It’s been a long journey looking our next house, far longer than we expected.
After two years and visiting over fifty open homes, it was becoming a bit of a grind.
We carefully considered everything before we put any offer in, while other buyers seem to walk around with that starry eyed look, which can be a very expensive experience.
Then we found a house that was close to what we were after. With a lot of work, we could create that perfect house we were looking for.
We put an offer in, bearing in mind what we needed to spend on it, not expecting it to be accepted..
But then our offer was accepted !
That set up a bit of a conundrum because we weren’t expecting that to happen.
It meant we were now committed to packing up, moving, and unpacking, in a months time.
I won’t go into all the details, but you can probably imagine how busy we have been.
When you are looking for that perfect house, you probably aren’t going to find it, so you end up trying to work out if you can turn a place into what you are after.
This can lead you down a few time consuming rabbit holes
You can find that you have missed out on that house, while you have been getting quotes or doing research.
Or they are serious about that unrealistic price they want and wont budge.
It’s an emotional rollercoaster which doesn’t always end well.
But if you let emotion take over, you are going to end up paying too much. Even if you pay say $10,000 too much, it’s going to take you sometime to pay it off, so the stakes are high.
If you are comfortable with a little extra debt, thats fine, but given that morgage rates are north of 7% at the moment, it’s an extra burden you dont need.
Falling Water House designed in 1935 by Frank Lloyd Wright image is courtesy of Pinterest
My wife and I have been searching for a new house for a few years now, we are looking to upgrade to something bigger.
We have found that it can be a time comsuming and frustrating process.
You see, there’s a lot of overpriced crap out there for several distinct reasons, and it’s taken us a long time to understand the market.
It’s notable that house’s don’t sell for the listed price, it’s typically about 0.9 of that number according to my own research. if they are serious about selling, the owners will negotiate.
Typically there are
-Properties that have been recently subdivided, and the developer wants the maximum amount to fund their next project. these places typically have some expensive or unfixable problem.
-Properties that haven’t been looked after and need lots of work, but they still want that premium price. These places typically have rotten window sills, and a rotten outside deck. A spongy floor around the bathroon/laundry is also common.
-Retired couples who are moving to a resthome or similar. These places can be neglected due to there health but generally, it’s a more honest option with few things to catch you out.
-The couple that did some renovations themselves. Some know what they are doing, some don’t. One example had a basement dug out underneath it, where they couldn’t even bother to get the floor level. None of it was up to a good standard, and if the local council get wind of it, you have a problem.
-House flippers.. these houses are generally well presented and setup for the typical house buyer, or what they think the market wants. I avoid these houses like the plague. There’s typically a whole bunch of starry eyed investors looking to buy it, who will start trying to out do each other on price.
Uncoffined 
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