You bought a house site unseen?

You bought a house sight unseen? Yup!

We are going to be celebrating 20 years of marriage this year. I can not believe it. In our 20 years, we have lived in an apartment in the following cities: College Station, Houston, Boston, and Chicago. When we lived in Newton, Ma, we had an opportunity to rent a duplex when Braedon was born. This was our first experience in “home ownership”. We had a bit of land, fireplace, more room, and that homey feel.

When we moved to Chicago, we had one child at who was almost one and another child on the way. We met with a realtor and searched around Hyde Park looking at condo after condo and even a town home. Because we were unsure of the best location and just didn’t have a good idea, we decided to move into a 2 bedroom apartment temporarily until we got our bearings.  I say temporarily because I did not want to live in a cramped apartment for more than 1 year. Our family was expanding and I wanted more space.

After a year, we began our search again knowing the area very well. Again, we looked at more condos and a few town homes. Our biggest downfall was money. The market was at its highest and we only had one income. We found a townhome we could afford and really took our time inspecting the place. In the end, we felt we were rushing to meet our need to have a bigger place. The space would have worked, but we did not want to overextend ourselves financially.

The search continued and about a few years later the prices dropped. The mortgage crisis had hit and we thought this is great for us. Another town home in a different part of town hit the market and we were hooked. It was smaller than the other townhome, but it had a bit of land we could utilize. We immediately placed a very low bid. We had researched the market and knew the prices. After all, we were looking for 4 years now. This was a very hot property and we were naïve first time buyers. The seller’s agent was not very nice to us and it scared us off. We again held off, but continued searching online.

By this time we had child number three and we were at maximum capacity. It is amazing how creative one can be in tiny spaces. One of our saving graces is that we had an outdoor space that was the length of our apartment. We had an 8-foot-high brick wall which did not allow them to get out or intruders into our space. We could go outside even if it was just for a few minutes or for hours. This also allowed us to put up a bird feeder to view the local foul and we were visited daily by a few squirrels.

As more time passed and the kids began to grow, I felt our need for a home, a yard, space, and the idea of owing something. We thought a move to the suburbs was going to give us all that we wanted. Sure that would mean a major commute for Rich, but we thought it might be worth the price. We found ourselves admiring the Palos Park area and found a home that had great land, but the house was small. I thought it was a good price and we could always expand. It needed some work and updating, but that is what we love about these houses. You can put your own stamp on it throughout the time you live there. We were so in love with this house, we called the realtor to take a tour. It was lovely. Rich was hesitant, we still needed to build up our egg nest and he wasn’t sure about the commute. So, we passed.

Our search continued as we looked online and drove around houses near my parents, but there was always something that dissuaded us. It was either location, something wrong with the house, too close to the highway, and crime that made is run the other way. I thought for sure we would never get a house and we would be living in our apartment.

I finally gave Rich an ultimatum that we either needed to buy something or we were going to rent. Since the housing market was terribly, rent was not cheap and therefore it was not an option. I didn’t know what to do. All I could do is just keep living day to day and support my hubby. 

Then we went on a vacation traveling west and landing in Idaho. Everything was magical, new, and exciting. Who wouldn’t want to pack up and go to a new land? This is what are forefather’s did, right? Surprisingly, when we returned back to Chicago, we began driving around Palos again and started searching again.

We happened upon a house in Palos we thought we could afford, but it was a fixer-upper. It had no kitchen, the bathrooms were gutted, but we saw there was a lot of potential. This was a bank-owned house and we placed a bid. The bank counteroffered and came down only a bit. We could not afford the full price and still be able to fix it up. The bank didn’t really want to budge on the price, but we knew all of the details of the house and how much money it would take to just get in the door. We had a price in mind of where we felt comfortable living and maintain the house. It was very, very tight. Was this what we wanted in home ownership? We were already going to be knee deep in repairs before we get into the house. We stood firm on our price, but the bank would not come down. We passed again.

Luckily, we did because soon after we found Rich had lost his job. Sure if we bought the house, Rich could have found something else, but I feel he would be settling. Of course if you read the prior posts, you know how we ended up in Idaho.

When we were considering this move, we looked online at a lot of houses, land, and various options. During Rich’s interview, he was able to drive around, tour houses, and get a lay of the land. He took videos and gave me his opinions of what would work for us. You see, Rich never purchases anything (well almost anything) without doing research first. There are times when I get frustrated because I just need an item, but he always waits.

I trust his vision and heck after almost 20 years of marriage; I would think he would know me very well. He did a terrific job picking out our house and we are living our dream.

