Brainworm posted:

Brainworm posted:

This guy. He's been horribly conned by house-flipping company and (probably) a real estate agent who are just, like, the General Motors of of human beings. And he's still so gormless and self-absorbed that he's hard to sympathize with. That takes some doing.

I mean, this guy's got a huge problem and he's not dealing with it like an actual adult -- that is, by getting a clear idea of the problem's extent and nature, then setting clear priorities for how to address it as part of a coherent, long-term plan. He still hasn't done anything (like, say, pulling all the drywall) to get a clear idea of what the problems with this house are, what they'll cost to fix, whether he can afford to fix them, and how he'll pay for the fixes if he elects to (as opposed to doing a short sale, declaring bankruptcy, or defaulting on the mortgage).

Instead, he's discovering problems as he goes, with no clear idea of what all needs to be done, of whether the problems he's currently fixing are the most important or urgent, how much the whole effort is likely to cost, how long it's going to take, whether it's worthwhile, and so on. I mean, he's running networking cable while raccoons fill his attic with poop and God knows what damp, unboxed wiring sizzles away between the layers of newspaper and orphan bones the house flippers used to insulate the walls.

So he's not even in a position where you can expect charity to do any good -- his sales pitch is literally "I need an unspecified amount of money to repair a house that is so badly damaged that I can't afford to fix it, and can offer no assurance that fixing the house is either a possible or practical course of action." It's like his thought process starts and ends with "I deserve money because the reasons I need it are not my fault," as opposed to, say, "how can I convince people that helping me is worthwhile?"

It's like he's saying "I'm raising money to build a school. I don't know how much money we'll need, how long it'll take, how many students it'll serve, which permits we'll need, or whether the problems that building this school will solve could be better solved by sending people to the school across the street. Instead, my plan is to spend all the money I can raise or borrow until I one day decide that the school is finished." And it's hard to rally behind -- much less sympathize with -- someone who's willing to throw other people's money into that kind of boondoggle.

Three Olives posted:

We have two full time maintenance guys on staff 24/7, if it is something they can fix they will fix it for parts only. For stuff like plumbing the management company has full time licensed plumbers on staff, we have to pay but it is well below market because they work full time for the company. I guess it is one of the perks of living at a medium sized building that has full time staff.

mookface posted:

My condo has none of this so anything that goes wrong I have to fix myself

Three Olives posted:

I dunno man move to a better condo? There are bad rental apartments too.

revmoo posted:

Condo/HOA fees must make retirement planning a bitch.

Dr. Witherbone posted:

Dr. Witherbone posted:

Three Olives posted:

I dunno man move to a better condo? There are bad rental apartments too.

ReptileChillock posted:

LOL the condo board has decided the building needs a new roof this year, we're upping your fees 400% for the next 6 months!

Three Olives posted:

I dunno man move to a better condo? There are bad rental apartments too.

Three Olives posted:

That's not how it works, you have to vote on stuff, we did last year and they are putting in the cabanas and fire pit and dog park and Technogym now.

boom boom boom posted:

Is a technogym like the Danger Room from X-Men?

kazr posted:

lol three olives

ya let me just access the trust fund my dad left for me so i can move into an upscale condo thx4the advice!

mr.capps posted:

i haven't read a word of this thread because that picture is hypnotic

Brainworm posted:

This guy. He's been horribly conned by house-flipping company and (probably) a real estate agent who are just, like, the General Motors of of human beings. And he's still so gormless and self-absorbed that he's hard to sympathize with. That takes some doing.

I mean, this guy's got a huge problem and he's not dealing with it like an actual adult -- that is, by getting a clear idea of the problem's extent and nature, then setting clear priorities for how to address it as part of a coherent, long-term plan. He still hasn't done anything (like, say, pulling all the drywall) to get a clear idea of what the problems with this house are, what they'll cost to fix, whether he can afford to fix them, and how he'll pay for the fixes if he elects to (as opposed to doing a short sale, declaring bankruptcy, or defaulting on the mortgage).

Instead, he's discovering problems as he goes, with no clear idea of what all needs to be done, of whether the problems he's currently fixing are the most important or urgent, how much the whole effort is likely to cost, how long it's going to take, whether it's worthwhile, and so on. I mean, he's running networking cable while raccoons fill his attic with poop and God knows what damp, unboxed wiring sizzles away between the layers of newspaper and orphan bones the house flippers used to insulate the walls.

So he's not even in a position where you can expect charity to do any good -- his sales pitch is literally "I need an unspecified amount of money to repair a house that is so badly damaged that I can't afford to fix it, and can offer no assurance that fixing the house is either a possible or practical course of action." It's like his thought process starts and ends with "I deserve money because the reasons I need it are not my fault," as opposed to, say, "how can I convince people that helping me is worthwhile?"

It's like he's saying "I'm raising money to build a school. I don't know how much money we'll need, how long it'll take, how many students it'll serve, which permits we'll need, or whether the problems that building this school will solve could be better solved by sending people to the school across the street. Instead, my plan is to spend all the money I can raise or borrow until I one day decide that the school is finished." And it's hard to rally behind -- much less sympathize with -- someone who's willing to throw other people's money into that kind of boondoggle.

