By Living Room Realty, August 31, 2021
First-time homebuyers Mitch and Allie were moving from their apartment in SE to SW to be closer to Allie’s job. They wanted to stay close to Portland, and so had a pretty definitive search area. Early on, we talked about looking at the ugly homes, or those that needed some work, to keep them within their budget. Mitch is pretty handy and felt comfortable taking on some projects. There were not a lot of options, so we were able to look at pretty much every house that came up. We found a bit of a fixer in the perfect location, and their offer was accepted.
Unfortunately, the home inspection turned up some major issues that could not be DIY’d. It’s not fun to spend money and time on inspections to end up terminating, but this experience clearly illustrated why home inspections are so important. Sometimes the best thing to do is walk away, and that’s why the contracts are written the way they are.
We started looking again, and the more we looked, the more we all realized they didn’t want a house that needed a lot of work. Their goal was a small house, good yard, big garage, and lots of time for outdoor activities and friends. So they started thinking about spending a little more on a house and less on repairs and updates. Mitch and Allie both got skilled at knowing how to make a good offer in a competetive market, and even though they did have to make 4 more offers before getting this house, it was worth the wait. Bonus points for good friends nearby!
