The chronology of my buying experience....

Actually, it isn't quite true that things started moving on the 18th.... They had been moving even before that, but I wasn't sure whether anything was happening....

The 15th was a rather busy day, all around. I had been pre-approved for a mortgage, but when I made my offer, I learned that the seller did not trust the mortgage company that had given me pre-approval. She did trust the person who handled her mortgage, so I contacted that person. Got pre-approval from that person, and filled out the forms. Wrote the first of the checks - a combined mortgage application fee and appraisal fee.

On Monday the 17th, I contacted an attorney recommended by my realtor. Actually, I spoke to a paralegal, who recommended an engineering inspector.

After my offer was accepted (on the 18th), I contacted the inspector, who had an opening on Thursday, and strongly recommended that I be present. As I don't have a car (driver's license, yes, car, no), I tend to rely on mass transit and family members. It's a bit of a nuisance at times, and this is one of them. I contacted the attorney's office to see if there was anything else that needed to be done, and that could be done on the same day. So I set up a meeting with my attorney for 5 p.m. on Thursday the 20th.

So I arrived at the train station, and was picked up by my realtor, who drove us to the condo. The inspector arrived a few minutes later, and things began. First things first, we went outside, and he discussed the outside of the building. He mentioned that since the balcony was wood, the fake grass carpet might cause some problems with rotting, and recommended that it be removed. We also saw some damage to the window screens, but he wasn't sure who would be responsible for repairs.

I went back inside, and looked at the screens from the inside, while he checked a few more things from the outside. The realtor said that it looked like cat damage. Given that, and given the netting over the balcony, it does look possible that a cat lived in the apartment. Given that, and given my allergies, the carpet started to look less attractive. I have no idea what is beneath the carpet, but I suspect that I will find out soon enough.

The inspector came back in and started to nose around. (The unit is empty, which made things a lot nicer.) His verdict was that things were showing ordinary wear and tear for the most part. He found a small problem in the master bath: a leak beneath the sink. The shutoff valve is too near to the drain pipe (which slopes backward), and when the valve is turned, it bumps into the pipe and leaks.

In the meantime, I borrowed his tape measure, and started getting some measurements for the walls. The realtor helped, since the tape measure isn't terribly sturdy beyond 8 feet or so, and I got a reasonably accurate set of numbers.

So that was it for the inspection. I then had a few hours to spend before I needed to be at the attorney's office, and decided to go to a large DIY home-improvement store. I wanted to look into the feasibility of putting down a wood laminate floor.

Depressing. The laminate itself is about $3 a square foot. Labor is about the same. Add in the extras, and a rough estimate was $7000 for the whole thing. Ack! Well, I'm down, but not out. I'll see what's beneath the carpet, see if I can clean the carpet, and see if I can install wood laminate myself, one room at a time.

I tried contacting a relative in the area (walking distance from the home-improvement place) to see if I could visit. No answer - she was in the back yard with her daughters, I learned later. But sometimes things happen for reasons.... I went to a bookstore in the shopping center, and ran across a boy who looked absolutely miserable. Since there was no one who looked parental nearby, I figured that he was lost, gave him a tissue to wipe his face, and brought him to the cash registers so we could page his mother. It took a few tries, but all's well that ends well....

I then got a taxi cab to my attorney's office. One town over, but from the roads the driver was using, we might have gone into neighboring states. No problem: I had allowed plenty of time, and the fare was fixed.

So, I went to the attorney's office, and signed many sheets of paper, and wrote the single largest check I have written in my life. The attorney told me about how when the development was built (late 1980s) people were camping out in hopes of being able to get one of the units. Amazing. However, at that same time, some of my classmates were spending the night outside the registrar's office door, in hopes of getting into the classes they wanted. So it was probably just the eighties atmosphere....

The attorney lives not far from where I currently live, so he offered me a ride back. He is definitely on my cookie list!

Well, I haven't updated this page in several days, so let's see if I can summarize....

My attorney gave me a profile form to fill out, and told me to send it, with an application fee and a check for three months' worth of common charges, to the condo management group. Fine. I admit, I was bad. I couldn't cope with the idea of writing out another check, so I held onto the papers for a week. On the 28th of July, I filled out the profile, wrote the checks, wrapped the profile around the checks, and sent them out.

