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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,539
Registered: ‎11-23-2013

Househunting Is Drivng Me Batty!

We have been searching for a house for over a year.  Offers have been made, realtors have been fired, dozens of preapprovals and still nothing.

 

One house we both fell in love with, the mortgage company took so long with the paperwork, the sellers sold it to someone else.

 

We've increased our price, looked in different areas, got a better realtor, took some things off of our wish list and still nothing.

 

DH keeps telling me that the right home will come along when it's time, but geez!

Get your flu shot...because I didn't.
Valued Contributor
Posts: 743
Registered: ‎08-12-2012

Re: Househunting Is Drivng Me Batty!

Where are you looking?

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,775
Registered: ‎07-09-2011

Re: Househunting Is Drivng Me Batty!


@HonnyBrown wrote:

We have been searching for a house for over a year.  Offers have been made, realtors have been fired, dozens of preapprovals and still nothing.

 

One house we both fell in love with, the mortgage company took so long with the paperwork, the sellers sold it to someone else.

 

We've increased our price, looked in different areas, got a better realtor, took some things off of our wish list and still nothing.

 

DH keeps telling me that the right home will come along when it's time, but geez!


HonnyBrown,

 

Sorry this has been such a downer.  It really should be a happy exciting time shouldn't it? Good luck!

"Animals are not my whole world, but they have made my world whole" ~ Roger Caras
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,511
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Househunting Is Drivng Me Batty!

I'm not having much luck, either and like you I've been looking for nearly a year. Fired my buyer's agent. Seller's agent lied like a dog. Over and over. Now back to no agent.

 

I got pre-approved, put an offer in on one home, didn't pass inspection so I withdrew the offer. Second home, the foudation had cracks and leaked, didn't pass inspection either. House was less than 10 yrs old.

 

Last weekend I looked at a new listing. New front door? Huh. Cracked front concrete steps.....the basement leaked under the front door. So I passed on writing an offer. Already knew from experience that this wasn't going to pass inspection, either.

 

Have toyed with the idea of building something modest. The thought is pretty daunting but not much on the market and I have a decent budget.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 69,391
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Househunting Is Drivng Me Batty!

I've bought two houses alone in my adult life. In both cases I flew into the town I was moving to, met my Realtor and we looked at houses all day. By evening I made a selection. I've been living in one for almost 16 years. I never regretted either purchase. I had nobody with me to offer opinions except the Realtor. It would drive me nuts to draw the search out to a year. I don't have a problem making decisions.
New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment
Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Househunting Is Drivng Me Batty!

Very often people have ideas of what they want in a home and that does not match their budget.Sometimes that is resolved by calling off the search and saving for a much larger down payment so you can get a more expensive home.

Perhaps the OP should look into buying a new home, that she could have a say in the finishes that are used, and that would satisfy her better.

It seems clear the homes she is being shown are in dire need of major work, since they are not passing inspection.Trust me - you are way better off not getting those homes. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,178
Registered: ‎09-02-2010

Re: Househunting Is Drivng Me Batty!

I don't envy anyone house hunting.  Our first house was a breeze, the second was a never ending nightmare.

 

Good luck.

~~
*Off The Deep End~A very short trip for some!*
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,768
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Househunting Is Drivng Me Batty!

Hello, Honny, 

          I am not buying, but I am trying to refinance to fix up my house, which has settlement issues. 

         I don't mean to sell for a while, but a refi would enable me to do this fix-up.  My schedule was to start in May and be done before the heart of hurricane season.

         So about 5 weeks in, I am still in process of step one, financing.

         I was OKd for the refi by my bank (credit-wise) but then the house didn't pass the appraisal, due to the settlement (which I had fully disclosed to them before I applied, sigh, and showed them the estimate from the structural engineer).  Now I think I am OK with a Credit Union I went to the same day I heard no (in italics) on the first app.  They say so far so good, including (I think) the appraisal, but that it will be two more weeks to check title and reassign insurance.  If it goes through, and if this happens on that schedule, it will be two months of arranging for funding.  And this is a HELOC (home equity line of credit) rather than a cash-out refinance. 

         Things have changed a lot since the mortgage collapse that started (where I live) in late 2006, and I expected strict standards.  I did not expect weeks and weeks of sit-and-wait. 

        And I can't imagine the stress of people who need to buy (or sell) in a hurry these days.

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,895
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Househunting Is Drivng Me Batty!

Have you done your own online search?  Have you looked at homes being sold by owners? 

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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,511
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Househunting Is Drivng Me Batty!

Depending on where you live there may not be a lot of new construction going on. Certainly true here in Northern MI. I've seen 1 build in the last year and 2 remodels. All of them in the vacation home area where I live.

 

I'm not fussy. That's to say I won't turn away from a home that doesn't have the newest applicances or granite countertops. The last home I looked at with the new front door hadn't been updated in 25 years.

 

Not looking for perfect but I'm avoiding anything with structural issues.