New Phase Begins

Patty and her family made it safely home after a long day of travel back to Chicago. We hope it will not be too long before we see them again - perhaps when they can visit us in our new home.

We now begin a new phase in our life adventure. Beginning today, we will be looking - seriously - at homes that will satisfy our requirements for the foreseeable future. Our real estate agent will show us homes in Sun City and at least one in Sun City West. Those are, basically, the areas we will look for now. The timing should be good as the snowbirds are about to begin their migration and the sellers of homes will want to make deals before the hot summer months arrive.

I met with our banker yesterday and started the discussions and preliminary approval process for a mortgage in the price ranges we are searching. We have lowered our range from the initial price range we considered as we want to make sure we can still enjoy some travel and have some extra money to enjoy retirement. We are excited about moving forward with our search and locating the "right" place for us...

Final Day of Visit

The visit with Patty and her family came to an end last night. It was a terrific week that was filled with all kinds of fun activities and lots of food. All of us will have to hit the diet trail now.

Josie and I went to the title company in the morning and signed all the documents to complete the sale of our home. The buyers will sign over the weekend and the sale will close on Monday.

There was a ballgame scheduled in the evening at a high school in Scottsdale which would be the final time we would see Jason playing. Prior to the game, we all met at a sports bar in Scottsdale - Zipps - for dinner and a couple beers. This shot shows the group at Zipps having dinner before going to the game:

The game was scheduled to begin at 6:30 and this photo is of the national anthem - as seen from our location -  prior to the start:

Jason's team was first to bat as the visiting team and Jason walked in the first inning. This shot shows him attempting to bunt and move the runner on first:

This last shot is one of Jason taken after a hit and just prior to his stealing second base:

The home team was leading 4-2 in the fifth inning when we left the game at around 8 PM to go home - Josie had to work today, so we didn't want to stay too late.

We said our goodbyes to Patty, Mark and the boys at the game and they were scheduled to leave on an early flight to Chicago this morning. I hope to hear from Patty once they get home to make sure all is well. We are all looking forward to the time when they all can move to AZ and be close to us again...

Lake Pleasant Visit

The plan for yesterday was for Brian to take his motorhome and his boat to Lake Pleasant for a couple days of fun on the lake. It was early afternoon by the time he got everything hitched and arrived to set up at the Lake Pleasant State Park. We didn't get there until later in the day when Josie got off work and by that time, the boys had already had some time waterskiing.

We took some shots of the nice time we had which included a barbecue and visiting along the lake:

The boys spent the night in Brian's motorhome and, I'm sure, revisited the Lake in the boat today.

We are all meeting again tonight for the final night of Patty's visit. There is a baseball game at the high school (Jason's team) and we will also have a final dinner before saying goodbyes. The week went so fast I can hardly believe the final night has arrived. It was a wonderful week and one that we will always remember. Hopefully, we will be in a new home (for us) for the next visit and Patty and her family can stay with us. We so much appreciate the time and effort by Amy and Brian.

Along those lines, I picked up Josie at work this morning so that we could sign the final papers for the sale of our home in Glendale. I took her back to work where she will be until probably 5 PM this afternoon. The buyers sign this weekend and the sale will be consummated on Monday. Hallelujah!!

Unexpected Detours

Yesterday was a day of surprises and of unexpected problems. First of all, I should mention that I dropped my phone in a parking lot on Monday which cracked the screen on the face of the phone. I wanted to get that repaired yesterday. I went to Verizon to accomplish that task and they sent me to a repair company - UbreakIfix .

While driving there, I received a phone call from our real estate agent informing me that there was a problem with the HOA report on our Glendale home that is scheduled to close on Monday. The HOA reported that there was an outstanding violation and our closing was not going to happen until it was removed. I spent the next hour in the parking lot at the repair shop, talking to all the parties involved - HOA, the Title Co and the real estate agent - trying to get it resolved. It seems that the HOA wanted to make sure that the buyer knew that he would be required to paint the home within the next 12 months. Sheesh. My real estate agent said to get my phone repaired and then call him back later while he worked the problem.

