We found a house for sale we simply loved, 2,100 square feet sitting on two acres of beautiful hillside with staggering views. You’d wake up every morning there and feel like you were on vacation. It was that impressive. There was even a gate and a flagpole. Although a Fannie Mae HomePath foreclosure, the house was in perfect condition. We could have moved in right away. There was a wonderful room for my honey’s pianos and a master bedroom large enough to park four cars. It was the first house we’d seen in several years of looking hard that instantly appealed to each of us. I was completely fine with it as soon as I walked in the door.
Didn’t get it. The details aren’t important. That was about a week ago. I still think about it and it makes me happy, even though we couldn’t make an offer. This is new for me and takes me to a different place.
John Hamilton Farr lives at 7,000 feet in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, U.S.A. As New York Times best-selling author James C. Moore tells it, John is “a man attuned to the world who sees it differently than you and I and writes about it with a language and a vision of life that is impossible to ignore.” This JHFARR.COM site is the master writing archive. To email John, please see CONTACT INFO on .png)
I was a real estate agent in 1991 – 1993. It was a sellers market then, too. I had prospective buyers get pre-approved with my favorite lender, who was great at creative financing. (He was really good). You need to be ready to pounce, like a panther, and have a realtor who can crunch numbers. Expect to need several thousand dollars for the unexpected after you get it. And on a hot property, offer a little more than asking price, if only $500.
I had to accept every single picky thing my seller wanted in order to land my own little bungalow back in 1993. The market was hot!
I did well. Worked hard. All my contracts were written around 11 pm. I was top agent after five months in the business – as a single mom with four kids no child support. Friends told me they did not like me much during that time. Nor did I like myself, but I did have happy clients who liked me a lot.
I really understand the relief you are are experiencing now. It is a huge stress to deal with such an enormous amount of money. I actually believe it is a lot cheaper to rent, all things considered.
My little house was $59,900 in 1993 – hard to believe. So reasonable. Glad to not be there now, though.
Thank you for that history. I’m impressed! I knew you’d been an agent. I don’t think it’s that sort of seller’s market here, but more preparation would be good. Our buyer’s agent is keeping an eye on the place in case it falls out of contract. Hey, you never know.
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