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I promise the house I am moving into in the next few days is going to be my last. I can't go through this again. I am so frustrated.

We closed on our Hill COuntry house without problems. We closed on our DFW area home last Thursday....then on Friday the mortgage company complained about some bushes touching the house. Realtor got that corrected. Then late Friday the mortgage company decided that the well was less than perfect and that we had to do something about it or get city water (which is available.) Now mind you this is a small town we are moving to and this is early afternoon of the day before a holiday. Try getting anything done. We called and said we want the water connected but,of course, there is a delay and a $3100 charge. So...the closing is now on hold despite the mortage company accepting our check, etc..

Enter the sellers (now remember this house was on the market over two years so they should have been doing cartwheels to have us purchasing it.) They want us to close but because there is a delay in getting the closing completed, they want us to rent the house from them--this all being the result of their poor maintenance of the well. (In the whole buying, inspection, etc. they have claimed the house is perfect and concerns that our inspector had were "unimportnat") Any repairs that were made per the inspection were done by the homeowner.

When the closing date was set some weeks back we generously gave them the house several days after the closing at no charge so they could move at their leisure. Now when we have done everything that we can to bring this to conclusion, they are being difficult and can't offer a similiar several days to us. We are not officially going to move in until Friday although we have some plants and outdoor furniture we were going to put in the back yard tomorrow or Tuesday.

If we weren't basically homeless at present, didn't have three dogs to have to do something with, been out many dollars having various inspections completed, and have an incredible interest rate (DH is a Texas veteran with a service related disability so we ended with a 2.99% rate), I would be strongly tempted to let these difficult people have their house back and would go find something else.

(Can you hear the tiredness in my voice after days of packing and cleaning, etc. to finish it out this house? I foolishly agreed to do the packing of most of it and it has almost killed this senior citizen because I am so meticulous about how things are packed. Of course, a number of 6 hour trips one way to take care of things withe the new house, closing out two jobs, accomodating the buyers of the hill country home, and throwing in the mix of finding a buyer for our 200 acre ranch has not made things easier. Mind you we are thrilled to sell the ranch but it is just one more thing in an already overfull plate.

Time to stop venting and go finish a last thing or two in this house so we can leave and go into limbo as we try to clean up the mess on the other end.

Awww, Gwenda, hearing you loud and clear and know that you don't need any advice; just a sounding board for your pent-up frustrations and rightfully so!

All, I can say, if you really want this place, is to keep quiet, go with the flow and hope the water runs your way! Seriously. Disregard the latest re the closing and keep on doing what you are doing - the "glitch" will work itself out - but, in the meantime, you need to take care of the dogs and yourself.

Yes, I realize that you are tired BUT hang in there for just a few more days - it will be worth it in the end!

How could the mortgage company ask for repair items after closing?? You may have closed in escrow (no dispersement until completion of repair/FHA requirements.

Did you get an FHA mortgage and was the well test requested and tested and listed as a contingency? Sounds like an FHA appraisers' approval of repairs didn't pass. FHA does accept a well to my knowledge as long as the water test "passes". The FHA appraiser does go back to check repairs/conditions just before closing, however I have never heard of
the title company and mortgage co closing with repairs issues outstanding...so that is why I am thinking you closed in escrow. Sounds like it is FHA - who also would ask for tree brush to be cut away from rooflines.


On FHA buyer is not allowed to conduct and pay for repairs. I am sure your Realtor is on top of this.

This issue could however vary depending on the type of financing you received.

Don't worry..you are 99 percent done and bear with it. You may want to inquire if a water conditioning system would be acceptable to FHA - or the mortgage company...who ever is requiring same. Bottom line though is water test passing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: real estate lady,

Oh my dear lady...that's one of the hardest scenarios I've ever heard...t's and p's to you as you continue ... hang in there ... you are due for a break!

I am definately like you...if we ever sell here and get settled elsewhere, I'm neverrrrrrrr moving; it is indeed hard on a body and soul.

Some time has passed since I posted last. But...we finally had funds distributed.

REL this was a Texas Veteran's Loan not FHA with the Texas Veteran's Land Board facilitating the loan through a mortgage company. The interest rate was great (Actually 2.99% after a lowering by a half poiint because of DH's service related disability.)They never said that we closing in escrow. All this extra came up after the fact. I hardly thing DH and I both could have missed that statement.

This was just so silly. First they lost our paperwork--twice before we could go forward with the loan. Once we found a home and then proceeded toward closing, things got even sillier. The sellers signed papers in north Texas; we signed papers in the SA area. We proceeded to try to get everything moved. Then a day later they wouldn't release the funds because some bushes were touching the house. The realtor (who was wonderful) took care of that. Next they decided the water well wouldn't pass muster. O.K. we said we will switch to city water which was available. Realtor walks through as much as she can. We did all the application we can for city water. Guess what: can't to switch to city water without a deed. Can't get a deed without city water. Talk about an endless circle.

Finally got ourselves free of the hill country home and drove north with DH driving a rental truck. It keels about 15 miles from the new house. It takes three days to repair.

We get to new home and sign a lease to rent until we can get funds disbursed. Rush around to get a sterile container to test well water (only available certain days and in a very narrow window), meet water well repairman to pay for some repairs to well as we have to do something to be able to get funds released. (Realtor had tried to get someone out sooner but there was a waiting list.)

I write a check for repairs; realtor rushes water test results and proof of repairs to mortgage company a week after we "closed" and one day before we would have to re-apply for Tex Vet loan. Mortagage company says well there is this other issue... Realtor tells them to quit jerking us around and let the funds go. They do so at the last minute. The house is ours.

