2011-08-03 Insurances!!!
What a complicated process to get simple insurance cover for the boat!! I mean, you’d think it simple – here’s the boat, here’s the value (by surveyor), here’s where we’ll be cruising and here’s where we will be storing her! That’s not complicated, is it? Seems quite simple to me. But then, I’m a simple fellow and I tend to look at things in a simple way.
But no, it’s not that easy!! First off, we live in NZ. Secondly, the boat’s in the US; thirdly, my insurance broker is in the US and lastly the insurance company is in London!!! Why?? You my well ask.
The NZ insurance companies are too hopeless to have any experience in insuring vessels in foreign waters!! Or so they say!
The US companies can’t get to grips with who we are and what our plans are. Simple really is you read my previous blog.
The UK company is at least willing to help out with insurance – hooray for the Brits!!!
But, trying to organise all this over 3 different timezones has proven to be quite ………. challenging!
2011-08-04 We own a boat!! 
Yep, all the t’s have been crossed, the i’s dotted, the paper work’s done and the monies paid and we officially now own a Bayliner 3870.
All thanks to our Broker, Mike Dickens, of Paradise Yacht Sales for making the whole buying process so much easier and less stressful.
It’s been an emotional roller coaster these last few weeks – not just from the boat buying and insurance aspects – and now we just have to curb our patience until we collect her in October!! Let that countdown timer in the right hand panel keep ticking down
Of course, now there’s a hundred other things to think about and organise. For instance US visas. Now, generally we can apply for a visa waiver if we are going to be in the US for less than 3 months. So, arrive in October and leave for the Bahamas mid-December is less than the 3 month period – or so you would think! But no, travelling to the Bahamas for 3-4 months doesn’t count as “leaving” the US for visa purposes!!!
So we have to get an extended 6-month visa which requires a formal application with new photos as well as an interview with the US dept here in Auckland! Jump through hoops!!
But, no matter, we’ll just plod on and work our way through everything.
2011-08-12 US Visa Interviews
Well, that’s one more thing done and crossed off the “to-do” list. We went into town to the US embassy to have our interviews for our extended visas. Usually we don’t need to do this but because of our extended stay in the US and Bahamas we had to apply for extended visas as opposed to our normal 3 month visa waiver program.
So, now we will have a multiple entry visa so that we can leave for the Bahamas and then return without having to apply again. Makes life a bit easier.
So, slowly but surely the to-do list is shrinking
Of course, once we get to Baltimore there’ll be a whole new list!!
2011-08-13 D-Day tomorrow – Our home goes to auction
D-Day indeed. After 4 weeks of intensive marketing including open homes every weekend, tomorrow is the day that our house goes to auction. This is a common way of selling real estate in NZ. Certainly it seemed very strange to us when we first arrived here some 16 years ago. We always thought that auctioning real estate fell into the realm of mortgagee auctions!!!
In NZ there are as many homes sold by open auction as by private treaty, or tender. It’s common and accepted.
The advantage is that the market will determine the proper price on the day just as in any other auction. Another advantage is the generation of emotions at an auction.
The disadvantage is the openness of the process and the possibility that there aren’t as many buyers/bidders as one would wish for.
Of course, if the reserve price that we set is not met then there are a number of options. We can continue to negotiate with the highest bidder and see if a negotiated contract can be achieved. Alternately, we can put the house on the market at a pre-determined price and market it for as long as it takes to sell.
Given the interest that we have seen during the marketing campeign, we are confident in reaching a sale agreement tomorrow.
Everyone, hold thumbs thumbs for a great outcome.
2011-08-14 House Sold :):)
Our home went on auction today (see previous post about the auction process) and we were lucky enough to reach a figure above our reserve price :)
So, that’s it – the house is sold unconditionally, ie no worries about the buyers needing to arrange finance or inspections or anything else.
Another tick on the to do list !!!
2011-08-16 US Visas – granted
Our passports arrived back from the US consulate today. We have been granted 10-year multiple entry visas – hooray
Of course that doesn’t mean that we can stay in the US for as long as we want to. That is determined at immigration when we arrive at the airport in the US. They determine how long we can stay on each entry.
But this is another tick on the to-do list.
2011-08-28 Waiting for news of any damage from Irene
These are photos sent to me of Amanzi in preparation for hurricane Irene:
All alone in the yard – Canvas stripped off
Clouds gathering in the distance
Looking very very ominous!!!!!
