The Auction Ended - Part 11.5

September 20, 2024

The Auction Closed. We were the last bidder. The screen just went blank.

That was the most intense night of my life, I think. We were prepared…. Maybe over prepared… but dang it was intense!!!!!

After that auction closed and we were highest bidder... I was frantic! But…. the cloud came over knowing that if it wasn’t accepted by the homeowner, they could choose not to go through with the sale.

We sat a minute not even knowing what to do at that point, we had either just spent a crap ton of money and we’re about to start a huge life changing process or the whole rug was about to be pulled out from under our feet. We sat in silence.

That silence was broken when my phone rang. Less than 10 minutes after close.

I answered. The auctioneer was on the other line.

"This is Mr John, with the Auction Co. You guys had the final bid and although it wasn't as much as the homeowners hoped for, they approved the sale."

I looked at Nick just nodding with a huge smile on my face.

And suddenly it was all way more laxed than I thought it was going to be. We thought we had to produce the money within 24 hours and everything was going to be super structured and kept on point. But the auctioneer wasn’t too concerned. He just wanted to set up a time to meet with us to sign paper work and get the check and he said it wasn’t to huge of a rush. He knew it might take a little more time to get that money. But I already had it waiting in my account.

I think we met that following Tuesday.

I had bid on a mind century style table in the house so that no matter what happened we could get back in. That way we could see the house again before we actually closed. He said we could just leave the table there so we didn't have to move it twice! But also we could come to the pick up days anyway to walk through again. That next Saturday was pick up day for all the small stuff sold. We went to the house that day to go through it again. The moment we walked in the auctioneer took us through the whole house and gave us info and told us what things did what. What the alarm code was. He gave us the garage code so we could get in whenever to get measurements or whatever we needed. They were so easy to work with and open to help in any way!

There was one more pick up day that week and we were asked to come back so we could meet the sellers.

They built the house in 1968. Raised two kids there. Built their life there. And now it was our turn.

The house was truly perfect. It was and still is a dream house to me. Although it’s a nice 1200 sq feet on the main level. It’s perfect.

And the shop is the number one reason we wanted this house.

When we met the homeowners, Bill and April (names changed for privacy), we learned that Bill worked at the same place Nick worked and had retired from there. April loved flowers and glassware. Bill told us that it was the auctioneer who convinced them to accept our offer. Apparently when the bid was close to ending, the auctioneer knew it was us from the phone conversation I had with him and contacted Bill and April to explain that we weren't investors. We wanted to make it our home.

That day I had invited my best friend to come see the house. We toured it just as i had first time I walked through. Once we got to the shop, she stopped and said

"If you guys were ever to build a house, this would be it."

On March 13, 2020, around 5 pm, we closed on the house. That was the day the world all but ended.

We spent 2 weeks remodeling, new floors, carpet and wallpaper gone, paint, new trim, new light fixtures, other fixes here and there. All the while both of us being “essential workers”.

We moved in around March 28 with still a million things to do. My intent was to start wood working again but there was a fence to build and landscaping to do and and and…. It was a lot.

So the shop sat.

-AJ