[jyl]

I'm sorry about this, but I am just going to vent a little.

My mother in law sold her house and moved to a rented condo in a senior development, after her husband died. She made a new life there and was content. This is in WA, about four hours from where we live.

After a couple of years, around 2006, the condo's owner passed away and his kids put the place on the market. MIL was terribly upset that she would have to move from her new home. My wife and I, and wife's sister (SIL) and sister's husband (BIL) stepped in and bought the condo for MIL to live in. Her rent mostly covered the mortgage and fees, we (the two couples) covered the extra couple thousand per year. BIL handles the on-site things, like when the water heater went out, and keeps the books. MIL had the place remodeled a few years ago, at her own expense. Things were fine.

About a year ago, MIL started getting unhappy. Her best friend next door had died. She now felt isolated in the condo. She was also getting old, less mobile, less able to cook and live on her own, though with a cleaning service it was still manageable. So she wanted to move into a retirement home. There is a nice one in the area, with social activities, meals, on-site caregivers and hairdresser, etc.

So we put the condo up for sale. No idea how long it will take to sell or if we'll get our down payments back. Almost certainly we'll lose anything else we've spent, just as MIL will lose the money she spent remodeling (which she realizes). I'm still okay with it. We didn't do this to make money.

MIL and SIL visited the senior center today. They loved it. With SIL's encouragement, MIL signed a contract and she moves in two weeks. Wife and I get a call from SIL. "Oh by the way, now that mom is moving, we'll have to start paying the mortgage."

Great. Just effin' great. MIL couldn't wait until the condo was sold? She's just going to move out and we start coughing up $700/month (per couple)? Who the hell goes to see a senior center and signs on the spot. What the hell was SIL thinking - she's going to be coughing up $700/mo just like us.

I'm venting here because there is really nothing I can do about it. I'm not going to fuss at MIL, at all. She is an 85 y/o lady, not very bright, with a bad heart, doesnt handle stress well, and probably doesn't have that many years left. I doubt she even thought about the implications of her decision on us. I'm irritated at SIL but not going to get in the middle of the upset that is now going on between her and my wife. I'm just going to write a check every month. However, if this drags on for a long time, the checks are going to add up, by my standard anyway. The condo next door took 10 months to sell.

Argh.

Thanks for letting me vent.