A bit of Johnny walker does me wonders when I’m feeling low
Aww take a load off friend.
We're all mates here, The Goose, Johnny, Jimmy etc…..
Tell us your problems………..
D
DWolfe | www.homestagers.com.au
http://www.homestagers.com.au
Email MeOh my this is the cutest thread ever! I love it that there is absolutely no text i the body of your post.
What's wrong?? How can we help? Shall we assume the smart part of your brain has realised you ought to invest in property but the emotional part of you that listens to uneducated folks in the community panics sometimes?
Jacqui Middleton | Middleton Buyers Advocates
http://www.middletonbuyersadvocates.com.au
Email Me | Phone MeVIC Buyers' Agents for investors, home buyers & SMSFs.
Was there supposed to be any content in this message?
It’s a visual effect thing. No content needed.
Hi everyone sorry about the non post…..I lost it all and couldn't be bothered doing it all over again at the time..Latish last night.
So here goes..
On March 18, I got a tv antenna company in to do a new tv outlet in the kitchen and when he saw my antenna he said that it was going to be no good on digital switch over so I should upgrade. I said ok and he installed a 1500.00 new antenna. We started talking about renos and his eyes lit up and started showing me pics on his phone of recent renos he had done with his investment properties. To cut a long story short I agreed to a reno here for 30 thousand dollars and I went to the bank and paid him 10 grand cash. Work was starting tomorrow. Well the skip arrived to remove collapsed back decking and plant matter but he did not. A text of appology and see me tomorrow. So next day he and 2 guys arrived with chainsaw and bobcat. They cleared my front and back in 3 days and pretty much nothing else has been done.
What had changed was when he saw mine cleared he was interested in a sub division and he would like to put a 2 story town house out back for his personal family use in holidays. I live in Dromana,Vic.I was very interested as I live alone now and don't need all that back yard. So I said he could make some inquiries to see if it could be possible.
I have a 5 bedroom fibro , (partly asbestos) on 720 square meters of land in a residential street. What he wants is to give me a swap of land for grander reno on my house to bring it up to par with the new one of which I agree must happen.But I only know what my land is worth by current council rates. Land value 201,000.00
My question is is it possible to spend 110,000. on my reno because that's what it will cost me providing we go on council valuation. I had an agent in on 19th for an opinion and said as is would be between 290 and 310k with a reno of 30k maybe top end 370k. He also got an agent in and they also said 290-310 as is…
I have so many questions..I am now waiting for him to get a surveyor out..Then what ?? Both agents have said if I have a you beaut reno including full render I probably would still get around my same price for sale of my house on only half sized land because of improvement to the front (my) residence and the back one will add value to mine ..
I feel a little bewildered by it all as it has all come about by impulse and he wants to do everything..What advice can anyone give me besides the fact that I should NOT have given him 10 grand cash. I am still nervous that he is a get rich scammer and I have just paid that money to have 2 skips filled and removed..I have not seen him since before the Easter break and minimal phone contact..What do you all think..besides the obvious fool that I've been to hand over my hard earned cash..
I have asked him 3 times to fix a temporary fence to keep my dog in but on two occassions he was a no show. On Sunday he was meant to come and do it and did'nt with no explanation until I rang him and then Monday but did not show up either and not heard from him yet.
I am not very good with writing so I hope you all can make some sense of it all..
Thanks for listening..and I think my poison was the reason I lost it all last night..lol
okay.
So now my suggestion is to go into damage control.
Probably you should have gotten something in writing on the scope of the work he was going to do, the time period and how much it would cost. But now it's probably a bit late.
If he's not showing up and you have paid him 10k, I don't like that. I also don't like the fact that he was on a job being paid by someone else (Antenna co) then talked you into a reno.
I would suggest, firstly asking very nicely for your money back. A couple of skips and a days work – let's be generous and let him have $1500 out of it. but you want the rest back. Then you tell him that either the bank wont give you the rest of the money, or if you have already told him they will then you tell him you have changed your mind.
