Wednesday, July 19, 2006

This just SUCKS...

Okay...we have arrived at Ft. Riley. Living in one room at the Hampton Inn, because there was no on-post lodging available (meaning we are paying more than twice what we would be on-post). We started looking at houses on Saturday morning. The agent referred to us by USAA was not available for us (she went out of town, conveniently, and she KNEW we were coming in that weekend, we had told her again and again). She gave us someone else in her office who just didn't bother to offer anything WE had not already found on the internet. That day was a total loss.

We found a few more houses on our own, in the paper. A few we really liked...and even started to put an offer in on one...but then the agent (seller's agent) was very pushy and we felt cornered, and felt that we would be taken for a ride, so we withdrew our offer. Then we went to look at rental houses. We saw about 15 of them, most from the outside only...you know how you can just TELL that homes are nasty by the way they look or the neighborhood they are in....well, that was most of them for us.

We thought we had a good prospect...went into it with an open mind...the kitchen was nasty, smelly, and needed paint. The tub was about 100 years old, dirty and cruddy...and I am a STICKLER about my tubs...I do NOT like "permanent" dirt in my tub...and this place had it. The basement had mold growing on the walls, and had been painted OVER!!! I have mold and mildew allergies, and started right up. The fact that the house SMELLED unclean, musty and cigarette-y just was such a downer.

So we decided to put an offer in on another house we had seen. Went in today to do this. The guy turned us down flat. He won't budge from his price, and doesn't seem to be in any hurry to leave the house just yet. HE has a place to live...WE are homeless. We don't have any advantages...everything is in his favor. So, we thought about offering his asking price, but saying he needed to be out by the 7th of August, latest. Well...I doubt that will happen, as he is waiting to close on his new house. If we have to wait till the 7th, that means living in a hotel for almost a month. Something the Army isn't going to be paying for...and the cost of food (since we have to eat out) is outrageous.

We are now looking at the option of moving into an apartment for short term till post housing becomes available. For nothing more than the convenience of living close to work. This means registering Hannah in school, then pulling her and moving her to another school once housing becomes available. This means moving in and out a few times. I just don't have it in me anymore. We are trying to find a "corporate apartment" that may be furnished, for short term. I can't see going thru all of this again and again and again.

I'm half tempted to pack the kids up and start driving east to live with family or friends until Scott can secure housing on post.

If you're the praying kind....please, oh PLEASE say prayers on our behalf...that something good happens in the next few days. Something along the lines of: the guy accepting the offer, post housing becoming available (we are 18th on the list), or that a house will fall out of the sky...a generous benefactor will open his/her home up to us for short term...ANYTHING....

Sorry for the downer post...such is life sometimes.

4 comments:

rennratt said...

We have already begun. If you are heading back east, feel free to stop at my house. I am in NC.

Sue said...

Sweetie :( -- You certainly have more in ya than I would -- I hate to move other people even (as I HAVE to do this weekend) I can't even imagine having to pack up my kids and ALL my stuff over and over again. This probably won't be popular BUT, I think Military life sucks EXCEPT for the fact that you get to see different locales frequently....families always moving suffer and I find that the kids (I have TRUE examples of this) tend to become less emotionally attached and slightly cold -- hope Hannah and Scotty remain the loving tykes they are :) -- Praying for ya and sending Reiki energy :)

Anonymous said...

What about a residential motel?? Do they have those there??

Of COURSE - the perfect answer is you and the kids COME TO CHAMPAIGN! It's only 8 hours away (I mapquested it!) AND you can have free run of the downstairs - complete with a full bath!

Yes Yes YES! WHAT A GREAT IDEA.

Seriously, sweetie, hang in there. This truly does SUCK and I am sorry.

Hugs - call if you need me. I'm e-mailing my numbers.

Susan

Anonymous said...

you can come stay with me. I will even cook for you.

Plus I will let you have some of my scrap stuff.

:)