View Full Version : Exciting News!
As many of you know, I have been doing the tiny living experiment for the past three years, living in about 250 sq, ft. behind the gallery I manage in New Mexico. I still love it, and there is nothing wrong with it, but both me and my boyfriend like to peruse the real estate that is available in our area. A home came up for sale in the past month that has us both really intrigued; in fact, K. used to rent there a few years ago and he knows the property really well, and mutual friends of ours rented there last summer. Well, they got kicked out last October because the owner wanted to sell it it and has been fixing it up since then to put on the market. I saw the listing last week and on a whim, we decided to look at it and it has really tickled our fancy so much that we are about to put an offer in on it!
It has almost an acre of land but is still in town, but off the tourist main road. There is a room that can be used as a studio, several out buildings for a possible future Air Bnb and/or a sorely needed small rental unit for the community. A large kitchen, a real living room and dining area, a master bedroom, and a "family room" type area with a sleeping loft. It has a new roof, a brand new state-of-the-art septic system, and its own well. The design of it is quirky enough to be a great abode for two artists; so much design potential! All the things that need attending to are cosmetic - painting, finishing trim work, adding closets. The bathroom could definitely use an upgrade but it is usable (just not as pretty as it could be). Anyway, lots of fun projects to keep us busy in the future!
The price is pretty reasonable for around here too. My boyfriend has a secure job on Kirtland Air Force Base, so he would be the one taking out the mortgage. I am going to help with the down payment and with the monthly expenses. I have saved so much money by not having to pay rent or utilities for the past three years, and by all my frugality for all these years. I am so excited; somehow it just feels right to me that I am not even freaked out about putting money towards it . After this past year, I realize how much nothing can be taken for granted, and that it is okay to start moving forward toward a new way of being. Having my own home base feels like the right move at this juncture. And it will be nice to be able to leave work at the gallery and actually GO HOME instead of just walking ten steps into the back where I live. I would really like to have some space to spread out in! The house is big enough for two people to be together and have their own space.
So, this weekend is all about paperwork and inspections and making an offer and all the dickering that comes with it. I am learning a lot about the whole process as I have never even DREAMED about owning something like this. K. has owned homes before so he knows what to do and how it all works.
I have to say, It is really nice to be excited about something after this year of hell. And now I am going to go up to the cemetery to visit my daughter's memorial that we put up last week.
iris lilies
7-3-19, 9:25pm
Exciting indeed! Keep us posted!
Teacher Terry
7-3-19, 9:48pm
That’s great! Since you are doing some of the down payment make sure it is in writing in case you guys ever split.
Congratulations on the offer, SQ -- looks like you both feel really comfortable with doing this. I think that bodes well for making it happen. I hope the visit to your daughter's memorial goes well, too. Happy 4th!
gimmethesimplelife
7-3-19, 11:15pm
Cool! This is great news. Rob
That is exciting news. As others have indicated, keep your booster team posted on the progress of this adventure.
That is wonderful! A new chapter of your life!
The fact that your instincts are leading you to this house is a very good sign indeed. Congratulations on surviving your "annus horribilis," as the Queen would say. It should get much better from here on out.
Thanks everyone! One of the weird things about getting into a real house is that I am going to become a rabid consumer again and accumulate stuff. Already off the bat we will need to buy a stack-able washer/dryer combo (I really, really would like to not have to go to the laundromat in Santa Fe every other week; it's such a time suck). There are already hook-ups for that and a dryer vent. And we will need to buy a 14 ft ladder (very tall ceilings in this place), a cordless drill, a hand sander, a table saw, plus brooms, cleaning equipment, a shop vac....I could go on and on. Cha-ching!
And we have very little furniture between us. I hardly own anything anymore, not even my own bed, having sold most of everything to move out here. This is the fun part though; it'll give us a good reason to peruse all the thrift shops, antique stores and estate sales in the area. There is a HUGE resale market here! We have decided to buy two new twin beds and put them together to make a king-size, but that means getting all new bedding. His full-size bed would go up in the sleeping loft for guests to use. We would need a dining table, chairs, and lamps. But other than that, we do have the bare essentials that would get us by for awhile. Between us we have enough dishes, pots and pans and kitchen appliances. Oh, and we would need to get a lot of window coverings to help keep the heat out during the day. And that means lots of curtain rods...
