Clara and I signed the contracts on Friday (after the broker added our furniture into the selling price without telling us prior), and our lawyer is looking everything over now for the attorney review.
The buyers want to move in Thursday (yes, the 17th, the day after tomorrow), and they project that the closing will finish on Friday the 18th. We are working with our lawyer to have something settled so that we could at least have sufficient time to move stuff out of the house.
Rosa told somebody that Clara and I don't tell her anything regarding the updates to the store and building. Ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous. She also told this person that she took out a second mortgage on the house. I have no idea whether or not this is true.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Dad's golf clubs
Random thing. Clara and I weeded the commercial building on Thursday (7/3) and yesterday (7/7). The town people complained that it was looking overgrown and unkempt (both true). We went by the house to inform RK and also to use the weed-cutting tool things that were in the garage.
JULY 3rd @ 10 am
We arrived at the house around 10 am to get the tools and to inform RK what we were doing. Clara updated her on some more stuff about people clearing out the junk in the store. RK asked whether we were done telling her stuff because she had to go somewhere. (Note: she was wearing a tank top and shorts [sleepwear?], no makeup, no bra. She didn't really look like she was going anywhere.)
Once we started the weeding at the store, we realized that it was going to be a much bigger project than we thought once we actually started. We called RK on her cell phone to ask what she was doing this weekend because we needed her help too if possible. RK said she had visitors coming for the weekend (which Clara said RK had mentioned to her before). Clara then asked what RK was doing on Monday morning. "Nothing, why?" Clara mentioned that we needed some help weeding the area around the store since it was a bigger job than we'd thought; could she please meet us there at 10 am on Monday morning? "Oh, I have a doctor's appointment at 10 am." (I guess she just forgot to mention that to us 30 seconds prior.)
NOTE: the weeds are a BUILDING issue, so really, RK should have been in charge of that, but waiting for her to do something is like waiting for a rock to hula.
JULY 7th @ 5 pm
After weeding the bulk and pouring Round-Up (weed killer) around the roots, Clara and I stopped by the house. While we were at the store, Kike (the deli owner) had gone to the post office to pick up his mail, and for some reason, our State Farm insurance bill was in his pile even though almost everything gets forwarded to the house. This bill is paid twice a year, once in January and once in July, so this is the first bill to be paid since the fire. Since it is building insurance, RK should pay it. (Clara is pretty much paying for everything for the cleaners out of her pocket, so I really hope the insurance covers all that.)
NOTE: Kike was at the store that day because he was there to collect four-month-old soda and beer from the remains of the deli because he plans to re-sell the beverages. I wish I were lying.
RK was at home with her sister from Delaware. (We said hi, and she said hi back and left the kitchen where the three of us were talking. Clara and I have no issues with her.) Maybe she was there to give moral support to RK at her doctor's appointment that morning. Anyhow, we give RK the State Farm bill, and she didn't understand why we had to pay it since the fire happened already. (I wish I were lying.) We told her that that is a very important bill and that it needs to be paid. I also reminded her to talk to the bank to get May 2008 and November 2007 statements for the accountant for the cleaners to be done with our final tax return (which I'd mentioned to her last week). She said okay. As usual, RK also tried to convince us to (this was all before the conversations with the broker Chris Kim on 7/8) to take whatever offer we get for the house immediately because the mortgage is a lot for her. We reiterated (like we normally do) that this is our parents' house and that we are okay with selling it but not for a bad offer. We also pointed out to her that before she kicked us out of the house, our lawyers had come up with a suggestion to make a bank account with money from all three of us to pay the mortgage together for x months, but that plan didn't happen since she kicked us out of the house. We pointed out that a higher offer is beneficial to all three of us. RK then suggested that Clara and I buy the house ourselves and then re-sell it because she doesn't want to pay the mortgage anymore. (Uh, okay. We'll buy our own parents' house.) I'm not sure if she was serious or not, but she did suggest it. We said no.
