It was a tense and
exciting struggle but we finally closed on our house at 4:30 on Thursday. We
are now the part owners of a historic house in downtown Indianapolis. The bank owns the rest.
We have been over
there on the weekend trying to work out where things will fit – or not fit –
which is mostly the case.
The next hurdle – and
one I have taken a full day to surmount – was getting the gas, water and
electricity connected.
I knew this would not
be easy – but it was harder than I had imagined.
See – they make you
believe that you can get connected over the Internet – and you probably can if
you have a social security number AND a credit record. Without both these
things you are a non-person.
The other complication
is that the house is in Cate’s name – but she does not have a social security
number so I have to apply in my name.
I have a social
security number but no house and no job and no credit record. The ONLY thing I
have is a social security number – and I found out – to no great surprise -
that this is not enough.
I made two trips
downtown and spent some hours waiting in soulless places with other unfortunate
creatures who either wanted a new connection or – even worse – wanted to be
reconnected after being disconnected.
Citizens Energy was
not too bad – they seem to have some systems in place – and they have toilets
which is good if you are going to keep people waiting for hours to be served.
Indiana Power and
Light was an altogether different kettle of fish. I waited for hours there and
at one stage the only person serving disappeared for 45 minutes – I guess she
went to lunch – but never did come back – and was replaced eventually by a
colleague who was actually quite nice when I eventually got to speak to her.
I spent my spare time
counting the sad sacks waiting to see the cashier – clutching their bills and
the wads of cash. The maximum was 137
and the line was almost as long as the immigration line at Dulles.
I succeeded in both
places. Naturally both places wanted a wad of documents and my passport – and a deposit - which
I was glad to pay.
One of my life’s goals
is to never – ever – visit either of those places again.
You own "part" of a house? I once owned a house but rented the land underneath it. The entire town of Phillips TX (now eXtinct by corporate decree) was set up that way. The six years that we lived there were stiLL far cheaper than renting in Borger. I think I paid $12,500 for my house in 1980.
ReplyDeleteJesus, I never realized how lucky I was to have a Sosh, that is what we call it, and the ability to do it all by telephone, which I did need a sosh to get. If I had to do that in person I would need a flask and a driver.
ReplyDeleteYou know none of that furniture is going to fit, just get a catalogue from Crate and Barrel and Williams Sonama and Anthropolgie so you can always shop for new shit.
Have you heard anything from SK W?
ReplyDeleteTake the issues regarding no credit record and add to them being a gay couple in the buckle of the Bible Belt, and you end up with two very nice, honest non-persons living in Stillwater, OK.
ReplyDeleteYou'll get it all sorted...and then tax time will roll around.
I hope you love your house. You may not know til you move in, see the light in the morning and afternoon, meet the neighbors and such. I do love my house, which we remodeled and added onto ourselves. AND, we are still married!! Our furniture did all fit and look good. Perhaps yours will too. The glass is half full.
ReplyDeleteesb: The bank owns most of it.
ReplyDeletefmcgmccllc: The best thing is to be born here. I will do that if I have a second life. Yes we are regulars at crate & barrel.
Merisi: See below
SK Wakker: AH well you will always be someone to me when we rot in hell together.
Mary Anne Rudolph: Thanks I am sure we shall - we visit it often already. But our furniture definitely does not fit!