Frustrating Foreclosures

Our prayers go out to Boston and each family affected by the recent tragedy. We're praying for comfort and healing and justice served to those responsible for this disgusting act of hatred and violence. Our troubles are so little compared to what these families are experiencing. 

Frustration: to make (plans, efforts, etc.) worthless or of no avail; defeat; to disappoint.

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This is the perfect definition of what our "home buying" process has been.  Yes, we haven't been looking for an insanely long time, but nonetheless it is simply stupid the loop holes we have gone through.  I wish this was a more positive post in which I get to share that we've found the house.  Sadly, I'll have to leave that for another day.  I suppose the following is more of a venting/explosion of fiery rage on my part.

1. You will wait for what seems like forever.  The first house we made the leap to put an offer on fell through...after waiting a total of 8 days.  Sure, that's not a long time in the grand scheme we call life, but when you're waiting to see if the house of your dreams is yours, well, that's eternity. The banks communicate on their own time...which leads us to point numero dos.
2. The banks can be stupefyingly ignorant.  And that's putting it nicely.  Here has been the general timeline for each house we've been interested in:  We put an offer in on the house. We wait, wait, wait for 3 or 4 days. Then we hear the bank has decided they'd like to extend the "bid opening period" for another 2 or 3 days. We wait, wait, wait. Then we find out that we did not get the house (the crowd erupts in a thundering boo) via online, when the listing moves into pending status. Then we finally receive a phone call 3 days after that, that we did not get the house. DUH.
3. In our price range, there is a limited selection of homes to choose from. Basically, we're choosing the house with the lease amount of work.  But, on a positive side, more projects to blog about!  So, overall, we're ok with this point.
4. You have to stay on top of those banks like white on rice.  Seriously, there is little consideration for the buyer out there and if you're not calling and emailing everyday, pertinent information may never get to you.
5. First time home buyers, like us, might have a tendency to let others take the reigns in home searching.  But it's vastly important that you do your own research into every aspect of the home, neighborhood, city, and schools. This is one of the biggest decisions of your adult life...I don't want to leave that up to someone else to decide!  One home we looked at seemed like a great fit for us. The price was good, it was in a good neighborhood, and the city and schools were very nice. Diving deeper, we discovered that the house already had a government appraisal done and lead based paint was found inside the home. Not good. And that information was no where on the listing of the house. Of course that would have been found during an inspection, but we saved ourselves a few hundred dollars by finding out before!

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I am sorry for all the negativity.  This has been our experience so far and it's just frustrating when you're trying to find something you love and you've never experienced this process before.  Not everyone's experience is like this.  On the positive side, foreclosures have great potential to be turned around.  They could be worth a whole lot more with a little TLC.  And we truly are looking forward to some projects around the abode. We just need it to be livable for our Little Miss!  Hopefully, we'll be posting soon that we found our home...our home that we can't wait to put some love into!

Favs on Pinterest

It's been a while since we posted last...our Little Miss has been very under the weather. And while I love blogging, I love snuggling with my girl a whole lot more. So, while we're hanging out on the couch again today, I thought I'd share a few things I'm digging on Pinterest (as you'll see, there is no method to the madness). We're still in the middle of an insane in the membrane house search so obviously that's all I look at nowadays! Enjoy..

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These are just a few of my favs right now via my pinning of interests. Hopefully you'll run across some cool finds too..I'd love for you to share them too! 

The Little House Is Blossoming

We are incredibly excited to announce that we are on the hunt for our first home! This has been a long awaited moment for our family and we are absolutely itching to get out there and look. The hubs and I sat down to discuss what our "must-haves" and "could-haves" for our house would be. Now, this is where we are starting to realize some big differences between us. It doesn't matter how long you've known someone, it's still a shock to see your spouse's "house side". *wink*

Our positively must haves:

• 3 bedrooms
• 1.5 baths
• Garage (detached or attached)
• Basement
• Appliances (Fridge, Stove, Washer/Dryer)

Things we wouldn't mind having:

• Laundry located on the first floor
• Wood floors
• Mudroom
• Fenced yard (for those kiddies and our future pooch)

These lists are simple yes, but the discussion around them has been anything but! The hubs actually prefers a yard that's not fenced and is HUGE. As long as it's private, he seems to think no fence is okay. I'll admit, I like the idea of the yard being enormous and private, maybe backed up to a wooded area? That would be great for all those BBQ's we're planning to throw. But what about our water bill? Yikes. Hubs also feels like we don't really need a basement as long as the storage within the house is enough. I feel like I'd like one not only for storage, but just in case we have a real bad storm brew up, we all have a safe place to hide. But I understand where he is coming from. We may not find a home with a basement because of the style we're looking for. We won't know what we're in for until we get out there. The good thing? We agree on the really important stuff and he's my bestie, so we'll work it out!

Being mentally house crazed, I've been on Pinterest pretty much 23/7. Yes, that's one hour of sleep you see there. I'd love to share a few ideas we'd love for our new home. They aren't in any particular order or category, just a few things we love.

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How cool is this flooring? This is ceramic tile made to look like wood planks. LOVE for our bathroom. We'd love to have wood flooring throughout our home too, even if it's laminate made to look like wood. Plank style laminate would give us better durability with kids and pooches running around. 

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 If we have stairs anywhere in our home, this business is happening. What an awesome and functional way to store belongings. I can't get over how much happiness this idea brings me. The piles of blankets and dozens of board games are now tucked away, but easily accessed.

 

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One of my favorite rooms in a house is an organized mudroom. The function of this space is great for kids, teaching them cleanliness, organization, and to pick up after themselves. This area would be amazing for the entire family, keeping all our shoes, bags, coats and winter items stored away. It brings such character into a home too.

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I cannot stand stacking my baking dishes and baking sheets. What's better than keeping them standing upright and separate? So very excited to be putting something like this in our cabinets. It will be so much better than our hott mess of a baking cabinet now! (It's so bad, I don't have the heart to show you)

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Lovely. My one word definition of this space. It's open and airy, but so welcoming and intimate. I am digging the country style here and the differently colored (moveable!) kitchen island. Check out the apron sink too. Adore. Open shelving is a current trend that allows the top half of your kitchen to not feel so heavy. Shelves would be a great place to store everyday dishes and glasses as well as pops of fun color. 

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This is my version of a fresh office. The crisp whites and touches of metallic are calming but oh so glamorous. Such an organized space. I can just feel the amount of work getting done in here.

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This tote can be used for anything. In the mudroom, Little Miss' room, the office, my closet. I plan to get myself a few of these to use around the house. Slap a label on it and I'll have color and pattern in my room. Bam.

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If you're anything like me, the wrapping paper is in one place, the ribbon in a drawer in the basement, and the tape somewhere between the office and kitchen. This over the door storage spot is the mecca of wrapping stations. Cards, tissue, ribbons, paper, tape...whoa! All in the same place. Imagine that. 

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Last and certainly not least, these delightful little seating arrangements. I bet I can find them at our local thrift shop (popping tags) and jazz them up just like these. Such a fun solution for seating at all our BBQ's! The great thing about painting them is that if you ever change your mind about the color, just spray another one on. 

The list could go on forever. But I promise to keep you fully updated on our progress. We are so excited to start this journey and can't wait to start sharing our transformations with you all. I'd love for you to share your first home experiences too!