OMG! We may buy another house!

gja1000 · 10-28-2010, 05:31 PM

I literally can't believe this! The day before yesterday, Gary went to a little town about 7 miles from where we live now to check on a bobcat he had taken to the taxidermist for a friend. The houses in the addition where he went were built in 1985-1987. The lots are 1/2 acre. He saw a for sale sign on a home at the end of a cul de sac. The owner just happened to be leaving and he talked to her for a bit. He picked up a real estate flyer and came home and told me about it. He was so excited because of the big lot, LOTS of trees, backed up to a green belt, had a wood working shed out back, a loooooong driveway by the house for an RV and a boat, and many other "goodies".

Now, mind you these are ALL the things we have longed for, and we could have moved several times, but were not willing to pay the extra money to get those amenities, and usually the homes were way out of Austin, making my commute to work a nightmare.

Well, this location would take me approximately 10 extra minutes to work - no big deal. There is nothing special about the house, it is just fine, and I am not picky at all about where I live - so it is plenty nice for us. We'd have to rip out the carpet and fence one side of the yard, otherwise it is move-in ready. It is bigger than our original house, but smaller than our house now with the addition we built 8 years ago.

The yard is in terrible shape and there is no landscaping to speak of, except for lots of trees. But I love to do landscaping, so that doesn't bother me at all. The house is all brick, with vinyl siding on the gables, so that is nice, no future painting. Our present house is mostly all wood siding which we have to paint every few years. There's lots of big nice trees and the yard has lots of potential. We have both a boat and a travel trailer in storage ($$ every month). Both could be located at the acreage house (no more storage $$).

You know the best thing - the house is exactly the same price that we would ask for our house if we were selling it! It is like a trade up for the same price. I never thought I'd see such a thing. The real estate market is down as it is everywhere - and I guess people are just looking for shiny new houses - but that is not my thing. The sellers are retired and have built another home and they are half moved out and READY to sell. They have dropped the price by about $40,000, so it's a pretty good deal.

You know the kicker. My daughter and her husband have gotten a firm date for when her husband Bryan has to be in Houston for his new job, Feb. 2. Brooke will not go until May when Abigail's school is out. They are going to go ahead and put their house on the market in December - and will likely sell before May (hopefully). They had already talked about staying with us if the house sold. If (IF) we buy the acreage house, they could stay in our old house and we wouldn't be on top of each other. We will eventually sell the old house, but there is no rush. We can afford both house payments - I wouldn't want to do it forever, but we can for a while. The kids will probably make the payment for us while they are living here (if that happens). We could also rent the old house after the kids use it, and since I work at the university, I could probably get a visiting professor in for a year at a time (which would be better (hopefully) than random renters). I don't think I'd like to have rental property forever, but the house will be paid for in 2 years, so we might just keep it for income - who knows!

I think maybe this is fate, I'm not sure. It wasn't anything we were seeking, it just fell into our laps and it seems to be the right thing to do. Could we be that lucky???

Janet · 10-29-2010, 05:55 AM

Gayle it sounds wonderful and just what you were wanting. I say..."make it your own." It's not bad having a rental at all Gayle. We have just one and it is in town (Frankfort). It's pretty nice and we've owned it now for about 10 years and have only had two renters. The first kept it real nice and always paid the rent, but it was always a week late. They moved without telling us which left us no time to prepare for the added expense. Now we have a young couple and they are doing a great job of keeping it nice also. We always have to tell them we're coming for the rent or they'll forget...duh. Both.....our residence and the rental will be paid off in two years. I'm thinking it may be better for me to stick around till then...not sure.

I hope it will be an easy decision for you and that everything turns out the way you want.

DianaB · 10-29-2010, 07:13 AM

Gayle.....I say go for it!!!! It sounds like it's just perfect for you and Gary!!! You have thought everything out so well.......I bet you even know where you're putting your furniture!!! LOL How exciting!!!!

