The Auldridges

This evening we will be going to look at a house for sale in the neighborhood we live in. With the adoption pending, we realize the need to either put an addition on our house, or purchase a larger one. Or one with the potoential to become larger with much less hassle than our current home.

We have a fair amount of equity in the house we are now in given that we have had it for 2 years now, and the market here grows at a break-neck pace. This would allow us to put an addition on the house, but we don’t know if we want to go through the hassle of adding what we need. Our plans would have us adding a bedroom and a bathroom, and remodeling the kitchen and two existing bathrooms. The kitchen isn’t in any real need of remodeling, but it sits right where the addition would have to go, so it gets included. On top of those things, though, the house is 56 years old and in need of many other things. For instance, the furnace needs work/replacement, the side porch is rotting, and the brick needs re-pointing. All of this will take quite a lot of money, and remodels are supposed to be one of the most stressful things you can go through–especially if you are living in the house, which we are.

So, we then look to the option of moving. We love our current neighborhood and wouldn’t really want to leave it, and the thought of a long move is a terrible one. So we have been looking in our own neighborhood. There have been some nice ones, and we even put an offer on one (that wasn’t yet for sale ) a while back. But nothing has worked out. Tonight we look at yet another.

The real problem with moving is the same thing that proves helpful in remodeling what we have–the market here is crazy. Houses are selling for way more than I am willing to pay. The one we are looking at tonight is listed at $285k. It is 3BR, 2.5BA split foyer, with a layout that would allow for a single partition wall to go up and make a 4th bedroom. That’s an awful high price for such a house, and it’s been sitting long enough that I figure I’d low ball it anyway. But from what I hear, the inside needs a LOT. Obviously this will come to light this evening when we look at it, but if that is the case, I’ll definitely low-ball the price. I can see me laughing in the real estate agent’s face when we discuss the list price if this place is in the condition I have heard rumored. Not to be rude, but because the market is absurd.

Obviously the hardest part about moving will be selling our house. I believe it is very nice, but like I said, it needs work. Who knows what the buyers will want done? The good thing about not moving, but using equity to do a remodel, is that we are using the equity to both raise the value and correct problems. I am still a little gun-shy about a remodel, though.

Anyway, we’ll see. I am not overly anxious about any of it–that’s not my style. But we could use prayers for wisdom because something definitely has to be done in the next year or so.