A subdvision will take up to 4-6 mths to do. How long has he told you he will take to reno your house? What sort of reno, and why are you putting up the $40k? What is he getting a whole piece of land from you for, just for doing the work? I'm not in love with this whole scenario.
The main this is to back away from this whole thing. It smells. The fact that he is chopping and changing ideas, has been unreliable when saying he will do the work, and I'm not sure if you have anything in writing to give you some legal recourse.
Keep us posted, were here to help.
D
DWolfe | www.homestagers.com.au
http://www.homestagers.com.au
Email MeFor someone to undertake $30k of work he definitely needs to be a registered building practitioner, and legally can only take 5% deposit. A guy in my street just received a $24k fine for pretending to be a builder. Call the building commission if he won’t pay you back in full. You pretty much have him by the you know what!
Hi D,
Thanks for the input.
The guy owns the antenna (cabling service) business himself with his wife. Originally he was going to do a reno for 30,000.00 that was to include, Painting inside and out, replace full guttering with colorbond, sanding and polishing floorboards (under old lino tiles), new carpet through out, and some outdoor (paving/decking?),All of this was going to be (as he said it) smashed out in 5 weeks.I got a receipt for my money on his cabling business docket book. On there was hand written 10,000.00 cash deposit for works to be carried out (address) and 21,000.00 owing .I was charged 1000.00 for the antenna. There was no time frame on the docket and no details of what that included.
But within days of that agreement it all changed to a grander idea put forward by him but nothing new is on paper.
Hi Joe, thanks for helping.
He tells me he is an electrician by trade and this is a hobby. So far the workers he has had here to clear have been mates. And if there was anything to be signed off on (his father ) a registered builder would get involved.
He has cleared the front and back of my property of lots of over growth and demolished my 36 square meters of decking and disposed of all that by two largest skips delivered to my address and that is all. Oh and taken away my street front fence so I need to keep my dog in 24/7 .
I’m pretty sure if his dads signs off he must be a director of his sons business. Call the building commission, they thrive on stuff like this. You can’t get mates or family to sign off work. Everyone does it but ain’t legal.
Another thing too whilst demolishing the back deck which backed on to my kitchen wall he has exposed and broken asbestos sheeting that small fragments of are just lying in the dirt outside my back door which I need to walk past everyday to get to the clothes line..
Before starting he said he had been trained to deal with asbestos..
This keeps getting better. There is no way a trained person in handling asbestos would leave pieces laying around. Absolute no way. You have the power to lock this guy up for years. Demand your $10k back.
Hi Joe,
I have just made an appointment to speak to a free legal service. Earliest I can get in is two weeks. The sad thing is I refinanced 30k for this reno that I had planned anyway. Coincidently he just happen to waltz through my front door at a time that I was very vunerable. I thought OMG my savior..He can take care of everything I want for the make over. I have not had any experience with anything of this nature before. I should have known better as I have been a member here for years but had not done any research for years.
Maybe I can terminate the contract with this asbestos thing.
My appointment is not till 22nd April.
Hi again,
Now that you have decided that this guy isnt the right guy for you have you approached him to say that you do not want to go ahead with the subdivision, and that you would like to get your money back (maybe less whatever he has spent on skips and 2 random guys)? There are people out there who can renovate your property, but if this guy is changing his mind, and hasn't given you a clear scope of works (in writing) then he may not be the guy for you.
If it was me, I'd try asking for my money back and explaining that I wasn't happy with the way he was doing things, and that I was going to put the renovation on hold at this stage, until I thought about what I wanted to do. If he then refuses to give back the money, then I would see a real solicitor (you've handed over $10k, its worth paying the $250-$300) and getting them to write him a nasty letter demanding a refund. Then you can go from there. If you do need to take further legal action you then already have someone familiar with the situation who can advise you, and you have a solicitor who can provide you unbiased advice for next time.
Hope this helps.
