I "HEART" Real Estate--A Very Long Rant
So, in the ongoing and everlasting saga of selling our Chula Vista piece of junk house:
Everyone is aware that we are on our second selling of our house, right? If not, here is the back story: our homeowner's association (bless their sweet, sweet soul) doesn't allow commercial vehicles to be parked in our parking lot. That includes the guy who lives there but drives his Roto-Rooter van to work everyday. Isn't that completely dumb? They don't want "advertising" in the community. Maybe they should take some time to hunt down the carpet cleaners, house cleaners, dog walkers and child care outfits that were putting "advertisements" on our doorknobs (or in one case when my head nearly exploded, ON MY CAR).
Unfortunately, the nice PREAPPROVED couple who bought our house the first time...well, one of them worked for Verizon and drove a Verizon van to and from the jobsite everyday. Luckily, under California's strange and irritating real estate laws, they had 17 days after the offer had been accepted to bow out with no penalties.
So here we are, sitting around with a mortgage payment that has just increased by $1K/month and NO renters because they moved out so we could sell. We aren't making a dime on the place. We've done the paperwork for the first couple down to the notary coming to our house and signing documents. Then, they bow out. Well, I guess I understand. Homeowner's Associations SUCK. Unfortunately, there are very few AFFORDABLE places to live in San Diego that aren't new developments out in the boondocks (like Chula Vista) where HOA's all exist.
So, a few nerve-wracking days go by. To say that this is not a good time to be selling a house is an understatement. Another couple makes an offer. It's a good offer, actually better than the first one, slightly better. We accept. We're told that it's going to be a quick deal since we had already filed paperwork--the realtor or lawyer or whoever would just change a couple of things and we'd be done.
And we sit. And sit. Days pass. Weeks pass. The money was supposed to be here three weeks weeks ago. We started living like Damn Hell Ass Kings (it's a Simpson's thing, parents) thinking we were out of the fire. I cancelled our homeowner's policy in Chula Vista, thinking that the sale was imminent. The money was supposed to be here two weeks ago, then it was by the end of last week. Now, it's supposed to be here by the end of THIS week. How much you all want to bet that another week goes by?
We made a late mortgage payment because we were told we wouldn't have to make another one, but then the money still hasn't come and our loan hasn't been paid off, so we got a nasty letter from our mortgage company. Same with the HOA that we hadn't paid last month. Now, here it is, the 4th of June and of course, another mortgage payment is due. Should we pay it? It's like playing Russian roulette. It's super annoying. The only good thing is that they buyers' bank has taken sooooo long that they are now paying US $80/day for our inconvenience.
It's all happening because so many people are foreclosing. The banks are clamping down on buyers and the whole escrow process is taking much longer than it used to. So...it's not the buyers' fault. I'm sure they are sweating bullets too, wondering how long it's going to take. One can't blame the banks, but it's still super irritating. I want to go back to living large again, using money for toilet paper and toilet paper as dog toilet paper. Oh wait, we don't have a dog!
Anyway, just wanted to vent. I just checked the bank AGAIN to see if the money was there. And...weird. It wasn't. GRRRRRRR.
Take it from the De Fors: DON'T SELL YOUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO!!!!
Everyone is aware that we are on our second selling of our house, right? If not, here is the back story: our homeowner's association (bless their sweet, sweet soul) doesn't allow commercial vehicles to be parked in our parking lot. That includes the guy who lives there but drives his Roto-Rooter van to work everyday. Isn't that completely dumb? They don't want "advertising" in the community. Maybe they should take some time to hunt down the carpet cleaners, house cleaners, dog walkers and child care outfits that were putting "advertisements" on our doorknobs (or in one case when my head nearly exploded, ON MY CAR).
Unfortunately, the nice PREAPPROVED couple who bought our house the first time...well, one of them worked for Verizon and drove a Verizon van to and from the jobsite everyday. Luckily, under California's strange and irritating real estate laws, they had 17 days after the offer had been accepted to bow out with no penalties.
So here we are, sitting around with a mortgage payment that has just increased by $1K/month and NO renters because they moved out so we could sell. We aren't making a dime on the place. We've done the paperwork for the first couple down to the notary coming to our house and signing documents. Then, they bow out. Well, I guess I understand. Homeowner's Associations SUCK. Unfortunately, there are very few AFFORDABLE places to live in San Diego that aren't new developments out in the boondocks (like Chula Vista) where HOA's all exist.
So, a few nerve-wracking days go by. To say that this is not a good time to be selling a house is an understatement. Another couple makes an offer. It's a good offer, actually better than the first one, slightly better. We accept. We're told that it's going to be a quick deal since we had already filed paperwork--the realtor or lawyer or whoever would just change a couple of things and we'd be done.
And we sit. And sit. Days pass. Weeks pass. The money was supposed to be here three weeks weeks ago. We started living like Damn Hell Ass Kings (it's a Simpson's thing, parents) thinking we were out of the fire. I cancelled our homeowner's policy in Chula Vista, thinking that the sale was imminent. The money was supposed to be here two weeks ago, then it was by the end of last week. Now, it's supposed to be here by the end of THIS week. How much you all want to bet that another week goes by?
We made a late mortgage payment because we were told we wouldn't have to make another one, but then the money still hasn't come and our loan hasn't been paid off, so we got a nasty letter from our mortgage company. Same with the HOA that we hadn't paid last month. Now, here it is, the 4th of June and of course, another mortgage payment is due. Should we pay it? It's like playing Russian roulette. It's super annoying. The only good thing is that they buyers' bank has taken sooooo long that they are now paying US $80/day for our inconvenience.
It's all happening because so many people are foreclosing. The banks are clamping down on buyers and the whole escrow process is taking much longer than it used to. So...it's not the buyers' fault. I'm sure they are sweating bullets too, wondering how long it's going to take. One can't blame the banks, but it's still super irritating. I want to go back to living large again, using money for toilet paper and toilet paper as dog toilet paper. Oh wait, we don't have a dog!
Anyway, just wanted to vent. I just checked the bank AGAIN to see if the money was there. And...weird. It wasn't. GRRRRRRR.
Take it from the De Fors: DON'T SELL YOUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO!!!!
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