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The House Hunters Thread

Well I have good news! We have final approval pending us signing and sending in a few forms they want (e.g. the underwriter wants me to fill out some form since my name changed over the last year). So finally!! We''ll be set to close as soon as that''s done.
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How did things go this afternoon NEL? I agree that''s completely unreasonable..I am glad you''re standing your ground.
 
The structural engineer called me about an hour ago and said everything looked great. A couple of beams could use reinforcement, and one beam along the wall could stand to be replaced, but for the age of the basement he thought it was in great shape.

So I went ahead and ordered the appraisal and our lawyer now has a copy of the P&S. There are no red flags in the P&S this time (like the division of property last time), so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we''ll get through the next steps relatively easy. I have a growing list of things our mortgage broker needs, but I don''t feel stressed. We have lots of time--mortgage commitment isn''t until late May, so I''m feeling good!

I hope everybody else has some good news, too!!
 
Wow! So much has happened while I've been busy with school work! Congratulations to all of you who are moving right along with your new homes. It's interesting to read about all of the things that can go wrong, especially with the short sales...DH has really been on a kick for a foreclosure or short sale-I had no idea what a headache they could be...I've only bought one house myself and it was brand new, so I never had to deal with any of this stuff! I hope everything works out as all of you hope!

NEL...how's the pooch? Did you have to take him to Virginia last weekend? Hope he's doing okay!

I have been laying low this past few days because house talk has not been a pleasant topic in our household. I mentioned that I didn't say anything to DH last week while he was at work with his friend/our realtor and when I came home on Thursday, he just said something flip like "Yah, he was pissed we pulled out of the house, but whatever!" and didn't give much else up about it, so I just left it alone.

After a little wine on Saturday evening he finally told me that the owners had come back to our REA with the idea of putting the sails up to block the west-setting sun, how about different window coverings, etc..., but I guess DH just told him flat out no and wasn't willing to budge because they weren't willing to budge on the price. I'm glad we were finally talking about it again because I've just been feeling sick about the whole thing! We discussed the pros and cons of the house and really had a very frank conversation about how it could work for us and what would need to be changed if we were to consider it later on. My biggest point was that I think we were still paying WAY too much for it, and maybe we should be looking at some more affordable homes or wait until the one we REALLY like comes down a LOT more, or if this one comes down, we now have some solid ideas of how to make it work better for us, but not so much that it's going to break the bank. Unfortunately, whenever things like this happen DH just seems to get put off and wants to stop looking for a time, so I just let him think on things a while and then he'll come back around. He sent me some links to houses in an area I don't care for yesterday (wrong county!) and I just pointed out how many steps there were into them, they were west-facing, etc..., without saying "Hell, no! I'm not moving there!"
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Pretty smart if I do say so myself!

So, that's where we sit for now...nothing doing, which cracks me up because when I thought we had the house I asked our custodians to save me boxes, and now I have them coming out of my ears and nowhere to move them to, and many of you are in need of the dang things! Anyone in Nor. Cal. need some boxes??? I could definitely be your supplier! Actually, though, this is giving me a chance to go through some things in the closets and spare bedrooms, and I think if DH sees I'm serious about getting things organized and packed, he might just understand how ready I really am to move. I would really like to get into a house before school begins in August, but I have a feeling that we may not be in one by then, but I'll be packed and ready to go, right?!?
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I love hearing all of your stories, and all of your new homes are just beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing with all of us!

Lots of house hunting, house buying and house closing dust all around!
 
It''s great to hear from you, Harleigh! I was going to ask how you were doing, but I didn''t want to bring up the house if it was a touchy subject at all. Back in December/January after our house fell through I wanted nothing to do with buying houses for a couple of weeks. I''m really glad that you and DH have started talking about it again and hopefully you will find the perfect house when you''re both ready. I know there is something out there for you!
 
Thanks, NEL...I feel like I''m in a bit of a catch-22 because things can be so iffy with DH. I''m just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping something comes along that we can both agree on.

I''m so glad to hear things are going well for you...please keep us posted! Big hugs!
 
Harleigh..sending you dust that y''all will find the perfect house for both of you! I definitely think it''s possible, but I know it''s hard to have people just keep telling you that something will come on the market.

NEL - I am glad the structural engineer didn''t find much! I realized I didn''t answer you, we close May 5. So just a few weeks. I am going to start making the calls to electric company, etc., today. And start packing while I do law school finals..that''s going to be fun.
 
