My husband and I did the scariest thing ever today

[SoCalDem]

Last edited Wed Jul 16, 2014, 09:49 PM - Edit history (1)

We made an offer on a house in Washington state..sight unseen..(we did send a realtor we only met by phone to preview it)..We used a recommendation by her for a mortgage company in WA and got pre-approved by phone.. auto signed the offer online ..

Did the whole thing in less than 4 hours..

and we cannot even list our house in CA until we move all of our stuff out and send it up to WA..

are we nuts?? or just in love with our perfect retirement home near our grandchild?

[mnhtnbb]

1. That is a BOLD move.

Had you already decided on the specific area?

[SoCalDem]

2. Nope..

Our son lives in Kent, so we drew a circle from Kent that put us about an hour away ( we don't want him moving IN with us ..and we needed a HUGE secondary building for all my husband's model train & die cast stuff and his collection of tools that would put Sears to shame..

and since we are done with remodeling & fixer uppers, it had to be move in ready ..and have lots of trees (MY only request)

[mnhtnbb]

3. Wow!

I hope your son doesn't decide to leave WA!

I have a cousin who lives in --well, not in, but just outside of--Seattle.
He wouldn't live anywhere else.

Two friends who live in Seattle and love it.

I'm not sure I could handle all the overcast weather.

Good luck!

[SoCalDem]

4. We've spent THIRTY TWO years in a f#$@ing desert

so I am looking forward to clouds & rain & median temps of 65

Our only grandchild (his daughter) lives there..she will be two on Dec 31st, and since we are getting older, we need to be close if we want to get to know her.. They are no longer a couple and we did not want the "across state lines" thing to ever be an issue.. Her Mom is a born & bred Washingtonian.. They are on cordial terms and she sends us cards & pictures, so there should never be a problem with us getting to see our baby

[mnhtnbb]

5. LOL.

We left L.A. area 1988 and never looked back. Ended up across the country in Chapel Hill, NC.

I always missed seasons living in CA (1965-88) but I could sure do with a lot less humidity/heat
than we get here in the south in the summer.

Sounds like your granddaughter's mom will be staying around. Hopefully, she'll appreciate
having an extra set of grands nearby.

[SoCalDem]

6. I think she will. They both live with her folks, so we'll be their escape-for-fun place

Our son lives in North Seattle, so we'll see him more now too.. He's lived there for 15 years (with a 1 year jaunt to Texas), so we are ready for more time with him as well

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. FWIW.....it is a lovely area.

Compared to Cal. it is pretty isolated, but you are within drving distance of wonderful sights to see and places to go.
(I am a native of the state and know the area well).

You got a LOT of living space on a huge lot, at a very good price ( esp. compared to Ca.)

[SoCalDem]

8. That's what we thought.. I have been Zillow-ing for a year

and when I saw that house, it was like a lightning bolt.. It had EVERYTHING.. It's been on the market for 3-4 days and has had 5 showings.. I have my fingers crossed that we are the first offer, and that they accept it. We offered the full asking with NO "hurry up and leave" or contingencies, so my fingers are crossed

[whistler162]

9. If it is near one of your children why not

ask them to swing by and take a look at it?

[SoCalDem]

10. Our son's schedule is so harsh..but that's a good idea

This whole thing happened so quickly and I'm still afraid we might not get it..

I will call him & have him call our realtor and maybe swing by & take more pics

[FBaggins]

11. The larger question is how you'll deal with the identity crisis?

WADem just isn't the same.

I would have gone to see it... but given your requirements it seems perfect. Enjoy!

[SoCalDem]

12. I never thought of that.. maybe I'll start over.. NoWaDem

[Chan790]

13. There was a poster once that chose their Congressional district as a SN.

I can't remember what it was exactly, but the kicker of the whole thing is that within a year of joining DU, they relocated to another state so for like 4 years here they were something like 3rdNMDem and they lived in the 2nd District of Colorado.

[lovemydog]

14. It looks gorgeous.

Move-in ready. Lots and lots of trees. Over an acre of land. Wonderful space for all the model train sets. Near your grandchild. Good luck getting it. Let us know how it goes.

[Tribalceltic]

15. Go for it!

I hope you are all very happy there. It does look pretty. I have a feeling it's going to be nearly perfect.

