Day 18: I’d appreciate your opinion
Gratitude. That’s my muse of the day.
I’m thankful for everyone’s kind comments after the disappointment of not getting the house. Thanks for looking on the bright side for me!
I’m thankful for the fact that I wasn’t stuck with a couple thousand dollars in repair immediately after making the biggest purchase of my life.
I’m also thankful to the Brooklyn house owners for giving me 18 days of writing material. After starting Project 365: Home Edition, I thought, what was I thinking? There’s no way I’ll be able to talk for 30+ days about being a homeowner if I’m not even living in the house. Turns out that wasn’t a problem.
I’d also be thankful if you help me make a decision. Now that I’m starting from scratch, should I write this Project 365 for 365 consecutive days or should I write 365 posts only when there’s something home-related to write about?
On one hand, it’s challenging to write daily (which I love); on the other, I don’t want to bore you or yammer about nothing. Your opinions, please!
Thanks!
Day 17: Goodbye, my beautiful Brooklyn home
The story gets worse… That’s the subject line of the email I opened from my realtor last night.
My heart sunk.
I recalled the rocky three-week relationship I had with this house. It came without a washer, dryer and range. After a series of counter offers, I realized I’d overlooked the lack of a dishwasher. I found out the furnace was older than I thought. But I moved on. They refused to pay for the roof repair. Then they offered to pay half. Their dream house fell through last week. But that wasn’t quite the end. Suddenly, they decided they didn’t want to close until March. When we managed to come up with the other half of the roof repair money yesterday, I thought this story would have a happy ending as 2012 began.
What else could possibly go wrong? I wondered if this had something to do with their mysterious request for a March 16 closing. I scrolled down, curious to learn how the next chapter of the story would unfold.
Turns out their furnace went out last week and, according to them, is clearly on its last leg. They are financially unable to repair the roof and furnace and still have a down payment for a home. Basically, they don’t want to sell the house. I guess that’s the end of the Brooklyn story. Sad. : ( I loved that little place, small closets and all.
A glimpse of what could have been my perfect backyard
Day 16: ‘Twas the week before closing
‘Twas the week before closing and all through the deal,
the sellers were fussing, then a damage reveal.
Negotiations and papers signed by each,
in hopes that an agreement soon we would reach.
I bought new appliances, nearly a bed,
while visions of closing danced through my head…
The first time I went through the Brooklyn Street house I knew I wanted to put an offer in. After looking at more than 50 houses, this one was perfect. Just before going through it a second time, I had the chance to compliment one of the owners on his decor. I liked him right away. As I wrote the offer that night, visions of closing danced through my head.
I imagined smiling owners pleased to pass along their humble abode to a nice girl who would love it just as much as they did. I imagined they’d be proud to know they were a small part of helping a single mom and her cute little blondie take a small step up in the world (I swore I’d never buy a house before marriage!). I imagined being so thrilled at closing that I’d throw my arms around them in a thankful hug. To heck with shaking hands! I even planned to send them a Christmas card and give them a small housewarming gift for their new digs.
Well, those dancing visions definitely came to a screeching halt. Instead, I see two scowling faces as we sign the paperwork. Instead of hugs, I think the only thing I’ll receive is a glare. Of course, they couldn’t care less about the pride I have in buying a home. Heck, they probably don’t even like kids!
Bummer. I’ll still be happy, but it just won’t be the same if they’re harboring feelings of resentment. However, if a measly glare means they’ll accept my offer, then I guess I’ll have to grin and bear it.
We do have one thing in common, though: living in a fantasy land. Now that I’ve come back down to reality, I hope they’ll do the same tomorrow.
The final offer addendum will go through tomorrow morning, thanks to the graciousness of my realtor, loan officer and the listing agent. I guess those three will get my hugs, Christmas cards, gifts and gratitude. 🙂
Day 15: Assumptions
Never make assumptions. That’s the lesson I learned today. Since Friday, I’ve been waiting to find out whether the sellers will agree to my post-inspection terms. I assumed their ‘taking the weekend’ was a good sign, but it appears they must not want to sell too badly.
Get this. They’ll pay for the whole roof repair in March if I wait to close until then. Otherwise, they’ll only pay for half now. Any guesses as to why for this odd line of reasoning?
I sure do love that little house, but maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. Despite the disappointment, my little voice of economic reason is in full force today. And the temptation to give in to the emotional attachment is practically non-existent.
I suppose the house was simply a short-lived fling. But that would be making an assumption that this is the end, that I’m still homeless. I hope I’m wrong again.
