Chesapeake's Newest Home Owner or When I Went To Medical School, I Never Dreamed I Would End Up A Lawyer

"Congratulations....WE DID IT!!!!!" ~ Elle Woods, "Legally Blond"

He looks calm and collected, right! You'd never guess he has just written the largest check of his life or signed his name five hundred times over the course of an hour and a half! He doesn't look as if he has 4600 square feet of hardwood floors to dust and damp mop with hardwood floor cleaner, does he? That is because he didn't! I did! Yes, I did it with his money but I did it!

Bless his heart! He is so excited and anxious and he has called almost every day. Then the communication workers in Germany went on strike so it took almost three weeks to get a phone and he still doesn't have internet so he has to go to the opera house to use the computer and get e-mail. I can't imagine what his handy (cell phone) bill is going to be this month!

He was already amazed that I found 13 houses for him to look at and that they were all very nice and would be great to live in. Then when two of them "spoke" or rather "screamed" at him and a third, "spoke loudly" and he actually had to decide....in three days, I think it threw him into a shock. Of course when the offer was made and accepted and a home inspection made and addendum accepted and the loan application done before he flew off the next day..... he was in complete shock and I was in the Twilight Zone. Closing set for three weeks from the day the contract accepted?

And then it was here... today... Nyssa and I went with identification in hand, a notarized power of attorney and the largest single check I have ever held in my hand. I was nervous, stomach in turmoil and I couldn't figure out why. It wasn't my money or life being signed away... Then a dawn of realization... this felt like going into a legal deposition. Would the seller be across the table? Fortunately, this was a title office and the seller was doing the close in his own attorney's office, so no face to face but much faxing.... after my part was done.

When I bought my former home in Mississippi, the contract was one, maybe two pages. Now there are disclosures and definitions and tons of places to initial and check. At closing it is worse, some pages had five copies to sign! And what do you sign if you are buying a house for someone else and have to act as their attorney? "Stephen(his full name) by Sheila Roxanne __________ (my FULL name which is longer than his and he got away with his middle initial), his Attorney in Fact." Yes, I had to sign all of that for most of the pages. They allowed me to put "his AIF" on a few pages after both of the names, of course, but these were few and far between. Even the pages I initialed were hard... SG by SRP, AIF. I am surprised that I didn't write Sheila instead of Stephen at least once!

But finally, it was done! I was an Attorney for the day, something I would never have thought would happen in my wildest imagination! Only two glitches... I can't "ransom" my furniture until July 11th and..... I should have already arranged to transfer the utilities into his name or actually, my name since most wanted him to call to put it into his name alone. Our agent was negotiating two houses for Stephen and thought she had given me the page of utility phone numbers and she had not. I thought she said she would give it to me at closing. But the seller didn't have any orders in to stop the water or gas or electricity, so it should be fine.

Nyssa, Dad and I started in on the floors and putting down the area room rugs and they look pretty good! While there we experienced our first lightning and thunder show in this new home and it was great.... I should be able to get some awesome lightning pictures from those upstairs windows. More to do tomorrow! Even the delay in furniture is fine... gives more time to go through the stuff in the small storage unit and get that moved in..... so all in all a good day! Right guys!!!????

RIGHT!!!!

Now that is the enthusiasm I expected!

PS: Several have asked about my knee. It is slowly getting better, but I am keeping a knee brace on it during the day.... right now, very tired but it held up. Tomorrow? We shall see.

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