Where do I go from here?

I really do enjoy baseball, but I'm getting pretty tired of the curve balls that life seems to be lobbing my way these days. I'll admit I was quite upset on Tuesday morning, when the realtor called to tell me that the back-up offer buyers had changed their minds. He said they were nervous about the potential of losing the offer, since they have to buy on or before Oct. 5th. I get that, but I can't help wondering if they haven't found something else in the meantime.

So I went shopping! The colorful flip flops from Wednesday were my treat to myself. They were on sale at Walmart, 50% off the last price tag - I paid a whopping $2 for them. And yes, I'll take them on my Caribbean cruise in March. In the meantime I'm wearing them inside the house because they make me smile when I look down at my feet. 

I spent Wednesday morning cleaning house, in the expectation that this original deal would fall through. No more leaving the bed unmade or doing dishes once a day. Back to the keeping it as clean and tidy as possible in the hopes there will be showings. In the afternoon I went to stitch and chat; it was good to talk about something other than this damned house. B had brought three quilt tops she's made to show us. They were all different, and all so lovely. I wish I had the ability to cut and sew straight!

Thursday, I did more cleaning before leaving for an overnight visit with D and Eli. I sent an e-mail to the realtor letting him know I'd be away, but if by chance, someone wanted to see the house, they could do so. I did mention Saku would be in the house, and would likely hide from anyone coming in, but they should not try to touch him nor let him outdoors.

Later in the day, I heard from him that one of the realtors who had been talking about a possible back-up offer wanted to see the property at 12:30 on Friday. He also let me know that the idiot realtor for the first buyers is still hedging and won't commit to a fall through or a lifting of the final condition. He told my realtor at 9:30 p.m. that they would decide on Friday. I wondered, would he make us wait until midnight?

I left D and Eli's early on Friday, and was back at home by 8:30 a.m. After a short sit down, the basement floors got washed, the cat litter cleaned, and I did some edging of the back lawn - I'd mowed on Wednesday.  Meanwhile another request for a showing at 4:30 that afternoon came in. Again, it is a realtor who has shown the property previously, however was not one of the ones considering a back up offer. Both parties had seen the house previously, so it was simply a matter of whether or not to offer.

However, another wrench was thrown into the situation when one of my idiot neighbour's listed their property on Friday at a amount nearly $50K less than mine. It's a two story with a smaller basement and a two car garage, while mine is a bungalow, full finished basement and two car garage. The other big difference is the size of the back yard. While they have a deck, I have the sunroom and two decks which reduces the lawn area. This new listing is at the junction of the crescent and the cross street, while I'm in the quiet end of the crescent. Whether potential buyers would recognize that, I couldn't be certain. Either way, I was concerned that any offers I might receive would not be in my favor.

We finally heard from the orginal buyer's realtor about 6 p.m. on Friday, that they were withdrawing their offer.  In reality it is a fall through as the conditions were not met, but this guy doesn't seem to know much about being a realtor. Can I say I'm happy he won't be getting a share of the commission on the sale of this property?

By 7 p.m. I had a new offer in my hand. It's a clean offer with no unusal conditions and no odd dates to work around. In fact, it was slightly higher than the original and the back-up offer. We still have to get through the 12 day conditional period, with a home inspection to be done. (Too bad they can't get the one the other buyer had completed). The buyer sent along a letter with the offer - she's a young professional woman with a one year old dog, with family in the area including three young nieces. Apparently she'd seen the house a month ago, and was disappointed she hadn't acted quickly enough. The things that sold her on the house were: the sun room, decks, and back yard, and the craft room! All of the things that put off so many others.  My realtor said to me, there is a lid for every pot. I'm not quite doing my happy dance just yet Jackie, but I'm sure it won't be long now. 

The next hurdle is finding a house for my son. We've looked at close to a dozen properties, and with the exception of the one he lost out on, nothing has really fit the bill. There are three more properties, that we'll try to see this weekend and we'll have to keep an eye on the new listings as they come out. There was one I saw Friday morning, that just came on the market the day before, but by the time C saw it, and we contacted the realtor, it already had an offer on it! It's hard to believe the market is still so strong with interest rates as they are, but the good houses go quickly.

When I started this post, the title was written in frustration. Now, as I end it, the question really is, "where do I go from here?" I've no doubt we'll find something my son will love. Mom has to remember, it isn't my house so I may not. All I can do is offer my support and encouragement through this process.

I'll end this with a short video of my goofy grandson. I remember doing this at my grandparents house when I was young. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!