Dear So and So

[Eden]

Dude on the MUP....

I held my tongue (and nose) in person, but dude..... you are not cool or fast.... I rode the MUP yesterday to keep myself in check and doing the recovery ride I had scheduled. Had you simply passed me decisively and gone I would not have cared an ounce, but no you had to slide directly in front of me then proceed to go no faster than I had been while I was stretching out my shoulders.... even that wouldn't have been a bother but your aroma was quite offensive and your accelerations out of the many stop signs in that stretch were weak to say the least. It was either slow way down, sit pretty or re pass you. Since I knew it would turn into a pissing contest, even at that I held off re-passing you, but sorry the odor was really getting to me and I did have to get home. Sorry if you had to get your manly hackles up and go tearing down the MUP when I finally stopped for a cross street and you did not. Thank god for the slight downhill.... it gave you enough speed that I didn't have to smell you any more.

[shootingstar]

It's difficult enough to return from fair, blossoming weather in Vancouver to Calgary's wet snow weather with brown fields right now.

[Owlie]

Dear brain:
Yes, I know I forgot to give you caffeine this morning. Stop being fuzzy.

[Blueberry]

Dear Buyer:

Thank you for making an offer. We really, really hope this goes through.

Dear Real Estate Agent:

I am NOT pleased that you are handing out our lock box code to any and everyone. Especially after the whole we found the house wide open when we came home thing. I thought people like appraisers and inspectors usually came under your supervision (at least that's what you told me to get me to agree to the lock box in the first place). You've told me I absolutely can't be here. Now, you're telling me you can't be here, and the other agent won't be either. Telling me you "already gave them the code" isn't comforting. We still *live* here with our pets. I don't even know who these people are.

While we're at it - when I asked you to negotiate your commission, you asked me "what part of my marketing plan do you not want me to do?" My question for you now is "what part of your marketing plan did you actually do?" (other than hammer us to drop the price - the price you were so sure about - the night before we got an offer). I have written off your entire profession as unsavory. You have re-confirmed my crappy experiences.

Dear World:

Please let this actually close, and let us find good rental housing. This whole process is sucking.

[marni]

I would check out what the BBB has to say about your real estate agents actions. Sounds to me like she has yet to earn her commission and her actions have resulted in a threat to your mental and physical safety. I mean come on- Really???

I hope the sale goes through and that you are soon clear of this hoopla.

I have sold two houses both with kids and animals still living in the house. That is the closest I have ever come to deserting my life, husband, children and animals and becoming a recluse hermit totally off the grid.

Sterkte and hang tough.

marni

[Blueberry]

Thanks, Marni. I'm probably going to delete my little rant. She's within what the MLS allows here in terms of who can have a lock box code. The appraiser has it - and is apparently allowed to because he's an "MLS Member." The inspector doesn't and won't have it - unless he also happens to be an MLS member. She can't control whether the other agent is here the whole time, and says she can't be here because the info is proprietary. Gah! Otherwise, the contracts are very "squishy" as to what an agent does or doesn't have to do to market - and there's not much recourse that I can see. Her reputation is great - I just think she was too busy for us - and it showed.

I'm just mostly sick and tired of having my personal space invaded and having to get out of my house (she wants us out for 4 hours for the home inspection). Nevermind finding rental housing with pets and not signing a lease until the stupid "due diligence period" during which a buyer can walk away for no reason is over (we have to be OUT 2 weeks after the end of that time). The committee that re-wrote our contract was definitely pro-buyer.

[Owlie]

Dear every scholarship application ever,
Why do you want me to write about my goals? I don't really have any beyond "get into PhD program" right now, and that's really boring.

[marni]

blueberry,

as for finding a rental with animals, I have been there also. We found that if we offered to include an animal damage deposit along with our first and last month deposit and were willing to have a before and after inspection and an agreement that we would pay for all damage, that eventually the rentee or landlord would be a bit more flexible.

marni

[Blueberry]

I missed the delete window. Ah well.

The issue we have is that the same thing that is making it a good time to sell (residents, post docs, etc coming into town) means the rentals are really competitive. Since we're still in the period where the buyer could walk away, we can't sign a lease. So all the good stuff we've found - is gone.