Clara had noticed that our father's Calloway golf clubs were missing from the garage. Clara asked RK where they were. RK had donated them to her church. Clara asked why she hadn't told us about this before RK donated them, and RK starts screaming (yes, screaming) at us immediately. She said she has no obligation to tell us these things and that they went to a good cause. We explained to her that WE tell her EVERYTHING that happens and that we constantly ask that she do us the same courtesy. (It's not even courtesy, it's... being co-executors of an estate.) We also reminded her that our father was an avid (to say the least) golf player and that those clubs which he collected throughout the years had a lot of sentimental value to him and therefore to us. (Clara was pretty upset.) We asked that she please tell us before she gets rid of our parents' things. She countered that everything in the house belongs to her. (I think she began screaming because she realized that it was a pretty shitty move and she was probably embarrassed or something. But then again, it's pretty hard to try to reason why she does anything, so maybe that wasn't the case.) We were speaking in calm (but bewildered) tones, so her screaming made her sound even more ridiculous.
We asked her (which we had done in the past) to please tell us before she gets rid of these things. She said to take everything right now that we wanted. We pointed out that it's a bit ridiculous to take EVERYTHING (grand piano, fancy china) because she uses some of the stuff too. We said that it's fine if she uses it, but please do not give it away before letting us know, especially since our mother bought a lot of that stuff since she designed and furnished the house herself. RK said to just take it now because she might rent the house (uh... right) and that she would have to get rid of a lot of stuff. We said that even if she knew she was renting it the next day, she could always call us THAT day she finds out, and we will get it immediately. She said okay but still looked mad that we asked her a logical question of why she'd get rid of something so sentimental. :-P
Note: RK did not know until yesterday that Clara and I no longer live together. When we asked her to call us back when we call her, she said there was no need to talk to both of us since we are always together. We said that no, we are not since we do not live together. She was surprised.
JULY 3rd @ 10 am
We arrived at the house around 10 am to get the tools and to inform RK what we were doing. Clara updated her on some more stuff about people clearing out the junk in the store. RK asked whether we were done telling her stuff because she had to go somewhere. (Note: she was wearing a tank top and shorts [sleepwear?], no makeup, no bra. She didn't really look like she was going anywhere.)
Once we started the weeding at the store, we realized that it was going to be a much bigger project than we thought once we actually started. We called RK on her cell phone to ask what she was doing this weekend because we needed her help too if possible. RK said she had visitors coming for the weekend (which Clara said RK had mentioned to her before). Clara then asked what RK was doing on Monday morning. "Nothing, why?" Clara mentioned that we needed some help weeding the area around the store since it was a bigger job than we'd thought; could she please meet us there at 10 am on Monday morning? "Oh, I have a doctor's appointment at 10 am." (I guess she just forgot to mention that to us 30 seconds prior.)
NOTE: the weeds are a BUILDING issue, so really, RK should have been in charge of that, but waiting for her to do something is like waiting for a rock to hula.
JULY 7th @ 5 pm
After weeding the bulk and pouring Round-Up (weed killer) around the roots, Clara and I stopped by the house. While we were at the store, Kike (the deli owner) had gone to the post office to pick up his mail, and for some reason, our State Farm insurance bill was in his pile even though almost everything gets forwarded to the house. This bill is paid twice a year, once in January and once in July, so this is the first bill to be paid since the fire. Since it is building insurance, RK should pay it. (Clara is pretty much paying for everything for the cleaners out of her pocket, so I really hope the insurance covers all that.)
NOTE: Kike was at the store that day because he was there to collect four-month-old soda and beer from the remains of the deli because he plans to re-sell the beverages. I wish I were lying.
