Category: house hunting

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Activities house hunting

House Update

Just a quick home buying update:  Last week we were approved for our loan, and the sellers agreed to fix one item that came up in the inspection. 

So, if all else goes according to plan, we are set to close THIS Thursday morning.  I still am in a little bit of disbelief, but it looks like it is really going to happen.  Our lender needs the title work, which is being sent to them, and that is it.  We are really getting excited now, but we both feel until we sign on the dotted line, and have the keys in our hands, you never know.  So we are very positive, but reserving our full blown excitement until after we close-which is just in four days. 

I have another little something to blog about (hopefully tomorrow), that is exciting for me.  I’m going to keep it a surprise for now, so you will be sure to check back tomorrow or Tuesday on what it is.  (I’m mean- I know- to keep you in suspense, but hopefully it will be exciting for some of my readers to read about as well.)  🙂

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house hunting Household

Home Inspection

On Sunday, we had the home inspection for the house we are buying.  

If you are ever in doubt if it is worth the money on a home inspection, I would highly recommend it.  If everything checks out okay, you have just bought peace of mind and reassurance that probably, what is one of your biggest investments ever, is sound.  

I think a lot of home buyers can relate to the movie, The Money Pit, with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long, where they buy a house for a good deal, and as soon as they move in, everything and everything starts breaking, leaving them bankrupt.  If nothing else, you will know that you are not buying a money pit.

A few years ago after an inspection on a house we were buying, we realized that the pipes under the house were not up to code with the city- they were clay pipes and due to some city regulations, as soon as the house was sold, the new owners of the house (meaning us) would have to replace them.  The rough estimate- $50,000!  Needless to say, the money for the inspection, paid for itself! 

It was disappointing to realize we weren’t going to be able to buy the house, but in the long run we knew we did not want to undertake such an expensive problem!  Even though we spent a few hundred dollars for the inspection, we were made aware of the potential of having to spend $50,000!

So it was with cautious optimism, Joe and I felt on Sunday, as we had the inspection.  We felt we knew what the issues were in the house, but having had that $50,000 issue come up, before- you just never know for sure.

Thankfully, Ryan and Cole’s grandparents were able to watch them for us, so we could focus on the inspection with the inspector.  He was really thorough, and took three hours, to check every last detail of the house for us- from the top of the roof, to the last corner in the basement, and everything in between!

He mentioned the few minor issues we knew of, and caught a few more minor things that would need to be taken care of, but overall he said the house was a very well constructed house, with no $50,000 “surprises.” 

A little added bonus was the owner was there, doing some chores.  He was very nice, and hospitable, and was able to fill us in on a few things, and even pointed out that the back yard has some very nice, and healthy fruit trees!

Needless to say, we were very happy and pleased.  Our next step is to close on the loan, and in the meantime, get an appraisal.  We are trying to contain our excitement until we sign on the dotted line, but looks like this is really happening, and we just cleared another hurdle.  We are getting closer!

P.S. In case you were wondering, the picture at the top of the post,  is not a picture of the house-it is just a stock photo. 🙂

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house hunting

House Hunters- Part II

If you missed part I of this post, you can read it here.

House Hunting is nothing like what you see on TV.  So far, we haven’t encountered any rooms with black wall paper, but we have run into three things (so far), that never happens on house hunting TV shows.

1.  When a house has a For Sale sign in the yard, it is listed on the on-line and realtor listings, and there are open houses, one can only assume the house really is for sale-right?  Wrong.  

The first house we made an offer on, after it was all said and done, we found out that the sellers aren’t interested in moving, and they don’t have to move.  We are only left to wonder why in the world they put their house on the market then, if they don’t want to sell it. 

I can hear  Suzanne Whong now…“Unfortunately, the first house the family made an offer on, the sellers are crazy, and have no intention of selling their house. They just like to waste people’s time, so the family has to keep looking.”

2.  No matter how much you think you are on top of the listings, there is at least one house that will get away from you, and be under contract before you can get your offer in- even in a “buyer’s market.”

