You think I am crazy but you won't after you are finished with this paragraph. December is the best time to look for your future home. Sure, it gets dark early, it's rainy, everything outside is dead, all houses look wet, desolate and cold. However, you will be so upset when you picked your house out in June only to see December come along and the people around you go buck crazy wild with their Christmas decor. Oh yes, I have your attention now.
We've done this. We have looked at houses in December and seen the horror of lights across the street. We have looked at houses whose neighbor has roof decorations and music playing. We've considered buying the house a few doors down from the giant snowglobe. It's a God send.
You just wouldn't think. These people pay a ton of money for their houses and just as much for their decor. So. Look in December. You will thank me later.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
A Word From The Un Wise
We thought we were in the clear. We thought we were done. We thought it was a distant memory. Nope. We now owe $500.
It's for the appraiser. The F ING appraiser. The guy that stood between us and (what we thought was) our dream house. We couldn't get our loan because of him. He came too early, before he was told to come. But he had to come back because the job was incomplete. Bam! That's where they got us. $500!!! Holy F.
We spent over $1000 on a house we don't own. That we will never own! A $1000!!!! WTF?! We aren't made of money here people. Your house wound up sucking hard core.
Lesson: DO NOT PURSUE A HOUSE UNLESS YOU ARE 100% SURE IT'S WHAT YOU WANT AND YOU WILL FOR SURE GET THE LOAN. Otherwise you just wasted 2 weeks of your life slaving away at a job you hate. All the money you earned in those 2 weeks was spent on bullshit. This house buying is whack.
It's for the appraiser. The F ING appraiser. The guy that stood between us and (what we thought was) our dream house. We couldn't get our loan because of him. He came too early, before he was told to come. But he had to come back because the job was incomplete. Bam! That's where they got us. $500!!! Holy F.
We spent over $1000 on a house we don't own. That we will never own! A $1000!!!! WTF?! We aren't made of money here people. Your house wound up sucking hard core.
Lesson: DO NOT PURSUE A HOUSE UNLESS YOU ARE 100% SURE IT'S WHAT YOU WANT AND YOU WILL FOR SURE GET THE LOAN. Otherwise you just wasted 2 weeks of your life slaving away at a job you hate. All the money you earned in those 2 weeks was spent on bullshit. This house buying is whack.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
It's Always Either Or
We have come to realize that all the places we like that are at the max of our budget all need work. The places we can easily afford though, don't need fixing, but they all suck.
Our agent got us interested in a house that was $280,000. It was an estate and she thought we may be able to get it for even cheaper. She said it had a good yard. She said it didn't need fixing up. She said we could just buy it now, wait for James to finish school, wait for the bigger bucks to start rolling in and then sell it. We could then buy our dream house and have the finances to afford the fixes. We went and looked.
She was right. It didn't need fixing. Except for that one corner of the stairs in the garage where the previous cat had urinated so much it had rotted. The layout was awful. There was a room right as you entered that if it had only been twice as big would have been great. It had a wall of book shelving. Then there was the master bedroom. Hi! Welcome to our house! Here's our messy bedroom for every person at the door to see. The kitchen was a joke. It was like a studio apartment size. The ceilings were mega high though. That was nice. It had this room off the kitchen and dining room that could have been a playroom but it needed to be 3 times as big for us. The two other bedrooms were fine. The laundry room was fine. The backyard had 6 huge apple trees. It wasn't that big. Once I had my garden installed, plus the 6 trees there would be no backyard. I did not have the heart to cut down old apple trees.
James was so exhausted from looking at so many houses he was ready to buy it. I was horrified. I said point blank I hated it. He is ready to give up the search. He told me later that it was just such a relief to find a house that didn't need any work done to it that he wanted to buy it for that reason alone. I understood his point. But if we bought that house we would live across the street from an ugly pink house, in a neighborhood of ugly houses and have no yard. Let alone a house with an awkward layout and dinky stupid rooms.
So we left. We went and got soup and turkey sandwiches. We ate down at the water and decided that we wanted a house with a view of the water where we could see the sunset. As if our standards weren't high enough already!
