An interruption...or "Interlude"

I'm currently still working on a write up for Day 1 of the Llano Estacado ride (I know, I'm slow...).

There's a reason that I'm not exactly cranking them out though.

One, I feel like I've constantly been playing "catch up" at work since the first weekend of June.  I can't believe it's already been a full month since the Llano ride!!  CRAZY!! 

Strider has been in training for almost a month.  We've had some issues which I'll discuss in greater detail, but I'll briefly summarize here in case you happen to care.

I've fired the shoer I was using.  Strider, as I think I mentioned, ripped off 3 out of 4 of his shoes and pads, never to be seen again on the trails at Lake Merideth.  However, when I dropped him off with the trainer (who happens to also be a trimmer AND is the son of my trimmer), he noticed that Strider was lame, lame, lame.  Abscesses EVERYWHERE.  He blew 3 or 4 different abscesses.  Holly (my trimmer) also noticed that the shoer wacked off Strider's heels AND left him with long toes.  This leads to tendon issues with Strider.  And I had SPECIFICALLY told him to back Strider's toes WAY up.  So, the first two weeks of training for Strider was all ground work and patience exercise.  Which was good for him.  But I was pissed.  My trimmer was pissed.  I'm NOT giving up completely on shoes if he needs them, but Holly is now committed to helping me find a shoer who can work WITH my horse and who's honest.  AND she's had me join a Facebook page on trimming using the Apex method, so I'll be working on that as well as trimming and keeping all 3 of my horses trimmed up.  Holly said she'll help me remotely if needs be.

Now, remember how I said I've been spending the entire month playing catch up at work?  Some of that is because I've had to take a few additional days off here and there for things. 

And because, completely inadvertently, and through a sheer fluke of fate, Joe and I just bought a house (mobile home) on 10 acres.  Soooo, house hunting has consumed any and all of my free time over this past month.

It all began because I was a little bored at work one day so started doing what I usually do; I pulled up land and homes for sale and started perusing the pages.  Flip.  Flip.  Flip through the pages and dream as I looked at the homes and dreamed about what could be. 

I had flipped on to page 7 when my brain said "Hey, hold up there.  Did the ad at the bottom of that previous page REALLY say what I thought it said?"

So, I went back to page 6 and looked at the bottom.

I didn't imagine things.

It was 10 acres with a mobile home for $113,000 in Temple.  Okay, what's wrong with it?

Open the listing and start reading.  It's a HUD auction home.  The pictures of the inside of the house really aren't bad.  The pictures of the property also aren't really bad either.  Has a creek at the back of the property.  Is REALLY far from work, although we could look at working in Waco at some point.  Is close to my parents. 

I send the listing to Joe and we discuss it some.  The auction closes in less than a week.  And we have NO IDEA what we need to do.  So, I start making phone calls.  Find a lender who lends for HUD homes and mobile homes.  We secure financing in time. 

Joe and I look at each other in a state of shock.  Shrug and think "Yeah, bet we can't see this house before the auction closes."

Joe reaches out to the listing agent and lines it up for us to see it on June 10th at 9 am.  We go up and we both can see the potential in the house.  Someone really loved it.  We're iffy because we're not sure if the A/C works, but overall, the house doesn't need a LOT of work, though it does need some work. 

We place a bid that day.  We start to draw castles in the air.  We hire the listing agent to list our current home for sale.

He then calls us and tells us about another home we might be interested in, would we like to go see it?

SURE!!

So on Tuesday June 13th we look at another home which is a straight sale.  Joe loves it.  I only love the land it's on.  I hated everything about the house.  It was advertised as a 4/2.  No, it was a 3/2. They'd knocked down a partial wall between two bedrooms which we would need to put back up.  Just a lot of things I didn't like.  But Joe BADLY wanted it...so, we rescinded our bid on the house in Temple (which, we find out later we could have won) and placed a bid on this other house.

The sellers drag their feet, while the selling agent tells our agent that he's confident that his clients will accept our bid.  This drags on for an entire week.  Finally on Saturday the 17th, the word comes back that the sellers have a full price offer on their home from a neighbor.  We think this is a load of bullshit, and I tell Joe the sellers can go eff themselves if they think we're going to bid higher on their home with all the work it needs.

So we walk away.  No home. 

