Posts (page 2)
Today is the day we were supposed to close escrow. Instead, we are in the process of signing an extension addendum b/c the seller's agent did not file the application for the 9a report until yesterday. City says it takes 10-15 days to issue the report, though it should be quicker. New close of escrow date is set for Aug. 18, but will hopefully occur sooner.
The Seller's agent was very smug about the application, claiming in his email to our agents that when he submitted the app he was told anyone could submit it. No shit Sherlock. That wasn't the point. The point was we needed the property owner's signature on the application. What a complete dickhead. Meanwhile, this morning I get a smug email from one-half of the Dynamic Duo. I quote: " When this is over you can write a book on 'How our realtor was right..we should not buy a bank foreclosure..or what I did on my summer vacation.'" Um, that's helpful. Or maybe I should title it, "How my realtors neglected to work for their commission b/c we did not buy a house as expensive as they had wanted us to" Or how about: "Your realtor gets the commission and you get to do the work." This is the same bozo who wanted me to sign two days ago that all contingencies had been removed and took me to remind her that in fact we still did not have the effing report.
Unfortunately, this also means that new loan docs have to be drawn and we have to re-sign everything. We paid a lot of money to do this just before Better Half went to Germany -- all for naught. I think this time we'll drive down to the escrow office in Irvine and do it there when the time comes. Better yet would be to get Seller to pay for the expense of having the notary drive out to us.
Meanwhile, when I picked up Little One yesterday from day camp she was complaining of chest pains. She had been in the pool at camp, so got a lot of sun and swallowed a lot of water. I figured a little R&R and she'd be ok. But she complained all evening long. I called the doc, who basically said give her children's tylenol and if she's still complaining in the morning bring her in. Well, she's still complaining. So BH has taken her to the doc. Maybe asthma? We'll see.
Spoke last night with Dr. B, who is back stateside. It was good catching up and we're excited about being able to see them more regularly. Welcome back, dude.
We are having another hang-up in escrow that is driving me to distraction. The Seller is required to provide us with a so-called 9a report from the city. Only an owner of property can order this report, something that I learned on June 8 when I visited the office where it is done. I went there b/c our real estate agent told me to order one, so she obviously is clueless about how it works.
In any case, I also learned that a 9a report for the property was issued last Sept., probably by the former owners as they tried to short sell. The bank must be in possession of this report and I asked back on June 8, why can't we just get them to send us that report? And nothing bloody happened.
Last week, we were sent the application form for the report which we had to sign and then, at our expense, FedEx to the Seller in expectation that they would immediately sign and deliver to the city. As of today, no such application has been submitted.
Meanwhile, the Dynamic Duo sends us forms to sign today, one of which says we agree that all contingencies have been removed. So, I ask, but what about the 9a? And it's not until I ask (first via email, and then telephone a few hours later when nobody had responded to email) that they begin to do something.
I'm fuming mad at the Dynamic Duo and IndyMac, and I'm nervous about what's in that report. They have a fucking report from Sept., so they know what's in it--why don't they show us? What's with the foot dragging? The escrow officer says many people close w/out the report, but she doesn't like to do it that way b/c sometimes something ugly does appear on the report, like no sewer permit or stuff of that nature. Which is precisely why I have been nagging about this for the past seven weeks. AAAGGHH!!
We like this -- a folding bike and a cargo bike in one. Very ingenious.
Tomorrow Better Half and Little One return. It's been a strange two weeks here without them. While I was able to get some things done, I certainly didn't get as much done as hoped and I missed them. It wasn't like a painful, emotional missing, but their absence created a palpable void. In any case, I'm very happy they are coming back. I look forward to hearing more from LO of her experiences and perceptions of the trip.
On the house buying front, termite work was supposed to begin today. As far as I know, it did. I'm just praying they don't find additional stuff that needs to be repaired as they go along. Meanwhile, the lender finally got around to determining how they want the arrangement regarding the repair hold officially worded in escrow docs. So, hopefully I'll learn tomorrow just what we need to deposit into the escrow account.
