Another " I'm selling my house thread"

[Blonde Granny]

Apr 13, 2017 8:05:59 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Home and termite inspections next Friday. Omg I've bought a house!!

You're just having some "I'm a big girl now" anxiety.....it's going to wear off (eventually).

[seriousthistime]

Yay Zib!  

Iggy, what's up with the inspection?

[zibazinski]

Yes, Iggy, is it ok?

[Iggy aka IG]

Apr 13, 2017 8:05:59 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Home and termite inspections next Friday. Omg I've bought a house!!

[Iggy aka IG]

Sorry for keeping y'all hanging.  After I posted yesterday, I went home for an "attitude adjustment".      This home selling/buying deal is just the tip of the iceberg of the stress I currently have in my life right now.  I won't go into it here.

_{That being said, I am convinced all personal real estate sellers/buyers should read Real Estate for Dummies or something similar.} 


The inspection of our home, ordered by the buyers, resulted in some interesting things.  According to Sparky our realtor, ours was a normal outcome.  Well, no one told me.  What really pissed me off was the fact the inspector reported the central air wasn't working.  Um, dude, no.  It's off for the season.  We have freezing temps here until sometimes after Memorial Day weekend.  Oh, and the fact he reported we had no back flow on the premise.  Um, no.  Not only do we have one, required by the city, but it's tested every year at our expense.

I read the inspection, and a subsequent text by our realtor, called him and basically ripped him a new one.  Really?  A week to get us the inspection and very few days to act on it??  (Install a new water heater, 3 GFIs in specific areas, replace a leaky faucet, etc.  Oh, and use a licensed contractor and provide paid invoices.  Bite me.)  I then texted DH, told him to work with Sparky, and that my stress level was "up to here".  They met last night in the garage, while I blissfully watched a DVR'd David Bowie documentation. 

A side note:  As of last night at 6:30 PM, we are under contract to buy the home on 40 acres we looked at Monday evening.    Similar to zibazinski, I'm basically still in disbelief.  We've been working on this relocation project since Thanksgiving week.  I've had a total of 4 meltdowns, with a few more to follow, I'm sure.
It's our time now to order the inspection and ILC.    And time to get my ass back to work. 

Thanks for being there, everyone.

[dee27]

Iggy, can you give the buyers a credit for the work that needs to be done? If you are closing in one week, will you be able to book a plumber and an electrician before the closing? Congrats on the new house contract!

[dee27]

Great news, Zib!

[Iggy aka IG]

Apr 13, 2017 15:22:01 GMT -5 dee27 said:

Iggy, can you give the buyers a credit for the work that needs to be done? If you are closing in one week, will you be able to book a plumber and an electrician before the closing? Congrats on the new house contract!

Thank you so much, dee27!

Our official closing date is April 28th.  IDK on what items DH and Sparky are taking action.

[Iggy aka IG]

The long running joke at our house for years has been we need to go to work just to relax.  And it's even more true lately.

DH made it through most of the inspection to do's this weekend.  Easy things, really, such as prove the central air still works, identify the back flow, replace three smoke alarm batteries, and tend to a few bathroom drains.  Professionals are coming next Wednesday to service the boiler.

We move out Sunday, a professional house cleaner and window cleaner are coming Monday, and a professional carpet cleaner Tuesday.

DH will schedule an inspector for the home we are buying.  We were given a copy of an inspection the seller's paid for last fall.  Interesting.  I'll report back on that.

As far as moving itself goes:  I know y'all aren't rookies here, but to those of you who haven't moved in awhile:  Start purging your items now.  And, when you think you've purged enough, purge some more.  Over the years, we've had a yard sale, have tossed and donated boxes and boxes of items, and it still feels like I have so much stuff.  I'll elaborate on the declutter and get organized thread.  Oh, and dust items you haven't touched in quite some time.

And lastly, if you can, hire people to help with anything possible.  Packing, cleaning, moving, etc.  

[dee27]

If you hire people to help pack or move, make sure valuable items are secured in your locked car. One of the hired guys pocketed our digital camera which DH left on the counter. We used PODS when we moved and hired two people to load them. As far as broken items, there was only one, the glass on the display case broke,but DH was able to fix it with a piece of board painted silver. Since it was a corner piece, no one has realized that the back used to be glass. Everything in the boxes we packed fared well except a few glasses. I hate to move so I hope that was our last move.

In terms of purging, I thought we had done a decent job. Extra food was given to my parents; we had a tag sale and donated a lot of items to Goodwill and the schools. What we did not purge were Christmas items and FIL's trains, but we did sell or donate the excess after we moved.

