Oh. And Pickering Wharf.

Frank, how is Salem Willows these days? My roommate and I used to go down there and play pinball, rather than study.

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housing update: (because I know you are all dying to know)

• We have retained an attorney
  
• We have a P&S draft
  
• We have an inspection scheduled for tomorrow
  
• Our regular agent is out of town for a week and will miss the P&S signing. I think that'll be OK, though, she has someone covering for her.
  
• I have spoken to my best friend about the house and all is well (she pledges to get mad at me AFTER closing, because I'll be too stressed to listen properly to her railing at me about moving out of Somerville)

That is all!

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Nora, that all sounds good. Thanks for the update!

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Our regular agent is out of town for a week and will miss the P&S signing. I think that'll be OK, though, she has someone covering for her.

It is completely OK, Nora. Remember, this is mundane for them. It's huge, scary, complicated, and completely new to you. It is so commonplace as to be mundane for them.

Also? Everyone involved (except you and Tom, actually) has the *highest* motivation for the sale to go through, because that's how they get paid. And your purchase of your new home is not dependent on you selling a home, so really?-- this will be the most simple home purchase you ever make, until you win Mass Millions, anyhow.

We nearly drove our broker and lawyer to drink with our last sale and purchase. We insisted on drafting the P&S such that if the closing of our old house didn't go through (and if it was the fault of our buyer) we could recoup 5% we put down on the new house, at the time entering into te P&S agreement for new house.

Apparently, this isn't done, at least not without some sort of carrot for the guy you're buying from. Usually, in a P&S, where the buyer is selling a home, he makes his purchase of the new home contingent on the sale of his home. But what is really meant by "sale" there, is that it is contingent on him getting a P&S for the home he is selling. We needed to literally close on the sale of old!house, or there was no way in heck we could buy the new house. But I stood firm and occasionally stomped my foot. Because home prices are crazy around here as you know, and if we lost that 5% (it was something like 26 or 27K) due to no fault of our own, we couldn't actually buy anything, or embiggen our old house, because all the rest of the down payment we were putting down on new house, was coming from the profit we were making on old house.

You know who agreed with us? The sellers of new house. While the lawyers and brokers were freaking out saying, "That just isn't done," we appealed to the sellers. "Look, we're a young family with one income and three kids. If the guy buying our old house has a stroke, or car accident, or heart attack after he enters into a P&S with us, and can't complete the sale, we're not the kind of people who would keep his money. We just couldn't do that. And even if we did keep it, his 5% on our old house, is significantly less than the 5% we're putting down on your house." The sellers of our new house saw the human side of it, and agreed.

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I'm going to be late to class today. I'm just now writing my assignment. I wasn't going to do it (it's optional), but got inspired while in the shower. I'm writing a worst-case scenario option of the situation I'm dealing with right now. I'm hoping that getting it out of my head will help me realize how unlikely it actually is.

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Salem mini-meara (which reminds me - we've got "meara", "mejia" and "nilly" as buffistas who's user names also mean something else - are there any others?):

Have you ever been to India Quality, though

Kenmore Square in Boston. Of teh YUM!

Frank, will you be our friend when we move?

Hells yes. If I'm around when it's happening I'll even help with the move on the Salem end.

The North Shore mall wouldn't be the worst meeting place, ever.

And the Liberty Tree has a Loews googleplex where all the theaters are stadium seating. The old Loews is now Hollywood Hits which is part first run, part second run and part art cinema. I've heard the Cabot Street Cinema (which is second run/arty end of mainstream - not unlike Somerville or Arlington - and is one of those old style red velvet places; also, it's a magician's theater on Sundays) is nice too (can't believe I have never been there in the 6+ years out this way).

Frank, how is Salem Willows these days?

I've been out there exactly once, right after I moved to Salem. It wasn't really my thing - to much like a state fair or carnival, but without the rides. I prefer amusement parks for that sort of thing, but I'm now too big a wuss to go on any of the rides. But I do like pinball, so I should give it another go.

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It is completely OK, Nora. Remember, this is mundane for them. It's huge, scary, complicated, and completely new to you. It is so commonplace as to be mundane for them.

This is what I keep telling myself. Basically, my biggest fear is that we'll just space on something stupid (like, duh, covering the deposit check in our checking account) because we didn't think of it or think to ask. It is comforting to know that we've assembled Team McWarin with the agent and the lawyer and hopefully they will point out any stupid oversights of ours.

Also, I harbor some suspicion and resentment toward the sellers/selling agent regarding that "oh, I'm in jury duty all day but really I'm trying to drum up an offer on a house" thing last week. Trying to let that go though.

I'm really mostly stressed about nailing down a closing date so that I will be able to have some wiggle room if things go wrong enough to have to move it. My work commitments are fierce in June, and our rate lock expires the 26th. And I can't be out of the office before the 20th.

It always comes down to work-related stress, in the end.

But thank you for putting stuff in perspective. It helps SO much!

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If I'm around when it's happening I'll even help with the move on the Salem end.

Heh- I meant to announce to alleviate any sense of obligation on Somervillistas - we are hiring professional movers. We may call you at the end of the day to help us find someplace to eat/join us for dinner though!

Someone tell DX not to worry about getting a pleading email...

We have far, far too much stuff over too many stairs to do anything but call a professional. You should see how narrow the staircases are in the new place.

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We have far, far too much stuff over too many stairs to do anything but call a professional.

Although you probably wouldn't need help for this, you should plan on moving you're smaller but more valuable electronics, and any breakables that are valuable, on your own. It will save you much worry and aggravation.

Have you selected a mover yet? Some friends had really good luck with a company whose name I'm memfaulting on, but I can find out if you are still shopping.

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I actually have a friend who runs his own moving company- we've used him before, as have many of my friends and there's never been a problem that we've heard of. He can get furniture through every sort of space.

The only thing with him, is, he'll use up an hour of time chatting. I don't care though. He gets it done, and he's good. And all he has is a truck and his reputation.

But hopefully we'll close about a week before the move and we can start running stuff up ourselves.

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