officially homeless...part one

August 30, 2007
ok so we closed on our home today. 28 days and it's over. So let me tell you about our ordeal. Now before I begin, don't get me wrong. I am not complaining nor do I pretend to think I should have any reason to complain but just when all hope was lost...we finally accomplished a task we thought to be impossible. You see it all started with our first agent. I won't name any names but I have a few choice words for him and his firm. You see, we weren't picking an agent based on personality or smoothness...we just wanted to sell our house! Well this gentleman fit the bill in so many ways it was uncanny. not only was he one of Richmond’s biggest producers but...he had no personality or smoothness about him. We had our man. After some well calculated timing, we finally listed out house with this fine selling stud. But wait! Could it be? Had we unknowingly waltzed ourselves into a declining market? Could the selling prowess of one of Richmond's studs overcome the disparity of the market? Seemed like the makings of a good vs evil type comic book. In what seemed like mere minutes, we got an offer. And might I say, ladies and gentleman, what an offer it was. Can you believe the buyer wanted this and that ...and us to pay over 13000 in closing costs! OMG! Is this what we were in for? Is it that much of a buyer's market? My dreams of moving to Spain is swirling down the tube! So time passed. Days turned to weeks and offers came and went. Most of the offers with contingencies on some other issue unrelated to my personal business. I swear someone tried to buy our home with a contingency that Genie's Dream places in the fourth race. So what's a guy to do? Top producer didn't seem to be doing any good. But to his defense, it was the market kicking us all in the teeth. Well in desperate times, let's try other measures. Me:"Mr. Realtor-Man, being that I am the customer, can we try other measures?" Him: "Well what did you have in mind?" "Ummm, you are a realtor right? You do have more tricks up your sleeve, right?" "I think we are doing enough." Doing enough would have a buyer lined up for us. I am thinking I need a realtor who is never doing enough. I also think to myself that he said 'we?". ok I respond with, "How about if we do an open house?" long pause from realtor "No, I don't think that open houses work...." What happened to WE...now it's about what he thinks. Now he has ideas about the realty business! Sigh... To be continued...