Home Buying Update
Well, busy, busy, we have been racing around attending auctions. I mentioned in a previous post that we were going to participate in auctions and how the process was going for us. You can read about the foreclosure auctions here —–> Moving on with Bumps in the Road.
We attended a live Estate Auction. Live auctions are fun. Usually outside on a nice day with food vendors. Once you register and get your number card you are able to bid on all items for sale at the auction. The Auctioneers record the sold items and the winning bidders number so there is a record of sale with your name and the price.
Fun to attend, but Estate Auctions, however, can also leave you feeling sad. The property and items are being sold because of unfortunate circumstances sometimes. Someone passed or is ill and life as it was no longer is. I was sad to hear the auction was happening because an elderly couple could no longer live there. Walking around that day you could see their long history there in the items up for sale. We waited for the real estate to go up and raised our number card. Unfortunately, we were outbid pretty quickly. The home was an old 4 bedroom farmhouse on 3 acres. I could sense all the memories this family had here and it saddened me. I was reminded of my grandparents estate sale of farm equipment when my grandfather could no longer farm due to his health. I hope the winning bidder for that home builds as nice a life in it as was evident of the elderly couple selling it who had lived there for the past 50 yrs. I am unable to share pictures with you, but just imagine a well loved farmhouse home with all those years of happy memories. It still makes me mad I was outbid. Oh, well moving on . . .
I shared pictures with you of a foreclosure house we liked coming to auction. Remember these?
The Auction day was announced. It was a 24hr online auction and I set my highest bid so my bids were automated. I kept watching this auction even with the automated setting to see what would happen. No one bid on the property until the last 10min. Then I saw the numbers climbing fast. In a moment of panic I increased my highest bid by 5 thousand hoping to win the property. While I was holding my breath waiting for the web page to refresh, my realtor called to tell me “Did you see that? Did you see the numbers jump?”
Me: Yes I did!
Realtor: It’s just the seller bidding up to your maximum.
Me: Really?
Realtor: Yes, see the bidders?
No, I said, and she told me “see the History button in the side panel.”
Oh, my bad. I had missed that. This Auction site was a different company then our last online one and there was no History button then. So I had no idea that this time I could view the information about each bid and that I was really the only one bidding on the property against the seller. Face palm!
“It’s ok” she reassured me. “You can’t bid against yourself and the time is up. So, you’re good. You won. Congratulations!”
It was really quite thrilling to finally win and be in a negotiating position with the seller. I felt like a million dollars! Even though this process has been so hard because we are obviously not a million dollars!
In the next few days they considered our bid and countered with a slightly higher price. We communicated through email and our realtor spoke on the phone with the Auction company in Texas. Then the auction supvisor in California. Then we had to wire earnest money to the Title company in Pennsylvania. Crazy right? We agreed to their terms and so far so good the pending closing process has begun. We just bought a house over the Internet! What the wha!
I am already sketching and planning the design of this home. I am so excited to share with you the design process and projects of our second home.
Keeping my Design Checklist handy to help me of course. Get your free copy by subscribing today!
I hope you stay tuned! Here are some of my sketches. Can’t wait to make them happen 🙂
I will be looking for an old pew bench to use at our back doors entryway. Basket storage underneath with large ‘meat hook’ coat hangers by window.
I have always loved topiaries and potted shrubs. I feel like this house has the perfect vibe for them next to a new privacy fence. Along with some metal fence art and hanging flower pots.