Yep, I can foresee parting with a LOT of money right off the bat to get this place going. It kind of scares me because mostly I hate parting with my hard-earned stash but I also am cognizant that I've worked a very hard for a very long time, scrimped, scammed and saved to get here and that it is maybe okay to reward myself with the fruits of my labor. Maybe I can have some nice things now.
I am going to become a rabid consumer again and accumulate stuff
Hope you get the house!! It is funny how ownership promotes consumerism. We thought we had simplified greatly when we bought present house, but buying "stuff" to maintain, operate and furnish becomes necessary.
happystuff
7-4-19, 10:26am
The house and property sound wonderful! Good luck with everything. Very exciting.
I’ve always thought that all house sales should be managed like they do it on island nations: all window coverings, appliances, furniture, etc stay with the house.
Oh exciting! I'd rent a AirBnB from you if you get it set up!
I recommend waiting until you're in the house. You're both making do now so you know you can live without all the listed items.
I'm a bit surprised you don't already have 'cleaning equipment' since you both are already living in a space. Why the immediate need for a 14f ladder, cordless drill, a hand sander, a table saw?
Are the window coverings really being removed? I've never seen a home sale not include window coverings. If you really have to buy, consider double cell honeycomb shades. They work great in our environment that ranges -20F to 112F. You can get them opaque for total darkness which is great for late sleeping or standard for some light allowed. Yes, they are more expensive but you can find them online or 50% off ALL THE TIME!
Wait for good sales, buy quality and buy once. Says homeowner that practiced all of this patience on the mountain cabin which is why we're not done rehabbin the then dump, yet after 16years!
Purchasing a quirky owner-built house in rural New Mexico is a bit of an adventure. A tall ladder will be needed to be able to change light bulbs, clean high windows and hang curtains (there are no window coverings incuded). There is a lot of trim work to be finished, things to hang, shelves to build. I have no cleaning equipment of my own (I use the stuff in the gallery to clean up my space in the back). K. at least has a vacuum cleaner and broom/dustpan but we will need a shop vac anyway for the eventual studio. The whole house has been unihabited since last October and needs an all over very deep cleaning.
At this juncture, the appraisers are about to go in and tell the owner what things HAVE to be completed in order for the sale to go through. You have to get the picture that things in my area of rural New Mexico are a bit different than the usual practices in a suburban scenario. The area we live in had very little county oversight and permitting for a very long time so things got built a bit funky and now the county is making people bring things up to code, especially when the property transfers.
I agree about buying quality though, and we will definitely need to prioritizing things. The place will habitable after a really good cleaning but there are a lot of upgrades that need to be done. A lot of it is cosmetic ~ painting the colors we want, reconfiguring some shelving, building a utility closet, eventually dealing with the landscaping that has been neglected for a long time. I dare say I am SURE there are rattlesnakes somewhere on this property (haven't seen one yet but the terrain is ideal for them) so we will have to be very careful as we start cleaning up the outside.
2 years ago we bought a 1930’s house of 800 sq ft in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Phoenix. It was livable right away but we slowly are making it better. It’s a lot of fun. And we own lots more stuff now. We can envision retiring here as long as we go somewhere else for a few months each summer when it’s 115 degrees.
So now I have two categories in my mind-
1. The stuff we own that is personal
2. The stuff we own for the house
#2 is what I would sell with the house if we ever decide to do that. It includes all furniture, appliances, window coverings, tools, kitchen supplies. We would likely move to assisted living or something, so why bother with all the stuff? One gets very little at estate sales, and every property owner ends up having to furnish their new house. Just throw it all in with the deal and jack up the price $5000. Lots of headaches and backaches saved on both seller and buyer with that model.
