It's been awhile

I haven't blogged in awhile, and although I don't have a job, we've been keeping busy.  Remember this post? (It's one of my all-time favorite blog posts.)  Well, our rental contract is up soon, and we're in the market again to buy a house.  So here is episode two of House Hunters Utah County, short sale edition.

After deciding to rent after getting married, Brian and Sarah have been saving for a space all their own.  Now that their lease is almost up, they are looking for a home in the Provo-Springville-Orem area.  But will they be able to find something they both like and can afford?  Aiding them on their house hunt is their ever-so-patient real estate agent, Dale.
 

Their first option is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in Springville, UT.  The home was built in 2002, and is 1500 square feet.  It is a short sale listed at $129,900.  "The house has a great office area upstairs and lots of closet space, and the price is great," says Sarah, "but the yard is tiny."  "Yes," agrees Brian.  "We would need all that closet space because the downstairs is cramped.  But most of the short sale work is done, so it would take much less time to hear back from the bank.  And there is already a fence for when we get a dog!"




The second home is only two blocks away from the first, and very similar in price and size.  It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home built in 2010, short sale price listed at $129,900.  "Ooh, I like the stucco much more than those boards [Um, do you mean siding?] on the other houses," says Brian.  "And look, it's on a much bigger lot.  But we would have to put in the yard, and that could be pretty expensive."  "I like the layout of this house much better," comments Sarah.  "It feels much more open, and look at the size of that walk-in-closet!  But there isn't even a patio out back.  We would have a lot of work to do."   "Remember that this house already has an offer in with the bank.  But you could still put a back up offer in," Dale reminds the couple.


The third house is a 4 bedroom, 3 bath short sale home in Provo, UT.  It is the most expensive of the three at $150,000.  It is also the biggest at 1750 square feet.  "I really like the neighborhood, and the house has a lot of curb appeal,"  Sarah says as they walk up to the home.  "I've never seen anything quite like this," says Dale as they step inside.  "It looks like they went through and pulled out all the padding under the carpet, and then layed the carpet back down."  "That means we would have to replace all the carpet," adds Brian.  "And we would need to paint the upstairs.  But the house has a nice guest bedroom on the first floor, and four bedrooms would be nice."  "The layout of the house is really nice.  And the backyard has a beautiful view of the mountains, but how do you get out to the backyard?" Sarah asks.  "There is no sliding door."

Which one (if any) will they choose: the small move-in ready Springville home,  the new home that already has an offer in, or the Provo house in need of updates?  Or do we need to do a third episode of Wood family House Hunters?