Our agent got us interested in a house that was $280,000. It was an estate and she thought we may be able to get it for even cheaper. She said it had a good yard. She said it didn't need fixing up. She said we could just buy it now, wait for James to finish school, wait for the bigger bucks to start rolling in and then sell it. We could then buy our dream house and have the finances to afford the fixes. We went and looked.
She was right. It didn't need fixing. Except for that one corner of the stairs in the garage where the previous cat had urinated so much it had rotted. The layout was awful. There was a room right as you entered that if it had only been twice as big would have been great. It had a wall of book shelving. Then there was the master bedroom. Hi! Welcome to our house! Here's our messy bedroom for every person at the door to see. The kitchen was a joke. It was like a studio apartment size. The ceilings were mega high though. That was nice. It had this room off the kitchen and dining room that could have been a playroom but it needed to be 3 times as big for us. The two other bedrooms were fine. The laundry room was fine. The backyard had 6 huge apple trees. It wasn't that big. Once I had my garden installed, plus the 6 trees there would be no backyard. I did not have the heart to cut down old apple trees.
James was so exhausted from looking at so many houses he was ready to buy it. I was horrified. I said point blank I hated it. He is ready to give up the search. He told me later that it was just such a relief to find a house that didn't need any work done to it that he wanted to buy it for that reason alone. I understood his point. But if we bought that house we would live across the street from an ugly pink house, in a neighborhood of ugly houses and have no yard. Let alone a house with an awkward layout and dinky stupid rooms.
So we left. We went and got soup and turkey sandwiches. We ate down at the water and decided that we wanted a house with a view of the water where we could see the sunset. As if our standards weren't high enough already!
Here Is An Example
We did, we walked away. Don't look at a house in the dark. It was good though, this time we didn't even discuss it with each other. I just told our agent it wasn't gonna work.
For starters, on our way down the driveway (right behind the graveyard) a tree had fallen we could not remove. Our agent fell trying to help us move it. We had to all walk down the driveway. In the cold. In the wind. Sick. With 2 kids. One of them 3 months old. The view was nice. There were lots of cows. The house was more of a wreck than we wanted.
The barn had to go. The only cool thing about it was 2 white owls lived in it. Their pile of poop, not cool. It was nasty in there and we would have to pay to clean it out and destroy it.
The inside of the house needed repainting. The laundry room literally smelled like 1960. It had this cool color paint job but there was yellow dripping down the walls. It looked like the owners may have smoked for awhile but quit. The linoleum in the dining room and kitchen also had a yellow tint in spots. It had to go. The dining room showed 2 layers of different linoleum. The bathroom needed to be remodeled. The shower had some funky flooring that James wasn't sure could support a body and also didn't have a drain. The tub was tiny. The tile was falling apart. The house used to be oil heated but no longer was. All the parts were still there and they were black with age. The electric sockets in the bedrooms and bathroom were 2 prong. We were going to need to add grounding. There was also no trim anywhere. This showed serious age and in some places, possible rot. There were exposed wires. There was plaster used as paint. These seemingly minor things were adding up to possibly costing us $20,000. Ugh. We left. Walked back up the hill, over the log and went to look at another place.
For starters, on our way down the driveway (right behind the graveyard) a tree had fallen we could not remove. Our agent fell trying to help us move it. We had to all walk down the driveway. In the cold. In the wind. Sick. With 2 kids. One of them 3 months old. The view was nice. There were lots of cows. The house was more of a wreck than we wanted.
The barn had to go. The only cool thing about it was 2 white owls lived in it. Their pile of poop, not cool. It was nasty in there and we would have to pay to clean it out and destroy it.
The inside of the house needed repainting. The laundry room literally smelled like 1960. It had this cool color paint job but there was yellow dripping down the walls. It looked like the owners may have smoked for awhile but quit. The linoleum in the dining room and kitchen also had a yellow tint in spots. It had to go. The dining room showed 2 layers of different linoleum. The bathroom needed to be remodeled. The shower had some funky flooring that James wasn't sure could support a body and also didn't have a drain. The tub was tiny. The tile was falling apart. The house used to be oil heated but no longer was. All the parts were still there and they were black with age. The electric sockets in the bedrooms and bathroom were 2 prong. We were going to need to add grounding. There was also no trim anywhere. This showed serious age and in some places, possible rot. There were exposed wires. There was plaster used as paint. These seemingly minor things were adding up to possibly costing us $20,000. Ugh. We left. Walked back up the hill, over the log and went to look at another place.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Better Wait To Buy That House
I remember when James found out we were pregnant. He became house hungry. He was savage, he needed to have a house immediately. Lucky for us, he miraculously didn't find one.
