Yesterday was my birthday. My best gift was a day off from my book and a full day of house hunting. Michael and I have decided to not to wait to build, but buy an existing house while it's a "buyer's market." It may end up being our "dream" house, and it may not. It may be a transitional house ... one more step closer to what we really want. But whatever it is, it has to have at least 5 acres of land ... minimum. (But not next to trashy, rusty trailers with every car they've owned up on blocks in their front yard. Or high tension wires on the property. Or next to a subdivision.) Just countryside. Beautiful, peaceful, rolling hills, farmland. We may find that perfect piece of heaven for us out there ... and we may just have to tweak it a little to make it "perfect."
At any rate, we spent the day looking with a top notch little realtor. This sweetheart of a young woman, sells 35 houses a year. A real go-getter. From morning to late afternoon we drove around two counties and looked at unique properties. What one house lacked, another had. There was one house that looked tired. The pictures online were deceiving because once you walked in, the floors were laminate and the walls needed paint. It just had a worn out look. And they had four or five dogs barking in the breezeway, so you couldn't even go in there. Get a clue people, take your dogs with you when you leave your house! It makes it so much nicer for the buyer!
Another house was chocked full of collectibles and furniture, so much so you couldn't "see" the house. I just wanted to scream at these people, "Are you crazy? Box this s**t up so you can sell your house!" There was one house we really wanted to see and the seller's realtor was such an ass, to the point of hanging up on my realtor, so we decided to skip it. Who knew realtors could be so nasty? And the last house, we drove a half hour to have the owner refuse to open the gate for us, even though both realtors had set the appointment. Geez, I guess they decided not to sell after all.
Out of everything we saw, there was one possibility. Just one. But it wasn't my "country house." It was a beautiful, maintenance-free brick ranch surrounded by a gorgeous piece of land. And it was "lacking" a few things that could be fixed, but ... I'm not willing to stop looking yet. In a few days, we'll look at the rest that's available that meets the 5-acre minimum criteria.
I hear some folks look at hundreds of houses before they find the one they want. I didn't realize it could be this difficult. My attention for the next few months needs to be on my book, not building a house, thus ... an existing house seemed to be the way to go. But right now, this morning, I'm wondering if I'll find that country house that says ... "you're home, Pam."
I thought I found it a few weeks ago, but it was not to be ... it sold quickly.
So, the house hunting continues. There's no hurry, in fact, I'm willing to wait for the right one. Maybe I should contact HGTV ... think?
Blessings to you and yours.
1 comment:
Come to Rockingham County... Come to Rockingham County! I can hook you up with the realtor who sold us our house. He told us the first time out, he needed to hear our thoughts about the homes he showed us. By the second visit, he should be close, and he always found a home for someone by the third. And that's exactly what happened with us. Let me know if you want his name -- we want you and Michael near us!
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