May 19, 2009

5:30 p.m.

SKWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

We got it!! We got House!!

We put in a bid Sunday evening for $50,000 less than the asking price, and Angela asked for a response in 24 hours because "my client has several other historic houses she's very interested in." By 5pm the next day we hadn't heard, but Angela called later and said he'd responded saying he couldn't go lower than $25,000 below his asking price. I was deflated. I got tipsy and watched an old MST3K episode that was only partially funny. Somebody had said Mercury was retrograde and suddenly I believed everything ever said about things going wrong in these phases. I felt afraid for the first time. I didn't have my groove. So I went to bed early.

I had dreams...

I woke up with a very clear conviction, that I belonged in this house, I was supposed to be in this house, it was mine and there had to be a way to get it. I went to work with that attitude.

On the way to work, Marc outlined a plan he'd hatched with Angela, that we say, okay, we'll bid your $XXX but subject to a full inspection. Then the inspection "uncovers" all these issues and we go back to the drawing board.

I spoke with Angela a bit later and in fact she'd had a nice long conversation with Son's realtor last night, and they'd both agreed that he should meet us halfway. "He's got a golden bidder," Angela said. "Someone already bank approved, who doesn't have a property to sell, and has turned in a check... who will take the house without an inspection (except for termites). Where is he going to find another person like this?"

Of course they don't have to know that Marc has already inspected the house, more than once, and we already know what we're getting into.

Son's realtor said she was going to wait a day or two before calling him, because she knew he doesn't make decisions fast and she wanted him to be able to mull it all over first. But no sooner had I hung up with Angela, and reported all this to Marc, than she called back saying Son had called in and agreed to meet us halfway between our offer and his "lowest" price.

So there it was!

I'm still stunned. I called Dar to tell him and the moment I opened my mouth to say we'd bought a house for $XXX, HIS PHONE DIED. He has a new phone that came with a short-life battery and he just hadn't gotten a bigger battery yet, and it died as the words were coming out of my mouth. I called back and left him the message, but I couldn't get him on the phone for a few hours then, and I got all wound up thinking he was freaking out over the price. After all, I had accepted spontaneously without calling him and double checking! But in the end it was fine; it was just his phone, and he called me later from home. All is good. My Goddess, we got the house. Ay yi yi. I got some packin' to do.

Thank you everyone for all your good wishes and crossed fingers!! It helped!