RK was at home with her sister from Delaware. (We said hi, and she said hi back and left the kitchen where the three of us were talking. Clara and I have no issues with her.) Maybe she was there to give moral support to RK at her doctor's appointment that morning. Anyhow, we give RK the State Farm bill, and she didn't understand why we had to pay it since the fire happened already. (I wish I were lying.) We told her that that is a very important bill and that it needs to be paid. I also reminded her to talk to the bank to get May 2008 and November 2007 statements for the accountant for the cleaners to be done with our final tax return (which I'd mentioned to her last week). She said okay. As usual, RK also tried to convince us to (this was all before the conversations with the broker Chris Kim on 7/8) to take whatever offer we get for the house immediately because the mortgage is a lot for her. We reiterated (like we normally do) that this is our parents' house and that we are okay with selling it but not for a bad offer. We also pointed out to her that before she kicked us out of the house, our lawyers had come up with a suggestion to make a bank account with money from all three of us to pay the mortgage together for x months, but that plan didn't happen since she kicked us out of the house. We pointed out that a higher offer is beneficial to all three of us. RK then suggested that Clara and I buy the house ourselves and then re-sell it because she doesn't want to pay the mortgage anymore. (Uh, okay. We'll buy our own parents' house.) I'm not sure if she was serious or not, but she did suggest it. We said no.
Clara had noticed that our father's Calloway golf clubs were missing from the garage. Clara asked RK where they were. RK had donated them to her church. Clara asked why she hadn't told us about this before RK donated them, and RK starts screaming (yes, screaming) at us immediately. She said she has no obligation to tell us these things and that they went to a good cause. We explained to her that WE tell her EVERYTHING that happens and that we constantly ask that she do us the same courtesy. (It's not even courtesy, it's... being co-executors of an estate.) We also reminded her that our father was an avid (to say the least) golf player and that those clubs which he collected throughout the years had a lot of sentimental value to him and therefore to us. (Clara was pretty upset.) We asked that she please tell us before she gets rid of our parents' things. She countered that everything in the house belongs to her. (I think she began screaming because she realized that it was a pretty shitty move and she was probably embarrassed or something. But then again, it's pretty hard to try to reason why she does anything, so maybe that wasn't the case.) We were speaking in calm (but bewildered) tones, so her screaming made her sound even more ridiculous.
We asked her (which we had done in the past) to please tell us before she gets rid of these things. She said to take everything right now that we wanted. We pointed out that it's a bit ridiculous to take EVERYTHING (grand piano, fancy china) because she uses some of the stuff too. We said that it's fine if she uses it, but please do not give it away before letting us know, especially since our mother bought a lot of that stuff since she designed and furnished the house herself. RK said to just take it now because she might rent the house (uh... right) and that she would have to get rid of a lot of stuff. We said that even if she knew she was renting it the next day, she could always call us THAT day she finds out, and we will get it immediately. She said okay but still looked mad that we asked her a logical question of why she'd get rid of something so sentimental. :-P
Note: RK did not know until yesterday that Clara and I no longer live together. When we asked her to call us back when we call her, she said there was no need to talk to both of us since we are always together. We said that no, we are not since we do not live together. She was surprised.
Updates about the house
The real estate broker Chris Kim kept calling me today. He first called at 13:50 to tell me about an offer for $1.053 and was pressuring me to take it. He said that an appraiser would go to the house tomorrow (meaning Wednesday 7/9) to appraise it since the couple from Princeton (who made the bid) hadn't seen the house yet, but he wanted to close the deal within three weeks (when he said that these things normally take two months). He told me that he had just spoken with RK on the phone and was now contacting me since he couldn't reach Clara. (He literally called me while I was on the phone with her and she was frantically telling me how her cell phone battery was running out.) I told him that I needed to speak with my sister. Chris gave me his cell phone number, told me to call ANYTIME, and asked to please call him back right away.
My lawyer CYJ called me at 15:35 today. He had just gotten off the phone with Chris. I told him that Clara and I would call him back after we discussed all that.
I notice that there was a missed call on my phone while I away from my desk. Chris had called at 15:19 while I was out, so I listened to his message. He'd asked on the voicemail whether I'd spoken with my sister yet and that he'd spoken with CYJ. I called him back and he said that the buyer wants to wrap this up by next Friday ("in two weeks"). I asked him, didn't he say THREE weeks when I spoke to him earlier? He said no (but he definitely did). He gave me a bunch of "facts" like how it's a bad real estate market, that we should just take this offer, that we're wasting time and money by not taking the offer, etc. I said that my sister and I think that $1.053 is too low.