But, our seller tells us that at the beginning of July another home near was going to be listed.  He couldn't tell us anything about it except the town it was in.  I filed the information away.

However, our home was on the market on June 14th.  It was only to be listed as for sale.  The house wasn't prepped at ALL for viewings.  I took the day off (Josh had knee surgery, so I was going to stay home and work on cleaning it up so on Friday our agent could get photos and get it listed with pictures) and got a phone call at 9:30am from our agent.  People wanted to come view it immediately.  At 11 am, in fact.  Could they come see it?  Inside, I'm dying.  Our house is in that horrible shape of a mess you make while you're cleaning and tossing things out.  Austin's room is in horrible shape.  But, fine, I say.  I'll get the 2 dogs and 2 cats out of the house.  The lizards have to stay. 

So, that's how Wednesday the 14th was spent.  The house in Buda had back to back to back showings.  It was insane.  The WHOLE DAY was spent out of the house until after 7pm, and we still had people wanting to come after that!!  We had bids on the house sight unseen.  Full asking price bids.  And the price kept climbing on our house.  Joe was shocked.  I was only mildly surprised.  I knew the market in Buda was a hot one, and I knew our house would go, but I didn't think it would turn into a bidding war. 

I believe at the end of day 1 we had 11 offers on our home.  And by the end of day 2 we had the offer we ultimately accepted because of all the perks that it came with (over asking, a cash offer, and since they're investors they weren't in a rush to close, so we had until August to find something for us OR if we needed, we could move that closing date up, they're very flexible...PLUS we walk away with the most cash in our pockets and once the home inspection was done, they asked for, get this, only $500 off the sale price.  DONE!!!!). 

So, the house in Buda was sold in less than a week from the day we looked at the Temple home.

And now the rush was on for us to find a place to go.

Joe and I sat our parameters for what we wanted. 

Well, I'll be honest, I set the parameters.  Joe was okay with less than what I wanted, except, I'm the one with the horses.  ;) 

Parameters?

Less than 75 miles from downtown Austin (where we both work).
More than 7 acres.
A MINIMUM 3/2 home.
Larger than 1600 sq ft.

And we ended up adding to our parameters list as we started viewing homes.
It couldn't be on a long dirt road (less than a mile so Joe could ride his motorcycle to work).
DEFINITELY no shared wells!
My personal parameter was NO WELLS!!  City or municipal water.  Joe was okay with a well.
SOME fencing.  Either fully fenced around the perimeter, or a large enough area for me to move the horses on to immediately.

June 16th I started a part time job of house hunting online.  Honestly, I spent at least 4 hours a day looking at land and properties.  I dug through every website I could lay my hands on.  Forward them to Joe to look at the ones that interested me.  He'd then pick out the ones he liked and forward them on to our agent.  Some of the listings on some websites are old and the property is already sold. 

But, we found a few homes we liked, and on June 17th we took a drive to just look at some homes from the road to see if we wanted to go look inside.  One we ruled out immediately due to how far down the dirt roads it was in Harwood.  We drove and looked at one in Seguin that was a stick and beam home, so we had our agent contact the listing agent for a viewing on Monday the 19th. 

When our agent heard back from the listing agent who told him that the house was either a demolition house or an entire gut the inside of the house, we opted to not even look at it.  So our agent set it up for us to look at 2 homes in Lockhart that I'd sent him that interested us some.

The first was on 8.5 acres, a 4/2 mobile home on a shared well.  Again, down LONG dirt roads.  The property wasn't set up in a way that we liked.  The home was cute, but not really what we wanted.  And, when I pressed the listing agent about the shared well and how it worked if things went wrong with it...the answers we got didn't inspire confidence in us.  Hard pass.

So, we went to look at a second one. 10 acres and a 2100 sq ft mobile home.  We actually REALLY liked the house.  If we could pick it up and put it on a different piece of property.  Again, down a shorter dirt road (not awful, but not great).  The driveway down the house was very long and VERY sloped and also gravel/dirt.  The property was overgrown with mesquite and sunflowers so we couldn't immediately move the horses on to it.  And, again, listing said shared well.  It was also at the top end of our budget.  We dropped it on the "maybe" list. 

After looking at that, our agent again broached the idea of us doing a land/home package.  I narrowed down what price ranges I could look in and then started hunting for raw land and looking at floor plans on various homes.  While continuing to look at other properties. 

