Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Sneaking in....
I'm on the in-laws' PC at the moment, so I don't know how much of an entry I'll be able to do. To start with, I usually use a Mac, so this is a bit weird for me. Secondly, I don't want to be a computer hog.
Where to start? The past few weeks have been a blur of pain and chaos. At least 75 percent of this moving experience has been awful.
Around 4pm the day before we were supposed to close on the current house, our realtor called and told us it wasn't gonna happen! Seems the buyer changed loan type and lenders and no one informed us! The new lender was nowhere near ready to close and wanted to delay it to November 30! Dan and his parents were already on the road on the way to Denver, and with the following day being Thanksgiving Eve, it was far too late to change any plans with moving.
So on November 22, instead of getting the house sold and having cash in hand to buy the property in Sioux Falls, we had to sign power of attorney over to our realtor and just blindly hope the sale would go through. Rather nervewracking, because if it doesn't close, we'll have no funds to buy another house and will have to figure out how to keep paying the mortgage on the home in Denver with no money left in savings. Notcool.
Wednesday evening, we had an anniversary/birthday/farewell dinner at Red Lobster with my dad, stepmother, sister, brother-in-law, stepbrother, his wife and daughter, Dan and his parents. We had a good time, but the goodbyes were difficult. I have no idea when I'm going to see my family again because I won't exactly have any extra cash for travel to Denver.
On Thanksgiving, I had made reservations at a family restaurant for Dan and his parents and me. They were very accommodating to my gluten-free needs, so I got to have turkey with mashed potatoes, salad, cranberry sauce and French onion soup. When we got back, we got into the heavy duty last minute packing, which was so exhausting I can barely remember it.
Friday morning, the moving company arrived. Unfortunately, they had not been informed that they would be packing the large items and taking apart the waterbed frame (I have a Tempur-pedic mattress in it), so they didn't have the proper materials, and someone had to bring that stuff out, and then they STILL didn't bring out all of what was needed, AND I had to pay extra for it. But they got the job done, and a mere SEVEN hours later, the truck was packed up and ready to go.
The movers were finished about a half hour prior to when we needed to check in at the hotel (couldn't sleep in the house with no bed, heh heh). Poor Chip was thoroughly confused because he's never stayed overnight anywhere else since we adopted him eight years ago. It was awkward for me too, sleeping on an uncomfortable bed and trying to figure out what on earth I could eat.
We went back to the house Saturday morning for final cleanup. I was too wiped out to do very much of it myself, and no one seemed very motivated to do a thorough job, so I just had to leave it pretty much as it was. We hit the road about 10am, and I waved goodbye to my home and the Rocky Mountains.
Travel was slow what with Chip and I needing so many rest/potty breaks. We got to Kearney, Nebraska around 7pm, I think, with the time change. The Ramada Inn was nice, allowing me to order something gluten free from room service and having a cool if extremely crowded and boisterous pool area complete with a bar.
I had a Continental breakfast around 8am on Sunday with hard boiled eggs, yogurt, tea, a banana and an apple for the road. Good thing we got going early because Nebraska was all fogged in with rain predicted for that evening. Looked more like Britain and middle America.
Had trouble finding anyplace where I could eat that was convenient to the interstate. Nebraska isn't exactly the health food capital of the universe. So I had to wait until we got to Sioux City, Iowa, where I grabbed a Wendy's chili.
My intro to Sioux Falls was murky and cold. Chip was led straight into the basement at the in-laws' house, where he was kinda freaked out until we set up his kennel, and then he understood that this was where he would be staying. We brought in everything and stashed it whereever we could find space in the basement, which fortunately is about the size of a one-bedroom apartment.
After some rest, Dan agreed to drive me around a little bit, both to give me an idea where things were in town and to show off the car he bought this summer (10 year old Grand Am). To our surprise, there was a thunderstorm! We went into the nearest grocery to peruse the health food section, and when we came out, sleet was falling at a great rate.
We awoke Monday to find our cars encased in ice so thick we couldn't get the doors open to back out of the driveway to let the in-laws' SUV out of the garage. We were supposed to mee the movers at the new house, but the whole city was a huge skating rink, so we were late. And it was freakin' COLD!
Since I was the one who arranged the move, I was technically responsible for personally supervising the unloading of our possessions into the 2 car garage of our new house (temporary storage so we wouldn't have to rent a unit). But my Reynaud's went absolutely crazy after about two hours, to the point where my hands and feet felt like they were on fire even though I had on gloves and winter boots. So Dan's parents allowed me to warm up in the SUV once in awhile, and Dan supervised the movers when I was gone.
