The House Saga
If you’ve been following along with A + Life for a while, you surely know all about our selling our house up’s and down’s over the last (almost!) two years. But, I thought, for new and old followers, a brief walk down memory lane would be good. (Also, a lot of these posts are hilarious- if I don’t say so myself- so I recommend giving them a read!) (Also, also, note to self- bring back more gif usage to blog posts. They’re awesome)
Where it all started:
With A Little Bit of Love- We buy our first fixer upper! (March 2014)
Five On Friday- Waiting On Inspections (March 2014)
Five On Friday- Still Waiting On Inspections + A House Leak (March 2014)
I’m Walkin Away- Canceling our first contract(April 2014)
The House Update You’ve Been Waiting For! – We put a contract on our second fixer upper and put our house on the market for the first time. (June 2014)
How To NOT Sell Your House In A Month- Bitter Party Of One (July 2014)
How To Live In A Listed House Without Losing Your Marbles- Self Explanatory (September 2014)
House Stuff- Our contract expires on fixer upper number two and we take our home off of the market. Surprise! I’m pregnant! (October 2014)
My Big Mini Home Remodel Reveal- We discover IKEA and decide to make our current house more our style. With a lot of paint and a little elbow grease, we spruce up our place into something we really love! (April 2015)
And that is where we left things. A cute and lovely updated home by April and a new baby(Miss Mabel!) arrived in the middle of May.
And then, at the end of May, out of nowhere, we started noticing advertisements and promotions for homes in our area. Things like, “there is a shortage of listings! Sell your home today!” and then, randomly, our realtor texted me and said, “I know you just had a baby…..but if you’re still interested in selling, now would be a great time.”
So Jim and I looked at each other. And we looked at our days old baby. And we said, “okay,”
By the beginning of June, our house was back on the market. But unlike the last time, we opted to not house hunt beforehand. We didn’t want to fall in love with a house only to watch it sell before we could buy it. We kept an eye on realtor.com and knew that there were houses that could fit what we were looking for, but never went inside any.
And I never mentioned it here because, just like last time, our house would.not.sell. And it kind of hurts the old ego to admit that. You know?
We had showing after showing after showing after showing.
And the craziest reasons why our house wasn’t “the one”
Too many kids in our neighborhood
Too close to the school- because it would be busy on Friday night football games
Too modern
The bedrooms are too small (our house is 1600 sq ft so…..not sure what they expected…)
Not open enough
And then, one day, in the middle of September, it finally happened.
For the first time ever, our email dinged and inside was AN OFFER.
Someone had seen our house and they WANTED TO BUY IT.
And we went, uh, holy crap. We don’t have any place to go. So we rushed around and looked at a bunch of listings and finally selected one that we loved(in the photo above) and were ready to put in an offer.
But wait.
In comes a text from our buyers realtor. And they are having second thoughts.
*Oh, now would be a good time to mention how crazy these people were. They gave us a lowish offer, wanted all of our appliances, including washer and dryer, all of their closing costs, and title fees. (I know, right?) So we countered. They were a FHA loan, so we figured they needed more cash than a lower list price so we agreed to give them all the extras but not lower the price. And apparently that made them mad, so they countered with their “FINAL OFFER OR WE’RE WALKING” threat and we were all, bye felicia. So they walked away.
Yep.
Next day? They’re back again with “THIS TIME IS OUR FINAL OFFER OR WE’RE WALKING” offer and it was the same as the day before just reconfigured, so we countered the same as the day before just reconfigured and they were all, “HMM. Well. We need to come inside and see it again before we decide about 30 minutes from now.” Which is really cool when you have two little girls and all that….so we did and they texted a few hours later “We accept your counter!”
So there’s the story within the story*
But wait.
In comes a text from another realtor who says her client wants to put in an offer(she just needs to show it to her husband in person first!)
So we don’t put in an offer on the cute house we love and wait to see how it all shakes out.
Our buyers back out because- as we’d suspected, they were INSANE and had no money and yeah…..we weren’t actually sad at all to see them go.
