rocketgirl24

any updates on the pack of dogs? My husband saw them kill a stray cat on our street the week of Aug 24th, but at the time, we did not know there was a place to report this information, and we have had a terrible experience with BARC, so we did not call them.

funny enough, it did fall apart in about 1 month's time after close. The inspector said the a/c was in great shape, but 3 a/c companies and plenty of >$300 electric bills later (for a 1200 sqft home), I learn that it's a shoddy piece of work that's never been maintained and is better off being replaced. The above-ground pool in the backyard split open just 2 weeks after close, and began a great project of tearing down all the deck and related structures that were built up around the pool. So we went from a beautiful backyard oasis to a cesspool in about 1 month's time, and those pictures were the strongest arguement for the drop in value. backyard pics got me a 10K drop, and the a/c replacement estimate of work got me the other 5K. so selling price do not always reflect market value, as my example shows.

I successfully protested the market value of my Heights-area home down $15K, and thanks to all who posted because reading this helped me prepare (at the last minute, of course...). I brought with me pictures of my home to show where damage existed that certainly no one would pay market value for; that and the quote for the A/C replacement I need moved his initial offer of 10K off the market value up to 15K. I also brought comparisons of comparable homes on my street, but that didn't help at all because I bought the home last year, so he argued that the market value should stand. All in all, the proof that the structure was devalued because of the condition of the home made all the difference, and I wish I had worked with a contractor to get an updated quote of costs to repair, which might have gotten me a little more than 15K off. Thanks again to all the previous people who have posted. You helped me a great deal!

I'd like to add a question: what happened to La Fondita at 20th? They had pretty good eats, but last time I passed by (few days ago) it was dark. Guess they couldn't survive? If anyone knows what happened to this place and the chef, I'd appreciate the info.

Thanks for the tip! I'll try to get to the 'original Les Givral' soon. Also, I'm a big fan of Cali, but had a few not-so-great meals there in the past year or so that made me not go out of my way to eat there. When I was first introduced to this restaurant about 4 or 5 years ago, I thought their sandwiches were far more tasty than Les Givral. Now, I'm not so sure.

Is this house out in the direction of the Maxwell House plant? With a really cool sliding door on the side with a greenish color door of wooden 'planks' (I can't think of the term for this...) If so, I read about it in the Chronicle months back, which prompted us to seek it out. Here is the link to the Chronicle article. http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive....id=2005_3876294

I'll add my 'El Rey' plug: they have the best coffee and best price in town. Not to mention some really tasty food. The tortas (sandwiches) are one of my favorites - they are huge and a great price. I'm happy about Thai Spice. I've been a fan of their restaurant since I went to a cooking class at Fiesta taught by the owner(?) a few years back. What I'm looking for in the Heights is a good Vietnamese sandwich like those in Midtown (Les Givrals, etc). Anyone know if Vietnam on 19th serves those?

I stopped by Retropolitan Ballroom this past Saturday and they aren't open on weekends anymore, but if you call the number on the sign inside the door, the woman (can't remember her name but very friendly) will schedule a time to meet you at the store. Seemed very willing to accomodate my schedule. PS - her voice mail refers to something that is not at all related to furniture, but leave a message anyway - you are calling the right number.