| PROMPT: Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1981, the second scheduled flight of the space shuttle Columbia was halted with only 31 seconds left in the countdown. Has there ever been a situation that you went through a lot of trouble trying to pull off (or really looked forward to) only to see it cancelled at the last minute? How did you feel about it, and was it, in retrospect, a good or bad decision? If I had a therapist's sofa to recline upon, I'd be pummeling the poor defenceless pillows at this memory. My tale of woe transpired in 1982, yes, many years ago. No, I had not decided to boldly go where no woman had gone before unless moving further North into French territory counts. Actually, I presumed my hubby and I were attempting to do what many people have accomplished without problems. Oh, we were so naive and unprepared! We had accepted an unconditional offer from a couple who purchased our first house. We felt lucky, momentarily. Our house was considered sold without any strings attached, so we went ahead with our plans to move hundreds of miles. We purchased another home. We arranged for new jobs. We cancelled all utilities. We packed up our belongings, our daughter, our dog and cat, and drove a stuffed truck to our new location. At our new headquarters, we unpacked, settled in, and relaxed. We should have realized something wasn't right, it had been too easy, uncomplicated. Within two weeks, we were informed by our former lawyer that "there were issues." Unbeknownst to us, he had also represented the buyers of our property, and believing "it wouldn't be a problem", he had awarded the keys to his other clients two weeks before the official closing date. They'd taken possession, and moved into the house without first paying for it. Oh, did I mention we'd moved away 'early' because my spouse's new job started immediately? We had gambled with a bridge loan, it was only supposed to be for two weeks. We were anticipating paperwork, and money at the conclusion of that two week time period, but instead we learned that our home had been occupied all that time. The squatters had initiated utilities in their name. They had toted in furniture. Now, they were claiming that they did not have funds to complete our deal, and purchase our house. Incredibly, they also refused to vacate the premises! Well, we were in a state; two properties to pay for, and a loan that was not yet a proper mortgage. We were forced to scramble. We had mistakenly believed that a contract is inviolable. After sleepless nights and long-distance negotiations, we arranged for a sheriff and a bailiff to evict the uncooperative non-purchasers. Sigh, our troubles didn't end with that. We had to hire a new lawyer. We had to relist the first house for sale. We argued with the gas company, and inevitably lost because it was our credit history/score on the line. Yep, the wonderful 'losers' had skipped out on their fuel bill, and someone had to settle it. In the end, we were forced to juggle the expense of two homes for several months. There would be no profit from this. How do I feel? Oh, furious does not begin to cover it! Who knew, or could possibly foresee this disaster? We were wrong to trust the lawyer. We were foolish to trust the so-called purchasers. Yes, maybe, we were too hasty to move away, and start our new chapter. In technicolour hindsight, we should have stayed in our first home until the cash was in hand. Perhaps we coulda/shoulda vetted a lawyer with more diligence and care. Was it a good, or a bad decision? Ultimately, it was a costly experience. |
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