We met with the loan officer. A very nice man, Jack, who handles only mortgages for seniors. He opened his company because his mother was shopping for a reverse mortgage and he didn’t think she was getting a good deal. His mom was his first customer and he treats all of his customers as if they were his mother. His mother would be proud of him. (I’ll post his name and company tomorrow. I left today without a card and I need to get the info from Kathy.)
We met Alice’s accountant and her husband. While we were meeting, he was blowing leaves off the roof for us! Another nice man. Alice’s accountant is doing a wonderful job of coordinating all of the financial aspects of the transaction. (Another card I need to get from Kathy.)
Steve Scott dropped by on his day off, just to offer whatever assistance he can. He has been a big support throughout the process. We are grateful for his on-going help. He told Kathy he never thought he would be sitting at a table in Alice’s house talking to a loan officer about home improvements. He hugged Kathy three times on the way out. He has been looking for ten years for a solution to help Alice.
The county inspector met Kathy at 7:30 a.m. With a few minor adjustments, the repairs will be okayed and then the appraiser will be looking at the property. Kathy and a crew of cleaners will be at work tomorrow to get everything looking spiffy for the appraisal, but the loan officer didn’t anticipate any problems.
Jack said the loan will close in about 20 days. The house will then have the money to heal itself. Danny Hovey will handle the needed repairs in the official capacity of contractor, not volunteer. We’ll be replacing carpets, appliances, doing some painting and plumbing repairs, then the house will be ready for a new life, as Alice’s clutter-free home. Kathy will follow-up in a month to do some final organizing.
Kathy could not stand Alice keeping her old bed. She is handling a yard sale for another client this weekend and purchased the barely used queen-sized bed from the sale for Alice with some of the donation money. She delivered it herself today and we all feel better about Alice having a fresh, new bed.
We have met some remarkable people on this journey. I have been astounded at the kindness of others, especially in an economy where so many people have been hit hard financially. And, especially under difficult conditions when tempers were short. Paul Harwood came through big time donating most of the materials required to get the house back up to code. He also spent a substantial amount of time on-site consulting on problems and doing plumbing repairs. He did this just because he is a nice man.
Danny Hovey donated professional time and money to help us out. There is no way the house would qualify for a mortgage without his generosity. Danny did this because he is good person. We know the repairs are in good hands.
Dan Swanson, Rick Cyr and Brandon Frazier contributed time, money, expertise, materials and a lot of emotional support. Thank you all for your kindness. The Binder family kept us supplied in trash bags and loaned us their children to carry trash. Alice is blessed to have such good neighbors. Thanks to the Shallowford Presbyterian Church and their volunteers.
And Kathy — Kathy discounted her rate to the bone, financed all of the labor and trash removal, a bunch of materials and replaced anything Alice mentioned as “missing.” She has donated substantial amounts of time, including 12 hours the day of the yard sale. She has jumped in feet first to clean every pile of whatever and bagged it all. She even faced down a rodent or two — very bravely. After the first snake sighting, Kathy was the first to g back in under the deck and bag trash.
Alice, at 83 years of age, remained remarkably flexible throughout the process. It was a huge invasion into her privacy and she didn’t always release as much clutter as Kathy would have liked, but she was a trouper. We are proud to know her and heartened to know that people can change, if they make their minds up to do so.
I think we need a big party in a few months to celebrate with everyone involved. I think Alice should do the cooking in her newly refurbished kitchen! ; )
—Reported by Jackie Wells Smith
No photos for Day 20. View report and photos for Day 21.
