I think I might have been drugged and/or sleepwalking when we bought our first house because I don't remember being as stressed out as I am now.
Perhaps were were just naive and unaware or maybe it was the decent market at the time or better yet, maybe our realtor has gotten more dramatic since we last worked with her. No matter what the reason, there has not been a full 24 hours since we started this whole home buying/selling process where I have not been stressed or worried about something.
First came the unexpected emotional battle over the purchase of our new house. The negotiation process started off on a good foot, but then evolved into the seller irrationally questioning if she wanted to move at all. Um. Listen lady, we sold our house, we want your house, we're offering you big bucks... take it.
Then came the inspection from hell on our current home... okay, I'm being dramatic, but still... it was a tough (and moldy) pill to swallow - check out the "There's a Fungus Among Us" post to read more about that all out cry-fest.
Once we accepted that our home wasn't as solid as we thought it was, we pulled ourselves together and started addressing all the issues to comply with our buyers' wishes. We were feeling good and thought the worst was past us until our realtor said, "Let's just hope your home appraises now."
Uh. Come again?
Our realtor proceeded to tell us that homes twice the size of the home we're selling were being sold for LESS than ours. I knew weeks earlier that we got a decent amount for our home given the market, but it was still a steal as far as I was concerned and I finally didn't regret all the upgrades we put into the house because they were seemingly paying off.
But our realtor explained that after the housing market crashed appraisers were tougher than ever and now looking more at square footage than actual upgrades and there may be a chance our home will appraise less than it was purchased for.
Again, I think I have must have been in a daze when we purchased this house years ago because this whole concept of appraisal never stuck in mind. And now, here were are, learning that if our house appraises for less than the purchase price, we may have to pay the difference.
Panic set in.
I started to think, "Can an appraiser be bribed?" "Does the fact that my and husband and I are a cute couple increase the home's value? Maybe I should put out more pictures of us..."
Well, more weeks went by that I could barely sleep as I anxiously awaited the appraisal report and then yesterday our realtor called with the news...
"Your home appraised!!"
Phew. I don't know why I was so nervous - I knew all the effort we put into our home would pay off (and the cookies and milk we left out for the appraiser), but I'm still shocked by the insanity of this entire home selling process.
One panic attack down... just a few more to go!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
How much does a less stressful move cost?
That question wasn't rhetorical. It actually has an answer. It costs $2,500.
We are currently getting quotes from professional moving companies to help make our move a little less stressful and the estimates have ranged anywhere from $1900 to $2500. I don't know why I'm so shocked by the cost (and ironically stressed by the quote for the service that is supposed to alleviate stress) considering I've never had to make a major move in my life and have always assumed hiring a professional would be priceless.
I moved in and out of college dorms and apartments, but all I really had to transport then was my 13 inch combo TV/VCR and suitcases of clothes that hid bottles of booze that I bribed my older sister to buy me. However, those moves cost me my street cred with co-eds as my mom embarrassed me by introducing herself to all my neighbors and my dad scared the hell out of any boy who dared to look my way.
And the move into our first home required the strength of my husband, brother-in-laws and a few friends who were only tasked to move one bedroom's worth of furniture along with a couple of old couches. That move may have only literally cost us a few pizzas and beer, but there was arguing, swearing, hurt backs and hurt feelings.
I really thought that after all those stressful, mini-move experiences that you couldn't put a price tag on hiring professionals to do the biggest move of your life for you. But apparently when that price tag is $2500 and you're draining your savings to buy a home, you start to reconsider the idea of hiring professionals and think about how strong your relationships are with those you love and if they can endure your biggest move yet with their help and u-haul.
So before I start thinking about u-hauls and trying to figure out what friends of ours can do heavy lifting AND who are also friends we wouldn't mind losing, let me try to put a value to this $2500 and justify the cost.
If we hired professional movers we could:
We are currently getting quotes from professional moving companies to help make our move a little less stressful and the estimates have ranged anywhere from $1900 to $2500. I don't know why I'm so shocked by the cost (and ironically stressed by the quote for the service that is supposed to alleviate stress) considering I've never had to make a major move in my life and have always assumed hiring a professional would be priceless.
