Stormy weather, sunny skies ahead

The weather has been up and down with miserable cold weather starting Monday overnight and lasting until Wednesday overnight. It was -26C (-15F) when I woke both mornings, with windchills into the high -30C's. Let's just say it was cold. We also got snow on Monday so I was out shovelling the darn stuff, not once but twice as it wouldn't let up. We didn't get as much as other areas of the province, but ended up with about 4 inches on the ground. 

Then the weather gods smiled on us and the temperature started climbing on Wednesday, at 4:30 p.m. it was up to -14C (7F). By morning it was warmer still, and our afternoon high reached slightly above freezing. Weird and wacky weather indeed. The downspout on the front of the house has a leak at the elbow and the melting has dripped onto the cottoneaster hedge making a pretty pattern on the branches.

I met my friend and travel agent for coffee/tea on Monday morning - we had a lovely visit catching up on one another's lives. We realized the last time we got together was last summer! Hopefully we can manage another visit in May or June, she is incredibly busy with her travel agency and her family. When I left the shop, the snow was coming down and the streets were quite icy. I did stop in at Value Village where I managed to find a green t-shirt for my cruise. We'll be onboard on March 17th so I wanted something for St. Patrick's Day. 

With the nasty weather on Tuesday, I stayed home and mostly indoors and did lots of housework. In between tasks I managed to arrange movers for April. We take possession on the 10th, my stuff will move from the city on the 11th, and then D's move will happen the following day. D will start moving boxes over on possession date and I'll assist the next day. The movers are planning to be here in the city at 9:00 a.m. and we should be at the house and hopefully unloaded shortly after noon. I have about 50 boxes, some garden items, and only two pieces of furniture that are going with me. The majority of the boxes are already packed and stored in the garage - though some boxes will need to be re-packed/taped shut. I know what I'm doing when I return from my cruise. :)

Stitch and chat was Wednesday and Io and I were joined by another lady, W. Small world, Io and W knew each other already through the church they both once attended. Neither knew the other would be there that afternoon.

I did some running around on Thursday morning, getting some additional cat food, litter, and a few groceries. There is lots of food in the pantry and fridge for my son and I'm well stocked on cat food as well. C will need to pick up a few things, I'm sure, like bread and milk. But I also know full well, that there will be pizza and subs ordered too. 

Thursday was also the day for the home inspection. All went reasonably well, there are some repairs needed, particularly on the exterior of the home. Most of those repairs relate to ensuring that water is not able to infiltrate the house (moving some downspouts, repairing flashing around the chimney and properly nailing down the ridge cap). It appears the shingles were replaced within the last year and some of the work wasn't completely finished. The eavestroughs need clearing - something we do on our own. The inspector also pointed out where windows and doors need the silcone replaced and recommended replacing the front door of the porch. The last item was something we'd already decided needed to be done. All in all, things went well and the more expensive items like the furnace and water heater are in good shape. With this information we lifted the conditions on Friday, ahead of schedule.

The men's Brier (Canadian curling championship) started on Friday evening. It is being held here in the city, though I've decided to watch from home.  I spent the day doing laundry, prepping income tax returns, and chatting with Rob the realtor. In the meantime, D went shopping (locally) and found a great deal on a dishwasher. She called me, I gave the store my credit card number and they'll hold the appliance until we move in. That's one of the nice things about dealing with a store in a small town. For certian, The Brick or Leon's would never have permitted us to store it with them.

Today we're expecting a storm originating south of the border. Accumulation amounts range from about 6 inches here in the city to double that where D and Eli live. She's already decided, should the forecast be correct, that Monday will be a snow day for them. She'll take her time shovelling out in the back, as the city will need to clear the alleyways before she can get out anyway.

