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I know how you feel, I've been parallel to your timelines, I've been living in an RV, Hotels and in 4 different states now for a year with my family living in another. I've been "homeless", not having a permanent address has been terrible. I'm finally in the same state as the wife and son, but in different cities. It'll be another 5 months before my son gets out of school and the wife's lease on her apartment is over, they are in Johnson City I'm in Chattanooga.
I'm thinking that I would also like to settle down and get on with life, I'm almost ready to think about buying a home myself, just to make the world stop spinning
If buying a home makes you sane, go for it, I've lost my mind, so I'll be glad to see you enjoy yourself.
Take care, (can you tell it's late, bit of a rambling post)
Tony
Thanks for sharing, Tony! Our lives have been running parallel, haven't they?
Well, I think that at this point we should both say heck with investments and just settle down! You told us not to "chase the market down," and that was good advice! How about not "chasing the market up"?? Life really is short. As seniors, we have no desire to wait for the bottom of the WNC housing market to buy our last house while in the meantime postponing a normal life. At our age, we have more money than time!
You, on the other hand, because of your age, probably have more time than money. I understand that. But there's a lot more in the equation for you than time or money: you are separated from your family!!! I could not bear to be separated from Bill for a month in order to gain $10K on the price of a house. It's true!! I am joined to Bill at the hip! No amount of money could persuade me to separate from him. Seniors usually value family above all else because they realize how little time they have left--and have learned the value of family, give thanks on bended knee every day for family! Seniors wish that younger people could share their perspective. Unfortunately, perspective usually comes only with time. It seems you have to be older to think older!
But I can wish for you, Tony! Make the world stop spinning, Tony. Buy that house, market be damned, Tony! GO, BULLS!
May I ask those of you in the know: Is there anything illegal or unethical about working with two or three realtors at once in the process of finding a house to buy??? We would not of course be signing any commitment papers with any of them. We would simply work hard with each one to the degree that he/she is able (has time), and whoever finds us the house we want to buy would get the contract. Our timeframe is going to be so short that I'm thinking we need to involve more than one realtor, beginning immediately. We have been told there is nothing wrong with this approach. What do you know about this, please?
We really appreciate your help, too! Anyone else have any suggestions about where we should look EAST of Asheville?? We'll be driving around and working with realtors full-time starting on Monday, so please tell us which areas you think we should explore. We're looking for one or one-and-a-half levels, mountain vistas, a low-maintenance acre or so, wood-burning fireplace, wildlife, mature trees, quick and easy access to both Asheville and Black Mountain. Since we're no longer looking at high-end developments, probably any price point will work for us.
Thanks!!
Jan
Jan, I am going to send you a PM - please check messages shortly!
You know? We came full circle...fell in love with WNC thanks to Black Mountain. We couldn't find a home we liked there so we took our searches elsewhere in Asheville. My heart kept telling me Black Mountain is where we should be. I am thankful everyday that we bought in Black Mountain....mostly for the small town feel, like when I need tree branches picked I call the same kind lady, I know the home number of the water manager in case of emergencies, I see the same people over and over. I am probably silly bragging on what a great town Black Mountain is, but if someone's retirement is depending on it...I'll take that chance. Good luck with your move.
Enjoyed your story, mmccool. Thanks very much for sharing. Black Mountain is easy to fall in love with, and I work there, and our closest friends are there. I think I have an idea how you feel!
Thanks, everyone! You guys are all very kind to post here and send us private messages as well. Some of us, at least, are going to meet, and soon, I think!
GOOD NEWS. If you've been following our story, the last you heard was that we were told we had to leave our Hendersonville rental by March 31 or commit to six more months. Since we may close escrow on our San Diego house within a month (please, God), we were between a rock and a hard spot.
Well, we offered the owners significantly more money (through their property manager), and they just accepted our proposal! We get to stay month-to-month indefinitely! We just need to give 30 days' notice from the first of any month. What a relief!! I swear I heard that guardian angel's wings fluttering again this week!!!
We are now searching for that special house to buy, either in north/east Asheville (close to town), Black Mountain, or somewhere in between those two spots--like Riceville Forest, Buffalo Mountain, Eastmoor.... Our realtor (and yes--we're working with only one! thank you!) has searched the MLS for hours with us by her side, and then has taken us to five houses so far. Among those, we loved one--terrific house and neighborhood made to order for us, parklike setting, mountain views (though not long-range), a price we can afford, and only a mile out of Black Mountain. However, you have to walk from garage through a short entry and up 14 steps into the living space. We had hoped to take groceries and other items directly from car to kitchen. But if everything else about the place is perfect, we're wondering if we shouldn't overlook the staircase. It's at least wide, open, inside, and comfortable.