And then our agent sent us a listing on a house I'd seen, and had BADLY wanted; almost 13 acres in Bertram with a 1600 sq ft home that was a 3/2 that had a small hay barn.  Already had an agricultural exemption in place on wide open pasture fertile for grazing.  And, while at the top end of our price range, it was almost turn key.  I BEGGED Joe to go look at it.  So, we set up a viewing on June 21st.  We fell in love immediately.  It was exactly what we wanted.  And the house had been on and off the market for over a year, so we dropped in our offer and then waited.  Already dreaming what we wanted to do.

Sellers countered.

We countered back.

And another counter.

It was just a little more than we were comfortable with.  But, we left our final offer out there with a reminder that their home's been on the market for a year, and the longer it sits, the worse it looks.

And we continued with our search as we kept hoping that the seller would come down to our price.

I stumbled on a home that was listed as a "For Sale By Owner" (FSBO).  I sent it to Joe, but the description didn't exactly instill confidence in me.

"You are in for a treat. This is the most desirable lot that has been put on the market!
10 Acres! $XXX,XXX!!! Priced to Sale
These acres include a private drive way with 2 entry gates. 1st gate leads you into the property where you are greeted all the way down on both sides by a path of beautiful trees. 2nd gate enters into the upfront pastor that is approx. 2 acres. It is fenced in with a brand new 5 strand barbed wire fence. Most of the land is still wooded which gives excellent privacy for those who want to sit back and enjoy the time with nature. Though it still has just enough that has been cleared for maybe a few horses up front and partially cleared in the back for your smaller animals that you can fence off. It also has a custom built duck/chicken coop located in the back that isn't even a year old and has a ten roof.
The home was built in 2003 and is a MANUFACTURED Palm Harbor Double Wide, it is 2,041 sqft. It is a 3 bedroom 2 bath. The current owners have been remodeling and have fallen into health issues and had to stop the remodeling on the home. The home is partially sheet rocked - living room, master bedroom, and dinning room all are sheet rocked.
HOME HAS SOME REMODELING WILL UPDATE PICTURES ONCE COMPELETED
When you come into the house you are immediately greeted by lovely large windows that look out into the back acreage. It has a built in dinning room class cabinet that separates the living room and dinning room. The dinning room has a drop down chandelier that lights up the entire room, with windows that look out into the property. The kitchen is large enough to dine the entire family and friends, with much room to set some chairs in. While washing dishes you can look out onto your front pasture and watch your horses graze or better yet watch deer come roaming through your property!
When it comes to the heart of the house everything has been replaced. This house just had put in not even two months ago a brand new a/c unit inside and out. All air ducts have been replaced with the best that money can buy and comes with a manufacture warranty. All paper work will be included. A/C unit is the most top of the line that is out on the market now. So even when it is super hot out side, you'll be the blessed with the cold air inside. Brand new water heater as well.
The master bedroom has two separate doors leading into the room, in which when you enter your are surrounded by windows that look out onto the property. The master bathroom has double doors leading you into the bathroom with a his and her sink, large garden tub and double closet door openings, enough space even for the clothe fanatic!
The house is in need of some TLC we will say that, but not something that isn't too hard. Slap on some paint that you'll love to have in all the rooms, put some fresh carpet down or even put down some wood. What ever you like! This house is a great canvas to work on and you can make it yours. Other than that this house is completely livable, as we said just needs paint, and carpet. If you are interested in a view or want more info please contact us directly! You must schedule a viewing.
Best part is you won't have to deal with a realtor you can deal with owner directly.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE!
Interior Compeltely Repainted
Cabinets Repainted
New Master Bedroom Door
New Exterior Doors
New Flooring and Carpet through entire home
New 30x30 Covered carport made from Steel and has a Tin Roof
Pictures will come soon once competed.
NO OWNER FINANCING.
If you'd like to view the home before the Open House Please contact. You may see the home under construction. You must call in order to get a viewing though."

On Zillow, you can write what EVER you want to write.  People can inflate and make things better than they really are.  As I learned from the first house we'd put an offer in on. 

Now, the listing said it had open house viewings on Friday June 23rd and it was to be put on the MLS on Monday Jun 26th.

