Given Options Are Not the Only Options

I forgot to post this when it happened, but better late than never.

One of the issues that came up during the appraisal of Sage Garden was concerning dishwashers.  The lender told me I HAD to install dishwashers - that it was a condition of the loan.  Now, I don't mind other people having dishwashers.  They use a lot of water and power, but I get it: they're convenient.  However, I don't want one for myself, and I don't want to spend money on a single dishwasher that's not going to get used.  I'd rather use that money for the garden, or a shared, high efficiency clothes washer.  And I'd rather use that space for vermicomposting.

When someone tells me, "You HAVE to do X," it may sound like an objective statement about the reality of my situation, indicating that I just don't have any options available to me other than to do X.  But it's not.  It's a subjective statement equivalent to, "I don't know what your options are."  Which sometimes really means, "I don't know what MY options are if you don't do X."

So I called my lender and after several calls found the right person to talk to.  Turns out the issue was this: if a dishwasher has been previously installed, they require one to be installed at the time of the appraisal, so the kitchen sink functions and drains properly.  Me: "Good.  So it sounds like we don't have a problem.  There are spaces for dishwashers under the counters, but there haven't been any dishwashers installed since the sinks and disposals were installed.  And the sinks checked out during the inspection, so I know they work and drain just fine."

"Well, I guess I could write up my report that way."

"Thank you.  That will help me tremendously."

The options that are given are not the only available options.