Well, Doug the Favored Felon found a house. Except his divorce is not finalized. Fantastic. Additionally, Dee and Mr. Dee are co-signing and they are on a cruise in some foreign country. We wrote the contract Friday night. They left Saturday, insisting they will not have internet. That doesn't work when one is in contract negotiations. I managed to catch them Sunday before they got on the boat and had them sign off, with them assuring me, this was the last they would hear from me for a week, so too bad if there were more legal papers to be addressed.
Additionally, though Dee is all kinds of awesome, she is giving Doug the Favored Felon real estate advice. Let me take that back, she is giving him bad real estate advice. And what's worse, he is insisting it it wonderful real estate advice and instructing me to follow his wishes. True, that's part of my job, but I would like to think that I have slightly more credibility than Dee.
Doug the Favored asked that his contract be contingent upon his divorce being finalized. That's all well and good, but he doesn't go to court until the day before Thanksgiving. And just because he goes to court that day, doesn't mean it is finalized that day. I can't seem to get Doug and Dee to understand this particular tid-bit. Because I have no crystal ball, nobody knows what this will bring. Will the judge catch legionnaire's disease and miss work, extending his court date? Will Doug's soon-to-be-ex-wife suddenly have a change of heart, and rush in, asking for reconciliation? Will there be a pot luck in the courthouse lunch room and all cases that day will be delayed, or rescheduled?
These are all reasonable questions--especially from the other agent who was none-too-happy to see this contingency either (and I hated looking like a fool writing such nonsense). After all, she was getting a great number of showings and the house is priced less than $150,000. Why settle for Doug's baggage? If I were her, I wouldn't have stood for such shenanigans either.
What I would have preferred was a contingency of the soon-to-be ex-wife signing a Disclaimer Deed, which was less time sensitive and necessary for the loan, hence protecting Doug. Actually, what I would have really preferred is he waited to buy a home until after this week, and certainly after Dee and Mr. Dee were back in town to sign off on a legally binding contract. But, I couldn't seem to convince him of such things.
The negotiations for this particular point went back and forth all day Saturday, with me knowing what would eventually happen, but having to stick up for Doug anyway because that is my job--even if I personally disagreed. Finally he caved and the great compromise was reached. The selling side said Doug has until this Wednesday to get divorced or the contract was cancelled. Can't say I blame them.
At this rate, we shall see what will happen. I have warned Doug, the selling side has no sympathy for his situation and if he doesn't have a divorce decree in his hands in time for Turkey dinner, he will be homeless. I don't think he believes me, which is sad, because he is about to find out what happens when one takes advice from an optimistic someone who has given him well-meaning but bad advice.
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