Do you think it foolish for healthy people in their sixties and seventies to buy houses with a staircase from car to kitchen, given that so many seniors develop hip or knee problems?? Bill already has significant arthritis in his lower back, but he's not worried about the staircase. I just don't know.... I mean, it's one thing to grow arthritic in a house you're already living in. It's another thing to buy a house with 14 steps knowing you're already stiff and only growing older and stiffer.... Bill laughs at me. "When we can't handle 14 steps, Jan, we'll be ready for assisted living!" I'm not at all sure that's true!
Well, we offered the owners significantly more money (through their property manager), and they just accepted our proposal! We get to stay month-to-month indefinitely! We just need to give 30 days' notice from the first of any month.
Do you think it foolish for healthy people in their sixties and seventies to buy houses with a staircase from car to kitchen, given that so many seniors develop hip or knee problems??
Jan,
See I knew that money talks to a landlord (been there done that) and it's cheaper and more convenient for you in the long run to pay a little more (hopefully not too much more)
As to the steps on the house, I'd be leery of having steps to negotiate, they may add trouble in your future years. But then again, you can consider them your own personal stair master workout But honestly, if you are asking the question, you have to have some reservations about the stairs, right?
Take some more time and see what else is out there as well with and w/o stairs.
Enjoyed your story, mmccool. Thanks very much for sharing. Black Mountain is easy to fall in love with, and I work there, and our closest friends are there. I think I have an idea how you feel!
Thanks, everyone! You guys are all very kind to post here and send us private messages as well. Some of us, at least, are going to meet, and soon, I think!
GOOD NEWS. If you've been following our story, the last you heard was that we were told we had to leave our Hendersonville rental by March 31 or commit to six more months. Since we may close escrow on our San Diego house within a month (please, God), we were between a rock and a hard spot.
Well, we offered the owners significantly more money (through their property manager), and they just accepted our proposal! We get to stay month-to-month indefinitely! We just need to give 30 days' notice from the first of any month. What a relief!! I swear I heard that guardian angel's wings fluttering again this week!!!
We are now searching for that special house to buy, either in north/east Asheville (close to town), Black Mountain, or somewhere in between those two spots--like Riceville Forest, Buffalo Mountain, Eastmoor.... Our realtor (and yes--we're working with only one! thank you!) has searched the MLS for hours with us by her side, and then has taken us to five houses so far. Among those, we loved one--terrific house and neighborhood made to order for us, parklike setting, mountain views (though not long-range), a price we can afford, and only a mile out of Black Mountain. However, you have to walk from garage through a short entry and up 14 steps into the living space. We had hoped to take groceries and other items directly from car to kitchen. But if everything else about the place is perfect, we're wondering if we shouldn't overlook the staircase. It's at least wide, open, inside, and comfortable.
Do you think it foolish for healthy people in their sixties and seventies to buy houses with a staircase from car to kitchen, given that so many seniors develop hip or knee problems?? Bill already has significant arthritis in his lower back, but he's not worried about the staircase. I just don't know.... I mean, it's one thing to grow arthritic in a house you're already living in. It's another thing to buy a house with 14 steps knowing you're already stiff and only growing older and stiffer.... Bill laughs at me. "When we can't handle 14 steps, Jan, we'll be ready for assisted living!" I'm not at all sure that's true!
AHHHHHHHHHH.............
Jan
Jan, about the steps - the thing is a great MAJORITY of homes in the Asheville and surrounding areas will be like that, with the steps. It is hard to find everything all on one level on a level lot, yet views of mountains, etc. This is the one reason our own house in Asheville hasn't sold - it is two level living on a gently sloping lot, and even though someone could add a second drive to take things in through the back at ground level, people are still reluctant.
I guess only YOU can answer whether the steps will be an issue for you - how do you cope with them now? If you have ANY problems at all now, I would definitely think long and hard about it, never let your initial excitement keep you from considering possible drawbacks. Of course, that said, my hubby used to tease me about adding one of those "chair lifts" to the staircase if I needed it. And his parents have a huge two-story mansion with basement (LOTS of stairs) and his mom is in her late 70's and has broken her feet before and had a hip replacement, and somehow, she deals (but it is painful at times).
gypsychic is right, Jan - If you love that house - you can always add the chair lift. Even with an arthritic back - Bill looks like he is in great shape - he's fit and trim and willing to walk the stairs - God love him! Yes it's good to think about the future but your heart will tell you if this is the home for you. Good luck and enjoy the search at a more relaxed pace now. Great news for parkies! We can't wait to see what you choose (and where).