[femmocrat]

16. It looks perfect!

I know what you mean about wanting to be near your granddaughter. That is the reason we stay here instead of moving somewhere easier to maintain. She is about the same age as yours and our lives pretty much revolve around her now! LOL

Best wishes to you and your family!

[lame54]

17. A Gutsy Move that I'm sure will pay off

[Aristus]

18. It looks wonderful!

It will be great to have you living here in the Evergreen State!

Are you going to change your user name to PNWDem?

[LisaLynne]

19. Buying a house, even one you've physically been in, is always scary.

I think this was a bold move that will pay off. That house looks gorgeous! Congratulations!

[handmade34]

20. Love the Garage!

it looks like it will be perfect! have worked in that area and it is lovely

[oregonjen]

21. Posting your address on DU?

Happy for you, but I don't understand the level of comfort posting the address and the price of your new home on here. There are a lot of weirdos in the world. I'd be more cautious, I guess.

[riderinthestorm]

22. Its LOVELY! Congratulations!! Keep us posted WHEN you get it

because I know you will. Its just too perfect!

[seaglass]

23. Wow - this was an eye opener! Love the house and especially the price. I am in the middle of

selling my mom's house for 100+K more and it is not nearly so nice or updated as this.

It gives me hope for my husband and I when we retire (soon I hope) that we will be able to get a nice place at a decent price somewhere other than MA.

Good luck, hope they accept your offer!

[haele]

24. That's a nice area of Washington State.

Temperate climate; it won't get too cold and shouldn't get too hot.
My second cousin's family lives near Shelton off one of the inlets; used to go clamming and berry picking during the season with them when I was younger.

If you like hiking and fishing, it's a great place to be. Close enough to Olympia and Tacoma that you should have all the infrastructure available for your needs.

Only issue might be earthquakes (but being from SoCal, you know about those!) and the floods that might strand you for a couple days, but from the pictures and the location, it looks like you don't have to worry too much about damage to the house and property.

Just watch out for deer, sumac, bramble, and poison ivy invasions! And enjoy the wild huckleberries, they make great pies and jam.

Haele

[SoCalDem]

37. I was looking forward to having deer, but apparently it's fully fenced

so no deer for us

[KamaAina]

25. Nice post, WWashDem!

[jrandom421]

26. Here is your Congressional Rep

You're in the 10th District, which is a new one. Your rep is Denny Heck

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Heck

http://dennyheck.house.gov/

State : You're in the 35th Legislative District

Tim Shelton is one of the turncoat Democratic State Senators who decided to caucus with the Republican, put Rodney Tom as Senate Majority Leader and block nearly all of Governor Inslee's agenda. The Democrats are working to primary him out of the Senate.

Good luck and have fun in Shelton!

[grasswire]

27. you have just given your address to the wingnut stalkers of DU.

Yes, DU has stalkers who search every moment for ways to make mischief for DUY members in the real world. There is a whole web site devoted to their comments about us.

It's probably too late, but I would delete that info ASAP.

[SoCalDem]

28. Oopsie on me.. I deleted it. Our offer has not been accepted yet anyway

It's not a done deal

[oregonjen]

31. I mentioned that up thread

Glad you deleted it.

[SoCalDem]

36. I perused the thread from the bottom up..

..but then we all know how trusting I am.. Who buys a house online with strangers? ------>me

I cannot believe how fast this happened:

7/13 house shows up on Zillow
7/14 our realtor previews it
7/15 we make offer
7/16 they accept
7/17 mortgage company gives us the green light

whew !!!

[Baitball Blogger]

29. Very gutsy!

[SoCalDem]

30. WE CLOSE ON AUGUST 20

YAY !!!!

[Lars39]

32. Congratulations!

Now start planning the biggest yard sale ever!

[SoCalDem]

34. No garage sales ever again for me.. We donate to Foster Families of Riverside

They have three big flea market sales a year and the proceeds go to help foster families/kids..
The last garage sale I had involved a bee sting, a sun burn and a lady asking if I would take a quarter for a brand new with tags on item... I said.. just take it for free if you cannot afford $1.. The price tag was for $34.00.. She said thanks, and walked away with it

[Crewleader]

33. Congratulations SoCalDem

My fingers were crossed for you and your husband, August 20th is just around the corner, how exciting for you both!

Best of everything on your move friend.

[SoCalDem]

35. Thanks.. I am excited and scared..

Now I have to stress about 2 house payments until our CA house sells