[zibazinski]

Yes, I "lost" two necklaces that way. One was one DH had given me while we were in college. Maybe he got 5-10 bucks max for it but it broke my heart.

[dee27]

Aw, Zib, I am so sorry you lost that gift from DH.

[zibazinski]

Apr 17, 2017 19:39:11 GMT -5 dee27 said:

Aw, Zib, I am so sorry you lost that gift from DH.

.

Me too. We both had June birthdays and we each picked out something from the jewelry store in Lansing. He picked out a chain that he wore for decades even while married to another. I buried it with him. He'd have liked that. I couldn't bring myself to bury him with his wedding ring. He waited 40 years to wear one. Didn't with first wife although he was faithful to her.

[zibazinski]

DH knew I still had it. We were back together when it was stolen. It's the thought that counted to him, that I'd kept it all those years just like he had kept the chain from me.

[Deleted]

Apr 17, 2017 19:54:05 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

DH knew I still had it. We were back together when it was stolen. It's the thought that counted to him, that I'd kept it all those years just like he had kept the chain from me.

DH and I dated shortly after my divorce, but I wasn't emotionally ready.  He did, however, give me a beautiful gold chain for Christmas one year.  I am so not a jewelry person, but I kept it even after we were no longer seeing each other.  

Fast forward, and we reconnected about seven or eight years later.  I wore the necklace when we married.

It is, however, now in the safety deposit box.  Like I said, I am not a jewelry person.

[Iggy aka IG]

A head's up:  You can now submit a change of address online.  They charge $1 to verify your identity.  And it processes VERY QUICKLY.  I submitted our COA Monday, and DH said there was already a "this box is closed" card in our box yesterday.

The last remaining two pictures are off our upstairs walls and placed on the main level to be moved out this weekend.  And two more houseplants have been relocated here to my office.  It's starting to look like our grocery store's floral dept. 

We've so much to do...

[zibazinski]

Last contingency is gone so closing moves forward from here.

[taz157]

Our house is almost completed and we are supposed to close May 15th.  However, the title company isn't being helpful with our mortgage broker so closing may get delayed if the Title Company can't provide their fees to our mortgage broker in the next hour. 

We didn't even know until Tuesday when closing was supposed to be and we let our mortgage broker know as soon we found out.  Also, our mortgage broker let the title company know too.

[Iggy aka IG]

I'm back from a week+ long hiatus which includes a medical emergency. Don't ask.    I'm typing from our hotel room on DH's laptop.... 

So.  Our house sold this morning. We are officially homeless.  5 months of hell.  It's funny-when I told people we were in the process of packing and moving, the feedback was "Ohhh, I'm sorry!"  So I know it's not just us who the process stresses to the max.

There is a possibility the close date of our new house will be pushed back thanks to an appraisal deadline.  The drama continues, and apparently do does our hotel stay.

Congratulations, taz157 and zibazinski!!!!

[lund]

Not asking Iggy, just hoping that you will regain full health and strength soon!

[Iggy aka IG]

Thanks, lund .

The closing for our new house has been pushed back 11 days.  This will equal another $600 out of our pocket.  We haven't signed the contract amendment.  Appraisals for a certain loan program are apparently behind, especially for large parcels.  Our realtor should have asked for a 45 day close to begin with.  So, after back and forth of me asking the loan processor and realtor to make it right, saying we have spent $4K out of pocket thus far between the two houses (buying and selling), not including closing costs, our realtor had the audacity to say he asked for the appraisal a week ago, and we just ordered it two days ago.

My response?  Well excuse me for getting sick.

You guys, seriously.  Is drama included with every real estate transaction?  It seems every step of the way has been a struggle.  And now DH, after pushing himself for weeks packing, moving, repairing, etc., is sick.

[dee27]

Apr 29, 2017 0:04:04 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Thanks, lund .

The closing for our new house has been pushed back 11 days.  This will equal another $600 out of our pocket.  We haven't signed the contract amendment.  Appraisals for a certain loan program are apparently behind, especially for large parcels.  Our realtor should have asked for a 45 day close to begin with.  So, after back and forth of me asking the loan processor and realtor to make it right, saying we have spent $4K out of pocket thus far between the two houses (buying and selling), not including closing costs, our realtor had the audacity to say he asked for the appraisal a week ago, and we just ordered it two days ago.

My response?  Well excuse me for getting sick.

You guys, seriously.  Is drama included with every real estate transaction?  It seems every step of the way has been a struggle.  And now DH, after pushing himself for weeks packing, moving, repairing, etc., is sick.

