Big Decisions. Little time.

In what turned out to be our last house hunting adventure, we looked at when seemed to be 4,873 homes that just weren't cutting it.  On the MLS here, there were 2 kinds of homes within +/- $25,000 of our ideal purchase price.  About 3/4 of the homes on the MLS were garden homes with ZERO yard and neighbors within arms reach.  For those reasons and the fact that I was still stuck on a basement at that point made those deal breakers.  So, that other 1/4.   They were mostly 1960-1970 ranch style homes that would have benefited most from a full gutting.  I think we looked at The Brady Bunch house during our search.  I'm talking more green carpet, paneling and wallpaper than I have ever seen in my life.  The bad part was that they were pretty much the same price point as the less than 7 year old garden homes but they all had good lots and big yards.  

So, what do you do?  Go in right above our ideal price and still have to do all the remodeling or sacrifice the bigger yard for a fairly new house?  Good grief all the decisions.  I swear I think from March to April, I aged 10 years.  

We were throwing in the towel for that day when we saw one last house.  My husband and I had driven by it once before.  It looked great from the outside, had a huge lot, still no basement but worth looking up online.  When we got home, the online listing said something like "Previous rental.  Needs redecorating and carpet cleaning (which happened to be the understatement of the century).  Exterior in excellent condition.  New roof 2005."  So I wasn't very optimistic knowing what the inside looked like from the photos but my mom, who is also my Realtor, encouraged us to look at it since it was a great buy for a pretty big house.  By this time it was after 7:00 but she called the listing agent anyway.  She wasn't game for letting us in the home that night so we peeked through the windows and decided we would come back in a few days.  The next morning, my mom called her to schedule a showing and she says that she had just gotten word from the seller that they were reducing the price $30,000 that day and she already had an offer.  Are you kidding me?  All this before 10:00 a.m. and it had no interest less than 24 hours ago.  The agent tells my mom that if we can look that day that she would submit both offers at once.  We get in the car, make the 60 mile drive and meet the hubs on his lunch break.  

From the outside, it looked pretty manageable.  The roof looked good.  The siding, while it was not a color I would have chosen, wasn't horrible.  The lawn definitely needed some TLC and landscaping but it was a blank slate for us to work with pretty much.  

Come take a look inside.

Ah, nothing says Welcome Home like Pergo, dirty walls and carpet that wasn't fit to walk on.  

Please tell me it gets better.

To the right, there is a good size coat closet and to the left we have the dining room.

Lets see.  What can I say good about the dining room?  It has lots of pretty molding and great natural light pours in the 2 large windows.  That was about it though.  Again, the walls were dirty, the chandelier was brass and the carpet had one too many spaghettio's dropped on it.  

Through the dining room was the kitchen.  You might want to sit down.  The wallpaper will make you nauseatingly dizzy.

Once my eyes readjusted, I saw the builder basic white cabinets with brass hardware.  I felt confident that a few thousand Clorox wipes could fix them. Albeit navy, there was a decent amount of countertop space and plenty of cabinet space as well.  This view is looking back into the dining room.  

From the other direction is the eat in kitchen.

Lots and lots of great natural light and even more wretched wallpaper. 

To the left is the hallway to the laundry room and the half bath.  

Laundry straight ahead, half bath on the right and garage door on the left... and more wallpaper all around.  

Had we continued straight off the foyer, you enter the living room.

There are no words to describe the nastiness of that carpet.  I didn't even want our dog walking on it.  But it did have nice high tray ceilings, lots of natural light, recessed lighting, nice moldings and a pretty fireplace with gas logs.  

To the right of the living room is the hallway.  Go grab your sunglasses and consider yourself warned.  You might want to just keep them on for the remainder of this house tour come to think of it. 

Oh Smurf!  Who picked that color out?  It was THIS that made me add a "No painting is allowed EVER unless color is approved by landloard" clause to my tenant's lease.  The hall is pretty basic.  Lots of doors, 2 el cheapo light fixtures and the attic access.  

The first bedroom to the right is plain, and by plain, I mean really cruddy.  

The first room on the left is...well... green!

And the second room on the left, it's the Papa Smurf of all rooms.

And, the master bedroom.

More nasty carpet, but lots of light, tall tray ceilings, a great closet and super size.  

The listing agent didn't have photos of the other 2 bathrooms, but as you can imagine, they have a sink, tub and toilet, oh, and LOTS of equally tacky wallpaper.  

So, let's review the wants and needs, shall we...

This house didn't have a basement but it did have a great yard.  It had 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths so it exceeded our wants and needs in that area too.  The master bath did have a tub, just not a garden/soaker tub.   I would barely call the flooring carpet, so obviously it wasn't hardwood.  

