The Move from Hell
Spivey said before we moved into the house we just bought, "We have to assume that everything that CAN go wrong WILL go wrong". I kinda brushed him off, acknowledging that he was right, but assuming that nothing would actually go wrong, and we'd be living in our pretty house with our furniture put together and our friends coming over.
Well I was wrong.
So we closed on the house Wednesday. Aside from a late appraisal and some minor paperwork issues, that went pretty well. So we went and picked up my boss's truck, which he let me borrow for the move, and took some stuff over. Wednesday went well. We went to sleep, preparing for our big day on Thursday. The movers were scheduled for 10:00, we had to rent the U-HAUL, and we were going to move all the big stuff, then put together the big pieces of furniture, and go to the dump to ditch our old mattress, couch, and love seat. And meet my parents, who had driven up to help. Big day.
Well, the movers we had scheduled didn't show up at all. Apparently this is a known problem with movers. For some reason, showing up is a big issue. So, 10:30 rolls around, no movers. Ass holes. So, Spivey calls around and gets us more movers, who of course can't show up for 2 hours after we need them. We booked them anyway.
So, we keep packing and cleaning. No big deal. The new movers showed up at the time they said they would, and were actually really good. They got right to work and hauled some pretty heavy shit. The plan was for them to load the U-HAUL, and we could make a couple runs to the dump while they were doing that in my boss's truck. So they load up the truck, and about that time I realized that I had lost the key to the truck. Fuck.
So, I called my boss and apologized profusely, and he said it was OK, but I would have to pick up another key from his wife that works at Macy's. So, I drove to the mall in my dust-covered smelly-ass shirt and jeans and picked up the key. Still OK, because the movers had to be there anyway.
Well, about that time we get a call from our lawyers saying that there had been a big mistake and they had given us the wrong amount on our loan, which was $10,000 less than the amount we actually needed, and that the builders are threatening to evict us from our brand new house. Shit. So we got on the phone about that, with the lawyers saying that they couldn't possibly get the paperwork ready that same day, and the builders saying that they were going to make us leave if the paperwork wasn't signed by 5:00. We'll get back to that in a minute.
By this time, the movers were finished packing the U-HAUL, and we were running really short on time. They suggested dumping the dump furniture we didn't want beside the dumpster at the apartment complex. We had just gotten a notice that we would be fined if we did this, but who would know? And lacking any better option, we did it and risked the fine. And then we headed to Raleigh to the house.
So, the movers unpacked and everything with that went really well. They were very quick and cost-efficient. The refrigerator delivery guy showed up, however, and was not as great. He dented our floor, the ass hole (not too bad, but still!), and then the refrigerator ice and water makers didn't work. He didn't want to fix it, so he just left and told us to put in a service order. Blah. Well, about that time, we got a call from the lawyers saying that if we wanted our house, we had to be there in 20 minutes.
So, Spivey and I go tearing across town to stop by the bank to get the money we owed them and then get to the office to do the "fix-it" closing. About then, though, we got a call from my old apartment complex saying that they knew that was our furniture at the dump (remember how we had left it there?), and that if we didn't remove it by the end of the day she would have to charge us $500. Shit, again. So we had to call that junk removal place that charged us $200 anyway. I guess that's better than $500.
Well, we got to the lawyer's office, and they were very nice and apologetic. We closed (again), and it all went the right way that time. So, at this point, all of our stuff was in the house (good!), everyone was paid (good!), we owned the house (GOOD!), and we prepared to go to Chapel Hill, get the last load, drop off my boss's truck, and get some dinner.
Well, we got almost to my boss's house, and my grandparent's station wagon (which my parents had driven for the extra space) completely quit. Apparently, there was a leak in the transmission fluid, so the transmission completely crapped out on us. Well did I mention that my boss's truck isn't a new truck, but rather a 1970's piece of junk that barely even moves? Well, I had to drive that thing to Raleigh to get one of the other cars to get my parents back, while they waited for the tow truck (on the side of the road in Durham...NOT safe). We had the vehicle towed, and my parents drove a rental car back today. I don't know how we're going to get the station wagon back, now that it's actually fixable (we were sure it was totaled...that thing is old). I guess they'll have to come back.
We were so tired by the end of this that we didn't put anything together, we just went to bed. Spivey and I slept on a mattress on the floor because the bed is still in pieces, and we couldn't find our clothes this morning. I guess that's just how things go.
