Well, my house was officially listed for sale on Thursday. I decided to not go through a realtor and pay the hefty commission. Instead we have a website that advertises online for $259+gst and you do all the "legwork" yourself. By Friday morning I had a call. The guy came by and seemed relatively interested. Friday afternoon I had another call but the person said they would phone back and never did. Friday night I had a couple come by and make a verbal offer for way more than I thought I would actually get, but slightly lower than selling price. They are getting back to me before Monday since they wanted my appliance and we both needed to do some thinking - I never intended on selling them but hey makes moving easier! Today I have another person coming at 1 pm to view the house. HOT DAMN!!!!! This thing is like a HOT POTATO.....
I tried selling it 5 years ago when my ex and I split for $15,000 less than I'm asking now........I had 2 people in 3 months!!!! That WAS through a realtor, but then I have done some work in the house since then. It is nice to know that my time is really worth that much since supplies were minimal and it was more back breaking hard labour
I thought emotionally I would be a wreck about this....and to list it I was but it seems to be getting easier and easier. (perhaps it is watching the dollar value go up lmao)
Anyway, that's my weekend - consumed with house hunters. Great way to start my holidays
Kid
This message has been edited by Canuck_Kid on Jul 15, 2007 12:32 PM This message has been edited by Canuck_Kid on Jul 15, 2007 12:32 PM
Good Luck! Real esatate is a fickle business, but is sounds like the market in your area is doing well. i sold a rental a few yrs, ago, A realtor had done a fair market analysis and was upset when I decided sell it myself, I got 10k more than what she was going to ask, and sold it within a week, You can do it!!!
Kid,
Good for you! We just sold a house for less than market value just to unload it. It is really a buyers' market in our area. It'll be fun for you to buy your own new place and decorate. Good luck!
I don't do well sitting still for long periods of time, although I've been looking at apartments and condos and may have to start finding some more relaxing hobbies than installing bathrooms, floors, etc. I won't even need to do any gardening!!!! Well unless you count the pots I will plant and put on my patio....that is, if I have one.
You mentioned that you weren't moving out of town. Are you just looking for something with less maintenance than your house? I certainly got that when I moved in my condo. I love it b/c I just have a flower garden in the backyard, do some flowers in the front and don't need to mow, so I have more time with my kids while I'm in school. Plus we have a neighborhood pool that we have met nearly the whole neighborhood in and my kids have lots of playmates. If I didn't have a boyfriend, there are even eligible bachelors at the pool sometimes. Maybe you need a condo with a pool? LOL
I also sold my house on my own and in two weeks and got 11k more than it appraised for, but that was 2 years ago when it was a sellers market - it's the opposite now.
Good luck with everything.
Charlie
ps I have the next month off with a broken foot, so it you want to come take a vacation we could sit out by the pool and drink margaritas. LOL
Sounds temping Charlie. It really really does. I miss those good Southern Margaritas that taste like they should.......like tequila haha
Unfortunately, living in Northern Ontario does leave much option for condos. There are many apartment type condo units (very unglamorous inside), but they are very overpriced and once you factor into that the maintenance fees (start at around $200+ per month) you could own a pretty nice house and pay somebody to mow your lawn. None have pools here (for obvious reasons since you could only swim 2-3 months of the year). The only condo building I found that I like has condo's starting at $150,000 and then I would still have to pay $300 a month for condo fees.
I'm not sure where I'm going at this point. My sister and family want me to move into her house (my grandmother's old house) but it has mold and the roof should have been replaced 5 years ago and my sister promised by May and keeps putting it off (now it is falling even lower on the priority scale behind her new house). I've been looking at apartments. Haven't made any decisons yets, since I love the yard and no neighbours at my sister's house. I just don't want to become her live in handywoman who gets paid nothing and fixing up her place for free.
I'm not selling my house because I want to. I'm selling it because financially I need to get the equity out of it to pay off some debts and lighten the load.
Kid, I'd trust those instincts about living in your sister's house. Unless you can get a rent break for any work that you provide receipts for materials and an agreed-upon rate per hour. I learned the hard way that even (or especially) with family it's a good idea to have everything clarified in advance and put in writing.
Well my sister isn't actually charging me rent. I would be living there rent free and paying her utilities which she can't really afford to pay on two houses right now. For me that is a break......as long as I don't have to spend money to repair things constantly. My dad has been snowblowing and mowing the lawn since December (even while doing chemo). He also spent $400 to fix the riding lawn mower that he needed to mow the lawn since they moved and left it sitting in the yard broken.
But yeah, moving into sister's house is seemingly more risky all the time.....
"I'm not selling my house because I want to. I'm selling it because financially I need to get the equity out of it to pay off some debts and lighten the load."
