House Hunting Update #1: This is Even Harder Than We Thought

First: Ignore our smiles in this photo because pretty much nothing about house hunting so far has been “fun” (LOL, but for real). Second: You’re probably all thinking “well, I could have told you that.” Hear me out when I say that we knew this wouldn’t be easy, and that we’d have to stay persistent and make quick decisions, but it’s even harder than we thought. Keep reading for an update on how house hunting is going, what we’ve learned so far + our next steps!

OFFER DECLINED

I walked into this particular house last Thursday less than 24 hours after it was listed online to find out it already had 20+ showings and five offers. I’m just as amazed by this as you are. And let me tell you, it had all the bells and whistles. To give you a visual, this house was turn-key and freshly redone on the inside with the most beautiful cathedral ceilings and hardwood floors, which clearly everyone else loved too. We placed an offer that day knowing it was one of at least six when we submitted it, and knowing our chances were slim, we weren’t surprised when we found out our offer wasn’t accepted Friday afternoon.

We weren’t necessarily crushed by any means, but it was disappointing to be knocked down another peg right after taking such a huge step. It’s hard not to get your heart set on things, but still let yourself love something enough to offer what feels like every dime you have. Though we knew it was fairly unlikely we’d get our offer accepted on that house with so much other competition, we decided to go through with the process to get the experience of putting in an offer under our belts so we know what we’re doing in the future. This process is more up and down than a dramatic middle school relationship and sometimes I just want to quit, you guys! This market is vicious and I’m definitely feeling like I’m not cut out for it. Bleh. 

If we’re being honest here, I think some realtors may be using unethical practices, like rejecting/delaying other relators in booking showings for their listings, not putting For Sale signs up in the yard when they should and waiting to list the house online too. I’ve seen houses get posted online was immediately pending, so something seems fishy there. If this is the case, we can’t win a cheating/unfair game, can we?

FIXER UPPER?

Maybe it’s time to rethink our strategy. With the fierce house competition, is a fixer upper a better route for us? Is it more likely than not that we’ll never be able to snatch up a turn-key house in this market? These are the questions that keep me up at night. I’d be lying if I said fixer uppers don’t intimidate me, but I’m warming up to the idea. For those of you who don’t know, I grew up in the real estate business (my dad is a realtor and is our realtor too) and house flipping market (we did this as a family on the regular, usually a several houses at once), so I know deep down that it’s a real possibiltiy. Unfortunately though, most of the fixer uppers I see in our area are way too small for what we’re wanting, so purchasing it just to expand it a ton seems kind of pointless.

My dad has been helping us and he advised that we watch a few episodes of Fixer Upper. Believe it or not, I’ve never seen it until now! Even just a couple episodes have helped me gain a better (tiny I think, but better) understanding of how much things cost, allowing me to wrap my head around this possibility a bit more. I’m not someone who likes jumping into the unknown, especially when it involves a financial commitment, but I’m willing to learn. With that being said, this is an option we’re exploring now and I’m now clicking on those scary cheap (and just scary in general) listings you see online and trying to envision what we could turn it into.

I must admit I do love the idea of customizing a home to our personal taste more than just the decor, and that would be a totally realistic option if we purchase a cheap fixer upper. I think this idea of turning something bad into something we love that’s totally “us” will help me push through this process. I realize this is our first home, not our forever home, so I’m trying to keep that in mind.

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So that’s where we’re at on house hunting for those of you who are curious! I wish I had a more positive update, but we’re getting there (fingers crossed, right?). We’re focused on keeping our heads up and staying resilient throughout this process. If any of you have gone through this in the past or are experiencing this now, leave a comment below! As a reminder since I think house hunting is really about utilizing your resources, we’re looking in the Southport, Greenwood and Whiteland areas — so if you know of anyone who’s selling, send them my way! Thanks for catching up with me & cross your fingers for us to find some better luck!

P.S. Did you notice the blog got a little update?! I changed the images in the header up top to more recent photos and changed up the color of the text. I’m loving it & the new vibe!