Stopped in Our Tracks

As per my previous post, we were supposed to be moving rapidly forward to inspect and close the deal on our very first house. We have not as of yet. I'd call it a comedy of errors, if it was in the least bit funny.

First, because the bank countered our offers three times and took a week between each counter to complete their paperwork, the house sat abandoned during some recent storms. And a squatter moved in, since the bank hadn't bothered to secure the side gate. Once the contract was finalized, the listing agent for the bank went by to check on the property and discovered the squatter. They told us that they'd clean up the mess and told us to wait for the go-ahead before scheduling our inspections.

Two weeks later, we finally got the all clear to get into the house. Steve and our realtor scheduled our inspections and interviews with two contractors for tomorrow. But when we walked through today, we realized the listing agent was not 100% honest about the clean-up being done.

True, they did clean up the trash left behind (some of which was nicely left for us in a bag in the backyard). However, they chose to ignore the fact that the squatter had used the toilet.... a lot. With the water not turned on. We know they noticed, however, since the bathroom door was nicely jammed closed. We nicely asked them to remedy the issue, since it definitely wasn't like that when we made our offer.

Then there's the whole issue of getting the utilities turned on... which they haven't. And they're complaining about doing so. Since apparently that's an extraordinary request. Why would you need the electricity turned on to inspect the electrical, after all? I mean, can't you just look at it? [written with heavy sarcasm]

It's amazing how fast things decay when untended. The plant overgrowth (spurred on by our recent rains) has skyrocketed and there's even a vine trying to sneak in a broken window in the kitchen. The ivy that once covered the backyard (until hacked back by someone the bank hired) is threatening to retake its former territory. Termites continue to chew on the back deck unchecked. It's driving me nuts that we can't do anything to take care of it, and will have to clean up these new problems generated by the delay if this deal ever clears.

So... I'm pretty annoyed. I feel like there's a lot of incompetence, indifference and/or laziness on the part of the bank and listing agent both. It's ridiculous how long it takes to get anything done, and we've been getting a lot of attitude. If we didn't love the house so much, we'd probably just walk away. But it's such an awesome house with incredible potential. A real diamond in the rough.

Allegedly the next step is for the listing agent to deal with the squatter's mess once and for all and get the utilities turned on. We'll see if that happens... and if it does, how long it takes.