I moved in and out of college dorms and apartments, but all I really had to transport then was my 13 inch combo TV/VCR and suitcases of clothes that hid bottles of booze that I bribed my older sister to buy me. However, those moves cost me my street cred with co-eds as my mom embarrassed me by introducing herself to all my neighbors and my dad scared the hell out of any boy who dared to look my way.
And the move into our first home required the strength of my husband, brother-in-laws and a few friends who were only tasked to move one bedroom's worth of furniture along with a couple of old couches. That move may have only literally cost us a few pizzas and beer, but there was arguing, swearing, hurt backs and hurt feelings.
I really thought that after all those stressful, mini-move experiences that you couldn't put a price tag on hiring professionals to do the biggest move of your life for you. But apparently when that price tag is $2500 and you're draining your savings to buy a home, you start to reconsider the idea of hiring professionals and think about how strong your relationships are with those you love and if they can endure your biggest move yet with their help and u-haul.
So before I start thinking about u-hauls and trying to figure out what friends of ours can do heavy lifting AND who are also friends we wouldn't mind losing, let me try to put a value to this $2500 and justify the cost.
If we hired professional movers we could:
- Tell them what to do with no guilt... and I personally wouldn't be accused of being a "nag" (or at least be accused of that out loud). Let me tell you, if I had a dollar for every time I was called that during a move, I could EASILY pay for these movers, no question.
- Avoid having to go to marriage counseling, which I'm sure is expensive
- Spend time being excited about the journey ahead in life and not the journey ahead in a smelly rented truck that we'd probably struggle driving
- Avoid unnecessary "I will prove to you I can move this myself and don't need you" injuries
- Impress our neighbors - I still feel like we're kids moving into a way too adult house... a moving truck says, "we totally have it together and can afford these expensive movers." They don't have to know we'll have to eat PB&J sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner until our next paycheck clears.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
There's a Fungus Among Us
The most difficult part about selling our first home is the hit our egos have taken during the process. We have spent nearly four years turning what was once a dated, problem pit into a beautiful, modern marvel (okay, so that is a bit of an exaggeration, but let's just say we put a lot of TLC into the place). So when we got the report back from our buyers' inspector my jaw nearly dropped to the floor when I heard the dirtiest four letter word in the world... MOLD.
We have WHAT?? I thought mold problems only existed in the homes of hoarders or those hideous fixer-uppers that first time flippers naively purchase. Perhaps they inspected the wrong house? Or maybe our house was so pristine that the inspector felt obligated to lie to justify his paycheck?
And not only did he find mold, the inspector also chose to judge our fuse box and mock our roof for missing two shingles. The missing shingles add character to our roof; how dare he call out our home's endearing flaws and put them down on paper. I can only imagine that my reaction to the inspection results would be similar to a mother being told her child isn't very bright - I was mad, indignant and immediately blamed my husband.
So after a few hours of crying... yes... I cried... sobbed, actually... I went through the natural stages of anger and then started to resent the home that once made me so proud. The hubby sneezed and I immediately yelled out, "the damn mold in the house is making us sick! We NEED to get out of here!"
And for the record, the so called "mold" in our estranged attic is so miniscule that the inspector wasn't too concerned and just suggested we have it spot treated, and our buyers weren't spooked by it either. But I'm pretty sure they were just playing it cool on the surface, and judging us behind closed doors wondering what kind of filthy people Adam and I are.
So here I am now. Two weeks post-inspection shock and coming to terms with the fact that no home is perfect and neither are we. And I've also realized that it wasn't just the unexpected inspection results that caused my meltdown... these past few weeks have been a whirlwind of stress and emotions that I just wasn't prepared for. From lenders to realtors to movers to stupid inspectors who clearly don't know a quality house when they see one, selling and buying a home simultaneously isn't as easy as HGTV makes it seem. And when it comes down to it, Adam and I are still doing a darn good job making things happen to get us into our dream house.
With my home selling emotions FINALLY in check, I have decided I need to chill out, take the next 4 weeks until close day-by-day and take a deep breath whenever I can... well, not TOO deep... we do have mold, afterall.
