Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Thoughts on House Hunting

Do you know what's stressful? House hunting is stressful. Yea, sure, it's fun. Or, at least parts of it are fun, but as it continues it becomes stressful. A month and a half into our hunt and we have driven countless miles, lost track of how many houses we have seen, and put in four offers to be back at square one. 

When we put our house on the market we loved the fact that the market was so hot. It meant fourteen showings in three days and multiple offers. We were riding high! Now, on the other side of coin, we are drained. We have seen houses in immaculate condition and houses that are falling apart. We have been to the top of our price range and to the bottom. We have waited outside houses to go in (because so many others are there) and have been some of the first. It's exhausting, but has taught us a lot. A few things we have learned:

pictures can do wonders
There are some really good photographers out there who can make a rough house looks amazing. Unfortunately for them pictures can only take you so far. . .

asking price just won't cut it
In this market you better be prepared to go above and beyond asking if you really want a house. 

not all realtors are equal
Our realtor is AMAZING. She has been so helpful and has truly gone above and beyond. If it weren't for her I'm pretty sure I would have lost it already.

the TV shows are not realistic
"Reality" is definitely not what those "reality" house hunting TV shows are. There are WAY more than three houses to see and usually takes more than one day to see them all and make a decision.

we are very fortunate
We are so fortunate to be able to go on this crazy/fun adventure!

2 comments:

  1. House hunting is exhausting, especially in your situation, where others are waiting to see the house as well. It takes a long time to look at a house; you have to look in closets and cabinets to see how big they are and take in the details of each room, which is hard with other people waiting for their turn.

    Jacqueline @ Buyer's Option Realty Services

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  2. After all those work, I suggest that look after yourself as well. It is stressful, house hunting, and it's usually don eon top of the daily work, domestic life, childcare or whatever- can be like trying to do two jobs at one time. It's easy to get run down and burnt out if you don't take care of yourselves - eat well, get some rest.

    Eddy Clemmons @ No Mortgages Ltd

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