The closing date was today. The sellers attorney called the realtor today, and the realtor told Joe he was "crying on his shoulder" about being so busy he didn't find time to stamp the envelope and send the title paperwork. The contract we have with the seller states they have to send the title paperwork etc. by 10 days of the closing date. The homeowner said they saw their lawyer send the paperwork when they were in his office last Thursday. Never happened. Maybe they were confused, but I still have trouble believing this house is REALLY on the market. If it's really for sale how could they not know their lawyer is doing NOTHING, and has caused the contract to be breached? We are requesting that the paperwork sent by courier tomorrow, and that we get the keys tomorrow, which they were agreeing to do by Friday, as per the early occupancy agreement we've asked for for 5 weeks. Or ANY agreement, well almost, because our lease is up Sunday. Sunday the landlord is taking the keys and giving them to the new tenant.
All I want is the paperwork courier-ed to the title company's attorney, so I will feel like this house really is for sale and it's not all just some weird game. Poor Joe hasn't rented a truck because he can't ever get a date out of these people. Everything has been ready to go but the title search for 5-6 weeks, and we've been waiting around for the papers to be sent be sent to the title company lawyer, and for what? Will we ever get a house?
Ugh. we were supposed to get the carpet ripped out and work on the floors and have grounded electrical work done BEFORE moving in. Now we may move in before we own the house, and can't do anything till we sign papers.
And another one of the Rutger Street mansions is listed now, a pretty Italianate from about 1890. Joe thinks he used to live pretty much next door, and that it's not even divided into apartments. $39,900 and the seller will pay $2,000 closing costs. These are the mansions of the founders and original movers and shakers of Utica, who cares if we could never afford to heat half the house? I do want to go look at it soon, but I also would like to buy my foursquare please.

We still have not closed on the house. Turns out our lawyer was in the hospital for about 3 weeks. I have no idea why someone couldn't let us know this until about a week ago. We went with a lawyer Joe's dad recommended, or I thought we did. Turns out his lawyer friend he recommended has a lawyer brother, and we got the brother. During the last week or so the non-incapacitated brother was supposed to be getting stuff done, but nothing happened on our end.

We were trying to get an early occupancy agreement. The owners were supposedly fine with it and just needed their lawyers okay in case we burned down the house or something. Noone worked on this closing while our lawyer was hospitalized, as far as I can tell.

I am so frustrated. The closing date is Monday. We wanted to get grounded wiring and overhead lights put in and rip out the (fugly) carpet before moving in. Now The lawyer is supposed to call today and let Joe know if we can move in Sunday. That's like the day before the closing date. I wasn't even fully awake when Joe told me this, so I don't know if we are just dropping things off there or if we're actually moving?

About a month ago the only problem was the title search hadn't been done. As far as I know it still isn't... Last week Joe said their lawyer needed to send title paperwork to our lawyer and it would take 2 days from then to get the title search finished. We have gone in circles with Joe sending everyone everything they need, but none of them send necessary paperwork to each other. We pay them, but they don't DO anything. Now I know why people stay in the same house forever, they probably tried to move and no one ever did their job in the closing process...

At least it's a foursquare, and when we need to block off a room to work on it we can still access the rest of the house and get in and out. I'm imagining the worst will be removing the paint from the stairs and banister etc. since the only bathroom is upstairs. The baby is in diapers, so if we all stayed downstairs, she'd be fine. And we could set up some unmentionable emergency bucket in the basement if necessary, I'm envisioning lead paint in the removal process and actually having to seal off the stairs... But other than that most of the rooms can be accessed even if one is closed off for work. If we'd gotten a crazy-mazey Victorian it might not have been that simple...

As if it will be simple...

I need to find houseblog friends doing DIY with a toddler living in the house, for inspiration. We just got Amelia her first lead test last week (at 1 and 1/2) and she's all good. So we know if anything happens it's the new house, or us that caused it.

Since writing that when I woke up I have talked to Joe a bit more. He called our lawyer and it turns out THEIR lawyer STILL has not sent the abstract of title to our lawyer. It's been what, at least 6 weeks? The other day our neighbor made a comment to the effect that he thought there was a problem with one of the kids about selling. Our house is being sold by the 5 kids of the deceased owners. There was no will. I am now wanting to ask the neighbor what he heard or over-heard. (at the time he made the comment I didn't know there was any problem other than our hospitalized lawyer, and didn't think it was relevant....)

Our lawyer has been calling their lawyer for weeks now, about the title. He has never gotten a response. Part of the time their lawyer was supposed to be on vacation. We found the house pretty much immediately, within a few weeks of the owners death. Within the first week of the ad being online. The realtor had said they wanted to sell asap because they don't want to pay to heat it in winter etc., but I really wonder now what the heck is going on. I think all 5 sons were there the day we met them when they were moving their parents stuff out and we were having the house inspected. Supposedly they're all on board. But I really wonder why we can't even acquire the title info, if they want to sell so badly. With a motivated seller, why would they let their lawyer stall forever unless there's some problem!?!?!

Why put it on the market and then not do your part in the process of selling? We could close 48 hours after their lawyer sends it. This makes no sense to me...

we are jen, joe, amelia, and bloomer. i am jen. joe is the hubby, amelia is a 1 and 1/2 year old, and bloomer is amelia's 9 week old puppy. who won't house train. moving into a new house.

we are waiting. seems that closing on the house will take forever. the bank didn't give our lawyer a paper he needed so he never started the title search. Then everyone was ready to roll except for that, and he hadn't even started and said it would take 3 weeks. joe tried calling everyone involved to see if those online title search in 24 or 72 hour things would be acceptable, and no-one said no, but everyone passed the buck and said it was up to someone else, who never had a problem with it, but why throw away a few hundred dollars to find out they all have no idea what they're saying?

Meanwhile... we are trying to get an early occupancy agreement. the owners are the 5 sons of the last occupants who have now both died, and they are willing, but waiting for their lawyer to decide about liability issues.

we have knob and tube wiring throughout, and it's not a problem to insure in utica,ny where we live, but we need grounded outlets put in, and there's no overhead lights in the 4 bedrooms upstairs, just ton overhead at the landing at the top of the stairs, and in the bathroom.

With the early occupancy we hope to get the electrical done, see about gutters (house has none), we need to rip out carpet up and down stairs, and raise the porch. And add dirt to run water away from the house. Pressure wash the back porch. Rip the green carpet/astroturf off the front porch and see the flooring. Rip out 60's or 70's walpaper. put in cork flooring in the kitchen, get rid of the zbrick in the kitchen, and tear out the cabinets, and paint EVERYTHING. or so it seems.

we'll settle for grounded outlets and lights at move-in, and hopefully have the carpet out, so we're not ripping it out while our furniture is already there.

Still need to decide if we want to test the "vinyl" for asbestos in the kitchen, or just ignore the possibility of what lies beneath (besides poison) and put down cork. Which seems safest with a baby.

And we need to do all this with a baby and a puppy.

Fun, Fun, Fun!!!