House Hunting

I must say - I feel really bad for some of the people who currently own the ones we're looking at. Most of them will be taking quite a loss on their properties. Many of them in my opinion were totally overpriced to begin with. For example - This condo according to Zillow sold for $230K in 2007. Today it's listed for $119K (short sale). Two bedrooms/2 baths and 955 sq feet. A friend owns one near the one I've listed that she and her husband bought around 2007 for $255K - They would love to sell it but when condos in that area are selling for $135-150K it doesn't make much sense. It's a better idea to rent it out and cover the mortgage so that's what they're doing.  And there is one that we REALLY REALLY like - Problem is there is currently a renter in place. And they aren't leaving until August of next year and financing is tricky when it's already an investment property. AND that seller has made it clear that the sale is contingent on allowing the renter to stay there till their lease is up. And there was one other property that was a condo w/loft around 1600 sq. ft. but it went under contract a few days after it appeared on the MLS. Thankfully we have an awesome Agent! She has opened our eyes to some really great properties. And even though many HGTV shows (which i LOVE) say you shouldn't buy the 1st house you see - It looks like we're going to put in an offer tomorrow on the 1st house we saw. There is one that would have been a close 2nd. It's a fully renovated condo. ALL the upgrades. Brand new kitchen and bathrooms. Granite countertops through out. Real rich hardwood floors throughout. The bathrooms were incredible! And it sold in January for $62K and is on the market now for $139K clearly a flip. And they did an amazing job. But it's a small condo. And there is no sound proofing between that unit and the one above it. We were there for about 15 minutes (would have been less but I was hugging the kitchen!)  And it was really loud. Seemed like we could hear every step and even some words through the floor.

Here's the kitchen! 

Living/dining room (real hardwood floors! beautiful!) 

Master Shower

And the bathroom cabinets/counter

All the rooms were painted the same color as the top of the living/dining area. But it's only 1200 sq. ft. and there is no outdoor space. It backs to a wooded area but not a pretty wooded area, more of a creepy scary movie vibe. And there is a deck directly above the back patio that belongs to the upstairs neighbors. And the location isn't exactly ideal for a young family. It was beautiful but small and there is no way that I'd go for a jog around the neighborhood. And that is part of our judging criteria. My husband pointed out to me that we can put that same kitchen into the place we want that's also in the location we want. It just won't happen right away. And I'm good with that! In our case, it really is location, location, location. And the place we love has 1600 sq ft on the 1st two levels. Plus a fully finished basement with a living area and 3 small rooms. One we'll use as an office, another as a workout room and the smallest will be used for storage! There is also a walkout to the fenced back yard. It isn't large but it's a good size for us. The main level has the kitchen, living and dining room as well as a powder room and a large deck off the kitchen that has stairs down to the yard. The top floor has two huge bedrooms each with a bathroom and double closets. The "master" room and bath are just a little larger than the other. Lots of windows - I need to learn to sew so I can make curtains!! I really hope we get this place. It was a short sale when we looked last week, since then it has changed to a foreclosure. We are ok with it taking a month or longer. Our lease isn't up until the end of January anyways so we'd rather not have to make rent and mortgage payments. But we are prepared to do just that. I'm so glad I was blessed with a Husband who has a heart and mind for saving! He helps keep me in check :-) Ok this post has gotten much to long. We meet with the realtor at the house tomorrow. Keep us in your prayers. If this is where God wants us, we know it'll happen in His time! Have a Super Sunday!