                                                                                       

Movers

When we decided we were going to move out of Chicago to Idaho, I had no idea how we were going to choose a moving company. I researched my parents group because there are a lot of families moving in and out of our area. I checked Angie’s list, yahoo, yelp, and other websites. Did you know that there is no such thing as a perfect moving company?

So, how do you choose the worst of the worst or the not so worst?

I was told by a friend to get multiple quotes and do not go with the cheapest. Our deadline was tight, just two weeks. Yup, we were moving in 2 weeks!

After phoning 2 companies to come out for a quote, I was nervous about who was going to show up at my house and how was this process going to work. You see, I am a very do-it-yourself kind of gal. Each time I’ve moved, I’ve handled everything myself. Moving from IL to IN, IN to TX, TX to MA, and MA to IL, we did it all on our own. Yes it was time consuming and hard. We also didn’t have as much stuff and on the last move, we only had one child. Moving 3 kids, a cat, and a 2 bedroom apartment crammed full of stuff was not something I could not handle nor wanted to handle across country.

The first moving company sent their representative out immediately and he was very kind. He explained the process, described the company’s philosophy, and was very timely with the estimate. The second moving company’s representative cancelled his appointment with me.  He rescheduled and was not as through and was just a little put-offish. He just seemed like he had better places to be and did not really make me feel comfortable.

When I received both estimates, I began to worry. They were off by $1000. This made me wonder what the difference was and what was really happening? I really liked the 1^st company and wanted to go with them, but they were just too expensive. After all, we were packing all of our items our self, so I didn’t quite understand.  I would contact the representative and he would never get back to me. I finally made a call to the company itself and ask for clarification. After negotiating for a few days, the owner of the company phoned me and said he wanted my business. He was willing to work with me and we agreed upon a price. I was relieved because our moving date was fast approaching.

We had to give them a pick up window and in return they would give us a delivery window. Our window was very small—only 2 days. Our neighbors were moving the same week and had scheduled their move later in the week. We had no choice but to schedule ours earlier. This ended up being a good thing as it motivated us to get packing quicker. Now their delivery window is another topic.

I was extremely nervous because I had read a bunch of horror stories about other people’s experiences. Movers were not showing up, not labeling items correctly, breaking things, not showing up on time, and not being able to speak English. I was already under enough pressure to make sure everything was packed before they arrived and to make sure we had everything we needed because it was going to be a while before our stuff was delivered. We were heading out on the road immediately after the movers took our stuff. It was going to take us 5 days to get to our destination and I had to pack things for us to use while in our new home. We were going to campout until our stuff arrived.

Luckily the movers showed up on time. They were very pleasant, very knowledgeable, and helpful. I was surprised that the representative was one of the movers. It did send up a red flag to me, but heck they were great and I didn’t question it. I could not believe how long it took them to move everything out of our place. They started about 9am and ended at 3pm. They have to label each item with a number and write it down. This is to ensure that when you receive your goods, you know what has been delivered and what is missing.

As the process was winding down, they gave me an itemized list and then they discuss a delivery date. I was hoping for a 7 day delivery but they gave me a 14 day delivery date.  I was very hopeful when the head mover stated our load was pretty significant and it should get their earlier. I said, OK.

They left and we headed out of town. Our first stop was in Davenport, IA and here we realized that our kids were sick. One started throwing up before we arrived at the hotel and then the rest of the kids followed suit. We weren’t sure if we should just lay low in the motel or keep pushing onward. I thought we had to keep going as to make sure we arrived before the moving company. It was actually nice, because the kids were sleeping most of the day and weren’t complaining. We then stopped off in Kearney, NE for the night and also to see some family we hadn't in many years. We then got back on the road the next day and stopped off in Wyoming. It was very cold. The arctic something was passing through and it was in the negative. Again, we needed to keep pressing onward because we might be getting a delivery soon. Again, pressing on and we landed in twin falls, ID the next night. During all of this, we were keeping in touch with the moving company. They would tell us that our load had not been picked up yet and they were hopeful it would be picked up soon. The next morning, we stopped off in Boise to pick up our puppy. We then had a 3 hour drive to our destination. We still had no word regarding our delivery.

are at our new house now and the anticipation, stress of driving, and lack of comfort overwhelmed us. It was now Dec. 8^th. I began phoning our moving company everyday to find out the status of our stuff. I began to get the feeling of being duped and now a bit helpless. I didn't understand why our load was still sitting there after all of these days. If it continues to sit, there is no way they are going to make the Dec. 20^th deadline. I even had my hubby call the owner to inquire about a timeline. The owner couldn’t tell us. They had no drivers to pick up the load. I realize that we live in a rural area and that it would take a bit longer, but this is something they should have informed us about from the beginning.