Thanks, Tony, Gypsy, Loves mountains. We have added your ideas to ours and will keep them in mind. They're all good.
Now that we're not feeling the pressure of having to move from our rental (we volunteered to bump the rent from $1500 to $1750, but that's a whole lot better than moving twice), we are trying to "stay cool." After all, we won’t even close escrow in San Diego for another month (assuming it doesn’t fall through).
We have been living in Hendersonville and driving every other day to Black Mountain (45 min.) or Asheville (30 min.). So we thought, since our closest friends are in precious little BM and I plan to work there indefinitely/forever, we should live there!
But then we’d be commuting every other day from Black Mountain to the Basilica, UNC-A, our favorite Asheville restaurants, the arts, people like "Loves mountains" in Marshall, "LiveLaughLove” somewhere in Madison County, and friends in Brevard and Hendersonville.... We also have to think about access to a hospital and all the doctors who cluster nearby.
So it is with this macrovision that we are trying to make the right decision. It’s not that we don’t know the lay of the land. It’s just hard figuring out what will work best for our age, active lifestyle, taste in housing, and budget, while also being governed by sheer availability of houses in this area that meet those needs. (It’s almost impossible, for example, to find a mountain home with long-range views on one level with direct access from garage to kitchen. And if we ever find it, we probably won’t be able to afford it even with a $700K budget.)
I also think it would be nice to buy ONE more house that would work down the road when the day comes that either of us loses the other. Where will the one that’s left find the comfort of friends and a support system within easy reach? (Bet not many of you think about that—ha ha!!)
This thought process is hard enough even with the input of a fine realtor. Friends make it easier to work through. Please keep your thoughts coming, especially those of you familiar enough with this area--and with us--to suggest a nice marriage.
Thanks, Tony, Gypsy, Loves mountains. We have added your ideas to ours and will keep them in mind. They're all good.
Now that we're not feeling the pressure of having to move from our rental (we volunteered to bump the rent from $1500 to $1750, but that's a whole lot better than moving twice), we are trying to "stay cool." After all, we won’t even close escrow in San Diego for another month (assuming it doesn’t fall through).
We have been living in Hendersonville and driving every other day to Black Mountain (45 min.) or Asheville (30 min.). So we thought, since our closest friends are in precious little BM and I plan to work there indefinitely/forever, we should live there!
But then we’d be commuting every other day from Black Mountain to the Basilica, UNC-A, our favorite Asheville restaurants, the arts, people like "Loves mountains" in Marshall, "LiveLaughLove” somewhere in Madison County, and friends in Brevard and Hendersonville.... We also have to think about access to a hospital and all the doctors who cluster nearby.
So it is with this macrovision that we are trying to make the right decision. It’s not that we don’t know the lay of the land. It’s just hard figuring out what will work best for our age, active lifestyle, taste in housing, and budget, while also being governed by sheer availability of houses in this area that meet those needs. (It’s almost impossible, for example, to find a mountain home with long-range views on one level with direct access from garage to kitchen. And if we ever find it, we probably won’t be able to afford it even with a $700K budget.)
I also think it would be nice to buy ONE more house that would work down the road when the day comes that either of us loses the other. Where will the one that’s left find the comfort of friends and a support system within easy reach? (Bet not many of you think about that—ha ha!!)
This thought process is hard enough even with the input of a fine realtor. Friends make it easier to work through. Please keep your thoughts coming, especially those of you familiar enough with this area--and with us--to suggest a nice marriage.
Jan
Jan, you asked for our thoughts so here goes...don't know if this is feasible, but, how about building something that best suits your needs? Now that you have the lease locked in for a while could you take the time to build? The reason I mention this is because of the steps/stairs issue. I myself am not yet 50, but my husand and I have already decided our dream home will be all one level, including getting in and out of the home. This is because we intend for our next home to be our last home. We want to know that no matter what happens we could go on living in that home. So even though we are perfectly able to do steps and stairs today, we know that may not always be the case. Having medical professionals in the family has helped up come to this decision.
We definitely don't want to build (been there, done that), lovesMountains. At this point in our lives, building would involve too much stress and too long a wait. We want very much to find a move-in ready place by this spring. And you voiced my concerns better than I did. We don't want to have to move out some day just because we can't handle the staircase any more. And no one can predict who will find themselves in that predicament--or when! I'm just trying to be realistic. I have great knees now, but I had knee surgery years ago that left me "walking the staircase on my fanny" for a month. Though I'm perfectly healthy now, I've had internal surgery, too, some years back, that left me trapped on the upper floor for a month. So I can easily imagine how sad it would be for an older couple to have to leave their home because of physical problems.
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