Well, after a day full of ups and downs, I'm proud to say that Chester and I are co-owners of an adorable little Nokomis-area house in Minneapolis. It has taken quite the interesting set of roads to get to this point, and for a heart-wrenching couple of hours we were so unsure that it was going to happen that we actually went to an Edina Realty office nearby and looked at other prospective houses (and finding a house that is person-owned versus foreclosure where the tenants would be willing to move within, oh, five minutes is a lot tougher than it might sound). Luckily the mechanic's lien was cleared up (turns out the sump pump-installing contractor wasn't willing to waive payment from the previous owner--who would've thought he'd want his money?) due to the listing agent giving up her commission in favor of getting things taken care of.
Although it was a tricky day, I was reminded of the definite goodness in some people (like the poor commissionless agent). I've talked to our loan officer so much over the phone that when I finally got to meet him today, it was like greeting an old friend. Our realtor has been fantastic from the beginning, and we were reminded of that when we watched her tenaciously make arrangements with aforementioned loan officer to get the large and looming pile of junk out of our brand new driveway (apparently Previous Owner thought "remove personal items" meant "move them to the driveway and let someone else deal with them"). Needless to say, if you need to buy or sell a house in the Twin Cities, I know just the people for the job. I should also thank the people who (maybe) read this and have already helped us (Dad, CJ, Mom, Casey!) and those who have sent their offers of help and wishes of goodwill.
I have also been reminded of some things and had to make some changes in thinking I had just a few days ago. For one, the saltwater tank that has been the subject of many a post has got to go. My tank is being overrun by disgusting bristle worms and I think my starfish may be meeting his maker at this very moment. If he makes it through the night, he's going back to the pet store in hopes of finding a more suitable home and I'm converting my tank to a haven for some pretty little freshwater fish. Much easier.
Another change I've had to make is with my project planning. After a few more expenses popped up (titles and appraisals and insurance, oh my!) and we watched our savings dwindle substantially, the weird blue carpet upstairs began to look lovely indeed. Now the project I'm looking forward to is the time-consuming (read: April-busying) and money-saving endeavor of stripping our cabinets and kitchen-trim and staining them a darker color.
The American dream? We shall see. For now I'm content with the thought of a warm and inviting little waterless (but only till Friday) abode across the metro that is currently keeping vigil over a good part of our belongings, patiently waiting our permanent arrival.