Now, I had been given conflicting information about the common charges. The high number was twice the low number, and my realtor had assured me that the low number was correct.

Not according to the management group! I received a call from them early the following week: we have two checks, and one is the application fee, but what's the other? So I sent out a supplemental check.

Got another call from them on around 11am on Thursday the 3rd. I've got two checks from you, but have you sent in a profile? Ahhh.... yes.... I included it with the first set of checks. Oh, Thursdayman replied. Well, I'll go look on So-And-So's desk, and see if I can find it. If I can't, I'd like you to fax a copy to my fax number.

He never got back to me.

On Friday the 4th, I played phone tag with a woman from the office: Have you sent in a profile? Yes.... Thursdayman was going to look for it, but I don't think he found it. In her last voicemail (at about 11am) she gave me her fax number and said she would look for my profile. (In addition to this, she gave me a list of things that I needed to supply. Things like the seller's Social Security Number!)

She never got back to me.

On Monday the 7th, I contacted them, spoke to Fridaywoman, and determined that the profile was gone for good. So I faxed the profile to her number. According to my fax machine, it went through.

No sound from their end.

On Tuesday the 8th, I contacted them again, and asked Fridaywoman if she'd received my fax. She hadn't. So I decided to refax it to her, and to fax it to Thursdayman for good measure.

The fax to her number never went through. Couldn't connect. The fax to Thursdayman's number went through. He brought it over to Fridaywoman, who called me (oh frabjous day!) to let me know she'd received it, but then told me that I had sent it to the wrong number and that's why she didn't receive the fax I'd sent before.

I was very proud of myself. I didn't scream at her. Instead, I informed her that the reason I used Thursdayman's number was that I couldn't connect to her number.

In case you haven't guessed, Fridaywoman is definitely not on my cookie list.

However, they are apparently known for this general incompetence. My mortgage broker had problems with them too, and the receptionist for my attorney says that they are always like this for sales.

On Monday the 14th, I tried to contact the person who would have received the profile, just to make sure she really got it. Closingwoman and I have been playing phone tag. She wants to know if we have closed, and asks that I call Fridaywoman. Since Fridaywoman has demonstrated less intelligence and responsibility than your average refrigerator mold, I am continuing to play phone tag.

On Tuesday, the 15th of August, at 3:30 pm, I received a call from my mortgage broker. I have a mortgage!

They will send a mortgage commitment letter to my attorney, the bank will send a package to me, I will sign on the lines and take a homeowner's test (no joke - I'm wondering what the questions will be like: "to have the mortgage check reach the bank by the fifteenth, send the check on A. the fifteenth, B. the sixteenth, or C. the tenth." No matter - I need any comic relief I can get at this point.). I will then send the forms and a copy of the cancelled down payment check (they were calling it an earnest check, I think) to the bank and/or broker. My attorney has already requested the title search, so things do seem to be moving right along.

The homeowner's education package arrived on the 16th. As did my bank statement with the cancelled down payment check. I brought both into work on the 17th, where I received the multipage document from the bank. I need to go over both of these, since I am completely confused at this point. Well, almost completely. I understand the paragraph that says I can prepay without penalty. ;-)

On Friday, the 18th of August, a woman from the mortgage broker office contacted me and explained the multipage bank document. I signed the forms, photocopied my down payment check and my last two rent checks, and overnighted everything to their office.

On Monday the 21st, I got a call from my mortgage broker: he has received my package, and will overnight it to the lender. Once they clear the conditions, lawyers will start calling lawyers, and they'll set up an appointment to close.

On Monday evening, I found a message on my answering machine. The homeowner's test looms ahead. So I try to contact them, and leave a message. They contact me, and I learn that I really did need to fill out the full form on pages 16 and 18 of the booklet. So I fill out the form, call back, and leave another message. They return the call, and we are off! First question: how useful was the book? Fairly useful; the problem was that by the time I got the book, I had already successfully navigated the steps listed in the first two-thirds of the book.

