End Game

The sellers came back with another counter. Five hundred dollars over what Katie and I agreed was our utmost limit.

Now what?

Katie and I were at odds over this one. I wanted to dig my heels in and either walk away on sheer principle, or maybe, maybe, make one last offer with the ultimatum that this was the most they could expect from us. Katie didn't want to lose a house she loved for-- to her mind-- a pittance of five hundred dollars. When you're spending so many thousands already, what's another drop in the bucket, right? The exact logic the mortgage companies know will work when tacking on all sorts of closing costs and undercoating fees. What? No, I wouldn't classify myself as paranoid. The corporations are just out to get me.



And besides, you know what they say: five hundred dollars here, five hundred dollars there, sooner or later it adds up to real money.

 (My apologies to readers who don't pick up all my obscure cultural references or borrowed lines from cherished television shows. It's a habit I picked up from Kevin long ago, and one reinforced by my in-laws, who love to quote from their favorite movies).

It was a classic standoff. I was being stubborn, she was being stubborn, the sellers were being stubborn, our cats were stubbornly meowing because they wanted us to feed them dinner. My beloved Ravens had just lost to their hated rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Temperatures were running high.

Then Katie made a suggestion: "why don't we call our parents and see what they say about this?"

Ok, thinks I, my Dad will definitely take my side and convince Katie that we should punish these people by killing the deal.

And then he did the opposite. I called home and my Dad picked up-- Mom is out for the evening. He listened and he very calmly asked how much I liked the house.

"A lot."
 "Uh huh. And how much does Katie like the house?"
 "Even more than a lot."
 "And your hesitation on moving forward is $500?"
"Ummmmm, yes... but there are principles on the line here!"
"I am putting a check for $500 in the mail to you first thing tomorrow. The price for you is now what you were willing to pay. Buy that house, because you like it, and especially because your wife likes it."
"Ok."

Sometimes a guy just needs his Dad.

Flash forward, one day later...





Those smiles should tell you all you need to know: we pulled the trigger, cramped our hands up on another pile of paperwork, and restored balance to our happy home.