We put an offer in on a house!

[ktgrok]

In this market, that doesn't mean much, and we know it may be outbid. But the house would be perfect for us (someday would upgrade counter tops and faucets, and replace the carpet - but it is new carpet, a type that doesn't show dirt, and only upstairs), so we are offering almost 10K over asking, etc etc. 

It went on the market last night. As of tonight they have multiple offers. So..yeah. Fingers crossed. Trying not to get too high of hopes...DH is ready to vomit from the anxiety, poor man. 

[Indigo Blue]

Fingers crossed 🤞 

[mommyoffive]

Sending good luck!

[rebcoola]

Good luck

[sangtarah]

Good luck! I hope they don’t make you wait too long for the answer! 

[Spryte]

Good luck!

[TravelingChris]

I really hope it works out.  We are also in a very tight market here.  DD2 and DSIL saw  a listing for a  townhome that looked pretty much perfect--- in a city nearby where DSIL, who does have student loans, would get 5K from that city for three years because he chose to live in that city and is in a STEM occupation.  The house went on the market on Friday and there was supposed to be an open house on Saturday.  They saw it Friday late afternoon and offered 10K or so over on a 165K home.  By Sat morning, the owners had 3 offers before the open house-- and they held the open house- and accepted their offer Sat afternoon  after or late in the open house.  They and we were so surprised they got this home- because while yes, it is a townhome and is small with a small yard, it is in great shape and in a very nice development where crime is low, people are friendly, and people tend to stay there a long time so openings are rare.  Also , there is no HOA- which was one of their requirements.  But why were were so surprised is that they are doing a starter FHA loan- which takes longer than a commercial loan to get done.

Praying that it all works out for you.

[Faith-manor]

Fingers crossed. We went through this during the spring/summer trying to buy our retirement home in/around Huntsville. Crazy market! It eventually worked out, but it was an emotional roller coaster.

[ktgrok]

Yup - it's crazy! There were only 3 houses that meet our needs in all of East Orlando (that were in our budget). Interestingly, they were almost identical to each other - but the one we put an offer on had a few differences that made it better for us - and was much better kept up. It was also, oddly, cheaper than the other two - but that was due to school district I guess. And it is on the very edge of that area/part of town, edging onto a less desirable area. 

But it has 6 bedrooms, PLUS a loft area, FOUR full bathrooms (can you imagine!!!! Most of the time we have lived here, a decade of it, we had 1 1/2 working bathrooms!), and is 8 minutes from my sister's home and 7 minutes from the school she teaches at and the one my nieces go to school at, and less than 40 minutes to my parents house. 20 minutes to the school my husband teaches at (vs 45-50 minutes now). 

And totally move in ready other than we'd need to fence the yard for the dogs before moving in (I am not dealing with 3 XL dogs on leashes). 

At some point we'd upgrade counters, and the shower in the master bath is TINY but when we saw the other house with the same floor plan we saw that it could absolutely be made bigger. They just cheaped out and went with the smallest prefab shower stall and made the wall between it and the big soaking tub thicker. The other houses with that floor plan made that wall thinner - just big enough for the pipes) which left room for the shower to be normal sized. And DH said he'd put in a tile backsplash around the big tub to make it look nicer, that kind of thing. Upgrades, not repairs. And if /when we did, there are THREE other bathrooms to use while under construction. 

It just would be perfect. But...I am trying hard not to get my hopes up, and telling myself if not this house, it is because a better one is going to happen, or something. 

We should hear something today. 

[1234]

Good luck! We’re listing our home this week and I can’t believe how crazy it is. Our realtor is listing Thursday, accepting showings and bids through Sunday, and then will notify winning bidder on Monday. We’re leaving town for the weekend to avoid it all but I do feel for those trying to buy right now. We just want to rent for a while until we figure out where we want to land. 

[TheReader]

Oh, praying! I hope it all works out. Homebuying can be so stressful in a market like that! 

[mommyoffive]

OH my 6 bedrooms and a loft???  That has to be a huge house.  It sounds totally perfect for you guys.   It sounds like the ones that you were looking at the floor plans for.  I want a house like that too.  Hope you get great news today.

[JustEm]

Good luck! I hate that feeling between sending the offer on the perfect answer and waiting for the reply.

