Saturday, May 29, 2010
UTTER DISBELIEF
We sold our house today.
The buyer came back accepting our counter to their original offer.
And they will pay cash. No messes with banks and appraisers which are the main reason for all the trouble in getting houses moved off the market.
And the sale is not contingent on the inspections that may be done between now and closing.
Anything that is found will be absorbed by the buyer and not reduce the sale price.
Our goals for the financial part of the transaction less the cost of the condo we bought on Tuesday are satisfactory.
It is a shock.
I just wrote to the broker we used to ask whether it is really true that we have bought and sold in less than a week. He says yes.
Last Saturday at this time we had no intention of moving. We had certainly thought about this for a long time but it was back burner. We had not found anything that would fit our picture of a good condo to move to.
Sunday, John went on his normal open house rounds and went back to a place he had seen a year or more ago. It was open again and he went through and liked it a lot.
He forgot the notes that he had taken and wanted to go back when I expressed interest.
We went back to get his notes and as I walked in the front gate, I knew that this was "it".
The sweet patio garden with several small trees and even a cactus garden is a great welcome to a well laid out house which is just the right size for us.
It has clerestory windows for extra light. There is a small back patio which faces a quiet street separated by high wall and shrubberies.
We will use a planter to create a "fence" to remind Booker where his place is.
A friend who is a real estate broker had tried to sell the condo. He really liked it but the client didn't come back.
Anyway. This was it. We came home, thought about it and asked our friend and broker to represent us in the purchase and to sign up our house for sale.
Then the madness began.
The seller of the condo accepted our offer on the first bounce. 5 grand less than the hinted amount she would settle for.
On our house, it was listed on MLS on Thursday and by early afternoon there was an agent who wanted an early tour. He came with a videographer.
The next day we had an offer. We made a counteroffer. Today they accepted that number.
And conditions.
They know the house. They have friends who, it turns out, we know. They know the house. Aha!
They have still not seen the house but their agent and friends came to the open house today. After the deal was sealed.
Odd fact. I had not seen this house when John bought it in 1995. I had seen videos but did not get out here in real life until November.
It is amazing.
The open house went OK. People liked it. No offers.
Our broker thinks that this is a fluke. We think it is divine providence. The universe shifting to give us some space. A lucky break? Who knows.
When faced with opportunity, we jump. It has happened many times in our life together, John and I. We move fast. Take the breaks. Do the next indicated thing. Bolster each other when in doubt. It has happened again.
Today we went over to the new place and walked around. We went to look at the pool which they are restoring. Not rebuilding but doing it right.
There in the pool was a friend of mine who lives in Long Beach and has a place in the Rose Garden for weekends and summers.
Wow. I didn't know that anyone I knew lived there. Very nice.
The stuff just keeps rolling.
