Escrow is not for the faint of heart

Gratefully it's over and we have the keys to our new kingdom.  Wow, escrow can be a bit hair-raising if you are not prepared, so the sellers found out.

When all is said and done, our "swing loan" went fairly smoothly.  Clear communications was our most consistent issue -- the loan clerk would need something signed that had an issue, I would point it out, she would respond with the same thing saying that it had been fixed -- but the attachment showed the same error.  It took three volleys to get our loan officer to call to explain.  It was so simple, the "final" document had been corrected which I won't see until we are at the Title Co signing closing documents.  I was to be signing for receipt of the "incorrect" document as it was the "estimated" closing thingie but the real documents would show correct information.  "Okay, that's fair," I said to Robert, "why couldn't your clerk just say so in her THREE emails that assured me that the document had been corrected?"  I was feeling quite frustrated.

Also feeling very grateful to have such an amazing professional working for/with us in this process.  Nancy, our RE agent is the most amazing lady ever!  She is so sweet and polite and soft spoken until you mess with her or her client -- then she channels her inner Bull dog.  She is a terrific offset to my personality.  She just smiles and pulls out another form which will require the seller to show evidence of such and such or we will initiate the frightening "Notice to Cure" which will kill the deal in three days.....while I just want to squash the entire deal right this minute and move on because they are making me crazy and I just don't need that grief in my life right now.

So after our offer was accepted we brought in the inspector who discovered a problem with the 12 year old roof which had sustained some significant damage during a very bad hail storm last year.  He (the inspector) wanted about 60% of the roof repaired.  Seller was aghast and contacted his insurance company.  The roofer asked if we would pay for the other 40% to receive a full replacement and we agreed that we would.  In the end, the seller's insurance company determined that they would pay to replace the whole thing.  Seller then decides that WE should pay his deductible.  "And why is that?" I asked.  If they only replaced 60% the deductible would be the same.  Seller stood his ground....and so did we.

At that, I realized that perhaps Karma didn't want us to live there and immediately began looking at other houses in Prescott bracing myself for Round Two of house hunting (round one was pretty stressful).

Found a bunch of houses I liked as well as this one, none I liked significantly better, but many that I would like just as well.  So I was content to wait--besides our house has not sold so I'm not in a huge hurry to hurry this along.

Anyway we show up the the Title Company at 11:30 for a noon signing.  We're early and okay with that.  Someone comes by and asks if we have been helped and did we feel bad being stuck in a corner?  Odd question, I thought, and responded, "Yes, we had been helped and no I'm quite happy with my back to the wall!" (think about those implications!)  At 11:55 we hear the receptionist take a call from Nancy saying that she has all of the documentation (that she asked for last Friday) and it is okay for us to sign documents.  We are ushered into the Title Officer's office and begin dealing with the three inch stack of paperwork.  Nancy arrives, there is one interesting snaffu which is dealt with and it's done.

Nancy takes us to an amazing lunch -- can't wait to take everyone I love to this fabulous place when you come to visit -- and then we go our separate ways for chores until Nancy calls to inform me that we are recorded and can pick up our closing package at any time, but first, let's meet at the house to drop off a few things we have in the trunk and pick up the keys.  Great!

We get to the house to find that the hardwood flooring guy has finished the sanding, filling part and we cannot go in.  Okay, he goes in (special shoes) and picks up the house and post box keys off the kitchen counter but no garage door openers.  Hmmm.  Nancy contacts sellers agent.

No response.  We're standing outside talking when we hear the neighbor directly above us chatting on the phone -- rather loudly.  She peers out over her 2nd story deck and waves.  We wave back and smile.  She then (LOUDLY) calls down: "Connie (seller) is coming back with the garage door openers!  Escrow had them crazy this weekend and they left with them, darned buyers!"

Oh this is going to be fun!  Nancy yells back, "Hi!  These are the new owners!"  Neighbor looks a bit surprised and goes back inside -- she doesn't come back out.  Nancy calls sellers agent again to explain that they can't go inside so they need to drop the openers inside the garage and use the code to shut the door.  Nancy will change the code when the floor guy is done with the floors, sometime Thursday or Friday.

This entire process will make a great chapter in the book I've been threatening to write!  Looking forward to eventually meeting the neighbor to find out just how awful and demanding they think we are.

FYI, the sellers only lived here 12 years and knew all about the monsoons.  They drug their feet trying to "make" us pay their deductible so that the project couldn't be completed before escrow closed and were furious with us for requiring evidence that they and their insurance company were responsible to have the roof replaced which everyone "hopes" will be finished sometime in the next two weeks.  Good thing we didn't intend to move in tomorrow!

Another case of "once it's over and you can look back on it, it makes a funny story!"  Took several years to find the humor in our move to Garberville, this one was almost immediate!  Ah, the perspective of age.

Monsoons

I've only been to Arizona a few times, and even fewer in the summer months.  I've only seen a monsoon twice, once at Sharon's place in Green Valley and once in Sedona.  Both times it was a wondrous sight to behold!

It's hot outside and just bit muggy, the clouds are gathering and some are quite dark.  It seems that they come from the north and travel roughly south west.  Sometimes it's the full sky and sometimes just a cloud or two with something that looks like a sheer curtain coming straight down (that's rain).  As it dashes through your area, the temp drops about 20-30 degrees in just a few minutes.  The air goes from from hot/muggy to cool and comfortable and then RAIN!  A few minutes later the rain has moved on and the sun comes out and the air is fresh.  It's quite the experience.

