Snappy Dresser

We're still looking at houses with an eye to buying. There aren't quite as many for sale as there were half a year ago, at least if you go by a drive around the area of a Saturday afternoon. Indeed, this very afternoon we found only one open house, a bank foreclosure complete with damage.

I have to admit I don't quite understand the logic that would lead one to vandalise a house as ones parting gesture to the bank. Even if one wanted to stick it to the man surely records exist? Or does the fact of having been repossessed outweigh the pettiness of taking a hammer to the toilet bowls? Don't these people have hopes of starting over again?

Thus the house we saw today. The pool had been let go to such an extent that I reckon careful treading might have seen one able to walk across it! Holes in the dry wall (plasterboard) where the water heater had been wrenched out. Two of three toilet bowls entirely gone and the third hammered into many pieces. Oh, and every light fitting gone.

The agent was apologetic and trying to minimise the extent of the damage. I'm pretty sure he didn't believe me when I said it was perfect for our purposes, it already looks like it's occupied by teenagers. It would save the lazy bastards the trouble of making a mess!

I honestly didn't think it was all that bad; I've lived in worse. The only urgent repair would be the porcelain appliances; everything else can happen as finances permit. So we asked the agent for his card and departed.

Back in the car I glanced at the card and had the best laugh of the day. A photo of the agent, a bunch of phone numbers and his email address, and a slogan. The slogan went...

'Joe Blow, Nice Guy, Snappy Dresser'

Isn't that exactly what you look for in an estate agent?

Finally made an offer

So much for optimism. I mentioned[^], two weeks ago, that we might be making an offer on a house the following day.

Naturally it wasn't that easy, was it? Never is. I'll spare you the details but the refinance we signed three weeks ago has been refinanced again! Fortunately we were able to claw back most of the original closing costs and there are other costs not required this close to a re-refinance (property appraisal for one).

So, after doing our sums yet again, we finally made an offer on the house today. We're still waiting for a response beyond the acknowledgement that an offer has been made but I quite understand the need to think it over. While we're waiting, here are a couple of shots of the backyard.



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If you imagine those photos are accurate regarding size and scale I have a plastic model of a Rolls Royce you might want to drive away in! They're from the vendor website and shot in that style peculiar to Real Estate photographers.

Contrary to expectation I'm not feeling in the least nervous about the whole thing. I suppose it's the fact that I no longer believe that Real Estate money is 'real' money. Think about it; I'm not far short of my 54th birthday and we're talking a 30 year mortgage. I know, about as surely as I know anything, that I won't be here when the mortgage reaches its end and, frankly, I'd be amazed if my wife was. Yet we all, we two, the mortgage broker, the lender and the seller, all solemnly pretend that sometime in 2038 we'll make the final payment and the house will be ours and ours alone. It all has such an air of unreality about it.