Joe and I quibbled for about 2 days over this home.  An FSBO home has some pitfalls for a buyer.  Joe and I went round and round.  I had ZERO interest in looking at it because it sounded like there weren't even walls up.  The photos were rough and not good enough to really determine what was going on.  I told Joe I wasn't going to look at it until he agreed to hiring a real estate lawyer.  When he finally agreed, then I said we could go look at it on Friday during the open house.

My parents joined us.  My mom actually called earlier in the day to make sure the open house was still going on so we didn't all drive out for no reason.  The seller said it was, and that her husband was out there continuing to do work on the home.  When my parents pulled up, apparently there was a little miscommunication between this husband and wife team.  The husband was still working on the house and thought the open house was on Monday, NOT on Friday.  But, he graciously allowed us to look at his house.  We learned why they're selling. 

And my entire family was SHOCKED by this house.  Because it was BETTER than advertised.  The seller had sheet rocked and was doing a LOT of work on the house. 

It's a 3/2 with an office built on to the master.  A MASSIVE master bath.  Huge living room.  Good sized kitchen with LOTS of storage.

New carpets.

The house inside is pretty much turnkey.  The bathrooms need work (wallpaper!  Ugh).  But, everyone fell in love with the house.  EVERYONE.

However...the FSBO meant our agent couldn't touch anything.  Except, my dad, while talking with the seller before we arrived discovered that the seller actually DID have an agent!  My ears pricked up.  That's a perk for me.

The house is on municipal water.
Down a dead end paved road.
The driveway is gravel, but has a LARGE carport.  ALL of our vehicles will fit BENEATH it (including my horse trailer!).  It has 6 poles set for the start of a barn.
Is on a septic system.
ALL appliances except the washer/drier convey.
And, the seller said that there are kids Kaylee's age on the street. 

Joe spent about 30 minutes talking one on one with the seller, who's a nice guy, but he's got serious health issues.  They're selling so he can be closer to his doctor.  And, as he was talking to Joe and I about the house, he got choked up and tears in his eyes.  He loves this home.  Said that his agent was going to be listing it on Monday, and that his agent had told him there was already a lot of interest in this home.

Joe and dad walked back to the back of the property marker (a yegua tree!) while I stayed up and talked with mom.  We thanked the seller again for showing it to us, then mom and dad headed for home.

So, Joe and I went to dinner Friday night at Guadalajara in Bastrop to talk it over.  I think we were both in agreement we were going to make an offer before we pulled out of the driveway.

As we were driving, Joe and I saw a sign for the town that our agent had mentioned that the house would be for sale at the beginning of July.  I laughed, and told Joe "I do believe we just SAW that house."

As it turns out, the house I kept mentioning and asking our agent about...it was indeed this house.

Our agent drew up the contract, but had to wait until Monday when it officially hit the MLS. 

But, there were additional things causing hiccups and anxiety.

The selling agent?  The same one who took a week on the first house we placed an offer on.  That our own agent said was squirrely.  Apparently the realty company is a family business.  And it was the son of the owner.  So, Joe and I's hearts sank.  We felt that our offer wouldn't be framed in a good light.  That the selling agent would somehow tank our offer. But, our agent fired off the contract Monday night to the seller's agent.  And then Joe and I held our breath.  We knew we wouldn't hear anything Tuesday.  But then Wednesday dragged on and on.  Late in the day I texted our agent and asked if it was normal for it to take this long.  He said not usually, but these agents seem to be slower than turtles.  I kept looking at properties all day.

Wednesday night...still nothing.  During the day on Wednesday, I'd seen a listing for a home in Milano on 20 acres with a stick and beam home that, while the inside needed a LOT of work, would work.  We contacted our agent to go look at it on Friday evening after work.  It was about 70 miles from work, so Joe and I started planning on what we needed to do and get done. 

And, as I crawled into the bath tub Wednesday night around 10 pm with my phone (to keep looking at properties), Joe and I talked as he got ready for bed.  He went to bed and I stayed in the tub, looking at land and making notes.

Then I hear Joe's phone ring at about 10:45.

It's our agent.

We have a house.

The sellers accepted our terms without a counter.

We bid $10k less than asking and said we'd pay half at closing.

It will close the day after our home in Buda closes in August.

In a mere 2.5 weeks we went from window shopping homes to selling and buying a home.

Funny how that works.

The horses should all be home by September 1st.

I cannot wait.

Kismet.