Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

Another Step Forward...And Another...And Another.

Things are moving along at a reasonable pace. Training-wise, I am happy with my progress. Slower, rather than faster gains, in a physical sense, are held onto longer. And even though we want it all (regardless of what 'it' is), and we want it NOW, patience is the key to quality...and that goes for many other aspects of life.

I have an appointment with my lawyer in the morning to sign the final documents before we lodge the application for grant of probate with the Supreme Court of Australia. Once lodged, it takes around eight weeks to process. We expect no issues proving the validity of my mother's Will, and because we have a deed of family arrangement signed by all the beneficiaries, with a clause that prevents any future contest from those beneficiaries, everything on the legal front is on track.

I have several options to do with the house Mom left me and it will depend on a few factors in which direction I go. The biggest variable will be what price I can get on the open market, in the time frame stipulated in the deed that myself and my siblings have agreed to. What I have to pay them is fixed regardless of how much I end up selling the house for, but even if that price is a little lower than I hope, you won't hear me complaining.

The terms of the agreement are...I have sixty days in which to sell the property, with an extension period of another thirty days. I made sure (by way of clause seven) that everyone understands if a 'reasonable' offer isn't received from a potential buyer, then in this event, all parties agree to act in a reasonable manner (I love clause seven). Now, I am no legal eagle, but looking at that from a layman's point of view, it seems a bit wishy-washy, for lack of a better term. The way I read it is I can hold out for the price I want for an indefinite period. Or, at least until any unhappy signees decide to call in the cavalry.

I am keen to get on with my life. I will negotiate and don't foresee any huge delays in moving the house. In fact, even though I am eight weeks away from the deeds of ownership for the property being changed from my mother's name to my own, I have already had a potential buyer look through the house. Mr Singh owns the house next door and the one next door to that. He also owns the local news agency and probably a lot more properties than that. I learned about him through the grapevine and yesterday, whilst on my ride, I went to the news agency he owns, left my details with a message that the house will soon be on the market...and continued my ride.

Mr Singh certainly didn't waste any time contacting me (my phone was ringing not long after I got back) and as I began to explain all about the house, he informed me that he was out the front and wanted to take a look through. Of course, as we walked around, he picked every flaw he could find and explained how much it would cost to bring my sixty-year-old home back to a point where he could lease it out, as he does with the other two houses he owns on, Monopoly Avenue, My Local.

This I expected. I was respectful of his position as a buyer and of his opinions to do with the difficulties faced by anyone who takes on a fixer (to which I voiced my own opinions about the benefits that would follow if the work is done sensibly). For a rich guy, Mr Singh didn't play the best hand he could have (in my opinion), even after lowballing me (I was happy to have any offer and it really wasn't too far off the price I think the house will sell for). And just for laughs, I highballed him with the counteroffer. Nothing was on paper and his offer, although appreciated, was too low. He knew it and I knew it.

Towards the end of the tour, we actually laughed about the dance we had just performed. I had fun and I think he did too. We also spoke about other things...his wife is very sick in the hospital and I related my experiences being a caregiver for ten years and my mother's recent passing. Then, just before he left, he turned and asked that I keep him informed of the progress. I suspect he likes the idea of owning three houses all in a row and I will be happy to help him achieve that...for the right price.