Closing Escrow
Long Beach
Jan 27-Feb 3, 2013
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With escrow set to close in a few days, I loaded
up the Eurovan with ladders, saws, tools, and a bunch
of miscellaneous move-in items on Saturday morning
and headed down I-5 alone, listening to audio history books.
On Sunday's walkthrough, I was a little surprised
to find the garage and middle bedroom still full of
boxes of the old owner's stuff. Anne Marie reassured
me: Don't worry, they have until close of escrow
to move that stuff out.
But it was all still there when I drove by to check
on Monday. And after picking up the keys from Anne Marie
on Tuesday, I drove over to find Bob, the owner,
standing around in the yard trimming leaves on potted
plants while the garage and bedroom sat stuffed with 40
years' worth of junk.
"I've met so many people during this whole thing," Bob
told me as I shook his hand, "I'm not sure..."
Well, I'm the buyer.
He's an old hippie/Harley guy who loves his plants
and is trying to use an electronic cigarette to cut his
pack-a-day habit in half. He'll take the proceeds from the
house sale and move to Florida, where he hopes to buy two
houses and live off the rental income from one while he
grows orchids in the Caribbean humidity.
I went back to the Portofino to try to do a few hours'
work. And when I went back at 5 it looked pretty much the
same. "Don't worry," Bob said. "Felipe and some guys are
coming in a bit to help clear it all out." They did arrive
and they cleared out some, but there was still quite a bit
left behind when Jerry and Alex arrived at about 6:30. I
was excited to show them around, and while I
did, Bob, Felipe and the guys disappeared, never to be seen
again.
Among the junk they left behind, I found a few low-grade
treasures: new pool toys, clippers, a sign from a book shop
his aunt had in Ports o' Call in the '70s, and a box full
of Louis Lamour westerns. It will take a while to sort
through it all.
Jerry and I spent Saturday digging into all the things that need
to be fixed, making two trips to the nearby Lowe's as we
planned our attack.
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