Thursday, August 20, 2009

Buying a Home

I am sorry I was away for a spot of vacation...more on that later!




On Aug 08, 2009 I stood just outside the white doors of 6561 (above) while Anita my realtor & wife ( certainly not in that order) opened the lock box- I felt it in my guts that this was the house we would end up buying.We had not even entered but i just knew it. In a few minutes after entering I told Anita something I have never told her before--"Lets put in an offer"

We bought 6561 last week. Well it was not as simple as that -- Anita spent considerable time preparing the offer and doing indepth research on what price we should offer.Besides that there were the visits a couple physical and numerous virtual. We took the kids too and all of us were unanimous. We signed up .

Buying a house here is an experience that is unique to this part of the world. Its almost a "game" between the realtors while they go back & forth between the seller and the buyer trying to arrive at a middle ground( price) that is acceptable to all. The owner is perched cooly in his house while the buyer is sitting in a car in the driveway. Every time the price is adjusted there is a flurry of signatures and talk of "not nickel and diming" though every one is trying to squeeze every last $ they can out of this deal. Once they were able to reach a concensus it was only then that the buyer ( me) was called inside. There was much handshaking and congratulations and laughter another bigger and final round of signatures and lots of legal mumbo jumbo between the realtors. In the cachophony of noise and guaffs I wondered if i had settled for the right price and I am sure the seller must have had similar thoughts. He even shared his apprehensions of telling his daughters that the house that they had lived in for much of their childhood had been sold. That was indeed a tough one. Our job was not as tough-- we are to move in to this awesome home :)

3 comments:

Lawrence said...

Good house, Neeraj.

The house looks pretty and calm. All the best.

Pankaj said...

Congrats!
Best wishes for lots of fun and laughter in your new home.

Neeraj Tandon said...

Thanks Lawrence and Pankaj