What an asshole.

Bo Parrish. What an infuriating idiot.

Why is it that a realtor can be such a piece of shit? WE are the sellers, after all. WE are the ones paying a ridiculous commission for his NONperformance.

Tonight, Phil is in Newport News - for the sole purpose of meeting with OUR realtor to get the freaking contract right, and the realtor has refused to meet at his office with Phil. Yes, Phil has a dual purpose: he wants to see the man's office to be assured that he's a legitimate realtor.

I intended to go there too - to be a witness to his legitimacy or his outright farce, whatever, but he won't agree to meet Phil at the office. I'm not so inclined to drive 1.5 hours NOT to see his office. Phil drove 3.5 hours and is now spending the night in a hotel to meet the realtor at our parents' house.

Back story:

I told the asshole realtor when we listed the house that the SELLER was incorrect on the listing agreement. He didn't change it. He said he would but he didn't. A TRUST can't sell a house. A TRUST can't be a seller. Only living people can sell a house. How hard is that to understand? And in our situation, it isn't just ONE trust, it's THREE of them. And THREE trustees (the same three for all three trusts - that's the easy part, one would think).

Now we have a qualified buyer, and the contract seller is still WRONG. "It will be fine. The attorney will make sure it is fine. It only matters on the deed and the deed of trust." Okay, buddy. I'd like to say "If you say so" but know it isn't so.

No. Nope. Nada. Nadaroonie. That's not how it works, dude - the realtor we have to pay for not doing his job. A TRUST can't be the seller, and the people who are the trustees are not going to be held accountable for the sale if you don't get their names attached to the contract in all the proper places.

Lord - I know this is going to be completely screwed up come time for the closing. I know it in my gut.

When Bo brought us a buyer (who we all are glad he found and the buyer is not the problem at all), they came in with a lowball offer, but Phil is so desperate for his inheritance money, we agreed to the price. I suggested since Bo would be paid both sides of the commission, we should negotiate his commission fee, my brothers chose not to. (My suspicion is that Freddy's wife Nancy (who has been a realtor in the past) somehow skirted the family to get a "referral fee" - and I am not convinced that she didn't do this on her own because I do NOT trust her one bit.

Then we had the hoohah over the signing of the documents - that were wrong. We signed them anyway, bad pdf files, emailed as attachments, and only on a signature page - that not all of our signatures appear on. I tried - unsuccessfully - to get Bo to put the documents in "Docu-Sign" - an accepted method of LEGAL signing of files. He gave us a bunch of lip service and my "smart" brothers signed the crappy emailed pdf files anyway. I only agreed to sign THEIR copies.

LORD - it is wrong and I know it.

And we're on another deadline tomorrow. The inspection report - PICRA (they want us to replace the sliding glass door from the sunroom to the deck. I vehemently disagree to this) is due by tomorrow. I will only sign my brothers' copies - in the spirit of family cooperation, but I know it is wrong to sign off of this contract to sell our parents' house under these terms and under these conditions. So I get to be the lone holdout - and will only sign THEIR copies. As a protest to this sale.

I suggested/offered WE ALL GO to Bo's office to sign off on all of the documents and get this documentation done the way it is supposed to be done, but he has refused to give our family audience for 30 minutes to get the paperwork done - professionally and legally.

He has fought us every step of the way - one would think he would jump through hoops to get a $34K commission on this house.

I asked for a HUD/Settlement statement estimate of proceeds - don't most sellers ask for that??? He was put out by my request and said we had to WAIT until closing. He reluctantly sent me a tart text with a summary of "costs" of closing to the sellers. I held my tongue and thanked him. But seriously ...

That is BULLSHIT!!!

None the less.

Tomorrow Phil will represent our family with this SOB - which I know he is torn by his career (he did this for the Mormon church for 30+ years) but it was "their" money. Now it is HIS money on the line. He is desperate for it - he has been for two years, and he is conflicted by his ... greed.

I am not so much conflicted by greed, but by what is the right thing to do in representing our parents. I want this sale to be clean and clear when we convey this property to this new family. When I think back to our father's insistence on buying the Springhouse for Judy and me, I think he knew the challenges I would face in settling his (and Mom's) affairs, and he wanted to make sure we were solid in the face of this obstacle.  Likewise, I insisted that our father secured both Phil and Fred's inheritance. It wasn't fair for Dad to "gift" me and Judy a house (at a certain sum) without leaving the same to our brothers.

We are SO close to the end of our parents' tangible journey - and we have a realtor who is oblivious to what that means.

And I hate that he doesn't get it. I sure hope my brothers do - but in the big scheme of things, it doesn't matter.

I know. And I know my intentions are right where they are supposed to be. To hell with Bo Parrish. He doesn't get it, and he never will. I just hope my brothers do.