Once More, Into The Breach

Seems like the market is expanding - I'm now getting five or six emails from the MLS database every day with new listings. Most look like problematic properties; lots of work needs to be done, or the neighborhood is sketchy, but reassuring to see more available.

Last night took the Husband and F. to see the Richmond Annex house that I had liked so much on Sunday - they both liked it very much. The Husband was especially fond of the yard, but pointed out that closet space and storage in general was on the thin side, and we'd end up using the garage purely as storage (which the current owners do now, having smartly added shelving and hanging racks). I tried to forget all the times I had mocked others have having so much junk that their garages overflowed. But the Husband is game to make an offer on this one, though to be competitive will stretch us to the limit.

We also checked out another, brand-new listing in the Annex. The block is not as charming as the other, the house about the same size as the other, though distributed differently. Big closets, newly refinished floors, and to the Husband's delight, a brand-new kitchen and bathroom. The backyard is huge, with two apple trees, a pear tree, and a peach tree - the apple tree is covered in fruit. We see all kinds of potential in this place - and the backyard gives us the option to expand. What it needs is not urgent. And best of all, it's much, much less expensive than the other one. Asking price: $412K.

We are getting more strategic. We decide to make an offer on the second house, with an expiration date of Thursday at 5PM. If the owner rejects our offer, we can still throw our hat in the ring for the first house, which has offers due on Friday.

Hang onto your hats, here we go again...