All it took was a 29 month process. Now that it’s a done deal, I can now say:
I have a place to call my own.
Right now I’m feeling exhausted. Tomorrow will be a long and arduous day as I begin to move boxes and get settled. Despite the fatigue, I’m going to sleep well tonight.
I’m cutting it a bit close right now. So far, the mortgage hasn’t been signed because the paperwork is still being drawn up. I got a call from my lawyer earlier this afternoon. She set off a little bit of panic in me. She was telling me: if I don’t have the papers signed soon and over to her, the builder might not be able to hand over keys on Tuesday. See, Monday is a holiday. That leaves tomorrow as the last day to get things in. Gaaaaaah!
So my lawyer told me to call my mortgage dealer to get a status. I sheepishly called in to her and she was really nice about it all. At the same time though, she was stressing the point that this is what happens when you do the mortgage stuff late. It wasn’t accusatory, but more of a lamentation: “That’s the nature of the beast.” See, in my case, I had actually started the mortgage process slightly early. Thing is, there was a small bottleneck. A particular document was required that I didn’t have on me. So, I put a request out to the builder’s office. Despite several emails, it took three weeks to get copy of that thing! Crazy! I still find it hard to believe that something like that set me back by so many weeks. Well, there wasn’t a flurry of activity up until the past day or two. And now…it’s all a big rush to just get things done. Damn! It wasn’t supposed to be this way!
So, there’s now a rush to get my mortgage docs done at the bank. As soon as I get the call, I’m going to leave work and hustle over the the bank. Once there, the docs have to get to my lawyer, who’ll then get in touch with the builder’s lawyer. If all goes well, hopefully the builder will still be able to give me my keys on Tuesday. If not…well…what else can I do, right? It’s out of my hands.
Really, I’ve been really antsy since this afternoon. I don’t want things to go wrong! As the day wore on at work, I could feel my stress levels rising. It was horrible; I wasn’t able to concentrate on work. It wasn’t until I took a few moments to calm down a little bit that I put it all into context. So, if I’m suddenly unable to get my keys on Tuesday, it’s likely that the worst that can happen is that I will have to get my keys on Wednesday. That isn’t so bad, really. If it happens early enough on Wednesday, I won’t have to miss my elevator appointment. If I have to, it’s not even like I have that much to move. Sure, it’s not really a problem but certainly it’d be a joy-killer. If it gets bumped to Thursday, that’s a totally different story. My appliances are set to arrive on that day. If I don’t have my keys, I’ll be triply- screwed.
Well, I suppose there’s no point in worrying now. Tomorrow, I will just have to be ready to act at a moment’s notice. I’ll be ready!
The whole condo process has been pretty long and drawn out: years in the making, really. As such, each time I reached a new milestone, as much as each was pretty cool, they didn’t really hype the excitement level by a particularly large amount. OK sure, settling on a mortgage was a big event in my life, but it doesn’t have that…punch. Know what I mean? Well, finally, something has come along that kind of has that big wow factor. This morning I went through my PDI (pre-delivery inspection). Prior to this date, I could only imagine how the condo would look. I knew the layout, and what finishes I chose. I had a nice image in my mind, but at the same time it was all rather nebulous. This PDI was my chance to take those images and crystallize them in my head.
I parked my car by the station and walked to the building. As I walked along side, I could see that there were people already living on the lower floors. Some of the windows already had blinds. Some suites had furniture. I don’t think I saw anyone in the units, but perhaps people living on the ground level have just gotten good at camouflage. Heh. Well, it’s not like I was staring in. Anyway, I felt rather dwarfed by the building. I usually just drive by it, so I never really had a chance to get a sense of the building’s size. It’s not so tall that the proportion of concrete and steel to human is overwhelming. See, the building is only a few floors high–it’s not overwhelming at all. The result is that…it’s like…the building is in the realm of stuff that I can still compare myself to. As a result, it feels massive. Did that make sense at all? It’s kind of hard to explain.
