A HOUSE FOR HELEN

Another older theme in this blog has been Ann's and my ongoing hunt for a suitable house for Aunt Helen, who adamantly refuses to leave the mountains.

The good news is that after one false start, we have finally located a house in Crestline, where she now lives, that her Mountain Nursing nurse Cathy likes, the realtor likes, and -- most importantly -- Helen likes. It's in the small, level part of the village area where all the shops and restaurants are, but back from the main road in a more residential area. So, most importantly, she can walk out her front door to get to the post office, bank, and grocery store any time she wants.

The owners, Latinos from Guatemala, were away visiting family back home when Helen et al. looked at the house, so we've had to wait till they got back whether they would accept our offer of $275,000. The realtor Steven called me up Sunday to say they were back and had accepted our bid, so now it's mainly up to Ann to negotiate financing, inspection terms, etc. Fortunately, her husband Cam has a cousin who is a mortgage banker in the San Diego area, so we have access to good advice. Our goal is to pay most of it down, finance what we can't manage right now, and pay off the rest within a few months when Helen's first house is sold. (The realtor thinks it should easily go for $325,000 or more.) So, this summer is going to be a busy one for Ann and me, and I'll be putting more mileage on Dad's old Infiniti driving back and forth, I imagine, before it's all over and Helen's new place is refurbished, Helen moves out and into the new place, and finally the old place is refurbished and sold.

But all the effort should be worth it. Getting her fixed up in a more suitable setting has been on my to-do list since before Dad died in 2003.