The Broker Who Ghosted Me

When someone pressures you to “sign now and fix it later,” think twice.

About two decades ago, after a year of scrimping and saving and planning to build a spec home, my ex and I finally sat down to close on our construction loan. That’s when I noticed the papers were wrong, showing over $140,000 in assets that didn’t exist.

When I pointed it out, the broker brushed it off and pushed us to sign anyway, promising it could be fixed later. I suggested we fix it first and close the next day instead. He agreed, but then he completely ghosted us.

We scrambled to find another lender so we wouldn’t lose the thousands we’d put toward earnest money on the lot. But we couldn’t qualify for any other loan on the meager income of a couple in their 20s.

Little did we know, the housing market was about to crash. Losing thousands was painful, but if we’d signed, we would have lost everything.

Bonus points to anyone who figures out why I’m thinking about this lately. 🙃