The contract

I was a rock. I didn’t want to be taken to the cleaners over a house that I had an emotional attachment to….suddenly I had an epiphany. Oh my God! Did that creepy contractor go behind my back and put an offer on the blue house? It was awfully suspicious. All this time no offers on the blue post and beam, then the moment I bring him into it, poof, there’s an offer on the house. I wouldn’t put it past him. He did say it was a solid home. I felt sick to my stomach that I had trusted someone and was now being stabbed in the back.

I arrived at the Real Estate office in record time. I still had my price in my head. It wasn’t going anywhere. As I made my way into her office the agent was on her cell. She waved for me to have a seat across from her. The contract rested there, taunting me on the desk between us. I squinted to try to read it even though it was upside down…and what did my eyes behold?....why…the exact price I wanted for my home! Exact as in, bang on! It’s a divine sign I thought, as I pointed at it erratically. I watched the agent grin as she nodded her head yes. She finally finished her call. “Yes”, she said surprised. “They are offering what you wanted”. My agent obviously had let her know what absurd number I was expecting for my house.

She officially introduced herself and we cordially chatted for a brief time. Finally she started grazing through the contract. Along with the price, the buyers also wanted the kitchen appliances, which is normal and which I was expecting. Even though I had stated that I wanted to keep my washer and dryer (it was previously determined, as they were less than a year old). They also wanted those. They also wanted the stand up freezer downstairs. I told her I would accept the price and the kitchen appliances but I wanted to take my washer and dryer or no deal. The freezer had cost me $50.00 a year previously and the thought of moving the monstrosity made me offer it up with no hesitation. Not only that, I had another small chest freezer which was definitely sufficient for my needs. They could have the stand up freezer. I then asked the agent what odds she thought I had to get the blue house at this point in time.
“At the moment she said, you’ve got a 50/50 chance”. “The buyers have to accept this offer and then their financing has to go through”.
I was fully aware, as was the agent, the deal on my post and beam would fall through if this offer did not hold. Luckily and thankfully, there was a time clause in effect. I was glad my agent had originally put that in the contract. Who knew that this would happen? I’m sure the odds are very slim.

The agent made the call to the interested buyer’s agent. She explained the situation I was in and that it was imperative we speed this along in record time. The buyers accepted my terms within a half hour.
It’s interesting the emotions that go through you at this moment. I was elated and at the same time sad and at the same time petrified. Here I was selling a home that I had spent a good chunk of my life in. I had brought my children up in that home and I remember how I felt when originally purchasing it. A lot of love went into those four walls to put my stamp on it.

I instantly fast-forwarded to the near future and the work that was going to be involved in just the moving process. I also had to sell a lot of my furniture because the post and beam was smaller. I had a couple of short months to pack all my stuff up and move on out. Then, I thought, I have to renovate the blue house. Renovate? It’s that dirty word no one can actually relate to until they have actually done it. At least that’s what I was expecting because of reading about "other people’s experiences". What the hell was I thinking? Could I do this?......
Pen in hand, tears of joy and sadness rimming my lids, I signed on the dotted line.