June 7, 2012
Dear family and friends,
This note is a “thank you” to all those who enabled this vagabond to purchase the property at 1990 Gibraltar Road in Landers, California. Our house has quickly become home for Hammer and I. After living out of a veritable suitcase for the last ten years and now settling in a place that is mine, this new homeowner is filled with wonder and gratitude. The property fits all the hopes I had believed in and anguished over for the last four months. Out there somewhere was: (1) a rural property with acreage, (2) a property with as few neighbors as possible, (3) a well kept property that is finance ready. (4) a small house of about 1000 square feet priced at no more than $75,000 with payments less than $500.00 a month, to include P & I, property tax and insurance. This proved to be a daunting task.
The search began in Apple Valley, then Lucerne Valley, then Hesperia, Phelan, Wrightwood, Palmdale, Tehachapi, Barstow and Newberry Springs. Nothing came close to all that I was asking and a few cash buyer‘s cut me out of the pattern with lesser homes. Real Estate agent Tom Marti of Keller Williams in Victorville was very helpful and a consummate professional. Thank you Tom, your real estate education, advice and patience with my narrow search was much appreciated but no amount of effort could magically produce “the house”. Out of desperation the search was broadened to Big Bear, Arizona and then to the Yucca Valley area via the zillow website. I recruited agent Herbert Brewer of Coldwell Banker in Yucca Valley for a look at an interesting property that I thought had potential. Upon inspection we agreed that the house was in much worse shape than advertised and that it would not finance.
Returning to Mom’s house (thank you Mom), discouraged after another seemingly wasted trip, I went back on the zillow website to find the property at 1990 Gibralter, Landers. One dirt road sign and the county records spell it Gibralter, while all the rest of the dirt road signs spell it Gibraltar. Go figure but Herbert says Landers will be Landers, I will be spelling it with the “ar” ending. Mr. Don Madderra was just putting the finishing touches on an excellent rehab of this 1100 sq. ft., 2 bedroom, 1 ½ bath home, most of the house had been reconstructed from the ground up. The house is very impressive but the trees and the huge garage made the property a “gotta have”. The house sit’s on 2 acres and all the neighbors rooftops are only visible in the far distance while 3 to 5 vehicles pass by the front of the house per day, heaven. Herbert suggested we offer the asking price, $75,000, with the seller paying 6% of the buyer‘s closing costs. We returned to Yucca Valley and wrote up the offer and within the next few days it was accepted. Thank you Herbert and especially Mr. Madderra.
The next hurdle was to nail down financing. I was approved by a local lender in Victorville but three other national lenders baulked at the decided lack of cash on hand to make the deal work. I guess sixty seven years of paying my bills counts for very little. Herbert introduced me to a local lender in Yucca Valley, Mojave Mortgage Group, ably represented by Walter Reed. I was assured that my good credit would counterbalance my lack of financial liquidity and such was the case. Walter suggested a USGA no down loan that is specific to rural areas like Landers and with the seller paying 6% toward closing, I should get back the cost of an appraisal and the earnest money deposit. All this was great for my situation, we came to agreeable terms and the deal was off to the escrow company. Thank you Mojave Mortgage Group, Walter, Shannon and Shirley.
Being a pessimist at heart, my expectation was that this proposed purchase would somehow also become a decided disappointment. I was one anxious dude. It didn’t help that the bank was JP Morgan Chase and there was one delay after another with the bank’s approval of the escrow paperwork. Collette Baker at Fidelity Mortgage was finally able to call me to come in and sign at the “X”, multitudinous times, the bank had given her the green light. My blood pressure probably took a hit over those two or three days but in the word‘s of somebody, “all’s well that end’s well”. Thank you Collette and the other ladies at Fidelity and thank you Chase Bank.
I still cannot believe my good fortune, just to buy any property would have been an accomplishment but to walk into seeming perfection is beyond any of my expectations. I am overjoyed. Perfect is a big word that is never realized in this world but 1990 Gilbraltar is so very close to perfection that I will not complain about the few miniscule negatives. The family furniture that has been in storage for 15 to 20 years seems to belong to every wall. The oriental rug, soiled long ago in our house on Wrangler Lane, Victorville, is now a welcome rug on the front porch. There is a concrete slab foundation in place, just the right size, for a future garage for my Peterbilt. There is much to be done a bit at a time but what’s the hurry? Karen would have loved this house, would that we could have shared it.
If I were to believe that God get’s personally involved in our lives, stumbling into 1990 Gibraltar could be a convincing personal proof. It is as if the Goslaw homestead was designed from above. Thank you Lord and help mine unbelief.
G.Goslaw
P.O.Box 3216
Landers, Ca 92285
760-364-3425
