Is anyone else house hunting? It is so frustrating! Everything that is nice and in our price range is sold before we can even look at it. We went to an open house yesterday and there must have been 100 people there at once! There were two offers made before showings began!

And we were ready to bid on the house of our dreams when for some reason I felt like I should check the sex offender registry for the area. There are two level 3 registered sex offenders within a block or two of the house. And a third just a few streets over. So we're passing on that.

I hate this market right now! Everything is overpriced and things are selling so fast that I feel like you have to make a quick decision. And I don't want to make a quick decision on something so expensive!!! Arggggh! Thanks for letting me vent!

By Melanie on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 03:35 pm:

Oh gosh, have we ever BTDT! I really do feel for you. Just be patient. The right one will come along and when it does, everything will fall into place. It is hard not to get caught up in the frenzy of over-bidding. Just be sure that you stay focused and only offer what you truly want to pay. Good luck!

By Mrsheidi on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 03:44 pm:

Ditto, Melanie! And, good for you to check out the sex offender registry!!!
We live just outside of Baltimore and our townhomes are going for $30,000 more than when we bought it in October...it's just nuts.
Just stay within your budget, no matter what. And, give a real estate agent your specs on what you want. They have a computer program that notifies them if something comes up for you!!!
Don't forget to look at
ForSaleByOwner.com and get a "Buyer's agent" that will only charge you $500 at closing, rather than an outrageous amount they usually get. They are good at negotiating deals and helping you close. Most real estate agents can actually act as a buyer's agent.

By Mommmie on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 03:48 pm:

People come to our neighborhood and ask people holding garage sales if the garage sale means they are moving and can they bid on the house. There isn't even a sign up!

By Kaye on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 04:49 pm:

In texas that is not the case. My dad's house has been on the market for 2 months, no bids. It is a great house, priced under value, great location, just houses aren't moving here.

By Jann on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 05:11 pm:

I think it depends on which city in Texas and even which area of the city. I have friends in Dallas and Houston who have sold their houses really quickly. I know parts of Austin are booming too.

By Reds9298 on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 05:16 pm:

Oh goodness, here in Kokomo,IN (major Delphi and Chrysler town) every other house is up for sale and going NOWHERE. I'm glad we aren't putting our hosue up for sale right now because real estate around here is just not moving at all, regardless of what condition it is in. I think part of it is that EVERYONE here is building....they just don't want a 'used' house. New homes are going up all over the place, and not in subdivisions either.
Don't worry - the right one will come along, it may just take longer than you thought. Good luck!

By My2cuties on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 05:18 pm:

Oh wow, I have put it on hold for the time being, until we have the baby. I didn't know it would be this hard to find a house that we liked and in a good neighborhood and all that. I am there with you, or I was but I gave up for a while.. I will resume when I get back on my feet after the baby gets here.

By Kaye on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 05:55 pm:

LOL jann...i guess it really depends, his house is in houston, my sil in law has a house in dallas and her neighbors are having huge issues in selling. Location just plays a big factor.

By Jann on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 05:58 pm:

Yep, location, location, location! LOL
What parts of town? I know the areas with new construction are really hurting.

By Kellyj on Monday, May 2, 2005 - 06:26 pm:

Thanks everyone. We're taking our time and have set a strict price range. The news makes it sound like the whole country is the same way.

Our paper recently reported that 60% of the houses being sold in our area are being sold to people from out of state. It sounds like they are buying without seeing the houses. I feel bad for these buyers. We looked at a house just today that looked very nice from the outside picture. When you got inside it had peeling layers of wallpaper, half painted ceilings etc... They had repainted the front and sides of the exterior but didn't do the back! It was way overpriced but if you were just going only by the information on the website, it seemed like a fair deal.

By Coopaveryben on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 08:19 am:

We just moved into our new house last week, I HATED THE HUNT. I thought it would be so fun...please. House prices are rising so quickly and the ones in our price range were gone before you knew it. Hang in there you will find one!

By Kaye on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 09:00 am:

Jann that is exactly what is hurting us. Dad's house is in clear lake, and although there isn't new construction right here, there is some a little further south. What people don't realize when they buy new is there is a lot of upfront cost. There is one couple that loved the house, decided to go new because it was the same price. They have a 4 month old, the grandmom lives down the street from dad, she keeps the baby. They are maxed out at financing, so they are building for the same price but 15 miles away. I think that could be one of those decisions they regret..LOL. Oh well.

By Conni on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 10:53 am:

We arent househunting per se. But we are thinking about selling our house in the next yr or two and building a house in the country. For some reason I am stressed / excited / emotional just thinking about the whole process!! LOL

We looked at houses for over a yr before we ended up buying a lot and building our house! Back then it was the smarter thing to do. We could get what we wanted for less if we did it ourselves (floor plan/colors/exterior look/etc). We have been here 5 yrs now and the growth around us is unbelievable. There is a part of us that wants to stay near the convenience's of the city and another part that REALLY wants to be out in our own little world with peace and quiet and nature and a few moo'ing cows. I think dh is warming up to the idea of building again and getting out of the rat race...

By Conni on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 10:57 am:

BTW- Kelly when we were looking we made offers on a few diff houses. When we didnt get the houses (due to other people outbidding us or bidding quicker) we looked at that as 'That wasnt meant for US.' Your house is out there, keep praying about it and be patient. I did enjoy looking at houses, as I liked to get ideas of things I loved and then things that I hated. lol Dh and I left some houses snickering and some houses oooohing and awwwing over how pretty they were (those were usually the ones we couldnt afford! rofl)!