I knew we were in trouble and that it was possible we would not get our stuff before Christmas. My heart sank and I was getting overly emotional. We were in our dream home and it would be our first Christmas without a tree or decorations. I know, some people in the world don’t have a roof and that I should be happy with what I have, but that was not how I saw it. I was paying them for a service and I wanted my stuff. I decided to contact the corporate office and see if there was something that could be done. I recently saw a friend of mine post something on a facebook to a corporate site and I was surprised to see they sent her a message back. I thought I would do the same, except send it via a message. I was pleasantly surprised they responded the next day and were very helpful. I am not sure exactly what the corporate office did for the local office, but we received a call from the local office owner. He stated that they were working on getting a driver out to us but it would not arrive by the 20^th. Again, my heart sank, but they said we would get it before Christmas. That was exactly what I wanted and was very happy.

Each day as the driver was trucking along; the owner would phone us to tell us where the driver was and give us our delivery date. They thought it might arrive on Sunday, but that Monday was a better date.

The morning of the 23^rd was nerve racking as well. Rich had to go into work and I was left dealing with the movers, 3 kids and a puppy. I thought how in the heck am I going to do this, but you know…..you just do it. When the movers arrived, they could not get up our drive way with a semi-truck. In fact, they couldn’t even make the turn into our driveway. So, they had to do what is called a shuttle truck. They rented a Uhaul, unloaded the semi and put into the Uhaul.

When they arrived with the Uhaul, they couldn’t get up our driveway. We have a steep grade and it had rained/sleeted the night before. I had no idea how this was going to work and how they were going to manage. I just knew my stuff was on that truck and I wanted it. Somehow, the driver figured out a way to get up the drive. He was a very smart man.

The first bit of bad news was that his helper had broken my vacuum cleaner. It was an early Dyson and cost a pretty penny. I wasn’t sure exactly how they were going to handle it, but I just wanted them to unload the truck. The 2^nd bit of bad news was that all of our stuff would not fit onto this Uhaul and that they needed to go get another load. I knew this was going to be a very long day.

As they had unloaded they would give me a number to check off a number sheet like bingo. Normally they have a 3^rd person doing this and helping, but they were down a man. I was juggling taking care of the kids, the dog, fire in the stove, and playing bingo. I caught a bit of a break when the wife of one of Rich’s co-workers came over to help. I didn’t know she was arriving and really didn’t know her, but was grateful for her assistance.

I didn’t win the bingo contest, after all was done 3 boxes seemed to be missing. We had to go around and check the boxes to see if we could locate them. We found one right away, but the other 2 seemed a mystery. After 9 hours, I was exhausted and really didn’t care what was going to happen next. The driver offered us some money for the repair of the vacuum and the missing boxes. I had no idea what we should do and Rich was on his way home. I asked them to wait for him to make the decision.

They graciously waited and we settled on an amount. I felt so bad because this driver took up our load so close the Christmas. He said it was business and this was better for him than for us to make a claim.

We did find out that the 2^nd box or item was mislabeled with something else and wasn’t missing at all. We still have not located box 176 and we have about 15 boxes to unpack (none of them have 176 on them). As my Mom stated, we’ll know we are missing something when it comes time to use it.

All in all, moving is stressful. If you are moving across country, just count on it being doubly stressful. I was very grateful to all of the movers and they worked really hard. This is why there is no perfect moving company. They have too many moving parts that one local office cannot control.

Did I choose the right company? Yes, I was very fortunate. 

Really, Idaho?

I thought I would start a blog about our life in Idaho. Some of you have requested it and others probably are curious to hear what the heck is going on with us. 

I am going to take us back to how it all started. We had been unhappy living in Hyde Park doing our normal daily routines. I wanted more space for the kids and a safer environment. Our original goal was to live in Hyde Park for 1 year and then we would move to the suburbs. As time grew on, we became more comfortable where we were and continued on a regular routine. We would venture out on the weekends fighting traffic just to get out of the city to do activities with our kids. Rich's commute was also so convenient that we only used one car which meant we had free rein to go anywhere. We would often take advantage of the free days at the museum's or join up with friends. 

Rich work was not getting any better and when the sequester happened, we knew things were not looking good. We would always think if he got a good score on a grant or if he got this paper published. We continued with this game for the entire 7 years and thought for sure he would get some acknowledgement for his work. He has worked countless hours, weekends, holidays, and nights taking time away from us. 