Ugh, at this point, the actual move will be the least stressful part!

Well, we had to remove DH from the loan completely and resubmit it to the underwriters. Since the down payment was a bonus (or whatever you want to call it, his partner took the same amount), they had to write a check to DH, who then deposited it in one of our accounts. He then had to write another check to me, so I could deposit it in a different account to create a paper trail. I had to sign a gift something or other to show that it was a gift, and I didn''t have to pay it back. We thought that this along with a few other things we had to submit would finally (!!!) be it, and that we would hear back on Wednesday. Nope! They needed more information and paperwork, including stuff from DH, despite the fact he is no longer on the loan. Our loan person says we will hear tomorrow, but we close on Monday and it seems we are taking this literally down to the wire. Its exhausting.

To make it all just that more fun, work has suddenly gotten more hectic. I am a store manager, and one of my management staff may by fired/quitting in the very immediate future. Another manager is on medical leave...this leaves me and one other manager to possibly handle the store next week. Fortunately we will be training another manager that week, but it still spreads us very thin. I spoke with DH today while at work to bring him up to speed on this, and to find out if we had a time set for closing, because while I wanted to have the day off, now that may not happen due to the manager who may be quitting/fired. We argued a bit on the phone, and I know the closing can''t happen without me (only me on the loan!), but needed him to see that I may not be able to devote the whole day closing anymore. But maybe I can, who knows? It depends on the talk I have with the manager in trouble. To top it off, I am assisting with training new staff for a new store that opens next week, we have a visit from our new district manager possibly next week too, and an upcoming visit with the VP of retail for our company (don''t know the date yet, may have to hurt someone if its the week of our scheduled move!). It never just rains, it pours, ''ya know?

This whole process has stressed DH out a lot. I told his parents it has made him a grumpy person throughout this whole process. I think I will want to wait a long time before moving again just to not have to deal with his grumpiness! We love the house, but he is keeps asking about small things such as will we have enough seating in the family room (yes, for the 50th time!). He has buyers remorse, I don''t. Between his company, all the house stuff (new plumbing, building a fence, etc.) and the large snafu the loan has been...he''s just perpetually grumpy. I can''t WAIT till its all done and we have the keys and I can have my normal marriage back.
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Dust for us and our loan, closing and my crazy job!
 
Amandine wanted to send you tons of dust for loan, closing, and some destressing at work!!
 
Amandine - lots of luck!

I completely understand. We''re closing on Wed, and we''re still dealing with the loan processors (like we need an addenda signed by the seller that the window treatments he is leaving with the place have no value and are left out of convenience!). So I understand completely.
The short sale bank still hasn''t signed all the work they need to sign either....... urg.

DH and I are at each other throats. It stuck. Mainly because I work in an office and am basically on call for all this stuff when he is out in the field. I''m having a hard time, doing my job, and the jobs of our closing agents, loan processors, and selling agent! He can''t help me, which I understand, but I''m completely overwhelmed.........

Deep breaths! We can do it! Keep us updated.
 
RHB...I understand! Will keep you in my thoughts, lots of dust for you, too!
 
Amandine and rhb, I am so sorry. I cannot believe how stressful this is. I am so ready to be done with it.

We've hit a major snag as well.

The property was listed as 1.25 acres. I asked for a plot plan. That sounds simple enough, right? I'f I'm paying for a property where land values are more than $300K per acre, then I want to make sure I'm getting what I pay for.

Our real estate agent couldn't pin down a plot plan, but did give us the deed, which states essentially that our property is bordered by our neighbors' property. Not helpful. She did uncover a survey that was done for the a Title V improvement when the addition was put on 10 years ago. That survey showed 1.0 acres. Not good.

I decided to go to the registry of deeds this morning to get the "official" plot plan and put my mind at ease. As it turns out, there has NEVER been a plot plan. The acreage in the deed is determined solely by the neighbors' property for at least 100 years now. The only survey I have in my hands shows that it's not 1.25 acres at all.

To make a long story short, it seems like the ONLY way this house is going to happen is if we can somehow get the land surveyed for a definitive answer on the square footage, THEN get the town to reassess the property value based on the ACTUAL acreage, and THEN negotiate once again with the homeowners. All before we sign our purchase and sales agreement on Tuesday.

ETA: having crazy hours on top of all this stress absolutely sucks. I was at the office until 10:30 last night. This thread is so helpful for venting and keeping me sane!

