My wife and I have been discussing this for some time-- and the fact is, she's absolutely right. We have to do what is best for our family, and that means changing some of my own life-patterns. That means leaving a place I've enjoyed very much.
We've thought and prayed and consulted with our families, and I think we've come to the right, though difficult conclusion.
We're buying a new home.
Man, I love that smiley.
So, we put our home on the market on Friday. Tomorrow morning, we'll sign a contract to sell it. Houses sell quickly 'round these parts, apparently. We won't be moving to our new home until the end of June, but we've already got it picked out.
We're very pleased. A bigger family is in store for us (nothing definite yet-- for heaven's sake, I have to find another creative name), and we were beginning to get cramped. Plus, the new house has a huge backyard, with huge trees, and an interior almost twice as large as our current home.
It's also going to mean sacrifices. We're going to cut off our YMCA membership, our satellite subscription, and we're going to eat our credit cards. We've already cancelled our dental insurance, which was a $60/paycheck joke, and use some of the profits from the sale of our home to pay off the mini-van, the credit cards, and maybe my school loans.
I'm taking a provisioning position at work-- which means a regular shift and hopefully a raise. This means a rush hour commute, which I've been able to avoid the past 5 years, since I usually work the 6am-2p shift, or the weekends. It also means an end to weekend work, which I won't complain about.
Oh, have we got plans! This is so exciting!
@ my new place, in 3 mos or so!
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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You dork! I was getting all teared up. But I'm still very happy for you, even though you've manipulated my emotions.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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We're actually moving only about two miles or so away from our present home. Same county, same people at church-- we like it here.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Hah! Everyone seems so cheery now Scott, but remember, true friends are the ones that help you move.
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Scott - are you in Northern Virginia? The home market is nuts up there right now. I had to sell my home when I went to law school. I was very happy about the rising prices then.
Now that we're looking for a new home, I'm kind of disappointed in them. Is there any possibility of about a 6-month real estate crash, then a quick return to double-digit home inflation?
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The only reasons we can afford the home we hope to purchase (I need to curb my enthusiasm-- ain't nothing signed yet) is that we can make this HUGE downpayment, and the sellers are friends of ours. They're moving to Texas, and have promised to sell their house to us for a price that is just enough for them to get a good home in Houston.
My wife and I are astounded at all of this. Happy, but astonished.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Funny, we decided to sell our house just a little bit ago. We put it on the market on a Tuesday and sold it two days later. It was kind of crazy. And we're moving to someplace in the general vicinity as well. Hope all goes well in your new place Posts: 3516 | Registered: Sep 2002
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That said, congrats! I assume there will be pictures for us to admire? I think you owe us that for the ten years you took off our lives.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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Congrats Scott! Best of luck in this, seems like you've got a good plan and a good future coming up!
Posts: 2848 | Registered: Feb 2003
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I had a feeling this was going to be a trick as soon as I saw the thread title. You still had me second-guessing myself after the first sentence.
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A week after the contract was signed on our home, the owner of the home (a friend, a church member) we were supposed to purchase came and told us that she and her husband wanted 15k more for their home than they initially said.
My wife and I were understandably flattened.
When it was first proposed (verbally) that we buy their home, they were planning on selling it themselves to avoid realtor fees. Then they found out that his company would pay for a realtor and for closing costs if a company approved realtor was used, and so they decided to go through that way. My wife asked them if they planned on asking more for their home now that they were going through realtor and was told no. She asked this several times before we decided to put our house on the market.
Our house sold in less than a day. A week after it sold, the folks who we were going to buy the house from informed us they needed more money for it. According to the family, the relocation company they were going through takes a percentage of the sale of the home, and thus gets a say in how much the home sells for. The relocation company also stated that their home should list for 30k more than what they proposed to us.
So they proposed that we buy their home for 15k more than what it was initially offered to us for. By way of compromise, I suppose.
You have to understand that we had sold our home on the strength, and understanding, that we would purchase this other home for a certain amount. We had BUDGETED, for crying out loud. We explained this to the other family-- and their response:
"I can't believe you don't feel guilty for wanting to purchase our home for less than it's worth."
