Four yeses
28/10/20 01:12
My journal has been mostly a bit of personal meandering recently. The process of selling our home and getting resettled in a new one has consumed much of our time and energy. We are nearing the end of that process and the beginning of a new adventure, but there are still some details that need to be finalized. Getting back to Rapid City was a bit of an adventure in itself.
Our original plan was to make the drive in three days with my sister, who came out to Washington after we drove the U-Haul truck and trailer there. The first two days drive brought us to her home in the town where we grew up. As we slept that night winter hit hard with more than a foot of snow. The roads became snow packed and slippery and we decided to wait a day before proceeding. After delaying one day, it became evident that the roads were sill bad as the storm had moved off to the east right in the direction of our travel. We delayed another day. On the third day, yesterday, things looked better. A chinook wind brought rising temperatures and the wind chills climbed above zero. We waited for sunlight and for the snow plows to make their first pass and set off.
The wind was blowing snow across the road and the roads were slippery for the first 20 miles of our journey. We saw a semi with two trailers overturned in the ditch and a RV trailer totaled and torn about off the side of the road. Several other cars and trucks were stuck in the ditch. We continued to travel at a slower speed. After about 20 miles the roads and visibility improved. Another 50 miles and we were on dry pavement with occasional slippery spots. Shortly after that the wind decreased and the roads were dry for the rest of the trip home. When we stopped for lunch we found out that the stretch of highway from 15 miles west of the place we had left to 20 miles east of that place had been closed due to the winds, reduced visibility, slippery roads and the number of accidents. We came very close to having our trip delayed one more day. As it turned out, we had no problems and we stayed in our home last night. My sister will make a decision today about when she will return, but the roads look pretty good for her to head back to her home.
Meanwhile, we have some details to conclude here.
Our son and his wife will close on a new home today. The people who are selling the home they are purchasing will sign the final agreement followed by a formal signing by our son and his wife. They will be able to take possession of their new home today and begin moving their things into the home. Moving from one home to another is a big process for anyone and it is an especially big deal for a family with three children. It has been fun for us, as parents, to watch our son steer his family through the process. He has explained the process to his nine-year-old son as a process of “4 yeses:” The first yes is when a buyer and seller come to agreement on the price of the house. This yes involves an offer and sometimes a counter offer. There can be negotiation until they come to a place where everyone says, “yes.” The second is a set of negotiations that come following a home inspection. The buyer lists some contingencies, or items that need to be addressed before the sale can be completed. The seller responds to those contingencies and they come to an agreement where they again can say, “yes.” The third “yes” comes from the bank or mortgage broker who is providing financing for the home. They have a professional appraiser look at the home to make sure that it provides sufficient collateral for the loan. If everything is in order they say, “yes.” Then there is the final closing, where a formal agreement is sealed, all of the paperwork is put in order, and all of the signatures are gathered to make sure that everyone has come to agreement on all of the details. This fourth “yes” is called the closing. After four yeses, then the home changes ownership and the new owners can move in.
So our son and his family have reached four yeses on the sale of their previous home and today they come to four yeses on the purchase of their new property. The family has already moved out of the old home and this weekend they’ll move into their new home.
We are nearing the third yes on the sale of our home here in Rapid City. After our adventures getting back to Rapid City, we are in our house here taking care of some final details in relationship to its sale. Today the appraiser comes to look at the home. The appraiser will prepare a formal written report for the bank and the buyer. The buyer has been pre approved for a loan and the appraisal is a formal process of making sure that the buyer’s loan is in order. Because we had a market estimate done before setting the price of our home, we are confident about the appraisal and this is mostly a formal process, but we still need to go through that process. We should have a date for that fourth yes within a day or so.
Our process is a bit easier on the other end as we have decided to rent for a year while we scope out the market and make a decision on what home to purchase. We have signed a lease and have moved our furniture to a home in Washington and are eager to get back to that home to unpack and get going on the next chapter of our adventure. We’ve just got a couple more “yeses” to achieve here.
