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The House Hunters Thread

Date: 4/5/2010 11:45:37 AM
Author: meresal
Thanks ladies!


J- We have pretty much the same things left to do in the nursery. Have drapes (possibly) but need to be hung and find valence, paint lower part of wall, some baskets, and hang things (decorative wall hangings and shelves) once they arrive from PBK.

There is no way we could have gotten even a 1/4th of the moving done without my parents. Having all the help possible makes the difference. Glad to hear you are making progress though!

yeh i need to find art and hang it too! adding that to the nursery list...
 
Aww Mere!!! that looks fantastic and yay for almost all moved in!!! I love the cabinets (we will have 42in cherry ones in our kitchen!)

NEL; good luck with the offer and the job interview!!

As for us: c/o, survey, inspection, and appraisal all scheduled.... now closing date moved up to the 28th. Yay. Talk about a whirl wind........
 
My post just got eaten again...what is up with that??? Arghhh!
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I am now writing a bit, then copying...writing a bit, then copying...sheesh!

NEL, I hope your dog is okay? How did your interview go? I hope you get to put in an offer on the house this week...I''ll keep my fingers crossed for you!

Meresal, your house is beautiful, and I think the fireplace is going to look fantastic with matching granite around it. You must be so excited...a brand new house AND a new baby all in the same month! I am so happy for you!
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What ever happened with the siding issue? Are you going to be able to get that fixed? I can''t seem to keep up with all the threads, so sorry if I''m asking something you''ve already answered.

rhb, I have NO idea how we manage to go out looking at houses every weekend, and sometimes on the weekdays after I get off of work. We seem to do double duty because first we research whatever we can scrounge up on all of the houses online, check the satellite photos and their locations, then we go driving around, scoping out the neighborhoods, and of course DH snoops in the backyards of the empty houses
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, etc..., before we ever go look at any of them with our Real Estate Agent (REA.) Did I mention that our REA is also a fireman like my DH and they work together at the same firehouse, which means they both pick up OT shifts, so he''s not always available when we want to go look at houses or can''t wait until I get off of work because he''s only free in the morning, or before I get done at school? I think that and the fact that he and DH are really good friends is a big part of why this process has taken us so long, but he gives all of the other fireman half of his cut back in cash after the sale, so it''s almost too good of a deal to pass up, so here we sit with the slower than slow process and somehow manage to maintain a friendship with him while trying to get his help to buy a dang house!

I got back on PS tonight because I was going to share our house hunting experience from Saturday with you ladies...we saw a house with the tiniest master I have ever seen, but it did have a special "hidden" room (read here: closet) that the owners had cut a hole in the wall right next to their double bed to get to! WTH??? It was on an acre, beautifully maintained, and was looking like a real winner until we saw how tiny the master bedroom, bath and closet were, and for the life of us we couldn''t fathom how on earth we could add onto it the way it was positioned in the house and with our budget such as it is...oh well, but it was fun to dream for a little while!

The interesting news of the evening is that a house we''ve had our eye on for a while now may be within our reach!
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I''m trying really hard to not get TOO excited, but since I can''t share my enthusiasm with anyone else I thought I''d bring it here to all of you! I''ve been watching this house for about two months or so, and we finally got to see it in person about three weeks ago. We knew the price was out of our reach, but we love the neighborhood, it has a large lot, a beautiful backyard for entertaining, which is important to us with how often we have people over, and it also has a finished space that could at some point become a guest house over the garage. It''s a bit older than we had planned on, but it''s in a very established area with well-cared for homes around it, and it just spoke to me...it seems to have good "bones" I guess you could say? I don''t know how else to explain it...it felt like a home that we could easily fit into with little effort...it felt like a home.

After we looked at it, the listing agent called our REA the next day and asked how interested we were and how high were we able to go on an offer. Sadly, our best offer was about $100K less than their initial asking price, and I really didn''t want to insult them! Our REA has been out of town on vacation during his son''s Spring Break, so I never heard if he had thrown our number back at them and if so, if anything came of it. As a side note, I have to say that it drives me insane that DH and our REA seem to conduct most of their business via text messaging or while they''re together at work, so I usually have no idea what''s really going on, but I assumed he either didn''t even bother to tell them our price offer or they laughed at him and he didn''t want to hurt our feelings!
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Anyhow, I noticed the other day that the listing changed a bit and they had taken away many of the photos of some of the more cluttery areas and put up much cleaner, staged looking photos, but there was no change in the price, so I have just kept my eye on it. Luckily I have it saved to my Redfin account so I can get to the listing easily, but I noticed that it wasn''t ever coming up on my daily search that gets sent to me as I have all of the houses in the area we''re looking in that encompass a higher price range, houses that have a pool, etc... just to keep my eye on things, but it never comes up anymore, which I find odd, so I just pull it up from my saved houses, check on it daily and note the last time the listing was updated, but now I''m wondering if it''s not showing up in other people''s searches and that''s why it''s still sitting there???