That delay from the bank happened when we sold our first house, and when we sold our second house. Plus the buyers pushed for an earlier close, and we were still packing because we had Christmas at our house. The buyers wanted to come in on Christmas Eve to measure for curtains. Really, give me a break! They had seen the house 5 times already and except for the first viewing, it was always last minute. We left the house to close, and DH left my car at the neighbor's house plus took the dog in the car.

I was flying and DH and the dog went by car. Of course, I and 100s of other passengers were stuck at the airport because "the connecting flights had already left". That was a lie since my cousin was waiting at the end point to drive me to the motel and the plane never arrived. The airline wanted to avoid paying for vouchers for motels/food for the passengers it stranded and put us on standby for the morning flights. We waited for almost an hour for the free shuttle to the motel, and by the time I arrived there the restaurant was only open for 30 more minutes. The entire day was mess! I called DH and left him a message about the location of the motel and he picked me up in the morning. We had breakfast, fed the dog, and drove to a motel in our new city. We had a week before we closed on the new house, so we left the dog at the kennel.

The only way to talk with our banker was via email thru the computer or by cell, and the motel had terrible reception. I finalized papers and resolved problems with weak signals all week. Plus we had to eat out for 7 days because the motel did not have a restaurant. We finally close, and the damn contractor forgot to deliver the stove we'd paid for, and the epic snowstorm of 28 inches was pending. Since we used PODS, we did get the kitchen and beds after the first night in the house, but the rest of our belongings were stuck in the warehouse due to the storm. The week was busy since our floor in the great room was delayed and the garage was full of our furniture, but we did get a lot finished because we had no phone, cable or internet. This is why I hate to move!

[Iggy aka IG]

Apr 29, 2017 1:21:39 GMT -5 dee27 said:

Apr 29, 2017 0:04:04 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Thanks, lund .

The closing for our new house has been pushed back 11 days.  This will equal another $600 out of our pocket.  We haven't signed the contract amendment.  Appraisals for a certain loan program are apparently behind, especially for large parcels.  Our realtor should have asked for a 45 day close to begin with.  So, after back and forth of me asking the loan processor and realtor to make it right, saying we have spent $4K out of pocket thus far between the two houses (buying and selling), not including closing costs, our realtor had the audacity to say he asked for the appraisal a week ago, and we just ordered it two days ago.

My response?  Well excuse me for getting sick.

You guys, seriously.  Is drama included with every real estate transaction?  It seems every step of the way has been a struggle.  And now DH, after pushing himself for weeks packing, moving, repairing, etc., is sick.

That delay from the bank happened when we sold our first house, and when we sold our second house. Plus the buyers pushed for an earlier close, and we were still packing because we had Christmas at our house. The buyers wanted to come in on Christmas Eve to measure for curtains. Really, give me a break! They had seen the house 5 times already and except for the first viewing, it was always last minute. We left the house to close, and DH left my car at the neighbor's house plus took the dog in the car.

I was flying and DH and the dog went by car. Of course, I and 100s of other passengers were stuck at the airport because "the connecting flights had already left". That was a lie since my cousin was waiting at the end point to drive me to the motel and the plane never arrived. The airline wanted to avoid paying for vouchers for motels/food for the passengers it stranded and put us on standby for the morning flights. We waited for almost an hour for the free shuttle to the motel, and by the time I arrived there the restaurant was only open for 30 more minutes. The entire day was mess! I called DH and left him a message about the location of the motel and he picked me up in the morning. We had breakfast, fed the dog, and drove to a motel in our new city. We had a week before we closed on the new house, so we left the dog at the kennel.

The only way to talk with our banker was via email thru the computer or by cell, and the motel had terrible reception. I finalized papers and resolved problems with weak signals all week. Plus we had to eat out for 7 days because the motel did not have a restaurant. We finally close, and the damn contractor forgot to deliver the stove we'd paid for, and the epic snowstorm of 28 inches was pending. Since we used PODS, we did get the kitchen and beds after the first night in the house, but the rest of our belongings were stuck in the warehouse due to the storm. The week was busy since our floor in the great room was delayed and the garage was full of our furniture, but we did get a lot finished because we had no phone, cable or internet. This is why I hate to move!

Dee, thank you so, so much for sharing your story.  What a horrible experience to go through!  And how RUDE of the buyers to intrude.  I mean, there's a fine line between them being excited and their behavior.  This is exactly the boundaries I mentioned on a prior page.

We, DH especially, did so much to prepare our house for sale.  Replaced two faucets, two windows, filled nail holes, had the heater serviced, professional home, window, and carpet cleaners come in, etc.  I am not feeling the love from our realtor, esp after seeing his cut on our closing documents.