Aside from that, the test was pretty straightforward. She wanted to know if the new budget showed a positive number at the end of the month. I told her that if it hadn't, I wouldn't have started looking for homes. She then asked some questions about utilities, about how much money should be allocated for home maintenance (which number I hit dead-on without looking at the formula on the opposing page! Pretty good financial sense, eh? ;-), and how much money should be kept in reserve. Let's see... Some of the other questions were about what sorts of things would need to be maintained (HVAC, plumbing, exteriors), what priorities should various repairs have (roof before new porch), why the lender wanted me to take the test (first time home-buyer!), what I should do if I have trouble paying the loan (contact the lender immediately), what forms I would be signing at closing (mortgage, settlement statement), and why it is important to have a savings account. (She also wanted to be sure that I would still have money in my savings account after closing!) She gave me a few hints (I forgot what contingency meant in the context of home-buying), but, hey, I passed!

Clo-sing da-ay! Clo-sing da-ay! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelu-u-u-jah!

Yes, I finally have a closing day and time scheduled. Friday the 8th of September at 1 in the afternoon. The final walkthrough will take place at 11 am, then it's off to a law office in the county seat to sign papers and checks and get the key.

Can'twaitcan'twaitcan'twait!

At 11:31 am on the 7th, the paralegal called me with the information for the checks I would need. (Finally! - it was getting nerve-wracking...) I needed one bank check for a specific amount, and would need to write four or five more personal checks. So I needed to transfer money between accounts, get the bank check, and generally make sure that all was in order. Went to the bank, and wrote a withdrawal slip for the enough to cover all checks. When I asked for the bank check, the teller assumed (even though I had written the number right next to the recipient's name!) that I wanted it for the full amount that I had just withdrawn. Oops. But we got that straightened out...

Strange to think that at this time tomorrow night, it'll all be over. Well, this stage, at any rate. I'll still have to deal with getting the place ready to move in (painting, getting utility service), arranging for movers (I am not dragging my computer up two flights of stairs; it's just too bulky and too darn heavy), and unpacking once I get there...

Can'twaitcan'twaitcan'twait!

Gee, I haven't been updating this as frequently as I should... Sorry!

It is now the 17th of September. The closing went well. My two realtors, the seller's realtor, my attorney, the seller's attorney, the title attorney, and the bank's attorney, all gathered together at the appropriate time. My mother attended, and watched, and laughed....

The seller was delayed in traffic. Not really a problem; I had plenty to do to keep me busy. One document required that I initial thirteen different places, and sign five. And this was only one document. And there were five copies. And the bank had my name down without my middle initial, which I usually use when I sign, so I had to stop and think for each signature.

But I signed all the appropriate spots, and got the keys.

Went back to the condo, and promptly pulled up a corner of the rug. The subfloor is some sort of concrete.

Did I mention that I have relatives in the area?

Well, I do, and we went out to dinner, and plans were made to assist in the move. (I don't recall taking too much part in the discussion, but my input wasn't really needed.... Love you guys!)

So let us fast forward to Saturday the 16th. My aunt and my mother came down early in the morning and picked up several things that were either already in boxes, or were relatively easy to move. We went to the condo, hiked the things up to the third floor (I'm going to be in great shape before long...) Then my aunt went to fetch her daughter (henceforth to be known in this page as DC), her daughter's husband (DCIL), and their two daughters (the girls). The grownups came over to pull up the carpet (I'm allergic to cats, so I didn't want to be anywhere near when those allergens started flying). The girls came over to join the fun....

There was a bit of excitement when DCIL started to remove the fake grass on my balcony and uncovered a yellow jacket hive.

So after my mother and I took the girls out to eat, we went to my favorite DIY place, and got some hornet spray. We contacted DC, who said that DCIL needed an extension cord. Back to Aisle 1 for a 10-foot cord. But it worked out, since both girls got a bag to carry....

When we got back, all the carpet was up, and DCIL was working on the tacking strips. Noisy job. He did take time off to complain about my relatives (hey, he married into the family, so there!), and how they wouldn't let him simply pitch the sliced up carpet out the living room window. Since I know for a fact that at least one of the two units below me had people in residence that afternoon, I'm glad DC and her mother said no....

So my floors are bare. They do definitely need to be covered, though. I'm thinking stencilled canvas dropcloths as area rugs, with a thicker runner in the hall. (There is a fault line running through the middle of the hall. A lot of deep cracks. Since that area will get a lot of traffic, I think a series of cheap runners - something I can replace once a year without guilt - will do quite nicely.)

