Think back a few years and remember the excitement of purchasing that first home. Perhaps you shopped around with a realtor. Perhaps you answered ads in the newspaper. You looked and looked and when you found that one that fit you, you called your dad or Uncle Joe to take a look at it for you. An offer was made. Papers were signed. A closing took place and suddenly you were a proud homeowner.
Fast forward 40 years. My daughter and son-in-law are beginning the process of finding their first home but, of course, times have changed. My daughter is ‘holding down the fort’ in Michigan while her husband works in Louisiana and they’re hoping to buy in Florida. So the process goes something like this:
The realtor emails listings to the couple. The couple decides which houses they’d like Mom-in-Florida to drive by, take pictures, email them, and let them know if she thinks the house is worth a look inside. Once several houses receive the want-to-look-inside vote, the realtor is notified and again Mom-in-Florida, along with her patient and understanding sweetie, meet the realtor at each house for inside pictures that will again be emailed to the prospective buyers.
Finally, after narrowing houses down to a half dozen prospective homes, my daughter flies in from Michigan, son-in-law drives in from Louisiana and they take a tour of the Top Picks. If nothing is quite what they’re looking for the process starts all over again ,,,, and again ,,,, and again. More email, more homes to look at, more photos to be taken, more emails leading to more discussions with the realtor and more visits to view and photograph the interior of even more homes. It’s an exciting and strenuous process enjoyed equally by everyone involved, with the possible exception of the realtor.
FINALLY and offer is made and a contract written, via email of course. Mom breathes a sigh, thanking the heavens for the GPS that has been constantly in use during this shopping spree.
Happy ending? Not quite. A counter offer was made, by email of course.
Daughter in Michigan, son-in-law in Louisiana, realtor in Florida and Mom are all tired and stressed to the max. However, Daughter is definitely suffering the most as she has chosen this time to try to quit smoking. Those of us who have been through this process will realize that any minor setback can be as irritating as fingernails on a blackboard. You want to pull your hair out, run screaming into the street but instead, you have to stop stuffing candy or gum into your mouth long enough to answer yet another email.
Can you spell n-e-r-v-o-u-s- b-r-e-a-k-d-o-w-n because I think I see one on the horizon? I’ll be sure to email pictures.
© copyright Donna Hale Chandler
DONNA HALE CHANDLER
Author of:
LIFE HAPPENS (My Story)
BEGINNING TO BEGIN (Again
Co-Author of:
THE HINTS BOOK ALAMANAC
