Seeing "Short Vicki" for dinner.

Most of my readers may know that I have two women friends named Vicki.  Vicki #1 ("Tall Vicki") is a woman I've known for almost 30 years, someone who has gone through her share of "Sturm und Drang" and come out OK.  Vicki #2 ("Short Vicki") is a woman I met while I was unattached, and we developed a good friendship over the years.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get both Vickies to meet each other, as I think they will enjoying knowing others with some similar interests.

But I digress....

Vicki #2 suggested that we get together over the weekend.  However, her plans changed, and RQS and I were able to meet her for dinner in Yonkers, after a brief stop at the book store to pick up some magazines that RQS is interested in.

It was nice to finally get RQS and Vicki together, as the only time they have met was when her husband passed away. (And, that's not what I call a real meeting.)  The three of us sat down for dinner and chatted for about an hour and a half before leaving.  Hopefully, next time Vicki and her wife will be able to join RQS and I for a dinner foursome.

Later on....

One of the people from game night has been trying to sell an inherited apartment which has both deed restrictions and other complications that make the owning/selling the apartment a dubious proposition. (I would have had similar problems had my father not seen a lawyer many years ago and not put the family homestead in my brother's name and my name at that time.)  We chatted via online messages, and I expect that our voice chat will be interesting.

As you can see, life can be interesting - even when nothing much is going on.

Once, I had a nosy neighbor. Now, there's a real estate key safe on the door.

I came home recently, and saw a real estate agent's key safe on the door of the apartment below me. My former nosy neighbor has been out of the apartment for the better part of two years, and the people who were expected to buy the apartment have been gone for almost as long.   Last year, the apartment was foreclosed upon by the bank holding the mortgage. This year, the apartment was sold at auction, and is now being marketed for sale to a new owner.

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Tonight, I tried to find out the price at which the apartment sold for on October 10th.  Although this information is of public record, I have no idea of how to find this information on-line, nor do I consider this information worth paying for. So I only wonder what Fannie Mae's official acquisition price was for the apartment.

In any auction, a lien holder may wish to establish a minimum bid.  This way, if Chase were to have a $80k lien on an apartment that could sell for $100k, the minimum bid prevents a bottom feeder from winning the auction with a $40k bid.  Unfortunately, I have no idea of whether a minimum bid was established, nor do I know what the winning bid was.

Let's say that the apartment is now officially for sale.  It'll take at least 1 or 2 months to show the apartment to prospective buyers and to get an offer accepted.  Then, depending on the time of month, it will take another 3-4 weeks before the Co-Op board can interview the prospective owner.  Unlike most co-op purchases, our proprietary lease gives lenders (in case of foreclosures) an unchecked ability to sell the apartment. (The bank has a right to get its money out of the loan, and we have little ability to prevent a bad shareholder from moving in. To make it worse, as I understand things, the new owner could sublet the place from day 1, causing us even more problems.)  At the time I'm writing this entry, I figure that it will take another 2-3 months before new people move in below me.

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As much as my apartment complex had become a naturally occurring retirement community, many baby boomers are either moving to warmer climes, moving to assisted living centers, or simply dying off.  In the case of the old lady and her disabled daughter who used to live in the next doorway, it appears that they have vacated their apartment, and it too is for sale.  (There is a real estate key safe on that door as well.)  So far, asking prices for apartments in my complex have been going up.  But that's a factor of a tolerably healthy economy and the New York City suburb real estate market.  I wonder how long this will last.