Catching up on posting podcasts!
4 days ago
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Keystone Cops move across country
At the very best, moving is a pain in the butt. As one who has moved 8,472 times I know whereof I speak. When you add in underwriter's heebie-jeebies(does anyone know the etymology of that term?) you get ulcer city. Here's the back story. Our new employer would have provided an apartment for us through an arrangement they have with a rental place in town. Apartment building doesn't allow pets. We called around-NObody allows pets. So, carbon footprint be hanged,we drove all the way back out to SD to buy a house so we could take our animals when we leave. This may seem foolish to some, like my brother for instance, but we ARE responsible for the little pests and besides, we love them. The trip went well, we saw a nice house within bicycling distance to work(trying to make up for the extra trip y'know) made an offer, got pre-approved with a bank and headed back to big M. Good news for us,the assessment came in nearly two grand less than we offered and the seller accepted the lower price. We get a closing date and make arrangements for our house in the Zoo, rent a truck,etc. Bad news for us, the underwriters won't release the dough until we get the roof(old but serviceable) replaced and the foundation checked by a licensed contractor. Good news for us, the bid on the roof came in at about half what I expected; bad news for us, they can't possibly replace the roof in two weeks. Good news for us, the banker can do an in-house mortgage until the roof is done and then switch to the fixed rate at no extra cost to us, she only needs the contractor's inspection report. Bad news for us, the contractor goes out of town for a week! This morning, with seven days until we load the truck I am calling SD folks to see if anything is shakin'. As it turns out, the contractor has already looked, said the foundation is fine and we can close on time. So if all goes as planned(HA!) we will be ready to start work on the 27th. By the goddess, this is the last move I make unless we pack a knapsack and move to the commune! Got any moving stories to share?
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6 comments:
Oh man! That's crazy!
We've only moved into our current house. All other previous moves were apartment to apartment. We are itching to get out of Dodge, but all the home selling stuff is intimidating -- plus all the work we have to do to get ready to sell!
Good for you for sticking to your guns with your pets. I never understand how someone could just leave them behind in a move. Our pets are family!
Are houses even selling in your market? We were told that Kalamazoo has over four hundred homes on the market and not a lot of buying going on.
We never had any sort of boom here, so there doesn't seem to be a huge bust. The houses in our neighborhood seem to sell fairly quickly, but I don't know what people are getting for them. We live in a pretty no frills place in a decent school district that's fairly safe even though we live near a high crime city. I'm hoping that all works in our favor. But I do doubt we will make money in this wonderful "investment" of real estate. I wonder how much worse it'll get before it gets better. What's worth sticking out and what isn't, you know?
No boom here, that's for sure! Kalamazoo's been losing jobs from big pharma moves for a couple of years, but those people were likely living in the 'burbs. We live in a neighborhood that has had as its proudest accomplishments in the last few years a 9% reduction in crime, mostly prostitution, and the closing of the strip joint and adult book store on the main drag. We intentionally chose the neighborhood for price, proximity to work(1 mile!) and diversity. It is just that when hard times hit, they hit poor, working folks first and hard.
If houses are selling in your area you are probably in decent shape although values have dropped most everywhere by some percent. You can get an appraisal and see what your house is worth. At least you'll have some idea of where you are financially. Are you thinking country?
People have had houses on the market here for over a year with no offers. Thank God for our renter/buyer.
We're actually thinking city -- get rid of a car, barely drive the other one (although neither of us drive all that much now) -- and possibly a milder climate. We're outdoorsy people, and the season for that here is very short.
An appraisal is a wonderful idea! Thank you!
I hate moving. The last time we moved, I cried while packing because I was so stressed out. The actual physical move was horrible with a tire problem before leaving the rental place, a blown tire on the first day of driving, and a softball-sized bubble found the morning of the second day of driving. The bubble was very scary due to the potential blow-out it could have caused the night before as we drove in high winds, after dark, on a steep winding road with severe drop-offs and semis that regularly cross lanes.
We swore we'd never move cross-country again. But we will. And I'll probably cry.
Good luck in your new home and give your animals an extra hug!
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