hōryū-jisannai)
Google map showing the exact location of the property
Wikipedia - Hōryū-ji Information in English |
June 10, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hi. I wanted to give you a bit more information about the property. Akiko
received email from the agent and it looks like we might be putting in an offer
on this sprawling estate. Really not kidding about the offer. If this works out
and it turns out to be too much work, you might get a free trip to the orient.
It certainly would be fun to hang out there. Anyway, go to my home page and
scroll down to the June 9, 2009 post and click the “More pictures of the house”
link. Enjoy.
http://howiehayman.com/
Send email when you can.
Howie. |
|
June 11, 2009 -
Now Partners With Amazon. After many years on the
Internet, my Fun Easy English site is now getting quite a
lot of attention. It seemed like now is finally the time to
partner with Amazon. The online stores will show up on all
of my sites within the next couple weeks. |
|
June 12, 2009 -
Stayed in and Worked.
Really not much to talk about today. Pretty much stayed in
and worked on building the Amazon stores on the sites. |
|
June 13, 2009 -
Condition of the House.
Today, um tomorrow in Japan, our family went to look at the
house. It turned out to be much worse than in the pictures.
Going to need to make a decision about it soon. |
June 13, 2009 - Email
Message - Jim.
Hi. I am busy as usual this weekend. Still working on purchasing the house in
Japan.
http://howiehayman.com/
Now into a new project. After years online finally decided to feature Amazon
products on all the sites. Trying to set up the English site and the SD site.
Then will begin work on the Japanese site next week. You can check the English
site and the SD site to see the beginning stages.
http://funeasyenglish.com/
http://sandiegocaliforniaevents.com/
Anyway, the project will entail making about 500 pages per site for a total of
4000 new pages. Actually not necessary to make the pages as the Amazon store is
self-contained but decided to make the individual pages to take advantage of the
good ranking my sites enjoy in Google. Anyway, back to work. Should meet soon
and talk. Send email when you can.
Howie. |
|
June 14, 2009 -
Getting Ready to Make an Offer.
After much consideration, we decided to go ahead with the
purchase of the house in Japan despite the condition. We
contacted the real estate agent and we will be making a
pretty low offer on the house within the next few days. |
June 15, 2009 -
Maybe This Home is a Better Choice.
Yeah,
we spent a bit of time looking at houses again. If the house
in Japan doesn’t work out, maybe we would consider this
property. A bit pricey but what the heck. A few more
bedrooms and bathrooms than needed and quite a job keeping
up with the landscaping. Anyway, click the link below for
the full details.
You are not gonna believe this place |
|
June 15, 2009 - Email
Message - Mina.
Hi. I wanted to know when is a good time to meet for a dinner get together.
Need to talk with you about possibly wiring money to Japan too. We are looking
at houses now and will need to send money if we decide to purchase.
I wanted to let you know about a slight mistake you made at the bank. Not really
much of a problem but thought it was better to tell you and then you would not
make the same mistake with other customers. Akiko received a secured credit card
when the bank was still WAMU. The program was discontinued and the credit card
was cancelled. You probably remember this situation. Anyway, Akiko received a
statement showing a credit balance of about 78 dollars. We brought the statement
in and you said there was no balance. We forgot about it but the other day we
received a check from the bank for the 78 dollars officially closing the
account. Thought you should know about this.
Anyway, let us know when you can meet. Send email when you can.
Howie. |
|
June 16, 2009 -
Another Nothing Special Day.
Again, we stayed in and worked on our projects today. |
|
June 17, 2009 -
Amazon.com and My San Diego Site.
Instead of working on the Amazon.com store for my English
site, I decided to give it a test run on my considerably
less popular San Diego site. The store is now over 140 pages
and features thousands of items related to San Diego. It
took time to optimize the pages but all is working. |
June 18, 2009 -
We Want To Purchase This House.
We were able to get interior photos of the house I
originally wanted. Now thinking of putting in an offer. We
contacted the real estate agent and now waiting for an
answer.
House Information - Written in Japanese
More Pictures of the House
Location of the House |
June 18, 2009 - Email
Message - Jim.
Hi. I finished up some of the online store on my SD site. The store is already
over 140 pages and all optimized for search and for San Diego products. A bit of
a hassle setting it up. Planning to add another hundred pages and features
thousands of products. You can click the link on the home page of the SD site if
you wanna check it out. Already getting some attention from visitors.
http://sandiegocaliforniaevents.com/
Anyway, need to talk to you about some product information one of these days.