#1 would all fit in our car, I think.
Teacher Terry
7-5-19, 11:23am
I doubt most buyers would want your furniture or kitchen supplies. People have their own taste and own things. I certainly wouldn’t pay extra for someone to leave stuff for me to haul off. Window coverings usually comes with the house although we have bought rentals or foreclosures that didn’t.
One idea, before you go buy all that stuff at Home Depot or wherever? See if your library district has an equipment library? Our town of less than 3000 still manages to loan out kill o watts. Santa Fe is much bigger, so you may be able to borrow some of the sanders, or ?
We are officially under contract and in escrow! If all goes as planned, we get the keys on Aug. 1st!
Wonderful and exciting! Keep us posted.
We are officially under contract and in escrow! If all goes as planned, we get the keys on Aug. 1st!
So happy for you living your dreams!
Teacher Terry
7-7-19, 10:35am
Great news!
@NewGig: Thanks for the tip! I checked and the local Habitat For Humanity has a tool lending library! I'm sure I will be perusing that place every week for usable things. We need some sort of kitchen cabinet to put in next to the stove and definitely need different counter tops. The kitchen rehab is going to be my domain. I designed the kitchen for the owners where I live now and I love the look of it so I'll take that knowledge along with me to the new place, which is about four times as big. I can't wait to have room to really do some cooking!
You’re welcome. Congrats!
I heard this is not uncommon in the house buying process, but the finance lady came back to K. with some grossly inflated numbers yesterday (compared to what she was saying before) regarding closing costs, down payment and the projected monthly mortgage. He is a bit pissed off and feeling like we are being jerked around a bit all of the sudden, so he will have a face-to-face meeting with her after work. Luckily K. is very good and experienced at bargaining and if he doesn't get what he wants, we are willing to walk away and find a new broker who will work with us or just scrap the whole idea of buying the house. I could live with walking away from it as I have learned not to get get too emotionally involved with it. It is such a sh** ton of a money and commitment and it has to feel right to do it!
Wish us luck - I have decided my monthly share of the mortgage and utilities can go up to about $700, but then there is my share of the food. I can put about $6,000 into the down payment. K. makes about 3x what I make but he really doesn't have the savings to show for it but he does have some savings.
Or we could just walk away from it and I can live in my tiny home rent-free for the next two years (though the tiny space and lack of privacy, especially during the tourist season, starts to grate a little on my nerves).
Eeegads, this is a little nerve-wracking after all!
You are in a good position if you can buy or walk away. Hang tough!
The old mortgage bait and switch--I've been through that; it's probably standard operating procedure. I imagine it will all turn out for the best. Good luck.
sweetana3
7-10-19, 11:54am
Thankfully you are adults and have not gotten into it is this one or nothing. Do you have any credit unions around that you could become members of? We have used them for 30 years for all our credit and mortgage needs. Excellent service.
Thankfully you are adults and have not gotten into it is this one or nothing. Do you have any credit unions around that you could become members of? We have used them for 30 years for all our credit and mortgage needs. Excellent service.
Same for me.
I am still using my credit union in Michigan for all my banking on-line because it has shared banking with any other credit union in the whole country (I can make deposits and withdrawals in Santa Fe, and move my money around different accounts online). But K. is not a member of a credit union and his name has to be on the mortgage because I don't make nearly enough, and since we are not married, it is all based on his income (he works in IT down in Albuquerque).
At my CU, family members can join regardless of whatever original criteria qualified you for the CU. DW did that when we got married. K might be able to do that, too, though I can understand not wanting to disturb a banking relationship of his that already works.
Latest News: K. got them set straight at last night's meeting and the new numbers they ran were good so he signed the papers! Now the biggest hurdle is what the appraiser is going to say, and that can be tricky. Houses in Madrid, well, how should I say it, are pretty funky because the county looked the other way for a long time regarding a lot of building issues. The appraisal guy needs to be someone who *knows* this about Madrid. It might be that the owner is going to get nailed on the unfinished stucco and lack of paint on the outside walls, so if she has to get that remedied as well, we are prepared to offer to pay for the paint (as an olive branch, and to be able pick the color we want) and have her workers do the labor. We know she is very, very anxious to get this house sold and she has had to put a lot of money into just to get it up to par and sell-able to someone who has to take out a mortgage for it.
