Being a mortgage broker, I have been present at numerous settlements. It is our company policy that we attend our settlements. A policy that I whole-heartley agree with.
My customer currently lives in New Jersey. She has an hour commute to work every day, each way. Therefore she decided to buy someing here in Pennsylvania. She found a home close by in Emmaus.
As usual, the settlement was going rather well, since I pre-closeall my loans. I do not like surprises at the settlement table. In attendance besides me was my customer and her husband (the buyers), both buyer's and seller's REALTORS®, the seller and her 2 sons.
The seller, Anna, is 88 years old. She and her husband built that house and raised their two sons. She has 
been widowed for several years now and taking care of the house was getting to be too much on her. Until today, the seller had been a resident of her home for 56 years!
The closing agent started to explain the paperwork to Anna for her to sign to complete the transaction. She began to cry. This was very difficult for her because this is her home, her life, the place where she watched her boys grow up.
I glanced at her sons and saw that they, too, had started to tear up. That's when it hit me: What type of investment is a house?
When I think of an investment, I immediately think of money. Many people discuss investing in real estate for profit. I learned today that is an assumption.
Anna had invested her life there. She spoke of how much fun she had throughout the years with her neighbors, she told stories of her boys mischief and laughed. And she began to cry again. After all the papers were signed, she asked my customer, the new owner, to take good care of her home, and gave her well-wished for all the fond memories that she was about to create.
Anna walked away with quite a bit of money. Unfortunately, she was sad because she felt like she lost her investment.
;)
;)