Tonight DH got another dang text message from our REA stating that the listing agent called to tell him the price was going to be reduced by $51K tomorrow morning, which is still high, but more doable than their original listing price. He seems to think that''s the lowest they''ll go, but we''re wondering if we could try to meet them somewhere in the middle between our offer and their new price, which would make it a killer deal for $/sf for the area, but still a bit steep for us, but manageable without completely breaking the bank, and of course DH looks at it as an investment because the house will be worth a heck of a lot more when the market picks back up in a few years...

So, please keep your fingers crossed that maybe we can work something out with the sellers...luckily the house doesn''t need a lot of work to be liveable, and though there are things we would change when we could afford to, it wouldn''t effect whether or not we could move into it like some of the other ramshackle houses we''ve looked at, and that makes a big difference to me, but it doesn''t leave a lot of bargaining room with the sellers pointing out things that need to be fixed or updated.

It makes me a bit nervous that the listing agent is seeking us out...has there been no other interest in it at all, and if not, why? I personally think it''s pretty reasonably priced as it is, but we of course can''t tell them that! Currently the house is at $216/sf and should go down to $201/sf tomorrow morning if the price our REA was given is accurate. If we are able to get them to meet at a price somewhere in the middle, we could get it for $194/sf or if they could be persuaded to take our first offer, as low as $187/sf. Most homes in the area we''re looking are $220+/sf, but DH just feels there are better deals out there, and there very well may be, but I don''t really want to live in any of THOSE houses so far, dang it!!!
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The sellers are the original owners who custom built the house themselves, so I think they have the emotional attachment thing going on and we were led to believe they didn''t "have" to sell, but maybe they do need to get out of it and are trying to hold out for the most money they can get for it...I just don''t know.

If our REA is back in town I''m hoping we can go back to see it again when I get through with school tomorrow, but it will of course depend on his schedule...I''ll keep you posted! Keep your fingers crossed for me and send some PS house buying dust my way!

Good luck to the rest of you...hope you had a fantastic night!
 
Mere, WOW! Your house is gorgeous inside. How many sq. feet is it? It looks astoundingly huge. Most of the houses in our area are relatively small, I guess, and I like that since I don''t have a maid and don''t want to have to clean a huge house myself, but I can''t help loving all that space.

NEL, we don''t have the appraisal scheduled yet. I''m supposed to talk to the lender today, so I think I''ll find out then. While I think it would be awesome if the house appraised under selling price and then the seller had to drop his price or we break the contract, I somehow doubt that''s going to happen. From what I''ve read, it''s common for an FHA appraisal to be just over selling price. I guess it''s easier that way unless the appraiser finds something really wrong with the house and then we wouldn''t get the financing.

I''m glad that you all like that house even more! Fingers are crossed for you both for the house and the new job! Isn''t it exciting but scary too to have so much change going on at once?

Is your dog ok?

Harleigh, do you mind if I ask what area you''re looking in? I''m blown away by the idea of $187/sq. ft. being a good deal! In our area, the average is $100/sq. ft. We''re right by a reservoir and only the big houses right on the water go for much more than that. Honestly, if the prices around here were in that range, there''s no way we could afford to buy (unless we figured out how to cram up to 7 people in a teeny, tiny place!).

Anyway, I''ll send lots of good dust your way that you get to see the house again and that the sellers are willing to come down in price to where you feel comfortable!

Nothing new in my corner -- just paperwork going back and forth. I have 2 out of town trips coming up for work, so I''m a bit nervous about missing something that I need to do. We''ve been making a list of the things we need for the house and luckily the only things we absolutely have to have are a washer and dryer. Everything else would be nice, but isn''t necessary. I love looking for things for the house, but it''s tempered by the fact that this deal could fall through. Ugh.
 
Harleigh: yes, it can be a pain to coordinate 3 different people and schedules to be able to see houses. PLUS its tiring when you do... we've seen 15 in a day! Yuck...
Good luck on the housing prospect, hope they come down more in price, or realize yours might be the best they will get! Dust to you!

RPS: We are somewhere in the 200/sq ft range too. The townhome we have a contract on is upwards of $176/sq ft. We have seen some in the 150 range too, but higher is much common in NJ. Scary, isn't it?
 
