-1 Magic Kingdom, +1 Magic Kingdom

I am happy to report that after a flurry of activity over at my Dad's with 2 or 3 offers over the last day or so, we are going to the real estate office today to accept one in writing.  With the current situation of the market, it pains me to accept an offer for $136k on a house that appraised at $170k a year ago... but it is what it is.  To be able to move on from this whole situation will totally be worth it.  And considering my Dad paid $14k for it when they bought it in the 50's, he's happy.  He'll get all his bills paid off and still have money left over, plus start to build a cushion from his pension paycheck as well.  All is good.

Throughout this whole process, I thought that my Dad would have a much harder time of it.  I mean, it's his first house... and the one bought with my Mom... and she practically died in it... and it keeps him busy with cutting the grass, etc.  But between sorting through everything in the house and now, selling it... he's been kind of detached from it all.  It's going to be a little emotional for me in a few ways.  First of all, relief... it's been a tough road getting to where we are today... and to not have to worry about it any more is beyond words for me.  Secondly, it is the house that I grew up in and I have so many memories from there.  I don't think that I will be able to drive by it knowing someone else lives there.  It's definitely an emotional sell for me... and it's not just the land and house, but moreso, the lifestyle (family growing up in the 70's suburbs) that I'm selling.  I hope that the new people (a young couple) appreciate what they are buying into... let alone the price that they are buying it for.  Lastly, with all the good memories comes the bad.  What my brother put my Dad and me through over the years has tarnished every surface of that house... and having to clean it and fix it all up by myself was definitely an exercise in my patience.  My anger runs deep, and maybe now I can start letting go of some of that... just in time for my brother and nephew to come around again with their hands out now that they think there's cash lying about.  My brother made an interesting comment a few months back... while I was telling him that I had to pay some of the taxes and bills because my Dad didn't have the money... he said 'what about Daddy's investments?'.... at which point I turned to him and told him that HE was my Dad's investment... about $150k over the years... and look how that turned out.  My Dad probably would have faired much better with Bernie Madoff.

Today I leave for Daytona via Orlando to spend a week with my friend David for a much-needed break, which couldn't have come at a better time... with finalizing the sale today.  David's friend is getting us into the parks free... and my friend Elaine gave me a $50 gift card for Universal Studios that she had, so we are all set.  I have another friend, Ricky, in Orlando that I hope to see while there as well.  I went to the Marriott and got the grass cut yesterday, so all I have to do is pack.