This is not an exchange of services. This is something we would pay you for. Now
Akiko is finishing up the recipe site. The script she used contained about 8000
files and it the same script used for the United Nations site. Pretty impressive
work. She is working on our other sites now. Anyway, we plan to begin producing
cooking videos and making products to go along with the recipes she already
posted. With much of the site stuff finished the fun begins.
http://beemee.net/
We should meet for dinner and talk about the possibilities. Send email when you
can.
Howie. |
|
June 19, 2009 -
Today Was Really Nice.
It was warm and we met many friends today. Tons of grocery
shopping. |
June 20, 2009 -
Getting Ready To Put in an Offer.
We went to the bank today to find out about money transfers.
We are getting ready to put in an offer on this
house. More about this
within the next few days.
House Information - Written in Japanese
More Pictures of the House
Location of the House |
|
June 21, 2009 -
Happy Father's Day.
This was a really nice day. Akiko and I spent much of the
day with Valerie at the park and then made a BBQ. |
|
June 22, 2009 -
Getting Ready To Put in an Offer.
We went to the bank today and wired money to Japan to cover
the deposit in preparation for making an offer on the
property. |
June 23, 2009 -
Discrimination in Japan Sucks.
We are no longer thinking about purchasing a house in Japan.
This morning we received the final answer from family in
Japan. They will not accept us purchasing the house because
they do not agree with the location of the property. This is
all about discrimination against lower level Japanese called
Buraku. We are upset, sad, and disappointed. Any talk
about going to Japan is on hold for now and most likely for
quite some time.
Wikipedia - Buraku Discrimination in Japan |
June 24, 2009 -
Burakumin and Google – The
Craziness Continues.
After some heated arguments with the family in Japan, it
seemed like the issue of purchasing the house in the Buraku
town of Ando in Nara was officially over. Then we received email from the
agent and are now back to pursuing this course again. I
really need to respect my wife Akiko for pushing ahead with
the purchase, even though it is going completely against her
family and thousands of years of culture and tradition. The
fact is, she knows discrimination in any form is wrong and
now we want the property even more. The people in the Buraku
communities are the same as everyone else. They have
families and kids playing outside and feelings like everyone
else. Now we want to make our English language school in
this community and do something for these people who have
been discriminated against for centuries.
Anyway, Google recently posted maps of Burakumin communities
throughout Japan. They took old maps and combined them with
modern day street maps. This is creating quite a stir in
Japan. The Japanese government is now saying Google is using
the maps as a method of discrimination. Google is simply
using historical maps to show an existing problem which
needs to be addressed and eventually ended. Kudos to Google
for taking the time and nerve to do this. Discrimination in
any form needs to be exposed and abolished.
Google Earth maps out discrimination against burakumin caste in Japan
Google crosses line with controversial old Tokyo maps
Now we continue on with the home purchase.
June 24, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hi. I need to explain a few things. It seems we are joining the ranks of your
problem friends. Within a few days our situation went from close to perfect to a
total mess. Normally not one to talk about my problems to anyone but in the
short time since we have known each other, really feel close to you guys.
Especially since both you and Mary Ellen confided many things to us. Anyway,
Akiko and I were going to purchase a property in Japan as you know. We arranged
everything with the realtor and even sent the deposit which is now being used to
pay off her student loan. Akiko sent her parents to look at the property and
they will not represent us in the transaction. They would not accept the
location of the house because of Buraku. Look it up in wikipedia. This is
basically discrimination against other Japanese. It sucks and resulted in an
argument online with all of us the other day. It pissed me off enough to cancel
the ticket for her family to come in, which I paid for, and now no one is
talking to each other. Needless to say now this is creating problems between me
and Akiko. Not good timing for sure. No kidding, sometimes in-laws really suck.
Anyway, if things get much worse, I might want to put some distance between me
and Akiko for a few days. Even with long time friends only a mile away, for some
reason feel much more comfortable with you guys. Anyway, I would bring all my
own food, um, and wine of course, hang out with Rigel and be absolutely no
problem. Could even do some yard work or something. There is only a slight
chance of me actually coming up but wanted to keep my options open. Akiko
already knows about this potential plan and would no doubt be happy to not see
me for a few days. Anyway, send email and let me know what you think. Until
then.
Howie.