Lindsey · 10-29-2010, 11:26 AM

Gayle, it sounds like fate! That's a great idea to keep the current house for your daughter and her family. Do you have any pictures house? I love brick houses!

DIANE W · 10-29-2010, 11:36 AM

Gayle
It does sound like it is meant to be, I say go with your feelings and if it feels right - it usually IS......

Good luck, I would love to see pictures too.

Blueyes · 10-29-2010, 12:24 PM

Yep...DO IT!! It will give you something else to focus on besides your kids leaving

It surely sounds like it was meant to be. If you can have both houses for awhile, there won't be pressure to get your things moved. How exciting!! What side of Austin is it on?

gja1000 · 10-29-2010, 07:28 PM

Guys! We did it. I can't believe this happened so FAST! Betsi, it is in Pflugerville - which is just east of I35 and just north of Austin, right before you get to Round Rock.

I will be grieving not having an Austin address, as everyone wants to live in AUSTIN! But I've been there for 25 years, so I guess I can live in Pflugerville - but the name just sounds so silly! LOL! My daughter went to Pflugerville schools, even though we lived in Austin, so it's not like I'm not used to the name!

Gary can get a VA loan and the interest rate is very very low since he is a disabled veteran. Also, he doesn't have to pay property taxes or mortgage protection insurance, so the payment is only principle and interest. (deep breath) I think this is just meant to be! We are very happy!!!!

But now we have to move - UGH! I HATE MOVING! It will be good to get things sorted out, given away, and thrown away. You accumulate a lot in 25 years. Actually we downsized a lot when mom moved in with us 8 years ago, but it seems our "junk" has grown since we built the addition. I'm going to have to start working a little bit at a time. That way I won't wear myself out. It doesn't matter at all when we move in but I think it would be nice to be there by Christmas.

We will not take all our furniture with us - the kids will need some if they have to live here and if we rent to a visiting professor, they won't have any furniture - so it will need to stay lightly furnished. I don't know how long we'll keep it - we'll just have to see!

Here is the real estate web site - hopefully you can see the pictures. http://www.pflugervilletxhomesforsal...rtyid/2637009/

It was a custom built home in 1987, so the library paneling in the living room is very very nice. The kitchen cabinets are nice wood too and there is a lot of storage - but the counter tops are WHITE (gasp) formica. I'm not very neat when I cook, so I think I'm going to have to change those pretty soon. The white cabinets you see are in the corner of the kitchen. The owners added them and they look sorta out of place. It is a computer nook, and I won't use it as that and will probably take it out eventually. They also added the little island and it is fine - I kinda like it. I don't really like the blackish counter top on the island, but I can live with it and if I change the counter tops, then I'll probably change it too - but I'm not picky at all about my living environment, so I will probably wait awhile. The kitchen floor is a very nice vinyl tile and it's OK, but I would like to have ceramic or sattillo tile, like I have now. I don't want to spend the money on it now, so maybe later.

We'll be taking out that awful BLUE carpet and putting down a floating wood floor, like we have here. That will be our biggest expense - but the house will look SO MUCH BETTER!

So much to do!

Blueyes · 10-30-2010, 05:54 AM

Congratulations Gayle!!! The pictures are great. That long driveway will be the perfect place to park your camper! The yard is so big and nice.. it just looks homey

The den and kitchen are really nice, I like the island, too!
I know where Pflugerville is. The Ranch we use is near Johnson City. Let's meet for dinner sometime when we're there!

judy · 10-30-2010, 06:40 AM

The house is lovely Gayle! It is definitely in move in condition, which makes it so nice! It was built around the same time my house was built....very contemporary, and easy to take care of!

I love the yard! You are going to have a ball setting up your gardens, veggies, rain barrels, and so on!

How exciting, and it does seem like fate that it popped up.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW HOME!!!