As I neared the front entrance, I saw a woman in a hardhat waiting by the front entrance. I presumed that she was the inspector that would be accompanying me. Indeed she was. I shook her hand and in we went. She told me that this would be more of an orientation than anything else. As I entered the lobby, that’s when it really started hitting me: wow…I’m going to be living here very shortly. HOLY CRAP. I had my bag with me. I was smart enough to carry my camera with me so I asked if I would start taking pictures. She obliged and let me start snapping at this and that. I was a freaking kid in a candy store. Look at that! What’s that over there? Oh! Oh! Oh! Really, can you blame me? She took me around the lobby area and showed me the mailboxes and the garbage area. The interior really felt spacious. I was expecting something a little bit more cramped, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was also kind of disoriented. My mind was overloaded, really. She took me to the basement to see my parking spot. It’s my luck that I got a great spot close to the elevator bay. Whoo! As much as the basements were interesting though, they weren’t the reason I came. Soon enough we were on our way to my suite.
When we got to my floor, the first thing I noticed was that the area by the elevators was spacious! No kidding. The ceilings were high and there was enough room to swing a cat if I wanted to. There I was still snapping photos of this and that when the inspector allowed me to be the one to open the door to my unit. I’d forgotten how I was in close proximity to the elevator. In my mind I imagined the hallways to be cramped, but no, this building is pretty decent. Anyway, as my hand reached for the knob, I could feel my heart beginning to race. With a good turn, I opened the door, and whoooooa. I was floored.
All of the imagined images were shattered at that moment. What I saw was a bright, spacious, and well-dressed unit. No kidding. The hardwood floors, the selections I made for the kitchen, the tiles, the countertop–it all just came together. Before I saw all of the upgrades as kind of just bits and pieces here and there. I made some damn good choices though. In the unit was one of the many tradespeople around the building site. He told me that everything looked really great. Sure, it’s sort of his job to say that, but the way he said it made me believe him. He said that it was a good size and good look for a single guy. I agree. The inspector said that the kitchen look was very masculine, and yet a woman could live there. Looks like I struck the perfect balance then.
She took me through the rooms and explained all of the controls in detail. I was listening intently, but to be honest there was just so much information that I couldn’t retain it all. Luckily she left me with enough reading material to last me a long while. I just couldn’t get over the fact that all of that would be mine in short time. According to that widget on the right: 6 days.
When it was all over, and all of the forms were signed, I left in a mild state of shock. I mean, I was still trying to process everything that I had seen. Really was a lot to take in in the span of an hour. This whole home-ownership thing is reality. There really is no question about it anymore. Seriously, next week is going to be one hell of a week.
Generally, I’m not the type of person that’s an extravagant and mindless spender. Almost obsessively, I log into my bank’s online site to check how my money is doing. That’s not to say I’m a tight wad, but I at least try to be responsible.
Now, with possession and closing really creeping up close, it’s finally dawned on me that I really need a good chunk of cash in order to make it through that period. There are so many fees and incidentals that I have to worry about. I wonder, why didn’t all of that ping on my radar much louder up until now? Will I be prepared enough to handle anything thrown my way? I’d like to think I am, so I don’t plan on losing much sleep over it. Still, I acknowledge that I am going to have to really clamp down on spending.
I’m sitting here listening to the radio, flipping between an oldies and a new rock channel. I’m taking this opportunity now to feel relaxed because I know that higher stress times are nigh. I hope that they pass without any major disasters because I can’t stomach the idea of being financially up the creek without a paddle.
Less than a month ago I wrote about the upcoming info session regarding my new condo. Well, that meeting happened earlier this evening and let me tell you, I am now going to allow myself to start to get excited. I know I’ve been hesitant and all, but gosh, it’s all starting to really look like there will no longer be any delays in construction. It looks like my moving date of August 5 will truly hold.
Why am I making these statements? At my table, I got to meet a couple of great people also moving into the building. They were telling me stories of how they went into the building and got to see how all the counter tops were already done and the cabinets were in place. It’s supposed to be pretty great. Now, all of that is just surprising to me. I’ve stated that I park by the building, so I see it almost daily. From the outside it’s not obvious that all of these changes are happening. I only see the outside, and from that it looks like progress is slow. I mean, the exteriors are up but there’s not much you can see there in terms of obvious differences. All of this time that was hiding all of the magic going on within.
