The latest on our new home

It seemed like such a great idea.  One choice mom selling her home to another choice mom.  No agents.  No commissions.  I walk away with a house in my price range.  She walks away with the same amount she would have gotten (if not more) after handing over the commissions to the agents.  She had none of the stress of decluttering her home and keeping it spotless for showings.  No disruption to her life.  Her son doesn't need to watch his toys disappear, as SR did, for the decluttering.

But the whole process was a bit of a roller coaster.  From day to day, I didn't know if the seller was going through with selling me her home.  Then once the papers were signed, there were other road blocks.  She delayed the house appraisal appointment which delayed the bank giving me the mortgage, which delayed the closing by a day.

Then she told me the movers flaked out on her the night before we closed.  I gave her my movers....and they showed up at night and moved her out.  EXCEPT....the day we closed, she called to say she still had a lot of boxes and could she leave them in the house?  WTF?  No, you can't leave them in the house.  So I generously offered her the use of the garage for the day....which turned into two days....into three.  On Friday, I told her she had until Tuesday because I needed to move in.  Luckily my stuff is in storage and I'm staying with my parents.  But come on, it's my house now and I need the garage for my stuff and to park my car.

On Friday, she texted me a lovely thanks for letting her have until Tuesday.  She told me she didn't know how she would have pulled it together by the weekend, but Tuesday gave her plenty of time.  And today is Tuesday, and the stuff is still there.  In fact, she's now texted me to say that she's going out of town and cannot get the stuff until Saturday and she'll be making a few trips.

Oh, and I didn't mention the stuff left behind.  How very generous of her to leave some stuff behind for me.  BUT....if she wanted to leave me things, shouldn't she have asked me if I needed/wanted those items?  And yes, some things were nice, but others were broken/not needed.  So I mentioned that when the movers come, to let me know and I'll meet them there so they can bring the "desk" out of the basement.  I was told that the items left for me were left deliberately and if I didn't want the desk, I could put it by the curb.  Why is that my job?

The lawyers are now involved...did I mention the seller is a lawyer?  And my dad changed the garage code so she wouldn't be able to leave behind any more gifts for me.  So now I'm moving in my furniture on Thursday (we aren't ready to live there yet) and I want to use my garage too, but I can't.

I feel like this whole situation has been tainted.  It was supposed to be a nice thing to have one choice mom sell her home to another.  I've been so nice and patient and understanding.  My lawyer told me that this is business and I shouldn't be nice, and she's a lawyer and isn't being nice.

Plus, she didn't follow through, or follow through the way she said she would, on many things.  No one told her we had to close so quickly.

Here are a couple of pictures of the empty house (with the clutter that my dad has been taking over gradually to clear out any trace that I ever lived in their house).  In the end, I know this will be a great home for us, in a really nice neighbourhood and it will all work out.  I'm just frustrated now.

Walking from the front foyer.  Laundry Room walk out to garage on left.  Large square living room and dining room straight ahead, with kitchen behind.

Living room and dining room with gas fireplace.

Ignore the stuff my dad dropped everywhere.  Part of my kitchen!