The countdown to my cruise continues. I am to fly out on Wednesday morning, though with more snow expected on Tuesday, I might be delayed (fingers crossed I will not). Since I've given myself leeway - the cruise doesn't sail until Saturday, I'm sure I'll get there in plenty of time. I'm pretty much packed, just a last few items to go in the bags. Before I leave though, I have one more thing to take care of - the car goes into the shop to have the side mirror replaced. I won't be recommending this business any time soon as it has taken two weeks for them to paint the mirror so that it can be installed!

Have a great week ahead everyone! If you're in the path of this or any other storm, stay safe.

P.S. One more thing, today is our Eli's 7th birthday! How did that happen?

I did a thing

I drove D and Eli home last Friday and stayed through until Wednesday to help them settle in to a slightly different routine.  Eli must now take a dose of his anti seizure medication twice a day, 12 hours apart. He's very good about taking the meds, the issue is the timing, the first is due before breakfast and his ADHD meds. Depending on when he wakes in the morning this proved to be a challenge. Then his evening dose conflicted with his usual bedtime.  D did a bit of adjustment until things lined up better for both.

I spent some time hanging with my favorite (and only) grandson. He was happy to be home with access to his devices. LEGO, and nerf guns. I did a bit of housework, some reading, some knitting, much watching of the women's curling, and .... I bought a house!

D has been getting anxious about the limited number of properties available for sale in her community.  Anything that appeared well priced was moving quickly.  I wanted to wait until I returned from my cruise but she convinced me to just "go look" on Monday. Her friend Rob, a realtor from Regina, drove out from the city to do walk throughs with us and, as it turned out, to sell us a property.

The photo on Wednesday is the house we bought. The old saying, don't judge a book by its cover is apt in this case. The exterior of the house looks rough which belies what is held within. With just over 1280 square feet over a story and a half with a full basement, it is far and away a more spacious house than her current home. Since the idea is I will live part-time with them - about 6-8 months throughout the year, the space will be much appreciated.

We entered through the side door into a small porch with room for coats and boot storage.  This allows entry into the kitchen which I believe was updated about 20-25 years ago based on the maple cabinets, laminate countertops and a tile back splash. There are a good number of cabinets plus a dedicated pantry. Best of all, the window over the sink overlooks the back yard where a mom or grandma can watch a little boy play.

Exiting the kitchen to the front of the house are a decent sized dining room and a similarly sized living room with hardwood floors. The house was built in 1920, so I doubt these are original to the house - they are in too good of shape so I suspect they were added mid century. 

This photo is looking from the front living room through to the kitchen in the back. The two bedrooms are to the left - the door to what will be my/spare bedroom is visible.

The smaller one at the front we plan to use as a craft room.  Both it and the living room look out onto the front porch. The second larger bedroom has a small addition that includes two windows. This will be my room when I am there and a spare bedroom for company if I'm not. There is an older dresser in this room that I asked to be included in the sale. Based on appearance I think it's from the 50's or 60's and is very solid. There will be room for a double bed and side table as well as the dresser and an easy chair. The closet is a decent size too especially for an older house. 

Back in the kitchen there is a small hallway to the right providing access to the only bathroom (which was recently fully renovated), the stairs leading to the basement,  and the stairs to the second story. It's a half story because of the roof line but has decent headroom. Upstairs, there is an space at the top of the stairs which will be Eli's bedroom at least for now. It is open to the stairs and leads into the main bedroom.  Off the main bedroom is a large walk in closet with a built in vanity, shelving units and hanging storage. While there is no closet in the space for Eli, there is plenty for the two of them to share in this area.

The majority of the basement has been insulated and drywalled, but left unfinished. Marked in the concrete floor at the bottom of the stairs, it indicates the owners had a new basement floor poured in 2004 over the original. I suspect they intended to create a rental unit, but the new basement floor left a height of approximately 7 feet - too low for a suite. We're going to install carpet and it will make a perfect play space for a small boy, as well as providing much needed storage for his mom and grandma.

The laundry room is in an older area of the basement and houses a recently upgraded furnace and water heater. I plan to add some foam tiles in this area as the original floor is a bit pitted - it was not re-poured. There is lots of storage in this room too, with shelves and a cold storage area.