Day 14: Gingerbread houses
The only significant moment on the house front today came from Calin. After filling his tummy with candy while we made gingerbread houses, Calin finally found a reason to look forward to the pending move. He can eat the gingerbread house after Christmas; we’ll move to a new house after Christmas. A positive association!
That’s assuming I still get the house, of course. Tomorrow’s the big day. We’ll see what the sellers decide!
Day 13: Where SF got its roots
(Saturday) Every time I see my best friend, Andrea (or Ess, for those of you that know us), I realize just how super our friendship is.
That Ess nickname? Short for super friend, which stems back to the days when acronyms for everything began to infiltrate the vernacular of CMU students. Not only did Ess and I find it absurd that people actually weaved OMG, WTF, BFF into conversation as if they were real words, we felt far superior to the BFF label; it seemed everyone was throwing out BFF to anyone who crossed their path. We weren’t just a BFF flavor of the week. We were the real deal! (If you’re not gagging by now, I give you permission to roll your eyes. 😉
One chilly morning on our trek to the tailgating parking lot, the Busch Light triggered the grandest idea. We are super friends! Thus SF was born and the rest is history. Some time later, we dropped the F and, to this day, still refer to one another as Ess.
Together we might be labeled ridiculous. It’s true. We’re ridiculously funny. We have a ridiculous amount of fun wherever we go. We could have a book by now based on the ridiculous situations we manage to find. Like last night, my Ess was victim to a purse snatcher. Hours were spent canceling cards and comparing locksmith rates, shedding tears about losing hundreds. And then! The snatcher called. Shocking, huh? We spent another hour tracking her down. Half the day was spent.
But I managed to drive her by what I hope will be my new home just before the rain clouds covered the daylight. Now if only she could be my neighbor; it’d be an SF dream come true! Either way, she’ll be chock full of good advice when it comes to homeownership. Now, after once again being a fantastic friend and wingman, she’s back in Illinois with HSF (that’d be husband SF). Until next time, Calin and I will miss her while we get ready for the big move.
Day 12: Still waiting
(Friday) My refusal to pay for the roof repair didn’t seem quite so risky knowing the sellers had found a new home. Who wants two mortgage payments? Well, it seems my little plan may have backfired.
Turns out their new house “fell through.”
Needless to say, a number of profanities zipped through my mind as my realtor broke the news.
Fortunately, this doesn’t mean the deal is off, he said reassuringly. They requested until Monday to make up their minds on the roof. That helped, though I was still worried lack of a house would mean they’d settle for staying in Alger Heights.
My doubts lingered throughout the afternoon. Later, my mortgage guy assured me, too, that I shouldn’t worry. So I resumed enjoying my best friend’s weekend visit. Thanks to the three of them, I have a glimmer of hope for next week. Thanks, Ess, Dan and Jon. 🙂
Day 11: Waiting
It was a slow day on the home front. The addendum to my original offer was submitted to the sellers this afternoon after yesterday’s blow out. (Ok, so blow out may be a slight exaggeration.)
Now I wait until tomorrow to learn whether I’ll be a homeowner in 2011.
Day 10: A house hunt round two?
If this blog were a novel, yesterday’s lingering conclusion, “we’ll see what tomorrow brings…”, would have been a great foreshadowing to today’s twist.
I just turned down the sellers’ offer of contributing $400 to repair their damaged roof. According to the roofer’s estimate, however, it may cost up to $1000 to repair. Turns out they saved a few bucks up front by having a friend do the work. Their problem to deal with, not mine. If I hadn’t already agreed to additional costs, like purchasing major appliances, and deciding to let a few other unsatisfactory inspection items slide, this one might be ok. But there comes a point when enough is enough.
I’m praying I didn’t just mess things up; but I saw a note on their fridge that they have home inspections this week. Is $400 really worth it to lose a buyer when they’ve already found another house?
To be continued…
Day 9: Never ending details
Today I figured I’d work, head to 5×5 Night, then straight to Culture & Cocktails drinks at CitySen before checking off another item on my Broadway bucket list: seeing Les Miserables. There wasn’t a single moment to spend thinking about houses, which put me in a predicament for a home edition of Project 365.
Then my loan officer called. Then my realtor called. Problem solved.
The loan officer needed a few additional items. I learned the appraisal had been postponed and, instead, my realtor sent a roofer to the house to assess the costs of replacing a damaged spot. Except for the fairly simple mortgage paperwork, I didn’t have to lift a finger.
The details are never ending. Do people actually buy homes without the help of a realtor? I don’t know what I’d do without mine. He’s amazing. (If you’re looking for one, talk to Dan Rabourn of Remax.)
We’ll see what tomorrow brings…
(For now, congratulations to Molly, winner of 5×5 Night!)
Unfolding the Story of My Life 