Adventures of Moving

Starting with the trip to pick up the house keys from my realtor, I have now made four trips out to the property. Each trip a friend came with me to help me out in some way. There has been a lot of cleaning and other work to be done; including unloading all the stuff I packed in my small SUV. I really appreciate the help I have received. I have spent the weekend packing and preparing to rent a moving truck to take my furniture to the ranch. I must be out of my apartment before the end of the month. Once again friends will be helping me with the move, including driving the moving van.

Last Wednesday my friend Rick and I were in Rocksprings getting stuff from the hardware store and taking care of other things. One question I have is how much will it cost to install a landline to the house? The previous owners used Wild Blue High Speed Satellite Internet Service. The satellite dish is still attached to the roof. If a landline is cheap enough, then I probably will install the line so I can have DSL. But until I know the costs, I will not have internet access at the property. So I will be out of touch for awhile. Hopefully I will have the info I need later this week to install DSL or get service from Wild Blue.

Once Rick and I were done in Rocksprings we got a big surprise. My car (out of the blue) would not start. We both thank God that we were in Rocksprings and not out at the ranch when this happened. Instead of being stranded and having to call for help, we just walked one block to Ray’s Garage. They came and jumped my car. I then drove the block to the garage where they quickly figured out my four month old battery had died. It would not hold a charge at all. It was clear I had to buy a new battery and thankfully they had one that was the right size for my car. Once installed and a hundred dollars poorer, we were on our way. Back at the ranch Rick fixed the well and I got ready for the trip back to San Antonio. We arrived just in time for Church.

Since it was time for my oil change I took care of that Thursday morning. Sunday morning one of my tires had been very low so I told the shop about my tire and battery. They found a nail in the tire but nothing else wrong with the car. I know I made at least two trips to the ranch with a nail in my tire. I am very thankful to God for taking care of me and my friends during these trips.

Now I must get back to packing. And remember, I will not have access to the internet for awhile. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and this move.

Sunset in Edwards County

Yesterday a friend and I drove out to the property to do some house cleaning and maintenance work that needed to be done before I can even think of moving. On the way home last night from Rocksprings we were greeted with a beautiful sunset. I just had to take a few pictures. We returned this afternoon to avoid the very cold weather predicted for most of the country, but still have a lot of work to do.

Left (wide angle view): taken in front of the house.

Right: taken on the road home.

The Property Has Been Purchased

Just wanted to share a quick update. On Dec. 23 I signed the papers for the property. This was done via FedEx, saving me a trip up there right before Christmas. On Wednesday, Dec. 30, a friend and I drove up to Kerrville and picked up the keys to the home, which my realtor had. Then we drove another hour to the ranch. We left the contents of my car in the house and drove home the next day. The previous owners had not totally cleaned out the place, so it was like going on a treasure hunt around there. Work, but fun. Thursday morning we went for a hike on the property. Shoes still need to be cleaned. Lots more to do and to investigate but it was a good start. Will be making lots more trips out there as I move the rest of my life to Edwards County.

Dangers Of Owner Financing Your Home

One way people often purchase property or a home is through owner financing. This can be very appealing for a variety of reasons, for both the seller and the buyer. This is especially true right not as banks are not approving people for mortgages even when they have good credit and a have a well paying job. But buying property through owner financing must be done carefully. First, if a realtor is not involved it is a good idea to get an attorney to make sure all the legal documents are in order. A few years ago I heard about someone who paid monthly payments for their new home for a year only to be evicted and lose everything because of some little loophole the owner had included in one of the documents. An attorney would have caught it but the buyer never got legal council before signing all the papers. Then he was late on one payment and according to the contract everyone had signed, the seller was able to evict the buyer and keep all the payments that had been made. The buyer lost everything.