AND that's not all. The backyard is fenced, although one side is leaning and will need to be repaired. There is a single car garage that has been insulated - there is even a heater, but using an electric heater can be stupidly expensive so it will remain unused. In addition, beside the garage is a gravel area with room to park up to 3 more vehicles. The fence at the back separates these spaces from the back yard meaning less yard maintenance.  Inside the fence is a lovely shed, with room for all the tools and lawn mower.  Part of the shed has been converted to be used as a greenhouse.  You just know I'm itching to see how well that would work though I suspect it will be too late for this year. 

Though the yard is covered in snow, I'm told it has been nicely landscaped. There is a fire pit in the back yard too, and next to the side door stairs is a cement patio. It will be lovely space for a couple of chairs and a small table; on the east side it will be perfect for morning coffee/tea in the sun and will provide shade in the afternoon.  

But before you think this house is perfect, and it is pretty close, we do have a list of improvements and changes. There is no air conditioning so that is a priority for the summer. It needs a door on the interior of the front porch and the garage door needs replacing with an addition of a garage door opener. The front door for the porch is a must too - with only a screen door, the unheated porch isn't as secure as we'd like nor as functional in cool/cold weather. As mentioned,  the side fence need reair or replacement too. Then there is some painting and cosmetic changes that can wait for a bit.

The price was pretty terrific too - Rob the realtor did a double take when he looked at the listing. He even suggested he might retire to the community at some point. There is certainly value to be had in smaller, more rural communities, bu there are trade-offs, especially as it relates to health care. 

Possession date is early April, less than 3 weeks after I return from my holiday. I've spent the rest of this week confirming financing, getting quotes for home insurance, catching up on housework, and most importantly...prepping for my trip! I did get to Mahjong on Thursday as well.  

The Canadian Women's curling will continue into Sunday (two games today and two tomorrow). In between draws, I plan to sort out my clothing and other items for the cruise. It's getting ever closer - just 12 sleeps until I fly away. Hopefully the next 10 days or so will be much quieter than than the last.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

The finish line is in sight

No, my son did not buy the house from Wednesday's photo. In fact, we didn't even view the property. I had contacted the realtor about it to ask if he'd check with the seller's realtor with some questions. He offered to tour the property himself, as he lives and works nearby. The photo was one of several he sent me. His comment "It's a house of horrors. Lot value only." I suspect it may have been tenanted, or alternatively the property owner passed away. One of the photos clearly showed dirty laundry on a bed, in another it appeared the toilet had not been flushed, and in one there were cracked and broken windows. The property is listed at $275,000...lot value would be around $130,000. I sincerely doubt it will sell. Oh, and it comes as-is, where-is so whoever buys it would have to deal with the contents too!

We did see a few more properties Sunday and Monday. None had what C was looking for, so the hunt continued. We saw another two properties on Wednesday. Both had been on the market for some time, but appeared to be more what he was looking for. Sigh...appearances can be deceiving. Both had badly completed DIY renos, both basements were disasters, and in the second property the front door was sticky to open, while the back door could not be opened at all. Can you imagine how much that house had shifted on it's foundation?

I went to Stitch and Chat on Wednesday, with five of us in attendance. C hasn't been there since last fall before she left for Arizona. Sadly, her mother passed away in the spring, just before she returned to Canada. She's spent the last few months clearing out her mother's 4 bedroom house. According to her, it was full of stuff. They did sell it in August and most of the possessions have been disbursed. Some to family members, some sold, donated, or tossed. 

We'll soon say so long for a few months to C and to B as they are both planning their departures for Arizona at the end of October. S is still deciding when she'll leave, as her daughter and son-in-law will be driving down to stay with her. They've just retired. That will leave I and myself - her husband R is currently undergoing treatment for cancer, so I suspect her attendance will be infrequent. Hopefully some of the ladies who dropped in last winter will return. I've no plans to travel until February at the earliest, and that is dependant on my friend S and her husband. They are scheduled to be in Yuma for a month, and I've invited myself to join them for a week if I can make it happen. Their plans, however, are up in the air at the moment so it's not a certainty.