Chris called again at 16:15. I spoke with him for ten minutes on the phone. Basically it was a lot of back-and-forth, me saying that we weren't interested in such a low offer, him saying that we should definitely take it. At one point, he said that nobody wants to pay so much money for the house, which is why they lowered the asking price twice.
NOTE: WE WERE NEVER MADE AWARE OF THESE PRICE DECREASES.
I asked him to clarify about these price decreases, and he said that the asking price went down from $1.29 to $1.19 and $1.1 (the current price) two-and-a-half months ago and two months ago, respectively. I told him that I was hearing this information for the first time and that he could not possibly expect that I make a decision about this during the same phone call when I found out that the asking price went down twice (two months ago!). He kept asking what my counter-offer was, and I said that since the listing price has changed, I needed to speak to my sister. He told me about his successful background in real estate, but I explained that this was my parents' house that they had built, and we were not going to go for a crappy offer.
We ended the conversation with me saying that I'd consult some people first and then get back to him. He was very pushy.
He later called me again sometime while I was eating dinner (probably around 19:00). He left a message saying that the buyers were not increasing their bid but that he and their agent would take a lesser commission so that we would have $10,000 more. He asked that we call him back. (I'd listened to this message later.) He also called me again at 19:54 but did not leave a message.
After speaking with some relatives and my sister, I left him a voicemail at 22:30 to tell him that we'd speak again tomorrow. (I just wanted to touch base before the end of the day.) He has not called me back yet (but I'm guessing we'll talk tomorrow).
My lawyer CYJ called me at 15:35 today. He had just gotten off the phone with Chris. I told him that Clara and I would call him back after we discussed all that.
I notice that there was a missed call on my phone while I away from my desk. Chris had called at 15:19 while I was out, so I listened to his message. He'd asked on the voicemail whether I'd spoken with my sister yet and that he'd spoken with CYJ. I called him back and he said that the buyer wants to wrap this up by next Friday ("in two weeks"). I asked him, didn't he say THREE weeks when I spoke to him earlier? He said no (but he definitely did). He gave me a bunch of "facts" like how it's a bad real estate market, that we should just take this offer, that we're wasting time and money by not taking the offer, etc. I said that my sister and I think that $1.053 is too low.
Chris called again at 16:15. I spoke with him for ten minutes on the phone. Basically it was a lot of back-and-forth, me saying that we weren't interested in such a low offer, him saying that we should definitely take it. At one point, he said that nobody wants to pay so much money for the house, which is why they lowered the asking price twice.
NOTE: WE WERE NEVER MADE AWARE OF THESE PRICE DECREASES.
I asked him to clarify about these price decreases, and he said that the asking price went down from $1.29 to $1.19 and $1.1 (the current price) two-and-a-half months ago and two months ago, respectively. I told him that I was hearing this information for the first time and that he could not possibly expect that I make a decision about this during the same phone call when I found out that the asking price went down twice (two months ago!). He kept asking what my counter-offer was, and I said that since the listing price has changed, I needed to speak to my sister. He told me about his successful background in real estate, but I explained that this was my parents' house that they had built, and we were not going to go for a crappy offer.
We ended the conversation with me saying that I'd consult some people first and then get back to him. He was very pushy.
He later called me again sometime while I was eating dinner (probably around 19:00). He left a message saying that the buyers were not increasing their bid but that he and their agent would take a lesser commission so that we would have $10,000 more. He asked that we call him back. (I'd listened to this message later.) He also called me again at 19:54 but did not leave a message.
After speaking with some relatives and my sister, I left him a voicemail at 22:30 to tell him that we'd speak again tomorrow. (I just wanted to touch base before the end of the day.) He has not called me back yet (but I'm guessing we'll talk tomorrow).
Monday, June 23, 2008
Random updates
This past Friday (6/20), our manager called me around 10 am to ask me whether I was aware that She was at the store with some Korean guys, taking stuff out of the store. Well, I was not aware, so I called Her back shortly after I spoke with him, but of course She did not pick up Her cell phone nor did She return any of my messages. :-P Later I spoke with Clara and found out that She did indeed leave a voicemail saying that She was going to clear some stuff out. Thank goodness.
