Hallelujah!! Happy Day!!!!!!!

We made it to the light at the end of the never ending short sale tunnel!

There are no words. This is new high. I need to pinch myself- again.

For those of you who don't follow me, you can get most of the story here. And the rest here.

4 years of doing everything humanly possible in our capacity to keep a house.

Being rejected for both loan modification and refinance despite our over 800 perfect credit scores.

Being lied to and manipulated by Aurora Loan Services while we waited almost a year for them to approve a short sale.

Spending countless hours on the phone with hundreds of people trying to get straight answers and have our voice be heard.

Watching multiple families walk from the purchase agreement as our home's value plummeted to nearly $100,000 below market value- while waiting for our number to come up.

Losing sleep and tears and more money than I care to admit.

And having our credit score tank to a ridiculous low.

We can finally put this nightmare to bed, once and for all.

When our realtor called today he was shocked at my somber response. I told him I was waiting for the bad news. That is all I knew. I've lost track of how many times we've actually sold this home only to be left with disappointment in the end. More reasons than I could have ever invented in my own head. And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, inevitably it did.

He said, "Thought you'd be happy. It's done." It still hadn't totally sunk in. I asked for proof multiple times. When he told me that they had cut his commission check I felt pretty confident it was in fact done.

No more utilities for an unoccupied home. No more taxes (even though we just paid them). No more HOA battles. Our $800 fines are paid up. Writing the last $80 check now.

Until you experience anything of this magnitude, you will never fully understand the helpless, hopelessness that overcomes you. You are entirely at the mercy of people that don't know you or care about you. You are nothing more than a number in their giant stack of numbers.

Or the enormous amount of stress that weighs you down on a daily basis. It has been a burden for several years. And today, that $270,000 weight is gone.

I know some would never share such personal and embarrassing information, let alone blog about it. But I feel like this was a learning experience. A very painful learning experience. And if I can educate, comfort, even help one person in any capacity then it wasn't all for naught.

Life is full of mistakes. But how else would we ever grow or progress forward if we didn't experience the humiliating, humbling, sometimes horrific errors of life. Plus, had we been privy to a magic crystal ball we would have never even thought twice about purchasing a home. Not then. But no one, not even the politicians and bankers who are mostly to blame, could have ever foreseen the crippling effects the economy would suffer.

I am only human. And I'm not afraid to admit it and lay it out there for all to see.

My short sale journey was fraught with trials, tears, and much turmoil. But I've tried to keep my chin up and extract anything I could. In true Lish style these are the lessons I walked away with...

10 Short Sale lessons learned
1. Not all banks are created equal.
2. Short sale means LOOOOooong sale.
3. You MUST be delinquent on payments to start, preferably 6 months- regardless of what they tell you to the contrary.
4. No one has your back.
5. Banks will doctor records to protect themselves.
6. Bank employees are trained to LIE their butts off. Under no circumstances should you ever trust anyone.
7. Your realtor may be in cahoots.
8. You must lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead. Or you will have years of tormented agony.
9. It’s only credit, not your life.
10. Nothing is done until it’s done. And then it may still not be done...

You better believe I'm smiling. And celebrations are in order!

We are done. We are done. Hallelujah! Happy Day!! We are done!!!

Thought this was appropriate to share today along with our elation.