Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Mike CHS]

We have caught our share in traps but the tree squirrels are the worst. I keep a shot gun by the back door so I can get them as I see them.

 

[Ridgetop]

We don't have too many tree squirrels here. Maybe because we don't have too many trees? They are all over down the hill on the flat.

DS2 is home for the holiday weekend his birthday and has invited the entire family over, along with another friend and his fiancee. DD1 recently had a go at DD2 over being pregnant without getting married even though she has been living with STBFSIL for 2 years. DD2 went to visit her sister and DD1 told her she was stupid and immoral to get pregnant. That she had ruined her life and the DD1 "had planned better things for" DD2. She expected DD2 to "get more than a 2 year degree", etc. Se screamed all this at DD2 outside i front of her 3 children, 12, 10, and 7, and DD2's stepdaughter, 3. Poor DD2, who was in the hospital AGAIN last week due to constant vomiting and dehydration, has been in tears ever since talking to her sister and is afraid her dad and I will ban her from the family. DD2 has emotional problems about abandonment due to her early childhood issues. I am extremely angry with DD1 over this since it is similar to what she did with her SIL 9 years ago because her SIL did not have enough milk to nurse the baby (1st baby, very nervous girl) and was giving him a bottle per doctor's orders due to no weight gain. DS3 has hardly spoken to her since. DD1 could have been supportive since she had trouble nursing as well. She went back to work when DGS1 was 3 months old, and we were under strict orders to only give him HER milk which she was pumping. Poor DGS1 cried all day long from hunger. DD1 and SIL1 would not listen to me when I told them there was not enough milk, and continued to insist that I feed only her breast milk. Finally I went down and bought formula and mixed it with the breast milk. They couldn't understand why DGS1 was so cranky on the weekends since I didn't tell her about the formula for a couple weeks. Can't wait to have to run point between DD1 and DD2 this weekend.

Then DS2 invited his good friend, Eric, and hisiancee. I call Eric my other son because he, DS2, and DS3 have been close friends since high school. He and his fiancee (close friend of FDIL) are in the wedding party. Eric's brother is in the BLM movement. DH is furious with Eric since Eric posted some BLM propaganda supporting the rioters and looters. Then he posted that he was attacked by Trump supporters. Turns out his brother and the BLM group actually were the ones attacking members of a Hispanics for Trump rally. Apparently the BLMs don't like Hispanics either. The Trumpers defended themselves and Eric went to "help" his brother and got beaten up. Hopefully it will teach him a lesson. This was at our neighborhood burger place where Hispanics for Trump had been holding a "Get Out And Vote" rally for weeks. More big drama on the horizon.

Originally I told DS2 that I was not inviting DD1 and family because of the problem. I had already told DD2 that they could come over because we would BBQ on Saturday when DS2 came home. DH will talk politics and make matters worse while everyone will complain to mom about everyone else's mean behavior. Now I get to referee a possible family Donnybrook!!!
DH said just now when I voiced my concern "Oh, it will be ok".

I might just go in my room, lock the door, turn on the TV and take a tranquilizer. I can't wait to move far far away. No forwarding address and block their numbers.

 

[Bruce]

DD1 sounds like a piece of work.
Too bad you can't just go have a "spa day" while everyone fights at the house.

 

[Ridgetop]

I know. DH and I have agreed she is like both our sisters whom we don't like for the reasons that they behave like DD1! you can't escape DNA. Actually, we both feel sorry for her in a way. She is so rigid that she will have a nervous breakdown if she doesn't learn to bend. Got to make sure the grandchildren know they can come to us if they have problems.

Got the paperwork to list MJ's house in Yelm. Even more happy to sell since we earned that the fellow that murdered the trump supporter was living in Lacey when tracked down and killed by federal marshals. Lacey is only about 20-25 miles away and we go to the Lowes there all the time.

