Help, prospects

On the way to church Friday night our realtor called us to tell us we had a formal, written offer on the farm. He is a little surprised that we are already getting the offer but I have been expecting it. It was a good offer but Mama and I will counter the offer today in an effort to get closer to the listing price. It is a quid pro quo that is customary in buying as selling property. We should know the outcome in a day or two but the bottom line is that we are very close to actually selling the farm.

The offer comes from the man Mama talked with last week. The good part of selling the farm to him is that he is in no hurry to mover there. He told Mama we would be able to take all the time we needed. However, I asked our realtor to include in the counter offer that we need up to two months to move after closing. It is always better to have those things in writing.

I was up pretty early Saturday morning so I could get the porch structure rebuilt. I made a couple improvements to the frame as I extended it past the door toward the flower garden. I took most of the early morning to get that done and I was cutting the metal roofing I had bought for that purpose when Daniel Wycoff drove up. By the time Lee Davis got to the farm we were finished making the necessary cuts and began removing the damaged roofing from the apartment.

It took less than an hour to get all the damaged pieces off the roof and onto the ground. Once we started on the porch roof we got a system going and the three of us had the entire roof replaced in about four hours total. Mama had to help Daniel at one point to get the sixteen foot pieces up to me and Lee but she was only out there for about an hour. The repair is complete. Praise the Lord! One more task off my list.

It was perfect weather for the work. The temperature was below 90®F that afternoon and the wind was very light. It got a little hot for me and Lee up there on the reflective metal sheeting but we were only in the predicament for about an hour and a half. We both got a little sunburned on our faces from the reflected sunlight; nothing major. I slept very well Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Mama and I are scheduled to look at a house this afternoon. We have driven by the house and property several times but are not at all impressed by the eleven acres being sold with the house. It is rocky and pretty barren but the price they are selling the house and land for is pretty attractive to me. We will see today if the house will suffice for Mama; everything else I can deal with pretty effectively.

Peggy talked with Mama again last night at our churches ice cream and cake social. She asked Mama if a lower price would allow us to reconsider buying her house but even at the lower price it is still too big a stretch for us to make at this time. As much as I wish I could, I cannot take on that much debt, look thirty years out, and feel confident about the deal. That could change but it is not something I am earnestly praying about.

Tonight Mama and Victoria go with the ladies of the church to the Cheesecake Factory for an outing. Mama is really looking forward to that.