...because home doesn't happen overnight.

I hope you don’t mind if I interrupt all the inspiration going on for a little update on our house hunting adventure.  You might be surprised to know that we actually put a bid in on a HUD {Housing and Urban Development} foreclosure a few weeks ago.  We hadn’t planned on putting in a bid so early on, but this house was too good to be true.  Too good to be true was right.

It was a 3 bedroom, 2. 5 bath home only 4 years old…the same age as our current home.  It was a little over 1,800 square feet but it had that great open floor plan that we’re drawn to.  And vaulted ceilings.  All of which made it feel larger than it really was.  It was definitely a builder boring house. Much like our current spec home when we initially purchased it.  We didn’t love the finishes or the fixtures but we knew they were things we could change or update along the way as we lived there. The carpet was the only thing that would have needed to be replaced straight away…it had old {and fresh!} pet stains on it.

{That’s my lovely cousin, Amie, who also happens to be our lovely and very patient realtor.} The kitchen was at the front of the home and opened up into a dining area with a family room beyond that.  We totally would have painted the cabinets, replaced the countertops and ripped out the island for something more ‘us.’  What I did love was the bright bay window in the kitchen where I envisioned a window seat with cushions.

The dining area had a strange plant ledge surrounding it.  I guess it was probably meant to suggest a dining room but it wasn’t structural, so Handy Hubby and I talked of tearing it out the moment we saw it. There was also a nice window high up on the wall letting in tons of natural light but avoided showcasing the neighbor’s siding.

The family room was just off the dining area and had patio sliders that led to the backyard.

That’s the view from the family room looking back towards the front of the house.  You can see more clearly that unnecessary plant ledge I mentioned.  You can also see the front door and staircase leading upstairs on the left.  Once again, the kitchen, dining and family areas were under vaulted ceilings.  Nice and open.  Ahhhhhh.

{Notice the carpet stains.}

The master suite was on the first floor with an attached full blah bath.

{That’s insulation on the floor, not doo-doo.}

A loft, two bedrooms and a full bath were on the second floor {which was only over half of the house…remember the other half had vaulted ceilings}.  We very much liked the idea of the boys having their own separate space to sleep and play up and away from the main living space.  I had also pictured using the loft area as a nice spot for paying bills, blogging and future design office.

There was an attached 2-car garage with a bump out where Handy Hubby said he’d set up shop.

And the price was unbeatable!  Well below our price point – even with having to replace the carpet. {Heck, I’d already picked out the new hardwoods I wanted to replace it with!}  We loved the idea of being able to move in right away and working on it as we pleased.  It was livable.  It had only been on the market for 10 days when we saw it and had already gotten a lot of traffic – at least the guest list portrayed that during our tour.  We put a bid in the same day we saw it.  For the asking price {which was well, well, well below the appraised value of the home} plus said we’d pay closing costs.  Now, you may be wondering why we offered up such a good bid on a foreclosure.  Well, at this point, we had seen and researched many, many, many foreclosures.  This one stood out heads above the rest for several reasons:  1) it was a newer home in excellent condition 2) it was livable 3) it was very close to our current neighborhood 4) it was in a neighborhood very similar to our current neighborhood 5) any work we did to the home would be purely cosmetic 6) it was priced to sell.

We waited 4 days after putting in our bid {foreclosures typically take a long time to get a response back from because you’re either working with the bank or, in our case, a government agency as opposed to a private seller} to hear if our bid had been accepted or not.  Sadly, it had not.  The HUD agency told our realtor that an offer was accepted but it wasn’t ours.  Which meant someone else had:  1) offered the same bid but in cash 2) offered the same bid but before we had placed our bid 3) offered a higher bid, yep, higher than the listing price + closing costs.  So, it was too good to be true.  We didn’t get it.

I’m a firm believer in the whole ‘everything happens for a reason’ thing.  We weren’t meant to get that house.  The problem is I keep trying to figure out why we weren’t meant to get that house. Maybe it’s a sign that it wasn’t a big enough challenge for us – home improvement or design wise? Maybe we’re meant to find something older this time around?  Maybe it wasn’t the right location and we’re supposed to end up closer to Handy Hubby’s work, further from our current neighborhood which would require us to go outside of our familiar surroundings and try something new?  Maybe that house gets demolished in a house fire or during a tornado in the near future? {God forbid.}  As you can see, I’ve exhausted way too much time and effort in trying to figure out why we didn’t get that ‘easy’ house.  Maybe we’re not supposed to know? Maybe I’m just supposed to move on.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

26 Comments

Ugh! It’s so hard when you fall in love with a place and don’t end up moving in. I think you’re head is in the right place. You’ll find the right house (it just wasn’t this one)! Good luck with your search!

