Discouraged....(long)

My husband and I have been looking to buy a house for quite sometime... We have seen 3 in total we have liked in 3 years...the first one we put the offer in but they got an all cash buyer so they went with them, the 2nd one had major co issues (but I'm an expediter so I could have dealt with it) but the seller REFUSED to get the Co's bc she didn't feel she should have to get CO's fo garage conversion, basement conversion, detached oversized garage, accessory apartment and multilevel deck, so we moved on...now this one...we put the offer in...the selling agent took over a week to put it into the bank (it's a short sale) bc she felt the bank will not accept it....ummmm I think that is the banks decision, not hers...then I have to have the electric turned on for 1 day to inspect (our offer is contingent on an inspection) had to take time off from work to go to lipa bc I couldn't do it on the phone...well inspection day comes (Friday) and NO ELECTRIC! And lipa couldn't send someone out bc of all the power outages they were backed up...so now I have to reschedule everything andtak more time off....and lastly my mortgage banker that we have been working with for 6 months, quit her job yesterday...no warning no note nothing....

I just feel defeated and discouraged! Our apartment has termites and I found a cockroach :( maintenance sucks here I just cant do the apartment living thing anymore but I feel EVERYTHING is against us when it comes to homeownership :(

Sorry just had to vent

Re: Discouraged....(long)

Hang in there, I know it can stressful but in the end it's all worth it.

Re: Discouraged....(long)

Sorry to hear that you've come up against so many obstacles and a lot of stress. I hope everything works out. As the pp said, when it does eventually work out, all of the previous stress is usually forgotten!

I know you were just venting and didn't ask for advice, but I just can't help myself, so feel free to ignore me and everything below!

1. Short sales can be really tough on buyers, because there's so much uncertainty with the entire process, and you cannot be assured that you will have a response from the bank on any set timeline, because it depends on so many factors. So given your frame of mind, and that you've been disappointed before, I would make sure that you get some answers upfront about the short sale (if you haven't already) about things like - who the bank/banks are that need to approve the sale, who is dealing with the bank(s) -- the listing agent, an attorney, a specialized short sale company/processor, etc.? is the seller cooperating with the sale and giving the appropriate financials and other documentation to the bank? is the bank aware the house is on the market?

2. I can't believe you've been looking for 3 years and only found 3 houses (and one is a short sale, which many buyers opt to steer clear of). Do you have very unique criteria? Or are you looking in a very small area? Are you ruling out a lot of houses online without seeing them in person? Because it sounds like part of your stress is that you really want to move, but can't find a house you like, so it's even more stressful when something falls through. You can't just say "oh, well, on to the next one." So I am wondering why that is, given that there are a lot of homes on the market now (in most areas of LI, if you are on LI).

3. Do you have an agent? It may be helpful to work with one, if you don't, because maybe an agent can take some of the stress off of you by coordinating/researching things, being on the lookout for a house that meets your criteria, and just being on your side throughoutt he process.

Hang in there!

Re: Discouraged....(long)

I'm sorry.

I agree with Christine that you should get yourself an agent...especially if you really like a short sale. Short sales are a bit complicated and it helps to have an agent on your side who really understands them.

DH and I live in an apartment and have been looking..I'd say we've been seriously looking for about 10 months or so. We haven't found the right one but have put in offers which didn't work out.

And as for finding cockroaches in the apartment, I feel your pain being that I live in a NYC apartment myself.

Re: Discouraged....(long)

would you be opposed to wading river? we saw a really cute house when we were looking (with an apartment)

Re: Discouraged....(long)

Thank you guys!! And Christine I always read your advice to everyone you are such a sweetheart!! Lol :) I am looking in a small area. Manorville to be exact but due to a disability I can only buy a ranch style home. Hubby says a must is a basement and a garage. He is the picky one, lol he doesn't mind doing work on it but it has to be livable bc we can't afford rent and a mortgage and renovations. We have an agent (my aunt) who does a lot of short sales so she is knowledgable of the process. I just feel like even the factors prior to the process have been stressfully.

To the pp, if I were to choose where to live right now I would be ANYWHERE but here...bu DH works in the 5 boroughs and commutes everyday by car, his favorite part of the day is the drive home (after he passes Nichols rd and the traffic lets up) and then when he gets to our exit and we have farm stands and corn growing...he says it's peaceful. We live very close to the expressway and sunrise, he wants to stay in manorville due to the proximity to sunrise and LIE since he already drives 1 1/2-2 hours each way.

Thank you all again!