Helloooo! I'm back. So sorry to all who were worried about me; Tim's parents left last Wednesday, and my father arrived on Friday. Then it was Tempie's first birthday party, family meals, house stuff, more house stuff, and then both the girls and I got a tich of the stomach flu. Awesome.
But things seem to be looking up for now, and I'm even done washing laundry, which is saying a lot when you have 2 kids barfing.
We are planning our second and final house-hunting trip to Vegas next week. We are driving. With the girls. Please pray for us. I have secured 6.5 hours a day (the maximum allowed) at the CDC on base so we can look at homes without me having to compete with anyone when I throw a crying fit, and we plan to buy a house No Matter What this time. Because really, we leave here (as in PCS) in 5.5 weeks, and man are those days going by fast. Also, I would really like a house to live in when we get there. This trip could be challenging. I'm very picky; you would think we were buying our dream house, when in reality we will probably only live in it for 3 years. (But! It will be 3 years with 2 toddlers! You can certainly see why I am being picky.)
Everyday I frantically search the internet for new homes on the market. And almost everyday I am rewarded. It is amazing how a down market can help one in their house-hunting experience. It is also amazingly sucky how painful a down market can be when one is trying to sell their very first, and very cute, home. Would you like to buy it? It's for sale. Ahem, back on subject...
The house we bid on the last time we were there (6 weeks ago) is back on the market. I do love the house (have I mentioned that before?), and so we put the paperwork in again. Our agent called and called the selling agent, and finally got through to him. It seems the financing fell through on the offer that the bank accepted. The reason the financing fell through is that it was FHA financing, which is really strict. The house has to be move-in ready, which this house was not (no appliances, speakers missing from the family room ceiling), and although the bank tried to work it out with the buyers, for some reason it did not meet FHA standards and that was that. So there are other bids on the house that are higher than ours (according to Paul the wonder agent) and he keeps asking our agent, Joe, if we would like to increase our bid. No we would not, thank you for asking. But get this: the other bids are also FHA loans. If I was the bank, I would probably just want to cut my losses and go with the strong financing, especially considering they will have to spend about $10K on appliances if they go with the FHA people again. You? Anyone? I have a feeling Paul is not being upfront with his client the bank. Or else the bank is full of crazies, which is always possible.
Long story, huh? Glad you're still reading? Okay, so Joe was awesome and took pictures of the 3 other houses we think we might like. Of course, it is so hard to tell layout and Feeling from pictures, but we think any of them might work. I'm trying not to obsess about it in the meantime, but hello! How can you not? One of the houses (Alamo) has a view of the strip from the master bedroom (okay, downtown is like 10 miles away, but with all that neon, I bet you can see it just fine at night), and the kitchen appears gorgeous. But I fear the pool takes up the whole backyard. The second house (Jake) is slightly bigger and has a bigger yard. But the kitchen looks small and the layout of the family room seems weird to me. The last house falls into the 'green pool, trashed foreclosure' category, and has a price to match. It has no kitchen. They took everything, even the cabinets. But it sits on half an acre (!) and is in a very nice neighborhood. Now I'll post photos, because I know that's why you're really still here.
Behold, the Alamo house:
Can you hear the angels singing?
View of the strip. I can see it even if you can't.
The Jake house:
Please tell me there is more counter-space there than it looks like.
Picture taken from an area that is supposed to be the dining room? Office space? I can't figure out what would go there.
And the fixer-upper (be prepared, people):
Family room, I presume.
I told you so.
Half an acre! Seriously, that is just pure craziness, especially considering the price of the house is $25K cheaper than the above two. Of course, there is no kitchen...
4 comments:
Oh my. I like the fixer upper - but for you to fix up, not in reality for me to fix up. I like the idea of fixing it. I like the idea of putting in a whole new kitchen I dreamed up. In reality... I don't know. I hate big decisions. I'd look at the yard and the neighborhood as much as the inside for deciding where to live. I wish our yard was bigger, but I'd hate the idea of a huge yard of grass to keep alive in Vegas. I'm glad I live on a corner, but would rather live on the end of a cul-de-sac. I'm no help. Good luck! Smart thinking for the CDC!
Geez, you have some decisions to make. I don't envy you one bit!! You can get pretty affordable kitchens, and pool rehab (as long as the plaster is ok) is pretty cheap. I too would be tempted by the fixer upper.
Ok, if you buy the first house, PLEASE change the switches and switch plate covers in the kitchen (or repaint the walls a light color, either one, I don't care). Why would you paint your walls brown and leave your switch plate covers white? Especially when you have a whole line of them like that. DETAILS people, DETAILS! :) Says the woman with green marbled formica counters circa 1968.
Niki
WOW! 5.5 WEEKS! OMG.
So many big things! I didn't know the CDC did that. What a great idea!
I hate Paul.
I'm such a lazy that I drooled over that alamo kitchen. But if ANYONE could fix up that house, it would be you and Tim. You two did amazing things with your Tucson house. And that YARD. Wow.
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