While we’re telling home buying stories, DH bought our house in 2008 for 74K and we just sold for 170K. Listed it for 155, got 11 offers, many waiving inspection. We took an offer that was contingent on inspection and financing, but no contingency for selling a home (first time home buyer) and with a buffer for 10,000 over appraisal. Others offered even more than 170, but had nothing written in in case appraisal came in low. That really sold us. FHA ended up appraising for 160, so worked out perfectly. FHA tends to appraise lower than conventional, so we were very happy with that.
Buying a home was hard. Looked at over 24 homes in person. We are “sleep on it” people, and agreed that if a home was gone before we could sleep on making an offer, than it wasn’t the right home for us. So there were a few we were too slow on.
We encountered a lot of greed in this market. One home we looked at it before it hit market, and the seller outright told us he was pricing it low to get a bidding war going. He said he’d list it at 350 and jumped it up to 390 four hours after listing it. I had a sense of satisfaction when it sat on the market for a while and he ended up dropping the price by 10K.
We were under contract for another house, contingent on inspection. Some major things came up in inspection we asked them to fix. They wanted us to pay for an overwhelming majority (would’ve been between 7K-10K out of our pockets to fix the problems) after we offered 6K over list. We pulled out. The house wasn’t worth the fight, and I didn’t like them leveraging the “seller’s market” so much when we gave them a very fair offer. Their house went back on the market and also sat for a while before they dropped the price 10K. We lost 3K in earnest (ouch) but we didn’t want to get stuck in a home we were bitter about and not that excited about.
We are so so fortunate to be under contact with two phenomenal sellers, who are fair and kind and not at all greedy. We are having civil conversations and meeting each other half way. We are both making fair concessions. They are being so lovely. Same with the woman we are selling our home to.
The only problem is our damn appraiser who made a date for the appraisal a month from when it was first ordered, and 3 days before what is supposed to be our closing date. But our lender is working with us to get a new appraiser.
To get dining reservations for the really hard ones, but also for pretty much anywhere by now (because of decreased capacity and staffing), you absolutely have to try right at the stroke of 0600 Eastern at 6 months/180 days out. It is like Hunger Games out there by now. Do your best. If you don’t get it, no sense in trying further; when they’re gone they’re gone. I wish you all the best.
Stop being a Debbie Downer! If the ADR isn’t available at 6 months out, they should continue checking a couple times a day, at least for that first month or two. Something might pop up!
They didn’t actually do away with Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, they just wanted to up the challenge level. You should plan to spend a whole day in the park not riding any rides just looking for the keys - there’s a big prize if you complete them all.
Don’t bother with Epcot Future world rides. Living with the Land – lame boat traveling less than walking pace through dumb indoor gardens. “Soarin’” Ha! You sit strapped in a chair to see movies. Lame. Spaceship Earth – just for Losers – who cares how humanity got to where we are? Don’t waste the price of your ticket having to think about it.
Oh, and the whole The Seas things? Really? Don’t waste you time looking at animals who never figured out how to grow legs and get up on the ground. What do they know? Its not like they will survive down in the water when the seas keep rising… (Oh, wait)
And that’s another thing – what is this thing about giving credit to people in other countries for how great America is? I mean, just not based in fact…
No loose ice per Disney’s rules as of a couple years ago (same time as the stroller and wagon restrictions). I think people were dumping ice or something?