I went into the repair shop only to discover that they no longer repaired Samsung phones - as of 1 week ago. When I got back into my car, the phone died - completely. Obviously, I needed to have the use of my phone in order to handle the problem with the house. It was back to Verizon where the only fix I could get immediately was to purchase a new phone. Our phones were only three months from being at end of contract, so it didn't cost an arm and a leg to upgrade it to the next model (Samsung S8) which I did. In about two hours, I had a new phone and was able to connect with our agent who reported that the problem was resolved by getting a signed letter from the buyer stating that they knew that they would have to paint the home within the next 12 months.

It was not the way I planned to spend the day.

Patty and her family hung out following a visit to ASU for a tour with the boys. It was worth their time and they ended up enjoying the day.

Today's schedule involves time at Lake Pleasant where the plan is to go out in Brian's boat. Josie works and I will have to finish the conversion to my new phone before joining the group. It will certainly be a better day...

Patty's Birthday Celebration

We had a great afternoon and evening yesterday celebrating Patty's birthday. Mark and Brandon arrived in the morning and all of us got together again at Brian and Amy's house to begin the birthday celebration.

The boys, of course, were having a great time in the pool and enjoying the warm sunshine. It was a pleasant change from the cold, snowy, winter weather in the Chicago area:

All of us enjoyed a visit on the patio before going to dinner:

The restaurant that was selected for Patty's birthday dinner was one that was an Italian restaurant (Oregano's) in Cave Creek. We traveled there in three vehicles and arrived at around 5:30 PM to discover that there were - no parking spaces available and a 2 1/2 hour wait for seating for dinner. That was not expected for a Monday night. Brian and Amy made a couple phone calls and it was decided that we would change the dinner location to a nice Mexican restaurant - El Encantado Dos - that only had an hour waiting time. Actually, we arrived there and immediately found seating in the lounge area and were able to get service right away. It was a terrific dinner and we had the hostess take this photo of the group as we were leaving:

There were 14 of us which made for a nice (mini) family reunion.

Following dinner, we all returned to Brian and Amy's for some birthday cake. It was a perfect ending to a fun day.

Here is a shot of Patty's birthday cake:

and a couple nice shots of Patty and Patty and Mark:

Debby is flying home this morning and Josie goes back to work but we still have some fun activities planned so stay tuned...

Breather

Everybody took a day off yesterday to catch their breath and catch up on some chores. Patty got some relaxation and sunshine while spending much of the day by the pool. We had some activities that needed to be done before Josie goes back to work on Tuesday.

There was a visit in the morning yesterday to another house that was just listed in Sun City that we wanted to check. It turned out that the house didn't measure up to the description or the photos and we were not impressed. We followed that with a trip to Costco to pick up my new glasses and then to Kay Jewelers at the Mall to get Josie's ring repaired - again. She lost another (3rd) diamond from the band and it is getting to be a regular event. The location of the missing diamond can be seen in the shot below:

We are concerned that this is going to be a constant problem with her ring and feel that this should not be an issue. Josie is afraid to wear the ring and that is not a good situation.

Other chores were done in the afternoon and we are ready to celebrate Patty's birthday today - Happy Birthday to our wonderful daughter. The plan is to go out for dinner tonight with everybody which will include Mark and Brandon who arrive in town this morning.

Already the week is going by too fast...

Barbecue Day

The day yesterday included a barbecue with more friends. The family friends of Cot, Lois and their daughter and her family were invited and we had a house full of folks for the fun cookout. The second day of Patty's visit was again filled with lots of food, drink and family fun.

These shots were taken during the afternoon. The first is of the crowd as we all sat around the table having conversation and enjoying the visit. Again, I had to take two shots in order to get everybody in the picture:

The boys were outside in the front where the basketball net was located and we took this shot as we visited them following some of their activity:

This week will not be one for anybody trying to remain on a diet. So far, we have had more than a normal share of food and beverages. But, that is what family visits are all about.

There will be a little different schedule today. We have to take a trip to Costco to pick up my glasses which are finally ready. Also, we spotted a new listing of a home in Sun City that we wanted to see, so we will meet our real estate agent at 11 this morning to visit that home. I'm sure we will connect with Patty and the family later in the day.

