Of course, more than two days passed without getting any update from TTMF regarding this new homestead issue for their loans. The thing is that our application was just in the air until it was confirmed and we didn't want any delay in starting the application process.
I called the representative from the Chaguanas branch that processed our first (failed) application to enquire about this new approval process for homestead plots and she was just as confused as us. However, in the name of proper customer service, she assured us that our application is being reviewed and she is confident the matter will be cleared up soon.
It did not clear up soon. We tried several times to reach the representative for an update until we just started to demand to speak with someone higher and eventually, we got everything cleared up then and the application process began.
Our attempts at an update after that were directly with the legal firm assigned to our application. It was the same firm from the last. A WASA clearance certificate is required with applications but based on information from the seller, he was having a lot of difficulty with his application for water to run to the development. The reason being is that the connection must come from the main further up the main road and because the area was so under populated, WASA did not see it as a priority to provide our connections at the time. The only other option was for the seller to absorb the cost and I guess that wasn't something he was willing to do.
All this time while we waited on the clearance certificate to submit to TTMF our timeframe for the sale agreement was slipping by. I believe there was constant miscommunication to the seller regarding exactly what this certificate entailed and he continued to focus on getting a water connection when in fact all he needed to do was go in and complete a simple form basically indicating a desire for a water connection.
As we got closer and closer to the end date of the sale agreement I saw this property slipping from us again and I refused to let it happen. I demanded an extension from the real-estate agency overseeing the sale on behalf of the seller and they in turn informed his legal team to prepare it.
A few weeks later in the mail we got an invoice from the seller's legal firm billing us for the request to prepare and extension of the sale agreement. I was appalled. It wasn't a matter of the money, it was the fact that we were not at fault for the delay and were being penalised for doing what was right by requesting an extension. I wrote a heated e-mail to the seller and he immediately replied stating he will be paying the cost and apologised for the mix up. I got the impression that the seller, like us, was very disappointed in the service provided by this real estate agency and after speaking to the agent we knew a few times, we found out that the seller decided to switch agencies for the remaining plots on his property. Good move.
We finally got the clearance certificate and with all our documents in order we were informed of the desired date to close the sale. Samurai and I were sooo excited. We took the day off and got to the office of the legal firm early. We sat and waited finding out that the other guy in the waiting room was the seller when the receptionist called our names.
We all sat in the tiniest of conference rooms and the smile on my face was bigger than the building. After we were briefed, we passed all paperwork around the table and signed accordingly. We paid our legal fees as well as the second down payment to the seller and became property owners!!! The feeling was unbelievable. A weight was lifted and all the hassle and headache of our wedding two months away disappeared and to celebrate, we went out for lunch and basked in this great and wonderful achievement.
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