Monday, November 13, 2006

Better to have loved and lost… and all that crap

What a weekend of ups and downs! We began Friday with no new house and, unfortunately, we ended Sunday without one either. But the interim made for some interesting times.

Last weekend, we looked at an incredible house that was priced well, in a desirable neighborhood and had almost everything we’ve been looking for. We were going to put in an offer, but found out there were already multiple offers on the table and they were going to be presented to the seller in the next two hours. So we chalked it up to “live and learn” and went about our lives.

Friday, the Pretend Husband got a phone call from our agent that the house had gone back on the market after the first deal fell through because of a “small” termite problem (if termites can ever be considered small). So we quickly put together a bid and began chewing our nails waiting for an answer.

Saturday, while I was playing soccer, the PH got a call saying our bid was almost identical to another one and did we want to up it a bit? I would have felt like I needed to consult my significant other before making such a big decision… but that’s just me. The PH said “OK” and then called me about it.

Well, our anxiety only increased when we realized we pretty much had a 50 percent chance of getting the house. We were excited, but also had plenty of conversations like this:
Me: I love the kitchen.
PH: Me too. And the finished room in the basement.
Me: Oh my god, how are we going to pay for it? I feel like I have to throw up!
PH: I don’t know! And I might vomit too!
Me: I’d like to paint the living room a lighter color.
PH: And I’m going to build a deck off the back.
Me: Oooh, that’ll look good. But again, how are we going to be able to pay the mortgage every month?
PH: Don’t know. Which room should we use for the office?

A few hours later, we got another call from our agent saying the seller was still accepting offers and would decide at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Skip ahead through plenty of conversations like the one above and our agent finally called.

The seller went with an offer that was similar to ours, but it waived the home inspection. Which actually makes me feel better because, while I may have been convinced to up our offer money-wise, there’s no way you could convince me to skip the inspection. I mean, I’ve seen “The Money Pit.” It would begin with a little leak in the bathroom, which would lead to the floor having to be torn up, which would lead to my best friend plunging to her death while trying to pee, which would lead to a lawsuit from her husband, which would lead to us having to put the house on the market with no bathroom, which would lead to us not selling it, which would lead to plenty of fights between the PH and I, which would inevitably lead to our break up. It’s just not worth it, given my strong attachment to both SJ and the PH.

And so the search continues…

1 comment:

Srg said...

There's a "small" termite problem and the people making the offered WAIVED the home inspection?!?! There's something seriously wrong with those folks! And yeah - there's no such thing as a "small" termite problem. Trust me - I speak from experience with the rotten buggers!