The Friday gathering – House updates edition

By glblguy

Failure number 2 occurred last week in our house hunting adventure. I sure hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. I know many of you have been following our progress and wanted to provide you with an update.

The first house, the foreclosure, didn’t work out as the selling agent just stopped returning our calls. I really think this was a blessing in disguise, as the more I’ve thought about the house, the worse it was.

The second home, the one in the mountains I shared with you a few weeks back is just too expensive. We offered what both myself and our agent felt was a very reasonable price and there is still a good $70,000 difference in the sellers lowest price and my highest price. Turns out the selling couple is upside down on the house and is trying to recover.

Thus our house hunting journey continues. We’ve decided to broaden our search area, as the area close to our in-laws land (the second home I mentioned above) doesn’t currently have anything for sale. We’ve decided if we can’t be within walking distance for our kids to visit them, than we would probably rather live in some nicer areas in the mountains.

This weekend we’ll be heading out to the NC mountains to do some exploring and try to pin point an area we would like to live in. Any suggestions?

Speaking of heading to the mountains, I’ve mentioned before that we drive two vehicles currently because neither of our vehicles will hold all 8 of us. We decided to rent an 8 passenger SUV for our trip this weekend. Primarily so we wouldn’t have to drive two vehicles around all over the mountains and secondly just to spend some quality time together as a family. The down side of this is that it’s costing us $315.00 to do so! Seems SUVs are expensive to rent. About $70.00 per day. I am still in a toss up as to whether or not we should buy one now or not.

Ah, decisions, decisions. Life sure can be complicated sometimes huh?

Important Stuff

  • I won the contest over at My Investing Blog. My reward? A $100 gift card. Sweet! I don’t think I’ve ever won anything in a blog contest and nothing like cold hard cash! Thanks Hank!
  • Lynnae was selected by Wal-mart to join their Money Saving Community Project! She’s one of only 11 moms across the country that were selected! Make sure you head over and congratulate her and read about the details.
  • Frugal Dad has a family emergency. Please keep him, his mother, and his family in your prayers.
  • Mrs Micah, a fellow M-Network member, celebrated her first Blogiversary. She’s also doing a giveaway, so head over, sign-up, and congratulate her!

Carnivals

I again remembered to participate in a few carnivals this week:

A sincere thank you to those that hosted!

The Gathering

There were lots of great articles this week in the M-Network and beyond. Here are just a few of my favorites!

Have an awesome week!

Photo by: neal_mcquaid

Related posts:

  1. The Friday Gathering for 11/9/2007
  2. The Friday Gathering for 12/14/2007
  3. The Friday Gathering for 2/1/2008
  4. The Friday gathering – Misc updates edition
  5. The Friday Gathering – Looking at a house edition


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14 Responses (including trackbacks) to “The Friday gathering – House updates edition”

  1. That One Caveman Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 7:06 am

    That’s a shame about the house, but we’re seeing that all too often lately. I’ve read about other bloggers who are experiencing the exact same scenario. If you keep looking, but also wait them out, they may come around to their senses and realize your offer was reasonable, even if it would be painful for them to accept. We wish you the best of luck in the house hunting. I’m so jealous of your (potential) new home in the mountains!

  2. glblguy Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 7:34 am

    @Caveman – I agree and we’ve left the offer on the table in case they reconsider. I’m sure it’s all part of God’s plan, if He wanted us to have the house it would have worked out. I am sure he has something better planned for us.

    Thanks and I’ll keep you posted in what seems to be becoming the “Never Ending House Hunting Story”…Once we get there though, you’ll have to come visit!

  3. Laura Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 7:57 am

    Thanks for the mention!

    I’m sorry it’s not working out too smoothly, but maybe you’ll find a better deal this way for a house.

    I enjoyed Plonkee’s post because we actually did move for a lower cost of living. I agreed with Trent’s viewpoint that repaying high interest debt is like an investment.

    There are a lot of great articles that I’ll check out.Thanks for sharing!

  4. Pinyo Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 9:40 am

    Gibble, so the journey begins. It’s never quick and easy is it. I don’t know if you have you consider this alternative? It sounds like your in-law has enough land to sell you a portion of it. You could buy the land and build your own house. Depending on your finance, it may or may not be practical :-)

    And congratulation on winning the MIB contest. Heading over to Mrs. Micah now.

