Look Ma... I Made the Paper!

When I got a note from our realtor a few weeks ago asking if we would be interested in being interviewed for an Atlanta Journal Constitution piece about first-time home buyers, I thought it may be fun to participate.

After all, we are very happy with the home (and neighborhood - lurve me some Decatur) we ended up choosing -- and I feel like our story shows that if you think creatively and have a little vision, you can (over time) transform an old and slightly downtrodden house into a fresh and modernized one.

Well, here we are a few weeks later...

(Screenshot from AJCHomefinder.com) Read the rest of the story here. For the record though, I never referred to our house as a "disaster," though I did mention to the reporter that the carpet was a little gross...

And we don't have enough good things to say about the Peters Company (our realtors). If you're buying or selling, CALL ANDY AND LESLEY. You won't regret it. See more about our home buying and selling process here. Thanks for the opportunity to be featured in the paper, Andy.

Misleading Info from the DeKalb Department of Watershed Management

While I've posted most of our home selling posts on my Katy Streams Her Consciousness blog, I though this particular piece was more fitting for this blog since it's more read by the local crowd.

In DeKalb County, Georgia, one must have certified low-flow toilets for a home sale to go through. My husband had no qualms installing two of these low-flow toilets in order to get our house sold, especially because he could install them himself AND because the DeKalb Department of Watershed Management would give us a $100 rebate per toilet. He purchased two nicer-than-required toilets at Home Depot for about $150 a piece, knowing that we would be recompensated for two-thirds of the total cost.

Well, it turns out that the Watershed Management Department is not giving the whole truth as far as the rebate goes. In fact, I would go so far as to say they're providing false advertising.

We got a letter on November 23 (scan of the letter is below - click to enlarge) saying that our toilets were verified as eligible for the rebate... but there are no funds left in the rebate account. Part of the letter reads, "...due to funding not being available in the rebate account, your application cannot be processed at this time" and "please note that you will not be receiving a rebate check within 60 days as outlined in the resolution."

My husband (Dan) called their office yesterday to discuss the sketchiness of their offer and how misleading it is that their Web site still advertises the rebate program. The account rep/office clerk he spoke with said she was sorry but that no funds were available. She did say that the board is voting in a few days to decide whether or not to add more funds to the rebate program. Dan pointed out that they should take down the rebate information until more funds are available. As of today, the info is still up there.

Dan did get a promise from this contact saying she would personally call and let him know if more funds would be available come December 8.

I wonder how many other people feel they've been ripped off?