Driving the other day we passed a cookie cutter neighborhood. The houses were cheap, clustered and identical. They had no privacy, no yard and they were close to the main road. Out walking with an agent was a very pregnant couple. We laughed at their naivety. I reminded James how he had been when we were expecting our first. He laughed and talked about how that need to hurry up and buy that house passes.
As I was sweeping the kitchen floor this afternoon I was grateful that we have waited and looked soooo much. Yesterday, when we looked at the 3 houses, Wills behavior in each of them spoke volumes. The first one, he fell in. They had this tiny step that I knew people would always trip on. He didn't move around the house much. It could be because it was fully furnished but I don't think it suited his style much. The second one he didn't do much in at all. It was just too small, he felt limited in his movement. The third one was completely void of furniture but you could tell he really liked the space. He does this dance when he is excited and likes something. He gave the house the dance. We knew it was a good one.
The other thing that is so good about waiting to buy is that we now know exactly what we are looking for. We need a large open space. The kids have a ton of toys. We have realized that the majority of our day is spent in 1 room. The living room. The kitchen is 2nd. It's amazing how many houses have small rooms that are closed off by walls. That's what's so awesome about this ancient house we found. The living room and kitchen are practically 1 room. Plus they are huge. People can flow from one to the other and still see and talk to them.
I am really glad we waited to buy our house so that our children can help us decide on the best choice. Never in a million years would I have guessed what having kids is like. It's freaking messy. It requires 24/7 watching. The place we are now I have to take Will with me into the kitchen every time I go. It separates the living room by a single wall. I have to do this because he may harm his sister while I am there. This leaves Kiki abandoned. Not good.
So you may get the house buying bug real bad but wait. Having these kids is going to teach you exactly how much space you need and what kind of layout you want. Finding that house is going to be whack but you will eventually find it. Or so we are told.
Driving the other day we passed a cookie cutter neighborhood. The houses were cheap, clustered and identical. They had no privacy, no yard and they were close to the main road. Out walking with an agent was a very pregnant couple. We laughed at their naivety. I reminded James how he had been when we were expecting our first. He laughed and talked about how that need to hurry up and buy that house passes.
As I was sweeping the kitchen floor this afternoon I was grateful that we have waited and looked soooo much. Yesterday, when we looked at the 3 houses, Wills behavior in each of them spoke volumes. The first one, he fell in. They had this tiny step that I knew people would always trip on. He didn't move around the house much. It could be because it was fully furnished but I don't think it suited his style much. The second one he didn't do much in at all. It was just too small, he felt limited in his movement. The third one was completely void of furniture but you could tell he really liked the space. He does this dance when he is excited and likes something. He gave the house the dance. We knew it was a good one.
The other thing that is so good about waiting to buy is that we now know exactly what we are looking for. We need a large open space. The kids have a ton of toys. We have realized that the majority of our day is spent in 1 room. The living room. The kitchen is 2nd. It's amazing how many houses have small rooms that are closed off by walls. That's what's so awesome about this ancient house we found. The living room and kitchen are practically 1 room. Plus they are huge. People can flow from one to the other and still see and talk to them.
I am really glad we waited to buy our house so that our children can help us decide on the best choice. Never in a million years would I have guessed what having kids is like. It's freaking messy. It requires 24/7 watching. The place we are now I have to take Will with me into the kitchen every time I go. It separates the living room by a single wall. I have to do this because he may harm his sister while I am there. This leaves Kiki abandoned. Not good.
So you may get the house buying bug real bad but wait. Having these kids is going to teach you exactly how much space you need and what kind of layout you want. Finding that house is going to be whack but you will eventually find it. Or so we are told.
The State of Estates
Tonight we looked at three houses. Bam. Bam. Bam. One has potential but its out of our price range and its so old I doubt we would get lending on it. It's an estate though and so that's why it's overpriced.