[ktgrok]

31 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

OH my 6 bedrooms and a loft???  That has to be a huge house.  It sounds totally perfect for you guys.   It sounds like the ones that you were looking at the floor plans for.  I want a house like that too.  Hope you get great news today.

Yes! It's 3,200 sqft! We currently have 1500 sq ft, so more than double! Only thing it doesn't have that I'd like is a decent sized laundry room where I could fold/sort. This has just a very small room with the washer and dryer and room for some shelves/cabinets but no folding table or anything. But that's manageable. 

[alisoncooks]

Oh man, the house sounds amazing. Fingers crossed!!! I can't imagine how nerve wracking the wait must be!

[Toocrazy!!]

That sounds perfect for you. Good luck!! 

[JustEm]

11 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Yes! It's 3,200 sqft! We currently have 1500 sq ft, so more than double! Only thing it doesn't have that I'd like is a decent sized laundry room where I could fold/sort. This has just a very small room with the washer and dryer and room for some shelves/cabinets but no folding table or anything. But that's manageable. 

ha, that is amazing.  You'd think a house with that much space would have a better planned laundry room.  Because with 6 bedrooms you'd think that'd equate to a lot of laundry.

[ktgrok]

9 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

ha, that is amazing.  You'd think a house with that much space would have a better planned laundry room.  Because with 6 bedrooms you'd think that'd equate to a lot of laundry.

Right? It's like it was an afterthough...like..oh..wait....laundry. My dream home has a full room that doubles as a family closet. But alas...that dream will likely never happen. We had that growing up, albeit it was in an unconditioned shed type structure...Dad did the laundry when I was growing up, and he'd fold it into piles on a bit long kitchen counter he put in there for that purpose. Everyone had a section, with separate piles for shirts, pants, etc etc. PLUS a hanging rod with anything that got hung up put there. And then you could either get your clothes and put them away in your room, or leave them there and get them as needed. Didn't matter to him. But he never carried them back inside, other than his own. Even. my mom mostly left them out there and went to grab what she wanted each day. (it was right by the house, connected by a breezeway)

[TheReader]

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

Yes! It's 3,200 sqft! We currently have 1500 sq ft, so more than double! Only thing it doesn't have that I'd like is a decent sized laundry room where I could fold/sort. This has just a very small room with the washer and dryer and room for some shelves/cabinets but no folding table or anything. But that's manageable. 

Our laundry room is like that, and we have an up high shelf above the washer/dryer with a hanging rod right below it. That works pretty well, I hang up the shirts/pants as I take them out, put the clean basket on the floor under the dryer door and fold into stacks on top of the washer/dryer, then either move into piles on the dryer or into the basket on the floor. Then put the basket up on top of the washer/dryer so that it's less likely to get cat hair in it/on the clothes while the kids are between coming and grabbing their stuff. 

I take mine/dh's stuff downstairs right away. And then the boys come and collect their stuff at will; I'll tell them it's there and ready, but then it's up to them to grab as needed or come get it all and put it all away. Now, it's obviously not enough room to stack their things all separate (but they hang shirts/pants, so it's just socks, undies, shorts, pjs) but there is enough room to give everyone his own stack on top of the dryer. 

And there's just enough room to have 3 tall hampers in there, so I can sort their dirty clothes (they keep a basket in their linen closet in the bathroom; it's their job to bring that to the laundry room at least when it gets full). 

All that to say....you can make small work. It sounds great!

[ktgrok]

27 minutes ago, TheReader said:

Our laundry room is like that, and we have an up high shelf above the washer/dryer with a hanging rod right below it. That works pretty well, I hang up the shirts/pants as I take them out, put the clean basket on the floor under the dryer door and fold into stacks on top of the washer/dryer, then either move into piles on the dryer or into the basket on the floor. Then put the basket up on top of the washer/dryer so that it's less likely to get cat hair in it/on the clothes while the kids are between coming and grabbing their stuff. 

I take mine/dh's stuff downstairs right away. And then the boys come and collect their stuff at will; I'll tell them it's there and ready, but then it's up to them to grab as needed or come get it all and put it all away. Now, it's obviously not enough room to stack their things all separate (but they hang shirts/pants, so it's just socks, undies, shorts, pjs) but there is enough room to give everyone his own stack on top of the dryer. 

And there's just enough room to have 3 tall hampers in there, so I can sort their dirty clothes (they keep a basket in their linen closet in the bathroom; it's their job to bring that to the laundry room at least when it gets full). 

