hardball

In my last post, I wrote about how this ding bat lady wanted us to help her by reducing the price of our property so it was more comfortable for them to meet their payments.  Well, against all odds, after that discussion with her, we raised our price again and got yet another bite on our property.

I emailed the first gal back and told her about the new interest and believe it or not, they have agreed to our asking price.  I guess her comfort level could be expanded after all without my help!

We've never played hardball before and never intended too, but we too see this property sale as a chance to help fund our trip to Haiti to search for Richnigthder's family.  We also intend on helping our friends, the Watkins family who are moving to Haiti to run the orphanage for the children who are not legally free for adoption, but who are still abandoned and in need of Watkins love!  You can follow their adventure here http://www.mountainstomountains.blogspot.com/

Anyhow, I feel badly for the other people who were ready to plop down money on our property, but this gal is ready to go, pre-approved and wants to do the earnest money tomorrow.  We've never been lucky in selling property.  Heck when the government moved us here in 2003 we barely broke even on our house in Oregon.  Then the last house we sold, we actually had to bring a check to closing to pay the difference.  Seriously, who ever has to bring money to the closing when you are the SELLER?! 

My hope is that this nest egg will do some good for our kids and the kids who have no one in this world.  What the Watkins family is doing is following Christ's example of love to the letter.  They are in the place in their life when they are able to go and do what very few others can even contemplate. 

Sometimes, ding bats aren't as dingy as they appear, and by us digging our heels in, we may be able to have some fun and continue to help the country where are hearts are always tugged, Haiti!

Am I missing something here?

We have 40 acres of bare land for sale in Wilton, North Dakota.  When we bought this land, we planned on building on it and customizing it for our horses.  Soon after we bought it, we found this house on 40 acres and it seemed a no-brainer to buy the house we are in since it required much less planning, developing and building.

Fast forward to today.  We have held onto the land as an investment.  Land prices in North Dakota are escalating quickly and is at a premium.  40 acre lots are becoming very rare in the Bismarck/Mandan area and in fact we have one of only a handful available for purchase.  We have marketed ours well under competitive pieces  and against all reason, every time we raise the price we get more interest and offers.

We currently have two offers.  One offer we have agreed upon the price and have given the family a few weeks to get their financing in order.  Yesterday we got another offer from a gal who is crazy about the property and has already contacted builders about getting a home constructed on the property.  Here's where I am feeling insulted and bewildered. 

She made us a low ball, insulting offer, $35,000 under our asking price.  We countered back at full asking price and she replied with, "This really doesn't help us with our payments. We want to stay at a certain payment amount and was thinking you would help us."  WTF?????  Am I missing something here?  Is it our responsibility to help the prospective buyer meet her payments?  Then she added, that it's a little further out of Bismarck than they wanted and what about the snowy and icy roads?  Um, yeah.  That's part of living in North Dakota. 

Am I being dense here?  When did it become our responsibility to help the buyer meet their payment comfort level?  Look, you either buy it or you don't.  Maybe I'll start going through life like this gal.  I'll just expect everyone to help me out and make my life easier.  Yep, that takes a load off of me.  Next time I'm at the grocery store, I'll just tell the checker that the price really doesn't help me stay in my budget and stand there and pout.  If any of my kids ever grow up to be this inept, I'll blame, hmmm, everybody else!

Today, because I can

Today, simply because I can and the day is already off to a freakish start, I am going to seek out the dark forces and join their hellish crusade.  In other words, if I can't beat 'em, I better join them.  For the dense people out there, I am referring to my children!

A composition with heart

Richnigthder is my deep thinker.  He's quiet and introspective.  He always has a lot churning through his brain and sometimes shares those thoughts with me.  Today I asked him to write a composition telling me why he was crying in the car yesterday.

He was sitting in the center row of the car,crying silently.  Tears were running down his face and he tried to wipe them away without any of us noticing.  I asked him if he would share his thoughts with me and he said yes.  Today, those thoughts and emotions came pouring out in his wonderful composition.

Here it is verbatim, without corrections:
      I was sad the other day thinking about Camesuze and Jean.  When I was thinking about Camesuze and Jean, I couldn't stop crying until I saw a car that looked like a car from Haiti.  I was thinking about the earthquake and I couldn't off my mind.  I was thinking about if they were dead.  I just couldn't off my mind.  I can't wait to go see Haiti again and other people and meet other people.  I'm praying to God in bed because I want them alive so we could have a great trip.

We have been planning a trip to Haiti near the end of the year to begin our search for his birth family.  We talk about the trip everyday and how we will start our search.  I know he is excited to begin this journey, but also immensely sad to have to face a horrific realization......that his birth family may be dead and lost to us forever.  His tender soul is aching to know their fate.  We need to know one way or the other.  It truly is the not-knowing that is torture.

Richnigthder tells me frequently that he wants to be a doctor and return to Haiti to help poor people.  I'd like to think I can take some credit for his amazing soul, but honestly, the credit goes to his amazing birth parents and God.  He is a rare soul and the best Marc and I can do is to continue to nurture it and help him follow the path his birth parents laid out for him.

Ah, these Haitian kids are amazing kids!