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Friday, August 19, 2005
HOUSE..
So. We might be buying a house. It's in the town of Eudora, where we currently live. It's a ranch-style, or, as some would have it, a California rambler. It's relatively small - 1055 square feet on the main floor, plus 500 square feet of "finished" basement. Basically, it's just like the houses most of us grew up in. At least, if you grew up in the midwest, in a family of modest income, between about 1960 and 1986 or so. Totally bland and normal. No landscaping, white paint inside and out. Built in 1962. Only distinguishing characteristic is wood floors throughout the upstairs, a "deck" type front porch, and a deck in the back. Oh, and a pool table in the basement (included). It's pretty much just like my friend Scott and Pete's houses. Or at least of that same style. Totally normal. But, all the big, expensive stuff (furnace, AC) is pretty new, and high quality. And the sellers are going to put on a new roof. It belonged to olds, so it's well taken care of and "gently lived in," as realtors like to say.
It's sort of a strange deal. Basically, another buyer already has a contract on it, but they have a contingency that they have to sell their house first. So if the seller accepts our contract, which we're giving them this morning, the first 'buyer' has 48 hours (until Sunday morning, in other words) to close on the house, or forfeit it. If they don't come up with the closing money, etc., by then, we have some time for inspection, etc., and will close on it September 12. Kind of crazy.
It has a few nice trees (pin oaks, mimosa, some sort of maple, and an elm), but otherwise, there's just a big kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis, for those botanists among you) desert. So it's ripe for installing some native plant landscaping, a rain garden, and maybe a few new trees (I'm thinking Picea pungens, and maybe Pinus strobus). The upside is we shouldn't have to spend lots of money buying crap like a new furnace. Not for a few years. No refrigerator included, though, so that's sort of a pisser.
So. I will get a call sometime soon (today) to hear whether the seller signed our contract, and will know by Sunday whether we will get it or not. We have a mechanical contingency, and pest contingency, obviously, but otherwise, we've as good as signed the contract. The first buyers have to come up with the cashola for closing costs and things real quick - on Saturday, no less - or they lose out. We're going to offer to pay them half of what they paid for the mechanical inspection, if we can see it, if we get it, which should ease the sting if we get it over them, but I still feel kind of assy about it. It's hard not to be assy when you're dealing with real estate. I feel bad. I'll get over it.
-m
So. We might be buying a house. It's in the town of Eudora, where we currently live. It's a ranch-style, or, as some would have it, a California rambler. It's relatively small - 1055 square feet on the main floor, plus 500 square feet of "finished" basement. Basically, it's just like the houses most of us grew up in. At least, if you grew up in the midwest, in a family of modest income, between about 1960 and 1986 or so. Totally bland and normal. No landscaping, white paint inside and out. Built in 1962. Only distinguishing characteristic is wood floors throughout the upstairs, a "deck" type front porch, and a deck in the back. Oh, and a pool table in the basement (included). It's pretty much just like my friend Scott and Pete's houses. Or at least of that same style. Totally normal. But, all the big, expensive stuff (furnace, AC) is pretty new, and high quality. And the sellers are going to put on a new roof. It belonged to olds, so it's well taken care of and "gently lived in," as realtors like to say.
It's sort of a strange deal. Basically, another buyer already has a contract on it, but they have a contingency that they have to sell their house first. So if the seller accepts our contract, which we're giving them this morning, the first 'buyer' has 48 hours (until Sunday morning, in other words) to close on the house, or forfeit it. If they don't come up with the closing money, etc., by then, we have some time for inspection, etc., and will close on it September 12. Kind of crazy.
It has a few nice trees (pin oaks, mimosa, some sort of maple, and an elm), but otherwise, there's just a big kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis, for those botanists among you) desert. So it's ripe for installing some native plant landscaping, a rain garden, and maybe a few new trees (I'm thinking Picea pungens, and maybe Pinus strobus). The upside is we shouldn't have to spend lots of money buying crap like a new furnace. Not for a few years. No refrigerator included, though, so that's sort of a pisser.
So. I will get a call sometime soon (today) to hear whether the seller signed our contract, and will know by Sunday whether we will get it or not. We have a mechanical contingency, and pest contingency, obviously, but otherwise, we've as good as signed the contract. The first buyers have to come up with the cashola for closing costs and things real quick - on Saturday, no less - or they lose out. We're going to offer to pay them half of what they paid for the mechanical inspection, if we can see it, if we get it, which should ease the sting if we get it over them, but I still feel kind of assy about it. It's hard not to be assy when you're dealing with real estate. I feel bad. I'll get over it.
-m