We had been talking about a change and moving, but always joked about it. Moving to the Northwest? Yeah, right. I had been pestering Rich about going West on a camping excursion since the prior year he spent a ton on camping equipment. I wanted to be sure we had gotten our money out of it. It was the end of May and we had already planned on meeting up with our HS group for an annual camping trip at the end of June. What were we going to do for the summer? Instead, Rich decided we should immediately plan our trip right away and can we leave tomorrow? I said sure, I just went grocery shopping and we could pull it all together quickly. I had learned from my HS group about storing all of your camping gear in a box for easy transport. We already had all of our other gear in our Thule, so leaving right away was no problem. Our next issue was where are we going? 

Ironically, we headed north and westerly. We had a plan to go through WI, MN, ND, MT, WY and on to the eastern part of Idaho camping along the way. We stopped to see a few sights, but our schedule was tight as we had to make it back in time for our HS campout in WI. When we arrived in Idaho we were pleasantly surprised at its beauty and all it had to offer. Mountains, lakes, less traffic, nice people, and no humidity. Again, we joked about living here and how the heck could we do it. As we were racing back home, the kids started to get sick and we were tired of camping. Oh, I forgot to mention during our camping trip we had encountered: tons of mosquitoes (MN), freezing rain/weather (WY), primitive camping (MT), sprinklers going off in the middle of the night and during a rainstorm (SD), and rainstorms following us as we racing home. We had enough with Mother Nature and wanted the comfort of our own house. We also had to return to realty and worry about Rich's tenure talk. 

Rich had delayed tenure by 1 year because we had Jillian. We thought giving us one more year would give us more time to ensure his spot. He had done some amazing things within his time and thought he was very valuable. His department suggested that perhaps of tenure, to have be promoted for 3 years instead. Given the economy and his lack of financial support, this was a good option. He scheduled his promotion talk in July and then it was up to his department to decide whether or not to support him. Rich had a very wise colleague who said, "Keep your options open." This is when he began planning in case the other shoe dropped.

Now that we had seen Idaho, how is it possible we would ever be able to afford living here and raise our kids? This was the question we had asked ourselves for the longest time. We ran into a man who was from Michigan and he too, was asking the same question. He said he didn't care what it took, even working in the grocery store, but he wanted to move to Idaho. 

Rich began his search and came across the idea of tagging trees in the forest. A seasonal job that paid very well. It would mean he would be gone during the week and we would have to live very very modestly. We call this plan: a van down by the river. We would potentially live in the woods with a trailer or sorts and figure out how to "live off the land." I am not kidding when I say this was an option. 

He applied all around and not just in Idaho. He applied for all types of jobs in/around his home town in Indiana. He discovered there were 3 bio-tech companies in/around Idaho and began making connections. Something somewhere had to have an opening and he would do anything to get his foot in the door. 

Meanwhile, the buzz from his department was a unanimous to put Rich before the Dean and be promoted for another 3 years. Shortly after this news, Rich heard from a company in Pullman, WA about an opening he applied and went for an interview in September. We were very excited about the interview and wondered where life would take us. They rented him a car for the weekend and he went looking at properties with a realtor. The thought this was going to reality was scary. 

After the interview, Rich felt very positive about the position and now had a tough decision about whether to remain as a professor or switch careers. For some strange reason of events, both jobs stalled through-out the month of October. We didn't know what was going on because there was little communication. Poor Rich had to continue working not knowing his fate. It didn't really matter either way, because his professor job never failed to dump a ton of work on him. He was too busy to worry. 

The world came crashing down on us on October 30. The head of his department scheduled a meeting to discuss his fate with the university. The Dean had turned down the departments recommendation to allow him to continue for 3 years. We were in shock. In fact, his whole department and many other faculty he worked closely with were shocked as well. He had until June of 2014 to wrap up everything and find another job. I didn't sleep well that night and my stress level was immense and Halloween was the next day. 

For me, Halloween 2013 was the worst day ever. All I could think about was what was going to happen now? Rich had worked so hard and sacrificed so much for his job. Both of us had given up a tremendous amount of time and energy. How could this be and what do we do now? I had to put on a brave face for my kids and celebrate this wonderful holiday. I do say looking back that I was delighted that I did because I loved to see their little faces all excited to get candy. As they were dumping their loot and ogling over their pieces, Rich said to me did you see the email from HR in Idaho?  

I had no idea they finally sent some correspondence and found out they wanted references in order to proceed with his application. A huge sigh of relief washed over my body. I really felt a huge weight lifted and hope returned.  

In some way, we feel that the dean actually gave Rich a way out. How was he going to explain asking for references when his department wanted him to stay? The saying, "things happen for a reason" really is true. He asked for references and the following week an offer was made. After some negotiating, the offer was accepted and now the whirlwind of packing, finding a place to live, and dealing with movers begins. 

What will life be like in Idaho? Stay tuned and find out...