I'm about 98% sure this isn't going to happen. Even if we could get everything in, there is no way the seller is going to agree. The seller is going to hope that a buyer comes in and doesn't question the acreage or ask for a plot plan.

I am beyond sick about this. I love this home, but it would be a stupid financial decision to knowingly buy a house that sits on an acre for the cost of a house that sits on 1.25 acres, especially since land is so expensive in this area. This will be the SECOND time a house has fallen through for us because of land issues. I am seriously on the verge of tears. I HATE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Thanks, Amandine! We can make it through!

Awww.. NEL. What the hell? I am frustrated and mad for you! But I think I'm in the stage of just freaking out about everything, so I can freak for you too! I can't believe that they never properly plotted. URG! Its funny b/c the same thing happened with my grandmothers house and we found all this out when my grandfather died and we got it re-surveyed, appraised, and the deed solely in her name. Hers was the same, no real plot lines, just what it bordered, and in the back it didn't border anything! Basically, b/c she has lived on the property for over 50 years, anything she had been using, was then deeded to her, then made the plot lines around that!
I have no idea what to say NEL. That just so sucks. It is ridiculous to pay more for less land... but maybe they can come down? Best of luck!

I just can't believe how hard this is. Can't people do their jobs? Yeah, I work in real estate, so I have knowledge, but I seriously have been doing the jobs of my mortgage processor, closing company, and title company, on top of my FULL time job. I'm at wits end. I just hope they can all get their act together so we can close on Wed!

And Nel, you're right, this place is good for venting, thank you everyone for allowing me to do just that!

DUST to everyone!
 
NEL I''m so
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for you guys!!!

Could this be an issue where even though the extra .25 came from the neighbor''s land the land has been used for that house for so long it is considered part of that plot? There''s a term for this and I''m totally blanking on it right now...1.25 seems like such a definitive number, I''m wondering where the sellers came up with it.
 
NEL: oh my goodness, that is something else. I would say take a deep breath and don''t immediately start thinking this is 98% not happening, this sucks. First of all it is an old piece of land, there are alot of factors here. I say get the land surveyed and all else is on hold till then. Let''s see what it actually IS first. The sellers might very well be willing to renegotiate if worst case is true, but right now it''s not there yet.

Hang in there, things will work out one way or the other!
 
Thanks, ladies, I''m having a tough time holding it together today which is unfortunate because I have work coming out of my ears. I just called the town''s assessment office to talk this out with them, but they close at noon.

rhb, I am so, so sorry that you are having to deal with the loan processors ON TOP of the bank--that would be enouh to drive any sane person crazy. Part of the reason I was on at the office so late last night is because I spent 1.5 hours on the phone going over a mistake my mortgage broker made and am now having to scramble to figure out what to do about that. Sometimes I don''t know how anybody buys a home. I think it''s almost easier to just sign whatever and not scrutinize anything. Whenever I scrutinize numbers, I find mistakes and it ends up costing me too much time, stress and money.
 
Date: 4/23/2010 3:23:02 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
Thanks, ladies, I''m having a tough time holding it together today which is unfortunate because I have work coming out of my ears. I just called the town''s assessment office to talk this out with them, but they close at noon.


rhb, I am so, so sorry that you are having to deal with the loan processors ON TOP of the bank--that would be enouh to drive any sane person crazy. Part of the reason I was on at the office so late last night is because I spent 1.5 hours on the phone going over a mistake my mortgage broker made and am now having to scramble to figure out what to do about that. Sometimes I don''t know how anybody buys a home. I think it''s almost easier to just sign whatever and not scrutinize anything. Whenever I scrutinize numbers, I find mistakes and it ends up costing me too much time, stress and money.
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NEL: You are SO right. Whenever I get all my paperwork together and actually LOOK at what they want me to sign, I always find an issue, of course NOT in my favor. So I ask them to make the edit, of course, then they seem to screw something else up........ how do these people have a job??
I wish you the best of luck, and I really hope everything comes through. Try and relax some this weekend! I''m going to try and convince DH we need to go out for dinner or something Sat (its our 6 month wedding anni! lol
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I wish you tons of luck, too, rhb!! What a great idea to go out for dinner, I need to do the same! You''ve inspired me :)

Sometimes I have to wonder the same thing about how people keep their jobs--if I gave a presentation to my client riddled with mistakes I wouldn''t have my job. I also don''t know how this home could have changed hands at least 5 times over the past 100 years without anybody asking about the acreage.