D
DWolfe | www.homestagers.com.au
http://www.homestagers.com.au
Email MeHi D,
Update. After requesting several times for him to attend to a few things and ignoring or making excuse after excuse. (I have enough proof ) He finally got back to me tonight via text at 19;50 tonight saying I'll be there tomorrow (smiley face )
20;04 I then text him back saying What time and for?? 3 mins later I text saying "sorry but I was buying chicken wire tomorrow but will not if I don't need to.(re: dog barrier I will attempt to errect. )
He responded at 20;26 Will talk tomorrow about 12pm
I don't have anyone I can call on to be here with me so I am going to record it all. I know it's not real legal but I have to protect myself somehow, right ?
I seriously use this for memory use only as I cannot comprehend all that has been said at the time..Useful tool..
Hi D,
I would like to apologize for not addressing your last post before commenting on Update..
What happened was I am pretty useless with computers and live alone and whilst I was responding in length to your post, my computer suddenly said "web page expired and I lost everything I had written to you. It was all gone when I had refreshed the page and in the mean time he had made contact with me and we had planned to meet to discuss it further. Which I thought was a step in the right direction. So again I am sorry.
And in relation to all your questions.
Yes, I had tried on several occasions over the last two weeks to say I did not want to go ahead with the sub division but am still keen for the $30k reno. I have texts, phone and witnesses to say I have tried. On 2 of the occasions he had convinced me again that it was going to benefit me and I reneged. On other occasions I sent texts of which I have copies and once He rang, I tried to tell him and my kids were witness to loud speaker conversation with him.
And I don't have problem with paying a solicitor if and when I need to. But at the moment I can get free legal advice, so why not . I'm not flush by any means he he..
I may not know a lot in this situation but I do know I am not going to be taken for a ride.
Things have changed as of today.
He arrived at 10;00am instead of the arranged time of midday and I was still in sleepwear. He volenteered to look at the back fences while I got changed.I am recording all of this with him. He stayed till 2:40pm and in that time errected me some temporay fencing for the dog and discussed the involvement of such an undertaking .I now get the feeling after all of this today that he would like to back out but I didn't give him the opportunity to admit it as I avoided asking. I think he has bitten off a bit more than he can chew in a sense. The project is going to be big !.
I am holding him to our second verbal contract of a full reno with complete blue board and render of my 25sm house, and all the other things he mentioned for a land swap. I am prepared to give away half my title for this major reno in return.
So I am insisting it go ahead. I have lost 10k if all fails. It's a gamble but then again I am a gambler..And I have more to gain by it being done.
If I do go down it won't be without a fight because not only am I a gambler I am a fighter too and he will be coming with me. I have used Slater and Gordon before and won and I have fought Dan Murphy before it was Safeways and won and managed to get the National Bank give me my first mortgage , then take it back off me after I had made a purchase of the house we are talking about now. And finally got them to see it my way and to withdraw their decline… so I am not new to a battle if need be.
I will keep you posted and I do appreciate your opinion and thanks for taking an interest as I have seen your name and respected your input on the forum since I joined I think.
.
I really want this to work and all he has to do now is come good with his promises.So wish me well..
like Joe mentioned before I think I have him by the short and you know what…but I like to give people a chance to prove their worth. And if all goes well ,were all happy…and we can be friends for life , like he mentioned today…I believe that he wants the new house for his personal use and I find that in itself appealing. I like this character and would be very disappointed if i was burnt by him and I would show it. I don't like people who are leeches..And on a happier note "The suns gonna shine tomorrow just you wait and see." Stay happy !!
Hi Iwannaplaytoo I agree with Dwolf's early opinion….things smell very fishy. This cowboy is unlicensed and uninsured. If anything goes wrong on your site, which is highly likely as i also believe he is UNQUALIFIED to do anything other than install antennaes, you could find yourself in a lot of trouble. Has he even offered to show you his electrician's license? Even if that exists, it doesn't qualifiy him to carry out the work for which he has quoted. As Joe has pointed out, legally he is only entitled to charge 5% in advance, not 33%. Instead of digging yourself in deeper, I think you should be getting out.
As Moxi mentioned above he may not even be a qualified electrician. I'm not sure where you are from but if in QLD you can use this site to look up Electricians to check their qualifications…. https://www.deir.qld.gov.au/elis/
I'm sure all the other states would have something similiar..
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