On Friday we finished all the home inspections and we were just overwhelmed with all of the results. We had so many inspections – the normal house inspector which called for a plumbing & sewer inspection and also a chimney inspection. As we should have known, the additional checks could only mean one thing – trouble. And trouble with a capital “T”.
The house ended up being a money pit. Now, my hubby and I were prepared for the usual fixes and repairs that go along with buying an older home. However, we weren’t prepared to fix someone else’s repairs because they weren’t done properly. We would have to fix the fixes! Now doesn’t that sound crazy. So, we couldn’t even start at square one. We had to start below square one to get the whole house safe and to code. My running joke (yes, its funny to me) is that the homeowner of this house used Mr. Janky for all her repairs because nothing was done to code. It was crazy. The electrical system was messed up and would have required additional re-wiring. The plumbing was terrible. We found out that both toilets would be technically considered “inoperable.” And I bet you are thinking. Well how did the owners go to the bathroom? Well, one of them didn’t work at all and they claimed they didn’t use it. And then the other one was about to fall over and was unstable. The toilet was not properly connected to the plumbing and may be on rotted out wood. So the answer is that they went to the bathroom very carefully as to not knock over their only toilet. And the list goes on.. There were chimneys that moved on the roof and condemned along with the fireplace (oh, they claimed they used the fireplace.. humph!). There were refrigerators powering off extension cords because there were only 2 outlets in the entire kitchen and sunroom. The house could fall down any second because it wasn’t retrofitted for an earthquake. We live in a seismic activity zone which is code word for an earthquake can happen at any second. The garage should have been bulldozed because it was a termite mess with no electricity. And on top of all the bad stuff (and I haven’t listed it all), the house needed paint (interior and exterior), new kitchen, new bathrooms, additional closet space, the floors redone. So, if you haven’t gotten the picture by now, the place was CRAZY and required too much work and money. And thanks to the help of my father, my hubby and I were able to see it for what it was - - a Money Trap!
And after we decided that we didn’t want to move forward with the house based on all of these “contingencies” (which is our right by the way), our realtor yelled, kicked, and screamed in disagreement. Maybe I am exaggerating a little bit but she really did advise us STRONGLY and with lots of ATTITUDE to take the house and that we basically wouldn’t find anything better. And I agree. We definitely won’t find anything better with her as our realtor. So, we’ll try to find another house with another realtor. There were other reasons for her dismissal but that is for another day at another time. Plus, some of you might know her. (I told you I keep it pretty real on here.)
So now we are trying to find a qualified and PROFESSIONAL realtor to help us in our search for a new home. (If you know one please send their info my way.) And we aren’t looking for anyone’s friend because that is what got us in trouble in the first place (the realtor was my husband’s friend). There is a lesson in there too. I share below so stay tuned.
Now we are on the prowl to find a new home, a new realtor, and a buyer for our loft. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and praying about it. Although we spent unnecessary money and went through unnecessary drama, we learned several big lessons here.
Lesson #1: Don’t do business with friends (especially when one party is getting paid). You can’t be objective. And the friend can treat the business relationship too casual and act less than professional. Remember, they aren’t doing you a favor if you’re paying them, so they shouldn’t act like it.
Lesson #2: Big decisions should sit right with you or feel good. At the end of the day and after all the pros and cons are weighed, you should be able to sleep well with the decisions that you made. If you can’t or something stinks, leave it be (as they say in the country)!
Lesson #3: As a husband and wife, you must always remember to be on the same team. Although my husband and I did follow this lesson, this ordeal reminded us of the importance of acting as a team. I couldn’t think of anyone else that I’d rather buy a house with. Of course there are times when I wish my hubby was a ball player making a million plus (ha ha). No seriously, our team is #1. You mess with one of us – its over.
Lesson #4: If someone tells you who they are, believe them. In many cases, our realtor revealed certain things about her personality, habits and professionalism that would not be conducive to good business. We should have turned the other way. Don’t ignore them or write them off. If you do, it will come back and bite you in the ass! And in cases like these - cause you to spend unnecessary dough!
Lesson #5: Trust your intuition. I heard voices in my head a couple of times (no I am not crazy) that said don’t work with this realtor or don’t do business with friends or maybe I should say something. And I didn’t. I didn’t heed my own internal warning system – which has NEVER failed me. You have to listen to yourself. If you do, you’ll save yourself a lot of time, money and headaches..
That’s the lesson, boys and girls.
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