Harleigh, I''m sending lots and lots of dust your way. I know we are in different areas, but you may be surprised at what you can get in this market. We were in a similar situation with the last house we put an offer on (the one that fell through). I originally saw it when it came on the market, but it was out of our budget and I put it on the "I hope it comes down in price and then I''ll go see it" list. After about 4 months, the price dropped $50K. At that point, it was still out of our budget, but I wanted to take a look. D and I both fell in love with it, but thought that our offer might be laughable, so we told our agent that if the price dropped again, we would likely put an offer. We were prepared to wait a couple more months. The selling agent called our agent and told us that we should put in an offer that we felt was fair and they would try to work with it. We put in an offer $75K below the reduced asking price and after countering a few times, they ended up countering with an offer that was $65K below the reduced asking, but with $10K in work (new sump pump system in basement). So the accepted offer was $115K below the original asking price ($280/sf down to $234/sf in an area where everything was over $250/sf). So you never know what might happen and if it''s been sitting on the market long enough, the homeowners may be very willing to negotiate! Again, lots of luck!!

RPS, don''t drown in the paperwork :) I''m such a list person, I think you should make all the lists you want and don''t worry so much about it falling through!


Our dog is doing well--we''ve been battling some issues with him since February, so this was a little setback. I''ll find out today if we need to rush him down to Virginia this weekend. The timing is just stressful, but obviously the house is a priority, too. I was really hoping to get an offer in yesterday or today so that we might have a chance of having the offer acceptd (after a round or two of counteroffers) by Friday--then we could schedule the inspection for this weekend. The only opportunity we have to put in an offer, however, is tomorrow around 9 p.m., so we''re going to try to get it in tomorrow.
 
NEL I''m sorry to hear about your dog! Hoping your offer pulls through!!

Congrats on signing Rock!

RHB hopfully the bank signs off soon!!

Audball I''m sorry to hear your contract fell through. Sending dust!

Harleigh, it''s hard not to get excited but hopefully the house you''ve been eying works out!

Burke, how are things panning out on your end?

Meresal, beautiful home!! I love loveeeee the entry room!! And man you got unpacked fast! Before you know it the baby will be here and hopefully you''ll be smooth sailing and stress free soon :)

Forgive me if I missed anyone as it isn''t intentional. Reading everyone''s posts has keep me sane through this stressful ordeal that''s for sure! Things are coming along on my end and I can''t wait to close next month. Our door and shutters (those need to be put in) won''t be the correct color until the end, kitchen is almost done, yada yada. I''m running around arranging for someone to measure our windows, buying new furniture, making moving arrangements ect., Never enough time in the day.

I do wish you all a smooth process. Things never seem to be easy at times! *hugs*

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Kitchen in progress. Hubs is taking pics!

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Harleigh, do you mind if I ask what area you''re looking in? I''m blown away by the idea of $187/sq. ft. being a good deal! In our area, the average is $100/sq. ft. We''re right by a reservoir and only the big houses right on the water go for much more than that. Honestly, if the prices around here were in that range, there''s no way we could afford to buy (unless we figured out how to cram up to 7 people in a teeny, tiny place!).

Anyway, I''ll send lots of good dust your way that you get to see the house again and that the sellers are willing to come down in price to where you feel comfortable!
Hi rps...I did mean to reply to you in my last note, but as the night wore on and I kept getting booted off, I missed it, I''m sorry! I''ve decided to reply individually, because I am apparently terrible at keeping up! Thanks for the good thoughts...I''m hoping they pay off!

I don''t mind at all your asking where we are...we are in Northern California in Placer County. We are specifically looking in a very high end area that is currently at about $221/sf, which is the lowest it''s been in several years. Of course, DH is looking at it as an investment for later on...he figures I''ll be tired of a bigger house and ready to downgrade by the time the market picks back up, but I''m not sure that will ever happen (meaning me being tired of a bigger house, not the market picking up!)

The house we have our eye on went down to $201/sf today...we didn''t get back in to see it today, so we''re aiming for Friday...I''m keeping my fingers crossed!
 
Date: 4/6/2010 8:49:57 AM
Author: rhbgirl24
Harleigh: yes, it can be a pain to coordinate 3 different people and schedules to be able to see houses. PLUS its tiring when you do... we''ve seen 15 in a day! Yuck...
Good luck on the housing prospect, hope they come down more in price, or realize yours might be the best they will get! Dust to you!

RPS: We are somewhere in the 200/sq ft range too. The townhome we have a contract on is upwards of $176/sq ft. We have seen some in the 150 range too, but higher is much common in NJ. Scary, isn''t it?
Hi rhb! I''m working on trying to keep everyone here straight! Sorry if I mixed you and rps up in one of my earlier posts! We of course could not coordinate all three of us to get together to see the house again today, so both DH and our REA work Weds/Thurs, so we''re going to aim for Friday, which means I''d best get my act together and get next week''s homework sheet and this week''s newsletter done by Thursday so that I can leave school at a decent time on Friday...I was very discombobulated today, which was frustrating! What on earth will I do if we actually get the house and need to move while school is still is still in session???