Janet · 10-30-2010, 10:45 AM

Gayle....it's beautiful!! I love all of it...inside and out. Now I want to move...lol. It's going to be so much fun seeing what all you do to make it 'you'.

DIANE W · 10-30-2010, 01:20 PM

Woweeeee Gayle how exciting for you both, I am excited too and its nothing to do with me (but i feel like i will be watching from afar...).

It looks a lovely property, and you always want to do something to put your own stamp on any new property, i think it is going to be fantastic.

Moving is a really good way to have a sort out, I know it was for us, I was very ruthless, and got rid of lots of things we didnt use.

Whoooo hooooo - a new home for Christmas.

JJJ · 10-30-2010, 02:05 PM

Wait you payed how much for it

What a deal

Congratulations on your new house it's fantastic and looks so homie.

lynne b · 10-30-2010, 04:30 PM

Oh Gayle congrats on your new home, it is beautiful!!! isn't it funny how some things just fall into place!! not that i am ever that lucky LOL

gja1000 · 10-30-2010, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJJ

Wait you payed how much for it

I think you may have misread the post - did you think we paid $40,000 for it? LOL! No, they dropped the price $40,000 from $190,000 to $150,000 and we offered $145,000 and they accepted it. That seems like SO much money to me, I can't believe that I paid so much for a house and I never would have done it except the fact that I can sell my current house for that amount of money.

paula1961 · 10-31-2010, 05:56 AM

Congratulations Gayle! I bet it is just beautiful! I couldn't see the pix, wander if it is because it is sold? I'm so happy for you and Gary!!

10-28-2010, 05:31 PM	#1
gja1000 Donating 4WT Yakker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Central Texas Posts: 5,717	OMG! We may buy another house! I literally can't believe this! The day before yesterday, Gary went to a little town about 7 miles from where we live now to check on a bobcat he had taken to the taxidermist for a friend. The houses in the addition where he went were built in 1985-1987. The lots are 1/2 acre. He saw a for sale sign on a home at the end of a cul de sac. The owner just happened to be leaving and he talked to her for a bit. He picked up a real estate flyer and came home and told me about it. He was so excited because of the big lot, LOTS of trees, backed up to a green belt, had a wood working shed out back, a loooooong driveway by the house for an RV and a boat, and many other "goodies". Now, mind you these are ALL the things we have longed for, and we could have moved several times, but were not willing to pay the extra money to get those amenities, and usually the homes were way out of Austin, making my commute to work a nightmare. Well, this location would take me approximately 10 extra minutes to work - no big deal. There is nothing special about the house, it is just fine, and I am not picky at all about where I live - so it is plenty nice for us. We'd have to rip out the carpet and fence one side of the yard, otherwise it is move-in ready. It is bigger than our original house, but smaller than our house now with the addition we built 8 years ago. The yard is in terrible shape and there is no landscaping to speak of, except for lots of trees. But I love to do landscaping, so that doesn't bother me at all. The house is all brick, with vinyl siding on the gables, so that is nice, no future painting. Our present house is mostly all wood siding which we have to paint every few years. There's lots of big nice trees and the yard has lots of potential. We have both a boat and a travel trailer in storage ($$ every month). Both could be located at the acreage house (no more storage $$). You know the best thing - the house is exactly the same price that we would ask for our house if we were selling it! It is like a trade up for the same price. I never thought I'd see such a thing. The real estate market is down as it is everywhere - and I guess people are just looking for shiny new houses - but that is not my thing. The sellers are retired and have built another home and they are half moved out and READY to sell. They have dropped the price by about $40,000, so it's a pretty good deal. You know the kicker. My daughter and her husband have gotten a firm date for when her husband Bryan has to be in Houston for his new job, Feb. 2. Brooke will not go until May when Abigail's school is out. They are going to go ahead and put their house on the market in December - and will likely sell before May (hopefully). They had already talked about staying with us if the house sold. If (IF) we buy the acreage house, they could stay in our old house and we wouldn't be on top of each other. We will eventually sell the old house, but there is no rush. We can afford both house payments - I wouldn't want to do it forever, but we can for a while. The kids will probably make the payment for us while they are living here (if that happens). We could also rent the old house after the kids use it, and since I work at the university, I could probably get a visiting professor in for a year at a time (which would be better (hopefully) than random renters). I don't think I'd like to have rental property forever, but the house will be paid for in 2 years, so we might just keep it for income - who knows! I think maybe this is fate, I'm not sure. It wasn't anything we were seeking, it just fell into our laps and it seems to be the right thing to do. Could we be that lucky??? __________________ Gayle

