|| YES, THAR BE MY TOILET IN MY ICON, THE CREEPY CREEPER ! ||
Because a collapsed, decimated, unrepairable sewer line just wasn't enough bullshit for one week, yesterday our swamp cooler decided to act the fool and slide down our roof on its own volition, and crash into our next door neighbors' roof, crushing a length of their home's gutter.
Just ... just ... *facedesk*.
BUT! I'm trying to remain positive (and, yeah, Yoda says "Do or do not; there is no try", but I'll bet Yoda never had a collapsed sewer line -- besides, he lived in a frickin' swamp to begin with) and we're looking at an alternate plan. We've been thinking about it for a while and it's possible we may just snap up a rental home and move out of here, like, immediately, so our house can be completely empty for showings. I'm not looking forward to the prospect of paying rent plus a mortgage, but this would be, I think, a well-thought-out, well-calculated move. When we bought this house back in 2005, I absolutely and firmly believed this neighborhood would gentrify. Well, I was right, and our neighborhood is now hot, hot, hot. In fact, it's in one of the top 25 genrifying zip codes in the US. And I'll just say this: I don't want to fight about gentrification. I realize it's an extremely tetchy subject, and quite frankly it's one I didn't think reciprocally about back in 2005. That's not the case now. Anyhow, basically the scenario is this: Homes are going onto the market; they're being snapped up within days; there seems to be bidding wars going on because some houses are selling for far more than the original asking price. So right now, here, it's a seller's market.
While I obviously can't be 100% positive, as we've sussed out all the information we've received and gotten a realistic overview, I at least feel confident that our house probably would not stagnate and just sit on the market. We're putting substantial amounts of money into this place to get it into tip-top salable condition: Fresh exterior and interior paint; new plumbing and sewer line; I-beam reinforcement in the cellar/basement to help prevent settling and to shore up 100+ year-old weight-bearing joists; new appliances for the kitchen; converting a .25 bath to a .50 bath; new carpeting on the upper level; a few new windows; chimney tarring and flashing; plaster repair; authentic period hardware for the doors (a $100 antique doorknob made me weep last week); and some conservative landscaping, yard work, and design; etc, etc.
I know myself and I know what's required to sell a house. The house must be kept in showable condition at all times, and while I would approach this with the very best of intentions, this house is seriously about a third the size of a house that we need to adequately keep a neat and organized home. You can't keep a neat and organized home when there literally isn't a single bit of storage to put things away in. We have lots of piles, lots of things, lots of clothing stored on top of our dressers (which are full -- time for a clothing purge and donation, I think. Especially on my part.), and a single car garage that's almost completely full of items we've already packed. With these circumstances, I can't keep the house in showable condition 24-7. I struggle with organization in general; it would be unwise for me to gamble on my weaknesses rather than my strengths. What I am good at is things like making the yard look pretty, picking out nice colors and styles (yes, even neutrals!), having an eye for detail, and even coordinating the contractors and glazers and plumbers and gutter repair persons and carpet guys, etc. But I'm just not good at keeping a pristine house all the time.
So I broached the idea of renting and moving out fairly immediately, which would leave the house empty for showings, to my mother this morning, and she was flabbergasted. It turns out she had been wanting to broach the exact same idea to me, but felt I would reject it right out of hand (a legitimate concern; it's fair to say I have a tendency to say "No!" off the bat, and then go back and really think whatever it is through more logically). She's thrilled with the idea -- it turns out she's been covertly checking out rentals, LOL :)) Frankly, I'm open to the prospect of long-term renting. This home is the third property I've owned and I'm no longer convinced that real estate provides the safest repository for increasing equity; it's not like it was when I was a little girl. I mean, it obviously depends on where you live, how much you put down, and your fixed interest rate ... but in a lot of ways, renting is appealing to me right now. My main concern is that there's always the possibility the owner/landlord can sell a rental property out from under you once the lease is up without a ton of notice. Other than that, given the right house in the right location ... I'm willing to give renting a try.
