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house hunting will not cure the winter doldrums
You know when is a really bad time to be looking for a house to buy?
I don’t know, let’s see….
Maybe during a recession. (Or during a modest recovery. Or whatever the heck this is right now.)
In February.
When a major snowstorm is blowing our way.
Yes, that’s about the time that every home owner says, “Hey, let’s put our house on the market. We’ll get a ton of traffic and loads of bids way over asking price. Put up the ‘For Sale’ sign honey and unlock the doors. The buyers will be showing up by lunchtime!”
Crap.
Rick and I really need to buy a house. Like now. Our lease on our rental is up and we don’t want to extend it any longer.
Something happens when you’re looking for a house to buy: everyone has an opinion of where you should buy. Like I just mentioned at Dylan’s ballet class that I was looking for a house and all of a sudden two moms had cornered me against a rack of leotards enthusiastically detailing all the properties I needed to see.
One mom mentioned that I needed lots of space. 5 bedrooms for sure. I just nodded my head because one of the hangers was kind of digging into my back. But I finally confessed. “We’re taking a different approach. We’re going to buy a smaller house and actually have money to pay for gas and food and stuff.”
Because we’re in a time crunch, I’ve been doing a lot of visualization of the perfect home for our family while Rick’s more focused more on talking to brokers and actually searching for houses. It’s a ying and yang approach to house hunting.
“Honey, have you been visualizing our ideal house every day?” I ask.
“I wouldn’t exactly say every day,” Rick responds.
It’s like the man doesn’t want a roof over our heads.
On the upside, I think we own the only Toyota that has yet to be recalled. So even if we don’t have a house, we have a car. And no smart ass, I’m not going to live in my car.
mama bird notes:
Fabulous news on the cocktail front… The Mouthy Housewives are throwing a happy hour party at BlogHer 2010 this summer!! If you want to find out all the details and how to sign up when the time comes, join our Facebook group by clicking here.
And remember, whether you’re going to BlogHer or not, we need your votes!! Aunt Becky, Marinka, Wendi, and I (of The Mouthy Housewives and Mommy Wants Vodka) have put in for a Room of our Own on how to create a successful, entertaining advice site.
So please just click here, log on to BlogHer and then click “I would attend this session” (it’s just above the title: Dear Abby 2.0). After you click it it will miraculously say “I would not attend this session.” This means that your vote for the session has been successfully registered. Thank you!
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Ying and yang. My wife does the searching, I go into denial because I don’t like change.
Hey, want my opinion on some houses?
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Don’t you just love it when people you barely know think they have the solutions to all your problems? Keep your mouth shut unless I ask for your help! (Not you, but the annoying people who think they know everything and volunteer their opinions although I didn’t ask for them.)
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we have a rather dysfunctional method of me picking out homes we can’t afford and Tony says “Try again”.
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My neighbor’s house is for sale. Five bedrooms. Start visualizing hot weather & BBQ.
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Big decisions, and very exciting! Good Luck.
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You should totally get a big house ’cause I might need to move in with you. (Yeah, you might not want to give me your new address.)
Know what you mean about the houses… small and lovely with perfect little place for an office, is what I’ll be looking for. A girl can dream…
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My husband and I have been thinking of putting our house on the market now instead of waiting till the Spring and your home owning needs have just convinced me it is the right thing to do!
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Have you tried a mandala? They are good visualization tools.
Other than that stay warm and don’t fall for the first cookie scented candle you smell!
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Argh, house hunting under a time crunch is not fun. I wish you all the best of luck. On the upside: at least you know lots of other people aren’t hunting right now, so you have less competition if you find anything good!
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My car is one of the recalled. I was hoping they would give me another new car b/c my backseat looks like a bomb went off and i’m tired of constantly cleaning back there. Eric was like “i don’t think soooo”… Good luck house hunting. It’s not easy doing anything in the winter, never mind a huge task such as buying a house!
