Brain Addled by Heat

Various thoughts going through my head on this too, too hot day. Nearly 100F. Yes I do have air which is why I’m not leaving the apartment.
I once ate at an upscale Deli-style trendy restaurant in Grand Rapids. Ordered their tuna salad sandwich. This is usually a very safe choice in restaurants one is not familiar with. but what came was certainly a surprise! It was tuna salad made with elbow macaroni served on thick slices of white bread! What nutritionally deficient person thought this up? After expressing shock at pasta on bread, I didn’t have time to wait for something new so just ate the tuna salad. Never went there again.
My new realtor, the Dashing Derek, wants me to wait two weeks when he should have this new listing. The house is just “perfect for you”. I have no other information about it – not city, no square footage, no real idea why it is perfect for me. This is coming for someone whose never met me and has never experienced showing a house with me. Hmmmmmm-mmmmm.
Meanwhile another house I was interested in, but couldn’t see because of some snafu with the bank re short sale, Derek at least got the scoop on. Sold last Dec. as a short sale, sheriff sale happened in May, is now a Fannie Mae home; listing soon as a foreclosure. Meanwhile is continues showing up as an active real estate listing. What a convoluted process.
I got pissed at a guy shooting off fireworks outside my building last night. Naively I went out and asked him to stop. He was firing off rockets from a metal cylinder on the ground. Little embers dropping everywhere. The ensuing dialogue did not go well. Best of all were his excuses: “Like I’m not the only one doing it” and the best “I’m just being patriotic.” You get the dumb prize. And he was shooting fireworks from a cylinder he was holding while standing next to his baby mama holding the child. Could have been his girlfriend, lover, sister, but unlikely his wife. Need to cull the gene pool.
My mother paid for the wedding dress for her oldest granddaughter back in 1996. She also paid for the youngest at her wedding in 2005 or 6. Get this, after grandmother paid for the wedding dress, the brat returned it, lost money or the return and went and purchased a new wedding dress never telling her grandmother anything. What a mingebox! And now the middle granddaughter is getting married. I don’t know if my mother purchased her dress; she has chosen to exclude all of her family from any info about the wedding. We weren’t sure we would be invited to the ceremony. This is the deal where the celebration is two days after the wedding. And we first got the invite to the celebration five weeks ago. The wedding invite arrived 10 days ago.
I’m depressed even more. Not only about not finding a house, but I checking my IRA investments. They are down even lower than two years ago. Nothing I do trying to rebalance helps. What a fucking all around mess. And not even any World Cup Games until tomorrow.

Too Many Choices

I accepted the counteroffer and not comes the tension filled days where I want to see what problems will arise from home inspection, appraisal, timing. And I have to find some place to live. It is far too difficult to try to bid on a new house and time it to coincide with the sale of this house. I learned that last September. So I’ll rent, right? Renting a house, provided I can find one that will take a short-term tenant with pets, will run me about $1,000 per month. This in a market where houses are going for $40,000! So should I just buy a cheap house to keep for investment purposes until I find a house I really want? And can I do this all with a closing date only two weeks away? And will my buyers demand a price decrease for a new roof? Worse, what if the appraisal comes in low?
Stay tuned in for Showdown in Alamo.

And the Offer is….

Got not one but two offers on the house! The second offer drove the first up. Still have two obstacles: getting the house appraisal and house inspection. I provided the buyer the inspection report from that failed offer last fall. At least I know what problems were identified and believe me, those house inspectors go over every shit thing to earn their fee.
Now I will have to deal with the actually moving. Major life change. As wonderful as it is to have my own woods, pond, stream, privacy, it’s becoming too much work, and I want the convenience of life in the city. Yes it comes with inconveniencies, but everything has a trade off. And there are the finances – I will not have any mortgage going forward. A real retiree. Now there is the health care problem to deal with…