I've moved numerous times in my life, but this is only the second buy/sell situation of my adult life.  Never say never, but I never want to buy or move again!

[seriousthistime]

Apr 29, 2017 0:04:04 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Thanks, lund .

The closing for our new house has been pushed back 11 days.  This will equal another $600 out of our pocket.  We haven't signed the contract amendment.  Appraisals for a certain loan program are apparently behind, especially for large parcels.  Our realtor should have asked for a 45 day close to begin with.  So, after back and forth of me asking the loan processor and realtor to make it right, saying we have spent $4K out of pocket thus far between the two houses (buying and selling), not including closing costs, our realtor had the audacity to say he asked for the appraisal a week ago, and we just ordered it two days ago.

My response?  Well excuse me for getting sick.

You guys, seriously.  Is drama included with every real estate transaction?  It seems every step of the way has been a struggle.  And now DH, after pushing himself for weeks packing, moving, repairing, etc., is sick.

Why yes, yes there is.  Didn't you read the contract closely?  Drama must occur with EVERY real estate transaction.

With my most recent purchase, the drama occurred at the bidding stage, the appraisal stage, and near closing.  Interest rates had ticked down a bit but I couldn't get the best rate because I was buying a condo vs. single family, and I was only putting 20% (I would've needed 25%).  But the lender agreed to rebate the $2k lender's fee.  Great!  We had a deal via text and email but not in writing.  I get the closing documents to look at, and I see the $2k fee on there.  Quick call and email, it's all a mistake, corrected info sent to escrow. Next day I go to escrow to sign the paperwork, and the fee is still on there.  Tried calling the lender, repeatedly got voicemail.  I got the realtor and escrow company involved, and no one can reach him.  We finally got through to his assistant and learn that he had to leave the country unexpectedly due to the death of a close relative.  Nice, huh?  Finally, the lender agreed to honor the fee reduction. 

When I sold my last place the closing was delayed because the fence surrounding my property was not ALL on my property; it had gone exactly where the old fence was, and all the neighbors agreed it should be there.  On one side, the fence was completely on my property, but that neighbor made a stink for reasons I still don't understand.  Her delaying things cost me an extra $100/day, $700 for the week it took to schmooze things over with her. I was particularly peeved that she tried to rewrite the history and timeline of the fence. 

I have had buyers who wanted to bring out-of-town relatives through the house, meet flooring salespeople, measure rooms, and so forth.  The new place I've bought (i.e., closed on) is still occupied by the seller for another few weeks. Much as I want to go in and have the place measured for shutters and blinds, I would never dream of intruding on them like that.  Right, I OWN the place, and I STILL won't disturb them for something I'd very much like to get going. 

Good luck, iggy.

[Iggy aka IG]

seriousthistime, oh, man, I, too, would have been peeved at both situations! I am so glad you no longer have to live next door to Ms. conveniently changed things to suit her reality.  And good for you for being patient with your new purchase. I believe in karma, and know conducting ourselves in a manner we would like others to treat us will come back to you and I in good ways.

A friend mentioned in my office a few weeks ago his opinion of realtors are people who couldn't make it in used car sales.  As slimy as I feel about this, even though we are just halfway through, I am beginning to see his point.

[TheOtherMe]

is drama included with every real estate transaction?

I bought my first home in 1978 and have bought and sold many in the ensuing years.  Yes, drama is part of the transaction

[Iggy aka IG]

It's unfortunate about the drama.  I mean, isn't buying a home supposed to be the American Dream?  Like DH said, everyone needs to get their cut.

Is it true there is less drama if someone pays cash for a home?

I came across a picture of Sparky our realtor holding a "sold" sign in front of our house on Facebook this morning.  I refrained from commenting "you're welcome".

[Iggy aka IG]

Our inspection objection was signed by the sellers.  We ignored the petty stuff and focused on things like service the gas fireplace and wood stove, have the carpets professionally cleaned, repair a few roof shingles and the waste vent pipe.

I'm getting used to living in the hotel.  More on that in the separate SS thread.

ETA:  We're looking at a closing date of May 26th.

[zibazinski]

Yes, buying a home is "fun." I paid for an inspection, totally half assed as usual. Then to get the actual report for the bank and for insurance, I had to pay mr half ass another $150. Really? Yes. I'm never ever buying a house again. No wonder DS only wants to rent.

[WholeLottaNothin]

I told DH after we closed on our house last year (first house we ever bought) that I am never ever doing this again. I have heard that it is easier if you can pay for it all in cash as then you don't have to deal with all the bank crapola, but that does not seem likely to happen in my lifetime