Buying Our First Home

It's no secret that Junior and I moved into a new home last month. I wish it was a house that we are buying, but as luck would have it, we are renting yet again. In fact, we have rented for the entire 15 years we have been married, except for the time we were "renting to own" from his dad, and you all know how that ended. It is just not in the cards for us to be homeowners right now, and I can not tell you how much I wish that wasn't true. I am hoping that within the next couple of years, we will be buying first home. This is the first time we have laid out a plan for accomplishing this, and it will be a wonderful day when we will be putting our hard earned money towards something that will be ours.

I wish we were able to get a house last year, so we could have qualified for one of those awesome tax credits. Check out this video, which explains everything.


This guys explained things so much better than I could have, that's for sure. The only thing I really know is that last year was the perfect time to buy our first home, and we couldn't do it. I guess it will continue to be a dream of ours, and hopefully, someday, it will become a reality.

Three Bedrooms, And Maybe Two Bathrooms

I have been talking about moving a lot on my other blog. Junior and I decided months ago that when we got our tax refund in February, we would move. We are tired of living in an apartment that is falling apart. Making the decision to move was easy. The hard part is deciding where we want to live when we do move.

Our requirements are pretty simple. I only want on thing for sure, and that is three bedrooms. I would love two bathrooms, but I can live with one. We have gone online and looked at some house plans, and there are so many beautiful options to choose from. House Plans And More has thousands of house plans, and it was so hard picking our favorite. I wish we could afford to build a house right now, because then we could have everything we want. But, financially, we are not in that place right now.

Maybe in a few years...

South Carolina Realtors

My mother is still looking for a house to buy. I am beginning to believe she needs to find new Real Estate Agents who might work a little harder for her. My mother likes to look online herself, and when she finds a house she likes, she asks her agent to find out the details. I am thinking my mom needs to find a South Carolina Realtor who will do the looking for her, and find her the perfect house. I know she wants something older that has some history. I just want her to find something that's not too big, and in a good neighborhood. Most importantly, though, is that I want her to find a house that will make her happy.

Putting In An Offer

Remember when I told you about the house my mom was looking at that had the in ground pool and the workshop out back? Turns out that it hasn't sold yet, so my mom's realtor is going to see about putting in an offer. Of course, it would be contingent on the home inspection. This is such an important step, and should be done by a company who has the buyers interests as their priority. New Jersey Home Inspectors do not work for the banks or the realtors. They work for the buyer, and give an honest report of what needs to be fixed in a home. The last house my mom put an offer in on, she ended up getting out of it due to all the problems the home inspector found. I hope this house has less problems, or even no problems at all, and she is able to get it. I hate seeing her get her hopes up, just to be disappointed again.

Still House Hunting

As most of you know, my mom is trying to buy a house. It seems every house she likes, there is some reason that it doesn't work out. The last two were foreclosures, and that seems to be a common thing these days. My mom likes to look online for houses, and then we drive around and look at them in person. When she finds one that she likes, she contacts her realtor, and they go and look at it. She has found some beautiful Studio City Homes, but doesn't really want to move out of state. Her realtor has been telling her a little about short sales, and it sounds like a great deal. In a nutshell, this is where the seller of the home shows their bank that they can no longer pay their mortgage, and instead of going through with a costly foreclosure, the bank agrees to settle for less than is owed on the house. It sounds to me like this benefits the buyer, who can get the house for a steal.

I hope my mom can get in on one of these deals.

Oh Well

It seems the other people who put the offer in on the house my mom wanted heard about her interest in it, and upped their offer by $20,000.

That stinks.

Mom isn't going to make an offer, because she is convinced the other people would just up their offer again.

This just means we get to house hunt some more. I like driving around and peeking in windows.

Mom's Dream House

My mom is looking at houses again. I am excited for her, that she is able to find exactly what she wants, and she won't have to settle. I know her dream is to buy an older home, with a wrap around porch and front stair way. You know what I mean. One of those houses that when you see it, you just know it's a Grandmother's house. I hope she can find what she wants within her price range.

The only drawback of these older homes is all the work that needs to be put into them. Junior can do a lot of the stuff himself, and Mike can help, too. Some things, however, may have to be done by Overland Park Remodeling. There are certain things that are best left to the professionals. The first house my mom found was two stories, and the stairway was open all the way up. The walls needed to be re-plastered, and that was something that Junior just couldn't do. Since his shoulder surgery he has to be careful.

I can't wait until my mom does find her dream house. One of her conditions is that it has to have a pool, or at least a yard big enough to put in an in ground pool. That is what I am looking forward to. Swimming.

My Dream House

I woke up this morning wondering if I really want to live here for another year. A few weeks ago I was so sure about re-signing our lease, but now I am not so sure.

This apartment is so small, and we are always on top of each other. It is hard to find privacy sometimes, which is frustrating for the kids, especially Kasi. We have always been a close family, and living here has brought us even closer. However, the kids are getting older, and I know they want more privacy. I grew up sharing a room with my two younger sisters, so I totally understand her frustration.

I have been dreaming about having a house built just for us, exactly the way I want it. I could even hire Denver Home-Builders to build it. It would have four bedrooms, each with it's own bathroom and walk in closets. We'd have an office for my computer, complete with an awesome stereo system. It would have a playroom for the kids, with all their toys, and then a electronics room for all Ryan's video games and a huge television for movie night. The kitchen would be huge, and state of the art. And as long as we are dreaming, it would also have a personal chef and a maid.

My backyard would have a huge in ground pool, and a barbecue area complete with grill, outdoor fridge, and counters. It would look like a real kitchen. It would have a gazebo with party lights, and beautiful flower gardens.

I think I need to start saving my pennies if I want to make this dream a reality.

Buying A House

My mom is looking to but a house. in the past few months, she has found two that she really liked. The first was an older home that was built in the early 1900's. It had two staircases, one in the front of the house, and one in the back by the kitchen. Brandi was afraid of the bad stairs because they turned twice before going all the way up. This house had fireplaces in all the rooms, and hardwood floors. Upstairs there were rooms you could only enter by going through the bathroom. The house was beautiful, and sold quickly. I don't think it was on the market for a month before it was sold. My mom never even got the opportunity to put a bid in.

The second house she found was beautiful, too. It was another older house, and it had the most beautiful staircase right inside the front door. It was the kind of staircase that I could picture it at Christmas time all decorated with hanging stockings and garland. My mom actually did put a bid in on this house, but when she had the home inspection done, there was too much wrong with it. Luckily she was able to get the money she put down on it back.

I was impressed with the thorough job the home inspector did. If you need an inspection, and live near San Diego, check out San Diego home inspection. You want to make sure that the person who inspects your house does a great job, because it is important to know what you are getting into. My mom was lucky that her inspector found all the problems before it was too late.

Foreclosures

I wish Junior and I had money to invest. I would love to buy a house that is in foreclosure, because I have heard that you can get them for next to nothing. If you are interested in buying a new san diego bank home, check out this site. They have listings that are constantly being updated, so you could be the one to grab up that amazing deal.