Latest News: K. got them set straight at last night's meeting and the new numbers they ran were good so he signed the papers! Now the biggest hurdle is what the appraiser is going to say, and that can be tricky. Houses in Madrid, well, how should I say it, are pretty funky because the county looked the other way for a long time regarding a lot of building issues. The appraisal guy needs to be someone who *knows* this about Madrid. It might be that the owner is going to get nailed on the unfinished stucco and lack of paint on the outside walls, so if she has to get that remedied as well, we are prepared to offer to pay for the paint (as an olive branch, and to be able pick the color we want) and have her workers do the labor. We know she is very, very anxious to get this house sold and she has had to put a lot of money into just to get it up to par and sell-able to someone who has to take out a mortgage for it.
sometimes they automatically add insurance and taxes to the payment...……...hope it works out for you!
we are prepared to offer to pay for the paint (as an olive branch, and to be able pick the color we want) and have her workers do the labor.
You might want to do that the other way around: have the seller pay for the paint and pick your own workers. It's likely workers you choose will cost more, but the seller has zero incentive to hire good workers and make sure they do a quality lasting job. You do. The best paint in the world won't hold up long to a bad application.
UPDATE: We are still waiting for the appraisal. Escrow technically ends on August 1st, with a grace period until Aug. 10th. They better get cracking on this! Apparently, someone in the area has picked up the appraisal but are swamped (or so they say).
I hate waiting!!!!!!!
The appraisal is TODAY! Wish us luck!!!!!!
Fingers crossed. I'm into vicarious thrills!
The appraisal went well, the papers will be signed on Friday. I won't really believe it until I get those keys in my hot little hand! Then let the fun begin! Sanding and sealing the living room and dining area floors (K's project) and reorganizing the layout of the kitchen (my project), some accent wall painting, then cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning!
Exciting to share your experience of all the joys and efforts involved in setting up in a new location that you want.
So excited for you SiouzQ- best of luck and enjoy your new home!
rosarugosa
7-30-19, 8:54am
Wonderful - congratulations!
Wishing you a fabulous experience making these walls your forever home:cool:
Teacher Terry
7-30-19, 12:49pm
How exciting!
How wonderful!! Congratulations!!!
Good for you! I'm really, really happy for you!
That is so exciting, and enjoy making it your own!
So exciting! Congratulations! Now you need to go on Househunters!
"SiouzQ has been living in a tiny studio behind the art shop she manages without a real kitchen in a small New Mexico town outside of Santa Fe for several years. Now she and her boyfriend, K who works at nearby Kirtland Air Force Base, have decided to move in together and are looking for a fixer upper in their small town. Will they find something that fulfills his desire for a few renovation projects and her desire to have a place that she can decorate. And a real kitchen? Find out as Househunters goes to Madrid, New Mexico." [sound effect] ding dong
Actually, that would be an awesome episode! And wouldn't it be fun if all the dirty work was done and wrapped up in the 30 minute time slot?! Instant gratification! I think we are really going to enjoy the process of slowly making it our own. It's all about priorities baby - the first month before either of us moves in will be devoted solely to the really messy projects, like sanding the living room and dining area floors and sealing them. A lot of painting and getting the kitchen in order. The big kitchen and bathroom project with retiling is going to have to wait, so I'll just have to accept the ugly bad tile job for now.
We were supposed to close today but it probably won't be until Monday. I wish we could get in there this weekend and get started!
So exciting! Congratulations! Now you need to go on Househunters!
