Homeschool Reading List, and House Frustrations

The Kid finally passed a test for the book, Watership Down. He just didn't get the book, not until I paid for and downloaded a study guide for it. He read it and finally that lightbulb clicked and he could pass a test. He's ecstatic that his grounding is over (no TV/movies/computer until he passed the test).

Now, because he begged and pleaded and conjoled... he started reading "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief". I can hear him laughing in the next room from time to time. His goal is to finish it and pass a test so we all can relax by seeing the movie next weekend.

Meanwhile, I'm working on his reading list for the rest of his 8th grade school year. Here's what I'm thinking:
1984 (George Orwell)
Animal Farm (George Orwell)
Cyrano de Bergerac (Edmond Rostand)
Kidnapped (Robert Lewis Stevenson)
Midsummer Night’s Dream (William Shakespeare)
Robinson Crusoe (William Dafoe)
Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
Where the Red Fern Grows (Rawls)

I might also assign another Harry Potter book, or something else that he gets really passionate about. We'll see!

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Charles P, the agent for the sellers of our dream house, is dropping the ball yet again. Even tho the inspection resolution deadline was today (remember, we found radon above the acceptable levels), Charles has barely acknowledged that he's alive, let alone working on getting an ok from the seller's bank. He's had the info for exactly one week, plenty of time for him to contact the bank and get an answer. IF he actually called them. We suspect he's got a day job and does real estate at night, because he very rarely calls our agent during the day.

AND we had the appraisal done last week. Amount was more than what we're buying the house for. However, Mr. Appraiser wants a few repairs done before he'll approve it for closing, so again, we've informed the seller's agent of these and that the appraiser wants to reinspect before closing.

Then the seller... Mr. Jim L. ... I wrote about how he took the lockbox off his front door so the inspector couldn't get in to get his radon equipment. And it's a short sale. We're thinking he's intentionally trying to sabotage this sale because he doesn't want to move, and probably thinks a foreclosure is probably acceptable when balanced with moving into a tiny apartment.

Hubby and I have notified our agent that we'll get a resolution by this Wednesday at 5 p.m. or we'll take our earnest money elsewhere. This has me so stressed out that I have had 2 migraines in 2 days, my jaw aches, and, well, a host of physical problems manifest when I'm stressed. Plus the Kid feels the tension and hears me complaining about the agents, and just kinda wants to hide in his room.

If we have to pass on this house, and sign an apartment 6-month lease somewhere else, we will do it. And get a little litigious.

Wednesday. 5 p.m.

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What you might not know is that the selling of our house this past Summer was just as horrible ... people were involved that made things VERY difficult ... how about a big shout out to: Erik Utzinger, the underwriter who took off from work during the crunch time and didn't request (from our understanding) the appropriate paperwork from the buyer right off the bat! Another shout out to The Numbers Team at Keller Williams Preferred Realty, more specifically Al Philip-Neri, whose boss is (was?) Brian Veatch. My opinion? Al was an idiot, and not very well trained at all. From what the buyer, Casey B. told me during his walk through before closing, Al didn't even tell him that there were problems with his financing or much of the other things that delayed the closing and cost us money. I have ALL of the e-mails that flew back and forth between us and our agent. We were 100% above board, and in return, dealt with Al who appeared to be dishonest. Just because he was buddies with the buyer. Horrible experience.

I just googled Al, and it looks like he's on to bigger and better things. Core Wealth. Wealth and Riches training ... training people on how to invest in real estate. Really? Good... ness. I wouldn't trust him as far as I can throw him. And I certainly wouldn't take advice from him on anything to do with real estate.

An agent we were working with when we started looking this past October decided to change companies, and unfortunately chose to go with Brian Veatch and his group. We told her we'd vowed to never work with them again, and dropped her. Sometimes we have to stick with our guns, and sometimes we have to give in.

We made way too many concessions in the sale of that house. Already we've made concessions for the purchase of this house. I think we're done playing.

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I hope we close on this new house, because we don't want to go through this again. We will move ONE more time, and then Hubby and I plan to be carried out in a box. A LONG time from now!