After an exhaustive four days in Colorado, I’m back in Virginia and sleeping for the next week. I flew into Denver Tuesday night and then drove to Colorado Springs. We had contacted a Realtor (Mike) in town about a really nice house a few weeks ago. Sadly, it already had 3 offers lined up, so Mike sent us a list of almost 70 houses in our budget and size. We sorted through those and some ones we found on Zillow and sent Mike a top 10 last week. Between last week and Tuesday, three of those houses were no longer available, so we lined up showings for the remaining seven. Bob, another Realtor in Mike’s office, was my guide for the day, so we headed out Wednesday morning. The weather was perfect, and I’m partial to a view of the Front Range. š
We spent 20-30 minutes in each house, and I took lots of notes to share with Mac. I had a solid top 3 at the end of the day. One house was well below our budget while the other two were at the top. When we finished looking at those houses, I headed over to Fort Carson to explore the housing there. We would only qualify for a 2-3 bedroom house with a 3-6 month waiting list. As always, we plan to apply for post housing as a back-up. Mac and I had a lengthy conversation about what we wanted to do. With the current loan interest rates and our potential down payment, we could have a mortgage payment several hundred dollars under his BAH.
Thursday was super dismal and rainy, so I wondered around the mall until my appointment at the Realtor’s. I then bought 3 Broncos shirts and a pair of riding boots. After going over each house, we decided to put in an offer for the house that was well within our budget. It is a short sale, meaning both the seller and the seller’s lender have to approve our offer which can take longer to close. We submitted our mortgage pre-approval with our offer to better our chances. And now we wait. Prayers and happy thoughts are welcome!
After I finished at the Realtor’s office, I headed up to my godmother’s farm near Kersey (so between Denver and Cheyenne). I got to spend time with her, her daughter, and her husband which was a nice break from house hunting. I drove to Denver from their house and flew back to Virginny yesterday.
How was your first home-buying experience? Have any of y’all bought short sales?
Good luck! Buying a house is so stressful, but with a view like that, it’s totally worth it! I’ve never been to Colorado, but it seems so great there.
What an adventure, Lisa! So exciting and so nerve-wrecking at the same time. Whatever happens, I know you’ll end up with a beautiful home perfect for you and Mac. But I do hope you get this one! Fingers crossed and prayers coming your way.
We had a great experience buying and selling our home! We used the USAA movers advantage program both times and even if we didn’t use the realtor that they assigned we got a monetary incentive from them. I’m excited for you guys! š
This is just great that you found something within your budget. Tom and I have started our soft search for when we head back to MO. There is so much to consider when buying!