"SiouzQ has been living in a tiny studio behind the art shop she manages without a real kitchen in a small New Mexico town outside of Santa Fe for several years. Now she and her boyfriend, K who works at nearby Kirtland Air Force Base, have decided to move in together and are looking for a fixer upper in their small town. Will they find something that fulfills his desire for a few renovation projects and her desire to have a place that she can decorate. And a real kitchen? Find out as Househunters goes to Madrid, New Mexico." [sound effect] ding dong
that's perfect! I would definitely tune in, until SiouzQ says to the realtor, oh, no, I can't live here unless we completely gut this historic adobe home, put in a 3 car garage, make it open concept, replace the appliances with stainless steel, and while we're at it, cover the adobe with shiplap, take out the arched doorways and install sliding barn doors. And bump out the bathroom because there's no way I could only have ONE sink in the bathroom--K and I spend LOTS of time in the bathroom and I don't want him infringing on MY sink time!!!
Lol, we are so not like that, but having watched several episodes of HGTV while on the flights to and from Michigan last week, ALL the houses they redid ended up looking exactly the same. Shiplap (or whatever the hell that is called) is obviously the new thing the housing industry is touting for this year. And all the decor looks the same too; I remember when I used to go to the gym back in Michigan and watched home renovation shows while on the elliptical machine and in every show where it was that Joanna lady, every single house she redid had subway tile backsplashes and a big asinine "train" clock somewhere in the house. Gawd, those clocks are going to start showing up in the thrift stores real soon!
Incidently, this house is not historic (built in 2010) but it is a conglomeration of one adobe shack and one cabin-style structure with a connecting room in between (hard to explain) until you see it. But it has these huge roof timbers, pine flooring, use of local stone, brick (all these awesome textures)! It looks like an old adobe and is very quirky and perfect for two artists!
Lol, we are so not like that, but having watched several episodes of HGTV while on the flights to and from Michigan last week, ALL the houses they redid ended up looking exactly the same. Shiplap (or whatever the hell that is called) is obviously the new thing the housing industry is touting for this year. And all the decor looks the same too; I remember when I used to go to the gym back in Michigan and watched home renovation shows while on the elliptical machine and in every show where it was that Joanna lady, every single house she redid had subway tile backsplashes and a big asinine "train" clock somewhere in the house. Gawd, those clocks are going to start showing up in the thrift stores real soon!
Incidently, this house is not historic (built in 2010) but it is a conglomeration of one adobe shack and one cabin-style structure with a connecting room in between (hard to explain) until you see it. But it has these huge roof timbers, pine flooring, use of local stone, brick (all these awesome textures)! It looks like an old adobe and is very quirky and perfect for two artists!
It sounds wonderful! (says the owner of a quirky house.)
Congrats! We bought this house as a fixer-upper right after retiring. We did much of the remodeling work ourselves. It has consumed our time up until now but since it is mostly done, I can feel some boredom creeping in. In retrospect, lots of decisions/planning that we had to make and a great sense of accomplishment for getting it all done in two years. Also a great opportunity to be resourceful if you are on a budget as we are. We used Habitat and or craigslist for many items. And way to many trips to Lowe's...makes me wonder how you get materials when you're out in the boonies.
Arrrgghhhhhh, why do things have to take so long???!!!! I knew from what others have told me that it never goes smoothly at the end, so we are still waiting for the three day grace period to wrap things up and get to the signing, hopefully Monday, but probably not until Tuesday or even Wednesday at the latest.
I just read the appraiser's report though - it was appraised for $10,000 over what we are paying so that's good! I am impatient to get started with the fixing up!
Smiling at your impatience but with understanding. Take these next few days and totally relax and do all the things that you won't be able to do when life gets so busy with the reno. Enjoy!
chrisgermany
8-5-19, 6:59am
Congrats for becoming a homeowner!
Once you start AirB&B, please post a link in the Travel + home exchange thread so that we all can come visit!
We are signing the papers at 9am tomorrow, FINALLY!
We are signing the papers at 9am tomorrow, FINALLY!
Such an exciting day for you!!! Have fun writing the checks and collecting the keys!
Big changes seem to happen on Thursdays. Yeah!!
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