OK add more stress

I called the property management company. They had told me when I dropped the key off to make an offer on the house. It was a garish nightmare of decorating on the inside. Its huge, the cost of heating or cooling it could be astronomical. So I did offer below the asking rent this morning. I thought about it overnight and called to offer to rent it.

I said we would do three months, but I wanted $1300 not $1500 in rent. $1300 is more in line with what the rest of the area is charging and still on the high side. A really nice rental in good condition goes for $1300. This house is big. That is about all it has going for it. Apartments run $800 for a three bedroom one bath. $100 will get us storage for the rest of our stuff.

When I called, the woman I spoke to told me there had been another person looking at the property yesterday, who also expressed an interest and also countered the rent. Panicked, heart racing, I told her I could sweeten the deal by paying the first two months in advance or have a bigger deductible. I would do a three month lease. I didn't want to go longer as we don't want the be obligated.

Tom pointed out that renting would give us time to get the big house up and running and ready for us. I see it as money down the toilet not to move in right away. Though my project ideas get longer each time I visit the big house. It will be stunning someday.

Meanwhile, the rental may be slipping through our fingers. I mentioned I could leave it nicer than I found it, but the woman responded she didn't want me to paint. I said if there was hard wood I could expose it for them if they wanted. I would work for free. She asked why I would want to do anything to it for such a short period of time. I told her I was a project Queen. It was my therapy. I hope I didn't scare her away from us. The house needs the deck to be cleaned and re stained. Every room inside has a different carpet.

I looked at the construction date and I think it is too young for hard wood to be hidden underneath the garish purple shag. The county assessor page said the house was built in 1968, the same age as the big house we want to buy.
The early 50's was when code required hard wood floors under the carpets. 1960's to 1970's, the years of the Brady Bunch families big homes for lots of children, great family friendly designs. Sometimes you can get lucky with the hardwood.

The FSBO friend has started to replace carpet in his house. He said he is putting in hardwood. He said he had a leak. Tom figures insurance is helping put in the new floors. That also means he will probably price it out of our range. His house was about location. It wasn't quite big enough for us. But only by one room. It had no office and no really good place to put one. Tom and I both like light and bright. The house was not as bright as the big house. Nothing quite lives up to the big house anymore. All my reservations have been washed away by revisiting the house and seeing our other choices. I have concerns, the leaking basement and unfinished spaces, the bad island in the kitchen and no gas range or fireplace. But all those things can be dealt with over time. It has a wide open floor plan we both like. It is a house that will stand the test of time. It has good bones.

"Positive vibes, Baby"