I was totally shocked that the movers were able to get the contents of a 1600 square foot house into a two-car garage! It took them approximately five hours because the current owners required an aisle down the middle so they would have room to get their stuff out of the house. So it's pretty much stacked to the ceiling, but it's all in there.
Should log off now. Will come back if and when I get the opportunity before I get my Mac up and running again sometime in mid-December.
Later.
Where to start? The past few weeks have been a blur of pain and chaos. At least 75 percent of this moving experience has been awful.
Around 4pm the day before we were supposed to close on the current house, our realtor called and told us it wasn't gonna happen! Seems the buyer changed loan type and lenders and no one informed us! The new lender was nowhere near ready to close and wanted to delay it to November 30! Dan and his parents were already on the road on the way to Denver, and with the following day being Thanksgiving Eve, it was far too late to change any plans with moving.
So on November 22, instead of getting the house sold and having cash in hand to buy the property in Sioux Falls, we had to sign power of attorney over to our realtor and just blindly hope the sale would go through. Rather nervewracking, because if it doesn't close, we'll have no funds to buy another house and will have to figure out how to keep paying the mortgage on the home in Denver with no money left in savings. Notcool.
Wednesday evening, we had an anniversary/birthday/farewell dinner at Red Lobster with my dad, stepmother, sister, brother-in-law, stepbrother, his wife and daughter, Dan and his parents. We had a good time, but the goodbyes were difficult. I have no idea when I'm going to see my family again because I won't exactly have any extra cash for travel to Denver.
On Thanksgiving, I had made reservations at a family restaurant for Dan and his parents and me. They were very accommodating to my gluten-free needs, so I got to have turkey with mashed potatoes, salad, cranberry sauce and French onion soup. When we got back, we got into the heavy duty last minute packing, which was so exhausting I can barely remember it.
Friday morning, the moving company arrived. Unfortunately, they had not been informed that they would be packing the large items and taking apart the waterbed frame (I have a Tempur-pedic mattress in it), so they didn't have the proper materials, and someone had to bring that stuff out, and then they STILL didn't bring out all of what was needed, AND I had to pay extra for it. But they got the job done, and a mere SEVEN hours later, the truck was packed up and ready to go.
The movers were finished about a half hour prior to when we needed to check in at the hotel (couldn't sleep in the house with no bed, heh heh). Poor Chip was thoroughly confused because he's never stayed overnight anywhere else since we adopted him eight years ago. It was awkward for me too, sleeping on an uncomfortable bed and trying to figure out what on earth I could eat.
We went back to the house Saturday morning for final cleanup. I was too wiped out to do very much of it myself, and no one seemed very motivated to do a thorough job, so I just had to leave it pretty much as it was. We hit the road about 10am, and I waved goodbye to my home and the Rocky Mountains.
Travel was slow what with Chip and I needing so many rest/potty breaks. We got to Kearney, Nebraska around 7pm, I think, with the time change. The Ramada Inn was nice, allowing me to order something gluten free from room service and having a cool if extremely crowded and boisterous pool area complete with a bar.
I had a Continental breakfast around 8am on Sunday with hard boiled eggs, yogurt, tea, a banana and an apple for the road. Good thing we got going early because Nebraska was all fogged in with rain predicted for that evening. Looked more like Britain and middle America.
Had trouble finding anyplace where I could eat that was convenient to the interstate. Nebraska isn't exactly the health food capital of the universe. So I had to wait until we got to Sioux City, Iowa, where I grabbed a Wendy's chili.
My intro to Sioux Falls was murky and cold. Chip was led straight into the basement at the in-laws' house, where he was kinda freaked out until we set up his kennel, and then he understood that this was where he would be staying. We brought in everything and stashed it whereever we could find space in the basement, which fortunately is about the size of a one-bedroom apartment.
After some rest, Dan agreed to drive me around a little bit, both to give me an idea where things were in town and to show off the car he bought this summer (10 year old Grand Am). To our surprise, there was a thunderstorm! We went into the nearest grocery to peruse the health food section, and when we came out, sleet was falling at a great rate.
We awoke Monday to find our cars encased in ice so thick we couldn't get the doors open to back out of the driveway to let the in-laws' SUV out of the garage. We were supposed to mee the movers at the new house, but the whole city was a huge skating rink, so we were late. And it was freakin' COLD!
