House Hunting Part Deux

Today was the big day...the day Chad got to see the top three choices for our potential new house, and a couple of new ones.

First off, he did NOT like our real estate agent. Granted, she is older, and cannot drive worth a flip. She is either extremely fast or extremely slow, with periods of off roading, dodging ditches, and she likes to read her housing info as she drives. Plus, she's over 60 years old and it's just not a great experience. Especially if you are the one riding with her, as I was today.

But mainly because, when we noticed some serious foundation issues with one of the houses, she pointed out the window and said, But remember how much you love the yard and neighborhood? Um, yeah....but I won't be sleeping in the yard or cooking at the neighbor's!

And again, at another house, we noticed what seemed to be some heavy smoke damage to the walls and water damage under almost every window, and she said to me, But you DO love this large kitchen and wonderful back yard. Again, I'd like to be able to taste the food, not smoke, and it's all pointless if you fall through a rotted floor!

So, I think she is more worried about her bottom dollar than us being able to actually afford a house that is going to be worth paying for. After our last tour with her, she only emailed me the requested info on the most expensive house we looked at, and as a result, the 2nd choice one was sold by the time I followed up on it myself.

Now, to be fair, her mom died just a week and a half ago. But, I also lost a house that we were seriously looking to bid on because she didn't do what I asked her to do (find out deadline to bid, see if any other offers in yet, and max bid in).

Everyone keeps telling me to ditch her, but I have a hard time breaking up with someone that reminds me of my Grandma! She's just so sweet and she really seems to like me....:) I know, not good criteria for a real estate agent but I'm a sucker for anyone who genuinely likes me LOL.

Anyway, Josh came along to add his opinion and home construction experience to the mix. In fact, Louise ended up tagging along by the 4th house, so we had a caravan of three cars by the end of the day. For some reason, we "Smiths" don't like to do anything alone LOL. All those years of being stuck together like glue in a van for hours and hours at a time, I guess.

So, the first house is one I found just yesterday, and my favorite from today's bunch. 1999 doublewide, 3 bdrm, 2 bath ,with office off master, 1678 square feet, on .83 of an acre, out in country for $73,900. VERY quiet. So peaceful. And less than a mile from Louise! (Not sure if that is a pro or con ;) (Just kidding, Louise! But seriously, CALL FIRST)

Front view - nice front yard

Little stream - not a big issue

View of back yard from the deck - love it!

Nice, big back deck off of the kitchen; notice huge window over the sink, looking out into the back yard :)

It does need a new stove and carpet cleaned or replaced. Just noticed the black microwave above the stone -Score!
Remember the one I loved with the HUGE, open kitchen, in a cul de sac, and power lines in the back yard? This one is the exact same model doublewide, just 5 years older and $7,000 cheaper! Also, it's on .83 an of acre, which is over 3/4 of an acre. In the country, with a tiny, TINY stream at the property line. Not even big enough for me to freak out about my kids playing in. It looks like it dries up in between rains, in fact. The only negative worth mentioning is that it's not on a permanent foundation.

I'm not sure how big of a deal that is now. Before, when we thought we'd be going through a bank for our loan, it was a major factor. No bank (we've been told) will loan on a manufactured home at all if it is not on a permanent foundation. But, apparently a few months ago, banks quit loaning on manufactured homes period, due to the housing market & loan situation. So, either way, to get a double wide, we're going to have to go through a mortgage company, like Vanderbilt Mortgage, who specialize in manufactured home loans. So, maybe the foundation thing isn't such a big deal right now, though it may be by the time we go to resale and upgrade to a better house. Then, it may bite us on the behind. So...something to think about.

You guys have seen the next three houses already:

The first one is the exact same model as the previous one - only difference I can see is the paneling (this one is prettier), white microwave, newer stove, and stone fireplace instead of wood. Must be a little wider, too, as it has about 70 more square feet. Did I mention that already? Hmmm...

$79,900 doublewide on foundation in the cul de sac of the "trailer park", as Mom referred to it. Upon closer inspection today, and along with Josh's invaluable eye, we discovered smoke discoloration to the walls, water damage under most of the windows, and that I liked the neighborhood thing less this time than last. Oh, and some kind of problem with standing water in the back yard.

Favorite feature - the kitchen

Mom's least favorite part - the close neighbors in a "Manufactured Home Community":

Chad actually wasn't a big fan of the cul de sac/trailer park thing, either. We both prefer a more secluded setting. Like the first one ;)

The most move in ready of them all...2005 double wide, 3/2, $79,000:

Remember the cat bedroom? Yep, Ben was in Kitty Heaven and almost choked them to death with his hugs LOL.

Love this kitchen! Track lighting, corner sink, tile backspash...nice, extra touches.

Chad was pleasantly surprised by this one - the first time we drove by, he said NO WAY. Too many neighbors. But I went without him and fell in love. Great back yard, wonderful inside. But the smallest of them all, only 1200 square feet, which he said was a big minus. Hello...four kids!

Now, the biggest shock of them all. This was Beth's top favorite from the beginning, though I'm not sure why. We were going to knock out that wall, add french doors leading to a nice back deck. Welll...major foundation issues. Apparently the house, another double wide, settled, and now the cabinets are all skewed, the closet doors wouldn't hardly close, the ceiling is cracked & gaping in places...not good. So, officially of the list. Thank You, God!

2003 (I think) doublewide on foundation, 3/2 with office, 1600+ square feet, $69,900:



We looked at one more but I barely got any pictures. Louise walked in and walked back out saying, That's a major negatron!

On paper, it had such great potential! 1985 house, 3/2, 1450 square feet, for $73,500. A short sale (they owe more than the value of the home, or trying to avoid foreclosure), on a cul de sac as well:

We pulled up and are thinking, CUTE! I'm not a fan of yellow, it's actually my least favorite color, but this was doable:

Nice, fenced back yard:

Then, I saw the kichen:

That was the last picture I took. This was par for the course with this house. They had added on a couple of different rooms, and I use the word "room" lightly. They should have completely remodeled the house instead of adding on here & there, and definitely should have paid someone else to do the work!
So, this was a big, fat NEGATRON.

What did we learn today? Always inspect the inside more than once. I have seen the outsides of each of these at least 2-3 times by now, but this was my 2nd time seeing the insides, and I was underwhelmed almost every time. Except the cat house. Still love it.

Second, take an expert. Josh knew his stuff today and on two houses at least, he helped find major issues. They may or may not be deal breakers, but they will definitely affect what we are willing to pay.

Third, it's time to break up with Carolyn :( I feel like I'm about to kick my own Grandma in the stomach and run...not cool!

So, the house hunt continues. God will slam shut the wrong doors, and continue pointing me toward the right one. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Right?