Yes, Even Us Realtors Can Learn

It's funny, but it happened to me, having to list a house as just a client, not a Realtor and having to sit, wait and sift through the offers. Now I know how a lot of you feel, when you're put in the same position.

As the executor of my parents estate after they both passed away in 2009, I had to put their house on the market in their native New Hampshire. I carefully sorted thru Realtors and decided the way to go was through the only real estate office in their little town of Kingston, New Hampshire. So I selected an agent from that office and she knew her stuff and was very helpful. The house went on the market in mid October, 2009. Now this house needed some work and as it turned out, cost me about $15,000 to bring it up to snuff to pass an FHA inspection. We had innumerable offers along the way, many "lowballs" which were rejected and finally, in mid April, came an acceptable offer of full price on an FHA deal, $185,000, but I also had to pay about 5% in closing costs for the young buyers.

At first, closing was scheduled for "on or before May 21, 2010." As it turned out, some of the necessary work to get the house up to snuff, had to wait until the weather turned warmer, like exterior painting. So around May 1, I started getting all kinds of phone calls here in Michigan, from New Hampshire. My Realtor, my New Hampshire attorney, contractors wanting to talk about their work and also wanting to get paid. It got to be so bad, 8 or 9 calls a day from New Hampshire, I finally threw my hands up in disgust because it was interfering with my work here in Michigan. So I decided on May 12, I'd had enough and it was time to get out of Michigan and head to New Hampshire.

I arrived there a week before the anticipated closing was scheduled and there was still work to be done, like chimney and fireplace crack repairs ($2300), septic tank draining ($150) and yes, I even had to rent a dumpster for the driveway ($500). In the case of these 3 jobs, I had to be there because the contractors involved, would not take a credit card number over the phone. They needed me there, in person, to hand them a check, another good reason why I "got out of Dodge" so to speak and headed to the Granite State.

Finally, came the big day, Friday May 21. Well, in came the call from my Realtor. The mortgage for the buyer wasn't ready yet, we'll have to close Monday the 24th. Then came Monday the 24th and again, "the mortgage isn't ready yet, we'll now close no later than Wednesday the 26th." I actually was allowed to get involved with the buyers mortgage person. I told him, "we'd better close, because I don't want this to spill past Memorial Day weekend into June, as I've got to get back to Michigan." Well, it didn't close the 26th either, but, with some arm twisting by my Realtor, we got a closing scheduled for the 27th at 1230pm at the county registrar of deeds office.

Finally, a closing! Yeah!! It took less than an hour and I had my check. A quick trip to the cemetary to say goodbye to Mom and Dad (I'll be joining them there, but I hope not in the near future) and I had had enough of New Hampshire!! I took the check and deposited it in my Bank of America account (they are all over the place, even in New Hampshire) and then, I hit the freeway and headed back to Michigan, arriving back in Troy the night of May 28, after an overnight stay in Syracuse, New York. My own, personal real estate story, successfully completed, even if delayed by almost a week due to unforseen forces!

And now, I can sympathise with some of the issues my clients have to go through!