Since I was the one who arranged the move, I was technically responsible for personally supervising the unloading of our possessions into the 2 car garage of our new house (temporary storage so we wouldn't have to rent a unit). But my Reynaud's went absolutely crazy after about two hours, to the point where my hands and feet felt like they were on fire even though I had on gloves and winter boots. So Dan's parents allowed me to warm up in the SUV once in awhile, and Dan supervised the movers when I was gone.
I was totally shocked that the movers were able to get the contents of a 1600 square foot house into a two-car garage! It took them approximately five hours because the current owners required an aisle down the middle so they would have room to get their stuff out of the house. So it's pretty much stacked to the ceiling, but it's all in there.
Should log off now. Will come back if and when I get the opportunity before I get my Mac up and running again sometime in mid-December.
Later.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
An even quicker quickie!
Happy Thanksgiving!
The move has been fraught with problems, including not closing yesterday, but is still proceeding despite everything. I'm supposed to be helping load my in-laws SUV right now, so this must be brief. Suffice to say, I'm in agony, exhausted and not very cheerful, but alive and determined to get this awful thing done.
See ya in December!
The move has been fraught with problems, including not closing yesterday, but is still proceeding despite everything. I'm supposed to be helping load my in-laws SUV right now, so this must be brief. Suffice to say, I'm in agony, exhausted and not very cheerful, but alive and determined to get this awful thing done.
See ya in December!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Quickie! An update, not the other kind.....
I already messed myself up a few days ago packing too many boxes. It is so frustrating to see all that needs to be done and knowing that I could get it done so much quicker myself, but also knowing that if I try to pretend I'm Superwoman, I'm gonna end up either bedridden or in the hospital. My sister and her husband are gonna help me pack on Saturday, and my dad and stepmother are coming by on Sunday. I decided to take the extremely expensive step of hiring professional movers, so anything bigger than what would fit in a medium box is gonna be handled by them. They are also going to do all the loading and unloading of the truck, and they get to drive it the 633 miles to Sioux Falls. The moving company rep is coming by in about an hour to give me an estimate. Hope I don't pass out from shock, heh heh.
Still don't know when Dan and the in-laws are coming. Dan doesn't have any vacation time yet with his employer, so he has to negotiate unpaid leave, a bit tricky around a holiday weekend. Dan's going to drive my car to Sioux Falls for me since I can't drive for much more than an hour at a time without succumbing to fatigue.
Dan had the inspection at the new place done last night, and he bought a washer and dryer. We haven't decided when we're gonna replace the refrigerator; I mean, the current one works, but it's over 20 years old and on its last legs. We'll probably get a new one whenever we find a good sale.
The inspection for the current house is tonight.
Since I'm going to be at the in-laws' for a few weeks and then unpacking my stuff from the new place in December, I got a roll of red tape and a roll of purple. The boxes that go to the in-laws' get red tape, and the boxes that I'll need first at the new house (like cookware, towels and sheets) will be marked with purple.
Feel like the White Rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland"! Gotta go!
Still don't know when Dan and the in-laws are coming. Dan doesn't have any vacation time yet with his employer, so he has to negotiate unpaid leave, a bit tricky around a holiday weekend. Dan's going to drive my car to Sioux Falls for me since I can't drive for much more than an hour at a time without succumbing to fatigue.
Dan had the inspection at the new place done last night, and he bought a washer and dryer. We haven't decided when we're gonna replace the refrigerator; I mean, the current one works, but it's over 20 years old and on its last legs. We'll probably get a new one whenever we find a good sale.
The inspection for the current house is tonight.
Since I'm going to be at the in-laws' for a few weeks and then unpacking my stuff from the new place in December, I got a roll of red tape and a roll of purple. The boxes that go to the in-laws' get red tape, and the boxes that I'll need first at the new house (like cookware, towels and sheets) will be marked with purple.
Feel like the White Rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland"! Gotta go!
Rave of the Day for November 9, 2006:
My latest book review has been posted on But You Don't Look Sick....
Living Gluten Free for Dummies
Won't be able to do anymore articles or reviews for awhile because I've got to dedicate my spoons to moving. I also won't have my computer from Thanksgiving until December 15. I'm probably going to go into some sort of withdrawal, heh heh.
Sooooo tired.
Living Gluten Free for Dummies
Won't be able to do anymore articles or reviews for awhile because I've got to dedicate my spoons to moving. I also won't have my computer from Thanksgiving until December 15. I'm probably going to go into some sort of withdrawal, heh heh.
