Comfortably Homeless

Email, text, etc and I'll send along our new address.

Our home-buying/home-selling deal has been a bit of a roller coaster.

First, I found our dream home, but we weren't even in the market to buy. And the house cost too much, anyway. Then they dropped the price a couple of times and we went to see it. Fell in love. Then we put our house on the market after a stressful week of packing, painting minor repairs, and surgery (for me, not the house). Seven showings and four offers later, we had a deal. Then there were some rather stressful home inspection issues with the house we are buying. Then there were some minor home inspection issues with our house. Then the major set-back of a septic failure. Then termite damage. Our April 18 settlement date loomed ever nearer, and at our agent's urging, I worked and scrambled and called and Joe met with contractors and negotiated bids. Last Tuesday we found out that a Friday closing wasn't happening. We tried for Monday. On Thursday we found out Monday wasn't possible, either.

At this point we were told that Closing would be on Tuesday and that our buyers were "this close" to pulling out of the deal because of their stress and frustration.

Hello?!

We'd done EVERYTHING they'd asked. The refused to chip in on the $12K septic repairs. They refused to even renegotiate the deal in any way.

Well, you know what? We couldn't close on Tuesday. Joe is unavailable all day. (but no one had checked that with us) So, we scrambled again and tried to make it work. Mid-way through this scrambling, on Friday morning, our agent informs us that the only day our buyers are available is actually Wednesday. So ... not Tuesday, then, right?

Wednesday is one of those ships-that-pass-in-the-night sorts of days for us. We barely see each other long enough to kiss good-night. So more scrambling ... this time to complete a limited Power of Attorney so I can sign for Joe on all the home-selling and home-buying paperwork. The "upside" through this is that our dream house will be available for us to move things into on Monday.

At this point on Friday I'd made eleventy-nine phone calls, about half of which were to or from my parents. They decide it's time to pull the plug and begin driving from their home near Erie, PA -- nine hours away. I've also secured a handful of loading and unloading volunteers and reserved two UHaul trucks.

Yesterday we picked up the trucks as scheduled and loaded them with almost everything from the house. (Thanks and love to MJ Atkinson, John Dugan and Brad Marcus!) Today we loaded our mattresses and a few other final boxes onto the trucks and moved into a hotel for a few nights, hence the Title.* Tomorrow we unload everything at the new house (and it's my birthday). At last. Tuesday we clean the old house and veg a bit (Joe has to go back to work after Easter break). Wednesday, I go back to work, too**, and the buyers walk through our old house. I then go to sign papers to grant us ownership and occupancy of the new house. Joe will meet us there when he gets out of work. We unpack and settle in for as long as it takes after that.

I'm tired. And I have a headache. But the end is (somewhat more) in sight.

Stay tuned for an epic Housewarming Party to come as soon as possible. I promise.



*We're all comfortably homeless, except for Joe ... he's staying at the house with dogs, cat and trucks, and our soon-to-arrive-from-PA friend, Brian. In a house without furniture, save for one twin mattress on the floor.

**Thank you, Snow Days.....this was to have been a week-plus long spring break and I was going to have everything pretty settled in that time.