Last night on the news I heard about another issue that a person needs to watch out for when buying straight from the owner. A couple bought a mobile home knowing there were back taxes on the home that needed to be paid off. This time an attorney was involved and he promised and later claimed he did pay off all the taxes. So the couple was in shock when they got a letter saying the home was being foreclosed due to back taxes. In this case the couple contacted a local TV station who was able to get the situation resolved. Before buying property with back taxes on it, get proof all those taxes have been paid off. Or at least insist in writing that the back taxes be paid off by a specific date and insist on receiving a copy of the receipt proving it was paid off. Verbal assurance is not enough.

The last warning I want to share is what apparently happened to the widow who is selling the property I am trying to buy. My realtor shared with me that the couple bought the land directly from the previous owner and paid for it by owner financing. They never got a mortgage from a bank and apparently never hired an attorney. Once the couple paid off the property, the previous owner filed the proper papers to change title of the property. Apparently though he only put the title in the husband’s name, not in both the couple’s name. The wife assumed her name was on the title, which it should have been. If her name had been included on the title, she would have owned the property outright upon her husband’s death. Since her name was not on the title, not only did she not own the land, but his children from another marriage actually have legal rights to the land. This one little issue has created a huge mess. Fortunately for me, the children have signed papers relinquishing any claim to the property. Now I am just waiting on the Title Company to finish the Title search and approve the sale of the property.

Property Update and Visit

I thought I would provide an update on the issue with the property. First, last Thursday a friend and I took to the road and drove up to the property. We had planned this trip for over a week and unfortunately it turned out to be the day before the coldest day of the year, the next day the area actually received some rare snow. We spent about 30 minutes walking around the property, measuring the front of the mobile home (plan to build a deck) reminding myself what I had seen on my first visit, checking cell phone reception (no land-line hookup) and of course taking pictures. I had planned to do more on the trip but with the thermometer reading 32F (0C), we both wanted to get back in the car ASAP. I might add that my car (Toyota RAV4) has a really good heater/AC. Within seconds it was warming us back up.

Upon leaving the property we headed to the nearest town, Rocksprings TX. It took some asking, but we finally found the Chamber of Commerce. At least we found City Hall which is the closest thing to a Chamber Rocksprings has. They had a table with some literature on it and I was able to get a telephone book (about ½ centimeter thick and includes 10 towns). After our short visit there we headed back home.

Now for the update, I spoke with my realtor today. As of today it looks like I will be signing the papers for the property before Christmas. Probate for the will should be completed by the end of this week and next week the Title Company should have everything they need to do a final Title search before approving the sale of the property. It there are no more problems, I could possibly be driving up to the realtor’s office by the end of next week. Please keep this in your prayers. I am anxious to get moving.

Glitch

Last week I got a call from my realtor to inform me a glitch has occurred and we had to change the closing date on the property. It seems the seller’s realtor did not do her job properly. The first inkling there was an issue occurred when I received the Title Report. Apparently the land’s title is in the deceased husband’s name. The mobile home is in both of their names. For some reason the widow decided to put the property on the market before the will was probated. As of this writing it still had not been probated. Why the seller’s realtor did not ask more questions before placing the land on the market is unknown. All I can say is my realtor is mad and so am I. When I made the offer on the land and home, this issue was never disclosed. The seller did ask for an increase in option money from me, but there was no disclosure ever made concerning the issue with the will. In fact all communication pointed to a need to sell the land and home quickly so the widow could buy something else near her son. That constitutes fraud. Until the will is probated, this property should never been placed on the market, let alone agreeing to sell the property and home to me when she legally does not own title.

Last week I agreed to postpone the closing date until December 30. If the will is probated sooner than that, then I will be closing on the property immediately. But if the situation has not changed, then I will have no choice but to walk away. I cannot live in limbo not knowing if or when this issue will be resolved. Since I have already spent over $1800 related to the purchase of this property, I will have to consider taking legal action to recoup that money. Hopefully it won’t come to that. Hopefully the legal issues with the property will be resolved before Christmas. I really do want that property. Please pray God’s will be done in this issue.

It's About The Cross