What do we do?  We have like an hour to put a contract in.  And IF we do, what do we offer since they reduced the price by $30,000 that day?  I had no idea.  I really loved the bones of the house, but man, that is a lot of work to do, especially for DIYers on a cash only budget.  I think impulse got the best of me but I was so afraid that we wouldn't find another deal as good as this one and unless we were willing to compromise and buy a garden home.  Everything else we had looked at was $30,000-$60,000 more than this house and needed the same cosmetic work for a house that was 30-50 years old.  

As you can imagine, we did put a contract on the house and before we could get to dinner, the listing agent called to tell us they accepted our offer.  Then reality hit me like a ton of bricks.  We were moving, what seemed to be 2 worlds away, and I had a big honkin' list 12 miles long of projects I needed to get finished before school started in August.  

It was a Thursday in May when we closed on our new to us home.  We left the very next day to go to the beach for the week and when we got home, I was working like a one arm paper hanger (Name that Movie and your are pretty cool in my book!).  

Come back and see me soon and find out what I was actually able to get done before the official move in date, what is still to be done and what I already want to change.  

Tips from a recent home buyer

Let me say this first. If I never have to go through the house hunting- mortgage- closing process again in my life, I am A-OK with that. What a headache! Pre-approved doesn't mean a hill of beans when it comes down to closing. What they should say is that we probably will loan you the money after you give us a copy of every document you have ever received in your life, 3 letters of explanation and a blood sample. We were in the car on our way to the closing when we got the call that underwriting had released everything and we were good to go... uh, we are already on our way thank.you.very.much. Talk about sweating bullets!

So we had our pre-approval in hand. We knew our target price range and we knew our price ceiling. We decided one afternoon to make the drive to the new city and just look around to see what was out there. Boy was I disappointed! It is crazy how $150,000-$175,000 will buy you a nice, updated home in one area and will only buy you a home a la Brady Bunch in another. I am not the pickiest person in the world either and I was willing to do some DIY renovations too. I just couldn't find anything really that fit on our short list, much less our long list. We just needed a house with good bones. Maybe it was my general bad attitude about the whole move, I don't know. We just weren't finding it.

The basement was the hardest part. After living through the April 27th tornadoes last year, I REALLY wanted a basement to feel safe. Unfortunately, homes with basements are few and far between in this area unless you want to spend $350K+. Fa-get-aboud-it!

We only looked at one house with a basement.  It was a bank foreclosure.  The builder apparently went bankrupt mid-build and never finished the home. The bank finished it before it went on the market but it had some MAJOR flaws. Even though it was brand new, it just wasn't built well. The attic steps wouldn't pull down because they didn't have enough clearance from the door opening. The basement had a 100 year old musty house smell. The home had a massive block retaining wall feet from the house. I'm talking 40-50 feet tall. Did you see it in the photo above?  Then the deal breaker was this contraption in the front yard. It was some sort of septic alarm with a red flashing light and all. I mean, really? In the front yard? 

So, as sad as I was that it didn't work out, we kept looking. We came across some awkward, super gross, cluttered homes in our search for the perfect home. One even came with a stripper pole pre-installed! Seriously? I've put together a list of "Don't scare your potential buys out the door before they get to far in it" tips to get your house sold for top dollar. After looking through 2,583,467 listings, I am pretty much a self-proclaimed expert in house hunting and I'm going to share with you a few tips on getting your house sold for top dollar.

Before you list your home, you should take care of a few things.

1. Clear the clutter- When you put your house on the market, it is no longer your home. It is a product for sale. You should clear any clutter that isn't used often. Kitchen counter tops especially need cleared. Put away that toaster and mixer to free up some valuable counter top space. Also pack away bulky children's toys. Clearing clutter doesn't mean shove it in the closet/basement either. When potential buyers open your closet door and everything is a mess, it tells them that this house is lacking storage space. Think of it as getting a jump start on your packing. You are going to be moving soon!

Whoa Nelly!  

2. Clean, clean, then clean again- Nobody enjoys cleaning their own bathroom and I'm pretty sure I would refuse to clean a strangers. Clean everything from the cobwebs in the ceiling to the dust on the baseboards. Clean marks off doors and walls. Magic Erasers can work wonders! Make your floors and appliances shine.

This Realtor should be fired!

3. Paint if you need to- If your walls are past the point of cleaning, painting is something you can easily DIY and you will get your money back.  You don't want someone passing on your home over a $40 weekend project because you let your daughter paint her room hot pink.  Choose a light to medium hue that is neutral.  Beige and grey are good choices.

4. Create a flow- Consider rearranging furniture so that your home has a great flow and the most possible open feeling.  If your furniture is oversized, remove a few pieces to give a better flow.  The chair that is crowding the den might make a great sitting area in the master bedroom.