I had seen a house in a newer subdivision for about a month now in the listings.  It was a short sale, meaning the bank agreed to sell it for less than the amount of the mortgage owed on it.  I guess this is one step before a foreclosure.  The house had never been lived in.  It was gorgeous.  Everything brand new, granite counter-tops in a HUGE kitchen, a sunken bathtub in the master bath, one extra bedroom than what we were looking for, a three car garage, and a decent sized yard.

The best part it was priced about 60k less than what it sold for new.  It was an incredible deal, and the price was in our price range.  I don’t know why in the world it just didn’t “click” with me, for us to look at this house when I saw the listing.  We were focusing on houses in another subdivision, and we were in the middle of the offer with the people who really aren’t selling their house. 

Last week when it finally occurred to me that this was a great house for us, and that was confirmed by doing a “drive-by,” I called our realtor to set up a showing.  He told me this house hadn’t come up in his search for us, because- we asked for at least a quarter acre lot- a .25 lot.  He said this one was a .22 acre lot.  I just laughed, that was close enough, but then the bad news.  He said it went under contract the week before.  We were one week too late!

Says Suzanne, “Because Heather suffers from Mommy Alzheimer’s  the family wasn’t quick enough to get to this house before it was snapped up by someone who is on the ball.  This would have been a terrific house for the family- just what they were looking for.  Now the family is back to square one.” 

3. Because the entire process is not fun and frustrating, you will be faced with a lot of decisions that you never considered.

We looked at another house this past weekend, and decided it is something we will keep in mind, but we aren’t going to make an offer on it (I’ll never say never, but no offer on it at least for the time being.) 

The house needs a lot of TLC, but the major problem for us, is the kitchen is tiny.  Joe and I could barely fit in it.  It would have to be remodeled, but there is a wall, and we would have to make sure it isn’t a structural wall.  There were a lot of other projects that would have to be done too. 

We were considering it, but then realized we don’t really want to do all that work- we want to spend time with our boys while they are young.  Not spend the next five years on home improvement projects every weekend.  We didn’t even really like the layout of the house that much.  We could probably get this house at a rock-bottom price, but we just aren’t excited about it, and doubt this is the house we are looking for.

To widen our horizons so-to-speak, we are now considering looking at a town about 15 minutes away from us.  It is a lot smaller town than where we live now.  There are several houses in this town, that are what we want size and price wise, but we just aren’t sure we want to move to this town. 

Now we are debating the pros and cons of moving to this town before we set up any showings.  We know there are houses there, but the questions we are now facing are, where do we want to live, and do we keep waiting for something to open up in a neighborhood we like and had decided on, or do we move now, even if it isn’t to a place we really ever thought about living in, but has what we want?

“The family has some hard decisions to make, and all they know at this point, is they don’t know what they will end up deciding.”  Suzanne says. 

You can say that again, Suzanne Whong. I’m sure there will be a House Hunters Part III- stay tuned.

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house hunting

House Hunters- Part I

I love watching the real-estate shows on Home & Garden, TLC, & Discovery channel.  My favorite is the cheesy, House Hunters, with Suzanne Whang.  If you have never seen it, it is a riot!  Basically you follow a family as they look at three houses for sale.  I’m used to the ‘old-style’ version.  It goes like this:

One house is usually a dump, but they still try to be nice about it.  It can be the most hideous house with black velvet wallpaper and polka-dots, and they will say something like, “Oh, that’s a unique design.”  Or the entire house is boring- white walls and beige carpet and they will say, “These are really nice walls.” 

Everyone knows what they are really thinking and you wish just once the family would say it- that they wouldn’t live in the house for a million dollars.  After they are done looking at the hideous interesting house, instead of saying they would rather live with Paris Hilton in a Motel 6 than in the house, they mutter things like, “Well, even though this is a really great place, we don’t think its the place for us,” or, “We love the bathtub (usually the only thing in the house that isn’t messed up, ” but we think we should look at a few other places before deciding.” 

Then the second house is usually OK.  Not great, but not as awful as the first one.  It may need a few repairs, but at least there isn’t velvet wallpaper on the walls.  After looking at the second house the family is mulling it over.  They usually tell their realtor (who has traveled in a time machine from the 1970’s to appear on House Hunters), “Well this is a lot better than the first one.”  Then the over-eager 1970’s realtor jumps in and says, “Well, now that I know what you are looking for, I have one more house to show you that I think will really grab you.”  Of course, the family always agrees. 