June 24, 2009 - Email
Message - Valerie.
Hi. I am not going to be able to meet your gf for awhile. Tons of problems with
Akiko and the family now. Really want to meet you and talk. We are definitely
not going to Japan now. Send email when you can.
Dad.
June 24, 2009 - Email
Message - Susan.
Hi. We are interested in obtaining more information about the property located
at
2508 Stony Point Rd, Grand Island, NY 14072.
My wife Akiko and I currently reside in San Diego, California and are now
considering moving to Grand Island. It might be a good idea to give you a bit of
background information before discussing the property.
I am originally from Kenmore. I was born and raised, spent 20 years in Kenmore,
and attended SUNYAB before transferring to SDSU. After obtaining a business
degree I worked for Bank of America and then was self-employed as a real estate
appraiser in San Diego for many years. I am fully aware of property valuation
and house construction. Anyway, after many years in San Diego, it is now time to
move back to my home and to a much quieter environment.
I own a paid-off condominium in a nice area of San Diego, which is presently
worth about $180,000. We would like to purchase the house without selling the
condo if possible since we would like to wait until the values go back up within
the next few years. Incidentally, the condo was worth about $320,000 only a few
years ago. Anyway, the problem is we are now self-employed. We own a few popular
websites and make money from advertising. We would not be able to qualify for a
loan since the business is new. My credit rating is excellent, over 800 points,
but we know the banks will want employment history. Since I retired from
appraising about 10 years ago, and the site business is new, this could be a
problem. We already obtained a committed rental of the condominium for $1,200
per month. Anyway, I believe a few options are possible.
Obtain seller financing and pay off the loan once the condo sells.
Enter into a rent to own situation where we obtain use of the property and then
eventually purchase the home once we are in business long enough to qualify for
a loan or until the condo sells.
Simply wait until the condo sells, in which case, hopefully the property is
still on the market.
We know other homes are available for considerably less but would like something
with a bit more land. Really surprised about the property taxes though. It looks
like somewhere around 2.5% as opposed to the 1.1 percent property tax in
California. No wonder the properties in Western New York are on the market for
such a long time.
Anyway, I apologize for the long email but being a few thousand miles away, I
thought it was best to give you as much information as possible. Incidentally we
would be making a $50,000 down payment.
Please send email with your thoughts about all this. Thanks and talk to you
again.
Howie and Akiko Hayman. |
 June
25, 2009 -
Michael Jackson, Fishing, House, and Discrimination. Really
need to post about the passing of Michael Jackson. Grew up
with music from the Jackson Five and really sad to see some
of the past slip away. Those were much simpler times when
lyrics actually had meaning and things were a lot more pure,
not like the garbage they play on radios today. A few links
for those of you who are interested. Sandy, nice to be in
contact with you again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4QyZH0EXcQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1ODaEq9n3Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehal1eUG1jk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYx3BR2aJA4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWfVyBtuYWY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xs9OQHpwDE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyfcOriVKBM
https://www.imeem.com/groups/yE615S9y/video/Qs9WkzrV/the-jackson-5-stop-the-love-you-save-ed-sullivan-show-1970/
https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9198512208764422466
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snihdG1rE0Y
https://www.jackson5abc.com/songs/ |
 Enough
is enough, at least for today. Akiko and I took the day off
from all the crap we are dealing with and went fishing. We
continue to think about Japan which is our interim plan. The
ultimate goal is to end up in Grand Island, New York in a
small house on a nice piece of property. A few houses of
interest are already on the market.
Anyway, today was really nice. A bit overcast in the morning
but ended up partly sunny ans warm. We caught quite a few
fish which we plan to eat and give to friends. We plan to go
again tomorrow morning. |
 For
those of you who are not used to ocean fishing, these are
mackerel. Although in the tuna family, these critters are a
bit on the strong tasting side. Most Americans cut them up
and use them for bait. We prefer to use them as a main BBQ
dish. Most of these will be given away since we are worried
about the mercury content. Probably okay but better to err
on the side of caution. |
June 25, 2009 - Email
Message -
Hi Howie and Akiko.
I would like to arrange some type of Baby shower for you two. Could you send me
a list of names and emails of people you would want to be invited? Let me know
what you think would be some possible good dates. Hope you are well and not
moving so soon. We need to get together. Maybe on the 4th of July? Love
Linda.
