Closed! But Not In.

Well we are officially homeowners -- and letters -- the family is renting from us per diem until next month when they move into their new house.

The closing went well -- a little chaotic (do they all have 12 people there, including an 18-month-old shooting toy cars across the conference table?) -- as did the walk-through (my dad coined it the St. Patrick's Day Parade instead of the walk-through; we had 7 people plus one of the sellers and her aforementioned 18 month old son there). Since the family is still in the apartment, we get another walk-through when they're out, but the appliances worked, the heat was on, and the bedroom is still lavender. We brought the contractor to the walk-through so he could give us an estimate on getting rid of said lavender walls, and he was really positive about our color ideas and had good suggestions on sprucing up the apartment.

The sellers, while annoying at the walk-through (the woman was literally in a see-through pj top and complained about her realtor using the key to get in the building -- she was giving her son "tubby time"), were fine at the closing, giving us the scoop on the neighbors, building staff, and their favorite neighborhood haunts. And, though a half-hour late, they had at least gotten dressed since the walk-through, so that was good.

Our lawyer was an all-star -- she made us feel so confident -- and the sellers' lawyer (brother's law partner) was an idiot in a matching tie and fake pocket hankie. "I practice ALL kinds of law" he said... yeah, but none well.

So, we're now well into our 7th month at my parents'. I certainly did not think it would be this long, but it actually seems like we're in our final weeks and I certainly can't complain about my their hospitality. The NY Times had an article a few months ago - Alexander, Mom and the Very Messy Stay - an interview with the author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, who's son and his family lived with her during their home renovation. Almost everyone I knew pointed it out to me and it does address the frustrations that inevitably arise. But at least we legally own the place now and are on our way.