Can you guess what is coming?  The third house is always perfect.  Just what the family is looking for.  Why the realtor bothered to show them the first two houses is a mystery.  They could have saved 23 1/2 minutes of the show.  The family walks through the house, oohing and awhing over everything, and I mean every last detail.  “Look at the ceiling honey…it is marvelous.”  Or, “This toilet seat is fabulous.  It is padded.  That will be comfortable to sit on with a good magazine.”

When they are done drooling over the toilet seats, the tell the realtor this is the house for them and they want it.  The realtor gets that KA-CHING look on their face, and tells them, “Sure, let’s go back to my office, and we’ll write it up.”  Then the “drama” begins.  Will the seller accept their offer? 

HGTV only makes you wait in suspense for one commercial before you find out.  Suzanne Whang does a nice recap for you showing the houses that were shown, and the house that the family finally decided on (just in case you forgot.) Then you are told the Smith’s put in their offer and are now eagerly awaiting to hear if their offer was accepted.

Then you see the family playing a board game (do families still do this?), or eating at a restaurant, very casual and relaxed when suddenly- the phone rings.  In a very relaxed and laid-back manner, they answer the phone “Hello?”  PLEASE-like they don’t know who that is!

The next part goes like this,”Uh-huh- yeah, OK, Uh-huh, OK. Thanks Carl.” The person than hangs up their phone and turns to the spouse who didn’t get the good fortune of answering the phone and says, “That was Carl, and we got the house!” 

Astonishing!  Who would have thought?  I was so sure their offer was going to be rejected.  Then there is another commercial, and when we return, the lovely Suzanne Whang revisits the family a few months later, after they have had a chance to put their own touches on the house.  Unless they have covered the walls in black velvet wallpaper, all is well, and another successful real estate transaction has been completed. 

Real life house hunting is NOTHING like this TV show.  I will give you our version of House Hunters (minus Suzanne Whang) in an upcoming post.

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house hunting

House Hunting

As of last week, we have officially started looking for a new house to accommodate our growing family.  When I say growing, I mean as in two little boys, who are quickly outgrowing the space we have in our current house. 

We actually put a bid on a house last week in a neighboring town.  We started our offer on the lower side of the acceptable range, but we were pretty sure we would be able to come to a “happy medium” with the sellers regarding a price.  The house was nice, but it did need some work.  However, the sellers didn’t budge at all in their price.  Evidently they don’t have to move and are holding out for their asking price. 

We were pretty surprised at this.  Everything you read says it says it is a buyer’s market, and sellers are willing to move mountains to sell their properties.  I guess these sellers didn’t get the memo.  🙂 

We are being picky.  We don’t have to move right away.  We don’t have to sell the house we are in now before we can move, (we are going to rent it), so we can take our time and keep looking. 

It has been years since we have bought a house- I had forgotten all the emotional feelings that come up when trying to decide on a house you want to raise your family in.  But, I guess you have to go through that in order to find the right place.

I have already decided for us, there is not that elusive “perfect house.”  Since we aren’t selling our current place, we will have two mortgages, so we don’t have an unlimited budget to work with.  There is a big difference in looking at properties, and then realizing what you can actually afford.  We also don’t want to have every last dime tied up in a house payment. 

So, we will just have to see what comes our way.  Maybe we’ll get lucky and find something that is almost perfect.  If not, that’s okay- we have done countless home improvement projects over the years, so we can fix, paint, remodel a space, etc. if we have to. 

Moving forward even from this one attempt to buy, I have already learned that there isn’t a “perfect” house- there is always something that you don’t like, or want to change, and don’t count your chickens before they hatch.  A deal isn’t a done deal until you actually close on the property.

While I am not really excited at the prospect of going through all this again, it is nice to be moving in that direction and hopefully we’ll find a place, sooner than later.  We’ll appreciate any good house hunting thoughts you can send our way, and if you have any tips you’d like to share, I’d love to hear them.