I spoke with Clara again today. Apparently, the people who were interested in buying our house is no longer interested. When Clara asked Her what was happening with the sale, She shrugged and said, "I don't know" as if She wasn't supposed to know. Clara tried to convey to Her that She was the one who was pushing to sell the house and that She needs to be on top of these things. Apparently, She just assumed that since She hadn't heard anything from Her broker, the sale was off. (I mean, that is probably true, but wouldn't a normal person check?) Then She got mad at Clara because She blamed us that we took too long to decide whether we should even sell the house, so She is losing money.
1. We agreed to sell the house when the buyers were still interested. SHE didn't keep on top of things. Not our fault.
2. SHE kicked us out of the house. (Well... kicked us out or demanded that we pay $3,000+ in rent.)
Ridiculous. Anyway, not too informative, but that is the latest update.
Moral of the story: Clara is a hard-working saint. SHE is still an idiot.
I spoke with Clara again today. Apparently, the people who were interested in buying our house is no longer interested. When Clara asked Her what was happening with the sale, She shrugged and said, "I don't know" as if She wasn't supposed to know. Clara tried to convey to Her that She was the one who was pushing to sell the house and that She needs to be on top of these things. Apparently, She just assumed that since She hadn't heard anything from Her broker, the sale was off. (I mean, that is probably true, but wouldn't a normal person check?) Then She got mad at Clara because She blamed us that we took too long to decide whether we should even sell the house, so She is losing money.
1. We agreed to sell the house when the buyers were still interested. SHE didn't keep on top of things. Not our fault.
2. SHE kicked us out of the house. (Well... kicked us out or demanded that we pay $3,000+ in rent.)
Ridiculous. Anyway, not too informative, but that is the latest update.
Moral of the story: Clara is a hard-working saint. SHE is still an idiot.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Note to self...
I haven't updated much, but just reminding myself that our manager called Clara yesterday to tell us that Rosa was at the store with some Korean guys (contractors?). She did not inform us of this and still hasn't answered Clara's voicemails. So yeah, that was 6/14. (Who knows when else she is there when our manager doesn't notice?)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Pre-weekend update
I'm going away this weekend for Memorial Day and won't be back until Tuesday, so here is a quick update:
1. Yesterday (Tuesday the 20th), Clara went home. RK was there, and she said to Clara that she thinks that if the house gets a bid, we should just take it (in an effort to move past all this). (Hm... so it's "we" now even though it was just one person who put the house up for sale?) Our family members steadfastly believe that it is a beautiful house and that we should not take less than what it's worth. Clara and I agree. RK also mentioned that she is thinking of going back to Korea and could possibly just leave the building to me and Clara.
(I believe absolutely nothing that comes out of RK's mouth, so I refuse to react to the latter part of their conversation.)
2. Today (Wednesday the 21st), Clara received a phone call from a broker at the real estate agency that RK is using. (It's not the same guy whom we met at the open house.) Apparently, someone made a bid on our house on Monday, but RK did not tell us. The broker only called Clara because RK was not answering his phone calls. That means that when RK tried convincing Clara that we should just accept a bid yesterday (Tuesday), she already knew of an existing bid but did not tell us about it. The bid is actually lower. (The house is set at $1.29 million, but the buyers bid $1.05 million.)
Clara spoke with RK right after the conversation with the broker. RK claimed that she did not tell us about the bid because it was lower than what we (well... she) was asking, so she didn't bother mentioning it. The broker called Clara back, and the buyers bid $1.1 million but Clara and I are not interested.
(We emailed the brokers to let them know we will be out of town until Tuesday. Also, we ALL [Clara and I + our lawyers + RK + RK's lawyer] are meeting on Wednesday morning in New York, so even if we were not going away for the weekend, I would not feel comfortable AT ALL about any of these bids until we outlined exactly what was going to happen to the trust if the house were sold.)