I haven't yet booked my hotel in March for my cruise but I have flights booked. I'm planning on flying in three days ahead of the cruise...I don't a repeat of last January! Even flying in a day early, almost wasn't enough due to storms and cancellations. Of course, it takes a full day to get there from here so I'll arrive late on the first day and have two full days before I board the cruise ship. 

Of course, I can't help looking at cruises especially when a sale is offered. Princess had a 50% off, 50% deposit sale recently for certain 2023 and 2024 cruises and I've booked a 14 day British Isles cruise for late August 2024. If you've been here for long, you might remember that I had a similar cruise booked in June, 2020...we all know what happened with those plans! I e-mailed my friend J and she's offered to have me stay with her for a few days before and after the cruise. (Thanks J! I'm so looking forward to visiting with you and a return visit to the Gardens for certain.)

Because we've had such bad luck with viewing properties with the realtor, C and I took a drive on Thursday evening to look at a property. We figured there would be no point seeing the inside if the neighbourhood wasn't great or the exterior was a mess. It wasn't either of those things, so I called the realtor to ask if he could show it to us on Friday. We made arrangements to meet later in the afternoon.

On paper, the property was perfect. A decent size with three bedrooms up, a finished basement, and a large garage (which means a smaller back yard). We arrived ahead of the realtor, and spent a few minutes looking at the exterior. Shingles look good, there is a small patio out front, and a raised flower bed. 

The realtor arrived a few minutes later and we made our way in the front door. The house is about 1040 sq ft on the main level. On entry there is a closet and beyond that to the right is a decent sized living room. To the left is a large dining area with a galley style kitchen in the center. It's a bit of an odd layout, as you can reach the hall from either the living room or through the kitchen. Off the hall at the back of the house are three bedrooms and a recently renovated bathroom. One of the bedrooms is set up as a laundry room. As you'll see in the photo above (stolen from the internet) there is a ramp on the front exterior of the house so I assume the laundry set-up is for the convenience of the current owners. Back in the dining room, there is a door that leads to the side entrance and down to the basement. 

In the basement there is a den with a large closet, a living room space, a three piece bathroom with a stand-up shower, and a large storage area (which also contains the furnace, hot water heater, water softener, and built in vac). That storage area also has the hook-ups for the laundry, a set of kitchen cabinets and sink, as well as a small freezer and fridge. At some point, it would be an easy conversion to set up a separate suite in the basement for rental, though some work would be needed to update it. 

Out back of the house is a patio area and beside the garage a sadly neglected garden space. It would take some work to get that in order but I told C that would be my project. But the pièce de résistance is the garage. It is huge, the interior insulated and finished with lots of room to park two vehicles plus a space we assumed the current owner is using as a "man" cave. My son was excited about that - he could do something similar and have a space to hang out with friends. We learned later that the garage is actually rented to someone who runs a business out of the space.

The offer was written and submitted about 5:30 p.m. and shortly thereafter we learned another offer had come in. As a result, C's offer was revised a bit, and resubmitted at 6:24 p.m. His offer was accepted at 7:42 p.m., although they could have held off until morning. They even agreed to a move-in date of November 6. And btw, he paid less than the asking price of that dump from Wednesday's photo. It just goes to show that house prices are just made up numbers. 

In the meantime, there are still the conditional periods on both properties to get through. The conditions on my property are to be lifted by next Wednesday, for C the date is the following Wednesday. He'll have a busy week ahead, meeting with the mortgage broker to finalize financing and arranging for a house inspection, as well as working. 