10-29-2010, 05:55 AM	#2
Janet Moderator Donating 4WT 18K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: INDIANA Posts: 21,625	Gayle it sounds wonderful and just what you were wanting. I say..."make it your own." It's not bad having a rental at all Gayle. We have just one and it is in town (Frankfort). It's pretty nice and we've owned it now for about 10 years and have only had two renters. The first kept it real nice and always paid the rent, but it was always a week late. They moved without telling us which left us no time to prepare for the added expense. Now we have a young couple and they are doing a great job of keeping it nice also. We always have to tell them we're coming for the rent or they'll forget...duh. Both.....our residence and the rental will be paid off in two years. I'm thinking it may be better for me to stick around till then...not sure. I hope it will be an easy decision for you and that everything turns out the way you want. __________________ To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. ECCLESIASTES 3:1

10-29-2010, 11:26 AM	#4
Lindsey Donating 4WT Talker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,764	Gayle, it sounds like fate! That's a great idea to keep the current house for your daughter and her family. Do you have any pictures house? I love brick houses! __________________ Lindsey "I don't mind living in a man's world as long as I can be a woman in it..." -Marilyn Monroe

10-29-2010, 11:36 AM	#5
DIANE W Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 278	Gayle It does sound like it is meant to be, I say go with your feelings and if it feels right - it usually IS...... Good luck, I would love to see pictures too. __________________ Diane. My Mottos are.... Just live for today..... and let tomorrow take care of itself Live each day as if it's your last - and hope that tomorrow you wake up to find that it wasn't

10-29-2010, 12:24 PM	#6
Blueyes Donating 4WT Talker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,119	Yep...DO IT!! It will give you something else to focus on besides your kids leaving It surely sounds like it was meant to be. If you can have both houses for awhile, there won't be pressure to get your things moved. How exciting!! What side of Austin is it on? __________________ Betsi

10-29-2010, 07:13 AM	#3
DianaB Moderator Donating 4WT 13K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 16,069	Gayle.....I say go for it!!!! It sounds like it's just perfect for you and Gary!!! You have thought everything out so well.......I bet you even know where you're putting your furniture!!! LOL How exciting!!!!