3. A bit different: one of the customers at the cleaners (shares first name with Clemens from the Yankees, and the last name is a homophone of the sound that a train makes) keeps claiming that he is going to sue us. He claims that he contacted a lawyer and that we (Clara and I) were supposed to appear on court today. He claims that he sent paperwork from his lawyer to us and also received confirmation that we received it. Clara and I went to the post office the day after the fire (Monday 3/10) to forward correspondence to the house, and we received nothing from him or any lawyer (though we do receive bills and everything, so the forwarding works). He also said that he filed something with the Chamber of Commerce in the town where the building is located, but the Chamber of Commerce has no record of it.
Today, Clara saw him at our manager's store, and she spoke with this customer because he happened to be there. He was "nice" and told Clara that he was going to cancel the court appearance at which we were supposed to appear. (WTF?) Basically he's full of horse manure, but I just want to make note of this just in case it winds up being something later. He claimed that this court appearance was supposed to be in White Plains which makes no sense since it's a local issue. (Then again, it's imaginary.) Clara asked nicely whom this customer contacted, and he said it was the "Commissioner of Insurance" (again... WTF?). When Clara asked nicely for a name, he stuttered, "Eric." Clara asked, "Eric what?" Customer: "Eric-something, I forget his last name."
So that's a quick update of what's up. We'll be back on Tuesday to deal with all this.
1. Yesterday (Tuesday the 20th), Clara went home. RK was there, and she said to Clara that she thinks that if the house gets a bid, we should just take it (in an effort to move past all this). (Hm... so it's "we" now even though it was just one person who put the house up for sale?) Our family members steadfastly believe that it is a beautiful house and that we should not take less than what it's worth. Clara and I agree. RK also mentioned that she is thinking of going back to Korea and could possibly just leave the building to me and Clara.
(I believe absolutely nothing that comes out of RK's mouth, so I refuse to react to the latter part of their conversation.)
2. Today (Wednesday the 21st), Clara received a phone call from a broker at the real estate agency that RK is using. (It's not the same guy whom we met at the open house.) Apparently, someone made a bid on our house on Monday, but RK did not tell us. The broker only called Clara because RK was not answering his phone calls. That means that when RK tried convincing Clara that we should just accept a bid yesterday (Tuesday), she already knew of an existing bid but did not tell us about it. The bid is actually lower. (The house is set at $1.29 million, but the buyers bid $1.05 million.)
Clara spoke with RK right after the conversation with the broker. RK claimed that she did not tell us about the bid because it was lower than what we (well... she) was asking, so she didn't bother mentioning it. The broker called Clara back, and the buyers bid $1.1 million but Clara and I are not interested.
(We emailed the brokers to let them know we will be out of town until Tuesday. Also, we ALL [Clara and I + our lawyers + RK + RK's lawyer] are meeting on Wednesday morning in New York, so even if we were not going away for the weekend, I would not feel comfortable AT ALL about any of these bids until we outlined exactly what was going to happen to the trust if the house were sold.)
3. A bit different: one of the customers at the cleaners (shares first name with Clemens from the Yankees, and the last name is a homophone of the sound that a train makes) keeps claiming that he is going to sue us. He claims that he contacted a lawyer and that we (Clara and I) were supposed to appear on court today. He claims that he sent paperwork from his lawyer to us and also received confirmation that we received it. Clara and I went to the post office the day after the fire (Monday 3/10) to forward correspondence to the house, and we received nothing from him or any lawyer (though we do receive bills and everything, so the forwarding works). He also said that he filed something with the Chamber of Commerce in the town where the building is located, but the Chamber of Commerce has no record of it.
Today, Clara saw him at our manager's store, and she spoke with this customer because he happened to be there. He was "nice" and told Clara that he was going to cancel the court appearance at which we were supposed to appear. (WTF?) Basically he's full of horse manure, but I just want to make note of this just in case it winds up being something later. He claimed that this court appearance was supposed to be in White Plains which makes no sense since it's a local issue. (Then again, it's imaginary.) Clara asked nicely whom this customer contacted, and he said it was the "Commissioner of Insurance" (again... WTF?). When Clara asked nicely for a name, he stuttered, "Eric." Clara asked, "Eric what?" Customer: "Eric-something, I forget his last name."