Kid, I'm sorry that is the reason you need to sell. That really stinks. I am very fortunate to not be working right now because with all the things that have happened to me lately, I would have lost a job or two. I hope things improve for you.
I have a good job but became too far in debt to get the ex out of my hair. I should have just sold everything then, but I wasn't in an emotionally good place to do it and the housing market was very bad then. Right now it is good so the timing is right. I'll be able to start life fresh with very little debt and the ability to be free. I'm sure the debt I carry, although not obvious to me now, takes a toll on my already precariously balanced health. That is one extra piece of baggage I'm tired of carrying. Me becoming sick just made me realize how important downsizing and having more disposable income to go on cruises and celebrate the short life we are given is to me.
I'm lucky in that I have a great job with a good pension plan, holidays, sick days, disability insurance, salary etc. They don't question anything I do (ie tons of med appts, sick time, etc) and still express their appreciation of my performance. I'm guaranteed a job until I retire thanks to a good collective agreement (maybe not in this city though). I've many things to be grateful for and even though things have been tough at times, I try to keep that in mind because I know I'm lucky. Returning to school was the best decision I ever made, not bad for a high school drop out. lol
You must be almost finished school Charlie??? You've been torturing yourself (opps I mean learning) for a long time.
Maybe you should just move in with boyfriend so it is easier for him to take care of you lol.
This message has been edited by Canuck_Kid on Jul 16, 2007 9:14 PM
< too far in debt to get the ex out of my hair.>
Kinda like head lice, huh Kid? HA
Well you know you can come and stay at my place, in good :ol America! I got back fom SD last Thurs, and I'm booking a flight to go again in 2 weeks. I know it's his turn to come here, but he's building that guest house and it's tough to get it done in the winter, Besides, he said he is subdividing his land and giving the guest house to me. Go figure, He calls it Marie's mansion. HAHA It's actually small. But he's putting his heart into it and that is what counts.
This has sure been an interesting, amusing, and outrageous experience, Damn it feels good! But I have decided I won't get married for another yr, I don't want JoebobLeroy to worry 'bout Emmersom.
Love ya, and you hang in there. You too Chuck. Life only gets better the longer you live. Why? "Cause you lived long enough to get old!!!
Maybe when you move into the mansion I can take over the "small" guesthouse lmao
You must be accumulating alot of frequent flyer miles MM. If you are interested in buying a beautiful summer home in the north for a honeymoon destination, my dream house is for sale.......
Best of luck with selling your house and moving in a better direction. I think that is a very good idea to try and sell the house on your own. You can save a lot of money that way. I love the place on the picture, Wow, I wish I could afford that.
TLMM,
Talk about moving, My son and his fiancee' came over the other night and told us they are thinking of moving to Bend, Oregon. Do you know much about that area? I hope they can find a reasonably priced house to buy and jobs. She is a registered nurse and he is in Advertising and Environment. He and I are very close, so this will be difficult for me. Does he have to move clear across the United States for Goodness Sakes? Sorry, this is all slightly off of subject.
Kid--what a beautiful home! I was really surprised by the low taxes. My taxes are almost twice that, yet my house is more the size of your guest cottage! OK, maybe not quite, but it is nothing like your house. I'm sorry you have to sell, but getting out from debt will be a freeing feeling, I'm sure. Good luck.
Bemd is a great twon and area. The ski resort is nearby.
Since 2000, the population has nearly doubled. it is one of the cleanest, most aesthetically pleasing towns I have ever seen. Their growth has kept the economy booming. There is an excellent Talyun restaurant there that Luigi would love.
Look at it online. If your son moves there, you all can come visit me!!! My oldest son plans on moving to Taiwan. Now that is a long ways away.
Thanks for the info. I'll tell Luigi. I guess if your son is going to Taiwan, I shouldn't complain about Oregon.
You and I will always have far away exciting places to visit then. I've never seen Oregon. If they do decide to move there, we will definitely come to visit you, but maybe by then you will be in SD. . I will tell my son about Bend.
For the record Angela......that isn't my house, that is my dream house lmao
Hot damn if only it WERE my house I would NEVER EVER sell
Taxes on the dream house are low because it has no city services. It is on a lake outside of town and heated with propane. It has no city water, sewer or lights. It only has hydro.
My taxes in the city are around $2,100 a year for a 1200 sq foot ranch home (no basement) and my lot is 112 feet by 30 feet.
Just had a realtor bring somebody through that wants to make an offer. Then she came to my door later and said they would be making an offer but that she expected 2.5% commission.......Yeah Okay! I chose to sell it privately for a reason lol Apparently I have to give her some incentive so I told her I would think about it but 2.5% is pretty ridiculous for an hour or two of her time.