June 25, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hi. I suppose you can disregard the last email. Akiko and I went fishing and now
all is good again. Seems to work every time. The situation is not even close to
being over though. We are now in the middle of this discrimination thing and
seems like the house situation in Japan is not quite over. Recently Google
released maps showing the location of the discrimination places. It is causing
quite a stir. You can read more about it on my home page.
http://howiehayman.com/
We are planning to go fishing early tomorrow, Friday from about 8 am until noon.
We will also be at the bagel store for a very short time before leaving for
fishing. We are also going to the bagel store on Saturday morning. Join us for
any or all of these festivities. Incidentally we brought home over 25 fish
today. Send email when you can.
Howie.
June 25, 2009 - Email
Message -
Yeah, really wanna talk. We are going fishing tomorrow from 8 am until noon. We
went today on an unplanned fishing trip and caught a lot. You can join us if you
want.
June 25, 2009 - Email
Message - Joan.
Hi. We are interested in obtaining more information about the property located
at
1921 Huth Rd, Grand Island, NY 14072.
My wife Akiko and I currently reside in San Diego, California and are now
considering moving to Grand Island. It might be a good idea to give you a bit of
background information before discussing the property.
I am originally from Kenmore. I was born and raised, spent 20 years in Kenmore,
and attended SUNYAB before transferring to SDSU. After obtaining a business
degree I worked for Bank of America and then was self-employed as a real estate
appraiser in San Diego for many years. I am fully aware of property valuation
and house construction. Anyway, after many years in San Diego, it is now time to
move back to my home and to a much quieter environment.
I own a paid-off condominium in a nice area of San Diego, which is presently
worth about $180,000. We would like to purchase the house without selling the
condo if possible since we would like to wait until the values go back up within
the next few years. Incidentally, the condo was worth about $320,000 only a few
years ago. Anyway, the problem is we are now self-employed. We own a few popular
websites and make money from advertising. We would not be able to qualify for a
loan since the business is new. My credit rating is excellent, over 800 points,
but we know the banks will want employment history. Since I retired from
appraising about 10 years ago, and the site business is new, this could be a
problem. For this reason, we decided it would be better to pay cash.
Before moving forward with an offer, we would like to know if you could possibly
send some interior photos.
Anyway, I apologize for the long email but being a few thousand miles away, I
thought it was best to give you as much information as possible.
Please send email with your thoughts about all this. Thanks and talk to you
again.
Howie and Akiko Hayman. |
|
June 26, 2009 -
Bagels, Fishing, and a Decision.
We
went out for early morning bagels and coffee, talked with
some friends, and then headed out to Ocean Beach for
fishing. The main purpose was not to catch fish, but to
relax, talk, and make a decision. As it turns out, I found a
small little house on Grand Island which would suit our
needs perfectly, at least for the next few years. We are
working on a five-year-plan which is basically to raise the
baby in a nice quiet environment and then possibly sell the
condo and purchase the property we want if values appreciate
to an acceptable level. This is the property in Grand
Island....NO LAUGHING OKAY? We are both very minimalistic
and this property is perfect for us at this time. Basically
we are waiting for this property, or the property in Japan
to work out. Totally up to DESTINY now. Either way, we are
out of San Diego in about 3 months. |
|
June 27, 2009 -
Bagels, Party, and Dinner.
Today was pretty much our day to meet with friends and to be
away from the computers. We met a friend of ours at the
bagel shop and talked for a couple of hours. Then did a
little shopping and headed up to Solana Beach for an
afternoon party with friends. The party was really nice and
the food was incredible as usual. At night we invited a
friend of ours for dinner and talked until about midnight.
Tomorrow is back to business as usual. |
|
June 27, 2009 - Email
Message - Joan.
Hi. I sent you regular email and email through your company site about the
following property.
1921 Huth Rd, Grand Island, NY 14072.
My wife and I are still waiting for an answer.
Send email when you can. Thanks.
Howie and Akiko Hayman. |
June 28, 2009 -
Possibly Moving to Grand Island?
Well, it looks like destiny might make our decision for us.
The property in Grand Island is still available. Although
there seems to be some issues….renters, interior
condition….we are planning to move forward with the
purchase. We are waiting for more information from the
realtor.
June 28, 2009 - Email
Message - Linda.