Dr. Witherbone posted:

Spacedad posted:

Also, it's really not a good idea to blame the victim here. Regardless of the dead-eyed bad photo stare he was wearing, no one deserves this and we shouldn't focus on the victim so much as the damage created by the crooks.

Furthermore, this really looks like any one of us could have just as easily been the victim of the con job here - the crooks went to great lengths to cover their tracks and hide the faults in the house.

Three Olives posted:

That's not how it works, you have to vote on stuff, we did last year and they are putting in the cabanas and fire pit and dog park and Technogym now.

Three Olives posted:

That's not how it works, you have to vote on stuff, we did last year and they are putting in the cabanas and fire pit and dog park and Technogym now.

ReptileChillock posted:

I have actually seen the scenario I described play out in real life. Not everyone is on the condo board, especially not in smaller working class condos. If the majority vote for a new whatever and you personally can't afford it then tough poo poo, better run to your bank.

Also some condos get downright kafka-esque when there's no on site maintenance. Imagine ten people all on the phone trying to call a series of contractors and owners while there's water pouring into the walls because some 4th floor retard put a tub in wrong.

Last Month's Report posted:

Balance Sheet

The balance sheet reflects $389,548.19 in Operating, $418,520.62 in the Reserve and
$638,740.64 in the Special Account at close out for March. Total cash on hand at close out for
March was $1,446,809.45.

Reserve expenses for March were $2,181.25 for window replacements.

$17,240.22 was paid from the Special Fund as down payment on Pool Area Furnishings. The
$250 credit in Courtyard Expense reflects a payment from a resident for the purchase of old
courtyard furniture.

Operating Expenses

Payroll and Operating
Overall, Payroll Operating Expense was $9,334.44 less than projected for March with savings in
G & A Payroll, Workers Comp and Group Insurance and Payroll Taxes. Savings in G& A payroll
and payroll tax is due to having operated without the swing shift in the lobby for most of the
month. We continue interviewing to fill open lobby shifts. We are also scheduling contract valet
workers to fill in during the busy evening rush hours to ensure adequate lobby staffing.

...two more pages of

Three Olives posted:

Serious post, yes this happens but it is basically the same thing as the idiot in the OP, failure to do due diligence. There are poorly managed condos just like there are poorly managed apartments, poorly managed businesses, poorly managed everything. When I bought mine they could tell me 20+ years out when things were due to be replaced, when things had to be modernized, major maintenance work, I knew the two special assessments were going to happen in the next 5-10 years and a rough idea of what they were going to be and at any given time we have roughly $1M cash on hand, sometimes significantly more to cover planned expenses. That and we act totally transparently, I can go onto the building intranet at any given time and see the monthly variance report:

Arian_Samurai posted:

That's pretty weird that a home inspector wouldn't even try to look at the attic.

Brainworm posted:

This guy. He's been horribly conned by house-flipping company and (probably) a real estate agent who are just, like, the General Motors of of human beings. And he's still so gormless and self-absorbed that he's hard to sympathize with. That takes some doing.

I mean, this guy's got a huge problem and he's not dealing with it like an actual adult -- that is, by getting a clear idea of the problem's extent and nature, then setting clear priorities for how to address it as part of a coherent, long-term plan. He still hasn't done anything (like, say, pulling all the drywall) to get a clear idea of what the problems with this house are, what they'll cost to fix, whether he can afford to fix them, and how he'll pay for the fixes if he elects to (as opposed to doing a short sale, declaring bankruptcy, or defaulting on the mortgage).

Instead, he's discovering problems as he goes, with no clear idea of what all needs to be done, of whether the problems he's currently fixing are the most important or urgent, how much the whole effort is likely to cost, how long it's going to take, whether it's worthwhile, and so on. I mean, he's running networking cable while raccoons fill his attic with poop and God knows what damp, unboxed wiring sizzles away between the layers of newspaper and orphan bones the house flippers used to insulate the walls.

So he's not even in a position where you can expect charity to do any good -- his sales pitch is literally "I need an unspecified amount of money to repair a house that is so badly damaged that I can't afford to fix it, and can offer no assurance that fixing the house is either a possible or practical course of action." It's like his thought process starts and ends with "I deserve money because the reasons I need it are not my fault," as opposed to, say, "how can I convince people that helping me is worthwhile?"

It's like he's saying "I'm raising money to build a school. I don't know how much money we'll need, how long it'll take, how many students it'll serve, which permits we'll need, or whether the problems that building this school will solve could be better solved by sending people to the school across the street. Instead, my plan is to spend all the money I can raise or borrow until I one day decide that the school is finished." And it's hard to rally behind -- much less sympathize with -- someone who's willing to throw other people's money into that kind of boondoggle.

madeupfred posted:

My friend BJ. ($117.77)

madeupfred posted:

My friend BJ. ($117.77)

madeupfred posted:

My friend BJ. ($117.77)

Jimong5 posted:

My gutters keep leaking and I don't know why...

no drip flashing and exposed 2x4s?

nah just gonna buy this heat tape