Backdating's for sissies. Or serious procrastinators.
Hey! We sold the house. Like, um, almost a month ago. Yeah. Should maybe tie that up.
It went down to the wire. On the last *possible* day, I called their mortgage broker, listened to his sob story, then told him that if he wanted commission, there would be papers ready by 5 p.m. that day. He choked but said okay.
Now, I've been watching a lot of HGTV lately--who knew real estate was that exciting?--and I know that "last minute" is pretty much the only way these people function. I appreciate that: I'm a procrastinator, too. But sometimes, you have to put your foot down. For reals.
I got a call at 4:20 from my agent. "Nothing yet, though they've scheduled a signing at 5:30 tonight." "Tough," I told her, "5 p.m., or we start over." She sighed as she realized that this time, I was really staying firm. We've been more than lenient, and circumstances really couldn't allow us any more time this month. I needed to get out campaigning.
At 4:45, after I'd resigned myself to the fact that this particular chapter was closed, she called again. "Can you get here by 5?"
"No, it takes me 30 minutes."
"Get here as fast as you can. We'll have papers. Bring Carina." This was bold, but I was willing to go with it. I called Carina, told her to get over there and hurriedly left work.
When I got there almost at 5:30, there were a lot of papers, but even more work to be done. Our agent, like Atlas trying to carry the world on her shoulders, was calling the other title companies, working out details that hadn't yet been put to paper. Lenders were on hold, making sure that all the numbers were prepared correctly. Our half of the table watched bemusedly while her half had a small hurricane.
By 6:30, though, everything was signed, and the deals were done.
It's now been a month. We've spent thousands on new furniture and whatnot, haven't unpacked half our boxes, really, but things are coming together. I learned lots of new things about paint: don't leave it uncovered overnight, for instance. The good news is, we have a new, bigger, house and feel lucky to have it.
It went down to the wire. On the last *possible* day, I called their mortgage broker, listened to his sob story, then told him that if he wanted commission, there would be papers ready by 5 p.m. that day. He choked but said okay.
Now, I've been watching a lot of HGTV lately--who knew real estate was that exciting?--and I know that "last minute" is pretty much the only way these people function. I appreciate that: I'm a procrastinator, too. But sometimes, you have to put your foot down. For reals.
I got a call at 4:20 from my agent. "Nothing yet, though they've scheduled a signing at 5:30 tonight." "Tough," I told her, "5 p.m., or we start over." She sighed as she realized that this time, I was really staying firm. We've been more than lenient, and circumstances really couldn't allow us any more time this month. I needed to get out campaigning.
At 4:45, after I'd resigned myself to the fact that this particular chapter was closed, she called again. "Can you get here by 5?"
"No, it takes me 30 minutes."
"Get here as fast as you can. We'll have papers. Bring Carina." This was bold, but I was willing to go with it. I called Carina, told her to get over there and hurriedly left work.
When I got there almost at 5:30, there were a lot of papers, but even more work to be done. Our agent, like Atlas trying to carry the world on her shoulders, was calling the other title companies, working out details that hadn't yet been put to paper. Lenders were on hold, making sure that all the numbers were prepared correctly. Our half of the table watched bemusedly while her half had a small hurricane.
By 6:30, though, everything was signed, and the deals were done.
It's now been a month. We've spent thousands on new furniture and whatnot, haven't unpacked half our boxes, really, but things are coming together. I learned lots of new things about paint: don't leave it uncovered overnight, for instance. The good news is, we have a new, bigger, house and feel lucky to have it.