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I found another house


At the end of July, I thought that I had found my dream home. I made an offer. The seller countered. Then I accepted the seller’s counter offer.  I was already trying to schedule the home inspection when my realtor, Robert, texted me that the seller wanted to hold off. Well, according to Robert, the seller decided to sell the home to his neighbor’s friend. I was disappointed but then oddly felt relief. As much as I like the home and the area, I was a little worried that the location was a little too isolated. It was close to buses but far away from the train. I was concerned about how I would get to and from work. Robert would still make his commission as he was acting as both the buyer and seller’s agent. Everyone was happy except for me.

I then called another former realtor, Louis, and we began looking at properties.  We went to an open house on a quiet street, a few blocks away from a subway station and a block from a bus, that was listed below market value. There were probably about thirty other buyers at this open house. And most of these buyers were first timers like myself. My competition was fierce. I made small talk with a few of them and attempted to find out how long they had been looking. I met a young couple with an adorable eight-month-old son. The couple lived and worked in Manhattan in a one-bedroom apartment. They wanted to purchase in Brooklyn because they needed more space for their son and of course Brooklyn was more affordable. Another first-time home buyer was a woman who couldn’t decide if she wanted to be in Brooklyn or Queens. She had been looking in residential parts of Queens and felt that Brooklyn had more to offer. The woman became frustrated about the long wait to get inside the property as they were only taking us in two at a time. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the line to get into this open house stretched around the block.  Passing cars slowed down once they saw the thirty of us, single file, queuing outside a house on a humid Sunday afternoon.  

The young couple liked the house and I was almost positive that they would make an offer that day. They had been to several open houses on this Sunday and had spent almost an hour driving from upper Manhattan to Brooklyn to view houses.  I  liked the house too. It reminded me of a small cottage. The layout was great and I could see that the seller had maximized the space. I especially liked the third bedroom which was located on the second floor. Louis and I knew the house was going to sell for more than the listing price. I told him that I didn’t want a bidding war so I ended up not making an offer.

A few days later Louis took me to see a four-bedroom house walking distance from “the cottage”. I was immediately in love. The home was immaculate. The seller had completed every upgrade to this home. All I had to do was move in. But I realized that this was way too much house for me. Even more importantly, I couldn’t afford it.  I had a lot to think about. And as I drove home in the rainstorm in my tiny car with lightening flashing and thunder roaring above me, I began to think about the cottage house.  I pulled over to the side of the road to send Louis a text, “is that cottage house still available?” Louis called the listing agency who informed him that there was an offer on the table but a contract wasn't signed. Louis asked me to give my best offer. And so, I did.  That was on August 14th 2018. On August 15th 2018, I submitted a copy of my pre-approval letter and the signed offer. Several hours later, Louis texted me that my offer was accepted.

The cottage has a lot of potential. It is small but cute.  It is closer to the subway, a major plus for me.  I had to realize that I had to compromise on my wants. The house offered everything that I needed. It has three bedrooms and two baths. The downstairs recreation space was the length of the house.  Apart from needing a fresh coat of paint throughout and cleaning, it was almost perfect. My attorney was  notified.  On 8/17/18, Louis found a home inspector, whom  I spoke to today.  We have an inspection scheduled for Tuesday at 10 am. If all goes well. I could be signing a contract by Wednesday, hopefully.

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