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dancerjodiSo B and I looked at our first house last night - not too exciting (small rooms, old kitchen, old and wimpy electrical system and a lot of unusable land). Now that we've started the home search process things are getting excited . . . I want to keep looking and just get this phase of the whole thing done.
But we got our official pre-approval letter (woo hoo)! It was so weird to see such big numbers on paper!
I found another house in Waltham, this one is on the South Side off of Moody Street (only about 5 blocks from where my parents live its not RIGHT on the Newton Line but the realtor is advertising it as such) that we got the address for and drove by last night. Its a pretty big colonial with a nice sized yard for the city and its fairly private (its at the end of a long driveway from the street and there is 6 foot wood fencing giving privacy from the surrounding lots). We're going to look at it tomorrow during lunch - we're actually actively excited about this one (versus the one we looked at last night which we were pretty convinced we wouldn't like).
So - if we see this house and like it and the price and area and all amenities fit what do we do about it? I don't want to make an offer on the 2nd house we tour but on the other hand I don't want to lose one that just "clicks" and would perfectly meet our needs. I'm hoping that if all goes well tomorrow we can tell the Realtor that we're interested but need a few days to think about it and then we can knock out a bunch of other home visits at open-houses over the weekend. Do you think a realtor would be willing to call us if other offers come in (to see if we'll give a better one) or would they just sell to the first reasonable offer? Or is it up to the homeowner? This is a very confusing process to me, being someone that doesn't haggle for price . . .
Weird weird weird!
But we got our official pre-approval letter (woo hoo)! It was so weird to see such big numbers on paper!
I found another house in Waltham, this one is on the South Side off of Moody Street (only about 5 blocks from where my parents live its not RIGHT on the Newton Line but the realtor is advertising it as such) that we got the address for and drove by last night. Its a pretty big colonial with a nice sized yard for the city and its fairly private (its at the end of a long driveway from the street and there is 6 foot wood fencing giving privacy from the surrounding lots). We're going to look at it tomorrow during lunch - we're actually actively excited about this one (versus the one we looked at last night which we were pretty convinced we wouldn't like).
So - if we see this house and like it and the price and area and all amenities fit what do we do about it? I don't want to make an offer on the 2nd house we tour but on the other hand I don't want to lose one that just "clicks" and would perfectly meet our needs. I'm hoping that if all goes well tomorrow we can tell the Realtor that we're interested but need a few days to think about it and then we can knock out a bunch of other home visits at open-houses over the weekend. Do you think a realtor would be willing to call us if other offers come in (to see if we'll give a better one) or would they just sell to the first reasonable offer? Or is it up to the homeowner? This is a very confusing process to me, being someone that doesn't haggle for price . . .
Weird weird weird!
I'm a firm believer
Date: 2002-04-10 06:25 am (UTC)If you love the house, put in a bid.
While reading this the first thing I thought was "They're going to have a hard time getting rid of it." Because either a) it's not close to Newton, and they're advertising it as close. That5's going to turn off anyone who wants to live in Newton, comes to see the house, and decideds it's not close enough. or b) People read "It's close to Newton" and say "Oh It'll be too expensive." and don't bother.
Do, however, check out the property values before you make an offer. It may be the right price, then the real estate taxes will kill you. Property values are public domain. Plus there are sites (which are escaping me at the moment) that will tell you of recent property sales in the area, and esitamted values, to see if you're getting, the proverbial screw.
Real estate taxes could make an impact on your mortgage, if your bank requires an escrow account to pay them.
Whoo, where's all this coming from? And here I thought my brain was tapioca. *grin* Good Luck.
Re: I'm a firm believer
Date: 2002-04-10 06:35 am (UTC)Re: I'm a firm believer
Date: 2002-04-10 07:09 am (UTC)Taxes in Waltham are really cheap (due to all of the industry) - our lender actually told us that it ends up being CHEAPER than some other communities because of the extreme tax savings :)
I found the assessor info on the City Web Site and the last time it was sold was 1987 for $130K (now they are asking $300). I found a condo a couple of blocks down that was sold last summer at around $250 and a two family that was sold at $350 so I think for the area (and the city in general) the price is reasonable (that is, if its a decent house).
We shall see . . .
Re: I'm a firm believer
Date: 2002-04-10 07:17 am (UTC)I should have known you'd have all bases covered.
See *points* Tapioca.
Bleh. Off to work. Via a donut. Hmmmm. Donut.