The seller, in the meantime, is only now getting around to applying for a 9a report from the county. We've been bugging them about this since the second week of June. Not sure if it'll actually arrive before closing. I ended up having to FedEx them a signature today b/c the county won't accept faxed/emailed signatures and nobody from the seller's office bothered to notice that in the application instructions, so we lost another day as a result. Boneheads--every single one of them.
Gave two demos of the Brompton today to folks at work. I tend to stow it on the back side of my desk, which is facing the entrance to our office, so if there's no book truck in front of it, people definitely notice it. They are invariably incredulous. I'm more than happy to show them how it works. If I ever end up unemployed as a librarian, I'd probably be a pretty effective salesperson for Brommies.
On the subject of riding, what I don't get is why my ride never feels like it's getting any easier. I mean, it's obvious when you first start out after a long hiatus that the ride is going to be a bitch. But, you'd think that after a few weeks, your body would be in shape and, if not sailing up the hill, you'd at least not find it really tough each time. And, yet, such is the case. Each time I head up the hill, I'm giving it all I've got and the exertion level is pretty maxed out. The lack of a truly low granny gear is no doubt part of it. Be that as it may, the payoff is fantastic. After I've cooled down, showered and gotten behind my desk, I've got an incredible rush of endorphins that generally lasts well into the afternoon. You can't beat that.
So things took a turn for the better regarding the messy escrow situation this week. The day after they said we would have to get all termite work done before the close of escrow, the boss of our mortgage broker (who conveniently went on a 2 day vacation he neglected to mention to me) emails me and says the credit union has "graciously" agreed to do a repair hold, giving us 30 days to complete the work after close of escrow. Their conditions: it has to be all section 1 work (I had only planned to do portions, leaving in particular the cracked shower pan to do at a later date since it's expensive and not something we are likely to use often), we need to hold 1.5x the cost of the estimated repair work (raises what we need to bring it at escrow significantly, but we'll manage), and I have to write them a letter reaffirming that it is a priority for us to get this done within 30 days (fine, whatever).
Meanwhile, I had already rescheduled with the termite folks to begin work next week. So, then the dilemma was do I keep that slot or put it off until after COE? On the advice of the Dynamic Duo, we're sticking with the plan to go ahead next week. Got them to also schedule the additional work (shower pan and other dry rot stuff) and as it turns out, if all goes as planned, they'll be done two days after COE. Last Friday we also got the signature from the seller's agent to authorize the work, since they still own the property.
Today I traveled out there by bus and bike again. Needed to get a signature from the neighbor to allow access to her property for the fumigation and I also wanted to get the bathroom tile from the shed and put it in the bathroom where they are going to replace the shower pan. Met Middle Sis for brunch at Auntie Em's and then we headed over to the house. Unfortunately, after we moved the tiles, the neighbor was gone, so I couldn't get her sig.
So then I went to the local public library branch to do some homework. The PL is about the same size as the branch here, but seems a little nicer. Definitely dug the a/c, and while I was worried about being able to get a PC terminal, it turned out to be no prob. Found and printed an article and read it and I was good to go.
Went back to the neighbor's, but once again she was out. Should be back w/in 40 mins the kids tell me. So, I hang out and read my book
Anyway, she finally shows up and signs off no prob. So, it looks like all the ducks are lined up, although I still haven't heard if they've succeeded in getting an escrow amendment for this new situation.
I decided to try a different way home. I left the house in ER at about 5:30 and cut through the hills and down into Highland Park to catch the Gold Line train to Union Station. This is a short ride (less than 3 miles), but the hill rivals the climb on my current commute. Here's the route in Bikely:
Train ride was fine-- it takes 13 mins. At Union Station, I head up to catch the bus. I think it was around 6:20 or so. I didn't have a schedule with me and for some absurd reason the timetables are not posted at bus stops in LA, but I knew that the bus I wanted came once an hour and I had written down from the week before that there was a 5:37 bus. So, I figured there must be a 6:37. Well, the time came and went and no bus showed. Ended up waiting until 7:40 before a bus arrived and got to SP an hour later. Ugh. Checked the timetable online, and there damn well should have been a bus at 6:40. Certainly not a good sign if I'm hoping to use this for my regular commute.