Hi. I want to apologize for not getting back to you earlier. Akiko and I
continue to go crazy regarding properties in Japan and Buffalo. The shower idea
is really nice. We made friends at the bagel shop who also want to do this. We
were thinking it might be better to combine the two parties and get everyone
together. The woman are around your age or older. Anyway, I think you guys plan
to do something on Independence Day. Maybe we could all get together and talk
about it then. Send email with your thoughts when you can.
Howie. |
June 28, 2009 - Email
Message - Anne.
Hi. We are interested in obtaining more information about the property located
at
1921 Huth Rd, Grand Island, NY 14072.
It might be a good idea to give you a bit of background information before
discussing the property.
My wife Akiko and I currently reside in San Diego, California and are now
planning to move to Grand Island. I am originally from Kenmore. I was born and
raised, spent 20 years in Kenmore, and attended SUNYAB before transferring to
SDSU. After obtaining a business degree I worked for Bank of America and then
was self-employed as a real estate appraiser in San Diego for many years. I am
now retired, and after many years in San Diego, it is now time to move back to
Western New York and to a much quieter environment. My wife and I currently own
and manage eight websites and work from home.
We were interested in a couple of island properties and contacted two of your
agents but there was no reply from either of them.
Susan Starzynski.
Joan Dlugokinski.
Both were sent messages through your online form and via regular email. Although
we are no longer interested in the property Susan has listed, we are very
interested in the 1921 Huth Road property Joan has listed. At least four
separate emails were sent to Joan requesting additional information and interior
photos. Since nothing was sent, I am assuming she is on vacation.
Please note, this is going to be a cash purchase.
Before moving forward with an offer, we would like to know if you could possibly
send interior photos.
Thank you for taking the time to honor this request.
Howie and Akiko Hayman.
June 28, 2009 - Email
Message -
Hello Howie.
I just spoke with Joan and she apologizes for not getting back to you.She
doesn't have interior photos at this time. It is tenant occupied and I guess it
is quite a mess. She has asked the tenant to clean it up so that she can take
photos to send to you. She will be in touch with you soon. She is currently at
an Open House. Feel free to contact me again if I can be of service. Have a
wonderful day.
Anne Fahning.
June 28, 2009 - Email
Message - Anne.
Hi. I apologize for bothering you again but a few points came to mind.
My wife and I decided we would like to put in an offer on the property. Please
let me know what we need to do in order to proceed.
I would also like to know the following.
Why is the owner selling?
How long has the property been on the market?
How long have the renters been in the property?
Is this is a lease situation or a month to month tenancy?
How much is their rent?
Is it a couple, with kids, single, etc.?
Thank you very much for taking the time to address these questions and concerns.
Howie and Akiko Hayman.
June 28, 2009 - Email
Message - Linda.
Hi. I want to apologize for not getting back to you earlier. Akiko and I
continue to go crazy regarding properties in Japan and Buffalo. The shower idea
is really nice. We made friends at the bagel shop who also want to do this. We
were thinking it might be better to combine the two parties and get everyone
together. The woman are around your age or older. Anyway, I think you guys plan
to do something on Independence Day. Maybe we could all get together and talk
about it then. Send email with your thoughts when you can.
Howie. |
June 29, 2009 -
A Short Sale and a Messy Interior.
We received email from the listing agent and it appears this
is a short sale. The interior is supposedly a mess and we
are now waiting to see interior pictures. Either way, we
plan to move ahead with the purchase. More about this as we
receive more information.
June 29, 2009 - Email
Message - Joe.
Hi. I received another statement from Farmers. Once again they are asking for a
13 dollar payment because, for some reason, they changed the truck from Pleasure
to Commuter. Actually cannot count the number of times they asked for this
money, changed the status and sent a refund, then changed again, and again, and
again. This is becoming a bit frustrating. Anyway, I am not going to make this
payment. My wife and I are now self-employed and working from home. We use the
truck only for shopping once or twice a week, all within a 4 mile radius. Please
change the status back to Pleasure and ask Farmers to quit doing this back and
forth thing. Thank you very much.
Howie.
June 29, 2009 - Email
Message -
We plan on hanging out at the Music Fest on the 4th. So if we don't see you
before that, look for us at the park.
Linda T.
June 29, 2009 - Email
Message -
Hi Howie.
I am so sorry for the delay in responding to your email. The tenant at Huth Rd
was out of town and I was unable to gain permission to go into the property. I
will be going over there tomorrow to get some interior pictures. Honestly the
place was such a mes inside when I listed it that I thought no pictures were
better than bad ones.
this is a log cabin type home on a corner lot. There is no basement or garage.
