4 houses going on 2

As most of you remember, our initial attempt to purchase the Santa Fe townhome hit a snag when the appraisal came in many thousands of dollars lower than the agreed-upon purchase price.

In order to bridge the gap, we negotiated a somewhat lower purchase price (basically split the difference), and then we went with a new lender in order to  get a new appraisal. The new appraisal came in yesterday, quite a lot higher than the first appraisal, and it meets (slightly exceeds) the new, lower, purchase price. We have bridged the gap! This morning they approved the loan, and we are set to close on Monday morning!

It all worked out great. We got a lower purchase price, and all it cost us was an extra month’s rent (due to the delay) and the cost of the second appraisal. (And the hassle of getting a thousand documents to a second lender, and some nail biting.)

We’ve given notice to both the landlords; for the rental in Placitas and the casita in Santa Fe. We’re keeping both places until the end of December, to give ourselves plenty of time to get moved. I’m really looking forward to January when we’ll only have 2 residences. Four is ridiculous!

The remodel isn’t livable yet, so I was thinking worst case scenario, John could commute from Santa Fe until it’s ready. But he says no, he’ll move in anyway, even without a kitchen. He used to eat Corn Chex with nut butter for dinner, but lately it’s been Fritos with hot sauce. So who needs a kitchen?

He does make some nice meals on the weekend though, so I guess he’ll just have to spend weekends in Santa Fe. Because I’m staying in Santa Fe all 7 days of the week until there’s a kitchen in Placitas!

One thing I am noticing this past month is that I haven’t been at all nervous alone at home at night in the casita. And that’s not always the case in Placitas. When I was in Placitas and John was on business trips, I could get a little on edge at night. I’m not sure what the difference is.

It could be the wind, which is significantly stronger out there in the hills in Placitas than in this dense, older section of Santa Fe. And that wind makes some weird noises!

Or it could be because the casita’s so small that it feels cozy, and there aren’t any long hallways with dark rooms lurking in the distance. Or it could be because the casita is attached on two sides to Marcy and Steve’s house. Or it even could be the courtyard – both doors open into a small, completely enclosed courtyard, with a locking gate.

I also wonder if it’s the dogs, who have been with John in Placitas recently. You would think that having dogs around would help me feel safer, but they get edgy when there’s little noises, and I wonder if I pick up that sense of concern from them. Kai in particular is always looking around and growling for no apparent reason. Or if I set my coffee cup down on the desk with a thunk, he starts barking. Is it possible to pick up nervousness from one’s own dogs?

Or maybe I’ve just been too busy and exhausted to notice that I’m home alone at night. I’ve been coaching every evening, at least one and often two clients per night. So it’s pretty close to bedtime by the time I’m done working for the day.

I’m hoping I have the same sense of security in the new townhome. It’s also small, although not as small as the casita. It’s closer to the edge of town so it will get a little more wind than the casita, but it’s still quite protected. The backyard is enclosed, but the front isn’t. That is one thing I want to do someday. It’s very common in New Mexico to have front courtyards and well as walled backyards, and I definitely plan to put one in.

I don’t know anything about the neighbor in the other half of the duplex (I don’t know why they call it a townhome – it’s a duplex). I’ll make a point to meet them as soon as I get moved in. It would be great if they were friendly. It’s too much to ask to have a best friend for a neighbor (wouldn’t that be amazing?!), but I do hope they’re at least nice enough.

I actually want to buy the other half of the duplex someday (John is rolling his eyes as he reads this). No seriously, what’s the point of owning half a duplex? I’ll own the other half someday. You just wait.

Anyway, here is the unglamorous appraisal cover photo (so unlike the marketing photos!) Plus the landscaping is suffering from it being empty for so long. It’s not looking all that impressive in this picture.

However it’s a lot better picture than the first appraisal cover photo; that guy just had it in for us. Mmmm, nice, who wouldn’t want this house? Or…maybe not so much.

My own shot  – note the emphasis on the landscaping, oh yes, there’s a house back there somewhere.

And the marketing shot – good balance, good light – yep, that’s the one!