Little One called me Friday morning. And when I say morning, I mean early morning. 4:45 am, to be precise. But I was just psyched to talk to her. The times I've called in the past, she hadn't been in the mood to talk with me. This time she was in the mood. Chatted about her experience sleeping over at her old babysitter's place. Actually, said a lot of other stuff, but I don't remember the half of it b/c I was so tired. It just felt nice.
Finally got around to posting the link from YouTube of that Gourds set from Valentines day that we went to. You can find the full show embedded in the review of that concert here. Enjoy.
Not a good day. The escrow situation is rapidly disintegrating. A week ago, it was determined we could sign the loan docs before BH went to Germany. At that point, it was discovered that some of the money we had been credited by the seller was still not being used up. The credit was issued for pest control work, repairing the roof and fixing some drywall in the garage, but we didn't want to do any of that work until after closing.
For the past week, we've gone back and forth with the idea of doing some work prior to closing versus having what is called a repair hold in escrow. In the latter case, work would be done after closing, but the money for it would be sitting in escrow and paid out upon completion. Getting the work done ahead of time was beginning to look too complicated, so we decided to go with the repair hold. This was initially suggested by the mortgage broker, I'll call him Freddy Krueger since his real name is very close and this is turning into a horror story. The Dynamic Duo, our real estate agents (alias given by BIL), thought this was not a hot idea b/c they thought the lender would balk. But time is running out and Freddy said it wouldn't be a prob.
So, yesterday I finally order the work to be done (some woodwork and fumigation), beginning the day after closing. I didn't authorize all the termite work on the inspection report to be done b/c I had spoken with the inspector and he said certain items were not critical at this juncture. So, I figured we'd wait. I was feeling pretty good about having finally made some progress on at least one thing that needs to get done. But then suddenly Freddy comes back today and says the lender wants the work done before closing. Well, that's basically impossible at this point b/c of the lead time needed to order a fixed window frame. And now all of the sudden they want to see the pest inspection report and I'm worried they will now require the other items to be done that I didn't yet authorize. Getting these other items done would take even longer, especially as one involves fixing a leak from the shower pan in the downstairs bathroom -- that means getting a replacement pan (which apparently takes time) and tile work. Every day that we go beyond the contractual closing date of 7/29 costs us a $300 fee and $100 per day for up to 10 days. Not even sure what happens if we don't close within the extended 10 days.
At this point, I've sent the mortgage broker the pest inspection report for him to send to the VP and CFO of the Credit Union. I've explained to him that we're gonna get the work done, but that it's unrealistic to expect it to be done before closing. I've also assured him our interests and the lender's interests are the same -- we want a house that is a great place to live and a good investment. And I sent him an initial pest inspection which was commissioned by the seller that didn't even catch 1/4 of the items found in the pest inspection we commissioned. Had we simply gone with that initial inspection, the bank (and we) would have never known about the other issues needing repair.
I'm trying not to lose it here, but this really sucks. I feel really betrayed. The Dynamic Duo are trying to help, but at the same time they've got a bit of attitude going on; an "I-told-you-so" for not going with the mortgage broker they recommended. Sorry, but they guy they recommended was not working for me--took too long to respond to requests for info, sent wrong info, slick Willy type.
Hoping tomorrow is a better day.
Just spoke briefly with Little One on the phone. Yesterday when I called she told me, "Dad I was just watching something on TV and I don't want to miss it. Can you call later?" Yeah, okay, I get it.
Today they were in the cafe at a park we used to frequent in our old neighborhood. Had a play date with her old friend from KiTa. I spoke with her in German, and she seemed fine with that. Seems the kids got along well and were able to understand each other. But again, she didn't want to talk long as they were eating. "Ich calle you -- I'll call you" she says to me in closing.
Today I attended a memorial service for the father of an old friend from AZA, Road Runner. I'm not actually close to the guy anymore (hadn't even seen him in probably 15-20 years), but we were definitely friends back then and seeing as I live nearby, it seemed the least I could do. There was quite a turnout at the synagogue (incl. my PUs, whom I did not know would be there); obviously the guy had touched a lot of people. As the Rabbi and others eulogized, two main thoughts occupied my mind. I could not help but think about Better Half's bro and his ongoing battle with cancer (RR's dad also died of cancer). Second, I wondered about the legacy I will leave when it's my turn to go. Most likely that's still a long way off, but an event like this does give one pause. Am I living the life I want to be living? Will I be remembered in a way that I hope to be remembered?
