Reactionary

I spent all day at home baking. I got a phone all from my realtor at about noon telling me he hadn’t gotten the seller’s disclosure yet so it may be best to wait to make an offer until it arrived, which, due to the holiday, would not likely be until next week. They didn’t have a ready seller’s disclosure. That tells me they’ve never had an offer before.

It turned out to be a false alarm because he called back later saying it had arrived so we were still on for 4PM. I was planning my day as I went along. It was a bit like being on call but without the pay. I went ahead and whisked a baking tray out of the freezer where I’d put the gougeres in case the meeting was cancelled and the treats could wait for a better time to come out. I turned the oven up, broke an egg for the wash, flicked them all with the egg and the leftover gruyere and 30 minutes later they were done. They barely had time to cool before I was stapling them into a parchment paper pouch and running out to the office.

Making food is the best way I know how to thank people and he’s been very patient with me, a client who isn’t paying him anything nor is she buying a lot of house. 

Writing up the deal took about 2 hours but I was so prepared that I wasn’t at all overwhelmed, just focused. When I get that way, it’s like I have surgical loupes on and can see or notice or think about nothing else than what I’m tracked on. It’s very intense but that’s how you keep from getting taken advantage of.

After everything was signed and copied, we parted ways and now in this pre-hurricane heat, I wait and begin to relax. If they sign it, great. I’ll move to close as fast as possible. If they don’t, then new listings start coming up next week and I have to constantly remind myself I don’t *have* to buy since I’m not selling anything. My new shifts are approved so I’ll be making back the money I was missing out on as well as having a day off every week. Twelve-hour shifts are long and painful, but they’re worth it.

I don’t think I shorted them by much. It’s a nice offer from a strong buyer in a crap credit market and slow real estate market. Their ace is they’re investors and don’t need to live there. But yet they have the property on the market for a reason, a reason which they will clearly not divulge. I did go for broke, though, and offered the max I care to pay. I’d really like living there, but I can’t (and won’t) pay anything more. That’s it. Take it or leave it unless rates drop precipitously (which they won’t) or the sellers do something about bringing down the payments like buying down the rate or something else. Maybe I should have offered less but I live and hope. I can’t do anything more about it now.

The gougeres turned out great, by the way. I should have chopped the thyme, but the choux pasty texture was perfect and the cheese just enough for flavor but not enough for grease. They were dry and crisp outside, moist and airy inside. I really have no use for the food after I make it (hence the freezer). The main accomplishment is making perfect choux pastry the first time out. Maybe I’ll make eclairs next.

When it gets cooler.

August 29th, 2008 | Category: Food, Life, Shutterbug |  Print |  Send it | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL