Ugh.

Just when I think everything is finally going right, something ELSE comes up. What do I have to do to catch a break? Sacrifice an animal? Cut out one of my internal organs? Go on a Spirit Quest?



I called the Mortgage company last Tuesday to verify that my paperwork had arrived and that they had everything they needed. My loan officer checked and said yes to both; the documents had arrived and everything they'd asked me to send was there and in order. It was now with the underwriters for review and I should hear from them before the end of the week. "Wonderful", I thought. "I'm finally going to be able to get everything taken care of. I'm so tired of it seeming like everything that could go wrong, had gone wrong or revealed yet another unforeseen obstacle..."

I was wrong... Again.

My loan officer called late Thursday afternoon to inform me that before the underwriters would approve the loan, I needed to repair some minor water damage in my master bathroom. I reminded her that one of the things I needed this loan for was to have the bathroom redone professionally and I couldn't afford to do so without putting even MORE crap on a credit card. It was a catch-22; I need the money to repair the bathroom but they won't give me the money until I have repaired the bathroom...

I spoke with everyone that I had been dealing with at the Mortgage company and none of them really understood why they were being so firm about this. The damage was minor and purely cosmetic. There is no structural damage whatsoever.

When I bought the house, the previous owners had a dishwasher that ruptured a water hose, which leaked water into the wall between the kitchen and the master bathroom. They had repaired this and put up a new shower enclosure. And by enclosure, I mean they put up what basically amounts to vinyl covered cardboard (I think it's called Masonite). It's acceptable for this purpose, but you still need to make sure that you seal the corners and the bottom properly with caulk and that vinyl trim. They did not do this and moisture got into the stuff and started to make it deteriorate after a few years. I had intended to get this repaired but I wanted to have the shower enclosure redone by a professional contractor and either have it tiled or maybe a fiberglass shower stall. Both of these choices are, given the state of my finances, simply unaffordable right now. I had explained all of this to my Loan officer, the Loan Processor, and even the Appraiser when he noted the damage. I pleaded with the Loan Officer to please see if there was any leeway on this (She is aware of all of the delays and whatnot that has happened through this whole process).

She called back on Friday. No dice. The repairs must be completed. They did not need to be done professionally but because the loan is an FHA loan, there are guidelines and apparently this is one of them. She simply said I needed to effect some form of repair and she would schedule an Appraiser to come out and verify that the work was done and that it was acceptable.

So, on the way home, I called my Dad who has experience with this kind of thing and explained everything and asked if he would be able to help me. He said he would love to but he couldn't be of any physical assistance; he had just had hernia surgery on Tuesday (which had completely slipped my mind). He'd be happy to tell/show me what to do but I had to do it myself. He couldn't risk anything by exerting himself. Great... When does this Fairy of Bad Luck and Shitty Timing go on vacation? I've really just reached the end of my rope...

I had to go pick up my Dad Saturday morning (he's not really supposed to drive in his condition) and we assessed to task at hand. We decided what the best thing to do would be and then went to Home Depot for the materials. I spent the rest of weekend removing the damaged stuff and prepping the shower. I'm pretty anal about doing things right and I'm not going to risk my efforts not passing inspection. Why do something that I desperately need to get done only to find out it was in vain? Sadly, I didn't finish everything this weekend. It rained a lot and I needed to be able to cut things which I have to do outside. I'll spend the rest of the week finishing the prep work and hopefully have everything done by next weekend.

I am praying that this will be the last obstacle I come across. The last few months have left me feeling like I've been run over by a truck, apparently driven by Lady Bad Luck. This latest development just seems like She was backing over me again to ensure I was down for the count.