Tomorrow, the rest of her family arrives and there will be more activities that involve the whole family. There are some trips scheduled that will create some different and fun activities.

It has certainly been a great visit so far...

First Day of Visit

Everyone arrived ok and on time at the airport yesterday. We picked up Patty, Jordan and Debby at around 11:45 and managed to get everybody plus the luggage in our car without too much hassle.

We made the first stop at the In-N-Out Burger shop just south of Anthem for some lunch before heading to the game at Jason's high school. We had the usual good burgers and sat outside on this beautiful day to enjoy them:

Following a quick stop at our RV to show everybody where we spend our time, we made it to the high school in time to meet George, Cheryl and Brian and Amy. The game was won by Jason's team but not without a huge disappointment for us. Jason - and all the other regular starters - were given the game off so that the reserves could get some playing time. Therefore, we didn't have an opportunity to watch Jason play. It was a tournament that ended yesterday and the coaching staff wanted to give the other players a chance to play which we completely understand. It's just too bad that the game chosen was the one we watched.

We all went back to Brian and Amy's for an excellent lasagna dinner and visited until after 8 PM last night. Here are a few shots of the group around the table, enjoying the terrific weather.

Starting with the three boys that were there - Jordan, David Jr, and Jason:

I had to get two shots of the entire group around the table in order to get everybody in the shot:

Brian was in the house preparing food so we missed him in this shot.

We get to do it again today as we have a BBQ scheduled for this afternoon and expect to have several more guests, including Cot, Lois and one of their daughter's and her husband.

The week is underway and we expect to have many more photos throughout the week of all the activities that are planned. We definitely got off to a good start yesterday...

Fun Day Ahead

The day has arrived when Patty's Spring Break vacation with her family begins. She and Jordan will arrive at around 11:30 this morning along with Debby's flight from LA. We will go to the high school in Anthem for Jason's baseball game at 2 PM with a stop beforehand at the In-and-Out Burger shop along the way for some lunch. Following the game, we will all go to Brian and Amy's for dinner where Cheryl has prepared (according to the input I received) a lasagna dinner. It is the kickoff for a week of fun with our families. Mark and Brandon arrive on Monday. I will try to get lots of photos of all the activities.

The weather forecast for the week is relatively good. There is no rain in sight with the temperatures from the low 70's to mid 80's all week which is very good for this time of the year. It should be a great time for all.

Josie will take today and Monday off from work and will try to get more time during the week if possible. She is caught up in the Easter holiday activity at work and may have some conflicts, but will do the best she can to get more time. There are lots of fun things planned, so here goes...

Response Time Frustration

There haven't been too many occasions when the slower response times on the internet - due to our exceeding the 4G data limit with Verizon- has resulted in such frustration. I have been on my computer for over 45 minutes and I have not even completed the normal activities that take less than half that time every day. It has also impacted my ability to get this blog entry completed as I continually get error  messages while trying to save the data. I think I'll just make it a short entry as the data limit resets tomorrow and I get the 4G back again.

Tomorrow is the day that Patty, Jordan and Debby arrive for their visit. We are sure looking forward to seeing them...

Replacement Card

Josie's appointment yesterday for her back was for a consultation and not another shot as I had mistakenly reported. The program she is following calls for these checks after each shot, leading up to the final step which is the Ablation. The insurance doesn't cover that procedure without performing all the steps leading up to the final action. She now has another shot scheduled which will most likely be the final one before the Ablation.

I was happy to receive my replacement debit card from Bank of America yesterday at 10:30 AM. They were super responsive to the fraudulent use of my card over the weekend and they issued the card and credited the fraudulent transaction immediately after it occurred. It's nice to know that they are watching out for people. It use to be that there were several fraudulent transactions occurring before the discovery.

We received our copy of the Title Report yesterday for our house which takes us another step closer to the close. Everything still is on track and we are still confident that the close will take place on time.

The projected weather forecast is for 90 degrees tomorrow - the first day of 90 for the year. It is only going to be for the one day though, as the Friday forecast is for cooler and possibly "breezy" weather. No matter what the weather, it will most likely be better than the Naperville weather for all of next week during Patty's family visit...