There is plenty of room to put a garage if you wanted to. There is an open
kitchen/living room with a wood burning stove, a bath, one bedroom , a utility
room and another room that was an outside front porch that was enclosed and made
year round. That room does have a closet and is considered the second bedroom.
The place needs a lot of cosmetic's. The tile floor in the kitchen area is
cracked and loose,carpet is rough..... We lowered the price to 49,900.00 and a
sale will have to be subject to bank approval as it will be a
short sale. I will send pictures when I can. let me know if you
have other questions. My mobile # is 716-310-4238.
Best Regards,
Joan Dlugokinski.
June 29, 2009 - Email
Message - Joan.
Hi. Actually I would like to ask quite a few questions before proceeding with an
offer on the property. I would also like to explain our reasons for wanting this
property. My wife and I will be expecting our first baby in a few weeks. We are
very excited and are looking for a nice environment in which to raise the baby.
Japan is always an option as her family is there and, quite honestly, this would
be the easiest for us. Although we want the baby to bilingual, we want English
to be the first language which is why we want to stay in the United States.
Anyway, I moved to San Diego about 30 years ago. Within the last few years San
Diego has become a place not very conducive to raising a child. Our home is in
an affluent neighborhood in SD but now many of the kids use drugs and use filthy
language. I know things probably changed in Western, New York too but I cannot
imagine things are as awful as they are in SD. Anyway, I keep fond memories of
growing up in Kenmore and experiencing the wonderful community feeling San Diego
is now lacking. I spent a lot of time online with my wife showing her the
different communities in and around Buffalo. She became enamored with Grand
Island. When we saw the ranch house, we decided this would be the best way to
“check out” the island to decide if she really likes it. We plan to stay in the
house 3-5 years at which time our home in San Diego should increase in value
once again. We would then sell our home in SD and purchase a new house on the
island.
I would like to put in an offer once you send the interior pictures. Basically
if the home is structurally sound, nothing about the interior will be an issue.
I appraised thousands of homes in SD and saw some incredibly awful properties.
In addition, I can do home repairs.
In the meantime, I would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to
answer some questions.
Property.
How long has the property been on the market?
Do you know of any structural, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, or electrical
problems associated with the property?
Will the lender warranty the aforementioned or does this need to be an “as is”
transaction?
Do you think the present asking price is reasonable?
Renters.
How long have the renters been in the property?
Is this a lease situation or a month to month tenancy?
How much is their rent?
Is it a couple, with kids, single, etc.?
Do you think they are willing to move out?
Short Sale.
Any other offers on the property at this time?
What is the process for purchasing a short sale?
Will our deposit be refundable?
How long will it take to close escrow once the offer is accepted?
Can we put in a time limit in the event the bank drags this on for months?
Would the bank consider accepting a lower price?
It appears the owner has another property on the island. Do you think the lender
might renegotiate the terms of the loan in which case the owner may not need to
sell as occasionally happens with short sales?
I really apologize for all these questions but being thousands of miles away and
purchasing a property without actually seeing it is a bit unsettling. I know you
must be busy but if possible, please take some time to answer these questions
and concerns. I am online much of the day and can get back to you very quickly.
Thank you very much.
Howie and Akiko Hayman.
June 29, 2009 - Email
Message -
Howie.
I will awns er your questions as best I can.
The property has been on the market 3 times before without selling. Basically ,
the owner owes 65,000.00 and in order to sell it for enough to cover his debt
and pay the closing cost , he has had it listed for about 69,900.00 each time.
The house is not worth that. He paid to much for it when he bought it and rolled
in his closing costs.
Yes , it would have to be an as-is purchase. You are entitled to do a home
inspection at your expense. Typically fee in this area is about 275.00.
I think the present price is very fair.
There have been renters in there for about 3 years.
Current renters are month to month.
Rent is about 700.00 per month plus all utilities.
We can make them move out with 30 days notice.
We have no offers yet however now that the price has been dropped we have had a
lot of showing requests for this week.
Short sale process: Basically we type and sign contracts but the sale and terms
have to be approved by the bank as well as the seller. It will delay the process
a bit.
Deposits paid are subject to a successful home inspection unless you waive the
option to do one. One you have signed the contract, your attorney has approved
it and the home inspection has been completed and signed off on, the deposit is
non refundable. You have the right to back out if the home inspection is not
satisfactory and you do get your deposit back. Also, if the bank does not agree
to the sale price or terms you would get your deposit back.
