Hurry Up And Wait

I remember this motto from my military days. It’s not just for the Army. Fannie Mae is also quite fond of this one-sided concept. Fannie leaves us twisting in the wind for over a week, but when it’s our turn to move “time is of the essence”. We now have the signed agreement papers in hand and must schedule the inspections for the home and well. Fannie is insisting we need to close on this property “on or before” February 14th. Really? Seriously? I’ll believe it when I see it. A new house for Valentine’s Day would suit me just fine.

I am anxious to get back inside the house and take lots of interior pictures. This is the first time we have made an offer on a home based on a single visit. I don’t remember details, just the basics. For example, I couldn’t tell you what the bathtub looks like….or even how the main bath is laid out. On the initial visit I was focusing on the layout of the home, the structural soundness, whether there was mold, etc…I just glanced over things that weren’t crucial….like the closet in the sewing room. I will be tagging along on home inspection day in order to get lots of detailed interior photos. I need to have some idea of where my furniture will go.

In the meantime, here are some photos from the real estate listing. They aren’t the best. Which I am sure worked to our advantage. I had been looking at these photos for a couple of months and there was nothing about them that made me want to drive to Winlock to view the property. It’s interesting how misleading photos of properties can be. We have driven to Quilcene and Montesano based on photos and been hugely disappointed at what the houses actually looked like. The pictures of the home in Quilcene had obviously been taken years ago when the home and grounds were in peak condition. We drove nearly 2 hours to find the home is currently a run down shambles. The realtor for the Montesano property hired a professional photographer who was able to stage the home and also take photos from the most flattering angles. Another huge disappointment in person. Then there is the case of this Winlock property. The photos did nothing to pique my interest. The exterior photos showed gravel, and more gravel. No photos (or mention) of the fenced pastures or fruit orchard. No photo of the huge, glorious, clean, dry basement. No photo showing how this property sits on a corner lot in the middle of a peaceful, rural farming community. When we finally drove up to the property we didn’t recognize it.