Barely enough energy to come up with a post

Here it is anyways. You've been warned.

I am so happy tomorrow is Friday (and Brendan's birthday). My life since last Thursday has been a roller coaster of events and I can wait to get off the ride. Fortunately, it all happened so quickly that I didn't have time to think about it and get too discouraged.

First things first. Last Thursday, I checked my Hotmail in the morning and saw that I had received the link for a new listing. My agent, also the brother of my good friend James, set me up with an account in his version of MLS, the same system that agents use. I receive the new listings at the same time he gets them. I get to look through them and if something interests me, I just let him know. I really like the concept. Well, that morning, there was a nice duplex in NDG and I immediately e-mailed my agent to ask him to set up an appointment.

We got an appointment for 6, the same evening that three lines of the metro were shut down because of a bomb scare at Berri station. The orange line was still running, but very, very slowly and at Bonaventure station, which is where I get on from work, the metro going West was on the opposite side of the tracks from where it normally is. Add confusion about the situation and voilà, massive delays to be had. Fortunately, I was only 15 minutes late.

The visit itself did not last very long, I knew right from the beginning that I really liked the place. Standing in the front of the building, I asked my agent to make an offer. Brendan and I hung out in NDG and had dinner at La Louisiane (Cajun cooking, the etouffee sauce was NOT my favourite) and met Alex at his office on Monkland to sign the contract. We offered $10,000 less than asking price, a reasonable offer but also an amount close enough to show that we were serious. Now we simply had to wait for the reply from the seller.

When I arrived home, I had a message on my cell phone (no service in the metro, I had missed the call). It was my realtor in Vancouver letting me know that I had an offer on the condo. What an amazing coincidence!! The offer was $10,000 less than asking price (I sense a pattern here) and we countered at $5,000 less than asking. Not only was I waiting for the seller of the duplex in NDG to get back to me, now I was also waiting to hear back from the buyer in Vancouver.

Friday was when everything happened. My offer was countered at $5,000 less than asking, and my counteroffer in Vancouver was accepted. Same day. Obviously, pending the usual conditions, but you have to admit that the timing was perfect.

This week was about going through the motions to get both contracts finalized and closed. Alex recommended a wonderful inspector for the duplex. He did an amazing job, spent over two hours inspecting everything and really taking the time to explain everything to me. We even climbed on the roof, inspected every corner of the basement and got a crash course on electrical boxes and oil furnaces. Now I'm waiting for his final report, which should show up in my Inbox any time now. The condo in Vancouver was inspected this morning, and I am hoping to hear back from my realtor soon. Today was also the day I sent all the paperwork to my bank so they could clear all the mortgage details.

By June 8 or 9, everything should be finalized. Fingers crossed.

The duplex is really nice, it has two 5 1/2 apartments, the ground floor kitchen and bathroom were recently renovated, new windows were installed about 8 or 9 years ago, the place has a very large backyard (well, by Montreal standards) and according to the inspector, it's in a good shape. It's located below Sherbrooke, only a few minutes walk from Vendôme metro and steps from a large park, Esposito, Rocky Mountain fruit & veggies and lots of little restaurants and shops.

While all this real estate business was going on, I was also preparing for my PMP exam on Wednesday. I had been studying for the exam on and off for about two months and was not entirely sure I was ready. Well, I did pass the exam and can now add this credential to my resume. I'm happy it's over and that now, I have my evenings and weekends back.

Only a few more days, and then I can stop worrying about real estate and start worrying about moving ;)