Tomorrow, I sign the paperwork and receive the keys for my new, very old home, in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Yep, I'm leaving my condo of 15 years, the longest time I've ever lived in any place in my life. So, yesterday, I was a little surprised when I got an email from the loan company asking for further information.
I thought, "What the heck! Why are they asking me for any kind of information so close to my closing date?"
I thought it best to contact the one person in the chain of loan people who I have been working with to see what was up.
It wasn't a good half hour.
I was informed that there was a hiccup in the loan application. It had nothing to do with me. I had done everything I was asked to do -- and signed so many papers! The problem stemmed from the Home Owner's Association for my condo community. I won't tell you names of people or businesses, but I will tell you of incompetence. The person I was supposed to contact when there were problems has a history of not answering questions in a timely manner if at all. I learned that this wasn't just for me. She didn't answer the loan company's questions either. After a week of no word, the loan company contacted me. I gave them an alternative contact. He might not be the proper person to call, but he usually helped me when I needed it.
My loan contact told me that because of the HOA inability to act in a professional manner (my words, not his), my loan was delayed. I would not be signing papers for ownership tomorrow! The earliest possible signing would be in about a week and a half. Of course, I had a small panic attack. Would this jeopardize the sale of the house? Would the seller say, "No way, forget about this sale!"
My realtor said, "This is not likely to happen." Even if there were other people lining up to get the house, the sale wouldn't happen in a week and a half. Be patient. I'll call the realtor in Mt. Vernon."
She did and the other realtor said the exact same thing.
So, it appears that I will take possession in early June. It's a beautiful old house in the historic old section of Mt. Vernon. The street in front of the place is even made of red bricks! Yes, it is adorable.
It is a bit of déjà vu moving to Mt. Vernon. I can't believe how many decades it has been, but I once attended college in this town. At the time, I thought it was a charming place, way better than where my mother's family was from (another name not mentioned). But, life has given me several unexpected turns, and so I face another one.
The home I hope to sign for is actually the second one I've had my eye on. The first one fell through when the buyer for my condo in Columbus backed out after 11 days. I had to sell my place before the end of March. Two days left in the month didn't give me enough time. So, I lost that house. I loved, absolutely adored, the carriage house on that place. But, it was not meant to be.
My new (hopeful) home is actually a better house. It is a little larger and has a basement that is accessible from inside the house. It's also a functional place to store some things. At the previous place, access was from an exterior cellar door. It was a very dingy place where nothing could be stored. So, all in all, I think it is a win.
If you know me, it should come as no surprise that almost all of my house was packed up during the eleven days that it was under contract. I've been living in a shell of my place for a couple months now. It will be like Christmas to unpack my life and set up home in my new place built in 1920. Merry Christmas in June!