Good readers, I have not forgotten you!  We took a break from house hunting after our third bid attempt did not result in us actually owning a house ( Read more... )

Well I finally found out what "potential for open and creative floor plan" means.  It means the house used to have an open floor plan and then someone put up extraneous walls.  So, take down the wall between the entry way and tiny living room and you would have a decent living room.  Break out the blocked doorway between the living room and dining ( Read more... )

Our last house hunting trip found us the most amazing house.  6 bedrooms, insanely gorgeous master bathroom, fabulous deck, minimal work needed to make it livable and the Ravens Fan Club Room.  This room was a complete surprise.  The listing  say the main floor contains living room, dining room and kitchen. There were pictures of the same.  The ( Read more... )

Another day, another house bid.  Not saying any more until we hear back.

No new houses yesterday.  Mr Spiffy called about the one that is at the top of our list and was told it's "not a good day" for a viewing.  What the heck?  It's a short sale.  The owners cannot pay their mortgage and are trying to avoid foreclosure.  How can it not be a good day for that ( Read more... )

It was a dark and stormy night in Baltimore, when Mysterious N blew into town like a whirlwind of black leather.  She was here for the houses and the houses were running scared ( Read more... )

"You gotta know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run..."

The listing for Mini-Winchester is still showing Active.  Not Pending Sale, not Under Contract.  I have a sneaking suspicion that the "other bid" was a bluff to try to get us to back down from our request for closing assistance.  Too bad for them.

I ( Read more... )

A license plate that reads "UMD LAW".  My initial reaction was "huh, law grad.  Well I guess zi can brag if they like..."  But upon reflection I realized it's like one of those "Baby on Board" signs, only this one says "Lawyer on Board - do not even think of tapping this bumper!"  This led me to think of other signs I'd like to see on the road, ( Read more... )

Bad news - the bank accepted another offer on Mini Winchester.  They wanted us to let them keep our $3000 good-faith deposit for 3 or 4 months just in case this offer doesn't work out.  We declined.

Good news - More crazy houses to post about!

The real estate market can be a confusing place.  So for the benefit of the 20-somethings and 30-somethings that are contemplating their first home-buying, here are some things I've learned:

1) Read the whole listing: I've been using www.redfin.com/ which is a great site with lots of information, including several years worth of sales and marketing ( Read more... )