Making Tracks

By Kat Bryant

I was almost home. Literally.

My agent, Mike, and I had been working for nearly two months on the purchase of a house in west Aberdeen. There was absolutely no indication that it might fall through; I had everything required to get it done. It was just taking forever with inspections delayed by rain, repairs taking longer than expected, and dealing with endless requests for redundant loan paperwork.

So last week, after much wrangling with my (now former) loan officer — who apparently had no clue how to deal with FHA mortgage applications — I was forced to request a second extension of closing from the seller.

The next day, Mike called to tell me that request had been denied. The seller had opted to throw away all that work, which was just a couple more weeks from fruition, and start from scratch with a new buyer. I was stunned. Dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Insert your own synonym here.

Sensing my brain-freeze, Mike did what any good agent should do: He invited me out shopping. (There’s nothing quite like large-scale retail therapy!) And, wonder of wonders, one of the four properties we looked at that evening was perfect in almost every way.

No, really. I’ve always wanted a Craftsman home; it’s my favorite style. And this little cutie has all the old-school charm along with new wiring and plumbing, fresh paint and a big yard in a nice neighborhood in Hoquiam. It’s a bit smaller than what I’m used to, but it’s all I really need. It was better than the other place in almost every aspect. I vowed that it would be mine.

With my enthusiasm rekindled, I put in an offer first thing the next morning and recommenced my nail-biting.

Later, I received an email from Mike: The seller of the Aberdeen house had changed her mind. She claimed she’d misunderstood the consequences of denying my request for extension (oopsie!), and she wanted to allow me to continue that process after all. I laughed and said nope, what’s done is done, I’m already over it.

Now, like some petulant child, she’s refusing to release my earnest money. Apparently she feels she has some claim to it because after she terminated our deal and then changed her mind, I should have gone running back to her in gratitude.

It kinda reminded me of a relationship I once had. And, as before, I’m choosing to cut my losses and move on.

I’ve received a new loan preapproval from a very efficient mortgage broker, who’s gotten more done in one week than my previous loan officer did in a month. With help from family and some terrific friends, I moved my stuff out of the garage at the old place and into a storage unit this past weekend.

Here’s hoping I’ll actually have a house to move into someday soon.

Kat Bryant is lifestyle editor of The Daily World. She’s getting awfully tired of this crap. Reach her at kbryant@thedailyworld.com or on Facebook at Kat Bryant-DailyWorld.