So that's a quick update of what's up. We'll be back on Tuesday to deal with all this.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
5/10/08 - More house stuff
Clara and I stopped by the house today. On our way there, we saw signs for an open house. SHE wasn't home, but the real estate guy asked us if we were there for the open house... for our own parents' house. That was wonderful.
We'd left two messages for her on voicemail earlier today to let her know that we were coming. (She did not call us back. I'm still unsure whether she checks her messages.) We called her again while at the house at 15:36; she told us she was ten minutes away and would be home right away. She arrived about half an hour later.
We asked her politely why she hadn't told us that there would be an open house today (and why she didn't tell us about the open house two Sundays ago). "Why do I need to tell you that?" she asked, not meeting our gaze. We told her that we just want to know about these things that are happening. "What... are you going to come to every open house? There's an open house tomorrow. Do you want to come to that too?" We reminded her that just like she wants to know about every meeting that happens with the business (which is totally her right... and we DO inform her of every meeting with the business), we would like to know about every single step that happens with the sale of the house (which, let me remind my audience, was a process that she started completely not only without our consent but without our knowledge).
At this point, she got upset and raised her voice (in the presence of the real estate guy... haha) and shrieked, "Do YOU want to pay the mortgage?"* to which we responded that we just want to be informed of these things (which IS our right, just as her knowing about the business is HER right). We reminded her that she put the house up for sale without telling us at all (she obviously tried to keep us in the dark since she saw Clara the day before she put up the sign... and I don't know too much about real estate, but I'm certain that you can't just walk into a real estate office and request a sign; negotiations need to be made, and contracts must be signed). She responded, "I TOLD you that I was sorry about that!" but we weren't looking for an apology. We just told her to PLEASE tell us every single time there is a new development, to which she responded that there WERE no new developments. I reminded her that she has our cell phone numbers and that she should feel free to call EVERY TIME that there is a new development. I asked her whether she needs our cell phone numbers programmed into her phone, and she said no.
At this point, she went into her room (but left the door open). Clara and I took pictures of the sign outside and our mom's baby grand piano. Then we knocked on her door (she had our back turned towards the door and was folding laundry... because I'm sure she needed something to be physically DOING to avoid having to talk to us) and told her we were leaving and reminded her to please let us know about any new developments. We asked if there were any. She curtly responded no.
(This was a total lie because we heard from some people who live around the cleaners that they saw HER outside the store a few days ago with two Korean men who were taking measurements of the store.)
We said goodbye to the real estate guy (who was pretty polite... and he was only doing his job) and left.
-----
* According to the will, it IS her responsibility to pay the mortgage. Period.
SIDE NOTE:
Although this is not entirely related, I would also like to point out the absurdity of HER putting the house on sale because she has put absolutely NO visible effort into improving the house. It was built in 1995 but has really undergone no significant improvements since then (my father redid the basement in 2003, but there haven't been any paint jobs or anything of the sort since the house was built).
Part of the front part of the roof has fallen off (which is more an aesthetic thing), which is visible in the flier that the real estate company (Realty 7) put together if you know to look for it. The deck has not been refurbished and looks definitely weathered, as does the front door which has visible splinters and has discolored over the years. There are cracks all over the house on many parts of the walls, including parts of the kitchen and many of the corners of the rooms. The room doors (which are white) need a serious paint job because you can see years of dirt all over the doors, especially near the knobs. The toilet in the basement (which hasn't been used in years but was obviously supposed to be a part of the open house since the door was open and the lights were on) hasn't been cleaned, and you can see the different "layers" of dirty water that have been there over the years.
Basically, the house is in absolutely no condition to be sold. SHE is asking just under $1.3 million, which is absurd. Even the real estate guy told me and my sister (before SHE arrived) that some of the people who have walked into the open house have commented that the house definitely needs work and even pointed out cracks in the walls to the real estate guy. The real estate guy told us, "It's not just a matter of lowering the price; there definitely need to be improvements."
