NOTE: This page is under heavy construction; please bear with me
Buying a House over the Internet - The Story:
What do you get when you combine a fear of flying, moving across the country, need for a tax writeoff, and knowledge of the internet? Buying a house over the 'net! Yes, it can really work, and we're living proof.
Day 1: We need to move.
Three years ago, my girlfriend Nancy was accepted to graduate school. Great, right? Wrong. I was born and bread in California (she in El Salvador and Los Angeles), and the school is in Massachusetts. You know, land of education, patriotism, and cold! So we decide to make the Big Move together, with one condition: we absolutely, positively move back to west coast in three years (when she's done). That was 1994.
Fast-forward to 1997. We're sick of the cold, snow, slush, sleet, nor'-easters, drizzle, humidity, 1 month of sunshine, dead leaves, and cold again. Oh, and the drivers. She's about to graduate, and we ponder whether to move back. Ya, we ponder for about a nanosecond. Okay, let's get the heck out of Boston.
Day 2: Where to go?
I say we need to thaw out; let's try Phoenix.
She says, too extreme; how about back to Northern California?
I say, been there, done that, let's try something new.
She says, how about San Diego?
I say, how about Phoenix?
She says no.
I say, yes dear.
San Diego it is. We descend on Barnes and Noble, and leave weighed down by travel, how-to, and San Diego guides (but vastly lightened of cash). As I recall, it snowed that day. And well, too. But there was sun in our hearts and nothing was going to deter our new found dream.
Day 3: How do we get there?
"Boy, I sure am glad we're leaving."
"Me too. Honey, how are we getting there?"
"'scuzi?"
"How are we getting to San Diego?"
"Plane, train, or automobile."
"No, I mean, how are we going to make this happen?"
Girlfriends ask the darndest things. I'm going to have to marry this one. "Ummm... Can I live the fantasy for a few more hours before answering? No? I thought not."
How indeed. Faced with the reality of the task, I realized what lay before us was rather unique. We'd been discussing the need to buy a house, both as a tax-shelter and as a place to raise (future) children. We'd talked about buying a house at some point after moving back to CA, but we both hated the moving "process," so the best thing to do was move right into a house. However, we were moving 3500 miles away! Add to this the fact that I don't "do" flying, and she's got finals and boards to study for, and you find quite a challenge. We have oneace in the hole - I'm a computer consultant (or "techno-weenie" as my brother-in-law is fond of saying; he's a lawyer, or "jerk" as I'm fond of saying). Anyway, I have no fear of technology (well, other than planes), and I live on the internet. What better resource to find what I need to buy a house? Let's go!
Day 4: Surfin' the Web
Well, this wasn't exactly a day; more like a week. I figure I need to find three things immediately: information about the area, a real estate agent, and a lender/broker.
More to come....