Anyhow, the price was reduced by $51K today, which puts it at $201/sf, which is more than reasonable. Our REA spoke to the listing agent today and she said her sellers might go for somewhere in between, which I think would put the house at about $194/sf, and for the area and established neighborhood, I''m not sure we can beat that. DH wants to put an offer in ASAP, but I really think we need to take another look at it again, and if they haven''t had any other offers, making them wait a few days won''t hurt us any, and if someone else gets in between now and Friday, well, then, I guess it wasn''t meant to be. Thanks for the good thoughts...I hope we somehow manage to be the "best" buyers for the home!
 
Date: 4/6/2010 9:07:10 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady
Harleigh, I''m sending lots and lots of dust your way. I know we are in different areas, but you may be surprised at what you can get in this market. We were in a similar situation with the last house we put an offer on (the one that fell through). I originally saw it when it came on the market, but it was out of our budget and I put it on the ''I hope it comes down in price and then I''ll go see it'' list. After about 4 months, the price dropped $50K. At that point, it was still out of our budget, but I wanted to take a look. D and I both fell in love with it, but thought that our offer might be laughable, so we told our agent that if the price dropped again, we would likely put an offer. We were prepared to wait a couple more months. The selling agent called our agent and told us that we should put in an offer that we felt was fair and they would try to work with it. We put in an offer $75K below the reduced asking price and after countering a few times, they ended up countering with an offer that was $65K below the reduced asking, but with $10K in work (new sump pump system in basement). So the accepted offer was $115K below the original asking price ($280/sf down to $234/sf in an area where everything was over $250/sf). So you never know what might happen and if it''s been sitting on the market long enough, the homeowners may be very willing to negotiate! Again, lots of luck!!

RPS, don''t drown in the paperwork :) I''m such a list person, I think you should make all the lists you want and don''t worry so much about it falling through!


Our dog is doing well--we''ve been battling some issues with him since February, so this was a little setback. I''ll find out today if we need to rush him down to Virginia this weekend. The timing is just stressful, but obviously the house is a priority, too. I was really hoping to get an offer in yesterday or today so that we might have a chance of having the offer acceptd (after a round or two of counteroffers) by Friday--then we could schedule the inspection for this weekend. The only opportunity we have to put in an offer, however, is tomorrow around 9 p.m., so we''re going to try to get it in tomorrow.
Oh, gosh, NEL...you make me feel so much better, thank you! We have put so many random offers in on houses, and this is only one of two we have seen that we have said, "Well, if it goes down in price..." and I find it interesting that their agent is seeking us out and seeing what we are willing to go for, so maybe that''s a sign? I forgot to tell all of you that this house has a little basketball court in the backyard and while I was checking out the garden, DH and our REA went head to head and our REA said if DH made it, it was meant to be. He later told me had nothin'' but net, so I''m hoping that somewhere along the way it really is meant to be, whether it''s sooner or later...I''m trying to think positive thoughts!

I''m sorry your dog is having problems...after blowing $1500 on our Rottweiler''s neck surgery and getting the stray kitty that I brought home from work that I had tested for every possible disease and also just got him fixed, I am hoping we''re in the clear with vet visits for awhile. Is your regular vet in Virginia? I just pray that all three of our little beasts will somehow manage to stay healthy until we can move and get them to a more affordable vet! If our ability to buy a house shows how much we spend on vet bills, I''m afraid we might be sunk!

I''ll be sending some PS dust your way for a healthy dog and that you''re able to get an offer in...that would be so exciting for you!
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Date: 4/6/2010 10:43:22 AM
Author: Snooper
NEL I'm sorry to hear about your dog! Hoping your offer pulls through!!

Congrats on signing Rock!

RHB hopfully the bank signs off soon!!

Audball I'm sorry to hear your contract fell through. Sending dust!

Harleigh, it's hard not to get excited but hopefully the house you've been eying works out!

Burke, how are things panning out on your end?

Meresal, beautiful home!! I love loveeeee the entry room!! And man you got unpacked fast! Before you know it the baby will be here and hopefully you'll be smooth sailing and stress free soon :)

Forgive me if I missed anyone as it isn't intentional. Reading everyone's posts has keep me sane through this stressful ordeal that's for sure! Things are coming along on my end and I can't wait to close next month. Our door and shutters (those need to be put in) won't be the correct color until the end, kitchen is almost done, yada yada. I'm running around arranging for someone to measure our windows, buying new furniture, making moving arrangements ect., Never enough time in the day.

I do wish you all a smooth process. Things never seem to be easy at times! *hugs*
Thanks, Snooper! I am right there with you about missing a reply...I am just now trying to catch up with everyone, but this whole thread has been so helpful that I spend most of my time reading up on everyone else's experiences and I know I've missed someone!

Best of luck on your closing...I can only assume you are getting a brand new house? Lucky girl that you are...how exciting for you!

