So Mrs. AG and I periodically look at houses in the area, but NorCal is pretty expensive and we’re pretty picky and manage to always find something wrong with a place that we’ll see–not always “terrible” wrong, but worrisome enough that we don’t want to get roped into a mortgage for a place we’re half-hearted about.
However, two Sundays ago, on our way to a housewarming party, we found it. We weren’t necessarily sure at first, but the more we thought about it, the more we realized that there was a whole lot right and very little (actually, almost nothing) wrong with this place. Big but not too big, full of personality (it’s 60+ years old), great layout, in better condition than a lot of other places we’ve seen, and a variety of extras that we weren’t necessarily looking for but add up to a lot when you throw them in the equation.
So we got together with our agent (the one who sold us our condo) and threw in a bid. The deadline for the place was an hour ago, and last we heard, the number of competing bids you can count on one hand (which is less than what we were expecting).
The housing market has been nuts here, so we don’t know what to expect. Our bid is competitive but not crazy, within our means but would still involve some risk & sacrifice. The only condo we bid on is the one we got, so we’ve never faced rejection in a situation like this before, so we’re excited but also more than a bit nervous.
We’re hoping to find out tonight, but may have to wait until the morning. Any words of encouragement (or simply happy-thought vibes) would be most welcome in the meantime.
:crosses fingers: 
I’ll keep my fingers AND toes crossed for you! 
Good luck! Fingers crossed, etc.
I can’t imagine what it’s like to have to bid on a house…when we bought our home here in Sac in 1994, it was such a buyers market that we bid $4000 under the asking price and had our offer accepted immediately. Now we get unsolicited offers to buy our house at above the market price. No thanks, we’re happy here. LOL!
Here’s hoping you guys get your house!
Well, we got it.
It finally came down to 2 offers–ours was a bit higher, but the other one had waived the inspection contingency (which, for a house this old, we just couldn’t do).
But apparently, the sellers liked the fact that we were going to maintain their garden in the back (and boy is it a big garden), so we got it. There are still a number of hoops to jump through, and the whole thing hasn’t quite sunk in, but we are very excited. With no kids in our future and with the house in an area we’ve always loved, this is the place we’ll grow old in (or until we can no longer handle the stairs–there are a lot of them), with out cats and our garden and our big kitchen and each other. Though there are some repair issues to be addressed, those are to be expected; but the place appears to be in great shape, generally, and we can’t wait to put our own personal stamp on it.
:sigh: If a mod has the time, it’d be great if the “Our house bid is in–wish us luck!” thread title be changed to:
We did it! We got the house!. Thanks to artemis and Rhiannon8404 for the nice thoughts, and all the silent friends I know I’ve got on the board.
Congrats on getting the house!
Congrats ArchiveGuy! May your new home bring you many years of joy and very few leaks, cracks, weeds, plumbing problems, and bug infestations.
What luck! First try, congratulations! What part of Northern California is this?
We got our house in the flats of Oakland. It was the fourth house we bid on. Like you, we were picky as hell and those 4 bids were spread out over 7 months. That means the first 3 times, we fell in love, placed a bid, imagined our version of the yard, mentally placed the furniture, made remodel plans and researched the local schools. Only to be rejected. It was an emotional rollercoaster - I’m glad you didn’t have to experience it.
Welcome to the wacky housing market. We got our house for $314K a year and a half ago and similar houses on our block are now going for $460. It’s insane.
Congratulations! I know it’s often difficult to even find a decent house you can halfway afford in northern CA, let alone manage to actually buy one.
Are you going to tell us about the house?
Congratulations. Wishing you both joy and luck in your new home.
Excellent! Now howza bout you link us a photo or ten?