The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[1muttsfan]

I'm sorry, girls

I'm feeling blue after dispensing 13 young cockerels yesterday. I could not get any interest in them, even when offered with a pullet. They were nice young fellows, but were starting to eat too much and take up too much space. Winter is coming and I need to go to one coop/pen. That leaves me with 8 pullets and about 8 hens, along with my now 3 year old handsome rooster. They had a really good life, just very short

 

[getaclue]

Sorry about Alice, speckled.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, Alice seemed to rally a bit. That's the way it goes, I guess. She got onto the roost without help. Gypsy was the same. She'd go into a nest box and sit a few times over the period of a week, then she went downhill quickly and passed away peacefully. It's a blessing to go from simple old age and not disease or predation, I'd say, but gosh, I will miss Alice so terribly. For the first time in 12 years, no blue hens in my flocks.

 

[speckledhen]

Today, she's definitely holding her neck to one side and is not really eating like she usually does. It's like she had some neurological event, whether a mini-stroke or what, hard to say, but it's presenting like that. Wouldn't be unheard of at almost 10 years old.

 

[speckledhen]

Remember a few years back when we let our bottom lot go? Yesterday, a neighbor called us and asked what was for sale. Apparently, she saw a realtor's directional sign on the power line easement, called the company and it was just listed so they had no information for her except that it was 1.77 acres....our bottom lot size. Well, today, I checked on Realtor.com and lo and behold, there it was...with the wrong street name, the wrong acreage (it listed our pasture lot's acreage, the one that is between our main property and that one). And the price was low, probably going on the 1.38 acre lot price; well, even less than that, for quick unloading since they never paid a dime for it. It was Mark Kephart's son-in-law selling it. I know he put it in his daughter and son-in-law's names when we closed. They listed the price as the value we attached to it four years ago.

So, we called the company and told them it was listed incorrectly. We should know; we used to own it. It's not Peaceful Lane, it's called Pleasant Lane, the power line easement road, and has never had a street sign, but the country maps show its name. And we wanted to made a verbal offer right then, all cash. I want my land back. I always regretted letting it go. With it, we have over 5 acres. Without it, we have 3.6 acres and will always wonder who will build down there, IF they could even sell a bare lot with non-maintained roads, overhead power lines and no actual mountain view at the bottom there. It will temporarily deplete my cash reserves, but it will be back in a year's time. So we're waiting on word back. Land is important to me.

 

[getaclue]

Keep us updated on the progress of your land purchase. Hopefully, it will go smoothly, and you'll get it back.

 

[speckledhen]

Geez! I looked up the actual company listing on my lot. That idiot got everything wrong on it. Not only did he get the street AND the lot size wrong, it also says:
Restrictive Covenants: No

Oh, boy, someone would have been really ticked if they started setting up a mobile home there and we ran down to stop them. We do have a couple of minor covenants in this neighborhood....no pigs and no mobile homes. I would NEVER have been so sloppy as a realtor, never! That guy is lucky that we know the land intimately and don't need any perk test or survey or anything done that requires due diligence (except paperwork, gotta be sure that is right and we pulled the county record for the moron to be sure).
I didn't hear back from him last night. The seller wanted us to pay all closing costs, which on this would be minimal, but we said we'll pay ours and he can pay his. Just waiting on that. It's literally about $300-400 for him to pay. I hope that my neighbor across the driveway who called us and alerted us to the lot being for sale doesn't swoop in and make a higher offer on it. I would be so upset to lose my lot. This bottom wide, squarish 1.77 ac lot is what I'm trying to buy back. It will give me back my entire "land island" again, all the shaded area. Our house is on Lot 5.

 

[getaclue]

The neighborhood I lived in, before we bought this place, has a Face Book page. It's a big neighborhood. I was a member on it. When we moved, I was allowed to remain a member. Quite a few of the residents have been complaining about how shoddy a lot of the realtors are lately. Some of the same type issues, no due diligence when placing a listing, misrepresenting things, not forcing the sellers to honor agreements, etc.

Fortunately for you, you are familiar with the property, and all the pertinent details. In addition, you have experience as a realtor under your belt. I hope it all works out good for you. Keep us posted.

 

[speckledhen]

We spoke to the guy this morning and he was informed of covenants. First, he hasn't heard back from them. Second, he said something that made no sense, that there is another realtor involved. The only way that can be from Arizona, where they live, is for their normal realtor to give a referral to a listing agent here and then, his/her hands are out of it. There is a referral fee paid to the referring agent, used to be about $200 or so, not sure what it is now. So, how another agent is involved, I do not understand. An agent in AZ cannot list in GA unless he/she is licensed here as well. All that can be done is to refer a client to another agent. Could be they are just getting advice unofficially from their end. But, this guy said he would tell them that there are covenants registered with the county and what they entail... might be to his benefit to remember that for this subdivision. And it might have been professional to look it up in the first place and not rely on a client who never even lived here in GA and, as far as I know, only came with her dad, Mark Kephart, to see the property one time.

Though covenants are public record and technically, a realtor has no obligation to know every publicly recorded detail about a property that a buyer can look up, you know as well as I do that buyers expect them to know and don't look up that stuff for themselves. It's a miracle that I was told about covenants when we were looking at this place--I knew to ask about that, being a realtor myself at the time. I bet the handful of others who have purchased these places since then as original owners pass away or sell out to go back to Florida, or wherever permanently to live, are not even aware of them. I have not seen anyone try to plunk down a trailer in here yet, but you bet I'll scream bloody murder if I do. It's bad enough that my neighbor has family living in storage sheds occasionally right across from my place.

I hope this doesn't tank because of ineptitude on the part of these other agents. It should be a simple cash transaction. How much better can it get than getting an offer the day after it's listed for close to full asking price and for someone who doesn't even need a survey or a perk test? I feel like it was okay when Mark got it and it was going to be a tiny house type vacation cabin on that bottom lot, not a permanent residence, but if someone else buys it, it could be a big house that I'll see every day and where they can watch what I do every day from down the hill. That will make me very not happy.

 

[h2oratt]

Well, Alice seemed to rally a bit. That's the way it goes, I guess. She got onto the roost without help. Gypsy was the same. She'd go into a nest box and sit a few times over the period of a week, then she went downhill quickly and passed away peacefully. It's a blessing to go from simple old age and not disease or predation, I'd say, but gosh, I will miss Alice so terribly. For the first time in 12 years, no blue hens in my flocks.

Sorry for your loss. She had a good life with you. I admire how well you take care of your poultry.