Didn't See It Coming

Oh what a difference a week makes! While chatting with neighbors on Sunday, we learned that the owners of the colonial on the hill (mentioned in my previous post) are putting their house on the market in the next two weeks! My initial reaction was, “Oh, that’s too bad. Better luck next time!” Thankfully, my husband immediately began the first round of “What if…?” The most important “What if” being: What if we can come up with some lenders and make this happen? We decided to “pay attention to the signs”, and be aware if the process of vetting this investment became too onerous. We would then have to understand that it was not meant to be.

We laid out a methodical plan for our due diligence. First step: call the owners and indicate our interest. The call was returned and a date for showing was made. Second step: Drum up possible lenders. Check. Yes, there is still money out there for investors, if you can be creative! I realize that it appears as if I am referring to this house as an investment, but in actuality, part of the plan is to KEEP our current house as an investment while we move to the larger home. It is truly the only way this deal works. With brokerage fees and transfer taxes, a scenario in which we sell our current home becomes a money-losing proposition, while renting could potentially turn a profit. Not to mention the long-term benefit of owning a $1,000,000 investment that pays its own mortgage and other costs. This house, in a sense, becomes our “retirement plan”. If the mortgage is someday paid off, we simply collect rent as our income. Another possibility is that refinancing the investment house in the future creates the opportunity for other investments.

We were truly blindsided by this opportunity, which may or may not happen. At this point, we have seen the house twice, and reconciled with its plusses and minuses. We have asked questions which have been answered. One sticking point which I will need to address soon is that the square footage is not what they claim (and it’s not their fault). The city records are wrong, unfortunately, and counted the family room (a 12x 16 foot, single-story space) as two-story. So, the house is about 200 square feet smaller than they told us. I will have to figure out how to call their attention to this disparity without royally pissing them off. We are close to submitting an offer. But it is a clear case of the “cart before the horse”. Our income, like that of so many people across the country, has been down for the past year. I had not officially begun to look for work. For some reason, though, we are at peace with all of this (beer and wine sure do help!). One of my greatest concerns throughout my adult life has been the funding of college and retirement, mostly because my parents did not plan for either. The fallout from that lack of planning has been close to devastating, and I have always been terrified of repeating their mistakes. But equity in a thriving asset – that could be the ticket for us.

The next step will be to begin the negotiations. If we cannot strike a deal in the next few days, the house will go to market. This could be good or bad for us – in the past, non-updated houses on this street have languished on the market. Renovated homes have gone to sealed bids. Where will this house fall? Hopefully into our outstretched hands within the next couple of days!!!