Christmas 2012

Christmas Day 2012

This is one of those years where Christmas seems to arrive suddenly.  Perhaps it is because the normal lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas did not seem to happen this year.  It remained (and remains) busy.

I am amazed at how fast children grow, and I always notice it in Christmas pictures etc.  I now understand when I was a child and adult relatives and friends would be surprised at how much we had grown!  I literally see children grow between visits.

We are in OKC, awaiting a Christmas snow (a "White Christmas").  For Aliene and I, all of the family activities are done by late afternoon Christmas Eve (although this year was somewhat of an exception as we didn't get through until about 9 p.m.)

Christmas Day used to be a puzzlement as we realized all family activities were completed and we might as well go back home.  However, we have come to enjoy the opportunity provided by a Christmas Day without any planned activities as such.  This provides an opportunity to reflect and discuss that I have come to value rather than considering it a "wasted day" because I didn't accomplish anything.

Kali turned 13 during the year, Katherine is 10.  I saw Angela (my daughter)  become a different person acting on the stage, a part of her I was pleased to see and never knew existed before.

I celebrated my 65th birthday and I assume became officially "old" although, as many people note, "I don't feel that old", which I assume is someone presumptuous, since I have no idea how it is supposed to feel.  I hope to work for a few more years (hopefully in Lakeland, a city I really love) and then I hope I can start a second career in an area I am slowly focusing on as the time approaches.  I just hope I can maintain a fresh and innovative approach to my job and not allow myself to get into a  behavioral rut.

A word here about Coffee!  I no longer drink any kind of "pop" (as I called it when I was a  child) after I learned that the affect of carbonated drinks did to my GERD.  To lose weight I basically stopped eating bread and potatoes since Christmas 2011 (losing 45 lbs in the process), so I consider Coffee to be my "last vice", a "vice", I greatly enjoy.  I probably have become somewhat of a "high maintenance" customer in restaurants by insisting on fresh, hot coffee.  I see not reason to pay $2.50 (more or less) and get a lukewarm cup of old coffee.  In fact, anymore when I order, I specifically ask for a "fresh" cup of coffee.  I don't always get it, but at least then I feel I can complain!

I have come to judge restaurants on their coffee.  For example, Steak n Shake, Firebirds, certainly Starbucks all have outstanding coffee.  J. Alexanders coffee is basically always lukewarm (they make it and serve it out of "warming pots' each day that don't keep it warm), TGIFridays' coffee is literally undrinkable (I don't know why, but all Friday's have the same undrinkable coffee, so it's not the server-it takes like a particularity nasty instant coffee).  Cracker Barrel varies, but is normally good, although not excellent.  Other restaurants (such a Macaroni Grill), it seems three is an unwritten rule that you don't get refills on coffee although they have excellent coffee.  Bonefish has excellent coffee and alos is reasonably good on refills.

I got back into bicycling this year.  I always have bicycled some, but this year instead of driving to the gym, I bicycle, thus getting my bicycling in and also saving some gas and being environmentally positive.  I also ride for an hour or more on weekends and nights I don't have meetings (last few weekends and evenings excepted due to rain or cold!), which I really enjoy.

Snow is forecast for today.  I don't like snow or wind and is one reason I really like Lakeland.  While it snows there, the snow is usually gone fast and high winds are rare.

A few Christmas's ago (I believe 3 years ago, how time passes!), it snowed 14 inches in Oklahoma City over Christmas.  We were snowed in our hotel for 2 days and basically lived out of vending machines.

I hear sleet outside, which was the forecast, sleet and then snow Christmas Day, which means we will be snowed in for the day.  It is now 6:19 a.m., Christmas Day, 2012.  I think I"ll run down and see if any coffee is available!

The Machine II

Today I decided to go ahead and get an appraisal on my house for a possible refinancing.  If it comes back low again, it should provide us with justification for the State Board of Equalization to reverse the decision of the County Board of Equalization.  If it comes back at the "comparable" price indicated by the comparable sales, it will be enough for refinancing the loan which will save us a significant amount of money!

The Machine

The Machine

In March of this year, we decided to refinance our house.  We didn’t realize we were stepping into a well rehearsed money eating machine.

The appraisal came back too low to refinance the house.  We accepted the decision as one of those facts of life until....

The County Assessor assessed our house at approximately $30,000 more than the appraisal we had received just several months before.  

We protested the assessment, which was lowered slightly.

In the meantime, we contacted our existing bank (Wells Fargo) about refinancing since the interest rate was now about 1.5% our existing loan rate.  Of course, Wells Fargo played all kinds of games to avoid refinancing, including not returning our phone calls etc., so I gave up.

Shortly before the appeal final date, I checked “Zillow.com” and was shocked to find the value of the house was estimated at $20,000 below our original appraisal, so I filed an appeal to the Board of Equalization.

Several months later, I received a Notice to appear before the Board of Equalization.  I went to their offices, a converted house, and, with a 10 a.m. appointment, was finally heard at about noon.

When my time came, I bought up my Appraisal and the Zillow.com estimate.  I was shocked when the members of the Board of Appraisal basically laughed at my “certified Appraisal”  and reaffirmed the original Assessment.  This, after watching the Board of Equalization reduce Assessments on the basis of “comparable values” (NOT Appraisals).  The Board basically said the Appraisal wasn’t correct since the Appraiser didn’t demonstrate how the comparable values were used to set the value of my house.  (If I understood correctly, this meant my house was actually worth $30,000 more than the “refinancing Appraisal”, which meant I actually should have qualified for a refinancing, saving about $300 per month!

So, actually I was happy, since I thought the Refinancing Appraisal would be corrected and I would qualify for a refinancing loan at even lower than the original refinancing rate.

I called the Loan Officer at the Bank and advised her of the “incorrect” appraisal and asked how I got it corrected.

Of course, she advised they have a “rotation list” of Appraisers and the Bank HAS to take the appraiser who pops out, regardless of whether she is competent or not.  They are absolutely barred from asking an appraisal be adjusted! This may sound good, but it means I wasted $400 on an incompetent Appraisal without any recourse.  Not only was I out $400, since the Board of Equalization laughed at the Appraisal, I am also out another $200 in taxes that either aren’t justified if the Appraisal is correct or I am out several hundred dollars per month due to an incompetent appraisal.  

The Bank representative advised me my only option was to pay another $400 for an “Appraisal” by another “appraiser by lottery” and we could be cheated out of another $400.

I feel like we are caught in a machine system that benefits the other parties while the consumer gets taken.  Being out $400 without  any chance of appeal (and then having the Board of Equalization basically say the appraisal is incorrect and still have no chance of appeal) is simply not right!

I don’t know what I am going to do yet, except I will appeal to the State Board of Equalization and try to get the Appraiser to explain why the Board of Equalization made the decision that his appraisal was incorrect.

I’ll keep you advised.