5. Finish up the honey do list- It's going to be hard to find a husband who is on board for your house if it makes his honey do list a mile longer.  Patch that hole in the wall, fix the broken door knob and have the dripping faucet repaired before you list you home.

6. Depersonalize- Again, your home is now a product for sale.  You need to create a space that the potential home buyers can envision themselves in.  Begin by removing family photos and replacing them with neutral artwork.  Put away collections and trophies as well.

God forbid an animal rights activist comes to view this home!

7. Curb Appeal-  You've got to get them inside to see all your home has to offer.  Keep your lawn mowed, leaves raked and beds weeded.  Make sure all toys are stored out of sight as well.  If your porch lights, door hardware and house numbers are looking a bit dated, take them down and give them a good coat of spray paint. Black or oil rubbed bronze is a good choice.   If your door is looking dull, give it a new coat of paint as well.  Flank your door with nice potted plants and add a seasonal wreath to finish off the look.

Hello Buyer!

8. Make your home appear pet free-  Ask a friend or relative who will be honest to come over and do a smell check.  You may be so used to a pet odor that you don't notice, but it will turn a buyer away.  Make sure everything smells fresh and stow away pet toys, beds and food for showings.

Something tells me he doesn't like strangers in his house!

9. Good photos can make a huge difference-  So many home buyers start their search online browsing the MLS.  If your home doesn't make the list of homes to schedule a viewing, you can't sell it.  Make sure that your photos are bright, clear and show off your homes best features.  The best time to take photos are during the day when your home gets the most natural light.  Turn off that flash, open the blinds and let the light shine in.  If you don't feel confident taking them, you might have a photographer friend you could ask to take some great shots or even a friend whose photos you always think look great.  Your online listing is really the first impression of your home so be sure to make it stand out.

"I always wanted to live in a dungeon." said no buyer...ever!

Now you are ready to list your home for top dollar.  Just keep things neat and clean for that last minute showing.  Make sure every time you bring something in the house that you take something else out.  Make arrangements for pets during the showing so your potential buyer isn't distracted by your pet. Use a soft fragrant spray throughout the house.  You can't go wrong with a light vanilla scent.  If time allows, bake a batch of cookies and place them on the table next to a vase of fresh cut flowers.

Sit back, relax, and patiently wait on an offer!

The story

The day that the hubs came home and told me that he had landed a phone interview with his dream job, we were all ecstatic. But wait, it's about 60 miles from home. The wonder of would they hire him living so far away was killing us. We weren't prepared to move. Heck, we didn't even want to move, especially not 60 miles away from my family. It was just a wait and see deal at this point. We were excited but scared too, me more so, okay a lot more than him. So, the phone interview comes and he nails it. They immediately scheduled an appointment for him to come in to interview with the rest of the department. Of course my first question was "What did they say about relocation?" and he says that the interviewer said he didn't think it would be a problem. Whew! Relief! Obviously that isn't how it worked out, but I will get to that later. So, we rush out and buy the hubs a new suit and he's looking almost as sharp as Ryan Gosling.

He's armed with everything he has to offer going into the interview. A few blubbering I-haven't-had-to-interview-in-10-years conversations mixed in with a super impressive resume and mad skills to boot later, his interview is over. He didn't feel great about the interview. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions. We were excited, then scared, then excited and eager, then disappointed. Then we get the offer letter in the mail. The first page, the whole offer part, we were giddy! What they offered was a once in a lifetime chance. We knew he had to take the job. Then we turned the page... doom-doom-doom! The relocation package.

WHAT? I thought it wasn't a big deal. Talk about a punch in the gut! Don't get me wrong, it was a very generous relocation package, but still, it was a relocation package. Lots of tears, not the teardrop rolling down your cheek kind of tears like this.

I'm talking big ugly, runny nose, full out mama meltdown kind of tears.

I mean, my mom and I are like PB&J. We hung out almost every-single-day! I can't move away. I am on the PTSO at our son's school. I can't move away. We are active in the community. All of our friends are here. We can't move away. I know it seems like a super-size order of melodrama on Real Housewives of NJ but I was seriously struggling with this decision.

Over the weekend that we had to contemplate the offer, there were lots of tears, lots of silent treatment, lots of prayer and on Sunday, there was about a teaspoon of peace in an ocean of uncertainty. I had to tell myself over and over and over and over again that this would be a great opportunity for our family and our future. And it really was, but making my head and my heart agree on it just wasn't happening. In the end, I agreed that he should take the job even though I didn't really want him to. High five to me for being a responsible, level headed adult, sometimes! So, that is the story of why we had to move. Coming up next, the house hunt.

That was a doozie for sure. I mean, it's not everyday that you stumble upon a listing with this description... "3BR, 3BA, Bonus Room, Granite, Stainless Appliances, Stripper Pole & Large fenced lot" I mean really? Come on now.