Welp, in a previous post, I talked about us being in the process of buying a home we really fell in love with that's located near our next assignment.
We've been working on it since November, so, for the past two months...we've been dealing with paperwork, making my printer / scanner earn its keep, and going back and forth with the Sellers. For the most part, things were going rather smoothly....
Blah blah blah.
After an inspection was done on the home, some major things needed to be repaired and we weren't really willing to budge on it. The Sellers, apparently, had the same logic in terms of not budging when it comes to fixing the listed items. In my eyes, when an inspection report clearly states that parts of the roof need to be replaced, the furnace needs repair and the electrical system NEEDS to be looked at by a LICENSED Electrician, you can't just sweep that under the rug. Of course, we stood by what we wanted fixed in our "Objection, Resolution & Waiver Amendment" and that the major things we listed HAD to be resolved. Two weeks go by and the Sellers finally got back to us with basically saying "Yeaaaaaaaahhh....we'll fix the little diddly stuff that's not important *at all*, and we'll have our buddy check out the electrical system even though he kind of sorta knows what he's doing"...
The picture above pretty much conveys how Eric & I feel. They weren't willing to negotiate anything. Not even some sort of wiggle room so we both win in the end. After talking at length with our Realtor, we finally decided to throw in the towel (at his suggestion) since the Sellers were basically trying to bulldoze sticking us with roof repairs, furnace replacement and various plumbing issues in addition to the electrical system. VERY frustrating since two months worth of work just went up in smoke. I realize it's all part of the big machine when it comes to buying a home...but, GAH! Although, it did feel good to sign off on the "Termination Agreement"...I just wish I could see the Sellers face and be like "SEE?? Being a turd doesn't pay!"
So, I hit the ground running and trolled through more real estate listings. It was a little discouraging at first since all the homes I *really* didn't like were still available, LOL. Nothing new had popped up. Le Sigh. I finally just had a map load with all the potential listings with the specs we were wanting and went through one by one....ugly kitchen here....no yard there....what's with that paint color?? I took A LOT of mental notes in terms of what *NOT* to do to our home when it comes to decor.
Just when I was about to throw in the towel and sulk, I found it. I found a house with the exact same square footage, appearance and everything that the house we had originally put an offer on. AND, it has a gorgeously landscaped backyard, it's a nice chunk cheaper in terms of the asking price, there is an interior AND exterior fireplace, AND....AND!! And the homeowner is a Contractor, so he's taken exceptionally good care of the home and had made various improvements and upgrades to the property. SWOON! Of course, I instantly call our Realtor and go figure...he knows the guy since he was a Contractor for twenty years! AH! So, he was able to go over and check out the house, talked to him for a while about the whole terms and conditions...can I say I'm excited? No. Hopeful is a better word in this case.
Here's a sneak peek of some of the pictures our Agent sent us:
Apparently they're dog people. The funny thing is that Eric and I were planning on installing a doggy door just like this when we got a house. The fact that its already been done (installed properly with insulation), I think it's a sign!
A view of it from the inside:
There's a metal gate that leads out to the street from the backyard. Luckily, he was awesome and it's all super secured so not just anyone can open it up and walk on in. Here's how it looks from the street:
Since it's kinda ugly to look at a metal gate, he actually framed it up with wood fencing to make it look better. I think he did an awesome job! Plus, there's a good amount of concrete under the fence line to help "dog proof" the area so little diggers like my ninjas can't get out.
And here's how it ties together with the rest of the yard:
I'm VERY happy about the yard because of all the homes I've searched through, maybe two had nice backyards. It sounds silly, but I'm just stoked to see that much greenery even available considering we're moving to the desert and the majority of the homes have rock yards. Going from gorgeous Belgium to dirt is gonna be rough for me. So, this will help a little smidge.
So, at this point in time, I'll just agree with the saying "Things happen for a reason". Hopefully everything goes SMOOTH with this house! Fingers crossed!
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