Data Limits

We love Verizon for our telephone and internet use except when we reach the allotted data use under their "unlimited" data program. Yeah, there is no charge for going over the 15MB allotment for 4G access, but once you exceed the allotment, your internet access slows dramatically to 600 Kbps. We have reached that point with three days to go before the new cycle begins and we return to 4G access. In the meantime, we have to struggle with slow response times. As far as I know, Verizon is the only company that does that with their unlimited data program but Verizon is the largest and best and can get away with doing that. I do know that Verizon has saved us on many occasions while traveling in remote areas over the years, so we shouldn't complain.

Josie has another shot scheduled today at 7:30 AM. This will, hopefully, be the last before they decide on a different approach to her back problems. These shots have resulted in some improvements, but not to the extent that she is painless. Her problem is mostly the result of being on her feet all day, every day, and the only solution to that is retirement. Maybe someday soon.

It appears that summer is just around the corner as it is suppose to hit 90 for the first time this year on Thursday. It should only be for one day before retreating back into the 80's, but it is a sure sign that the A/C will be cranking up very soon...

More Fraud

Our day yesterday was tarnished with the message from Bank of America that unusual activity had occurred with our debit card. Sure enough, it was used at a Circle K store in Phoenix where we had never been. We used our card once at a Circle K on Lake Pleasant Hwy on Saturday and again at the Fry's store on Lake Pleasant Hwy on the same day. I give Bank of America lots of credit for picking up the fraudulent use of the card in such short time. Of course, my card was cancelled and a new card is being overnighted by tomorrow. Josie and I have decided that we will never use the debit card again unless absolutely necessary. From now on, we will identify one credit card to use solely for the purpose of buying gas, groceries and other small items. Fraudulent use of credit (debit) cards has become so rampant that it is difficult to do business the way you prefer. I don't like carrying a lot of cash, so that is not a solution for me.

We are getting ready for Patty and her family's visit over the Spring Break week beginning this coming Friday. She and Jordan will arrive on Friday - along with Debby from LA - at around 11:30 and Mark and Brandon will arrive on Monday following important business over the weekend. It's too bad we are not in a house right now, but we will be for the next visit - hopefully. Brian and Amy have opened up their home to them for the week which is appreciated and should be fun for all of us. It has been a long time since we have had so much of the family together.

It's two weeks from today that we close on our Glendale home...

House Hunting Day

We had a great day yesterday visiting some homes in Sun City. There were a couple of them that we could very easily pursue with offers but we are hesitating to make any moves. The real reason is that we have the "big" contingency on the sale of our home which we hope will occur on April 2. Any offer that we would submit on a home would carry that contingency and, even though we are confident that it will go smoothly, folks that are trying to sell their homes will most likely not want to take their homes off the market until we are ready. We are certainly not in any position to make offers without the contingency on our home. Besides, we want to make sure there are no surprises, cash wise, in the sale of our home. We already have had the one surprise with the appraisal coming in short of the purchase price. Let it be known that there are some good buys in Sun City and we could easily become homeowners in that town.

We have also decided that we will stay here at Pioneer RV Resort until we make a move on another house. It may mean selling our RV first, or may not, but we have to make sure there is a solution for the RV. The Sun City RV storage facility does not have available space at this time and we would need to make sure there is an acceptable solution for that problem. It is also not feasible to go to Jackson without the ability to tow our fifth wheel. There is always the third party tow company - Bulldog Transport, for one - that can tow our rig there and back. The cost for that is too high to justify working only four months in the area. They are looking at two days each way at a cost of around $1800 each. With our going to a schedule of working only 4 days per week this year, it is tough to justify.

So, it is back to making sure the house sale goes smoothly and trying to devise a workable plan for the future...

Back on Track

Our pool service guy made a special trip to the house yesterday. He diagnosed the pool light problem as a bad switch and replaced it to fix that problem. The buyer has accepted our response to repair the pool light and to replace the GFVC switch on the patio and to not receive the pool vacuum replacement. Also, there is agreement to split the difference from the appraisal and we each will contribute $1K to the final number. So, we are back on track and still expect to close on April 2.

