My apologies for the delay between posts. It has been crazy-busy over here in Louisiana (and I'm sure for the spousal-unit in Texas!). Let me catch you up.
The house we are purchasing here was listed on April 1st. (Hope that doesn't mean anything "foolish" about purchasing it!) We submitted our offer on April 7th, were countered, and reached agreement that same evening. Crazy, huh? Anyway... that was the beginning of my immersion in Louisiana real estate processes.
I assumed (you know what THAT does!) the inspection could be done within 2-3 days. WRONG! The inspection was scheduled for one week later on April 14th. Good thing we submitted a 10-day inspection period in the offer!! The Property Disclosure (as opposed to the Sellers Disclosure in Texas... but they are essentially the same) indicated no termites but that there was a termite contract in place. My broker here thought that odd enough to investigate so he ended up booking me a termite inspection... which was negative. Whew!! The mechanical inspection was interesting as the inspector was very good at his job but the homeowners were there. The homeowner was not pleased when some things were pointed out... although there was nothing major except for the HVAC system... and the inspector was really just doing his job. It was kinda' funny. They had told me the inspection would occur at 1:00 p.m. but I was to show up at 3:30 p.m. to pay for it! HUH?!?!?!?!? Oh NO, you're wrong!! This crazy old Texas Realtor is going to BE THERE!! It all worked out just fine. The house really is in excellent shape for a 1976 (or 1974?) model and the entire HVAC system is going to be replaced before our move-in.
Okay. So after the inspection was done, I signed a form "demanding" the Sellers remedy the HVAC situation (we had already discussed it and reached an agreement but the paperwork still had to be done!). The Sellers signed it. Then, I had to sign the signed form confirming that I had received the signed form signed by the Sellers who had agreed to my signed demand!! HAHAHAHA!! Did I lose you on that one? I have no idea what that was all about... but there are a bunch of signatures on this lone 2-page form! Oh... and the brokers had to sign a few times, too. LOL!!
While all of this silliness was going on, I visited my local insurance company's representative's office here to discuss obtaining a new Homeowner's policy as well as transferring some of my coverages from Texas. (Some will remain there since one vehicle is garaged in Kimble County, Texas.) Folks... the property taxes here are nominal compared to Texas... but the insurance is KILLER!! Guess it's all those hurricanes that keep showing up. Anyway... there is actually a separate hurricane deductible on homeowner policies here. Interesting. So, I bit the bullet knowing that my property tax bill had been cut by nearly 86% even while my home insurance increased by nearly 50%. Since the insurance policy is much less to begin with, I figure I'm still coming out ahead.
Whew!! So, we are moving toward a May 1st closing. The spousal-unit is heading over here on the 21st with a U-Haul truck full of whatever he can cram in it to be unloaded into my aunt's garage for short-term storage. He will make a couple of legal runs with me on the 22nd then we will both return to Austin in the 'Burb on the 23rd. That's when the real craziness will begin. I will try to get everything possible done before I leave Austin again on the 30th for Louisiana. I will arrive that Thursday afternoon in time to meet my broker on the morning of May 1st for a quick walk-through, then to the bank for a Cashier's Check, then to my closing (called "Act of Sale" here!) at 11:00 a.m. That should go quickly and smoothly. I will then receive my new house key, return to my aunt's place to retrieve her and take her over to see the place. I think she is excited about that part.
Okay. Now you have the project plan Critical Path. Promise I won't tell you any more about it. I'm sure that's more than you wanted to know anyway. However, if you know someone looking to buy a place in Oak Hill in Austin, let me know!
Finally, I went plant nursery hopping (2 very small nurseries!) last Wednesday. Could not help myself when I found heirloom tomato plants. Bought five (actually, bought four and the lady gave me one "free" plant!) to plant at my aunt's place in pots. There are two Cherokee Purple plants (if you have not tried this tomato, you have not lived!), one Zebra, one Pineapple, and one Brandywine. Here is their "group" photo.
Until the next post!! (And I can't tell you when that might be!)
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