The property isn't perfect. But it is above and beyond everything else we've looked at. The size is great, the basement is finished and would offer a space for me and allow my son his privacy, and the garage is especially a bonus. When I'm travelling, I can park the car indoors and leave it where it will be safe. There are a couple of pink walls that will need to be painted...funny, my son doesn't care for them. The back and one side fence need to be replaced/built. The back garden space is a project as it has been covered by landscape fabric and leaves and debris allowed to accumulate. It is, however, move-in ready and the work I've mentioned can either be completed over the winter or wait until spring.

Oh, one other thing - out in the front flower bed in front of the small patio on the right), are a few lilies. Back in 2018 when we were looking for my daughter's place, we found a bed of lilies out front. My mom loved lilies and had a large flower bed with numerous varieties. We always said the lilies were a sign of her approval. Apparently, it has happened again.

Today, I've got some yard work to get done. It's time to start pulling the annuals and cleaning up the containers. The house needs to be tidied a bit in anticipation of Monday's inspection. There is baseball to watch, and curling has started too (You-tube) so I'll keep myself busy. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

It was good while it lasted

Edited: The back-up offer was rescinded today.

I am so tired of the rollercoaster. 

*comments off

In just 48 hours! Shortly after I hit the publish button on my last post, I had a text from the realtor. I initially assumed that it would relate to the viewing we had scheduled for the afternoon. But, it wasn't....we had a back-up offer!

The realtor sent over the paperwork for me to review. It was a low'ish offer, which I knew I would counter since the orginal offer was higher. I'm certain the potential buyers were testing the water to determine what the other offer might have been. The sticky part was the possession date; Oct. 5th! That's a mere 3 1/2 weeks away!!

We met the realtor shortly thereafter at the house (more on that later), and he and I agreed, I'd counter at an amount slightly higher than the original offer with a possession date of Oct. 24th. 

There was some back and forth later in the afternoon, as the buyers were willing to pay slightly less than the counter, but the Oct. 5 date was a must so they can take advantage of a locked in mortgage rate. After some discussion, it was agreed they will take possession on the 5th and I will lease the property until the 24th. The nominal rent I will pay is worth the peace of mind of knowing, I'm going to have the time needed to pack up for the move.

Should the first buyers manage to come up with the funding, we could be moving by the 16th. Either way, it's time to get some boxes, and start the packing process.

Onto the property we viewed. I'll refer to it as the Stinky house. And when I say stinky, I truly mean odoriferous. Entering the front door, one is almost overwhelmed by the sickly odor of sweaty, dirty socks. It is worst in the living room, but prevalent through the bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen/dining room area too. We headed down to the basement first, as we wanted to ensure it is a solid basement. While we could only see one portion of the concrete wall, it looked good. There were no doors that swung out/in when opened. All good signs. There is a couple of areas, one with a couch, one with a dining table (poker table perhaps), a room that likely was used as a bedroom at some point, and a renovated small bathroom ensuite. There is work to be done down there; removing the panelling on the walls, insulating and adding drywall could be done over time. 

Upstairs, the u-shaped kitchen is dated but functional, the dining area opens out through sliding patio doors to a small deck, two of the three bedrooms are a reasonable size, and the third would make a good office space for C. The biggest issue is the odor, which can be resolved by removing all the furniture, carpets and flooring, window treatments, and repainting the entire main floor. 

Out back are two decks, the smaller deck and a lower deck currently holding a metal gazebo form. The lower deck truly needs to be removed, it's in rough shape but the smaller deck simply needs to be sanded and either stained or painted. There is a large garage (20 x 33 ft) that will easily hold both vehicles with lots of room for storage too. The yard needs some work, especially back beside the garage but for now, a lawn mower would keep the weeds down. 

It's a project house for certain, and I wasn't sure what my son would think as he's been more prone to lean towards houses that are more finished. BUT, he loved it! We went home and talked about it, and he decided to put in an offer. After some discussion we decided on a price with a possession date of Oct. 10. That would give us either a week or two before we'd have to be out of this house, depending on the successful buyer. The offer was open until 6 p.m. on Sunday.