Now to move in. The rental truck is repaired and we move the bits from that onto the property. Day after the first two of four Pods arrive. A note shows up on the door--cable, phone, internet installer came a day early--call to rechedule. (Cell phones just barely work as the nearest tower is across the lake and this is in a major metropolitan area.) It will take a week to get back on his list. We literally hang from the second floor when we make a phone call and there are a lot of phone calls.

The first two Pods are unloaded and they pick up the empty ones the next day. Think the others will arrive on the Friday--they come Saturday and Sunday late in the day. Early Monday truck comes to pick up Pods. Send him away. Unloaders come and take care of that.

Call Pods and say the units are empty and they can be picked up. They will be here the next day. They weren't. Nor the next day nor the next... You get the picture: they are still sitting in the street in front of the house despite daily calls to Pods heaquarters. Maybe Monday!!! (Do you think this makes us popular with our new neighbors? The police have been by to see why we are blocking one lane of the street.)

Meanwile I am going down for the count as I try to fit things into a nice but smaller home than we had before. Frustration--keep finding things I thought I tossed or donated. (DH was going behind my back salvaging things and putting them in unlabled boxes so I wouldn't catch him. He is just too sentimental and not real practical at times.) I have to deal with this issue since there is literally no space for these items.

We still are living without a refrigerator and have a non-functioning washer and dryer. I think I think I will just buy new on these since they are both well over ten years old. The refrigerator is back-ordered until mid-July. A rental unit will be delivered on Monday.

So even when houses sell and new ones close...the problems never end. So...those of you waiting to sell: it could be just the beginning of a whole different set of problems.

Someday I will laugh about this--I hope. This is our eighteenth home in 45 years. The moves have never been plagued with as many problems--even the time the sellers backed out as the last of our itmes were loaded on to the truck. Maybe I should just write a book about this experience--on a piece of cardboard because who knows where the paper is located! (and I thought I was organized, really!)

Gwenda, A.K.A. the cardboard woman who promises to quit venting

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gwenda,

Gwenda, So glad to hear back from you and know that you are settled - finally!

Loved your post and the literary references - even if you didn't mean them - "Catch 22" re the water and "Comedy of Errors" re all of the rest! So glad you are now "home" - sit back, put up your feet and relax. Plenty of time to take care of all of the rest of those details - and, yes, you were organized - just can't push the rest of the world into being organized as well! Enjoy - you deserve it!

I hope that you, your realtor, and the realtor's broker will all write letters of complaint to the Texas Veteran's Land Board and to the mortgage company about the lender's sheer incompetence as evidenced in the loss of your documents TWICE plus the delay of release of funds AFTER CLOSING due to issues that could have, and should have been, communicated to you weeks prior. Assuming that either you or your husband are veterans, the Land Board should be made aware of the unnecessary complications this lender is inflicting on former/current members of the armed services living in Texas.

Usually inspections are done with a specific time period as indicated on the contract, house, pool well, radon, termite, etc.

What may have happened is the water test was not done at that time, and discovered at the last minute.
The Veteran's Administration (as well as FHA) does require positive well results (if well is the main source of water)) before loan is funded. In this case, if you went to closing and handed them your closing check..you most likely closed in escrow, until problem resolved.

Glad all that worked out for you. Important for Realtors and Sellers to pay attention to contingencies listed on appraisal..in cases of a VA or FHA loan, who do require a re-inpections before closing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: real estate lady,

Thanks all. I really don't think those things were listed in the appraisal although I didn't see it for a long time. It just seems that in closing it could have been stated while we were signing that three inch stack of paper that the funds would be held until the water issue is resolved. The other things caught our realtor off guard too. None of us saw any document that stated that certain issues needed to be resolved before fund disbursement and then they came bringing the issues up one at a time, i.e. we would take care of one then they would mention another and then another like we couldn't think of two or more things at once. That is what put us in such a time crunch since we were nearing the end of the month and a holiday week-end was in the mix making city and county offices, repairmen, etc. less available.

Dh is the veteran in the family and we should be used to all this after 25 years of service. It had been a few years since retirment so I guess we forgot. I will encourage DH to write the Land Board to let them know of how fraught with problems this process was. Maybe it will encourage them to counsel their cooperating lenders in better handling of documents and issues.

Now this former librarian will put her COMEDY OF ERRORS and CATCH 22 books on the shelves and pull them down to read ocassionaly--as soon as I can find the shelves behind the boxes. (The Pods were finally picked up on Monday and computer is still working so we are making progress!)

G

All Realtors familiar with FHA and VA transactions know that these agencies require a water test on the well and it must past inspection.It is considered to be an "FHA" or "VA" contingency.

A water sample is taken to the local health dept. for testing. If it passes great, if not
options must be considered in order to obtain the loan.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: real estate lady,

Gwenda...you sure have been thru the wringer; I hope things even out really soon...hugs!

Gwenda...what was the well issue; just curious.

Sorry--been busy unpacking, playing with granddaughter, and working to get house fixed more to our liking.

Seems there was some valve that was misfunctioning making the pump run hot(higher rpma) a leak in the well house and another annoying item which I can't remember. We got the well man out at the last minute and fixed the issuesat very little cost. About a week and a half ago we got our deed. Gee now for a mere $3000 hook-up fee we can go to city water--not going to happen. They would have gotten us if they had accepted a signed contract to purchase plus our closing papers. Three weeks without water...I think not.