Along the way we are reminded by the weather that there are things in this world with greater power than ourselves. Patience is a virtue we have already needed and will continue to need as we move forward.
Our original plan was to make the drive in three days with my sister, who came out to Washington after we drove the U-Haul truck and trailer there. The first two days drive brought us to her home in the town where we grew up. As we slept that night winter hit hard with more than a foot of snow. The roads became snow packed and slippery and we decided to wait a day before proceeding. After delaying one day, it became evident that the roads were sill bad as the storm had moved off to the east right in the direction of our travel. We delayed another day. On the third day, yesterday, things looked better. A chinook wind brought rising temperatures and the wind chills climbed above zero. We waited for sunlight and for the snow plows to make their first pass and set off.
The wind was blowing snow across the road and the roads were slippery for the first 20 miles of our journey. We saw a semi with two trailers overturned in the ditch and a RV trailer totaled and torn about off the side of the road. Several other cars and trucks were stuck in the ditch. We continued to travel at a slower speed. After about 20 miles the roads and visibility improved. Another 50 miles and we were on dry pavement with occasional slippery spots. Shortly after that the wind decreased and the roads were dry for the rest of the trip home. When we stopped for lunch we found out that the stretch of highway from 15 miles west of the place we had left to 20 miles east of that place had been closed due to the winds, reduced visibility, slippery roads and the number of accidents. We came very close to having our trip delayed one more day. As it turned out, we had no problems and we stayed in our home last night. My sister will make a decision today about when she will return, but the roads look pretty good for her to head back to her home.
Meanwhile, we have some details to conclude here.
Our son and his wife will close on a new home today. The people who are selling the home they are purchasing will sign the final agreement followed by a formal signing by our son and his wife. They will be able to take possession of their new home today and begin moving their things into the home. Moving from one home to another is a big process for anyone and it is an especially big deal for a family with three children. It has been fun for us, as parents, to watch our son steer his family through the process. He has explained the process to his nine-year-old son as a process of “4 yeses:” The first yes is when a buyer and seller come to agreement on the price of the house. This yes involves an offer and sometimes a counter offer. There can be negotiation until they come to a place where everyone says, “yes.” The second is a set of negotiations that come following a home inspection. The buyer lists some contingencies, or items that need to be addressed before the sale can be completed. The seller responds to those contingencies and they come to an agreement where they again can say, “yes.” The third “yes” comes from the bank or mortgage broker who is providing financing for the home. They have a professional appraiser look at the home to make sure that it provides sufficient collateral for the loan. If everything is in order they say, “yes.” Then there is the final closing, where a formal agreement is sealed, all of the paperwork is put in order, and all of the signatures are gathered to make sure that everyone has come to agreement on all of the details. This fourth “yes” is called the closing. After four yeses, then the home changes ownership and the new owners can move in.
So our son and his family have reached four yeses on the sale of their previous home and today they come to four yeses on the purchase of their new property. The family has already moved out of the old home and this weekend they’ll move into their new home.
We are nearing the third yes on the sale of our home here in Rapid City. After our adventures getting back to Rapid City, we are in our house here taking care of some final details in relationship to its sale. Today the appraiser comes to look at the home. The appraiser will prepare a formal written report for the bank and the buyer. The buyer has been pre approved for a loan and the appraisal is a formal process of making sure that the buyer’s loan is in order. Because we had a market estimate done before setting the price of our home, we are confident about the appraisal and this is mostly a formal process, but we still need to go through that process. We should have a date for that fourth yes within a day or so.
Our process is a bit easier on the other end as we have decided to rent for a year while we scope out the market and make a decision on what home to purchase. We have signed a lease and have moved our furniture to a home in Washington and are eager to get back to that home to unpack and get going on the next chapter of our adventure. We’ve just got a couple more “yeses” to achieve here.
Along the way we are reminded by the weather that there are things in this world with greater power than ourselves. Patience is a virtue we have already needed and will continue to need as we move forward.
