welcome to the housing roller coaster

We still don't have a place to live.  But we are definitely getting closer!  This last week has been really challenging on a lot of fronts and I am weary.  

A few days ago we learned that one of our two remaining options was falling through - it needed a lot of work (to make it live-able for a family of 5/6) and we were only willing to put the time and money into it if the landlord went down on the price.  He wouldn't budge.  So we walked away.  

Which left us with one final option.  The real estate agent was having trouble getting in touch with the landlord and didn't want to give us the landlord's phone number.  This is pretty typical here - if the real estate agent "makes a deal" between a landlord and a renter then they earn a cut of the fee for their help.  And when renters have a means of directly contacting landlords, they tend to go make their own deals and skip out on the realtor fee. Dishonest, unscrupulous, but it happens.  So real estate agents, in a valid attempt to protect their livelihood, don't give out phone numbers. 

But we really needed that phone number - we had a time crunch to deal with, and waiting around for a real estate agent to track down the landlord was not on our calendar.  So we bought the phone number.  If it works out that we can rent this place, it will be a well-spent 70 dollars. 

Matt wires the money, scans and sends the confirmation, and the phone number arrives.  In the meantime, another realtor calls about a new option (maybe option 13 at this point, I have definitely lost track of all the places we've considered!)  3 bedroom, 2 bath, 7th floor (with an elevator) and ready to move in.  It's in the complex next to the one we were hoping for, but we are no longer in a position to be picky.  The realtor takes photos and sends them along.... it looks hopeful, but I need to see a floor plan so I can really understand the layout before we commit.

Back to the earlier option.  Matt talks to the landlady.  She decides she wants to do all the work on the apartment and will then rent it to us for a very reasonable price.  It won't be ready til August 15th but the relocation company we hope to use has offered two months free storage. Soooooo, this really might happen! 

And here's the best part:  it's a 1st floor, 3 bedroom apartment in the exact complex we were hoping for and it has a small yard!   Oh MY!  I almost cannot let my heart start to dream about life with a little piece of grass to call our own!  

So, we wait.  Matt is working super hard trying to handle his normal responsibilities and get all this settled for our family before we leave the country.  I talked to him earlier today and got this brief update and can't wait to hear more when he gets home.  I know there are still many details to be settled, and it will be a few days before we confirm, but I am hopeful.  

Oh  yeah, and one other amazingly helpful thing:  When Matt calls with this newest info the kids and I are in town hanging out with my friend Alisa who has been out of the country for a month (Julianna and her oldest daughter Kayleigh are dear friends).  So I'm thinking out loud "the relocation company will move our stuff in, but who could be there to "receive it", you know... tell them where to put the carpet, where to set the fridge, etc".  

And Alisa looks at me and says "I'm going to be up there in August... maybe I could do it for you.  I know your stuff, I know your apartment, I could figure out where things belonged." 

There are few people who know me well enough that I would say "yeah, would you do that?  Move into my apartment for me?"  And Alisa is one of them.  

Man oh man, this just might work!