Starting the House Hunt!

     Phase I of the house hunting has begun in full swing. I'm looking on Zillow and Motovo to find the houses that (a) fit in the budget, (b) have the aesthetic look I am hoping for, (c) have enough space for both Laura and I to have our own bedrooms and an office space for each of us, and (d) is in a good safe neighborhood; one I can live in for the rest of my life. I don't want to move again. I am OK living in a smaller space. I don't need a lot of big rooms or fancy amenities. I have always considered myself to be a cave-dog, not a show dog.

    This particular house is in a city a bit west of where I live. It's a much much smaller city than mine, but it has access to all the places I may (or may not) want to go. There is a hospital within two miles of the house. There are at least three or four shopping strip malls within the same distance, and yes, there are at least two Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy stores in this city! That is a must. It also has, of course, a Sonic drive-in, a Walmart Super Center, and a neighborhood store. There are dozens of churches, schools, and various activities to enjoy as well.

    I currently live in the middle of the urban and suburban areas of the city. There are over 500,000 people living within a 10-mile radius of me. I don't like that. The city I will move to has just under 23,000 people, and it is about 22.9 square miles vs. 621 square miles of the city I currently live in. Nice change! I am genuinely looking forward to doing nothing, going nowhere, and just chillin' in my backyard listening to cicadas while soaking in the hot tub...year round.

    There is a good dentist; his family is full of teeth-docs, and I trust the brand. There is a good vet for dogs and cats, and even a skating rink, but no, you won't catch me going in it, or even around it. Nope. Not gonna happen. I will make it to Ollie's discount store. Yes, I will do that. I went today and pretended I had the house. I pretended to buy all the necessary supplies to clean, tape off, and paint the house, except for the paint itself. I'll pretend to do that at Home Depot when I buy the little paint gun to paint the walls faster.

    I'll have to invest about $6000 in the house as soon as I sign the papers, if I get this one. It will need new floors, new fence slats, and some tiling replaced in the bathrooms. I may also consider getting a walk-in tub instead of what's there now. I want them to handle a few tasks in the closing negotiations. Additionally, I may include the flooring, HVAC, and roof replacements in the mix, but I'm willing to offer $15,000 more to ensure everything is done correctly. Then, if they say yes to that, I'll only have very few things to repair. Nothing that would stop me from moving in before completing those tasks.

    This house is about 50 years old. It's solid, but you know, older houses have issues. The inspector will charge about $1000 to go over it, and I want them to do that. I want them to get on their hands and knees and look at literally every single thing, so I don't have to. The house is on the corner, it has a larger yard for the dogs, and I've seen a few of the neighbors. They liked me, I liked them. We'll see if it works out.

    My new realtor is a cutie. He is the son of the pastor of a small church in the area. His wife and he are super sweet, and he's going to try and get my lender to do a sooner close than March or April. I told him I want to save money to do what I want, but he's young and will likely try to get everything done. He'll ask the sellers to take $15,000 more, fix the roof and HVAC, and remove all the flooring, which will save me money when my guys come in to replace it. I can live on concrete for a month if I need to, but I'd rather have it installed before we go into it.

    Phase II is when I make all the plans to save, so I can pay for everything before we make the purchase. If I were to get this house, I would need $6000 down, $1000 for an inspection, and an additional $1000 for miscellaneous, unforeseen expenses. I'd want the flooring paid for, which for this house, will be heavy-duty vinyl laminate throughout the house, no carpet, so at 1150 sf living space, that's another $2500 for the laminate and $5000 for the labor. Fence repairs: $250, painting: $300, and various other expenses, including a fridge and stove, total $1500.  

    It will be January before I'll have that, so I'm good with moving in around the first of the year, but if this house is sold, it's sold. I'm good. God knows I want to move into a good house, so He'll make it happen. What's keeping folks from buying this one is the fact that it's been empty for a year, there's still some trash that has to be removed, the HVAC isn't new, and will likely need to be replaced, and the roof, though only 3 years old, was damaged in a windstorm and will need repaired.

    I'm OK with all of the above because it has what I need, it's the right place, the right price, and I like it. If it gets sold before I can get it, there will always be another one. I've found a good realtor, and I'm making plans. That's the important part.  I'll rattle off a few things I love about it, so you'll know I'm not just saying it needs fixing. I really do like it.

• Corner lot with larger front and back yards, only one neighbor to the side and one in the back.
• Red brick with white trim. I would buy black shutters.
• A place for my flag already!
• The door is really pretty and painted teal on the outside.
• Two hall closets.  I love that.
• There is a foyer; you don't walk straight into the living space.
• The kitchen is wide and long, with ample space.
• The dining room would be used as an extension of the kitchen. We don't sit at the table to eat, but it's a nice and cozy spot that would be perfect for a small bistro table, just in case we do sit down together.
• The garage was divided (professionally), and there is a larger space for Laura to have her office and gym.
• The master is on the side with the traffic, so Laura doesn't have to hear it. 
• The yard is good, fenced, and the fence is tall.
• The faucet in the kitchen is really nice - love it.
• The garage is good-sized for one car, which is exactly what we have, so I'm good with that.
• The shower in the master bath is nice, smaller, but tiled.
• The windows are not bad, but will likely be replaced soon. They are larger and there are several. I love windows and light.

    The things that will be replaced will be done so either before we move in, or soon after. I'll live with the kitchen cabinets for a year or so before I replace them. They are dated, but they are good. I hope we get it - but like I said, it's not up to me. I pray about everything.  I like the street name too, I won't say it, but it's a name, not a number. I like names better.

    

    The mortgage guy, Josh, will call me on Monday and we'll talk, but I also want the interest rates to go down. I am paying off the last two things I didn't know I owed, so I can boost my credit a bit. I'm really glad I checked. I had no idea I owed those two things - if you haven't done so, go check your credit records. They had so many things on mine that were either incorrect, outdated, or disputed. I'm glad I checked.

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