We are looking forward to viewing 5 more houses in Sun City today with our real estate agent. We have lowered our requirements to more affordable homes. The more we thought about our requirements, the more we wanted to make sure that we didn't strap ourselves with a high mortgage payment that would not allow us to fully enjoy retirement. I think we have it under control at this point, so we will see what happens today.

My new glasses were ordered yesterday from Costco and I will get those in about two weeks. In the meantime, I will just use a pair of "readers" and not wear glasses full time. I have gotten used to wearing glasses so I can't wait to get the replacements...

Hiccup in Closing Process

The big news from yesterday is that there were a couple small problems in the closing process on our house. The inspection was completed with only a few very minor repairs requested. One is a GFCI switch on the patio that needs to be replaced and another is the pool light which is out. Our pool guy will go today to see if it just needs a new bulb. The other request is for a replacement to the stolen pool vacuum which we will not replace - only to have it stolen again. Actually, that is something that the new owners should obtain anyway as there are so many different options on those vacuum's and they should select their own.

The other problem - although a bit more serious, is still no big deal. The appraisal came in $2K below our contracted price. We will offer to split the difference with the buyer as they are getting lots of personal property (garage shelves, shed, washer, dryer, etc.) in the deal. The good news is that we are still on schedule for the April 2 close and the major steps have been completed.

I also got my prescription for my new glasses yesterday. There is a slight correction for distance and I will have standard 2.50 readers as part of the new prescription. I hope to get to Costco today and order new lenses.

Our weekend is shaping up as we will again visit some homes in Sun City with our real estate agent. We are getting closer to zeroing in on an action plan...

Full Circle

The process that all started last October is finally coming to an end. After two surgeries on my eyes and a total of 8 appointments, my final appointment is today. I will receive a final eye checkup and walk out with a new prescription for glasses. I really don't need any for distance viewing, but I hate the thought of carrying around "reader" glasses after getting used to wearing glasses full time. If I'm not wearing them all the time, I will lose them for sure. So, I will opt for glasses with no distance correction, but have readers on the lower portion. I'm sure glad that the process is ending. Of course, it really doesn't end until I finally get the new glasses.

We are still looking closely at Sun City home options and will make a decision soon on how we are going to proceed. There are all kinds of implications and long term impact of any decision we make. I'm sure it will all work out and we will be happy with whatever direction we go.

Josie had a first yesterday at work when she made a birthday cake out of flowers for a customer. This is how it turned out:

Daisies, mums, roses and carnations make a nice cake. What a neat idea...

Sizing the Market

It appears that the real estate market in Sun City is beginning to stabilize - as far as turnover. There are very few new listings that have come on the market this past week which is a noticeable slowdown from a couple weeks ago. The closer we get to April, the slower it will become. I don't know what the percentage is of people in that town that are snowbirds, but it must be huge. All that means to us at this point is that if we are going to do something, the choices will not be increasing very much - if at all. The market is so different in Sun City because there are no families with children and there are no schools, so the summer becomes, basically, a dead real estate market. The good part of that situation is that it is probably a great time to negotiate a sale.

All of that doesn't matter if we find the one that appeals to us. We are sorting through some good choices that remain, and we may be making an offer on one sometime soon. Once again though, we need to be careful with the contingencies surrounding the sale of our property. We may be better off waiting until our house closes and we have the money in the bank. That is rolling the dice as there may be slim pickings by then.

In the meantime, we have some terrific sunsets to see each night. Here is a shot that Josie took last night of one of the fantastic Arizona sunsets:

Pre Qualification Letter

We were able to get a new pre qualification letter for a mortgage yesterday. All that means is that a lender has done a cursory check of your finances and doesn't see any major roadblocks to getting a mortgage for any home that falls within that price range of approval. It is a fairly good range for the homes in Sun City, but we are looking at some that are close to the limit. Unless we win the lottery, we will have to be careful in how we go about making offers on houses. We aren't even sure at this point if that is the direction we want to go. One of the biggest problems we have is to determine a time frame for closing on any property. With the contingency still remaining on our house, we don't want to jump the gun even though we feel confident that it will close on time. We have been wrong before. At any rate, the pre qualification letter is good through the middle of June.