Anyway, I am happy about out=r plan to sell and roll the money into a ranch property in Teas. My plan is to buy a smaller ranch property with a small house on it that we can rent out, The property has to have an AG designation on it for TX taxes. We have to rent the house since we are rolling the Yelm property in a 1031 exchange and not moving back immediately. Otherwise we have to pay about $50+K to feds in taxes, I don't believe in paying any more than I have to so a 1031 is the way to go After buying the property and putting in a tenant, we can start fencing in an area for the sheep and dogs, If we think we will live on this property when we move we can also build barns etc. Otherwise we will do enough fencing and building for temporary storage (if n barn already on the property) and plan to live in our trailer when we move back until we find a larger place to buy. We need the hayfields to be in good shape so we can rent them out for cutting and baling the hay as a business to keep the AG designation. Once we have made several trips with equipment and corrals, we can sell our house here with the prospect of already having somewhere to move the sheep and dogs. The furniture can go into storage until we find a place. Once we are living in Texas we can start looking in earnest with the possibility of a cash offer. This often helps in negotiations.

Our broker actually sent us a property that would have been ideal. It was 16.9 acres with 2 modular 3/2 homes on it and a pad for a 3rd with utilities already in. It was planted in Bermuda hay and had the AG designation, as well as a well. It was the right price too. We could have moved there, rented out one house, moved into the other as we moved all our stuff onto the property, sold our house, bought a larger property and moved out. Then we could have rented the second house and put a third on the pad, giving us 3 rentals. Perfect, but too soon. However it gives me hope that we will find what we need when we sell the Yelm property.

DH has been opposed to selling the Yelm house since we both love the property. We had hoped to move there with the sheep until the city incorporated it and we could only have 2 chickens! We actually were going to rent the 2 BR house out and renovate the 2 room bunkhouse into a small 1 BR house for ourselves and just go up in the summers to graze the ewes. That way the property would not have been empty but we could have spent half the year up there. Now that our tenant is not paying us rent and has told the mgmt company that he doesn't plan to pay anything and the governor has a moratorium on evictions that he keeps extending, we have n choice but to sell. DH is peeved at the tenant since he previously liked him and thought he was an ok guy but now that the guy has not interest in trying to make any payments DH wants to get a court judgment against him for the back rent I told him that it would just cost us money. The tenant hasn't got anything so can just file bankruptcy and get out of the judgment. I think we can just file a bad credit rating for him which would be just as good and not cost us anything. No point in throwing good money after bad.

Anyway, selling the Yelm property brings us one step closer to moving to Texas. AND OUT OF CALIFORNIA! I am 3rd generation Californian and sad to go but this is not the California I knew. Full of liberal hate. Do you notice that conservatives don't riot and burn down buildings? It seems to be only liberals that do that in the name of "justice" and "love for their fellow man". Really?!

 

[farmerjan]

I don't know about that too soon deal on the place your broker sent you info on. Maybe the whole family drama makes it a "need to do this right now" move. Sounds like that place would really be a wise move... even if you had to do some financing? Would the income from the 2 places rented help pay the mortgage for awhile??? Just thinking of the exodus of people out of places like Ca and the rush for places to get away from the cities.... plus the really really low interest rates on mtgs right now.
Yeah, too bad we aren't closer together since renovating and stuff is not my idea of fun... and I am so unable to "see things" differently that are there as is. Really not a good thing for me.
I am a many generation New England Yankee that moved south. I still have attachments to the NE I grew up in.... and the values I grew up with. So much of it is just not there anymore either.

 

[Bruce]

Otherwise we have to pay about $50+K to feds in taxes, I don't believe in paying any more than I have to so a 1031 is the way to go

What happens, tax wise, when you convert a rental to your primary home?

The tenant hasn't got anything so can just file bankruptcy and get out of the judgment.

Maybe that is why he isn't paying?? No income? Of course he could also be amoral scum taking advantage of the situation where he can't be evicted for not paying rent. But as far as I know those unable to pay rent now are still on the hook to make good when they can.

 

[Mike CHS]

Family drama can be some of the worst kind of drama. What makes it really bad for some families is that they keep trying to "fix" the unfixable. You guys seem to have a good plan.