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I’m tempted to say all sorts of pat, placating platitudes like “everything is for a reason” and “the house that’s meant for you will be there for you.” Oh wait, I just said them. Sorry.
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Well one positive thing is better than none. Right? Good luck on the house hunting.
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best of luck. wonderful blog. find a house that you can love. and remember – love is not perfect!
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Well, at least you’ve got the car thing going for you. Get your favorite tunes on while looking for your house. I think it helps.
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WHAT!? You don’t want to sink every single penny you make into your house? You want to be able to buy gas and food too?
Some people can not be pleased.
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Personally – I don’t like the idea of a five bedroom house. I’d worry about losing my children in it. I can barely keep track of their mischeif in our tiny three bedroom townhouse.
Good luck!
Oh – and I’m pretty positive that I voted for that Room…but I’ll check to make sure. I’ll actually be there this year so I can attend!
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i found my house in a time crunch after looking at a ton of rentals (thinking i couldn’t get a mortgage). it was the first house for sale i looked at. my suggestion: don’t do that.
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I am not one to ask about house hunting. After a whirlwind, week-long househunting trip we found nothing. We Jeff was back in the US on a business trip he found a house he liked. I said buy it. I do not care. He was MUCH pickier ablut the houses than I was. I wanted the process done and over with. My Toyota was not recalled either. Well I think I still have to get some pesky thing fixed about no child seats in the third row- faulty seatbelts or something like that. Good thing I only have 1 kid.
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I’m pretty sure all Toyotas made in 1997 also managed to skip the recall list. So, we’ve been safe, too. =)
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Good luck with your house hunting. Sounds like you have it all under control! Almost!
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visualize our house. i love that! sending good house thoughts your way!
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I just happen to have a 5 bedroom home that will be on the market soon. If you want to live on the beautiful north shore of lawng island.
Just sayin’
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Whatever you do don’t get one of those homes with like 5 bathrooms.
You’re having a boy, right?
that’s wayyyyy too many pee-spattered walls.
Trust me on this one.
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I am currently trying to sell a house. Believe me, it’s no fun on this end either. Suckage!
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We too, have one of the only Toyotas not recalled! I told my husband they can “win” back my loyalty by giving me a new, bigger Toyota at no charge! I’m with you on the “bigger is not better because we would like to pay our bills and put food on the table” approach. We live in an AWESOME school district right now! State of the art, brand new, environmentally friendly schools, with small classes. We have a three bedroom, two bath house. It works for our family of three and we will make it work for a family of four, when the time comes. Real estate around us is expensive! We got in at a good time but didn’t think far enough down the road (kids). Oh well, it just means the in-laws can’t stay with us anymore! You won’t see me crying about that one!
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Best of Luck! We started looking for houses in 2008 right when the market crashed and we were in the process of getting our loan and making offers when the market crashed in September, oh good times (not!). Just keep reminding yourself that it’s a buyers market and sellers are going to try to get what they “think” they are owed, but just because in 2007 someone told them their house was worth twice what they paid for it, that wasn’t real money, it’s not owed to them and it’s not 2007 anymore
Good Luck!
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Free Advice – Don’t get any house with an upstairs….you’ll need knee replacements before you’re 50.
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Might be worth extending until May – loads more inventory available starting in April. And, yes, we too own the only Toyota model that hasn’t been recalled – yet. It’s roomy, but I think it would be a tight squeeze as living quarters.
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If you want to come to NJ I’ll totally sell you my house
I can see NYC from my attic, totally the same as living there 
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ok, said “totally” too many times there!
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I’m going to be homeless soon myself, since our landlord hasn’t been paying her mortgage. Hopefully there’s another rental house at the bottom of the pile of sand I’ve been sticking my head in. I feel your pain.
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I might be right there with you, although I am not sure what I want either. Only problem, I have to sell my current house. My current home has 7 years of lovingly settled in closets, bins, baskets, and junk.
1. clean out the crap. Then start thinking about what kind of house we want.
Best of luck!
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