One day, I really want to go in and see if I can give my unit a visit with camera in hand. The widget on the blog says I have two months left.
Holy crap! It’s coming! I have a postal code! I have to get a lawyer! Mortgage hunting soon!
That’s a lot of exclamation marks!
OK, so I’ll be honest and say that the whole condo thing hasn’t been in the forefront of my mind at all over the past two months or so. Sure, I park by that building daily, and have been monitoring progress for what seems like a very long time, but after that last disappointment I’ve been trying to make it a point to not get too excited. Hell, I’ve been keeping myself occupied anyway. Between work and running, do I really have so much time to day dream?
Well, today, something came in the mail and now suddenly it’s time to make a fuss yet again. I got an invitation to an information session that’s being run by the builder. This info session is scheduled for two months before my possession date. Wow. Crazy. Looking at that widget at the sidebar, I’ve got just under 3 months to go.
Let’s be honest: I still don’t want to allow myself to get excited. At the same time, the info session really does make it seem like the end is in sight. I don’t know what to think: I’m confused! Maybe I should bury myself in my work and in running even more. I need to keep my mind off it, perhaps until after that info session. Graaaaaagh.
One of the ways I try to get up-to-date information about the process of the construction of my building is through a forum that someone has set up for the whole development. It’s interesting because there’s a whole lot of hope and aspiration floating around in the different threads. The other day, there were some rumblings though that the possession dates for the condo will be pushed back yet again. I was hoping that it was just a rumour. I mean, the date has already been pushed back twice before. However, today I noticed that someone reported that they’d just received their notice today via registered mail. I knew that it was a done deal.
Sure enough, when I got home, there was the registered letter waiting for me. Indeed, the letter said that my date was being pushed back to August 4. Damn it! Of course, like every other time this has happened, I recognize the obvious bright side that I’ll have more time to earn money prior to moving. My calculations tell me that that will give me an extra five pay cheques to work with.
The thing that’s really annoying the hell out of me right now is how “confirmed” doesn’t mean “confirmed” at all. I made a big deal out of the fact that they changed the wording they used from “tentative” to “confirmed.” I mean, “confirmed” has a whole tone of finality to it all, correct? Lies! I mean, they even started taking elevator appointments last week. What am I supposed to think? I had my time, and had already marked my moving date. Now it’s all useless and needs to be rescheduled. What is that? I’m lucky in that I live at home, but what of the people that have already given their landlords notice that they’re going to be leaving? It’s just not right.
I pass by the building site daily. I’ve seen that they’ve started working on the balconies. Truthfully, at the rate they’re going, I can see why they have to delay things. At this point, I’m fatigued though. I don’t want to pin my hopes down for the time being. Who knows? In a few months they may push the date even further. I’m not trying to be negative, but I can’t rule it out.
So, it’s with some sadness and irritation that I have to readjust that countdown clock. Just 5 months and 12 days left.
I came home to find a registered letter from the condo builder. I knew it was possible that the letter would contain good news, but I knew that it was even more likely to contain something more bittersweet. Seems my hunch was correct. For the longest time, talk of the possession date has been prefaced with the term “tentative.” With this letter the term has now changed to “confirmed.” Great! Right? That’s all well and good, but the actual quoted date has changed from April 8 to May 25.
Unlike the last time the date changed, I’m actually quite at peace with this change. This move means I’ll have another two pay cheques banked by this new date. I’ve mentioned this as well last time: it allows me more time to gather more resources. I’ll have enough to post a 20% down payment, but is that a good use of money when I need cash to pay for appliances and furniture as well? We’ll see.
Once again, I’ve reset the clock on the widget to the right. Right now it’s saying “Only 5 months and 7 days left.” All in all, that’s not that long from now. I’m still psyched–none of this will dampen my enthusiasm. 2009 will be an awesome year.
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