Real Estate Blues, part Zvvei
The saga just doesn't end.
Last week, we left off with the main characters very sad and stressed out about their temporary living situation. Since then, a lot has happened, but not much has changed.
Once we decided to walk away from buyer #1, we were left in a bind with the apartment we wanted to buy: do we let it go or do we try to somehow find short-term financing to cover for the money we were going to use from the sale of Andrew's apartment? We literally only had a few days to figure it out, and thankfully, we were lucky enough to get it done.
So it's February 13th and closing is scheduled for Thursday, February 15th. The seller (we'll call him Doctor), who lives in Germany, had just put signed documents that we need at closing in the mail through DHL. In the meantime, Washington and most of the Northeast get a ton of ice dumped on them and the airports shut down. DHL was unable to deliver the package on time- as it turns out, DHL was unable to locate the package AT ALL. So the Doctor went back to the consulate, signed and notorized the papers a second time, and sent them off- this time thru UPS. We're told the package will be delivered by Saturday, February 17th, so we rescheduled closing for Tuesday, February 20th. OK, no big deal, so the closing got delayed by a few days, but it's only paperwork that holding it up, so what can possibly go wrong, right??
WRONG!!
Saturday February 17 comes and goes. We check out the status of the package and, as of 5:10am local time on February 16th, the papers left Cologne, Germany. We called UPS and all they can tell us is that the package is somewhere in Pennsylvania but they don't know where. They can put a trace on it, but it will take at least eight days. EIGHT DAYS!!
At this point, the closing has been indefinitely postponed. The Doctor was on business in Luxembourg, but he was going to try getting it nortorized there and perhaps this time use FedEx. Turns out, the private notary needed to get the docs translated into German, as required by law, but our the company we are using for title only accepts a US consular notary, so that would be a waste. So he goes to the Consulate, but it turns out the Consulate only notorizes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and he got only on Wednesday, and wasn't going to be back in Germany until Thursday night, so the earliest he could get the papers sent would be Tuesday, February 27th. Argh. And the frustration and stress continue...
Thankfully, the Doctor was able to get to the Consulate on Thursday. He got the papers notorized yet again and shipped them International Express...but thru DHL, since that's the company the Consulate uses. So, we track the package online all day Thursday and Friday and everything looks good- the package left Luxembourg, took detours in Belgium and the UK, and was on it's way over the Atlantic. We figured that by the time Shabbat is over, the package will have already been delivered, safely and soundly. Right?
WRONG!!
(You didn't think this would end normally, did you?)
Right after Shabbat, we check the status online. And what do we find? The package arrived in Ohio yesterday and left the facility for...drum roll please...WASHINGTON, PA! At 9am, it left the facility in Washington, PA, for delivery, and by 2pm, it was discovered that the address didn't exist, so it was being sent back to the sender. You think I'm kidding, don't you? Check it out for yourself- tracking #4813941952.
But, there seems to be a silver lining, we hope. We frantically called DHL and find out that they realized their mistake (DUH!) and the package should be on it's way to DC as we speak. Yeah, right.
If you're interested in living thru this experience with us, feel free to check in on our package every few hours. For up to the minute tracking details, track package #63413351746.
At this point, all I can do is laugh. This has gotten to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever been involved in and really can't put into words how ridiculous it is. You'd think that perhaps we just weren't meant to buy this apartment, but at this point, there's no turning back without significant financial loss. Not that I want to turn back. But WTF??
Last week, we left off with the main characters very sad and stressed out about their temporary living situation. Since then, a lot has happened, but not much has changed.
Once we decided to walk away from buyer #1, we were left in a bind with the apartment we wanted to buy: do we let it go or do we try to somehow find short-term financing to cover for the money we were going to use from the sale of Andrew's apartment? We literally only had a few days to figure it out, and thankfully, we were lucky enough to get it done.
So it's February 13th and closing is scheduled for Thursday, February 15th. The seller (we'll call him Doctor), who lives in Germany, had just put signed documents that we need at closing in the mail through DHL. In the meantime, Washington and most of the Northeast get a ton of ice dumped on them and the airports shut down. DHL was unable to deliver the package on time- as it turns out, DHL was unable to locate the package AT ALL. So the Doctor went back to the consulate, signed and notorized the papers a second time, and sent them off- this time thru UPS. We're told the package will be delivered by Saturday, February 17th, so we rescheduled closing for Tuesday, February 20th. OK, no big deal, so the closing got delayed by a few days, but it's only paperwork that holding it up, so what can possibly go wrong, right??
WRONG!!
Saturday February 17 comes and goes. We check out the status of the package and, as of 5:10am local time on February 16th, the papers left Cologne, Germany. We called UPS and all they can tell us is that the package is somewhere in Pennsylvania but they don't know where. They can put a trace on it, but it will take at least eight days. EIGHT DAYS!!
At this point, the closing has been indefinitely postponed. The Doctor was on business in Luxembourg, but he was going to try getting it nortorized there and perhaps this time use FedEx. Turns out, the private notary needed to get the docs translated into German, as required by law, but our the company we are using for title only accepts a US consular notary, so that would be a waste. So he goes to the Consulate, but it turns out the Consulate only notorizes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and he got only on Wednesday, and wasn't going to be back in Germany until Thursday night, so the earliest he could get the papers sent would be Tuesday, February 27th. Argh. And the frustration and stress continue...
Thankfully, the Doctor was able to get to the Consulate on Thursday. He got the papers notorized yet again and shipped them International Express...but thru DHL, since that's the company the Consulate uses. So, we track the package online all day Thursday and Friday and everything looks good- the package left Luxembourg, took detours in Belgium and the UK, and was on it's way over the Atlantic. We figured that by the time Shabbat is over, the package will have already been delivered, safely and soundly. Right?
WRONG!!
(You didn't think this would end normally, did you?)
Right after Shabbat, we check the status online. And what do we find? The package arrived in Ohio yesterday and left the facility for...drum roll please...WASHINGTON, PA! At 9am, it left the facility in Washington, PA, for delivery, and by 2pm, it was discovered that the address didn't exist, so it was being sent back to the sender. You think I'm kidding, don't you? Check it out for yourself- tracking #4813941952.
But, there seems to be a silver lining, we hope. We frantically called DHL and find out that they realized their mistake (DUH!) and the package should be on it's way to DC as we speak. Yeah, right.
If you're interested in living thru this experience with us, feel free to check in on our package every few hours. For up to the minute tracking details, track package #63413351746.
At this point, all I can do is laugh. This has gotten to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever been involved in and really can't put into words how ridiculous it is. You'd think that perhaps we just weren't meant to buy this apartment, but at this point, there's no turning back without significant financial loss. Not that I want to turn back. But WTF??
Labels: apartment
posted by elanit | 7:42 PM
2 Comments:
No update since 2PM yesterday.
I think this might be in the Man trakht und God Lakht category...
maybe by the time you close on this you'll have sold Andrew's place too:)
ggmg
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