So that brings things almost up to date. Plans change with each passing moment, of course, but at the present time, DC, my aunt, and my mother are planning to have a packing party in my apartment on Friday the 22nd. DCIL will then come down with the minivan on Saturday, and we will then move a bunch of stuff up that day.

Omigosh, how time has flown! It is now the 16th of January, six months since I first saw the unit. Let's try to fill in some of the gaps....

Yes, we had a jolly packing party, as predicted. Packed up my clothes, my kitchen, and my computer. We moved the packed stuff, and my mattresses to the condo on the 23rd of September. The kitchen things were unpacked almost immediately, with the help of my two seven-year-old assistants. The computer stuff went into the master bathroom. And the mattresses went directly on the floor. Thus began my month-long campout in my new place.

My brother visited me the next week, and helped patch some of the holes in the floor. Over the next few weeks, I worked on adjusting to the longer commute, and tried to find things in my kitchen. My mother came down again, and she and my aunt and I packed the rest of my things. I managed to paint the floors, so they were ready by the time DCIL and two of his employees headed south with two vans. By the end of October, I was entirely out of my old apartment, and moved in (but not unpacked!) to my new abode. True, I lost the use of my living room, and I still didn't have my computer set up, but I didn't care! All my things were under one roof again.

Had a little thank-you breakfast at a local restaurant in early November. I didn't plan it this way, I swear, but afterwards my mother, brother and I went looking for a car for me. I found one almost immediately - a 1996 Toyota Corolla sedan. So I bought it. Just about in the nick of time, too. You see, I was getting rather tired of going the bus-and-taxi-cab routine to get to and from the train station. I knew I wanted a parking space, but I also knew that I had to have a car in order to get a space. Annual permits for 2001 went on sale at 8am on the 18th of November - a week and a half after I picked my car up. So I went to City Hall at 6:30am, and was pretty far back in line. The earliest of the town residents had been there since 3am! The non-residents got there even earlier.... Anyway, getting there at so late a time didn't really hurt me. I got a permit for the lot I expected, and I was thrilled to realize that this meant I could catch a later train....

Well, this happy state of affairs continued for a few weeks, until DCIL called me, and wanted to know whether I wanted a couch. I have done a lot of foolish things, but I don't generally refuse offers of things I need.

Slight problem. The living room was box central. So I pulled and tugged and dragged, and finally got an area cleared for the couch. Again, just in the nick of time. They arrived, and the couch made it upstairs. And, yes, scenes from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (or was it The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul?) flitted through my mind, but I kept my mouth shut.

A few days later, I learned that there was an étagère in search of a home. So I left a copy of my key with my aunt, and came home on the 6th of December to find that the Gnomes (pronounced g'nohmeez) had definitely been visiting. Not only did I have a good-size étagère, I also had a green garland (tied with red bows) festooning my balcony, pink silk poinsettias gracing a decorative container, and jingle bells hanging from the doorknob of the master bedroom.... Gotta love those Gnomes!

In late December, I finally got into cookie-baking mode, and baked cookies (chocolate chip and hazelnut, oatmeal spice, and peanut butter) for my two realtors, my two mortgage brokers, and my lawyer and his paralegal.

My mother came to visit over New Year's weekend. We did a ton of stuff. First off, she and her sister came over on Friday, while I was at work, and they puttered around for much of the day. I was in frequent phone contact with them, and ended the series of calls by asking my mother if there was anything she wanted from the store, because I would pick it up on my way home. She wanted a few things, and number one on the list was bread for sandwiches. Fine. The area where I live had a nasty weather prediction on for that weekend. Snow. Lots of it. I didn't think too much of it, until I got to the store. The bread aisle was essentially stripped. I think there were two loaves of cinnamon raisin left, and one loaf of mini-rye. Hors d'oeuvre size. However, I have a secret weapon: a KitchenAid mixer. I baked bread that weekend!

Oh, yes, my area got over a foot of snow.

So, where do things stand now? Well, most of my boxes are unpacked. (Except for some of my books, but I need bookcases for those.) I need a few more pieces of furniture (a bed for the master bedroom and some end-tables), and some lamps for the bedrooms and the living room. Oh, and it would be nice to have someone come in and fix my dryer. It doesn't blow warm air, so it takes about three hours to dry a load. And I need to replace my dishwasher. There's a recall on it; it's a fire hazard. Oh, and four-plus months after closing, realtor.com still has my home listed as being for sale....

