That's Policy

The end is near . . . I hope.

The seas are becoming rough in what was once a calm-water voyage through the RCMP IRP. So, what advice do I have for those preparing to set sail? Read the freakin' IRP through two or three times. Make sure you understand every word. Because if you don't, it may come back to bite you in the ass.

Now I should warn you, if you plan to get into this boat and read on, put on a lifejacket and seatbelt. It's a long and rough trip.

Let's start with the appraisal on the Gimli house. When we were getting ready to sell, we were told that we needed an appraisal. I was worried about this at the time, because I was afraid the appraiser would undervalue my house, and then the CRSP would put pressure on to list it for less than I thought it was worth.

Fortunately, at the time, we ignored the advice of the realtor, put the house up for more than she suggested, and sold it in two days - before the appraisal was completed.

Now, I figured that the house was sold, no need for appraisal now. We know the market value - it is what it sold for. And so I continued by trip through the IRP process under that assumption. (And you know what they say about assuming!)

Throughout the sale, purchase and move, I contacted my CRSP regularly by phone and email. I asked if everything was in order, was there anything more I needed to do. I stayed on top of the process and all seemed to be going well.

And then came packing day. I got a call and an email from my CRSP telling me I needed an emergency appraisal on the house. This was on the Thursday before we left for Thompson (on Saturday). The reason, I was told, was that we had to pay the real estate commission on 119 acres of the land we sold. The IRP would pay the commission on the house and a little over 1 acre.

And yes, it's right there, plain as day, somewhere in the 105-page IRP. Missed that one.

Fair enough, says I. But why bother with an appraisal? Why waste the taxpayer's money? We know what it sold for, why not just decide on the split? I suggested 90/10, with 90 for the house and 10 for the land. It seemed pretty fair to me, based on discussions with the realtor prior to the sale.

No, no, no, says the CSRP. Policy dictates that we must spend money on an appraiser, have him decide what the house is worth and then just assign the rest of the asking price to the land. I didn't like that. But policy is policy and the RCMP and bureaucrats everywhere love their policy.

And so, I hired an appraiser for Tuesday - one day before possession of the Gimli home by its new owners. As I would be in transit, I asked the CSRP to make arrangements with the appraiser (the one she suggested) to have him pick up the keys at my lawyer's office on Tuesday and complete the appraisal. OK, said the CSRP.

And so, on Wednesday, I called to see who it went and how much of the real estate commission I would be choking on.

The appraisal didn't happen, my CSRP told me. Seems the appraiser, she said, went to pick up the keys and my lawyer had already given them away to the new owners. Did you tell the lawyer that the appraiser was coming? Yes, said the CSRP.

I was not impressed and called the lawyer's office to see what the heck happened. And I got another story. Seems the appraiser didn't show up at all on Tuesday. But called on Wednesday morning (possession day) at 10 a.m. (possession was at 9 a.m.) and therefore could not get the keys.

I phoned the CSRP back and, eventually, got talking with the "Team Leader," who explained that there was a foul-up, and that the appraiser had called my Real Estate agent for the keys on Tuesday and something went awry.

Exsqueeze me? How did the appraiser know who the real estate agent was? Why would he phone her? How on earth did this happen?

The Team Leader said she'd look into it and get back to me. In the meantime, from my house in Thompson, I would have to contact the new owners, get permission for the appraiser to come by and permission to give him their phone number to set up the appointment.

I was a little ticked off. And a flurry of tense emails and phone calls followed. I once again proposed a 90/10 split to put an end to this mess. It was once again rejected on three different levels. No, I was told, we need the appraisal, we need the permissions and we need them now.

Fine, I said, I will get the permissions and you can arrange the appraisal. This was agreed upon. On Monday, I contacted the new owners and got my permissions. I let the CSRP, Team Leader and RCMP Relocation Coordinator know and left it in the CSRP's capable hands. I'm still waiting to hear what happened.

Why am I so bothered by all of this? Well, in addition to all of the phone calls, emails and headaches, there is the financial impact. If I'd known that I was responsible for this portion of the real estate commission, I would have set aside money from the "Personal Envelope" to deal with it. But, as I did not see this storm coming, I allocated that money to a Mortgage Interest Buydown, and I do not have any left to cover this cost. That ticks me off.

So why am I telling you all of this? I guess it's a warning to others heading out on the IRP ocean. You have to know what has to be done. You can not rely on others to know it for you, or to protect you if they miss something. Be warned, be wary and read the freakin' 105-page IRP, as well as the 100+ pages of the CSRP document "It's your move." Know what they say, do what they say, and stay on top of everyone involved - bankers, real estate agents, lawyers and Contracted Relocation Service Providers. They may be there to assist you, but in the end, if there are mistakes, errors, ommissions, it's your ass, not theirs.

That's policy.