ETA: I just saw the pictures you posted...your house looks fantastic! You are going to LOVE having a brand new house! Have fun with it!
 
Hey house-hunters! I had been participating in this thread a few months ago, but after a major disappointment with a short sale (the world''s most frustrating type of transaction), it was hard for me to get excited about houses again. In January, we found a gorgeous place that was (again) up for a short sale. We didn''t get it--more disappointment and frustration--but the investors that bought it were willing to flip it to us for a small profit, and we were able to buy it from them for a great price in the end. The house needed some work as it had been unoccupied for two years and had some frozen pipes, water leaks, and roof and drywall damage.

I am happy to say that we closed on our place last Friday, and the work is almost all finished. We are moving in in two weeks! It''s a place that''s walking distance from where we work, which was very important to us. It''s a 3 bed/4 bath/2500 sq ft townhouse. I am so excited to move in! And I am happy I can finally share with people without feeling like I''m jinxing it.
 
Date: 4/7/2010 1:48:07 AM
Author: kittybean
Hey house-hunters! I had been participating in this thread a few months ago, but after a major disappointment with a short sale (the world''s most frustrating type of transaction), it was hard for me to get excited about houses again. In January, we found a gorgeous place that was (again) up for a short sale. We didn''t get it--more disappointment and frustration--but the investors that bought it were willing to flip it to us for a small profit, and we were able to buy it from them for a great price in the end. The house needed some work as it had been unoccupied for two years and had some frozen pipes, water leaks, and roof and drywall damage.

I am happy to say that we closed on our place last Friday, and the work is almost all finished. We are moving in in two weeks! It''s a place that''s walking distance from where we work, which was very important to us. It''s a 3 bed/4 bath/2500 sq ft townhouse. I am so excited to move in! And I am happy I can finally share with people without feeling like I''m jinxing it.
Hi kittybean! Long time, no see! I am so happy for you!

I totally understand your frustration after looking at bank repo and short sale after bank repo and short sale...it gets very disheartening and it makes it hard to get excited about anything...I feel your pain!

We also looked at many unoccupied homes that will need a lot of work to fix them up, but investors just kept scooping them out from under us and we just couldn''t compete with the cash they had available. We are close to the Bay Area in California and when someone wants something, they will go higher than us normal folks can afford, no matter the cost.

I can''t believe you are getting all of your work done so quickly and will be moving in no time! Congrats to you...I hope you share some pictures when everything is done!
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Snooper, your house looks amazing! When in May are you closing? It looks like there is very little left to do, so I'm hoping you close in early May! :)

Harleigh, do you have an appt. to see this house again on Friday? It sounds like a fantastic value, so long as you both love it! At least you know your husband loves it and it sounds like you really like it, too. We've never put an offer on a house we haven't seen at least twice. The first time I don't notice all the details, so the second time I see a house I generally like it a lot more than the first time I saw it, or a lot less. I'm hoping that when you see it on Friday you'll love it more!

I'm so sorry to hear about your Rottweiler and kitty, are they both doing better? We've been battling chronic eye issues due to a cyst in our dog's eye since February. His regular vet and ophthalmologist are here in the Boston area, but there are only 3 surgeons in North America who can take out our dog's cyst due to its location. We already saw a surgeon up in Toronto, who thought it was too risky. The second one, who we like better, is down in Virginia. Since the cyst continues to rupture, we now think it has to come out, so we might have to drive down to Virginia in two weeks. Between $5K in vet bills in the last month, a $4K surgery on the horizon $7K in taxes we owe, I am thankful we have an separate emergency fund or it would be a bad time to buy this house!

Kittybean, congrats on buying the house!!! That is so exciting!!
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We're putting in our offer tonight!! I'm really excited, I just have a good feeling that this will be the one that works out!
 
Great. Wonderful. Perfect.

I need to vent.
Our appraisal was yesterday. Our RAE got a call this morning from the sellers agent saying that he never showed. So my agent called the appraiser and he said oh yeah he showed. And these were his words- the sellers were a piece of sh*t, they came out screaming at him, and he had to sit himself in the car so he didn''t deck the guy. He did do the appraisal but mentioned that he hasn''t finished and that it could make or break the deal. Obviously the guy is pissed.

Our agent explained that the buyer was his family and that we really loved the house and that he was very sorry for how he was treated. He calmed down and said that it was OK that everyone has bad days. YIKES. He is almost done with the appraisal. I feel really bad for how this guy was treated, but he could really skew this and it could possibly break the deal - so I''m freaking out.

What I dont understand is we talked with the seller when we visited the home a second time - HE WAS SO NICE! Answered all our questions, was more than helpful. I simply dont get it. What the hell? Why do we always find these crappy loopholes for things to get messed up?

