You may have heard me mention on Rock 108 plenty of times now that I am on the quest to find a house to live in.
With the COVID-19 Pandemic taking place, home rates are at historical low…and I mean….LOW! So if you are thinking about refinancing your home or even buying one? Now is probably the time to do so! But…while rates can be low? Houses are few and far between as people don’t want to sell and have people roaming through their homes with the potential to infect their property. So as a first time home buyer? It has made it quite difficult, but not impossible.
I have had to sign COVID forms, use sanitizer placed at the front of homes, and be told that I can ONLY look at the pictures but can’t see it….which if you have ever shopped for a home? NEVER…just go by the pictures. Pictures are ADVERTISEMENTS, put there to make it look as GOOD as possible.
So far, I have seen 14 houses…which is pretty average for a home buyer. My wife and I are quite picky on what we want, because we don’t want to pay a high price and do MAJOR repairs! And let me tell ya, the homes that we have seen up until now, have ALL needed some crazy amount of updating, replacing, cleaning, and even foundation work in a lot of places! It can beat down on you good, because after awhile…it feels like that’s all you are ever going to see. You start to accept the fact that you are gonna have to shell out $20,000 to fix someone else’s problem. Sure, you’ll bring up the resell value nicely, but with our busy schedules, work life, and inevitable future? It’s just not possible.
Some of the fun stuff I have run into? Here is a small list.
- Two prong outlets….everywhere
- Foundation cracks sprayed with ‘Great Stuff’
- Wood paneling…so much wood paneling
- A bathroom that was basically a hose in the basement attached to the piping with a shower head (being sold as legit bathroom…no seriously)
- Figuring out what BEDROOM actually means
- Water in basements, sometimes 2 inches worth
- Bedrooms in finished basements that don’t have egressed windows (but being sold as one)
- House with plastic sun bleached Santa attached to chimney
- Just dirty homes
There is more, and the search continues….but something I try to remind myself every time I see a bad house? Patience is Perseverance…something will come along….think of it like me saying Frank Constanza’s SERENITY NOW!
