It's Auction Day!!!

I was supposed to start out today by flying to Chicago, then down to San Jose, Costa Rica.  If all went according to plan, I would arrive in Costa Rica around 2:30 P.M. and then head for the hotel.  I would then watch the auction (ending at 6:00 P.M.) and likely take over the bidding rather than have my Mom do it.

Well, life happens.

In quite a wild surprise, my company called me to inform me they had actually booked me to the wrong city.  No, the wrong COUNTRY.  I was scheduled to fly to Chicago and then to San Jose, MEXICO!  That's a problem.  A big problem.

So in a wild turn of events, I now had to endure seven hours of Airport Appreciation Time, sitting for four hours before flying to Miami and then to San Jose, COSTA RICA!  And now instead of enjoying the sun and auction poolside in the rays, I would be at 35,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico with no internet.

I texted Mom.  Basically, I told her the bidding is all on you.  She asked if my highest bid was still $165,000.  Being the day of the auction (this is really getting real!), I told her I would chew on it.

And chew on it I did.

About seven hours later, I called her.

"Am I crazy"?

"For what"?

"For going after this thing!  It is going to need soooooooooo much work!"

"Andy, the house has you written all over it."

And that it does.  Hard work.  Excitement.  Unknowns.  POTENTIAL.  Country living.  Wide-open spaces.  Farm animals!  Chicken stomping grounds!

You're right, Ma.  "Ok, I am making a little move.  $170,000.  That's my new number.  But $170,000 before the 3% auction fee.  So really I am saying I would go to $175,100."

She now had the knowledge she needed.  I would be lifting off towards central America in the next 45 minutes.  She would be wrapping up work and heading home to my probably very nervous dad (who I'm sure watched the whole thing even though he said he wanted to stay out of it).

And for the next three hours, I wondered if I had purchased an old country farmhouse!  So much so that I shared my story with a very lovely and talkative seat-mate on the Boeing 737.  We talked the entire time!  She works as a ground handler for an airline.  I fly 'em.  We are both middle children (makes sense as to why I'm going after a needy farmhouse now, doesn't it?!).

So I say to her, "So I might have just bought a farmhouse."  Yup, right here, in this very spot, 35,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico.  The whole story seemed so odd...and perfect.  Was Mom bidding?!  Was the internet working?!  Was the house stuck at $130,000?  Would the seller not approve the sale at that price?  Was the house above $200,000?

Come to think of it, the entire process was just downright beautiful.  Because I had no clue, I actually had such peace about it!  Hey, if I get it, I get it.  If I don't, I feel like $170,000 is a good place to stop.

We land in Costa Rica, and Customs takes forever.  Then the hotel shuttle never shows.  So I take a "side" taxi where I give a guy $20 cash in his personal vehicle.  No, seriously.  He works for the taxis, but I think he just pocketed this one.  So sketch.

So even though I landed at 7:40 P.M. I actually would not know for at least another two hours!!!

I finally check in to the hotel.  I have no cell service, so I pull out my laptop for the internet.  No e-mails.  Hmm.  That's odd.  So I check Facebook messages.  Nothing.  Hmm.  That's not good.  I thought they would have at least let me know either way?!

Wait, I know my mom.  Why in the world would she not text or write me about such a big event?!  So I do what any son would do in this moment.  I message her on Facebook a very simple message...

"???"

"You are the owner!  $163,000!!!!!"

My response?  "How 'bout that.  Thanks."

ha!  Just like that!  I bought a 153-year-old farmhouse!!!  It's super crazy, but I'm super calm about it.  I mean, I wanted it, I planned for it, I acted on it, I got it.  Now it's time to get ready for a long couple of years of fun and frustration...er, restoration!

Mom and I chatted about the process.  The bidding was around $122,000 with four minutes to go when she finally bid for me.  And the style of the auction let it go for another 54 minutes with just me and one other guy.  He kept bidding...and bidding...and bidding.  Mom had kept it simple.  She put in my $170,000 amount and hit OK.  So every time he bid a lower amount, he was rejected.  EVERY time.

Thinking about this, it probably worked out best this way.  For if Mom bid lower amounts, too, and he thought he had a chance ("You are now the highest bidder!"), he may have continued even higher.  But EVERY bid was rejected as too low compared to someone else.  The bidder would have to think "Well, how high did they bid?!"  It's kind of like in a race...if you are neck-to-neck, you will give it your all.  But if the person is two laps ahead of you, meh, what's the point?  He finally bowed out.

So I finally won at $163,300.  It's a little higher than I really wanted (I was hoping for $140,000-ish as that gives me freedom to build a two-car garage, put metal siding on the old barn, etc.), but it sold for really about what I think it's worth.  It's definitely not too high.  I was just HOPING for some nice wiggle room for some projects.

But it just didn't work out that way!  It looks like the old barn will just have to keep its wood siding for some time!

I am fighting a severe cold, so I didn't get too excited.  I didn't really even think much about the house (I had already done that the past two weeks!).  I told Mom a huge thanks a few times for what is bound to be a memorable journey, and then I went to bed.

But I am now the owner of a (going to be cute) country farmhouse!

"Am I crazy"?