It's hard to believe, but we are already almost half-way through March. The snowbirds will be leaving soon, and we will be turning on the air conditioners. The summers are the only part of living here that I really don't like, but until we can afford the house in Hawaii, this appears to be the best of the affordable choices. Also, Jackson is still up in the air for this year, pending decisions and activities regarding our housing situation...

Chasing Answers

We spoke with the realtor yesterday from Sun City and he is chasing answers to questions we discussed on Saturday. He wasn't able to find out anything regarding the RV parking/storage issue as those people didn't work (?) over the weekend. Also, there were some issues, namely the impact fee that is charged to every new homeowner in Sun City. There is a $3500 fee that has some question regarding how it is paid - as part of the mortgage or separately as part of the closing costs. Clarification needs to be made on that. There are other minor questions to be answered, but suffice it to say we are interested in putting something together.

One particular house stood out, and a second is also a good fit for us. I will be talking to a couple lenders today to see what is available. We already had a preapproval for a mortgage, but it expired with the long sale cycle on our house. It should not be a major effort getting another one, but this one will have to be slightly larger than the first. The entire process is complicated because we have a contingency on our house - it must close along with the buyer's home on the same day. We believe that will happen with no problems. I hope we are right on that score. There is a risk, of course, that with any delay in a new purchase it could result in losing our deposit. It is also a race to get these issues resolved prior to all the good homes being taken and all the snowbirds going home, leaving a dried up market for the summer.

In the meantime, we continue our normal schedules with Josie's work and my final eye appointment scheduled for Thursday...

Looking in Sun City

We met the realtor - Ira Schneider - from Award Realty in Sun City at 10 AM yesterday. He had 5 houses lined up for us to visit that were in a specific area of Sun City that we were interested in seeing. They were also on lots with specific requirements so that we could narrow down our search for what might be a fit for us.

Sun City takes in a large area with all kinds of homes - townhomes, condos, duplexes, single homes - that are located in various parts of the city. The homes are old - mostly built in the 1960's - but most have been renovated and updated quite a bit. There are some great buys in Sun City and we saw some of them yesterday. There were a couple of favorites that the realtor is following up on with questions for us. One of the most important questions to be answered is what do we do with our RV? If that were to become the plan for us, I would be forced to forget any hope of keeping our RV at the house. The Sun City Storage facility is totally filled and nobody knows when space will be freed for other units. There are always outside, public storage facilities that cost somewhat more than the Sun City arrangement. The beauty of Sun City is the location - convenient to everything - and the fact that taxes are low (no schools) and the HOA is nonexistent in the areas we were looking. We are taking a serious look at life in Sun City.

All of this activity brings us back to the fact that our window is closing more each day for planning for the summer and beyond...

Sports Update

It was a disappointing last few days for all Seahawks fans. One of the main links to the great defense - Michael Bennett - was traded to the Eagles. God bless the Eagles. And, the great all-pro defensive back - Richard Sherman - was released. He has had both Achilles heels repaired and the Seahawks don't believe he can deliver $11 million worth of annual production anymore. He will be missed. I guess these things always happen with all teams, but it is difficult to see how these holes will be filled. It is that time of the year when most teams make adjustments to remain strong. There have been many key changes, including most coaches, that should make it an interesting year for the Seahawks.

We are going to visit houses today with a realtor in Sun City. There are several that we want to view as possibilities for our next home and represents one of the options we are looking at for the future. There are lots of things happening now as far as planning for our next move. Our home sale is moving along and we hope to keep the April 2 closing date. That is only about three weeks away. The window is closing to get decisions finalized for the summer season. One day, you may be reading about our plans as they become finalized...

Inspection Period Begins

Yesterday was the start of the 10 day inspection period on our house. The prospective new owners have the 10 day period to perform inspections and identify any problems, if any, and request (in writing) any repairs that would need to be performed. We are confident that there are no items that need attention and that the inspection will be accepted without any required repairs. If not, the repairs will most likely be minor and not impact the sales cycle. This is a major phase of the sale - along with the appraisal. As the old saying goes: it ain't over till it's over. The fact that the new owners will need to close on their own sale at the same time will be an advantage to us in our timeframe.

