JUGGLING ACT

The Riverwood house is now ours, so we have two mortgages.  We need to sell the Redmond house, but we need to fix a few small things first.  We have made an offer on the Highland Loop (third) house, and that offer has been accepted.  But now that we have 2 mortgages (and a car payment), the bank says we are at a 51% debt-to-income ratio, and we need to be at 50% maximum.

Sooooo, we liquidated a couple things and paid off the *majority* of the car loan.  "Not enough", say they, so we pay off the *rest* of the car loan from equity line of credit (as advised by our personal banker).  Out of one bucket, into another.  But one bucket was a short-term loan, and the other is long-term, which looks better on our "portfolio" (more profitable to the bank, too).

We have other things we can liquidate, but we were hoping to keep the '62 Cadillac and our two motorcycles.  Granted, we could find other "deals" on such items, but we're kind of attached to those things now, even though we will have to hire a car transport company to take the Cad across the state, because it isn't running.

Meanwhile, we can't *spend* any money (increasing our debt), and yet....we *need* to spend money to get the Riverwood house ready to become a B&B.... need to buy the furniture (beds, nightstands, dressers), transport all of it across the state, get it all moved in and set up, spend more money on accessories (linens, towels, lamps, drapes), stage everything and take some fabulous photos, spend LOTS of money when we tell Innkeepers Advantage (a reservations/lodging software company) to go ahead and start building our website/logo/booking system, then spend more to order business cards, and brochures.  They say the website will take 3-4 weeks.  There is a Wedding Expo in Colville (8 miles away) on Feb. 21st.  We really, really, really want to have a booth there so we can market our place as a wedding venue!

But we can't spend any money until the bank approves us for that second loan!  Aggggghhhhh!

We would HAVE the money if we sold the Redmond house.  But that will take....(you guessed it) money(!) to finish the remodeling to make it salesworthy.

ROCK --> US <-- HARD PLACE

P.S. I'm sure it will all work out, but it is a nerve-wracking game.  Sigh.

FIRST TRIP

Happy New Year!  We are ringing in 2015 by taking our first big load of furniture across the state to install at Riverwood B&B in Kettle Falls, WA.  Picture, if you will, two Chevy Tahoes packed to the gills and one of them pulling a utility trailer  filled with furniture under a blue tarp.  We took the northerly route...U.S. Highway 2, over Stevens Pass, then Highway 25 north along the east side of Lake Roosevelt.  This route saves us 76 miles, and it's much more scenic!  

Still, in the winter, it can be a gamble, as it is less traveled and less maintained.  Add to that the fact that Phil's Tahoe is having fuel delivery issues, especially going uphill, and it made for slow-going.  We made it, though!

Once we arrived, Phil backed the trailer across the lawn and right up to the front door.  After 6 hours of driving, the 4 of us (we brought our good friend Tyler, to take advantage of his young strong back) sprang into action and started unloading as fast as we could.  The 4-poster bed, box spring, and mattress, the futon frame and mattress, the lawn chairs, the large hutch, and my fancy Japanese carved drop-top desk.  

We were also under the wire to get Joy moved out of her apartment and her storage unit, so while some of us worked on things at the house, others went to the apartment.  Divide and conquer!

We accomplished a lot...set up the 4-poster bed and Japanese desk for the first B&B room, set up Joy's piano, her couch, the futon and the hutch in the living room, so we now have places to sit and lounge and eat, bought cleaning supplies and finished cleaning the dirty bathrooms, emptied Joy's apartment and storage unit, and turned in the keys so she wouldn't have to pay January rent on either.

This trip included two interesting new acquaintances!  Susan, the mail carrier, who delivered our first 3 items of mail!  We told her that we planned to open a B&B.  She was happy to hear that, not only because the area "needed" more businesses like that, but also because she always thought this house would make a great B&B.  

The other interesting person was Evan (and his roommate John), both in their 20's, who live across the street.  Phil saw them outside their house and asked if they wouldn't mind helping us to muscle the refrigerator into the house.   Evan was very friendly and told us that our new house used to belong to his family (his grandma had lived there)!  He said we were welcome to ask him anything about the house or Kettle Falls, as he had lived here for 15 years.  When we told him our plans, he said that after his grandma had died, the family had all wanted to turn the place into a B&B, but one of his aunts opposed the idea, so it never got done.  I have a feeling we will become good friends with him.  He seems like a good kid...wants to become a doctor (and his girlfriend wants to be a nurse).  He's currently attending the community college but wants to attend UW, so he can take advantage of their overseas study programs.  We learned all this about him, because the fridge move was complicated (had to remove the doors) and took a long time.  

There was one more HUGE thing that happened...for me!  Phil took me to see the second property we are buying.  There are 2 ways to get to it...up the steep and winding (but shorter) Highland Loop Road, or up the long sloping Pingston Creek Road.  Since our Tahoe was having issues, we took the "back" way, while our real estate agents, Kandis and Allen, took the shorter route.
Coming from behind the ridge to our driveway had way more impact, I think.  As we pulled in, I caught glimpses of the expansive view through the trees lining the drive, and I felt like I was about to weep with gratitude for this treasure that had been handed to us by the Universe!  What an unbelievable blessing!  Granted, the house and the yard/garden need a little work, since they have been neglected for almost 2 years, but we are able to see "the diamond in the rough" and will apply the tender loving care it needs.  

There is a lot of hard work in our future, but I believe the rewards along the way will make it SO worthwhile!!