The Hunt

I'll start this post by saying: I closed on a house in Santa Fe! 

But finding a house in Santa Fe in my price range was surprisingly difficult. I had a hard cap at $300k, and my preference was to be under $275k. I had a very clear understanding of my own financial abilities, which was super helpful, if occasionally frustrating. It was really easy to look at houses just over my price range and 'imagine if,' so I slowly learned not to do that. Because my time frame was fairly tight, and because I have a dog and was moving cross country to start a job, I knew I needed to make an offer no later than October 15, or make alternate and temporary housing plans while I searched once I moved. Obviously, I wanted to have a house by the time my new job started, but I called around to apartment complexes to check on vacancies to reduce the possibility of panic buying a house

During the time I was seriously looking at houses, there were maybe 15 houses and townhouses in my price range that I would consider. (There were others that were in my price range only insofar as I could buy the property; the repairs would have doubled the cost). My first day out, I saw four places. The very first one I saw, I really loved. We came back to see it a second time, this time bringing my uncle and a ladder to get up on the roof. After looking at other townhouses in the neighborhood, I offered below the asking price. Despite having been on the market for 70+ days (an eternity in Santa Fe!), there were two other offers submitted in the same 24 hour period. The seller gave a notice of multiple offers, and I chose not to revise my offer. 

The day I put an offer in on that townhouse, three new houses came onto the market, so I scheduled showings for the next day. The first house was a clear no. The second had, as my mom likes to say, possibilities, but I wasn't really excited about it. The third house had a hideous interior paint job, but the bones were good and you could see mountains from the back yard. And it was standing in the backyard that I made the decision to not enter a bidding war for the townhouse. Instead, I made an offer on the house whose backyard I was standing in. I offered $5000 over the asking price, having a suspicion that the stucco would need to be repaired and I would have negotiating room. The next day, my mom and I left to drive back to Minnesota. That afternoon, driving across Colorado-Kansas, I got a text from my realtor: "Offer accepted!" I wish there had been a third person present to video us happy-dancing on the side of the road!

And somehow I thought that the search would be the hard part! Instead, now began the parade of stucco estimates, inspectors, roof estimates, sewer line inspections, mold inspections - not to mention the back and forth with my mortgage agent. What I learned during the weeks of inspection was that the cute little house needed to be re-stuccoed AND it needed a new roof. The appliances worked, except the sink disposal, but were likely on their last legs. And that was on top of what I already knew from seeing the house: the walk-in bathtub had to go and good lord did it need new paint. 

After negotiating, the seller agreed to pay for the stucco and offered some credits toward closing. The rest was mine to take on. I agreed. The closing date was set. And then I got an email from my mortgage agent saying that the underwriters needed a few more days. We needed to move the closing date from Friday to Tuesday. The seller generously agreed to let me stay in the house - to in effect take possession - starting Saturday at 4pm, and she didn't charge me a darn thing. I started my new job Monday, I closed on Tuesday, and now the house is mine! (Well, and the bank's!)

So why make a blog about this? I'm a first time homeowner. I don't have a giant budget. I have a house that needs upgrades and repairs ranging from minor to major (see above re: stucco and roof). I'll be doing a BUNCH of DIY - honestly, it has already started, because as I write this the bulk of the painting is finished. I'll be learning new skills (as of this writing, I have learned how to patch small drywall holes and how to use orange peel spray to make patches disappear on textured walls) and figuring things out as I go.  And I wanted to chronicle the changes I'll be making. 

So, here's my Santa Fe house, and my adventures in home-ownership!