To get back to Original thread, how is the progress of your new place and have you sold your house yet?
Well- this whole house selling thing seems to have a very karmic halo around it. These past 8 weeks we have been still waiting for things to come together with the buyers- the first people to see our home on 6/2. The contract has been signed this past week.
I must say this is the most stressful thing I have ever done. Really - I broke down in the attorney's office when he said we had to close on 8/26. We are going to be away the next two weeks at our timeshares and we really need the break away from all things "house". We requested a closing date of 9/30. As it is, the buyers have a contingency to lease their house and have to produce such lease by 8/15. I asked our attorney how we could even find a place to live and pack and move by then (with my husband working) and also why would we sign a lease BEFORE the buyers fulfilled the contingency to get their mortgage? He said not to go on vacation. Then I broke it to him that we are supposed to go to Utah in Sept- a trip a year in the making. He asked if we want to sell our house? We said of course but we really needed a respite from everything. We are totally exhausted.
There are so many logistics involved, we are still getting rid of stuff, I have been dealing with setting up the new bank accounts (for when we move to NH at some point) and proactively getting information for the procedures for when my husband has to apply for Medicare B and put in for his retirement the end of the year and my health insurance and so forth. This involved numerous phone calls to the SS office, hubby's employer and the bank's customer service number etc. Incredible how much time it takes. No one would believe it unless they were in it.
I think our atty is burnt out. He is turning 65 and he was acting very cocky and missed a few things in the contract that we had to point out to him. (He is taking care of his 95 year old mother and diabetic cat). What- we have to be paralegals now? Then when I tell him we need to move into a nice place- he - though apologetically- says "beggars can't be choosy". Is that what we are now? Beggars?!! This really put me over the edge! That - and when he said not to go on vacation is what made me start balling.
I have been in this house since I retired. I have been 'working' every day. No social life. Hubby is working and can't help/ I take it on. I have the time. But- I am now at a breaking point and need a diversion to refresh myself. So does hubby. He has not had a day off work all year so far.
Anyway, I am sure we will have to cancel our Utah trip and lose the airfare.
Such a big disappointment as I put a lot of effort into the planning. Who knew any of this would transpire? That's life, I guess.
After we signed the contract I have been essentially a nervous wreck. I have this pit in my stomach at all times. I started to research potential rentals for us and make phone calls. Our realtor was no help. He told me to check out Craigs List and be careful. Yeah- right- thanks for that!
Our real estate atty who is a big real estate investor gives me the name of someone he does "business" with and the guy blew me off right away.
I did visit one complex that I really liked a lot (only 4 years old, great clubhouse, pool and gym- like a resort!) and they had 2 apartments available in Sept., but again, how could we sign a lease yet if our buyers have not met their mortgage obligation? No way would we do that!
So from the beginning I have been joking around that we should rent our buyers home. I have joked with our atty and our realtor, but neither one of them suggested we pursue it. So on Thursday I called our realtor and asked- why don't WE rent our buyers little 900 square foot home? This way we have a place to live, they can (hopefully) get their mortgage, and we get our house sold?
Our realtor makes like this is a novel idea. Said good thing I called as the buyers have 3 applications already. Ummm- really?
Well- the buyers agreed to rent us their home.
If the lease terms can be worked out, this wouldn't be a bad thing for us. The house will be cramped because of the way it is laid out, but it does have a one car garage and the second garage is a storage/workshop area. My husband says we can't worry about what our home will look like there aesthetically-- just deal with it the best we can. They have 1/2 acre of land. They take care of mowing. I guess we deal with the snow, though. There is a washer/dryer in the basement. I have asked our realtor about internet/cable and what the source of heat is. There is a propane fueled gas stove, something I am not used to. Hopefully my pots will be ok on it.
We have only seen the inside on line so I have requested when we get back from vacation that their realtor let us view it so we can see what will fit into it. Our goal is to store every thing in this house so as to avoid storage fees. This home will be a good downsizing test to compare with our NH home, which is 1100 square feet (plus the garage and basement). When I calculated our rental household budget, we were in the red $100 monthly (and that is even with having to stop my husband's IRA contributions) when taking into consideration storage fees, so this would eliminate that at least. Amazing that renting is so much more expensive than owning when there is no mortgage- even with our high property and school taxes).
The location of this little house is very rural- we are used to that! My husband can get to the highway ok from there and it is more south which should save a little travel time for him.
We have never rented anything so this is so very strange to us. Hopefully we can deal with it. It will be a long winter. This is a different community from where we live and will be an adjustment, though we are familiar with the towns around it, but they are much bigger than the hamlets where we live.
I am hoping to clear my head on vacation to be ready to deal with the second round of stress when we get back. Our car is packed with our son's stuff that was in our attic. When he comes to Vermont on Monday it is all going in his car and he can deal with it. Looking forward to seeing him and being in Vermont and at Smuggs. For the first time I have made no plans and intend to just hang out at the pool and around the resort and local environs. This whole house selling thing has zapped the joy and enthusiasm right out of me.
I am sure on vacation we will get calls from the atty and the realtor regarding the lease and the appraisal and all that stuff. So can't totally disconnect from it, of course. I just hope the buyers agree to the 9/30 closing date because 8/26 when we get back is too little time to arrange everything and pack and so on.
I did get an estimate form one mover and when we get back another is coming. I am wondering how to handle the move- being the buyers house would have to be empty for us to move in and our house, of course, has to be empty for them to move in. Hubby and I talked about having the moving company hold our stuff for like a couple of days and we go into a hotel. And after the closing, the buyers move out of their home and into ours so we can move into their house. My head is spinning and I am overwhelmed to say the least. This has been all consuming.
After the week in Vermont we go on to Pollard Brook in NH. And then we deal with the new house. To be continued in the following post as to not make this one any longer than it already is. LOL!