About 2 p.m. Sunday, he got a text from the agent, that another offer had been received. The seller's agent had asked if we wanted to change the offer at all. Again, after a brief discussion, C revised his offer to a few thousand dollars below asking. Then we sat and waited...and waited...and waited until the 6 p.m. deadline, when the realtor called to say that he didn't get it. We have to assume the other buyer gave them the full asking price or above. It was disheartening to say the least, but we'll regroup and start looking at other properties. In fact, we've got another viewing set up for this evening. Time is of the essence.

Wish us luck!

A slight reprieve

The paperwork was finally completed on Tuesday, after my agent received the back-dated document. Initially, I had decided not to sign it, and let the deal die, but after some discussion about the legalities, it was decided I'd best sign and let the matter run its course. The buyers have until September 15 to sell their house - which means they'll need to have a conditional sale agreement no later than September 8. If they don't they won't have enough time to complete the process. 

C did not make an offer on the house we saw on Monday, as he'd found another place he wanted to see first. It was a smaller house but with a basement, with a yard that would require less work, and space to build a garage. He contacted the city on Wednesday to verify that a garage could be built in the future. We went to look at it on Thursday and discovered two things: it has a concrete block basement and the furnace was originally installed in 1995. Although it was cute, it was a no go. He's decided against the other property too, now that he's seen that the funds he has can get him something nicer. Unfortunately there isn't anything in the area he wants to live so we'll continue to keep looking.

It's been a quiet week with no showings. I've been keeping up with the housework, watering the containers, and doing a bit of knitting. I pulled all the tomatoes this week as they were looking past their prime, and cut back the ferns in the front flower bed as they were dying back. One can readily see the hostas now, though the bergenia takes center stage. 

I did get out to Stitch and Chat on Wednesday, there were just the three of us there. I took along a small plate of zucchini loaf. My SIL had given me a small zucchini and a cucumber on the weekend. I grated up the zucchini and made the loaf earlier this week. It tasted so good, that I was eating far too much of it, so I thought I'd let the other ladies help me with it. (They didn't eat much agreed it tasted good.)

After the disappointment of Thursday's viewings, C had spent some time on the realtor website looking for other options. He told me about one property that would need quite a bit of work - mostly painting, but is a decent size. He couldn't recall the address though, so I spent an hour Friday morning, looking through the various listings. It took me awhile but I found it, along with several other properties. 

I decided to do a drive by the list of ten properties, and was able to cross off five of them for various reasons, either a bad location or too run-down based on the exterior. In a couple of cases, both issues were true. He and went through the remainder and reduced the number to three or four.  Of those, I think we'll try to see a couple next week. It's the long weekend here, and with the need to wait on the buyers for my property, waiting a few days won't likely be an issue. As three of the properties have been on the market for over 90 days, so there might be a deal to be had. We'll see.

Earlier in the week, my realtor had mentioned about talking to other realtors who had clients who had been through the house, or who were interested in seeing it, in the hopes of a possible back-up offer. Basically, that simply means, if the first deal falls through, whoever has the first back-up offer in place has first dibs. I didn't hear anything more, so assumed that wasn't likely to happen. However, on Friday evening, he texted me to say a couple from Calgary would be in the city this weekend and wanted to view the house on Sunday afternoon. Of course, I said yes! Apparently they lived in Regina previously, in a house with a similar lay-out. I'd love to post on Monday that we have a back-up offer, but there is no guarantee. Their nostalgia for another house may not translate into liking this one enough to make an offer that might never come to fruition. Time will tell.

This morning, I've got more housework to do, a lawn to mow, and a good watering of it to be done. We're back in the heat (33C/91F) today and only slightly cooler on Sunday. I'll do the outdoor chores early this morning before the heat gets too much for me. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Waiting

Wednesday's photo was courtesy of my brother R. He used a scope and his cellphone to capture the photo of the hummingbird. I've never had any luck attracting them to this yard, while he has several that visit the feeder he has set up on the verandah.

