“Stay home and dork around…”
Well, you can’t do that living in a four-bedroom, split-level home on one-half acre in a typical Farmington neighborhood. Adventures require new locations and new experiences -- and Monica and Claudia have adventure flowing through their veins.
Monica was an experienced home buyer, having already bought and sold several suburban homes. Shopping for and buying rural real estate was different, and a farm -- where she could stay home and dork around -- was yet more challenging. First, Monica had to figure out the what, where, when, and why of the real estate purchase.
What:
Four bedrooms? (Renting out a room or two certainly helps pay the mortgage … Monica had done that before.)
Split-entry / walk out. (Monica had added kitchens to two other homes, essentially converting them into duplexes. A separate entrance would be nice.)
Not a "nice" or "perfect" home. (Beige carpeting, like in the Eagan townhouse, would be a disaster on a farm.) Dogs, grandchildren, muddy boots … a pretty home was not important.
20 acres (probably out of her price range) with pasture land, rolling hills, and some trees. All wishful thinking. But wishing isn’t all that bad.
45 minutes from Apple Valley and east of 35W. (Eliminates driving into the sun on the morning and evening commute, and it wouldn’t be too far for friends and family to visit.)
Some kind of outbuilding.
When:
No immediate rush. (Monica had already sold her home and had been sleeping on an air mattress in her dad's Apple Valley townhouse for several months.)
Why:
Monica had never tried farming before. It sounded like fun!! She would have plenty of reasons to stay home and dork around!
Wish list in hand, Monica and her good friend Norm started looking at rural homes and small farms. Each and every time Monica found a good candidate and put in an offer, the place had already been sold. Arrghh!
Finally, Monica found a lovely rural home in Wastedo: it needed some work and a garage, but it had been on the market for some time and it met many of the criteria on the wish list. An offer was made and accepted. Jubilation!!
Unfortunately, the jubilation did not last long. First, the owner refused to schedule the required home inspection. Then, she canceled all appointments -- usually at the last minute. The owner wouldn't answer phone calls from Monica or any realtors. Monica tried stopping by the house, but no one would answer the door. This was crazy!!! (Remember the When? Time was quickly running out as school would begin in three months and Monica did not want to start the new school year sleeping on the air mattress). Besides, an agreement had been signed. What was the problem?
Monica would not give up (stubborn German heritage) and left several notes. These were answered with a Temporary Restraining Order for harassment. Monica did some research and discovered that the owner was most likely in default and – trying to stall the bank's attempt at foreclosure – had put the house up for sale and accepted an offer, never intending to honor that agreement.
Now Monica was angry. She had lost months of opportunity time and still had no home, nor any current prospects. (Don't make a German angry.) First, Monica called the bank's loan department and reported the attempted fraud. Then, she filed a claim for Breach of Contract in Small Claims Court. The judge noted that his court was not the place for this type of case, but still sided with Monica and awarded her the earnest money plus an extra thousand dollars.
But house hunting was becoming less and less fun.
Then she found a 20-acre property in Wanamingo township that had just dropped its price. But that's a story for next time.
