We took a long (over an hour!) look at The Ranch on Saturday. We talked about putting in an offer with our REA. We didn't even get to put the offer in to find out it was going to be too low. Our REA called the seller's agent and found that the house already had an offer that we couldn't beat. Even worse, the sellers were balking at that offer for being too low.After a long talk with our REA, we realized that with the low inventory and the extra buyers trying to get the $8K it is not really a buyer's market anymore, and there are few deals to be had. New buyers keep creeping out of the woodwork, but there are no new listings out there.
E & I talked and figured that we were probably setting our expectations a little too high. Every house we have liked has been some sort of compromise for our "wants", and it still has sold. We decided to set our sights on this being our first home, and not necessarily our forever home. Below are the new criteria.
-Good school district. We want our children to be able to be in the same school district from Elementary to High School. Moving to one of our desired districts now will allow for that, even if we move houses.
-Good yard. We definitely want at least 1/4 acre, preferably flat. It makes a house feel more private, spacious and quiet.
-Space for an office. E needs a dedicated office area, whether that is in the basement or in an extra bedroom does not matter.
-Room to grow. We want to have the option to expand the living space in a house, whether it is adding a Family Room or finishing a Basement. We may never ever do this, but we want the option to do it.
-Newer furnace and A/C. Or at least some newer windows.
-All bedrooms on the same level.
There are other things we will look at, but overall we are going to be a bit more realistic about what is available in our price range. Maybe the market will pick up soon, but it still seems like there will be more buyers than sellers out there in the near future.
Who knows? Maybe with our new, less strict, criteria we will find a perfect house with a cute nickname.
Best of luck in your hunting. We'll be jumping into the market in about 4 months.
ReplyDeleteI found your blog through the Pitt boards on TN and wanted you to know I support your efforts. There really isn't all that much in this price range that's of true quality, unfortunately.
Best of luck in your continued hunting.