That plant ledge is sort of hilarious! The first loss of the house hunt process is always tough (i’m sure you know that since you’ve done it before), but you’re right – there is always something better on the horizon even if you’re not to the top of the hill yet. Keep at it :)

10.March.2011

I have never heard of the term “builder boring” before, but am loving it!! I came across you blog recently and am really enjoying it. Good luck with the house hunting.

10.March.2011

That house looks like it is in excellent shape for a HUD! I have been on a house hunt for three months now and finally should be closing within a week. Our experience with HUD homes was such a roller coaster. Some homes were in horrible condition, while other were great. One HUD, we got outbid and another we won the bid and then all the appliances (including the A/C unit) were stolen. Luckily, we found that out before we sent our earnest money. I too believe everything happens for a reason. The house we finally settled on is a HUD as well, and the 10-day bid process and waiting time along with waiting on HUD now for closing has been a process. But, we will be happy regardless of the situation and know that all will happen according to God’s will! What God has for you is out there, even if it’s staying right where you are!

10.March.2011

Andrea – Thanks! We know all about ‘builder boring’ over here! Our current home was a spec house that nobody wanted because that was back when people were hungry to pick out all their own finishes. We jumped at the chance to transform that boring house into something more for much less than it typically would have cost if a builder had done it all for you. We got a great deal on it which we’re hoping should help us out now as we try to sell it {i.e. we owe less than what it was recently appraised for}.

10.March.2011

last june we were house hunting from thousands of miles away and lost out on a house that i thought was perfect for us (meaning it required tens of thousands of dollars of work but in the long run i would love it). we missed out and it was snatched up before we could pull the trigger on it. i did the same thing you are. for months after we lost out on it i was still trying to figure out “why” it was meant to be that we didn’t get it.

on new years eve it was hit by a tornado. trust me. everything happens for a reason.

i’m loving reading about this process for you guys. thanks for sharing.

10.March.2011

We’ve already seen you transform builder boring into incredible. Time for a charming farm house or a Cape Cod with an unfinished attic and basement to expand and design. Time to spread your wings into something different. You’ll get there. :)

10.March.2011

You know, we sold our home, moved out of state and looked every single weekend for a house for 10 months before getting the one we are in now! I know, exhausting! We had 8 offers in total, a number of which were short sales (pre foreclosures). In the end, after 7 months of looking we found “the” house. It was so much better than all the others. And, guess what, we got it! It was a short sale and took three months from offer to close (not bad for a short sale). We couldn’t be happier that none of the others worked out!! So, I am sure it’s for a reason… and I’m sure there will be one you like even more!!

10.March.2011

I can definately empathize! We have lost our share of homes. Good thing though, because when we finally found the right one we could see how it really was for the best all along. Good luck and keep hunting. I have faith…
– Jaime
http://okla-home-a.blogspot.com/

11.March.2011

A couple years ago I found a house that was too good to be tree. It was sold as is house in a great neighboorhood that need some work. It was at least $75,000 below market for the neighboorhood. It would have been a stretch for us to afford, but we oculd have pinched pennies for a while and done it. We would have had tons of equity in the house before we even moved in and used that down the road to buy our dream house. I was so excited about this “find” that I stayed up all night thinking about it. By the time I got a hold of the realtor, they had already accepted a cash bid. It ended up being a good thing we did not get it – we had another baby (big expense!) and my husband decided to change careers and go back to school. Had we actually bought that house, my husband would still be stuck in a job/career he despised, instead he is half way through his bachelor’s degree and well on his way to his new career!

11.March.2011

Maybe the reason is that there’s something out there better suited for your family’s needs… and that house is just waiting to meet you! :)

11.March.2011

Sorry it didn’t work out…we found it hard to find a home in our 1950s neighborhood with the same open floor plan–that’s why we chose the one splitlevel with the wall between the kitchen and LR removed! Good luck with the search!

11.March.2011

I never really comment (I read thru a reader) but wanted to come on and tell you to keep at it! I too was looking for foreclosures/HUD homes when I bought my house last year. I put in full asking price offers on so many houses I can’t even remember them all. Unfortunately there is a large market for these homes and people usually offer more than asking price to get them. I couldn’t because my loan had a stipulation that I couldn’t offer more than asking price. I finally got my house, the same layout of one I’d looked at a few months earlier, for $25,000 less than that one! Everything will work out in the end, just keep looking and don’t get discouraged.

