I agreed by email to give Mr. W right of first refusal until he got his permits done and I gave him 90 days to do it. As some of you know, we are learning more and more about what we don‘t know.
I talked with my solicitous Oregon realtor (thanks Alan) who convinced me that the way they want to buy my cottage is very disadvantageous to me and she convinced me to call a realtor to get it done right.
I had agreed to give him a “right of first refusal” for 90 days upon agreement of the price so he can get his permits. I don’t blame him, he wants to be sure he can build what he wants.
After researching doing it that way, it’s clear that it’s risky for both of us, but more for me because it also keeps my house off the market for up to 90 days which he could just drop on day 89.
I signed up with a realty company so they will give me free advice with the understanding that they get to list it if it falls through with the Ws. They said the only time they have seen the process done the way he wants, is when it’s a private sale and the buyer wants to delay the sale for financial reasons.
They also gave me an appraisal; the range is $350,000 to $400,000 with the lower end most likely.
I just wrote to the Ws to say I was backing out of my agreement to give them a right of first refusal but I wanted a regular contract to purchase the house in the usual process. They do want to make nice with the abutters, one of whom happens to be a dear friend of mine and I know they really, really want it, so I’m not too concerned.
I’m finishing up getting the paperwork for the mortgage pre approval, the numbers are all in place, they just need some documentation to substantiate things. This means that realistically I’ll be able to make an offer pretty soon. The market is low on “inventory” but nice places don’t stay on the market long. Very little that meets my requirements, but mostly that’s because there is very little out there at all or will be for the next few weeks.
In the past 24 hours, the Ws have pulled out because the building codes in town are about the strictest on the coast, they were told and when you figure the setback from the water at 100’ and from the road 20’ you have several inches left to play with!
Even though it’s not a road, but a right of way!
So, I’ve contacted the Ss to see if they want to reconsider and the realty company will get it listed.
The myriad of impressions, I flew into Portland OR at 8 and drove in a very gusty wind and rain and to AP&L’s. I’m always unsure of how far down their road I’m to go, especially with the annoying flashing yellow lights of an emergency vehicle. Happily, as I slowed to go past them, I saw I had arrived at my destination. The gate was thoughtfully left open for me and the door opened just as I got to it. What a warm welcome, a crackling fire with the whole family gathered around the fire, warmly dressed.
It was then that I discovered the electricity had reached them just seconds before and that the power had been out all day and they were warmly dressed because the electric blower on the wood stove hadn’t been working.
There’s one thing you can say about AP&L’s, there is always something going on.
Electricity on, heat returning, the cold raining night receding behind solid roof and walls and we started thinking about supper. hungry, hungry
The wind had another thought, it decided to set the walls of the hot tub free.
Suddenly all 4 of us were out in the wet wind, with gusts of 40mph or more easily, batteries of lanterns dimly glimmering in the rain drops and lots of dark. And lots of wind. The ladder had to be kept lying down because otherwise it would blow over and hit us.
The walls around the hot tub were aching to fly south, or north, wherever, just to the slip the surly bonds of Earth while we few, we (un)happy few, fought the exigencies of entropy.
And succeeded for a bit longer. Planks obtained, nails grabbed, ladders brought, and blown over. Through it all, two of us at all times, each holding onto one of the two walls which presented a solid face to the wind. It was like being in a bar room fight, fluids flying, dim light, trying to restrain this big flat drunk wall that keeps taunting the wind to try it for $%&*)$%^ real this time!!! What fun! More so retrospectively, but fun nonetheless.
There’s one thing you can say about AP&L’s, there is always something going on. I hope to add a picture of our work if someone will send it to me.
Then suddenly, the big day was here, I got to meet the location of my new life. I could go on and on, there were no unpleasant surprises, I felt I was in a familiar, place. Of course, having visited the Zillow website, I had. I’d even strolled down my street several times on Google maps.
We met, my realtor, N and her husband, A. As with all “firsts,” my memory is a swirl of impressions. The outside has such wonderful details, outside sprinklers for the plants around the house, with ground level lights, a rose garden, with a little irrigation spigot to water each one. I can’t wait to be there.
We all trooped back to AP&L’s for an amazing Moroccan dinner L made, and had a lovely visit, making new friends. As a special treat N revealed her other skill, cutting hair. So at least one other need I had, someone who can make my hair behave, has been taken care of. What a wealth of opportunities for gratitude.
Some other impressions of Oregon, one evening I thought I saw some green paint on AP&L’s patio almost glowing in the light from the kitchen, but when I looked closer I realized it was the bright green of growing moss. The daffodils are just up, about an inch! The sun has been in and out all day and several times since I’ve been here. The hummingbirds, oh my!
Monday afternoon I observed the inspection and went back to AP&L’s for a quiet evening of catching up with my emails in front of the fire while they were out. All they left for me to eat was leftovers.
sigh
As Arlo said, I went back and had another Moroccan dinner that couldn’t be beat 😉
A smörgåsbordof Moroccan food, Italian food, and several other feasty things.
I sat with Sleuth on the couch in front of the fireplace, listening to MPBN and reflecting on my day and having a wonderful time. We were both at peace.
The evening was topped off with a new family member, who came home with the family, a tall drink of water, and sweet. Rosco had arrived.
Enough suspense, the inspection went better than expected. I’d say 4.5 of 5 stars. He said the basic building is solid and well build and the renovations well done. He was very informative and said for houses that had been renovated as extensively as this one has, it was in the top 30%! He had several suggestions and requested that any time I had any questions about the house going forward, I should consider him the first person I talked when I had questions about anything that he had inspected, the furnace, landscaping around the house, plumbing, or structural. What a guy!
He did suggest I have an arborist look at the trees around the house and the neighbors’ trees whose limbs hang over my line. And to look at those the three majestic trees encircling or looming over the house, depending on what the arborist says.
I met the owner, who stopped by to remove the branch that fell from the neighbor’s tree in the high winds of the day I arrived. He and his family live nearby and he’d be happy to come over once I buy it to look at the systems, and give me some history. They’ve been there for the past 12 years. The couple, their son, and her mother with a medical issue who had to sleep in the living room. Very tight fit.
I crept out of the house before dawn, the family had been up with the pup late and I’d mostly said goodbys the night before. A wonderful, busy visit with new friends, a new home, new pup and the resumption of electricity. WOW. Thank you all.
I returned the car and caught the plane, TSA folk were great in spite of working without wages. I was lucky working at a VA hospital, the VA funding isn’t approved at the same time as the rest of the government budget. So we went through much of Obama’s tenure with pay, but no cost of living increases, bonuses or normally scheduled pay increases.
It was sleeting with sheer ice on the roads in Portland, so I stayed near the bus station overnight and drove home in the morning through a bizarre range of weathers, sleet, snow, small flakes and large, rain with 3 totally saturated inches of snow on the ground. Home to toss everything into the house and take off to Coxcroft where I met the septic inspector at Coxcroft at noon and was informed that I have no septic system. (Feeling better about not “getting to buy” it?)
So here I am back in Maine, enjoying flipping between winter and spring (Maine style, if the daffodils are up, what else can it be but spring? Even if they call it winter) There’s a foot of snow on the ground and temps won’t peek up above freezing for the foreseeable (10-day forecast) future.
Breaking news. The closing is Feb 8th, I have to be at work all that week, and have a seminar through the weekend, so I plan to fly out there on the 13thgrab my camping gear and head out to my new home, so I can wake up on Valentine’s Day with my new love.