 

[Ridgetop]

Maybe that is why he isn't paying?? No income? Of course he could also be amoral scum taking advantage of the situation where he can't be evicted for not paying rent. But as far as I know those unable to pay rent now are still on the hook to make good when they can.

It is very possible that he is not working although his significant other is. However, we can't bankroll him and the fact that he isn't interested in making even a minimum payment of $25.00 a month, makes me wonder. Other stories are emerging of people taking advantage of the moratorium on evictions, even though those people got additional Covid unemployment payments. Even if he still owes the money we will probably never be able to collect. He can file bankruptcy and avoid the debt. We were willing to forgo the $4000 (soon to be ($5000) he owes us if he would just move out. He does have a motor home that he was living in before he rented this house so . . . . But since he refused to move out on that deal we have no choice.

We can't afford to keep the place and let him live there for free. We are already in the hole over it. Selling the property is the only way allowed by law to put him out. Landlords didn't get any special incentives or government payments to offset tenants that are not paying rent. Selling it will help us get on the road to Texas at least, by having a place where we can start bringing our corral panels and other equipment. DH has been stewing about the logistics of a move to TX with all our equipment, livestock, and dogs. This will give us a place to store stuff for the move, and a place to move into while we find our special property. Or maybe we will decide to stay in that house if we like the location and layout of the land.

On a happier note, our BBQ went off without a hitch and everyone was happy and pleasant. The temperature was 111-117 degrees though so everyone stayed inside. When we went out to grill the London Broils, I told DS2 that we needed to be careful putting the plastic container on the metal shelf of the BBQ because the metal was so hot!

I had bought 2 London Broils - 2 lbs. each - but DS2 decided to get 2 more since he had invited DD1 and her family, and his dear friend Eric. I marinated them all afternoon and they were delicious! 10 adults, 4 children aged 12, 10, 7, and 3, polished off all of them!!! Even DD2 was able to eat that night. After dinner we found out why they wanted us all there when FDIL brought in DS2's birthday cake announcing that they had gotten a head start and were going to have a baby in April! Everyone was of course very happy and excited. DD2 is thrilled and the 2 girls were super happy that the 2 cousins would be just a month apart and BFFs. DD1 was shocked and I almost laughed at the look on her face. DS2 has been dying to announce it for a month now, but waited to get everyone together. Sadly he got called back to work this morning because of 3 power outages and a major fire that started near San Diego. He was due to be confirmed at the 10 am service this morning and had to cancel it and rush back to work at 8am. They were telling FDIL's parents today and he really wanted to be there to see her dad's face since her dad has been telling her they have to hurry and have kids. It will be the first grandchild on her side and she has 6 siblings! LOL DD2 was feeling much better this morning and said she was actually able to go without her medication and no vomiting. Hopefully she is approaching the time when nausea will end. DGD1 was thrilled to spend time with DGD2 (DD2's stepdaughter) and the 2 little girls had a wonderful time together. A lovely time was had by all and it ended nicely with all the kids and grandkids playing board games while DH and I relaxed.

Hot again today 107 degrees and into next week I think. Ugh, I hate that we can't turn off the AC and open windows at night. AC really does a number on my sinuses.

 

[Ridgetop]

What happens, tax wise, when you convert a rental to your primary home?

Sorry didn't see that at first.

It used to be that you could move in after a few months and convert it from income property to primary residence and sell immediately. That changed a couple years ago and now it must be rented 2 year period before you can convert. Then you have to live in it for 2 more years before it is converted back to your primary or secondary living space to avoid capital gains tax on it as income property when you sell. However, when your heirs inherit, they don't have capital gains tax on it. Unless you have a mega estate or the dems get in and screw up inheritance tax again, your children are ok to sell when they inherit since the cost basis converts to the value it is when they inherit instead of the cost basis when you bought. Hope this makes sense. DH could explain it better. I think it depends on the amount of your estate too which has to be extremely large for death duties.

At any rate that will be their problem!

 

[Ridgetop]

7:30 pm and 111 degrees. Is it actually getting hotter outside?