10-29-2010, 07:28 PM	#7
gja1000 Donating 4WT Yakker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Central Texas Posts: 5,717	Guys! We did it. I can't believe this happened so FAST! Betsi, it is in Pflugerville - which is just east of I35 and just north of Austin, right before you get to Round Rock. I will be grieving not having an Austin address, as everyone wants to live in AUSTIN! But I've been there for 25 years, so I guess I can live in Pflugerville - but the name just sounds so silly! LOL! My daughter went to Pflugerville schools, even though we lived in Austin, so it's not like I'm not used to the name! Gary can get a VA loan and the interest rate is very very low since he is a disabled veteran. Also, he doesn't have to pay property taxes or mortgage protection insurance, so the payment is only principle and interest. (deep breath) I think this is just meant to be! We are very happy!!!! But now we have to move - UGH! I HATE MOVING! It will be good to get things sorted out, given away, and thrown away. You accumulate a lot in 25 years. Actually we downsized a lot when mom moved in with us 8 years ago, but it seems our "junk" has grown since we built the addition. I'm going to have to start working a little bit at a time. That way I won't wear myself out. It doesn't matter at all when we move in but I think it would be nice to be there by Christmas. We will not take all our furniture with us - the kids will need some if they have to live here and if we rent to a visiting professor, they won't have any furniture - so it will need to stay lightly furnished. I don't know how long we'll keep it - we'll just have to see! Here is the real estate web site - hopefully you can see the pictures. http://www.pflugervilletxhomesforsal...rtyid/2637009/ It was a custom built home in 1987, so the library paneling in the living room is very very nice. The kitchen cabinets are nice wood too and there is a lot of storage - but the counter tops are WHITE (gasp) formica. I'm not very neat when I cook, so I think I'm going to have to change those pretty soon. The white cabinets you see are in the corner of the kitchen. The owners added them and they look sorta out of place. It is a computer nook, and I won't use it as that and will probably take it out eventually. They also added the little island and it is fine - I kinda like it. I don't really like the blackish counter top on the island, but I can live with it and if I change the counter tops, then I'll probably change it too - but I'm not picky at all about my living environment, so I will probably wait awhile. The kitchen floor is a very nice vinyl tile and it's OK, but I would like to have ceramic or sattillo tile, like I have now. I don't want to spend the money on it now, so maybe later. We'll be taking out that awful BLUE carpet and putting down a floating wood floor, like we have here. That will be our biggest expense - but the house will look SO MUCH BETTER! So much to do! __________________ Gayle

10-30-2010, 05:54 AM	#8
Blueyes Donating 4WT Talker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,119	Congratulations Gayle!!! The pictures are great. That long driveway will be the perfect place to park your camper! The yard is so big and nice.. it just looks homey The den and kitchen are really nice, I like the island, too! I know where Pflugerville is. The Ranch we use is near Johnson City. Let's meet for dinner sometime when we're there! __________________ Betsi

10-30-2010, 06:40 AM	#9
judy Donating 4WT Yakker Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Denver, NY Posts: 8,097	The house is lovely Gayle! It is definitely in move in condition, which makes it so nice! It was built around the same time my house was built....very contemporary, and easy to take care of! I love the yard! You are going to have a ball setting up your gardens, veggies, rain barrels, and so on! How exciting, and it does seem like fate that it popped up. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW HOME!!! __________________ *Judy*

10-30-2010, 10:45 AM	#10
Janet Moderator Donating 4WT 18K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: INDIANA Posts: 21,625	Gayle....it's beautiful!! I love all of it...inside and out. Now I want to move...lol. It's going to be so much fun seeing what all you do to make it 'you'. __________________ To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. ECCLESIASTES 3:1

10-30-2010, 01:20 PM	#11
DIANE W Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 278	Woweeeee Gayle how exciting for you both, I am excited too and its nothing to do with me (but i feel like i will be watching from afar...). It looks a lovely property, and you always want to do something to put your own stamp on any new property, i think it is going to be fantastic. Moving is a really good way to have a sort out, I know it was for us, I was very ruthless, and got rid of lots of things we didnt use. Whoooo hooooo - a new home for Christmas. __________________ Diane. My Mottos are.... Just live for today..... and let tomorrow take care of itself Live each day as if it's your last - and hope that tomorrow you wake up to find that it wasn't

10-30-2010, 02:05 PM	#12
JJJ Donating 4WT Addict Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 1,073	Wait you payed how much for it What a deal Congratulations on your new house it's fantastic and looks so homie.

10-30-2010, 04:30 PM	#13
lynne b Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 614	Oh Gayle congrats on your new home, it is beautiful!!! isn't it funny how some things just fall into place!! not that i am ever that lucky LOL __________________ 'I try to take one day at a time -- but sometimes several days attack me at once.'

10-31-2010, 05:56 AM	#15
paula1961 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,383	Congratulations Gayle! I bet it is just beautiful! I couldn't see the pix, wander if it is because it is sold? I'm so happy for you and Gary!!

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