Sooooo tired.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Rave of the Day for November 8, 2006:
Here's an article I really liked from the webmistress of But You Don't Look Sick.....
A Lesson in Adapting from my Dog
And here's my latest review, slightly outdated by now....
TV Review: Prime Time Network New Fall Shows
I finished my review of the book "Gluten Free Living for Dummies" a while back and will be submitting it next. I probably won't have much, if any, computer access between Thanksgiving and December 15, so that will be it for awhile.
Right now, I am too busy to even whine about how busy I am.
Later
A Lesson in Adapting from my Dog
And here's my latest review, slightly outdated by now....
TV Review: Prime Time Network New Fall Shows
I finished my review of the book "Gluten Free Living for Dummies" a while back and will be submitting it next. I probably won't have much, if any, computer access between Thanksgiving and December 15, so that will be it for awhile.
Right now, I am too busy to even whine about how busy I am.
Later
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Bonus Rave of the Day for November 4, 2006:
Since Election Day is Tuesday (I early voted last Thursday, yay) and the Dixie Chicks are back in the spotlight regarding their comments about ol' Dubya, I thought this quote was most appropriate. I also agree whole heartedly....
"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."
Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star, 149
May 7, 1918
"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."
Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star, 149
May 7, 1918
Rave of the Day for November 4, 2006:
Originally got both of these from My Disability Blog. They both touch on how one's life can be practically ruined by either delays or mistakes from good ol' SSDI....
I've been waiting on Social Security
Social Insecurity - A Bureaucratic Nightmare: Disabled Woman Left in Limbo by Conflicting Rulings
I'm also adding the first blog, Chuck's Low Down, to my links list. Enjoy!
I've been waiting on Social Security
Social Insecurity - A Bureaucratic Nightmare: Disabled Woman Left in Limbo by Conflicting Rulings
I'm also adding the first blog, Chuck's Low Down, to my links list. Enjoy!
We got the house!
Got a call first thing this morning from my realtor. She got a hold of the other party and let them know that I want the contract to stand as it is. So I am officially back to a closing on November 22 and possession on November 27. Whew!
Even better, the sellers of the house we want in Sioux Falls took our offer! I was worried they would go with the other party that had put their bid in first, but i guess our pre-authorization was the clincher! The closing will be November 27. The only sticking point was date of possession. They held firm to December 15 because the house they are having built won't be ready before then. We went ahead and agreed to that because we didn't want to miss out on such a good deal. They have generously offered to let us keep our stuff in their two-car garage after closing so we won't have to rent out a storage unit.
The 18 day interval between closing and possession on the Sioux Falls house will be a little weird. Chip and I will be joining Dan in his parents' basement. I wouldn't mind too much except they have a cat, and Chip absolutely despises anything of the feline variety. This should be interesting.
I can't deny we got a heck of a deal. Our mortgage payment as of January will only be half as much as on our current house! We're gonna be hurting for cash in a major way, particularly since we need to buy a washer, a dryer, a refrigerator and fence the back yard. But at least we won't have monthly expenses higher than our income anymore.
Tried to get a hold of a professional moving company today, but the office is closed until Monday, so I just left a message. I will call first thing Monday morning and get an appointment set up, providing they still have a truck available Thanksgiving weekend. And I will start the change of address forms this weekend and the phone calls next week.
Did several errands the past few days before things get hectic next week. I got Chip all stocked up on his food, meds and treats. I got myself stocked up on groceries, supplements and gluten free goodies. I picked up a Consumer Reports guide to help me decide on good appliances for our new house since I've never bought any before. And I FINALLY got my hair cut! It was down past my shoulders and was all tangly and in my eyes. I had probably four inches cut off so I can just fluff it after washing it and get on with my day.
I'm very excited about the new house, sad about leaving the state I've called home most of my life, and exhausted already form all the extra emotion. Par for the course, I guess.
Even better, the sellers of the house we want in Sioux Falls took our offer! I was worried they would go with the other party that had put their bid in first, but i guess our pre-authorization was the clincher! The closing will be November 27. The only sticking point was date of possession. They held firm to December 15 because the house they are having built won't be ready before then. We went ahead and agreed to that because we didn't want to miss out on such a good deal. They have generously offered to let us keep our stuff in their two-car garage after closing so we won't have to rent out a storage unit.