All that to say....you can make small work. It sounds great!

There is room for ONE hamper...I think...but if we moved the washer and dryer closer to each other I could likely put a rod to hang clothes on on one side. Not enough room for a lot of clothes, but enough for a load or two of hanging stuff. Or I may just fold on my bed, like I do now. At least there wouldn't be a makeshift office in my bedroom while I did it. 

[ktgrok]

I just wrote a letter to the homeowners, as I've heard that can help. Sent it to my realtor to forward on. Fingers crossed. 

[Faith-manor]

Katie, one of the most amazing things about the house we purchased in Alabama is the laundry room. Cabinets over there appliances, sink, 8 ft of counter top to fold off with cabinets below. Mark said he thought our daughter and I were going to pee our pants when we saw it! It was definitely a happy dance moment. But it also was not a deal breaker with other homes either. Thankfully, after being outbid on so many other houses, we got this one. I keep hoping for you!

[Annie G]

Good luck! I hope the letter works. It sounds so perfect for your family!

[ktgrok]

42 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Katie, one of the most amazing things about the house we purchased in Alabama is the laundry room. Cabinets over there appliances, sink, 8 ft of counter top to fold off with cabinets below. Mark said he thought our daughter and I were going to pee our pants when we saw it! It was definitely a happy dance moment. But it also was not a deal breaker with other homes either. Thankfully, after being outbid on so many other houses, we got this one. I keep hoping for you!

I'd likely wet myself too! 8 ft of folding space???? 

DH did say he'd put shelves/cabinets to hold say, tablecloths, extra blankets, cleaning supplies, etc. 

Oh, and there is a closet under the stairs for a vacuum, mop, etc. I thought maybe I'd have DH put a little cat door into it through the wall, and put a litter box in there 🙂

[Innisfree]

It sounds wonderful. I hope you get it! 

[Faith-manor]

11 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

I'd likely wet myself too! 8 ft of folding space???? 

DH did say he'd put shelves/cabinets to hold say, tablecloths, extra blankets, cleaning supplies, etc. 

Oh, and there is a closet under the stairs for a vacuum, mop, etc. I thought maybe I'd have DH put a little cat door into it through the wall, and put a litter box in there 🙂

That would be a wonderful place for a cat litter! Love.that.idea.

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

That would be a wonderful place for a cat litter! Love.that.idea.

and/or a spot to feed them where the dog couldn't get to it! I swear that dogs eat more cat food than dog food!

 

 

[mommyoffive]

Smart idea on the letter.  More good luck your way.

[bibiche]

3 hours ago, ktgrok said:

I just wrote a letter to the homeowners, as I've heard that can help. Sent it to my realtor to forward on. Fingers crossed. 

I don’t think it can hurt, but you should still try not to get too invested. I was talking to a neighbor who sold his house and he told me that he got a letter from a really nice couple but he also got a no contingencies offer for $200k over asking. He liked the couple, but went with the better offer. It’s tough out there! Don’t daydream about a house until it’s yours. 🤞

[mominco]

Fingers crossed for you Katie!

[AmandaVT]

Sounds like an amazing house - keeping my fingers crossed! And yes, I think the letters do help. When we bought last year, we wrote a letter and we received numerous letters when we had our house on the market. 

[Ditto]

I really hope you hear very soon that it is all yours!

[WildflowerMom]

I keep checking for updates...   I hope it works out!! 

[ktgrok]

About an hour ago we got a message from the realtor that the buyer wanted a signed addendum explicitly stating the contract was not contingent on appraisal. We had already not included that contingency, but they wanted it spelled out again, so whatever. That they wanted something at all is hopefully a good sign. But really, we just have to wait. If not this house, some house. 

[hippymamato3]

8 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

About an hour ago we got a message from the realtor that the buyer wanted a signed addendum explicitly stating the contract was not contingent on appraisal. We had already not included that contingency, but they wanted it spelled out again, so whatever. That they wanted something at all is hopefully a good sign. But really, we just have to wait. If not this house, some house. 

It sounds positive to me!!

[Scarlett]

I am hoping with you!

[Jenny in Florida]

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

About an hour ago we got a message from the realtor that the buyer wanted a signed addendum explicitly stating the contract was not contingent on appraisal. We had already not included that contingency, but they wanted it spelled out again, so whatever. That they wanted something at all is hopefully a good sign. But really, we just have to wait. If not this house, some house. 

