We Bought A House Today, Oh Boy!
We Bought A House Today, Oh Boy! (to the tune of “A Day In The Life” by The Beatles)
by Lee Cooley, Arizona REALTOR® VOICE editor
As boomerang buyers, my wife and I have been anxious to leave the rental market since our housing bubble burst back in 2009.
With the help of our REALTOR®, we started looking for affordable homes that were just the right size for two empty nesters with a pair of chocolate Labradors.
The first home we fell in love with was under contract two days before we could act. We compared every home thereafter to our first choice, but none had as good a footprint or amenities.
They were too choppy, too far from friends and family, or had older, original HVACs and water heaters.
Following weeks of looking, a miracle happened — our REALTOR® called to say that the contract on the house we loved had fallen through! Fortunately, the sellers had taken backup contracts and ours was among them.
We raised our initial offer, included a revised Loan Status Update and accelerated our original closing date as requested. Two days later, we got the good news: our offer had been accepted! On to the next steps.
Mortgage
Weeks earlier, we had been pre-approved. Our mortgage company answered all of our questions and guided us through the loan process. Their progress bars and personalized videos were helpful and entertaining.
Inspection
The board certified inspector was incredibly thorough. He recommended a few repair items, but none that “dampened” our spirits. (The only polybutylene was limited to the fire sprinkler system access panel.)
Appraisal
Once the sellers signed off on the BINSR, our mortgage company scheduled an appraiser. He filed a Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (Form 1004) and BOOM our soon-to-be home appraised at the purchase price.
Closing
After previewing the docs online, closing was easy. We simply signed and waited three days for funding.
Moving
Moving for the fifth time in 10 years seemed like the easiest piece of our property puzzle. We used the same movers from our last two moves and they were gracious enough to reward our loyalty with a flat rate.
The Process
This home purchase was far better than my first with a dual agent in Ohio. I’ve learned a lot since then and I’m proud to say there Ain’t Nothing Like the REALTOR®-Thing, baby! (Props to Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.)