My agent called the selling agent and explained the situation and he apologized up and down. But we still need to have the C of O to be done, the other banks appraisal, the inspections.... oh god, and he will have to behave for all them to, or this wont be happening.

I''m so upset right now - we really want this house.............
 
Oh my goodness, rhb! What on earth happened? It sounds like the seller has a split personality or something! I am so sorry you''re so stressed right now, I don''t blame you. I hope everything works out okay for you. Hugs!
 

rhb, I''m so sorry! I had the same thought as Harleigh--it sounds like a split personality or bipolar disorder! I''m just sorry you''re having to deal with it!


Our offer is signed and will be sent in the morning! The good news is that it sounds like the sellers are very willing to negotiate--we even offered $10K less than we''d planned. The bad news is that the husband is travelling internationally right now, so they wanted 48 hours to respond to our offer, which means we likely won''t hear anything back until Saturday morning. There is an open house on Saturday and I''m just keeping my fingers crossed nothing comes in until our offer is accepted.


As it stands now, the purchase and sales agreement would be signed on 4/27 and we would close on 6/25. Both are pushing the tax credit deadlines, so we don''t have a lot of wiggle room.

 
Date: 4/7/2010 8:54:41 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady

Harleigh, do you have an appt. to see this house again on Friday? It sounds like a fantastic value, so long as you both love it! At least you know your husband loves it and it sounds like you really like it, too. We''ve never put an offer on a house we haven''t seen at least twice. The first time I don''t notice all the details, so the second time I see a house I generally like it a lot more than the first time I saw it, or a lot less. I''m hoping that when you see it on Friday you''ll love it more!

I''m so sorry to hear about your Rottweiler and kitty, are they both doing better? We''ve been battling chronic eye issues due to a cyst in our dog''s eye since February. His regular vet and ophthalmologist are here in the Boston area, but there are only 3 surgeons in North America who can take out our dog''s cyst due to its location. We already saw a surgeon up in Toronto, who thought it was too risky. The second one, who we like better, is down in Virginia. Since the cyst continues to rupture, we now think it has to come out, so we might have to drive down to Virginia in two weeks. Between $5K in vet bills in the last month, a $4K surgery on the horizon $7K in taxes we owe, I am thankful we have an separate emergency fund or it would be a bad time to buy this house!
Hi NEL! Sorry I didn''t get back to you sooner...it was a crazy day today, and I''m miraculously still awake waiting for a load of laundry to finish drying...I''m too lazy to have to deal with the wrinkles, so it''s easier to stay up and hang it up or fold it when it''s done rather than leaving it until tomorrow!
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I am so happy to hear that you put your offer in...hopefully the wife can get in contact with her globetrotting husband and follow up on your offer so you know where you stand. I hate that they''re having an open house while you have put an offer in that they will probably accept...that makes me nervous for you, but I suppose they need to cover their bases, too.
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We have an appt. to see the house we like again on Friday at 5 PM, but of course our REA talked DH into putting in our lowball offer today to see if they come back with the counteroffer we''re hoping for by Friday...this again was all sent to me via text message while they were both at work together today and I was teaching and he knows I can''t say/do too much about it, so I guess I''ll just see what comes of it. We really did like the house and I''m very curious to see the backyard/pool area in the early evening since we were there in the morning when we first saw it. We spent more time last night discussing possibly taking out a few walls/opening doorways between a few rooms to give it a more open feel, which is much more our style rather than the "compartmentalized" dining and living rooms. We opened up the house we''re in now a few years back and it made a huge difference, so I think with everything else we love in the house, opening it up a bit would be perfect for us, and since there isn''t a lot of work that needs to be done on the house, it''s probably a very doable thing if we get it for a reasonable price.

Sorry to everyone else for going so far off the house hunting topic at hand, but oh my goodness...us and our pets! I can''t believe your poor dog has a cyst that keeps rupturing, and in it''s eye, I''m so sorry! That is a LOT of money to be putting out along with the taxes and trying to buy a house...yikes, I totally feel for you. All three of our pets are rescues, and they ALL have issues it seems. Skylar, the Turkish Angora I got last year has hardly any teeth and gingivitis...I do still try to brush her gums and the few teeth she has left, and she only just turned 2. Taz the Rottie also just turned 2 and had what we thought was a cyst/abcess/unknown lump in her neck...we spent a ton of money on antibiotics as well as had it aspirated several times checking for cancer, but the tests always came back negative and had no indication as to what it was. The lump would go down with meds but never fully go away. Turns out it was a foxtail that she had gotten under her skin as a puppy...we got her at 9 months old and she''d already been seen several times for it with no resolution. $1500 later we have a tiny piece of foxtail that had gotten in there and became encapsulated in her neck! Sheesh! I also brought another kitty (Stolie) home that was on our school campus for almost a week and would come and hang out in my classroom and sleep on my desk chair for most of the day. He is the sweetest thing, and I think he''s the slinkiest and longest kitty I have ever seen-I can literally wear him like a scarf around my neck! We just got him fixed when we had Taz''s neck surgery, and so far he is still acting like a street rat whose afraid his next meal won''t come. He continually jumps in our laps and tries to rip food from our hands or plates, which is driving us both nuts...I''m hoping when he figures out he''s staying here and that his food supply is NOT going to end, he''ll mellow out a little bit, and it seems he is getting there little by little, poor little guy! The vet thinks he was only about 9 months old when I brought him home in January, and if he grows into his paws, he''s going to be gigantic! When he stands on his back paws he''s already well over 2 feet tall! BTW, DH is NOT a cat person, but Stolie just LOVES him! He is always in DH''s lap and I''ve noticed lately that I think he''s finally just given up and lets him stay there...it''s pretty dang cute!

