<p>We’ve never sold a house, but you’d better believe we checked comps in the neighborhood before making an offer when we bought our house. </p>
<p>Agreed, the entire offer has to be considered, not just the price.</p>
<p>Sometimes buyers lowball just to see how desperate you are. A counteroffer of 245,000 does not sound desperate and may elicit a much better offer. If they lowball again, you could always counteroffer 244,000, or 243,000. In other words, you do not have to come down a lot to keep the ball in play.</p>
<p>Remember that any counteroffer voids previous offers by either party. Therefore, if the offer comes in at an amount you are willing to accept, with acceptable terms, strongly consider accepting it. Sometimes the first potential buyer makes the best offer.</p>
<p>DW- Glad there is active interest in the house, including an offer, emerging so quickly. I know there is a ways to go to get the right price for it, but very encouraging. Hope that your mother is accepted into an AL that will work ASAP, so she can be moved there quickly and the house emptied behind her. All the best! </p>
<p>LF, yes, certainly we hope to have a counter offer to our counter offer of $245,000.</p>
<p>Oh yes, I should have known what comps means, certainly, yes, the realtor had comps and they were many. We seem to be in the most-sought-after location (my little village of P__) and the most-sought-after-price ($250,000.)</p>
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<p>No you don’t. You want the buyer to say, “Done!” and write the check.</p>
<p>CF, I like what you say!</p>
<p>CCSO: Any updates on the family visit/90th birthday situation?</p>
<p>Anyone use Care dot com to secure caregiver/support for loved ones?
I’ve posted this question on the caring for disabled children thread as well . Wondering if someone in this group has experience? I apologize in advance if this has been discussed already…</p>
<p>I know someone who had several favorable interviewees for a German/English bilingual day care provider through that site.</p>
<p>I just read the BBB reviews for care.com which were mixed. My next door neighbor, who is quite picky, has had mixed experiences with them. She has had a fair amount of turnover in childcare, but I don’t know how much was that she is hard to please. That said, there was one caregiver who did not disclose her psychiatric history and had a psychotic break while in their home caring for their child. </p>
<p>Yup, undisclosed serious psychiatric history…that’s the stuff that makes me scared.</p>
<p>I’d never abdicate my responsibility in screening caregivers and rely on any website solely but am hoping it could be a source of leads. Thanks for the responses, I need to research further obviously.</p>
<p>I hope you’ll keep us posted because it could be a great resource. I notice they also have a section about taxes and etc, which is helpful.</p>
<p>Despite that experience, my neighbor still uses care.com Absolutely important to vet carefully, and she thought she had. I haven’t asked her how the current caregiver is doing.</p>
<p>We had decent luck, back in the day, with local agencies. But this was before the internet era… Good luck. It is scary to entrust the care of our loved ones (young and old) to others.</p>
<p>I imagine even if you use an agency, as I have, you still run the risk of having someone with a past psychiatric record. If they don’t disclose it, how would the agency know? </p>
<p>And especially, as just happened, when someone legally changes their name and then fails to disclose their past history:
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<p>My Mom and I had a lovely morning this week. You are the people who “came alongside” during my dad’s long final illness and passing, and I just wanted to share it with you.</p>
<p>I made plans to visit Dad (I hope that phrasing doesn’t bother anyone) on Labor Day. I had told Mom several times that I would take her any time she wanted, all she had to do was ask. She would say she wanted to, but she never asked, so I figured maybe it was too much and I decided not to push it. But having a specific day in mind, I invited her to come along on Monday, while also telling her that if she didn’t want to, that was plenty OK and wouldn’t reflect badly on her. To my surprise, she immediately accepted. </p>
<p>On the way to pick her up Monday morning, I stopped at Safeway to get some flowers. For some odd reason, I wanted each of us to have an offering, so I chose a pretty red-white-and-blue bouquet and a single long-stem white rose. </p>
<p>Dad is laid to rest at a VA National Cemetery. As we pulled in, I was struck all over again by the sense of peace which lays over it. It is beautiful and quiet, yes, but more. It’s hard to define exactly; the closest I can come is the words spoken by the chaplain at the interment ceremony: “on behalf of a grateful nation.” Those words cover my daddy’s final rest like a benediction. </p>
<p>Mom and I pulled up next to the bank of columbaria. It is outdoors, beside a manmade lake with several fountains in it. The cemetery is in a rural area, so there are no city sounds, no traffic rushing by, no passersby intruding. All you can hear is the wind and the fountains. Juggling her walker, the flowers and lots of kleenex, we made our way to Dad’s niche. The last time we were there, a card had been affixed with the details. This time, the carving had been done, so the stone was in final form. It’s a beautiful silver-gray marble:</p>
<pre><code> [Name]
AETM2 US Navy
World War II
1926 2013
In loving memory
</code></pre>
<p>We stroked the carved name, tears filling our eyes. We talked about how much we miss him. We talked about what a sweet man he was, and he really was. Mom talked about what a good husband he was, and a good father. We talked about the amazing and interesting life he had. In the gravel strip below, I laid the rose for Mom, and then the bouquet for myself. We kissed our fingers and touched them to the stone as we said goodbye. We said we’d be back. </p>
<p>I told someone just recently that I was a daddy’s girl until the day he died. I was wrong. I will be a daddy’s girl until the day <em>I</em> die.</p>
<p>LasMa- thanks for sharing. So powerful to make a time for remembering, in addition to all of the spontaneous ones. And how special that you and your mother could be there together. </p>
<p>LasMa, sounds like it was a nice, special time for you & your mom. </p>
<p>Awwww, LasMa, I can’t see the keyboard when I’m crying.</p>
<p>Parents caring for parents… The circle of life. Beautiful.</p>