Anyway, all is well...We own our house, and the car is OK...My parents didn't get robbed on the side of the road, and we only lost a few hundred dollars and a few years off of all of our lives.
Well I was wrong.
So we closed on the house Wednesday. Aside from a late appraisal and some minor paperwork issues, that went pretty well. So we went and picked up my boss's truck, which he let me borrow for the move, and took some stuff over. Wednesday went well. We went to sleep, preparing for our big day on Thursday. The movers were scheduled for 10:00, we had to rent the U-HAUL, and we were going to move all the big stuff, then put together the big pieces of furniture, and go to the dump to ditch our old mattress, couch, and love seat. And meet my parents, who had driven up to help. Big day.
Well, the movers we had scheduled didn't show up at all. Apparently this is a known problem with movers. For some reason, showing up is a big issue. So, 10:30 rolls around, no movers. Ass holes. So, Spivey calls around and gets us more movers, who of course can't show up for 2 hours after we need them. We booked them anyway.
So, we keep packing and cleaning. No big deal. The new movers showed up at the time they said they would, and were actually really good. They got right to work and hauled some pretty heavy shit. The plan was for them to load the U-HAUL, and we could make a couple runs to the dump while they were doing that in my boss's truck. So they load up the truck, and about that time I realized that I had lost the key to the truck. Fuck.
So, I called my boss and apologized profusely, and he said it was OK, but I would have to pick up another key from his wife that works at Macy's. So, I drove to the mall in my dust-covered smelly-ass shirt and jeans and picked up the key. Still OK, because the movers had to be there anyway.
Well, about that time we get a call from our lawyers saying that there had been a big mistake and they had given us the wrong amount on our loan, which was $10,000 less than the amount we actually needed, and that the builders are threatening to evict us from our brand new house. Shit. So we got on the phone about that, with the lawyers saying that they couldn't possibly get the paperwork ready that same day, and the builders saying that they were going to make us leave if the paperwork wasn't signed by 5:00. We'll get back to that in a minute.
By this time, the movers were finished packing the U-HAUL, and we were running really short on time. They suggested dumping the dump furniture we didn't want beside the dumpster at the apartment complex. We had just gotten a notice that we would be fined if we did this, but who would know? And lacking any better option, we did it and risked the fine. And then we headed to Raleigh to the house.
So, the movers unpacked and everything with that went really well. They were very quick and cost-efficient. The refrigerator delivery guy showed up, however, and was not as great. He dented our floor, the ass hole (not too bad, but still!), and then the refrigerator ice and water makers didn't work. He didn't want to fix it, so he just left and told us to put in a service order. Blah. Well, about that time, we got a call from the lawyers saying that if we wanted our house, we had to be there in 20 minutes.
So, Spivey and I go tearing across town to stop by the bank to get the money we owed them and then get to the office to do the "fix-it" closing. About then, though, we got a call from my old apartment complex saying that they knew that was our furniture at the dump (remember how we had left it there?), and that if we didn't remove it by the end of the day she would have to charge us $500. Shit, again. So we had to call that junk removal place that charged us $200 anyway. I guess that's better than $500.
Well, we got to the lawyer's office, and they were very nice and apologetic. We closed (again), and it all went the right way that time. So, at this point, all of our stuff was in the house (good!), everyone was paid (good!), we owned the house (GOOD!), and we prepared to go to Chapel Hill, get the last load, drop off my boss's truck, and get some dinner.
Well, we got almost to my boss's house, and my grandparent's station wagon (which my parents had driven for the extra space) completely quit. Apparently, there was a leak in the transmission fluid, so the transmission completely crapped out on us. Well did I mention that my boss's truck isn't a new truck, but rather a 1970's piece of junk that barely even moves? Well, I had to drive that thing to Raleigh to get one of the other cars to get my parents back, while they waited for the tow truck (on the side of the road in Durham...NOT safe). We had the vehicle towed, and my parents drove a rental car back today. I don't know how we're going to get the station wagon back, now that it's actually fixable (we were sure it was totaled...that thing is old). I guess they'll have to come back.
We were so tired by the end of this that we didn't put anything together, we just went to bed. Spivey and I slept on a mattress on the floor because the bed is still in pieces, and we couldn't find our clothes this morning. I guess that's just how things go.
Anyway, all is well...We own our house, and the car is OK...My parents didn't get robbed on the side of the road, and we only lost a few hundred dollars and a few years off of all of our lives.