Okay, enough about the furbabies! Please keep us posted about your house offer!
 
Harleigh! Keep us updated about the lowball offer, I'm curious to see what they come back with!!

I'm so sorry to hear about all of your pet issues. It's very tough emotionally because you want to do everything to ease their pain and make them happy and healthy. We love our furbabies! I'm on my way to a vet appt. right now, I'm hoping for good news!

ETA: Lynnie, have you received your tax credit check yet?
 
NEL - thanks, does sound like the guy may be a bit off. He def has OCD, we were already warned of that one. I know how to pick em, right? best of luck on the offer!

Harleigh: Good luck on the lowball offer, you never know!
 
Oh, my... so much going on in here!! I''ve got so much to catch up on...

Mer... Your house is GORGEOUS!!! You must be so excited!!!! I agree, the FP will look fantastic once you''re done with it!! Woo!!!

Snooper... Your house is GORGEOUS as well!!! I love that porch!

Harleigh... Good luck with your offer!! And good luck with your appt today! Wow, you''ve been through a lot with your furbabies. Both of my cats were strays, and I would pay any amt of $$ for their well being! Last year, Salem was throwing up ALL the time. I took him to the vet, had bloodwork done, got medication, bought expensive special food... a week later, I was cleaning, and found a piece of PALM from Palm Sunday that had fallen behind my curio. It was obviously munched on, probably for about 2 months. Yeah, so I threw it out, and VOILA! No more throw up! I could''ve saved myself $400 if I had cleaned!
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RPS... Dust for your deal!! I hope it doesn''t fall through!!! I agree, we wouldn''t be able to buy at $187/sqf... I think our house was $123/sqf. I hope they end up leaving you a lot of stuff! You may be surprised... the only things written into our contract were the fridge, washer and dryer, but we told them they were welcome to leave whatever. They ended up leaving the DR table, 2 bookshelves, the office desk, 3 filing cabinets (with keys), the basement furniture, 2 TV''s and 2 sets of bedroom furniture. Oh, and a lawnmower, a weedeater, and a bunch of tools & ladders were in the garage. DH just broke out the lawnmower - he''s thrilled. It''s only 2 years old, and retails for $400!

Kittybean - Congrats!!
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Wow, 4 bathrooms!! Sounds wonderful!! Good luck moving!!!

RHB - that''s crazy about the sellers freaking out!!!! So weird! Is there any way that they can schedule the appraisals when the owners aren''t around? Maybe he does have mental problems... Continued dust to you!

NEL - I''m so sorry to hear about your doggy! Will they be able to let him keep his sight? I hope your appt goes well today... I''m also sorry to hear about all your unexpected bills... when it rains, it pours, right? Lots of healthy dust for him! And --- congrats on your offer!!! You''ve been through so much, it''s about time you moved already!!! I''ll keep my fingers crossed for you!!! I''m glad that you & your DH agreed on the house!

STILL waiting on the refund. I''m getting ansy for another project! We could afford to do the half bath now, but DH is in school, and would rather wait til mid-May (after finals) to start. We did go to Lowe''s the other day, and bought some plants for the front gardenbed, which looks nice. I should take a pic. I also wanted to get nice chairs for the front patio - I didn''t know outdoor furniture was so darn expensive!!! I may just stick with the cheapie plastic chairs and wait til the end of the season, when stuff goes on clearance.
Our neighbors are AWESOME. We share a fence in the backyard - the wrought iron kind. There were a couple loose spots - both on the shared part, as well as the corner on our side of the property. We were gonna have DH''s stepdad fix it, but the neighbors did! They had a welder friend who ''owed them a favor''. As soon as the weather turned nice, they had it fixed. I''ll have to bake them a pie or something - even though they told us they expect nothing (I had offered to put some $ towards the fix).
So yeah... basically hanging out over here, sending dust to you all!!!!!
 