(Her not realizing this -- I mean, at least scrub the insides of the toilets! -- proves her idiocy. The end.)
We'd left two messages for her on voicemail earlier today to let her know that we were coming. (She did not call us back. I'm still unsure whether she checks her messages.) We called her again while at the house at 15:36; she told us she was ten minutes away and would be home right away. She arrived about half an hour later.
We asked her politely why she hadn't told us that there would be an open house today (and why she didn't tell us about the open house two Sundays ago). "Why do I need to tell you that?" she asked, not meeting our gaze. We told her that we just want to know about these things that are happening. "What... are you going to come to every open house? There's an open house tomorrow. Do you want to come to that too?" We reminded her that just like she wants to know about every meeting that happens with the business (which is totally her right... and we DO inform her of every meeting with the business), we would like to know about every single step that happens with the sale of the house (which, let me remind my audience, was a process that she started completely not only without our consent but without our knowledge).
At this point, she got upset and raised her voice (in the presence of the real estate guy... haha) and shrieked, "Do YOU want to pay the mortgage?"* to which we responded that we just want to be informed of these things (which IS our right, just as her knowing about the business is HER right). We reminded her that she put the house up for sale without telling us at all (she obviously tried to keep us in the dark since she saw Clara the day before she put up the sign... and I don't know too much about real estate, but I'm certain that you can't just walk into a real estate office and request a sign; negotiations need to be made, and contracts must be signed). She responded, "I TOLD you that I was sorry about that!" but we weren't looking for an apology. We just told her to PLEASE tell us every single time there is a new development, to which she responded that there WERE no new developments. I reminded her that she has our cell phone numbers and that she should feel free to call EVERY TIME that there is a new development. I asked her whether she needs our cell phone numbers programmed into her phone, and she said no.
At this point, she went into her room (but left the door open). Clara and I took pictures of the sign outside and our mom's baby grand piano. Then we knocked on her door (she had our back turned towards the door and was folding laundry... because I'm sure she needed something to be physically DOING to avoid having to talk to us) and told her we were leaving and reminded her to please let us know about any new developments. We asked if there were any. She curtly responded no.
(This was a total lie because we heard from some people who live around the cleaners that they saw HER outside the store a few days ago with two Korean men who were taking measurements of the store.)
We said goodbye to the real estate guy (who was pretty polite... and he was only doing his job) and left.
-----
* According to the will, it IS her responsibility to pay the mortgage. Period.
SIDE NOTE:
Although this is not entirely related, I would also like to point out the absurdity of HER putting the house on sale because she has put absolutely NO visible effort into improving the house. It was built in 1995 but has really undergone no significant improvements since then (my father redid the basement in 2003, but there haven't been any paint jobs or anything of the sort since the house was built).
Part of the front part of the roof has fallen off (which is more an aesthetic thing), which is visible in the flier that the real estate company (Realty 7) put together if you know to look for it. The deck has not been refurbished and looks definitely weathered, as does the front door which has visible splinters and has discolored over the years. There are cracks all over the house on many parts of the walls, including parts of the kitchen and many of the corners of the rooms. The room doors (which are white) need a serious paint job because you can see years of dirt all over the doors, especially near the knobs. The toilet in the basement (which hasn't been used in years but was obviously supposed to be a part of the open house since the door was open and the lights were on) hasn't been cleaned, and you can see the different "layers" of dirty water that have been there over the years.
Basically, the house is in absolutely no condition to be sold. SHE is asking just under $1.3 million, which is absurd. Even the real estate guy told me and my sister (before SHE arrived) that some of the people who have walked into the open house have commented that the house definitely needs work and even pointed out cracks in the walls to the real estate guy. The real estate guy told us, "It's not just a matter of lowering the price; there definitely need to be improvements."
(Her not realizing this -- I mean, at least scrub the insides of the toilets! -- proves her idiocy. The end.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