  5. Mrs. Micah Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 9:47 am

    Thanks for mentioning the giveaway! And good luck with your house hunting. :-/

  6. Frugal Dad Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 9:50 am

    Thanks for keeping my family in your thoughts and prayers, and asking your readers for same. WeÂ’re taking it one day at a time for now, and will be glad when all this is behind us.

    I can’t remember if you said what major cities were close to your folks, but I’ve always loved the Asheville area myself…well, really the areas surrounding Asheville (some parts a little too commercial for my taste).

    I’ve been living vicariously through you on this house journey as we’ve always had a desire to move north and find some hilly country with a slower pace. Sorry things are not working out up to this point, but as you know, things happen for a reason and when the time/property is right, it will all fall into place. Thanks for keeping us readers up to date during the process.

  7. Gina Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 10:34 am

    Glbl guy I agree with the others … when God says it is right things will flow like clockwork. In 2004, we searched for 8 months, then BAM! An atty friend called one Friday morning with a lead on a house that was bank owned. The bank had dropped the price $25k. We looked at it that afternoon, the price fit EXACTLY in our best case mortgage scenerio and we were in the house 3 wks later. It happened soo fast! It will happen for you and your family. Keep praying for God to send a sign when the time is right.

    Now for the SUV issue. Dave Ramsey likes to break things down mathematically. Can you break down the cost of 2 cars vs the cost of the SUV? 2 cars – count # of tanks of gas, # of gallons at $4/gallon (the price in the mtns) times 2 for the cars. Do the same for the SUV including the cost of rental. Personally, I vote for the 2 cars – one main reason is if someone needs to run a quick errand the rest of the family will not be w/o transportation.

    I agree with Frugal Dad (we are all thinking & praying for you FD). Asheville, Boone and Grand Father Mountain areas (western NC) are our favorite! And the kids could go to college at Appalation State University and ski in Boone. My husband went to school there and we have many memories of that area – lots of hiking, lots of skiing, oh and the school was great too.

  8. hank Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 12:27 pm

    Yea, the house hunt will happen when it happens. I remember I got in my house on our 7th try. No kidding! It took us a handful of bids that never panned out and eventually ended up buying this place by bidding on it before it was even built! No qualms though, I love the house!

    Congrats on the contest too! You should be receiving your cold hard cash soon enough! :)

  9. Megan Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    I have lived in the Asheville area all my life, but attended college an hour west at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. The mountains around the Sylva/Cullowhee area are beautiful, and much less commercial than the Asheville area. Consider visiting the Nantahala Outdoor Center for tubing and whitewater sports, or the “Unto These Hills” outdoor drama in Cherokee. The Oconaluftee Indian Village and the Qualla Boundary Arts & Crafts are also areas I can vouch for!

  10. NH Mom of 3 Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 2:18 pm

    Good luck with the continued house hunt! Our first home really came to our attention by accident and was a real steal. Our new house (purchased in May 08) was a great fit for our family’s needs and is working out well. I am sure you will find something when you least expect it.

    I have more reading to get to from your links! Thanks for the good round up.

    And congrats on your MIB winnings. What will you be doing with yours? I should be good and snowflake, but kids are really in need of school clothes — our middle guy starts K and princess is a 3rd grade fashionista. Yikes. And the little guy isn’t in school, but feet have grown another size and he needs new sneaks. That $150 is so spent. :)

  11. Patrick Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 2:45 pm

    Take your time on the house. In the grand scheme of things, there is no rush to move, and your patience will likely reward you with a better situation than you originally imagined. :)

    Thanks for the mention.

  12. Janette Toral Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 8:04 pm

    Finding the right house can be a tedious process but I guess it is best to take time until you get the one you really like.

    Congratulations also for your recent winning at My Investing Blog!

  13. Charles Woodall Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 10:28 pm

    A local Nissan dealership in our area is running an ad that states if you buy a SUV or truck, you get a Nissan Sentry at no additional cost. Might be something you could check out in your area.

    Enjoy your blog a lot!

  14. AndyS Says:
    August 10th, 2008 at 12:28 am

    Thanks and good luck on the house hunting! Some others great links included which I check out as well.

    With the current housing crisis, your dream home may come back into your price range. Keep it on your radar. I would hold off buying for at least 6-8 months if possible.

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