After the Home Inspection

I spent today helping an agent evaluate a Home Inspection. We ended up with a 2 page list of repairs that she is going to be asking the Seller to do. That is the longest list of repairs I have ever seen. None of the proposed repairs were big things, it is just that there were a lot of them.

Here are the steps. After the Home Inspection, the agent sits down and reviews the report. Hopefully, the Inspector has a summary of items at the end of the report. That makes it easier to come up with the list of things that need to be addressed. The Buyer's Agent usually will send a copy of the report to the Listing Agent so that agent can also see the list and can begin anticipating what needs to be addressed. On one of my listings recently, we had all but one of the listed repairs completed before the Buyer's agent brought us the proposed Repair Amendment! That is unusual, but it does happen. In that case, I had a good Seller who had worked on getting the property ready to market before it was listed, so there weren't that many things wrong with the property!

So, the Buyer's Agent and the Buyer put their heads together and come up with a list of things that they believe are the most important to get fixed. That list of repairs is converted to a "Repair Amendment". The Buyer signs that document. Then that document is sent along to the Listing Agent to submit to their client.

Many times, what happens next is that the Seller will counter with a suggestion of "cash in lieu" of the repairs. That cash is represented in the deal as either a reduction in the sales price or as an increase in Seller's Contribution to Closing Costs. The best reason to take cash is that way the Buyer can have the work done after closing and can supervise the work.

The Terrace Condos

The Terrace Condominiums are located on the extreme southern edge of the Central Market Condos area. They fill the block formed by Matilda Street (west), Sandhurst (north) and Amesbury (east). The complex is gated. There is one pool and a community room. The HOA includes all bills because the heating and cooling for the complex come from a central chiller/boiler.

There are a total of 108 Units in the complex. Most of the units are 1 bedroom units. All the one bedroom units are inside the complex. There are some 2 bedroom units as well as a very few 3 bedroom units. The 2 and 3 bedroom units face Sandhurst. These larger units have two bathrooms. The shower in one of the baths is e-n-o-r-m-o-u-s! When the units were built, no one expected to have washer/driers in their unit. There are coin-op units throughout the complex. Some units have retrofitted washer/drier connections.

Parking is covered, assigned and gated. Additional parking is available along the street. The complex can be accessed through a pedestrian gate along Sandhurst.

The pet policy is one dog, with a weight limit of 20 lbs.

The complex is one of 7 built in the area by the same company during a period from 1968 to 1972. Those complexes are Sandhurst Manor, The Terrace, Sandhurst Plaza, Williamsburg I (aka Caruth Manor), Williamsburg II, Birchbrook Manor (aka Birchbrook I) and Birchbrook II.

The property is managed by Alternative Management Group Inc, whose office is in Garland.

Crockpot Red Beans

Pick through a 1-lb sack of red beans. Rinse. Put into crockpot.

Add: 3 ribs celery, chopped
2 bell peppers, one red, one green, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Creole seasoning
7 cups water.

Cook on low for 4 hours. Add 3/4 lb smoked turkey sausage, sliced. Continue to cook for another 4 hours or until beans are tender.

Serve on rice. Garnish with chopped red onion and chopped green onion.

Oven-baked Brisket

My traditional brisket recipe is more of a technique than an actual recipe. I have been using this technique for 20+ years. Line a roasting pan with enough aluminum foil, leaving enough overlap to be able to completely enclose the brisket once it is in the pan. Add enough carrots and celery stalks to the pan to create "logs" that will support the brisket and keep it up out of the juices. The idea here is to steam the meat, not boil it. Trim as much of the fat off as you feel like doing...you can remove it once it is cooked. It doesn't hurt to take it off now, but there are better ways to spend 20 minutes of your life..... Salt and pepper the brisket and add to the pan.

You could wrap the brisket and bake it at this point. The results would be just great. What I usually do is add a sauce but there have been times when I just cooked the brisket plain. You are still going to end up with a really good sandwich meat.

My sauce: 1/2 bottle commercial Chili Sauce, 1/2 bottle Pic-a-Peppa Sauce, 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar, 1/2 c brown sugar. Cover the brisket with the sauce. Wrap up the aluminum foil bundle. Bake for 8 hours at 275 degrees. Summer time, I do this recipe over night.

When it is cooked, let it cool enough to be able to handle. Remove the cooked fat and discard. Drain the juices and let the fat rise to the top. Remove the fat. Shred the meat. I freeze the meat in 2-serving bundles, with some of the juice in the bag.

Another variation: Crock-pot this recipe.

My current favorite way to serve this recipe: Warmed up and served on top of Central Market's Russian Rye bread. Even better with a vinegarette cole slaw on top.

Birchbrook Manor

Birchbrook Manor is a Dallas condo complex located between Lovers Lane and E University, east of Central Expressway. There are 62 units in the complex. Most of the units are approximately 1050 square feet, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, with one living area. Some of the units have a larger floor plan that has two living areas. The complex has 2 assigned covered parking. The HOA covers all utilities other than electric (and phone, cable, Internet...but, you would expect that). The HOA also includes the wages for a porter who picks up the garbage twice a week from the back door of each condo. He is also very conscientious about sweeping the common areas. He keeps the place looking nice. Each unit has its own heating and cooling system. The cost of upkeep and replacement are the responsibility of the individual homeowner. There are pet limits (dogs have to be smaller than 40 lbs and there can't be more than two pets per unit). There are coin-op washer-driers in the back hall of each "stoop". Those appliances are shared by only the 4 occupants of that "stoop". Some unit owners have retrofitted washer-drier connections into their units. To do that requires HOA board approval.

The complex is one of seven built in the area by the same company in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Those complexes are Sandhurst Manor, Sandhurst Plaza, The Terrace, Williamsburg I (aka Caruth Manor), Williamsburg II, Birchbrook Manor and Birchbrook II.

Birchbrook Manor is 3 blocks from the Lovers Lane Lightrail Station and a block from Central Market. The complex is in the DISD attendance zone for Stonewall Jackson Elementary. It is a great place to live!