Building, Remodeling, and Getting a Real Estate License

Wow time is flying! I really had every intention when I started this blog of posting once a week. HAHAHAHAHAAAAA! *wipes tears from eyes*

I guess once a month is going to have to suffice for now. As if two jobs and two kids and the usual summer travel and training for another endurance race aren’t enough, we’ve added the funtivities mentioned in the title to our list.

Building a House in Sedona, AZ

Remember once upon a time when we bought land in Sedona? Yeah, us too! Two years later, we finally got the okay from the Strict Building Codes Capital of the World (the same people who infamously made McDonald’s change their yellow “M” to turquoise) to go ahead with our build.

The details of the building plan and the corresponding numbers can be found in this post. We’re currently $8k ahead of budget on cabinets and $13k behind budget on utilities because we had to run a gas line to the property.

We’re on track to finish in December.

Remodeling Our Current House

Okay, maybe “remodeling” is a strong word, since what we’re doing is more like a slow and painful rehab with a lot of DIY efforts involved.

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It’s been a huge time-suck, but we’re pleased with the results so far. Most of the DIY stuff has been things like painting walls and cabinets, changing out hardware and light fixtures, and installing our own dishwasher.

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The professionals have been summoned for things like significant drywall patching, painting ceilings, replacing exterior doors, sprinkler repair, and a major landscaping overhaul.

Getting a Real Estate License

My husband is a teacher and has no plans to quit teaching or even advertise that he’s a realtor, so why the decision for him to get the license?

The biggest reason is that we like flexibility and autonomy. We’re planning on doing at least one more round of home-buying and selling in the next few years, and getting this license gives us the ability to make those moves independently. There is a lot of freedom in that, not to mention the obvious “3% of the sale price” in our pocket. As icing on the cake, we will be able to see every listed property we’re interested in without having to bug someone else to do a showing for us.

Plus, it wasn’t difficult or particularly expensive. He took an online course over a couple of months followed by two separate exams. He passed both tests on the first try, and it’s cost about $700 so far.

He still has to participate in a day-long contract-writing seminar (planned for after our race in September) and then make it official with a broker. Stay tuned!