The 18 day interval between closing and possession on the Sioux Falls house will be a little weird. Chip and I will be joining Dan in his parents' basement. I wouldn't mind too much except they have a cat, and Chip absolutely despises anything of the feline variety. This should be interesting.
I can't deny we got a heck of a deal. Our mortgage payment as of January will only be half as much as on our current house! We're gonna be hurting for cash in a major way, particularly since we need to buy a washer, a dryer, a refrigerator and fence the back yard. But at least we won't have monthly expenses higher than our income anymore.
Tried to get a hold of a professional moving company today, but the office is closed until Monday, so I just left a message. I will call first thing Monday morning and get an appointment set up, providing they still have a truck available Thanksgiving weekend. And I will start the change of address forms this weekend and the phone calls next week.
Did several errands the past few days before things get hectic next week. I got Chip all stocked up on his food, meds and treats. I got myself stocked up on groceries, supplements and gluten free goodies. I picked up a Consumer Reports guide to help me decide on good appliances for our new house since I've never bought any before. And I FINALLY got my hair cut! It was down past my shoulders and was all tangly and in my eyes. I had probably four inches cut off so I can just fluff it after washing it and get on with my day.
I'm very excited about the new house, sad about leaving the state I've called home most of my life, and exhausted already form all the extra emotion. Par for the course, I guess.
Somebody get me a straightjacket.....
Under extreme pressure from the in-laws Thursday night, I was convinced to contact my realtor and move the closing date up to November 17 and possession on the 20th. There's a meeting scheduled with the buyers, their lender and their realtor first thing tomorrow morning to arrange that. But unbeknownst to me, after I got that arranged, Dan sat down with the realtor in Sioux Falls to work out a contract on the house we want and found out that they can't get the financing done in just two weeks. They need three. His parents told him Thanksgiving weekend would be fine to move and they completed the contract with a closing date of November 27, but no one checked with me! They just assumed it wouldn't be a problem! So all of a sudden, I have to change the closing and possession dates on our current house back to the original ones agreed upon. Problem is, I didn't find out about this until after 8pm! I tried to call the realtor's cell phone but couldn't reach her. So I have no idea if she will get my messages before the other party has their meeting and agrees to changes I no longer need.
I am quite upset. I was crying on the phone when talking to Dan about this. I spent all kinds of time on Wednesday and Thursday telling the in-laws that two weeks was too soon to close on a house in my area, but no one listened to me except Dan. I am not stupid and am sick of being treated like I don't know what I'm doing just because I never sold a house before. My poor realtor must think I'm a real jerk, trying to change a contract multiple times. I am very embarrassed about how I've inconvenienced her and the people buying my house.
We still don't know if we have the house in Sioux Falls or not. The realtor there decided that we should try to put 20 percent down on the house instead of a 80-10-10 deal, but it would require some concessions of the sellers. We're asking them to pay our closing plus one point, essentially knocking $5000 off the price. Problem is, we don't have any savings left and will still be $5000 short on the down payment, so we'll have to cash out a retirement fund. The other sticky issue is the possession date. The sellers are having a house built and want to close December 15, whereas we're pushing for November 27. I'm hoping the sellers don't get so put off that they decide to go with the offer they got first from another party. There really aren't any other suitable houses on the market in our price range in Sioux Falls right now. The sellers will probably be making up their minds sometime tomorrow.
Too tired to cry or type anymore.
I am quite upset. I was crying on the phone when talking to Dan about this. I spent all kinds of time on Wednesday and Thursday telling the in-laws that two weeks was too soon to close on a house in my area, but no one listened to me except Dan. I am not stupid and am sick of being treated like I don't know what I'm doing just because I never sold a house before. My poor realtor must think I'm a real jerk, trying to change a contract multiple times. I am very embarrassed about how I've inconvenienced her and the people buying my house.
We still don't know if we have the house in Sioux Falls or not. The realtor there decided that we should try to put 20 percent down on the house instead of a 80-10-10 deal, but it would require some concessions of the sellers. We're asking them to pay our closing plus one point, essentially knocking $5000 off the price. Problem is, we don't have any savings left and will still be $5000 short on the down payment, so we'll have to cash out a retirement fund. The other sticky issue is the possession date. The sellers are having a house built and want to close December 15, whereas we're pushing for November 27. I'm hoping the sellers don't get so put off that they decide to go with the offer they got first from another party. There really aren't any other suitable houses on the market in our price range in Sioux Falls right now. The sellers will probably be making up their minds sometime tomorrow.
Too tired to cry or type anymore.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
SOLD!!