MM where are you???? I need your real estate expertise lol
I'm no expert, but here's the deal. She is bringing the buyer and will make sure all the paper work is done properly.
That the people are qualified, (have the bucks, or can get the bucks), she will will make sure the title is clear ( no clouds or encumberances), and that it will close escrow.
Yeah, you can do all that. When I sold my rental I used a limited agency, they put a sign in the yard and put it on the internet. They charged $350. An agent brought me a buyer and I paid him 3%.
Maybe you can tell the agent that the buyers have to pay the closing costs. And tell the agent 2%, since you did the advertising and leg work!
if you listed your house with a real estate agennt they ususlly want 3% for themselves and 3% for the agent that sells the house. Unless a single agent lists and sells the house, then they might come down to 5%.
Anyway, it all depends on how badly you need to sell. I wish I was there we'd get er done!!!
Well I am not paying her no 2.5% considering all she did was make one phone call, take an hour out of her day to come with the person and obviously she will do the paperwork........I was thinking a flat fee of $1000 or $1200 would be pretty good compensation for all that. That's about 1%!!!
If she had listed it and wanted 5% (std rate in tbay) then she would have alot of overhead such as advertising expense, etc to have to cover. In this case it would be pure profit since she hasn't spent a penny to show the client my house. I think that's reasonable especially since the house seems to be hot. Lots of phone calls, but I was at camp. Plenty more buyers out in this field.
Kid, if it's hot, have you considered running a private auction? Change your ad to say that bids will be received until such and such a date and then you will select the highest acceptable bid.
Never heard of that before Chris. Not sure how well it would go over here and then there are all the little conditions etc that you need to negotiate. Interesting idea though.
I signed the paperwork tonight. It is officially a done deal, conditional on a home inspection of course. The realtor said she likely won't bother and will just have a friend come by and look at the place.
Not sure where my emotions are right now. I'm bordering between complete giddiness and tears. This is kind of like a trip to the dentist with a tooth that is killing you and needs to be ripped out. You don't want to go, but the sooner you do the sooner you will feel better and the pain will be gone.
Did I mention I have until Aug 8th to move!!!! Okay friends......packing party at Kim's place.
As a recent movee, trust me on this: you probably have way more stuff than you know. I scheduled the moving truck for the weekend before I had to be out so that I had a few more days for carloads of odds and ends.
Wow, you can very proud of yourself. You have accomplished something good. Best to you in your new move. Don't over do it. Hope you have some help in moving your things.
Still thinking on that one Chris. I think due to the time crunch it will be my new temporary home. As my dad said, move in and if you are uncomfortable or anything breaks then find something else.
My dad is the BEST! He even offered to fix the roof (ie get up there and use tons of tar to make sure nothing leaks until it can be fixed right) and to keep mowing the grass at my sister's place after I move in. (even though he is currently going through chemo) He has offered to help me fix the place and paint also.
We spent last weekend at camp together and we worked on the dock and shed together, then we went fishing for a day. It was really nice, peaceful and relaxing.
Well today I went apartment hunting. I'm better off at my sister's place since the apartments I looked at were disgusting!! So I guess my mind has been made.
So Kid, now's your chance to figure out how much "stuff" you can live without. (I have boxes that I haven't looked in for two years since my parents helped me start packing to move.) Especially if you think you'll be moving again soon.
Chris I already culled so much stuff while packing it was crazy. Based on the fact we filled the Ryder Truck to the brim still, I'm thinking I definitely need to pair it down again for next time lol
Not sure how long I will stay here so alot of stuff I may not bother unpacking for now.
I have a kitchen set up so I can cook......what more could a person ask for, right RW ?
Wow, I missed so much not coming here for months. CONGRATULATIONS. How does it feel now that you have been moved in for a while. You are a strong and powerful woman.
Hey Jbean. <<hugs>> How are ya girl? I know things have been very rough for you lately.
I've been doing great actually. I miss my house, but I discovered that home isn't the house, it is what is inside. My dad visits for tea sometimes now and drops by with little presents for me, just because he is closer, so we are bonding more now. He knew I was having a bonfire party so he showed up one day with a patio table he didn't need and another day with a truck full of cut and split wood.
He is only 5 minutes away and I've been having some power issues so he spent a little bit of the weekend here.
Being without a mortgage is an interesting feeling, one that I am not yet used to. My paycheques go much farther I know that! Hey I can actually afford food on the table and to pay all my bills when they are due without using credit cards.....yeah
I hope things get better for you soon....thinking about you.....and thanks for thinking about me when you have so much on your mind.
Kid
ps so far the MS is staying pretty much at bay.....here's crossing fingers and toes
