Oooh, So Exciting!

The house hunting is gaining momentum.  Once Philip and I decided that seven miles away is doable, we put our energy in finding out what the houses in Port Chalmers are going for and what we should offer for the house we really like (I really, really love it).  It turns out that the owners of the house must have gone back to the government CV folks to show them all the work that they have done, so the CV has gone up from $200,000 to $280,000.  That is good for us because we don't want to pay too much for a house.

I called the real estate agent to learn more about buying a house at an auction.  It seems a big unknown, so the more information we can get about the process the better.  Do you get a paddle that you raise to bid?  What if you sneeze?  Is that a bid?  Do you have to bring a 20% deposit in cash?  I don't even have pockets that big.)  If the house is sold on auction, we would have to pay for the building report and the LIM report (Land Information Management report) beforehand and if you don't get the house, you lose that money.  These things are around $1,000, so we want to get it right!

The agent knew who I was right away because we have been listed on the "no commission" list as we found the house before it was listed with the agent.  She wasn't keen to tell me much, but I did find out that they may not do an auction at all due to the high interest in the house.  Now those are not the words I wanted to hear.  It is our house!  That information did help Philip and I figure our next step; go directly to the seller to see if we could get in before any one else does.  Oooh, the adrenaline.

I called the owner of the house,  a super nice American guy who has been living in Dunedin for years and years (called yonks here).  With my best poker voice, I asked him if we could chat about the house.  I asked him (very smoothly, I might add) what he is looking for in a price now that the house has been on the market.  He said that he was advised not to mention prices, but that he does have an offer of $285 with the condition of the woman's house selling by the 25th of April.  VERY good to know.  That sets the bar.  I slipped in there that we were interested in putting in an offer and work with him directly to save him the auction fees and the real estate commission.  We chatted for a little longer (with my heart in my throat) and I hung up and jumped in the shower so I could run down to the local bookstore to pick up an offer contract.  This is VERY exciting.  I am trying hard not to get too excited (kinda failing) and get too hopeful.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!!