June 27, 2009 - The Offer

After much deliberation, we decided to make an offer. We have watched the home buying programs on TV and seen the trepidation people go through. Now it was our turn. Brian Cobb, our Realtor, was very helpful, but since he was both the listing agent and our agent, we had no one looking out for just our interests. We went into this thinking it was more of a window shopping exercise and ended up getting serious.

I think I had done my due diligence, though. I had consulted with the Engineer, Down Cape Engineering, and the environmental and permitting consultant, Lynn Hamlyn. We would need a favorable decision from the Barnstable Conservation Commission and their next available meeting wouldn’t be until July 14. Then we would apply for a Building Permit, which is usually a two to three week process, but could take up to thirty days. I felt uncomfortable closing on the lot until we had a permit for a home with a first floor master bedroom and a reasonable driveway slope. Given the previous difficulty with permitting, we didn’t want to take any more chances than necessary.

Here’s a view of our potential new back yard.