WE HAD A FRIGGIN' DEAL!
Guilt doesn't really enter into the equation-- finances do, a concept which was apparently lost on these folks. We are a single income household who was willing to sacrifice to purchase a home that we could grow in.
We parted ways, not unfriendly (because, they blamed the deal-breaking on the relocation company, and I can't gainsay them). Certainly not warmly. They promised that they would find out how much control the relo company had in the sale price of their home; and we said that we'd look into our finances again.
They wanted us to feel guilty-- I just can't get over that. When we asked them several times if they were going to raise their price. I wouldn't be nearly so ticked if we hadn't sold our home on the strength of our trust. Grr.
Anyway, we didn't feel like things were going to work out. We re-did our finances, and found some more money-- but we also began searching for another home.
We found it-- bigger than the first home, with nicer rooms, and in a nicer neighborhood. For less than their second offer. Still a bit more than what we were hoping, but I think we can swing it. We signed the contract this morning. All that remains is to tell the other family that we are no longer interested in their home.
Still-- man, I feel burned. BURNED, I tell you.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Did these people have spinities and big beefy arms? If so, you could say you feel burninated. BURNINATED.
Posts: 9754 | Registered: Jul 2002
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At the risk of sounding...well... you know...maybe God wants you to have this other home instead.
I can understand feeling burned though... it sounds like something my Dad would do. Offer something at one price, then up it while trying to make YOU feel guilty for holding fast to the original deal. It is for this reason I do NOT do financial deals with him at all ever anymore. He's a great guy except for a bit of blindness when it comes to financial ethics.
I'm really sorry this happened to you and your family. I hope this other house works out far better for you. Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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What makes no sense is that for almost any house I can imagine in your area, $15k is close to or near the amount of the commission, so they're not getting any extra money out of the deal. A good settlement company can be had for way less money and provide all the after-contract service a real estate agent can. Basically, they backed out of their deal for no reason, even a selfish reason.
quote: When it was first proposed (verbally) that we buy their home, they were planning on selling it themselves to avoid realtor fees. Then they found out that his company would pay for a realtor and for closing costs if a company approved realtor was used, and so they decided to go through that way.
The only bonus I can see for them is that his company would pay the closing costs. I would assume that would be the typical seller's closing costs and not the whole thing. I could possibly understand asking Scott to pay all the closing costs since that's what they would have gotten through his company, but still. A deal's a deal.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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See, this is why you never do business with friends or people who base their freindships on the church. (You know, like people who advertise their business as "Christian.")
Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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If Mormons aren't considered Christian, does that take them out of this particular consideration, Kayla?
I agree with the sentiment-- but the presentation WAS NOT, "I'm Mormon, trust me because I am." These were people we have both worked with (Mrs. R works with her in the Stake Primary Presidency, I worked occasionally with him through Priesthood Exec. Council), and whom we both felt could be trusted.
And this not to say that they CAN'T be trusted-- there may have just been confusion over the terms of the relocation company, and misunderstanding of their responsabilities.
That doesn't make it any better, and it STILL burns when I think how they wanted US to feel guilty for wanting them to keep to the bargain.
BTW-- the house we are definitely buying (signed the contract on Saturday morning), pending the sale of our house, is also owned by an LDS family.
Are we gluttons for punishment, or what?
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Hey, you can have both good and bad experiences in dealing with friends in the church. When my parents built their house in the early 80's, they used a lot of fellow Mormon subcontractors. The framers (a Mormon family in our ward) were *excellent* and did an fantastic job. The guy who did (or was supposed to do) some of the finish work, also Mormon and in our ward, was terrible. His work was shoddy and what should have taken a few days or weeks, took over two years to get him to do what he'd contracted to do.
All of which tells me that the Mormon church is full of imperfect people. Just like every other church in the world.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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I think you just want reassurance that the Hatrack Community has affection for you. Well we do! No more fake-outs!
Posts: 1631 | Registered: Sep 2001
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@ my new place, in 3 mos or so!
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Ouch! And then trying to guilt you, to boot?! ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
