We found out yesterday that the house we put an offer on just got another offer that is better than ours. We also found out because of outsourcing and more by the bank, it will be at least two more weeks before we could hear back. We are really taking a gamble that we will be able to move in on time with that house. It is a short sale kind of headache. So, should we just move on to another house? Our "second choice" that I mentioned in my last post is no longer avaiable- it must not have been meant to be.
There is another just around the corner that we had originally decided against, but as we were looking through all of our notes and listings for the houses we looked at while we were in Spokane, we decided to think about this one again. It is about the same size and WAY nicer, but less bedrooms and a smaller feeling backyard. The first house (the short sale one) is the same square footage and the lot size is also the same. The second one is on a cul de sac (which we like better), but it makes the yard a wedge shape instead of a square, which makes it FEEL smaller. It is actually EXACTLY the same shape and size as our lot was in Yakima, but this time the house takes up a little more room. The yard on the first house wasn't THAT much better or bigger, just a better shape.
In the long run, we could easily egress a couple of rooms in the second house- giving it more bedrooms-- it just doesn't have them to start off. As I said, the second house is WAY nicer looking on the inside, with a much better kitchen, a shop in the basement, a better garage, and wouldn't need all the TLC (and who knows what else because the short sale house has been vacant for a long time). We went for that house because the potential was GREAT and the price low- - I am not sure if it is worth fighting for, since it would now be the same price as the second which was actually better. Originally it wasn't enough better than the one around the corner for the higher price. Now they have come down in price, and we would have to UP the price on the first-making them pretty much the same.
Since we have been thinking of and getting excited about the neighborhood- it would be great to just be around the corner in a nice cul de sac, still being blocks from the school, church and a nice park.
I can't say we have found the "perfect house" -or one we are willing to really fight for, since there are other good options in our price range. It is just what is the right thing? I really don't want to move twice, or put our stuff in storage, so timing is becoming more important to me and the short sale just doesn't seem to be working for us (especially since there are other offers coming in which forces us to up ours). To stay above the other bid, we are already higher than we wanted for that house with the upgrades we would need to do in the long run.
Pictures of the "second house"
Or should we go for another one of our original favorites in a different neighborhood (still good but not as convenient- it is farther to drive to everything, including Jon to work). It is beautiful and on a 3/4 acre lot, but slightly smaller (we would loose a lot of basement space because it is a four level split), and costs $30-$40 thousand more.
A few pictures of this one:
As we were discussing the house last night, Jon reminded me that the only problems we had originally with the "second house around the corner from the first" was the funny shaped backyard and the way it was landscaped, that we would have to egress a bedroom, and that it looked "too nice" for our family - - and mostly that there was a house around the corner that was the same size with more bedrooms and a square backyard (although needing some TLC and more, and the kitchen wasn't as good), but was $20,000 less because of the short sale. He feels really good about that second nicer house, and I guess I do to, but for some reason I still feel worried about it-maybe just because we had originally decided against it. Anyway- I want to do what is right- and feel so distracted about it today! We need to decide in the next day or so what we are going to do.
3 comments:
I say go for the house on the cul-de-sac. I don't know much about short sales other than you can wait months while the bank gathers bids, and then lose out & be stuck with nothing. And stop this "too nice for our family" business. If this house is affordable and has the space you need, how can it be "too nice"? You've all worked hard & sacrificed for years, and now it's time to reap the rewards of all that work. I say if you like it, go for it, enjoy it, and APPRECIATE it. Good luck!
I totally agree with Amy! We attempted to buy a short sale and it was a complete nightmare and looking back I'm glad we dumped that idea.
Both houses you posted pictures of are gorgeous but if convenience is a big priority (as well as saving $30-40,000) then definitely go for the cul-de-sac.
Hi Becky! Ditto to the above comments! I love living in a cul-de-sac - and it's nice for resale. We always think about resale before we decide. GOOD LUCK!
Post a Comment