Closings here for a cash sale take about 45 days.
Yes you can put a time limit on the acceptance of the offer but the bank won't
drag it out more than a week or two at the most.
I don't know what the bank and the seller will accept. Remember, the seller will
have to pay the difference between the sale price and what is actually owed to
the bank.
The other house he owns is currently under a lease to buy option and that buyer
is living in the house and keeping up with the terms of that contract.
Hope that helps, let me know what your requirements are for a home and your
price range, I will let you know what else is available. Joan.
June 29, 2009 - Email
Message - Joan.
Hi. I would like to thank you for the information. All things considered, my
wife and I decided to go ahead and begin the process of making an offer.
Although we would like a nicer property, this is all we can spend for a cash
transaction at this time. The benefit is, since people are already renting the
house, the plumbing and electrical must be in at least working order. In
addition, my money is making almost nothing in the bank now. Since we are making
a cash offer, at least we would be generating positive cash flow and making a
return way beyond what the money is currently making in the bank. We also
decided the tenants would be able to stay for awhile. Obviously they would need
to be instructed on where to send the rent and I would need contact information
for them and a copy of the rental agreement. The tenants would be allowed to
stay in the property for awhile as my wife is reluctant to move during the
cooler months and would like to wait until at least next Spring or Summer.
With this said, we would like to put in an offer with the following terms.
Price to be full price at 49,900.
We would like to submit the minimum amount as a deposit.
Review of interior pictures from you, the listing agent, before ordering a home
inspection.
If the interior pictures are acceptable, we would order a home inspection –
basically we want the option of backing out before incurring the cost of the
home inspection which is why we want to review your pictures and then order the
inspection.
We also want approval from the bank of the full price offer before ordering the
home inspection.
Review of the rental agreement with the tenants.
I would also like to know the following.
Does your office provide a property management service?
If so, what is the fee for collecting the rent and forwarding a check to us?
Please get back to me with this information as soon as you can.
In the meantime, I am going to try and think of any other questions.
Thank you again.
Howie and Akiko Hayman. |
|
June 30, 2009 -
The Waiting Continues and a 16" Bass.
We are still waiting for pictures and more information from
the realtor regarding the Grand Island property. Even though
I spent 20 years in Western New York, I continue to do tons
of research about Grand Island. Was on the island several
times when I was a kid but living and visiting are two
different things. Really looking for reasons not to purchase
property there but so far there are none. Yeah Western New
York is freezing and gets tons of snow but living in the
four seasons is wonderful and the difficulties tend to build
character. This is one of many values I want instilled in
our kids. |
 We
decided on a last minute fishing trip this afternoon. We
caught a couple sardines and yup, Akiko caught a 16" bass.
Pretty unusual for sure and 4" over the legal minimum size
limit. We brought it home and put on the BBQ. Ate some
edamame as an appetizer and ate the fish with grated daikon
and soy sauce. Yummy. |
|
June 30, 2009 - Email
Message - Joan.
Hi. I am resending this email. We were hoping to get word from you today. My
wife and I were fishing much of today and not online. We plan to go fishing
again tomorrow morning but really want to get the ball rolling on this property.
1921 Huth Rd, Grand Island, NY 14072.
We would like you to do the following:
Please write up an offer for us and send it as an attachment via this email
address ASAP.
Let us know the minimum amount of the deposit required to submit an offer.
We will sign the offer and send it back to you along with a check using a next
day mail service.
Terms of our offer.
Deposit (to be determined) will be refundable and offer to be subject to the
following terms and contingencies. Purchase is “as is” subject to the following. Price to be full price at $49,900 subject to lender approval. Offer contingent on review and acceptability of interior pictures. Offer contingent on home inspection ordered only after lender approval of the
purchase price and review and acceptability of the interior pictures. Review of the rental agreement of the current tenants residing at the
property. Usual items addressed in escrow such as title search, etc. Buyers
names to be the following.
Howard S. Hayman
Akiko I. Hayman.
We are currently looking at properties in Japan and one other we found in
Kenmore, where I grew up. The 1921 Huth Road property is our first choice but we
really want to make a decision as soon as possible. Please send the purchase
agreement when you can. We will be checking email in the afternoon, SD time,
when we return home. Thank you again.
Howie and Akiko Hayman. |
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