I did talk with a civil engineer who got out his assessor''s map and told me that according to that, it''s .75 acres. Lordy lordy! I can''t talk with the assessment office until Monday, anyway, so I''m just not going to stress this weekend. But it looks like there was a mistake made in the deed in the 1920''s and it''s never been remedied.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you, rhb!! In a week, all of this will be dealt with!
 
Sorry you guys are having such issues! NEL, I can''t imagine how frustrated you must be!

Rhb, I expect to be up to my eyeball in paperwork mistakes and headaches soon enough, DH and I are just starting the loan stuff and already the guy we''re working with seems super sleazy and absent minded.
 
RHB and NEL -- I''m SO sorry you guys are hitting snags! I hope things work out!

As for us, we had our appraisal yesterday and got the report this afternoon. WE PASSED!! This house actually appraised for what we offered! Woohoo! On to our inspection scheduled for Tuesday...

DUST to everyone for successes this weekend!
 
I agree that this thread has been a God-send! I know I can talk to DH, but he''s stressed enough already and talking about it more just gets him all worked up.

NEL--what a nightmare about the land! I know how important the acreage is to you! I can''t even imagine how frustrated you must be. And the assessor''s office closing at noon? How ridiculous is that? Where can I sign up for those work hours?

So...the loan did not come back all complete today. DH spoke with our loan officer''s assistant, and she said she had spoken with the underwriters (I would LOVE to know who these faceless, all-powerful underwriters are.
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) and they would have it Monday morning. We close at 3pm Monday! This is entirely too close for me, I have to tell you. I just want it all to be over.

Has anyone been watching House Hunters, etc. on HGTV? Why don''t have a show that shows the real, frustrating process of what happens once you find the home? The inspections, crazy owners, the loan process. The shows they have make it all seem so easy compared to the reality we are experiencing.
 
Date: 4/23/2010 4:10:21 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
I wish you tons of luck, too, rhb!! What a great idea to go out for dinner, I need to do the same! You've inspired me :)


Sometimes I have to wonder the same thing about how people keep their jobs--if I gave a presentation to my client riddled with mistakes I wouldn't have my job. I also don't know how this home could have changed hands at least 5 times over the past 100 years without anybody asking about the acreage.


I did talk with a civil engineer who got out his assessor's map and told me that according to that, it's .75 acres. Lordy lordy! I can't talk with the assessment office until Monday, anyway, so I'm just not going to stress this weekend. But it looks like there was a mistake made in the deed in the 1920's and it's never been remedied.


I am keeping my fingers crossed for you, rhb!! In a week, all of this will be dealt with!
Click to expand...

Wow that is interesting (and upsetting at the same time). So maybe current owners believed it was 1.25. Do you feel the price is not justified with 1 acre--as in the house doesn't compensate for the difference? I guess I'm just assuming it's been bought & sold a few times under the premise of 1.25. And what about prop taxes, were those base don 1.25? Maybe you can renegotiate the price. We did that AFTER signing the agreement by the way.
 
Audball, thank goodness you have some good news!! The rest of us are stress cases, haha, so your news is like a breath of fresh air! Yay for getting passed the appraisal stage!

Amandine, I am so, so sorry that your loan is literally going to be in underwriting until the MORNING you close. That is insane. Not only is it insane, but it means you''re going to be worried about it all weekend. Ugh, why does everything always have to come down to the wire??

I said the same thing about the 8 - 12 office hours. I would LOVE to get out every Friday at noon!

I laughed out loud when I read your House Hunter''s comment. I absolutely love how they show the couple deciding on a house and then it will say "...3 months later" and they are all moved in. In reality, 3 months later their loan was probably still stuck in underwriting and they became bald from worrying about inspections, appraisals and faxing 187 documents to their mortgage company. I''ve never even made it passed the signing of the P&S, and to be honest, I don''t even know if I want to venture into it. I haven''t even ordered my appraisal yet!

Janinegirly, I genuinely don''t think the owners knew about the property issue until we discovered it. I have a copy of the deeds going back to 1925 (when it was split into 3 parcels of land--one being ours and 2 being our neighbors''). Basically there was a deed created in 1925 for our parcel and our parcel was what was left over of the other two parcels (they both have plots). The property description literally reads like this: "Northern border as defined by Mr. Reed''s land, Western border as definied by Mr. Smith''s land", etc. The deed doesn''t even give footage (i.e. 100 feet on the Western border). The deed has read this way since 1925 and has changed hands 4 times since then, so while Mr. Reed and Mr. Smith died many, many years ago, they are still considered the owners of our neighboring land in the deed, haha.