Do any of you have any thoughts on renting that might be helpful? I haven't rented since 1995.
Just ... just ... *facedesk*.
BUT! I'm trying to remain positive (and, yeah, Yoda says "Do or do not; there is no try", but I'll bet Yoda never had a collapsed sewer line -- besides, he lived in a frickin' swamp to begin with) and we're looking at an alternate plan. We've been thinking about it for a while and it's possible we may just snap up a rental home and move out of here, like, immediately, so our house can be completely empty for showings. I'm not looking forward to the prospect of paying rent plus a mortgage, but this would be, I think, a well-thought-out, well-calculated move. When we bought this house back in 2005, I absolutely and firmly believed this neighborhood would gentrify. Well, I was right, and our neighborhood is now hot, hot, hot. In fact, it's in one of the top 25 genrifying zip codes in the US. And I'll just say this: I don't want to fight about gentrification. I realize it's an extremely tetchy subject, and quite frankly it's one I didn't think reciprocally about back in 2005. That's not the case now. Anyhow, basically the scenario is this: Homes are going onto the market; they're being snapped up within days; there seems to be bidding wars going on because some houses are selling for far more than the original asking price. So right now, here, it's a seller's market.
While I obviously can't be 100% positive, as we've sussed out all the information we've received and gotten a realistic overview, I at least feel confident that our house probably would not stagnate and just sit on the market. We're putting substantial amounts of money into this place to get it into tip-top salable condition: Fresh exterior and interior paint; new plumbing and sewer line; I-beam reinforcement in the cellar/basement to help prevent settling and to shore up 100+ year-old weight-bearing joists; new appliances for the kitchen; converting a .25 bath to a .50 bath; new carpeting on the upper level; a few new windows; chimney tarring and flashing; plaster repair; authentic period hardware for the doors (a $100 antique doorknob made me weep last week); and some conservative landscaping, yard work, and design; etc, etc.
I know myself and I know what's required to sell a house. The house must be kept in showable condition at all times, and while I would approach this with the very best of intentions, this house is seriously about a third the size of a house that we need to adequately keep a neat and organized home. You can't keep a neat and organized home when there literally isn't a single bit of storage to put things away in. We have lots of piles, lots of things, lots of clothing stored on top of our dressers (which are full -- time for a clothing purge and donation, I think. Especially on my part.), and a single car garage that's almost completely full of items we've already packed. With these circumstances, I can't keep the house in showable condition 24-7. I struggle with organization in general; it would be unwise for me to gamble on my weaknesses rather than my strengths. What I am good at is things like making the yard look pretty, picking out nice colors and styles (yes, even neutrals!), having an eye for detail, and even coordinating the contractors and glazers and plumbers and gutter repair persons and carpet guys, etc. But I'm just not good at keeping a pristine house all the time.
So I broached the idea of renting and moving out fairly immediately, which would leave the house empty for showings, to my mother this morning, and she was flabbergasted. It turns out she had been wanting to broach the exact same idea to me, but felt I would reject it right out of hand (a legitimate concern; it's fair to say I have a tendency to say "No!" off the bat, and then go back and really think whatever it is through more logically). She's thrilled with the idea -- it turns out she's been covertly checking out rentals, LOL :)) Frankly, I'm open to the prospect of long-term renting. This home is the third property I've owned and I'm no longer convinced that real estate provides the safest repository for increasing equity; it's not like it was when I was a little girl. I mean, it obviously depends on where you live, how much you put down, and your fixed interest rate ... but in a lot of ways, renting is appealing to me right now. My main concern is that there's always the possibility the owner/landlord can sell a rental property out from under you once the lease is up without a ton of notice. Other than that, given the right house in the right location ... I'm willing to give renting a try.
Do any of you have any thoughts on renting that might be helpful? I haven't rented since 1995.