I don''t want to threadjack, but I enjoy getting on this thread and reading about all the house hunting adventures and also the remodeling threads. So, wanted to share our (modest) remodel. We''ve had our house for 11 years but our bedroom looked like crap. I didn''t really take any before pictures because too embarrassed but found one: as you can see we got around to priming walls and also painted the super old linoleum floor red, but that''s about how far we got. My husband built a closet in the corner of the room but it was organized so badly on the inside most of it''s contents would end up being hung on the curtain rod for access.

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I think I may have already posted this, but we tore out the inside of the closet, wallpapered and put new storage in, including a seperate place for my shoes (before there would just be a pile of shoes mixed up on the floor and it drove me crazy!

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then we repaired and repainted the walls, installed new flooring (Marmorleum "Van Gogh") threw out old headboard and nightstand (all inherited and falling apart), got new nightstand, lamp, rug, and artwork. I especially love our new rug, a wool shag. It may seem plain but we were trying for a relaxing clean vibe of a hotel room. Hopefully this is not TMI!

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Holy cow, I think we might''ve just bought a house!!!

Hubby said they countered our lowball offer and agreed to our middle price we were hoping they would come down to...even though we won''t get back into the house until tomorrow afternoon, our agent found out another couple has been through the house THREE times already (get outta my house, darnit!
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) and were able to offer $15K more than the counter offer the sellers agreed to with us, so DH went ahead and signed the contract today to lock the price in. We still have the option to back out if we want after viewing it again (which I doubt we will) but since the contract is signed, they can''t change their mind at the last minute and then decide to go with the other buyers just to get a little bit more money...I''m so nervous I think I might be
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! I really hope we like it as much as we think we do...can anyone think of things I should be looking for when we get back in tomorrow? Red flags, questions to ask, specifics to look for? I think I need help organizing my thoughts...thanks!

NEL...thank you!! How did the appt. go at the vet today? I hope it is good news! Any word on the offer yet? I know you said you probably wouldn''t know anything until Saturday, but you never know...

rhb...thanks! Did the bipolar seller manage to keep it together enough to allow the appraiser to finish the job? I hope things are getting better all around for you.

Lynnie...hi and thanks! That is so funny that you found the culprit for your poor kitty...a piece of palm? I just can''t picture that, though our Rottweiler actually chews on anything that falls off of our palm trees outside, but she''ll chew anything! My new kitty is currently whacking a dried avocado pit all over the place...hopefully he won''t try to chew on it! He truly will eat anything, so I guess I should keep a closer eye on his playthings!

Your new house and neighbors sound fantastic...I would love to see pictures of your new flower bed, and I definitely think you should bake them a pie! I hope the neighbors at this place are kind...it seems like a really quiet, friendly neighborhood. I noticed that you said you had your sellers leave you anything they didn''t want to take with them. We would LOVE some of the things in this house and I''m not sure how to go about asking/telling them that we''re okay with them leaving things behind, but we don''t want a bunch of junk...does that make sense? There is an L-shaped desk in a little nook outside of the hallway that fits perfectly and almost looks like a built-in, so we''d love for them to leave that along with an oak filing cabinet that goes beside it. There is also a beautiful floor rug in the family room that I think would go with our bedroom set and we love some of the furniture that was in there. I think I like the house so much because all of our things would fit right in with theirs, so if they left things that would be great! If they''re downsizing, I have no idea where they''re going to put everything because they have a TON of stuff in that house! I hope that maybe we can work something out...maybe our REA can figure out how to go about broaching that.

part gypsy...what fun for you getting to remodel! It looks very cozy! Where did you find the shag rug under your bed? I
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it! I think it looks great, congrats! Thanks for sharing!
 
Harleigh I''m an Overstock-aholic - for certain things. i''ve had good luck with their rugs, this is our third one. It sounds like you have gone through alot with your animals. Did you mean a real foxtail, or a kind of plant? How strange.

As far as if there are particular pieces you want, I would just be straightforward with them. My brother and sister in-law did alot of renovating to a small house including putting in vintage hardware, etc, so they were very specific about what was staying and what was going. Since the new owner wanted some of the things that were going, they negotiated a price that was fair for both of them for things like light fixtures, antique stove, and cushions for window seats.

Mersal want to say your house looks gorgeous! Looks like it has an inviting but open floor plan. I personally enjoy doing things like picking out drapes, etc, but combination of moving and last trimester probably low on energy. I would just take it at a pace that is comfortable to you. Everything will get done, don''t feel you have to get it all done before the baby comes.
 
Harleigh: OMG! Gooooooooooood luck! Hope everything goes smooth!!
And yes, the appraiser did get back in, and its completed. Geez. Hope his agent makes him stay away for the rest of the inspections and whatnot.

Party Gypsy: the remodel looks great! Very clean lines!
 
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