The offer.

If I could take a moment or a word to describe the type of person that has boldly taken our home purchase through the Bermuda triangle of corporate red tape and GMAC's Never Never Land, it would be; willing.  Being the right person for the job does not always demand a conversant mind for the task, but rather a person willing to do the job right.  Our Realtor, Jim, has been a pleasure to work with because of his willingness to serve our needs exclusively, with an unbiased attitude.  My wife, 4m old daughter, and I came to Jim's office to sign the Real Estate purchase contract with very high aspirations for what we expected to be a slam dunk offer.  The offer is a bit low but considering the DOM pushing 450 days with not so mush as an offer, let alone the current market climate, Jim and I felt that it is a good place to start.  So we signed the property condition disclosure, then we singed the Broker relationship disclosure, then we signed the lead based paint disclosure, then we initialed, then we signed the earnest money check.....and then signed a few more documents.  Needless to say we were about a half signature away from carpal tunnel at this point.  "We'll get er in" were his words if my memory serves me.  We shook hands and parted ways with a sense of disquieted relief and every kind of scenario playing back and forth in my head.  So I was surprised upon discovering, via a phone conversation with Jim, that he had presented the document package to the listing agent entirely absent of an executed purchase agreement! I had to laugh... A day or so later we came back and singed the purchase contract, and chalked it up as a false start.

Genesis.

*Before I delve into the intricate details of our journey, I will be writing the first blog segments in retrospect, trying to refrain from any current thoughts or perspectives.

I guess I could say that our short sale experience began like any other ordinary house showing.  My wife and I had been looking for quite some time and we were ready to find something that suited our needs materially and financially.  So the prospect of a “short sale” was more than intriguing.  Upon discovery of these two little words that, in my mind, meant the possibility of a purchase exploit, I was captivated with a rekindled excitement in a process that had become a dredging and arduous chore. 

Our Realtor (Jim) met us in the driveway of a charming one story light blue/gray home with a single car attached garage and a large mature maple tree in the front yard.  Love at first sight.  We proceeded to enter and upon a more personal look, as opposed to a foggy glare through the double pane glass, felt as though we had come home and were ready to get into our jams and slippers.  It’s a humble little abode that will suit our needs and provide a comfortable living space for our new daughter, was my thought as I studied the MLS data sheet I found off of Realtor.com.  The BEST PART was the WOOD BURNING STOVE!!! YES!  But at my arrival and much to my dismay, found a dusty corner that used to be the focal point of a quaint living room with the slight odor of burning wood and the sound of oak or cherry crackling in the background.  In addition to the non-existing and much coveted wood stove we found that the refrigerator and kitchen ceiling fan were no longer part of the program.  Okay, fine… we can live with that.  But “honey…..” I said with a sad and deprived tone of dissatisfaction.  “the STOVE…”.  So we wrapped it up started back to the house talking, making plans, and hanging the mental pictures on the wall…..