These last few days it has rained daily for just a few minutes.  Not like Hawaii at all, but like itself, hot one minute, wet the next, cool and lovely the next.  I think I'm going to love it here in the summer!

Tomorrow we close escrow on our new house.  We will be embarking on a new adventure.  I can't wait to see what this brings!

Two Homes, Two Mortgages

On Monday we will own two homes and two mortgages.  Wow, who knew!  Feeling both proud and terrified at the same time.  Proud that, evidently, a lender thinks that I can afford to carry two notes and terrified that I am going to be carrying two notes!  Dad would not approve, Mom is looking down, swelling with pride :)

This is only the second time we've been in Prescott (pronounced Preskitt for those of you who don't know).  It's such an interesting place and I'm very hopeful that in a few years I can rattle off all of the amazing attributes that come out of my brother's mouth whenever I ask a question.  What is that formation, Bill?  "Oh, that?  That's Thumb Butte."  And then Bill launches into one of his amazingly charming stories about the butte and anyone remotely associated with it.

When we were here last -- two months ago house hunting -- I texted Bill and asked where his property was located.  He told me about Williamson Valley and why they purchased there and how to get there, etc.  We had no time to explore.  I'll tell you about house hunting later, so we saved that for this trip.  He asked why I was inquiring and I told him we were house hunting--which prompted a very long email exchange about why and where and why, etc.  We made an offer on a house which was accepted and we went home to wait for escrow to do its thing.  Did I tell you I have an amazing agent?  If you're ever in the market to look around Prescott you MUST check with me for the best agent around.  She is amazing (oh yes, I already said that).

I was so pleased when Bill offered to drive out here to see our new house and show us around the area.  He has been coming to Prescott since 2013 when he was here for the memorial service for the Granite Mountain 19 -- those amazing "Hot Shots" who died fighting the horrific Yarnell fire.  He was taken with the place and the people and came back sometime later to look around.  Eventually he brought his wife, Mindy, out and they found a piece of property in Williamson Valley -- a small town about 20 minutes from here -- horse property.

Anyway, we met up Thursday night and had dinner at a great little Mexican place -- minimal atmosphere, great food and even better service -- just the kind of place that appeals to me.  Then the next morning we had breakfast before heading out to do our walk through at the new house.  He was impressed and spent a great deal of time with Gary chatting up the owner during our walk through.  Good info and great pride of ownership.  They had kept all of the paperwork from the original build and presented it all to us along with plans for an addition which they never completed.  Connie (seller) shared her folder of things she had been saving for us -- business cards of wonderful service people, newsletter articles of her house during construction -- really great stuff -- what a treasure!  Also she said that her agent was unable to get a hold of our agent --  she had wanted to offer us first right of refusal for many things they didn't want to take.  Bummer!  Turned out she did offer her master bedroom furniture -- which is beautiful -- that we could keep for our lower level (LL) master.  I accepted immediately because I really like her set (like mine better, but would like to keeps hers as well).  She called her friend (who was going to come and take it) to renege -- it will be mine!  Yea!  I'm very pleased.  I told her that whatever she wanted to leave, just feel free.  We'd deal with it or keep it.  She looked relieved.

We had a great walk through, really nice of the sellers since they had given us some grief during the escrow process and I was close to walking away from the deal, and now we will close on Monday at noon with a few conditions they are required to complete.  See?  Excited and terrified!

Anyways, after that exhilarating experience, we jumped back into Bill's truck and headed out to Williamson Valley to see his property.   Well, WOW!  He and Mindy have an amazing almost 3 acres of one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen.  A clear view of Granite Mountain and (I forget the name of the rim) -- but it is certainly a view I'd love to have (not that mine is anything to grieve over -- we have a straight shot at the Bradshaw Mountains and Thumb Butte -- pretty nifty.  After walking around his land, I was amazed that he wanted to sell, but I understand that is a long story.  I'm hopeful that he is able to sell the land and find something he likes as much in a different location.  

Then he started showing us around his neck of the woods, eventually pulling into Statue-Esque which is a wonderful road side spot selling "lawn art" made from aluminum and painted with some sort of "I'll never rust or look bad the rest of your natural life" stuff.  I am very interested in a life-sized deer for our front yard and they had the very thing I wanted.  So, another "Thanks Bill, for turning us onto this place."  Owner was interesting, friendly and very helpful.  we'll be back for the doe (and probably the fawn as well.  Nicely done.  It was such a great day and I enjoyed it immensely.

We split and met up again to find dinner.  After one false start (an hour wait wasn't happening) we were directed to Papa's which is a hole in the wall Italian place on Cortez.  /turns out that its one of the top rated restaurants in Prescott and we lucked out with the best waitress!  She "sang out" her greeting which was her doom -- we insisted that she sing whatever she wanted to share from then on.  It was such a fun evening, great service and terrific food.  Two bottles of great red wine (we were celebrating, don't judge us), an appetizer and three entrees.  Just barely over $100.  I'm going to like it here!

Can't wait to move here.  I'm so excited!  Stay tuned for our ongoing adventures as we learn how to live in Arizona!

Hearts and hugs!

shon