Apart from such existential thoughts, it was interesting to see a number of old friends and acquaintenances there. I obviously expected to see RR and his wife M, who I also knew from way back when. But I didn't expect to see others, so I was suprised to see Heathbar (another AZAer), an old friend of Little Sis, the sister of Little Sis's prom date, and a guy who I literally did not recognize, but the name was familiar as someone I went to Hebrew school with. Bizarro.
What else? Well, BH and Little One left for Germany on Wednesday. Seems they are doing okay over there, all things considered. It's been rainy and cold (which hopefully serves to remind BH one reason why we left the place) and they've been mostly holed up in her brother's house. He, of course, is still very sick, so when she called me on Friday she was very upset. Apparently there is a meeting on Tuesday with the doctor(s) to discuss next treatment options and she was hoping I could do some research to prepare her for the meeting. So, I spent Friday night seeing if anything new had been published since last year on the subject. There has been, but it all comes up to the same basic result -- the cancer is rare, the survival rates beyond 12 mos are very low, and the treatment he has been getting is basically in line with accepted practice. They could try Yondelis, now that other chemo has basically failed, but even the results with Yondelis have been mixed. Finally, he could see about enrolling in a clinical trial, which is another very long shot. All in all, not very encouraging. I'm frankly surprised he's made it this far, and, given his quality of life these past months, I'm not sure that's such a great thing. But that is something for him and his family to decide and I can perfectly understand the need for hope and the desire to fight it.
It's certainly been weird being home alone. I thought I'd be super productive as a result, but I find myself easily distracted by other things. And it's lonely. I only have a couple of friends locally, so not much for me to do when the fam is not around.
Yesterday I did a trial run of traveling between SP and ER by bike and bus. Been considering that as an alternative to commuting by car after the move. It's technically doable, but it is certainly not ideal. The ride involves about 8.2 miles from ER house to downtown. That takes about 30 mins and goes through less than scenic portions of LA and a brief section of downtown traffic, particularly Chinatown. Then I would sit on a bus for an hour. Ideally, this would be a good opportunity to read, but the ride can be bumpy, especially the non-freeway sections of the journey with so many jerky stops and starts. Then there are the "colorful" other passengers -- yesterday an old guy in a goth-like outfit and a full-scale, similarily attired mannequin sat next to me. Finally, at the other end, there's the bike ride up the hill to the college. Short, but steep. Again about 30 mins. So, I'd be looking at about a 2 hr. commute each way versus about 1 hour driving. Here's the equation, as I see it: (lower carbon emissions + daily workout + daily 2 hrs time to read + significant cost savings) vs. (2 hr more time in my day + avoidance of encounters with oddballs). Long term, of course, the solution is to get a different job, but that could take some time.
Experienced some buyer's remorse the other day when visiting the house. Just feeling kind of overwhelmed by the work that needs to get done. Moreover, as it turns out, we have about $1500 of a ca. $10K credit that needs to be spent on repairs to the house before closing. Well, closing is in 17 days, so that's not a lot of time. Meeting with two contractors tomorrow evening and hoping I can authorize the work on Tuesday. That said, I then went to the nearby park and discovered there's a pool there, so it's yet another great local amenity. Also read a local rag and learned about all kinds of goings-on. I do sense there's more happening in this part of the city then in the South Bay.
Came across this in my RSS feeds today. Kinda interesting.
Visit www.SpreadPersepolis.com
Persepolis 2.0 describes Iran’s post-election uprising and spreads the
word about Iranians’ historic struggle against repression. Based on the
graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi and edited by two Iranians living
abroad.
I've also been keeping up to date on what's been going on inside Iran thanks to an excellent blog from the National Iranian American Council called niacINsight.
Finally, where would we be without the first rate "reporting" of the Daily Show?
