We finally sat down with Jose and Claudia and went over what we are looking for in our first home. Like many first time home-buyers in the Orlando area, we were under the impression that with so many homes on the market, the process would be relatively easy. Wrong. Because we want to close on our new home within just a few months, Jose and Claudia recommended we eliminate short-sales from our search. That reduced the available homes by nearly 50%! What a pain! short-sales (pre-foreclosures) are just so tricky and nearly always have unrealistic sticker prices. They also take months to negotiate.
We still found about 10 good options throughout Seminole County and set out to look at each one.
The first house we saw was a terribly run down (but beautiful!) 2 story historic home in Sanford. Both, my husband and I, felt that this house could be SO wonderful once restored! Seeing that one first definitely started the search out on the right foot! I have always loved historic homes, new homes just can’t compete with the old wood floors, crown molding and character of an old home.
The next house we saw was also a historic home. It was not in as good a location as the first, but the interior already had been completely re-done and it was beautiful, with a great floor plan. The outside however needs some love and was a little overgrown.
We looked at two other houses that were more contemporary “Florida” homes. Block with stucco, traditional floor plans, traditional neighborhoods. A little boring. And even they need work. The carpet was torn out in one of them, exposing the stained concrete, the closet doors were broken and the smell was offensive in both of them. I guess that’s what happens when a home is vacant for too long.
Most of the homes we are looking at are bank owned. Which means we could get a great deal on the price, but not with out some compromise. All of the homes need a work. Some more than others. I guess it is pretty common for the owner to destroy the house before the bank takes it. Probably even more common in our price range, lol.
We still have a few more houses to look at and Jose and Claudia set up an alert, so we will be emailed when new properties come on the market. We want to keep an open mind, but my husband and I just can’t stop thinking about the two historic homes in Sanford.
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