Not For The Faint of Heart...

We decided to put some land up for sale last July. A couple of interested buyers called the realtor, but nothing really happened until November. Two buyers were inquiring about it, so we thought, "Finally!".

The first buyers seemed to lose interest, but - Hey! We had the second couple, so all was not lost! When our realtor told us that we had buyers, we assumed (yeah, I know - don't assume anything, yadda, yadda) that she meant the second couple. It wasn't until we went in to sign the papers that we discovered it was the first couple who had seemed to lose interest. They wanted the land, but, they also wanted more of it.

We decided to go ahead and sell four more acres. After the surveying and perc test, we'd be going to settlement in about two weeks. That would have made it around the second week of January.

We didn't take into account the possibility of three feet of snow. We didn't take into account the possibility of more snow on top of that. We didn't take into account the slow grinding of the real estate wheels.

After weeks of waiting, we were told that the buyers wanted to use a company (let's call them Company G) that charges $10,000 for the survey. We had agreed earlier, in writing, to pay half the survey cost and half the perc test cost. Whoa! Just a minute! $5,000 for a survey!?! We called a local surveyor and he came up and did it for $1700. Now, that's more like it!

Jimmy had used the sno-blower to make a wide path up to the top of the hill where the perc test would take place. (Strangely, the company that wanted to charge $10,000 for the survey was the company that was to come to do the test. ) Well, we waited. And waited. And waited some more for the test to be done. Days went by, then weeks went by. Finally, they came and performed the test. Right away we were told that it was good. We'd get the certification and then we could go to settlement.

A few more days, another week, then another. Our realtor called and said the buyers were willing to go to settlement without the certification letter if we'd give them some "compensation" money at settlement.

Another few days turned into another week. Company G told us they were waiting for the buyers to send a check to cover the cost of the test. So we waited some more.

The title company called and said they needed some signatures on paperwork. What paperwork? Well, the new plat has to be entered at the courthouse. After we signed the papers, she very casually said that she's had the papers for about two weeks, sitting on her desk, waiting for signatures. What? WHAT? It was all I could do to nod my head and walk out the door before I exploded. We've had phone calls from them in the past, and no one said anything about coming down to sign the papers.

If anything could go wrong, it has.

Jimmy went to Company G about 4 1/2 weeks ago to get the finished paperwork to hand-carry to the title company. When he was there, Company G told him the buyer had called about the paperwork and was very upset to find out that Jimmy was there to get it. The buyers eventually wrote a letter to the real estate agent saying they wanted out of the contract because Jimmy violated the terms of the contract by going over to pick up the papers.

More weeks go by. Now, today, we were called to come to the Health Department to pick up the paperwork. It was finally done. We picked it up and were told to take it to the courthouse to file it, bring it back so she could make a copy and then take it to the title company. When we got to the title company, she faxed a copy to our real estate agent and said everything was ok and she'd call us when to come in for settlement - maybe tomorrow, maybe Wednesday, but surely this week.

My heart was lighter and my stomach pains were receding. Everything was going to be ok.

I should know better by now.

When we got home, our agent had left a message. Jimmy called her back. It seems no one told us to pick up the letter from Greenway - the one Jimmy had picked up and hand delivered to the Health Department. We need that for settlement. We called the Health Department, but OF COURSE! It was closed for the day. We had talked to her, the people at the Health Department, the lady at the courthouse, the lady at the title company and no one, NO ONE had mentioned that we needed the letter from Greenway.

My heart aches and my stomach pains are back. My head hurts and my throat is getting sore.