Trying to make a long story short
Look! It's really me, actually finding five free minutes to post at my blog! I miss posting everyday. Thoughts slip in and out of my mind between the to do lists and the constant when, where and how queries but I rarely have the time or the clarity to get them here. I thought I'd drop in and try to give a bit of an update on my situation.
First, I just want to say that my guest bloggers have done an awesome job. Every post has tugged at my heartstrings or panties or better yet, BOTH. You guys are amazing and I appreciate each of you for your unique brilliance. I'll be relieving you guys of duty by next week I think but don't get too cozy because I'll probably need help again as we make the final transition to the new place.
As for the joys of relocating, selling our house was a walk in the park. It was on the market 4 days. We got asking price and the home inspection went perfectly. The buyers bank has guaranteed the financing and we have to be out by the 31st of January. Trying to find a home down south, on the other hand, has been an absolute nightmare. The realtors there seem to be under the mistaken impression that we're a pair of backwoods, bumbling idiots who have never bought a home before. After a miserable house hunt arranged by the worst realtors in the state we finally found a home we we're interested in. When we tried to get more info on the home so we could make an educated offer the realtors handling the transaction were suspiciously tight lipped.
Upon making an offer the realtor who was supposed to be on our side insisted that the offer was too low and would never be accepted. "Just draw up the contract!" We told her. We figured the worst they could do was counter. She reluctantly drew it up to our specifications but marked through much of the contract that pertained to termite damage and termite inspections. When we inquired about this she tried to convince us that "This is how it's always done down here!" So we consulted with our realtor up here (who is the friggin GOD of real estate in our area) and he thought it was weird but said to go ahead with it because any problems with termite damage would be found in the home inspection. So the contract was signed and our offer accepted, despite being low and we all enjoyed Christmas believing we had a quaint little, brick, ranch home awaiting us.
Our down south realtor insisted that an official home inspection was unnecessary. Home inspections are apparently a new concept in the area. However, she said that she'd recommend one if we insisted. We did insist but hired our own so that we'd get an unbiased report. You can imagine our horror when the home inspector discovered that the floor joyces, wall studs, and much of the dry wall had been eaten away by termites. The house was just a brick shell with a few layers of paint and wall paper holding the sawdust remains together. After a little research that included a trip to the county tax assessors office, phone calls to a couple of pest control companies and gossip gathering we put together the unpleasant truth. The home had been sold over the summer to a couple of investors. The people who were selling it originally found the termite infestation and damage and realized they'd never be able to unload the damn thing. The investors took it off their hands for the value of the land and timber on the land, $30,000. They then killed the termites, did some cosmetic repairs to hide the severe structural damage and put it on the market for $80,000. (Keep in mind when looking at those prices that we're talking super low cost-of-living in this place.)
Those of you who know about my hot little temper can imagine the wrath these crooks faced when I confronted them, waiving my 22 page home inspection report which deemed the house not only in bad repair but unsafe to be inhabited. Yeah, I threatened legal action, you moronic, redneck assholes do know what the word fraud means, right? Needless to say the contract was dissolved, our earnest monies returned and we were once again facing homelessness.
After much debating we just gave up the idea of buying a house and went back to an early plan of purchasing a mobile home and putting it on the family farm. The idea of living in a trailer makes me shudder. (No offense to any of you living in a trailer.) However, after seeing several high-end mobile homes, I've got to admit I was impressed. Mobile homes are made at a much higher quality standard than they used to be. Finally, we walked into one that was over 2000 sq. ft. (we currently live in 1200 sq. ft.) had my dream kitchen and the walls were actually painted in gorgeous shades of gold and red. Very me. When I saw the walk in closet in the master bedroom I knew my anti-trailer resolve was crumbling. It's as big as my child's room now (we measured) for gods sake! I walked into the master bathroom and saw the deep soaking tub, the double shower stall, the sit down vanity and wall of linen cabinets and knew I could live there. So I looked at my husband with a silly grin and began singing a country song I remember from years ago, "Queen of my Double Wide Trailer" by Sammy Kershaw. We had a good laugh, told them we'd take it and I think we both shed a couple of tears of relief on the drive home.
Unfortunately, this is far from the end of our stressful journey. Now a site has to be chosen, a road cut in, well and septic installed, the post office will have to make an address for us and the electric and phone company will have to run lines to the home once it's set up. Then the rest of our stuff has to be packed and moved and of course unpacked again. My husband starts work on Tuesday and will be staying with his parents during the week. After that my little one and I will be mostly home all alone here while we wait for our home there to be ready. Quite frankly, I can not wait for next week. Our normal routine has been totally disrupted and while I love my husband and I am optimistic about the move, he is getting on my nerves. He and I are like oil and water in tense times. We just handle stress very differently.
Thanks for waiting patiently for my return. I hope you all had the happiest of holidays! Happy New Year!