Things slowed down some after the excitement of Wednesday. However, the refridgerater decided to add to it, developing a leak that was pooling in the bottom freezer. I called an appliance repair company, and they won't be able to come out until Monday (originally Tuesday but I got a call moving up the appointment. I really don't want to have to replace the fridge, but if it cannot be repaired I will have too. As I said to my realtor, mo' money, mo' money.  

I ran out to pick up a few groceries on Thursday, mostly the basics, eggs, bread, and some veg. But, I also needed Drano, because the damned kitchen sink started draining slowly. That fixed it, so no need for a repairman for that issue. 

The afternoon was spend outdoors or in the garage. I deadheaded flowers, watered containers and picked tomatoes. It sounds goofy, but I was happy to empty a couple of bags of yard waste into my new green bin. The pick-up won't happen until the week of Sept. 4, but I still have lots of room in the bin. The dirtiest job was washing down the garage floor - I'd swept it out, but oh my, the dirt that clings to it. I used the push broom to move most of the dirty water out of the garage and onto the driveway. Since the garage door was open, I took the opportunity to sit in the shade off the patio and read for awhile. I needed the break!

On Friday morning, I texted the realtor to ask about the house inspection. He tried to contact the other realtor, but heard nothing back from him. We also discovered that the couple had yet to list their property on MLS. 

I only spent a short time outside, watering the back lawn. Housework took precedence until mid-morning, when I was cleaning out the fridge and realized I had a container of blueberries that needed to be used up. I didn't have enough for a pie, and didn't to make muffins, so I looked up a recipe for a galette. It isn't the prettiest piece of pastry but oh my, does it taste good!

Saturday, we met the realtor at one of three properties we/I chose to view. The first one was the one C liked the best from the photos on the realtor website. It's a smaller house, but as he says he doesn't need anything very big. The main floor measures about 900 square feet and has two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen/dining area, and living room. Off the front door is a lovely deck that has room for a couple of chairs and a table. The basement has been developed with a rec room, two additional bedrooms, a bathroom, and also contains large utility room with the laundry set, furnace, a/c and water heater. The back yard has been xeriscaped and contains a decent sized cement patio, as well as a single car garage. What impressed me, C less so, was the amount of storage in the house. It seemed that there closets and cupboards in nearly every room. Again, something he doesn't need, but this was clearly a family of five living in the home so it is currently being well used. There is some work that can be done, mostly cosmetic, though the windows will need replacing in a few years. We did learn that the shingles are being replaced next week and that would have been an issue that we would have raised in any event.

The second property looked good in the photos, but was a huge disappointment. It was clear that the renovations on the interior had been done by a do-it-yourself-er and not a handy one at that. As the realtor said, "just because you can drive to Rona, doesn't mean you should." The basement looked dangerous with cut-outs in the joists to hold pipes and other boards. A two story, we didn't even make it upstairs to see the bedroom spaces.

The final house was just listed this week. Photos looked pretty good, and the first impression on entering was decent. Though an older house, built in 1945, it had 9 foot ceilings on the main floor. The kitchen had been updated at some point with orange oak cabinets, and the main bathroom had also been updated. But the basement again, was less appealing. There was an unregulated one bedroom suite in the basement, a diy'er bathroom, and a laundry/furnace room that obviously had water issues. Both a fan and a de-humidifier were running while we were there. Again, we didn't bother to look at the garage and back yard. 

The realtor still hasn't heard back from the other realtor, but we know that conditions must be lifted by Wednesday. He assumes they are holding off as they are waiting for confirmation on the financing as they want to port their mortgage to this property. He thinks they'll have an answer by Monday. I can understand that, why pay several hundred dollars for a house inspection if the financing doesn't come through. 

So for the meantime, C won't be making an offer on the first house we viewed, at least until Thursday. While he can afford to go ahead, I want to be in a position to move as well. The dominoes just need to fall in order. Though it's a bit worrying, not knowing what is going on, I'm not in panic mode at this point. Ask me again on Wednesday. :p

Have a great week ahead everyone!