Then the second couple comes to see our house and apparently the husband says, “no we’re not putting in an offer because I DON’T HAVE ROOM TO PARK MY RV THERE.”
Let us not forget that our house sits on half an acre.
Anyway. So it all shook out and you know where we were? The exact same place we were when we started back in June. No offer. No prospects. Oh, except now? We had a house that we loved and had to sit and watch and wait and hope didn’t sell to someone else in the meantime.
Annnnnnd back to showings. And more showings. And more showings.
And suddenly:
On November 2nd, a legit non crazy people offer actually showed up. And they were reasonable to negotiate with. And in a day we had an agreed upon contract. What?!
And so we raced back over and put in an offer on our house that was still (blessedly) on the market. And within a day or so had our negotiated contract there as well.
We’ve been through inspections at both places, though we are still working out the kinks on repairs here and there. We’ve had our appraisal, oh, and have I mentioned that our close date is December 1st? Because, that’s like two weeks from today. We have to be completely out of our house on December 1st(that’s the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, in case anyone is keeping track) and we don’t get to close on our new place until December 15th….at the earliest.
But, we’re still crazy excited. After nearly two years of this house saga, the timing has finally worked out and we are finally moving onto our next home!
I can’t wait to give you all a home tour once we finally get in. It definitely needs some work and there won’t be an inch that goes untouched before all is said and done, but it has that amazing old character and charm that you just don’t find anymore AND has all of the things that we were wanting and needing in a new house.
So, now that our big news is out, I can’t wait to blog more regularly about all things house and home related. It’s going to be so crazy and fun!
Hooray! Our last buy/sell was a little nightmare, but it all ironed out in the end. So excited to see your new space!
Congratulations!! We're only buying, thank you little rental house for making it half way easy, and it's still been a crazy saga. I hope everything goes smoothly on both house fronts for you. Yay for moving!! And the new house looks super cute. I can't wait to see the inside.
Oh friend hooray!!! I am so excited for you!! The people who bought our house in KC were insane with their negotiation, too (not as crazy as yours it sounds!) but it was so stressful and almost a slap in the face as to how nice our house was. So excited for your new place!!
This is so exciting and crazy!!! Buying/Selling is like an Olympic sport sometimes!! I am so excited for you and cannot wait to see the new house. It looks ADORABLE!! And YOU are skinny minny!!!!!!!
oh goodness the ups and downs you guys went through!!!!! sending you allll of my good moving wishes now, because holy cow this is the craziest time i think i have ever experienced!! you guys are troupers!!! yaaay new housey!!
What a story! I'm so glad you finally got a non-crazy person interested in your home, and you found one you loved and it was still on the market! Yay! Timing! Minus the whole moving at Christmas bit. Good luck with it all!
Congratulations!! What a wild housing ride 🙂 Glad you've finally found non-crazy people to deal with and are moving onto the cutest home ever. Can't wait to hear LOTS more about it. Good luck with your move – how exciting that you'll get to move in before the holidays!!
AHHHH!! This is the BEST NEWS EVER! And how is it that things always randomly happen at times?! I mean Jim JUST built that swing set 😉
Ahhhh! So excited for you guys – FINALLY!
That's fantastic news! Have you found a place for the meantime?
Yay Im So Excited For You Courtney!! Such a prayer answered. Can't wait to read more. 🙂
Yay Im So Excited For You Courtney!! Such a prayer answered. Can't wait to read more. 🙂
Great news!! Congrats!!
Why are some people soooo crazy? So glad it all worked out!!! Very bappy for you guys!
So mich excitement! We have always closed on our houses in December… It's a crazy time of year but a fan to start the new year. Congrats!
Ahh!! Yay!! The new place looks beautiful and I can't wait to see more of it! You have been very patient, and I hope the next two weeks go well!!
YAY!!!!! SO excited for you!!!! Everything totally happens for a reason and bam! It's finally figured itself out. So excited to see your new house! Things will be a little crazy for a while but it will be SO worth it in the end! Congrats!
