and the beat goes on...
I have been too disgusted since my last entry to even attempt to write, but I feel the need for an "update" of sorts, so here goes...

Shortly after my last entry, and while my house was being painted/carpet cleaned, it was burglarized as well. Of course, it was one of the workmen, but try to prove that. The detective agrees, the realtor agrees, everyone involved "knows," but unless someone saw who did it, or the one(s) who did it say they did it, I know it'll never be proven.

They took my refrigerator (which I liked a lot), and various electronics that I had stored in the garage. Carefully picked through things, which points to someone(s) who had time alone and free access. Total damages: about 4,000.00.

But I have homeowner's insurance, right? Ok. They'll cover it, minus a 500.00 deductible. And oh - that also means they're canceling my policy when the current one expires (2/1/04). You see, you need to have insurance, you're just not allowed to actually use it...

Well, I want to sell this house, which means that, sooner or later, I'd have had to put the rest of my stuff into storage anyway - this just sort of hurried it along. Ran and I loaded what boxes could fit into my and his cars, and brought what we could back here that same night. But I had trouble sleeping nonetheless, wondering if the thieves would return before we could load up the rest and cart it out of there. There was also a broken window to replace (the workmen - er, burglars - made a feeble attempt to make it look like an "outside job." They didn't fool anyone.

It took a while to figure out all that was missing, and so I haven't been paid yet.

Story goes on, and early last week, I started to think there might be some light at the end of this tunnel of hell, as about 8 or 9 people looked at the house, and I right away got two offers. Neither was exactly what I'd hoped for - one was too low, but for cash; the other was very high, but only because they wanted me to handle all closing costs, inspections, etc. - a total that was about 6,000.00. I made counteroffers to both, and Pete (realtor) sent them in by FAX. However, the next morning, another offer came in that sounded perfect. They offered list price, and asked for very few concessions. They wanted me to carry an insurance policy on the air conditioner for a year, and wanted me to repair anything an inspector might find wrong. Sounded very reasonable.

The inspector was there yesterday, and today the realtor called to say he found termites! The house was treated about a year ago - there is no way they should have returned this fast. Tomorrow I wait to hear from the people who treated the house, as my warranty apparently expired about 3 weeks ago *sigh*. Also listed were some minor plumbing things (a couple of little leaks in faucets, etc.), and one thing we're going to put a nix on: They seem to think the hot water heater should be replaced. Mind you, the house is only 8 years old. Realtor said "I don't think we'll be doing that!"

I'm trying to get through this with as little extra wear and tear on my nervous system as I can, but it seems there is always something unexpected coming up.

I'll write more as I find things out. Closing is supposed to be on 2/9. That is, if I can rebuild the house to make it brand new by then ...