House Hunters...Seattle

Isn't this the truth!

So, you've decided renting is for the birds. You've made the decision you are ready to set out and plant roots, and put all those saved Pinterest pins to use. Buying a home is such an exciting and defining moment. House hunting should be an exciting experience, and a majority of the time it is, but sometimes it can be the most frustrating process. Currently, I am finding the end game of the process maddening.

When we lived in Florida finding a home that checked off the majority of our wants/needs from our list wasn't hard. Once we decided we wanted to buy, it was definitely a whirlwind of activity, but from putting an offer down to closing it was relatively stress free. Even selling the home when we decided to move to Seattle was quick and profitable. However, house hunting in Seattle is a whole different ball game.

Oh how I miss our first house!

I never wanted to live downtown; great to visit, but I wasn't 100% ready for a true urban living experience. I am definitely a suburb kind of gal. The surrounding neighborhoods like Ballard, Queen Anne, and Fremont are quite appealing for many reasons. However, even renting here was out of our budget. Yes, we probably could afford it, but I'm not in my 20's and okay with a diet based solely on ramen noodles. Also, I don't want 50% or more of my income going toward housing. The median sales price in this area is around $700,000. So, buying a home...forget it!

It's definitely a seller's market in Seattle as there is a lack of inventory. Knowing how hard and expensive it is to buy in the city, why sell the home you have? It seems as soon as a for-sale sign goes up an agent is slapping a SOLD sticker over it. So, we knew immediately we would be looking outside the city limits of Seattle and even outside of King County. However, it was a lot harder this time around to find something relatively close to what we had in Florida. A majority of the homes we found in our price range required a tremendous amount of work. Good neighborhood, garage, backyard for the dogs, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths- check, check and check! But...it needs a new roof, foundation repaired, painting inside and out, mold, walls repaired, floor replaced...sigh. Even if you have the funds for repairs there are multiple offers bidding $10,000 to $50,000 (and much higher!) over asking price!

Needless to say the process became discouraging. We spent a lot of time looking at other homes, but once you "liked" a property you received an update saying it was already pending or sold- sometimes same day.

While looking we kept coming back to this one house an hour outside of Seattle. And when I say an hour that means no traffic, no accidents, no detours (if there is traffic lets add 30 mins to an hour to that). The property is basically located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and rural. It wasn't perfect, definitely the furthest of all the homes, but it was near the mountains. It was also located near one of our favorite places to hike and come on- did I mention it was near the Cascades?! Google it. It's gorgeous.

Following the moving truck through the Cascades a year ago

So, we came to the decision to go for it. The more we looked at it, the more we liked it...then loved it. Knowing how the market is, and knowing there was a possibility of not getting the home was fairly intimidating. Regardless, we found a broker and started the process. After we were pre-approved, we quickly placed an offer on the home. Shocker- there was another offer already on the table. So, we anxiously waited to see if it was our offer which would come out on top, or not. Luckily it did, and soon we were under contract and scheduled to close June 12th. Our broker, I would have to say, has been extremely helpful and quick to answers any and all questions I have thrown at him. However, it's the lender who has made this whole ordeal a nightmare. Basically all conditions have been cleared for over a week, but we have not received a cleared to close. Here it is June 20th and we were supposed to sign docs yesterday. I have my fingers crossed, but I wouldn't be surprised if nothing happened today; such a nightmare.

If you are looking to make the leap from renting to owning don't let my experience discourage you! Like I said, the first time around was a breeze, and these companies are usually on top of their game. Do your research and know this process takes up to three months and sometimes longer. Even though we are still waiting for a clear to close we did receive a great rate, and saved a bit of money in the process. Eventually we are getting a home! No more listening to neighbors stomp about, or sirens racing down Aurora Ave. every 15 minutes. I cannot wait to move out there and enjoy being closer to the mountains, to nature, and do more of the things I want to do without having to drive hours to get there, and I can't wait to share it.

But, trust me. I do have my review ready to go for the lender as soon as keys are in my hand!

Till next time!