Or nearly so. I got an offer on my house yesterday! I should find out this afternoon if we've got a finalized contract.
They unfortunately gave me a figure $9000 less than my current asking price, which is a $5000 drop from my original asking price. The original asking price was a $5000 drop from the taxable value. And the taxable value is about $15,000 than the house is really worth! AND I'm going to be paying $3000 of the buyer's closing costs. So, all told, I'm getting about $35,000 less than I would have if we had sold a year ago. But my savings is gone and I literally cannot afford to be picky, so I accepted the offer.
The good news about the buyers: they are pre-approved for a loan. They're willing to put down $40,000 in cash. And they want to close before Dan's birthday/our 10 year wedding anniversary. Whew!
I will be closing on either the 21st or 22nd and will be moved out by the 27th at the latest. I was hoping to move on Thanksgiving weekend. But then when I called Dan with the good news about the house, I found out that his family is pretty much set against leaving town Thanksgiving weekend, and they are pressuring me to move the prior weekend, which is extrememly inconvenient for me as it would only give me two weeks to get everything done, including finding a moving van! Plus I'd have to stay behind for the closing and then somehow get to Sioux Falls by myself, a major pain in the ass since I have to use a wheelchair to get through an airport.
Dan is on a mission to see if we can get the house we want in Sioux Falls and to find out how soon they want to close. We want to buy the 1977 ranch over by our friends' house. It is slightly larger than our present house, has a 2 car attached garage, updated kitchen, new furnace, new roof, bathroom right off the master bedroom with a large linen closet, storage shed in the back, covered front porch and nice landscaping. But we would have to find a washer and dryer and fence the back yard. I don't know when we'll have time for that.
So I will be VERY busy over the next few weeks! Those of you in the Denver area who have any free time to spare, if there is any way you can lend a hand with the packing, that would be fantastic! I am accepting any and all offers of help.
Naturally with the gazillion things I must get done, my computer time will be more limited than ever. So the blogging will be sporadic at best. I have a few Raves of the Day sitting on my desktop that I'll probably post in the next few days, but don't panic if i seem to vanish otherwise.
Those of you who prayed, sent good wishes my way and otherwise conveyed positive energy regarding the home sale, THANKS! It worked! I'll let you all know when I'm safely in South Dakota.
Finally.
They unfortunately gave me a figure $9000 less than my current asking price, which is a $5000 drop from my original asking price. The original asking price was a $5000 drop from the taxable value. And the taxable value is about $15,000 than the house is really worth! AND I'm going to be paying $3000 of the buyer's closing costs. So, all told, I'm getting about $35,000 less than I would have if we had sold a year ago. But my savings is gone and I literally cannot afford to be picky, so I accepted the offer.
The good news about the buyers: they are pre-approved for a loan. They're willing to put down $40,000 in cash. And they want to close before Dan's birthday/our 10 year wedding anniversary. Whew!
I will be closing on either the 21st or 22nd and will be moved out by the 27th at the latest. I was hoping to move on Thanksgiving weekend. But then when I called Dan with the good news about the house, I found out that his family is pretty much set against leaving town Thanksgiving weekend, and they are pressuring me to move the prior weekend, which is extrememly inconvenient for me as it would only give me two weeks to get everything done, including finding a moving van! Plus I'd have to stay behind for the closing and then somehow get to Sioux Falls by myself, a major pain in the ass since I have to use a wheelchair to get through an airport.
Dan is on a mission to see if we can get the house we want in Sioux Falls and to find out how soon they want to close. We want to buy the 1977 ranch over by our friends' house. It is slightly larger than our present house, has a 2 car attached garage, updated kitchen, new furnace, new roof, bathroom right off the master bedroom with a large linen closet, storage shed in the back, covered front porch and nice landscaping. But we would have to find a washer and dryer and fence the back yard. I don't know when we'll have time for that.
So I will be VERY busy over the next few weeks! Those of you in the Denver area who have any free time to spare, if there is any way you can lend a hand with the packing, that would be fantastic! I am accepting any and all offers of help.
Naturally with the gazillion things I must get done, my computer time will be more limited than ever. So the blogging will be sporadic at best. I have a few Raves of the Day sitting on my desktop that I'll probably post in the next few days, but don't panic if i seem to vanish otherwise.
Those of you who prayed, sent good wishes my way and otherwise conveyed positive energy regarding the home sale, THANKS! It worked! I'll let you all know when I'm safely in South Dakota.
Finally.