When my kids were younger and auditioning all the time for community theatre stuff, I used to tell them that if they gave the best audition they could and still didn't get the role, it just wasn't their role to get. I told myself a version of that when we were house hunting: If we made the best offer we could and did everything "right" and the buyers chose another offer, then it wasn't meant to be our house.

That said, we're pretty sure it was waiving the appraisal contingency that tipped the scales for us. Made me nervous as all get-out, but it worked. (Actually, it worked really well, because the house appraised for slightly more than we offered.)

Crossing my fingers it works out for you, too. If not this one, then another. 

[ktgrok]

9 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

When my kids were younger and auditioning all the time for community theatre stuff, I used to tell them that if they gave the best audition they could and still didn't get the role, it just wasn't their role to get. I told myself a version of that when we were house hunting: If we made the best offer we could and did everything "right" and the buyers chose another offer, then it wasn't meant to be our house.

That said, we're pretty sure it was waiving the appraisal contingency that tipped the scales for us. Made me nervous as all get-out, but it worked. (Actually, it worked really well, because the house appraised for slightly more than we offered.)

Crossing my fingers it works out for you, too. If not this one, then another. 

Thats exactly what I'm telling myself. I dont' want regrets, I want to present the best offer we can, and then it isn't up to me. 

And it was our realtor who suggested the no contingency on appraisal thing - if that works she more than earned her fee!

[Kassia]

Hope it all works out for you!  I'm sure the waiting is tough! 

[Annie G]

Usually a contract allows you to back out if the appraisal doesn’t come in as high as sale price. So yours means that you can’t back out if it doesn’t, right ? (without losing earnest money) So if it doesn’t appraise for enough do you have to pay the extra up front as part of your down payment? We’ve been seeing this in our neighborhood and wondered how it works. 

[Lady Florida.]

Good luck! The location sounds perfect as I know you were trying to get closer to your parents. The laundry room sounds like something you can "fix" after you live with it for a while and figure out what works. Fingers crossed. 🤞 

[sgo95]

42 minutes ago, Annie G said:

Usually a contract allows you to back out if the appraisal doesn’t come in as high as sale price. So yours means that you can’t back out if it doesn’t, right ? (without losing earnest money) So if it doesn’t appraise for enough do you have to pay the extra up front as part of your down payment? We’ve been seeing this in our neighborhood and wondered how it works. 

I think the financing contingency would allow the buyer to back out if the house doesn't appraise high enough and the lender requires more $ down for the loan to process.

[ktgrok]

46 minutes ago, Annie G said:

Usually a contract allows you to back out if the appraisal doesn’t come in as high as sale price. So yours means that you can’t back out if it doesn’t, right ? (without losing earnest money) So if it doesn’t appraise for enough do you have to pay the extra up front as part of your down payment? We’ve been seeing this in our neighborhood and wondered how it works. 

Yes, we'd just pay in cash whatever part was over the appraisal, as the lender won't mortgage beyond appraisal. 

[ktgrok]

Got a message from the realtor, they won't be making a decision until tomorrow. We are in a pool of a few other offers. Waiting sucks. 

[Faith-manor]

15 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Got a message from the realtor, they won't be making a decision until tomorrow. We are in a pool of a few other offers. Waiting sucks. 

Sorry Katir! Waiting really stinks. 💓

[BlsdMama]

Darn it! I scrolled to the bottom to see if you had a final answer! Long night tonight but hopefully good news and sunshine in the AM!

[kristin0713]

Good luck. We’ve been outbid several times now even with waiving appraisal and waiving inspection. Last house we bid 36k over and still lost it. We had one builder bail on us when lumber costs were insane. We’re meeting with another builder tomorrow. It’s a year next month that we sold our house and I can’t believe prices have continued to climb.

 I hope this is the one for you!  

[BusyMom5]

Good luck!  I, too, was looking for an update.   

[Scarlett]

2 hours ago, kristin0713 said:

Good luck. We’ve been outbid several times now even with waiving appraisal and waiving inspection. Last house we bid 36k over and still lost it. We had one builder bail on us when lumber costs were insane. We’re meeting with another builder tomorrow. It’s a year next month that we sold our house and I can’t believe prices have continued to climb.

 I hope this is the one for you!  

So where have you been living?

[Porridge]

Best wishes!!!!