Anyway, the fact that there was never a plot plan is not THAT big of a deal...apparently everybody felt comfortable with the property being described as 1.25 acres defined by other property lines. But, the current owners built an addition and needed to have the land surveyed for the new Title V. That survey came out to be an acre, but apparently the new owners didn''t bat an eye about it.

Basically what we''ve decided is that we need to have the land surveyed. If it comes back as being an acre or more, then we will keep everything as is. It''s not ideal, but I''m still willing to pay the same price for the house and land for .25 acres less. And as long as we have an acre, I''m not worried about resale. If the survey comes back as being less than an acre (and it very well may since it''s only .75 acres in the assessor''s book), then I want the purchase and sales agreement to read that we have the option to negotiate or back out without penalty. If it''s less than an acre, then I''m worried we are overpaying and won''t be able to resell it as easily.

I think this is fair and would keep us from holding up the process. I really don''t want to lose this house, but I don''t want to be stupid. If we found a mistake and this property is actually half of an acre smaller than previously thought, I don''t want to turn a blind eye to it. I''m going to ask the assessor''s office on Monday morning how we would go about getting our taxes changes based on the new assessment. I think the survey has to be submitted so that the deed can be changed...once the deed reads the correct acreage, then the town can re-assess.
 
Rhb, Amanandine and NEL.... I am so sorry about the snags!!! And I''m so
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for you all!!

I can only imagine! I was super stressed, and we didn''t experience anything like you all are!! We had a few hiccups, but nothing major. I can''t believe the paperwork issues you are dealing with...

NEL... Girl, I feel for you! 100 year old property deed? That''s just insane! Maybe there''s a bright side, a silver lining... lower taxes? Maybe you''ll find a nice piece of antique jewelry behind a wall or something!! I REALLY hope this works out for you! Dust, dust, dust!!

Sorry I haven''t been around much... I just found out I''m preggo, and it''s that weird time where some people know and some don''t... but please know that I am cheering you all on and keeping everything crossed for you!!!

Re: House Hunters... lol!! I know!!! They make it seem soooo easy to buy a house! Too funny!
 
Oh my gosh, Lynnie, that is so exciting!!! EEEEEE! Congratulations, I am just so happy for you!!!
 
Aw, thanks NEL
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So Monday the surveyer's going out?? Fingers crossed!! How's your pup doing?

ETA: I got a hold of the IRS. They gave me a date... I'll get my return by May 20th! DH is sooo amped to tear up the basement! But I won't let him til we have the money to fix it!!
 
Well Monday I''m going to the town assessor''s office and the board of health to find out if the drawing for the Title V is an official survey. If they tell me it isn''t and I need to have an "official" survey done, then I''ll have to schedule that for sometime during the week.

The dogs are good. Our older dog has surgery scheduled for May 3rd and we recently found out our younger dog has a small basal cell tumor (usually benign) which needs to be removed. We are waiting to see if I got the job I was interviewing for before scheduling that surgery.

And yay for getting your return within the next month! I have no doubt your husband is itching for a new project :)
 
YEA!!!
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Just got the call that we are 100% approved. They are wiring the money over now. Thank goodness! I can breathe easier now, knowing we are going into closing with a loan. Will let everyone know how it goes later!


Oh, and CONGRATS LYNNIE!
 
Looks like we aren''t closing Monday. The seller''s bank (short sale) had to have their paperwork to our mortgage company by today for us to be able to close Wednesday. They still haven''t, even though they have had weeks.........
All we''ve got from them is that its in its final stages of approval.

I''m so mad and upset now. All the utilities, moving truck, time off from work are all scheduled.
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Oh, RHB! I am so sorry to hear that! Dust for you...I know just how stressful this can be. I can''t even imagine how frustrated you must be right now. I really hoped to log on to see that you had heard good things today!

Well, we have closed on the house!
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I am so relieved, but still a bundle of nerves and kinda shell shocked. Once we found out about the loan coming through this morning, everything went smoothly. It took about an hour to sign everything--oddly, not as much signing as I thought there would be. We did walk through the house and met the (previous!) owner, she was very nice. She is leaving us some furniture (a bed even!) and best of all, neighbor/neighborhood information. She said we should even have a welcoming person from the HOA come by with information for us. From what she said and what we have heard, its seems like a really nice, friendly, active neighborhood.

I stlll can''t quite believe its all done!
 
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