Of course, the (successful) sale of our home is the most important event for us right now. We will be exploring other options during the sale process. For example, we have a meeting scheduled with a realtor on Saturday to show us some properties in Sun City which is an option we have discussed. Of course, none of those will provide the ability for us to keep our RV next to the house. The fifth wheel would have to be stored in the Sun City RV storage facility which we have used before when we lived in Sun City Grand. It is very inexpensive - around $100 per year - and is convenient. Although not the first choice, it would be an option that may be acceptable if we are not able to store it at our home.

At any rate, we are rethinking our commitment to return to Jackson. There are more changes that we have heard about, including higher costs for our site at the Elk Refuge. We need to find out those details...

Contract!

It's official. We have a purchase contract on our house. As luck would have it, we had multiple offers yesterday. After going 57 days with hardly any activity, we had two offers come in within just a few hours of each other. The first was almost an insult at nearly $17K below our asking price, but the second one was within $10K, had great terms and a short close which will be April 2. The buyer has lots of cash and we agreed on a purchase of $5K below our asking price. The only glitch is a contingency that he needs to close on his existing house on the same day as ours - a double close. His agent assured us that everything was moving along smoothly and there should not be any problem with his existing house. This buyer currently lives only a couple miles from the house but he only wanted to look in Rovey Farm Estates where they have several friends.

The fact that we finally have a contract on our house provides tons of relief for us. Especially, knowing that our mortgage payments and all the associated expenses will end very soon. We will be able to get on with a plan for our next step, which may include purchasing another home. The thought of getting rid of our storage unit has great appeal. There are several options that we will consider, including staying here over the summer, forgoing Jackson, and spending the summer moving into and getting settled in another home.

It sure feels good to be able to begin looking at options that we can actually attach dates to and move forward to make happen...

Doctors and Another Offer

Both of Josie's appointments were satisfied yesterday. It took all day to complete the eye exam and the shots that she received in her back. We killed some time between the appointments driving around some areas in Sun City to check out homes. There are some very good deals on some older homes in that city. We aren't sure if that is the kind of environment we want, but it is hard not to look at the potential. I think that a place on one of the golf courses would be the only possible option if we were to pursue anything there.

The second offer on our house actually was delivered to us during the night and we saw it for the first time this morning. Our first reaction is that it is an investor trying to "steal" the house. The couple has lots of cash and are asking for us to essentially give it away. The offer is far below what we would ever consider. We will make a counter offer, but don't expect them to accept anything much higher than their offer. We will see.

The other disturbing news is that the offer asked us to replace the missing pool vacuum cleaner. It was there on Monday when our pool service was performed. This is the second pool vacuum that we have had stolen since we acquired the house. That is another reason why I could never move back into the house. The neighborhood is very prone to thefts of front porch furniture and pool equipment. We suspect that much of these problems can be attributed to landscapers who are always in and out of the neighborhood.

Stay tuned for updates...

Day of Appointments Today

There wasn't much happening yesterday except the report from our open houses on Friday and Saturday were uneventful. There were six groups that went through the house with familiar comments - nice floor plan, clean, nice area, nice yard. There was also another showing by an agent on Sunday but we have no feedback yet on that visit. We will remain patient.

Today is a big day for Josie as she took the day off for a couple of appointments. The first one is at 7:45 AM for her eyes. The second one is early this afternoon for her back. I will have to take her to both appointments as she will get drops in her eyes at the first appointment, and will get a shot in her back at the second appointment that may briefly immobilize her.

Not much else happening, so have a good day...

Oscars Night

We watched the opening monologue of the Oscars last night and as soon as the presentations started, we switched channels. It appeared to us that the night would be filled with political and social speeches for the "causes" of the day - and it was from the reviews we saw this morning. We really don't mind if folks have opinions to express but, nowadays, everybody wants to lead a charge to change the world. It is kind of disgusting to take away the true meaning of the awards show to provide a platform for political and social reform. Someday - but not likely - we may look at the tape that we made of the show.