So there are still things to do.

In the morning, I can look out the window and see some of the most beautiful sunrises imaginable, all blue and gray and pink and peach and gold.

It's a feast for the eyes, and for the soul. And I feel blessed simply because I can see it and appreciate it.

Yes, there have definitely been some rollercoaster moments (and I suspect that there will be several more), but I am very glad I decided to become a homeowner, and I am glad I chose this condo. Six months on, I can easily say it was worth it.

Well, I thought that that would be the end of it, but I guess there's still a bit more to the story....

It is the 16th of July, a year and a day since I recognized this place for what it would be.

I've decided not to replace my dishwasher. A good model would be fairly expensive, and a cheap model wouldn't be much of an improvement. Besides, most of the dishes I use can't really be washed in a dishwasher. (Cast iron frying pans and wooden spoons - I love 'em!) And the rest can be washed much more quickly, and almost as efficiently, by hand.

So I'm using my dishwasher to store potatoes.

The dryer still doesn't heat up. I really should get someone in to look at that, since it is starting to be a drag.

This is a great apartment for heating and cooling. The windows are all southern facing, which means that in the winter, when the sun is low in the sky, it shines in through the windows. The areas with direct sunlight get quite warm (100 degrees Fahrenheit, thankyouverymuch!) and this warms up the rest of the place. During the summer, when the sun is high in the sky, there's almost no direct sunlight, so if I leave a window open at night, things cool down, and will stay cool.

Bear in mind that my previous apartment trapped heat. If it got below 85 (with windows open in the winter, or with A/C on as high as I dared during summer), I counted myself fortunate. So the climate control facts - this place needed to be heated only from around 3 A.M. to 7 A.M. during a rather snowy winter, and I've run the A/C only twice so far this summer - have me quietly thrilled.

None of this is an excuse for not having the vents cleaned, though. Still have to find someone to do that.

I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago, and mentioned my lack of bookshelves. She volunteered her husband for the job. They visited yesterday and he installed the uprights for shelves along two walls of my office.

It sounds so easy, doesn't it?

It wasn't, though. He put it a goodly amount of work. (Yes, I've suggested that she patent and clone him. He's a keeper!)

Of course, things would have been easier if I'd had a corded drill to begin with, instead of making a run to Diyville after he'd drained the batteries on both my cordless toys....

But the uprights are installed, and sturdy (I don't think much short of a 6.3 earthquake will dislodge them), and all I have to do is get the brackets and shelves.

That's another story. Y'see, I had picked up some brackets and shelves when I thought I was dealing with studs that were 16 inches apart. A not-unreasonable assumption - after all, it's the standard.

Not for this building though. These studs are 24 inches apart. Which doesn't bode too well for supporting a 24 inch long shelf on two brackets.

And I didn't really want to use toggle bolts and such. I have a lot of books and I've seen plasterboard curve under fairly little pressure. I had visions of several hundred pounds of books burying me while I sat, unsuspecting, at my computer. Not a pretty picture.

So I figure a few more trips to Diyville, and a few shelves and brackets each time, and the rest of my books can finally come out of hiding.

The floors will have to wait until I have a few thousand dollars saved up, so there's no news on that front.

Hmmm... What else.... Oh, yes.... I was doing some not so random surfing last week, and.... (drum roll!)

realtor.com finally removed the listing for this unit!

Yes, it took ten months after closing, but the listing has finally been removed. I was beginning to wonder if it would still be listed in 5/10/20/50 years, or whenever I decide to sell.

About two weeks ago, I saw a deer on one of the other streets in this complex. And a week ago, I saw a few critters that might have been woodchucks. (It's been a while....) And if I look just about due south at this time of night, I can see a reddish pinprick of light just above the trees. (Okay, I can't see it tonight since things are a bit overcast, but I've been saying goodnight to Mars for the past month....)

Definitely worth it!

URL: http://www.netcom.com/~dplourde/rollercoaster/chronology.html
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Personal page	Changes last made on: 16 July 2001.
Questions? Comments? Tpyo alerts? Write to me at dplourde@ix.netcom.com