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trickykittyStill no house yet.
On the same day I was planning to go out and peek at a couple more houses last week, I got the news that I didn't get the house I had put the offer in on, so it was good I already had other houses lined up to look at. I figured that was going to be the case, so I'm not all that disappointed. I'm limited in what I can offer if the house needs work and won't go FHA, and a house that great really needed a better offer than what I could make. Still, it didn't hurt to try.
The house that dropped in price that I thought was going to be excellent (even my agent had really, really good vibes from looking at the house pics) turned out to be a dud. Despite 3 price drops, I still think it's way over-priced. It had some major cracks running through it, no bathtub (this is actually a minor thing, but it is a deal breaker for me if that's not the only thing I would have to sink money into to get what I want), the add-on walk-in pantry looked like it was just wood glued to the side of the house, and I really didn't want to live in that neighborhood after doing a little drive around some of the neighboring blocks. This was one of those that the pictures look amazing, but in person the house falls seriously short of expectations.
I saw another house that has the 2 living rooms that I am hoping for with a really awesome see-through double-sized fireplace in between, making the 2 livings, 2 dinings, entry, and kitchen into a semi-open circular entertainment space that was all manners of awesome. It had a large kitchen with breakfast bar, a huge covered back porch, a large, sturdy shed, and a seemingly never-ending yard that was half woodsy, half yard. My nephews would have loved to play in those trees. It sits on a corner lot and has a 2nd driveway and additional parking on the side of the house for easy guest parking. It needed some work (as most of the houses I'm looking at will), but I had more concern about the main driveway being up a steep hill and the connecting busy road also being on a curved hill making it only about 20 yards of visual confirmation for oncoming traffic. The house also "supposedly" has had foundation work with a lifetime warranty, but I checked with the city, and they don't have record of a foundation permit being pulled since 2004, so I'd have to do some digging to confirm the work was done. Other repair work needed was figuring out the apparent water damage in the ceiling next to the fireplace (most likely bad or missing flashing where the chimney and roof meet), water damage to the baseboards in the master bath, and wood rot where the massive covered porch connects to the house. If it has that much already wrong with it that I can see from a simple visual inspection, I cringe at what else is lurking in the shadows. It's priced below my median budget and just right for me to live in by myself and still have money for repairs, and Mom and I both felt it would make a great investment, but I'm not sure that I want something quite so fixer-upper. I think the steep and dangerous driveway connecting to a likewise steep and busy road was its fall from grace with me. I took it off of my possibilities list, but my brain keeps wanting to go back to it.
Mom says I have a knack for finding corner lot houses. Corner lots easily make up 2/3 of the more favored homes I'm seeing.
I have another long list of homes to view tomorrow. I wish I could force myself to discard more of them without having to go out and see them, but because I'm really wanting a lot of square footage, and I'm limited on price, it means I'm having to picture a lot more of the potential of a house versus the current state of the house. This unfortunately means that there are many houses I can't outright discard because the description says "as is," "needs TLC," or "handyman special," or because the pictures present a home with exposed slab and a few holes in the walls. Two of the houses on the list for tomorrow have no pictures at all, but I've found the pictures aren't always as helpful as they could be. Flooring, wall work, painting, bleaching a bathroom, stripping and re-staining cabinetry - those things I can do and happily if I can get most everything else on my wish list. Plus, I would have a grand sense of it really being mine after doing such work.
I am hoping that I find something soon, because I am starting to get worn out from looking.
On the same day I was planning to go out and peek at a couple more houses last week, I got the news that I didn't get the house I had put the offer in on, so it was good I already had other houses lined up to look at. I figured that was going to be the case, so I'm not all that disappointed. I'm limited in what I can offer if the house needs work and won't go FHA, and a house that great really needed a better offer than what I could make. Still, it didn't hurt to try.
The house that dropped in price that I thought was going to be excellent (even my agent had really, really good vibes from looking at the house pics) turned out to be a dud. Despite 3 price drops, I still think it's way over-priced. It had some major cracks running through it, no bathtub (this is actually a minor thing, but it is a deal breaker for me if that's not the only thing I would have to sink money into to get what I want), the add-on walk-in pantry looked like it was just wood glued to the side of the house, and I really didn't want to live in that neighborhood after doing a little drive around some of the neighboring blocks. This was one of those that the pictures look amazing, but in person the house falls seriously short of expectations.
I saw another house that has the 2 living rooms that I am hoping for with a really awesome see-through double-sized fireplace in between, making the 2 livings, 2 dinings, entry, and kitchen into a semi-open circular entertainment space that was all manners of awesome. It had a large kitchen with breakfast bar, a huge covered back porch, a large, sturdy shed, and a seemingly never-ending yard that was half woodsy, half yard. My nephews would have loved to play in those trees. It sits on a corner lot and has a 2nd driveway and additional parking on the side of the house for easy guest parking. It needed some work (as most of the houses I'm looking at will), but I had more concern about the main driveway being up a steep hill and the connecting busy road also being on a curved hill making it only about 20 yards of visual confirmation for oncoming traffic. The house also "supposedly" has had foundation work with a lifetime warranty, but I checked with the city, and they don't have record of a foundation permit being pulled since 2004, so I'd have to do some digging to confirm the work was done. Other repair work needed was figuring out the apparent water damage in the ceiling next to the fireplace (most likely bad or missing flashing where the chimney and roof meet), water damage to the baseboards in the master bath, and wood rot where the massive covered porch connects to the house. If it has that much already wrong with it that I can see from a simple visual inspection, I cringe at what else is lurking in the shadows. It's priced below my median budget and just right for me to live in by myself and still have money for repairs, and Mom and I both felt it would make a great investment, but I'm not sure that I want something quite so fixer-upper. I think the steep and dangerous driveway connecting to a likewise steep and busy road was its fall from grace with me. I took it off of my possibilities list, but my brain keeps wanting to go back to it.
Mom says I have a knack for finding corner lot houses. Corner lots easily make up 2/3 of the more favored homes I'm seeing.
I have another long list of homes to view tomorrow. I wish I could force myself to discard more of them without having to go out and see them, but because I'm really wanting a lot of square footage, and I'm limited on price, it means I'm having to picture a lot more of the potential of a house versus the current state of the house. This unfortunately means that there are many houses I can't outright discard because the description says "as is," "needs TLC," or "handyman special," or because the pictures present a home with exposed slab and a few holes in the walls. Two of the houses on the list for tomorrow have no pictures at all, but I've found the pictures aren't always as helpful as they could be. Flooring, wall work, painting, bleaching a bathroom, stripping and re-staining cabinetry - those things I can do and happily if I can get most everything else on my wish list. Plus, I would have a grand sense of it really being mine after doing such work.
I am hoping that I find something soon, because I am starting to get worn out from looking.