Congratulations!!! So glad this has worked out for you!!
Girl, I got dizzy just reading that! But I am so happy for you!!!!!
The new one looks super cute with curb appeal.
YAAAAY!!!! Congrats, so happy you for, friend!
YAY!!! How amazing!!! So so so happy for you guys that this finally worked out! Your new home looks beautiful from the outside! I have moved at the holidays before and it's crazy but it's totally worth it. Sending happy thoughts your way for smoothness through the closings! Nothing ever really feels real or done until you sign your life away! 🙂
Congrats! I was starting to get angry at those crazy people for possibly taking away your chance at an awesome house. Glad it worked out for y'all! 🙂
CONGRATS!! I know you guys have been dealing with the house drama FOREVER so it's great that it has a happy ending! Can't wait to see pics of the new place and all your ideas for the remodel. Exciting!
WOW!!!! How exciting and exhausting. I cannot wait to read more about you new, ADORABLE home!!!!
Oh my gosh! A long time coming and worth the wait because God is always right on time!!!! Love it. Crazy is always good. Bring on December!!! xx
Yay!! Congrats!! So exciting and super crazy stressful at the same time. Good luck with everything! We were there (moving with a baby at least) just a couple months ago!
Congratulations!! I'm sure things will be nuts but you got this mama! Your new place looks SO STINKIN CUTE! I love homes with character so I can't wait to see yours! Good luck with everything in the coming days!! xx
That is great! Congrats! Can't wait to shop for our forever home!
What a whirlwind but hooray! It worked out and am so happy for y'all! xx
So exciting. Can't wait for more details on the new place!
so exciting! congratulations! can't wait to see the new house!
Oh, wow! So exciting! I love how you shared all the drama that went along with it. Those crazy people offers are the worst! We got some of those and they are never fun. Hopes dashed. But, you have it under contract and have a new home to move in to! Yay! This is very exciting. I can't wait to read all about your house adventures. … and of course, see pictures once there are pictures to share 🙂
Oh my gosh, so exciting! Congrats on finally selling your old place, and even more so on the new place! Everything always works out so perfectly in the end!!
Yay!! I'm so excited the cat is finally out of the bag. Major prayers over here for y'all!!
First off I feel compelled to mention that November 2 is a lucky day because it happens to be my birthday 😉 So many congratulations! How fun will it be to redo another home?! Ill be following along and cheering you on!
Congrats! Super excited for you ALTHOUGH moving is the pits so I don't envy you there. Good luck!
Wow. Just wow!! First of all the saga was so intense and second of all, congratulations!!!!!! So very exciting!!!! Your new home looks sooooo cute!!! Can't wait to see more of it!!
What a crazy up and down story! I can't believe how flaky some people are especially with something as serious as real estate. I love the look of your new home and can't wait to see more! Congratulations!
How exciting and overwhelming!! Congratulations, can't wait to see the new place. 🙂
So exciting! Congratulations. Love your new house. Can't wait to see more!
Yay!!! Such exciting news, and even more exciting time for you! Can't wait to see your new home!
I am the new one
Wow! So exciting, and crazy! I can't wait to see what you all do with the new house; it looks so cute!
Ah! Congrats! That is so exciting! I can't wait to hear more!
Congrats girl!!! So glad it all worked out and your new house looks SO PRETTY!!!
OH MY GOODNESS!!! This is SO exciting. Congrats!!
I am SO not looking forward to selling our house when the time comes. We know we don't want to stay here forever, we knew that when we bought it, but now after living here for a couple years we know we don't want to have kids here, and I am sooooooooo not looking forward to selling and attempting to buy at the same time. Ugh. Just not thinking about it right now lol.
Congrats again! good riddance to the crazy people. Can't wait to see your new house!!
Oh.my.goodness! Your story sounds so very familiar…but I think yours is worse. 😉 Congratulations on the sale and move! Nice to find your blog and your sweet family!
Jackie
parentingtheateam.com
What a saga! We had a huge housing saga selling our first fixer upper home too 🙂