We don't have any update yet on the open houses that were held at our home over the weekend. We did discover this morning that our competitor on the same street as ours received a contract over the weekend and the home was removed from the market. That should give us more exposure and improve our chances a little bit. That house did not have a pool and was priced about $20K less than ours. Of course, we have no idea what the accepted offer looked like.

The beat goes on, so to speak...

In Limbo

We continue to do our normal chores and we go on with business as usual during this time of uncertainty. I have been making some good progress on my stitching project and Josie has begun crocheting an afghan for a child that is due by one of her co-workers. There was a trip to the store yesterday to replenish some items and we watched some of our old western movies that we have taped over the last several months. There was some golf thrown in as the World Golf Championship this week is being played in Mexico. Phil Mickelson is near the top on the leaderboard and I will certainly be cheering for him today.

Supposedly, the third open house of the weekend is being held at our property today. The feedback is not really significant unless it includes a potential offer. We will get that feedback tomorrow.

Don't forget, tonight is the Oscar presentations. We have no idea who most of the nominees are and we haven't seen or have much knowledge about any of the movies this year. So, we will most likely just tape the show in case there are some noteworthy events during the show...

A Different March Madness

The month of March is known for March Madness with the college basketball tournament to find a national champion. We are facing a different kind of madness in trying to maintain control of a schedule that is dependent upon the sale of our house. If we don't get another offer fairly soon, we will be looking at placing it, once again, on the rental market. We have to know fairly soon how to plan for the summer. A lot of our planning will depend on what happens with the house. Although we had no problems with the previous tenant, anytime you have strangers in your house you don't know how responsible they are. It is a crap-shoot every time. The other part of that situation is that we never know what the HOA is going to request and we are due for an exterior painting fairly soon. We don't want to get caught up in any of those issues.

We are entering the final phase of appointments for the season. Josie only has a couple of appointments left and I have one to get a new prescription for eyeglasses. That will be a relief when we get all of those done. That is a major factor in returning here each winter - all of our doctors and medical records are here. It can be a real hassle if we have to use other medical options. With only two months to go, we have a lot on our plate...

No Deal

We waited until the time that the response to our counter offer was due and there was no contact with the buyer's agent. Our agent, Richard, contacted them again two hours after the time limit and received this reply:

"Hi Richard, I apologize, unfortunately my buyers will not be moving forward with the purchase. 

They thought it was a very good offer but they are actually trying to work out a family issue at this moment and have decided to postpone their home buying all together.

I thank you so much for your time and I am sorry it did not work out."

It was not the news we expected, nor was it the news we wanted to hear. We are not surprised though, as they acted strangely throughout the negotiations. We have to start over now, but the good news is we may get an offer that is closer to our asking price. Of course, the other bad news is that we had one slip away that could have solved a lot of problems. We have no idea now what will happen as we lose more time.

There are three open houses scheduled this weekend, beginning today and ending on Sunday. Maybe we will get something positive out of this weekend. Right now, we are a bit bummed...

Still Negotiating

We still have no contract yet from our offer yesterday on our house. We submitted a counter offer yesterday and they responded with another counter offer. It is almost like a game at this point as we again submitted another counter offer to theirs. Evidently, this couple that is wanting to buy our house is only approved for a mortgage amount just below what we are asking. We know the adage that a bird-in-hand is better than two in the bush, and we know that we are running out of time to get things done before the summer, so we are trying to work with them. We are very close to an agreement and hope to have one today. It was made clear to them that this was our final offer. If necessary, we will continue to market the home for another couple of weeks before turning it into a rental for another year if no immediate qualified buyer is found. There is no rush to give away the house. At this point, we believe we will get it done today.

Should the deal come together today, the 29th of March is their projected closing date. That is a very aggressive date with any FHA loan that normally requires at least 45 days to process. Our hats are off to them if they can pull it off. We certainly will help any way we can to make it happen on time. They submitted a pre-qualification form with their offer, so work has already begun on a loan. That amount for which they pre-qualified is almost right on the amount required to support the current negotiations.

Stay tuned, and have a happy March...