11.March.2011

Angela – Thanks for the encouragement!

11.March.2011

Amy – As much as I would LOVE to reno a farm house or Cape Cod, I have a feeling neither of those will be ‘the one.’ Why? Well, our very first home was a Cape Cod and after living in it and renovating it for over 6 years, we’ve definitely decided it’s not our style…maybe a large open one would be different but our budget back then and now won’t allow for that. As for a farm house? Yes, please! However, the areas that we are looking in are not rural farm house material. I wish they were. But ultimately we are trying to get closer to Handy Hubby’s work in hopes of shortening up his 50-minute commute one way. Most of the neighborhoods in those areas are pretty urban with small lots. But who knows what we’ll end up with? I do agree with you that it would be crazy fun to try something new!

11.March.2011

Jamie – Oh, wow. Talk about fate. I hope no one was hurt but glad that you weren’t there.

House Hunting is never easy, as you already know, but that house just wasn’t for you and your family. There is a better one out there for you guys. Lots of luck and happy thoughts!!! :D

11.March.2011

You will find your house and you will look back and think I am so glad we didn’t get that HUD house. We just bought our first house and we put a couple offers on other houses and everything does work out for a reason. We are so happy with the one we got. We now can’t imagine living in the other houses we put offers on. I know it is frustrating but it will be worth it in the end.

11.March.2011

I would do the exact samething! UNTIL something better comes along and I could begin the “metally move in and decorate” process all over again! Just wait I bet something better pops up and you will be so glad the easy house belongs to some other family (who will leave it all builder boring!).

11.March.2011

I too believe that everything happens for a reason. You’ll find a better house but, man, that’s rough to lose this one. Sorry. :(

Everything does happen for a reason. We “lost” 4 houses we put bids on before we got our current home. We couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. Our house now is much more house than we thought we could afford. We just got lucky at the right time. It will happen.
xo
Mindy

11.March.2011

We looked at houses for 18 months {!} before we found our “dream home”. I was a 30’s style bungalow with a 70’s addition (including the foundation/basement area). It had recently been remodeled due to a plumbing leak after the owners moved out. It was a foreclosure. It was on 1 + acres in a very nice area of town, near my family, highway access, shopping, and parks. It had a small swimming pool with a little pool house complete with plumbing and electricity. It had an oversized, detached 3 car garage for all the Mr.’s tools, bikes, and trucks. It was secluded, yet still convenient. It was perfect. We offered a significant amount more than the asking price and we still got turned down… I was heartbroken.

But the house we ended up buying has a lot more character than that house. And was significantly cheaper.

13.March.2011

I’ve been following your blog for a while and I love everything reading it!!!

I think somewhere on the blog you said you live in the Cincinnati area?
We do too and about 3 years ago we were house hunting and looked at a house that had the EXACT floor plan like this one! I really liked how open it was and all the light that came in. Unfortunately we didn’t end up getting either, somebody else was faster. I was pretty bummed and wondered the same like you did… why, why, why!

I hope that one day soon you will find THE house that is perfect for you! Good luck!!!

13.March.2011

I just wanted to offer some hope with my story dealing with a HUD foreclosure buy. I was outbid on several homes, then came across “the” home that provided the best fit for us…and was outbid. But, surprise, about a month later I was contacted by my mortgage broker. The original bidder’s financing fell through and I was the second-place bidder, so the house was mine if I still wanted it! We’ve lived in this home now for 13 years and it has served us well. Good luck!

31.March.2011

Somehow I missed this post! The last paragraph is hilarious, though. I do the exact same thing, and obsess over everything way too much. Hard to find zen when you just want to force it to happen!

Also wanted to let you know that your blog and your design aspirations have inspired me to start my own blog (a little personal escape from the 9-5 grind). I live quite far from the midwest, in an NYC studio apartment, but H*T always seems so homey to me, and it is for sure a highlight of my day. So, I’ve been planning my blog for months, trying to glean little tips from the things I love here and at YHL (my other interweb “friends”), and I wanted to thank you for the (maybe inadvertent) help. Happy City Living is up and rolling, and I’m loving the whole process.

Thank you thank you, and I can’t wait to see what house you guys pick!

31.March.2011

Rebecca – Welcome to the world of blogging! It’s such an outlet for me. Hopefully, you’ll find as much inspiration, fulfillment, and advice as I have. For the most part, bloggers are super nice so don’t be afraid to ask questions. If they say no or don’t answer, just move on. Bloggers are super busy, too!