Let me bore you with the first two houses. The first one I have always loved since I met James. It has a garden right out front and has always looked appealing. Well, it's not. It has a tiny kitchen. It has a narrow living room. It has a narrow bedroom with an awesome view. It has a master bedroom with an awesome view. Let me re phrase that. It has one awesome view and another view of your neighbors uninteresting yard. The ceilings up there are all slanted and the probability of hitting your head is high. Downstairs has no view. Unless you count looking at the backs of people's sheds and houses a view. The story on that house (surprise, typical Whidbey Story) the guy split with the mother of his children. He had to buy her out. He had to pay her what her half was worth in the height of the housing market. Wah. Wah. He remarried. Had another child. She wants out of the house he shared with his ex. The house is not for us but worth the asking price.
The second house was just too small. It was very narrow. Had a super nice kitchen but a very small living room. The rooms all had decks on them. It was cute but too small. It was also on 5 acres and had an awesome write up of all the cool animals they have seen there.
Now the third one we liked. It has a view supposedly. I know, supposedly? Yes. We saw the house in the pitch dark. It was built in 1958 and has never been sold. It has a huge living room, huge awesome kitchen, decent rooms BUT it has never been updated. Our agent told us that the appliances and decor were so old that they were cool again. She was right. I am going back Thursday to see the view, James has to wait until Saturday.
My concern with this place is getting the loan. It needs work in the bathroom. A tile fix I think. James thinks he may have seen a slight flaw in the roof. It has a barn that has no value which our agent said we would have to tear down or burn. James also thinks it may have very bad things like lead paint or asbestos. Plus, on the way there we discussed re selling it. People will read 1958 and nix it right there, even if we modernized it.
The original owners have died. The house belongs to their heirs. They want $315,00. It's estimate online is $270,000. What a bunch of money hungry snobs. Have they seen the house? It hasn't been updated since their parents bought it. It survived 70's shag carpeting. It survived 80's tackiness. It survived 90's modernity. It survived New Century updates. It has the original stove people. The view must be something crazy. It is on a couple acres. We know you have a view of the beach we were married on so it has us there. So Saturday when we have our agent in the day light we can get a better feel. Excited here but I know to be ultra skeptical!
Let me bore you with the first two houses. The first one I have always loved since I met James. It has a garden right out front and has always looked appealing. Well, it's not. It has a tiny kitchen. It has a narrow living room. It has a narrow bedroom with an awesome view. It has a master bedroom with an awesome view. Let me re phrase that. It has one awesome view and another view of your neighbors uninteresting yard. The ceilings up there are all slanted and the probability of hitting your head is high. Downstairs has no view. Unless you count looking at the backs of people's sheds and houses a view. The story on that house (surprise, typical Whidbey Story) the guy split with the mother of his children. He had to buy her out. He had to pay her what her half was worth in the height of the housing market. Wah. Wah. He remarried. Had another child. She wants out of the house he shared with his ex. The house is not for us but worth the asking price.
The second house was just too small. It was very narrow. Had a super nice kitchen but a very small living room. The rooms all had decks on them. It was cute but too small. It was also on 5 acres and had an awesome write up of all the cool animals they have seen there.
Now the third one we liked. It has a view supposedly. I know, supposedly? Yes. We saw the house in the pitch dark. It was built in 1958 and has never been sold. It has a huge living room, huge awesome kitchen, decent rooms BUT it has never been updated. Our agent told us that the appliances and decor were so old that they were cool again. She was right. I am going back Thursday to see the view, James has to wait until Saturday.
My concern with this place is getting the loan. It needs work in the bathroom. A tile fix I think. James thinks he may have seen a slight flaw in the roof. It has a barn that has no value which our agent said we would have to tear down or burn. James also thinks it may have very bad things like lead paint or asbestos. Plus, on the way there we discussed re selling it. People will read 1958 and nix it right there, even if we modernized it.
The original owners have died. The house belongs to their heirs. They want $315,00. It's estimate online is $270,000. What a bunch of money hungry snobs. Have they seen the house? It hasn't been updated since their parents bought it. It survived 70's shag carpeting. It survived 80's tackiness. It survived 90's modernity. It survived New Century updates. It has the original stove people. The view must be something crazy. It is on a couple acres. We know you have a view of the beach we were married on so it has us there. So Saturday when we have our agent in the day light we can get a better feel. Excited here but I know to be ultra skeptical!
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