We have WHAT?? I thought mold problems only existed in the homes of hoarders or those hideous fixer-uppers that first time flippers naively purchase. Perhaps they inspected the wrong house? Or maybe our house was so pristine that the inspector felt obligated to lie to justify his paycheck?
And not only did he find mold, the inspector also chose to judge our fuse box and mock our roof for missing two shingles. The missing shingles add character to our roof; how dare he call out our home's endearing flaws and put them down on paper. I can only imagine that my reaction to the inspection results would be similar to a mother being told her child isn't very bright - I was mad, indignant and immediately blamed my husband.
So after a few hours of crying... yes... I cried... sobbed, actually... I went through the natural stages of anger and then started to resent the home that once made me so proud. The hubby sneezed and I immediately yelled out, "the damn mold in the house is making us sick! We NEED to get out of here!"
And for the record, the so called "mold" in our estranged attic is so miniscule that the inspector wasn't too concerned and just suggested we have it spot treated, and our buyers weren't spooked by it either. But I'm pretty sure they were just playing it cool on the surface, and judging us behind closed doors wondering what kind of filthy people Adam and I are.
So here I am now. Two weeks post-inspection shock and coming to terms with the fact that no home is perfect and neither are we. And I've also realized that it wasn't just the unexpected inspection results that caused my meltdown... these past few weeks have been a whirlwind of stress and emotions that I just wasn't prepared for. From lenders to realtors to movers to stupid inspectors who clearly don't know a quality house when they see one, selling and buying a home simultaneously isn't as easy as HGTV makes it seem. And when it comes down to it, Adam and I are still doing a darn good job making things happen to get us into our dream house.
With my home selling emotions FINALLY in check, I have decided I need to chill out, take the next 4 weeks until close day-by-day and take a deep breath whenever I can... well, not TOO deep... we do have mold, afterall.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Welcome!
Hi. My name is Stephanie and I'm obsessed with home improvement.
Phew. That felt good to get off my chest.
I have started this blog to chronicle my experience as my husband, Adam, and I sell our first home, which we renovated from top to bottom, and move onto what we're affectionately calling our dream "family house." And no, if you're wondering, we do not have a family. Well, that's not entirely true. We have each other, but we don't have kids. The master plan is to eventually fill our new 3,000+ square foot home with children... and let me stress the eventually. We're looking forward to settling into our new, large-and-in-charge pad sans kids and taking on our favorite past time... home improvement.
The journey ahead won't be a smooth one (the home selling process alone has already brought me to tears... daily), but it will definitely be interesting (and most likely entertaining) as we deal with the emotion that goes along with our first big move and the excitement we get from doing some good, old fashioned work around our new house.
Oh, and don't worry, we're not going into this new home naive and unaware of the task that lies ahead. After spending the past three years working on our first home, which presented us with what we thought would be quick, DIY projects, we have learned one very important lesson: the house ALWAYS wins and can turn seemingly easy, weekend projects into never-ending, relationship testing jobs.
Hold onto your tool belts, kids... this is going to be a wild ride.
Phew. That felt good to get off my chest.
I have started this blog to chronicle my experience as my husband, Adam, and I sell our first home, which we renovated from top to bottom, and move onto what we're affectionately calling our dream "family house." And no, if you're wondering, we do not have a family. Well, that's not entirely true. We have each other, but we don't have kids. The master plan is to eventually fill our new 3,000+ square foot home with children... and let me stress the eventually. We're looking forward to settling into our new, large-and-in-charge pad sans kids and taking on our favorite past time... home improvement.
The journey ahead won't be a smooth one (the home selling process alone has already brought me to tears... daily), but it will definitely be interesting (and most likely entertaining) as we deal with the emotion that goes along with our first big move and the excitement we get from doing some good, old fashioned work around our new house.
Oh, and don't worry, we're not going into this new home naive and unaware of the task that lies ahead. After spending the past three years working on our first home, which presented us with what we thought would be quick, DIY projects, we have learned one very important lesson: the house ALWAYS wins and can turn seemingly easy, weekend projects into never-ending, relationship testing jobs.
Hold onto your tool belts, kids... this is going to be a wild ride.
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