Electrical Mess

Since the biggest issue found in the inspection had to do with the house wiring, we decided it would be a good idea to get a quote on what the cost would be to have it fixed and brought up to code, before our 10-day inspection period ended.  Our original plan was to do most of the work on the house ourselves, but Mike felt that re-wiring the house and the electrical panel was a little out of his league (though my dad said we could easily do it).  Our realtor recommended a licensed electrician and we were able to get him to do a more detailed investigation.  He confirmed what the inspector had found and said it would cost anywhere from $10,000 to $14,000 to bring it up to code.  This was just for the wiring that currently existed.  Any new circuits or changes would be extra.  For the price we paid for the house and the values in the neighborhood, we decided this was within our limits to spend on the house.  We also discussed the possibility of removing the drywall from the walls to make it easier to remove the old wiring so that it would not have to be "fished" through the walls.  The electrician thought this would be a good idea and could reduce the cost as well as give us more flexibility in adding circuits, esp. in the kitchen.

Due to the estimate on the electrical, we decided to ask the bank owner for $3,500 towards our closing costs to compensate for this extra work.  We fully understood it was a foreclosure and that there would be problems, but the electrical issues were going to be a major expense.  We again asked God to use this opportunity to close the door if we were not supposed to buy this house so, when the bank agreed to our request, we were cleared for closing!

The Inspection

Now that the offer was accepted, the next hurdle to overcome was the home inspection.  We were able to get one scheduled right away and met with the inspector on a Saturday morning at the house.  This gave us a chance to ask questions on whatever he found and also a great opportunity to take measurements and pictures of the house while he worked.  This was the 2nd opportunity for God to close the door on this project. We specifically prayed for guidance that, if buying this house was not his will, a major structural issue would be discovered during the inspection. After a couple of hours looking the house over, the inspector reported that the house was structurally sound, but had some major electrical issues.  The panel had been upgraded and was brand new, but the wiring inside was not to code since most of it did not match the breaker sizes.  Other than that, there were just small issues (actually quite a few, but not overwhelming) which was to be expected in a foreclosed home. esp. one built in the 70s.  Our realtor felt that the smaller issues might give us some negotiating power with the bank owner to get a credit toward some of the cost of the necessary electrical repairs.  Here are some "before" pictures of the house on inspection day:

Front porch and entrance	Wood deck behind kitchen
Concrete deck behind master bedroom	Main kitchen layout
Range and cabinets	Great room with Matt and stone hearth
Guest bath (yes, yellow ducks!)	Guest bedroom #1
Guest bedroom #2	Master bedroom
Master bedroom through french doors	Master bath

The Long Road to Payson

For many years we have wanted to buy property for our retirement.  It was one of the drawing forces that brought us back from Hawaii, along with our son attending college in Texas.  Since our return, we have looked at land in Texas, New Mexico, Show Low, Heber/Overgaard and Prescott, but never quite found what we were looking for.  At the end of May, some friends, who just completed their retirement house on seven acres in Chino Valley, invited us for a weekend visit to check out the area as there was another seven acre parcel of land available right next to their property at a very good price.  Though the price was very attractive, we decided that, in today's market, buying a home instead of building would better suit our budget.  After returning home from that weekend, I logged on to Realtor.com and started researching homes for sale.

After hurting his back shoveling snow last winter for his Dad in Pinetop, Mike wanted to be sure we were looking in places where the snowfall was minimal and medical facilities were close (something to consider as we get older).  We also wanted somewhere cooler than the valley and not too far to drive up on the weekends.  This new criterion narrowed down our search to Prescott (which was out of our price range) and Payson which we found to be much more affordable than we expected.

We found a Realtor in Payson and Matt and I started making trips up to preview houses.  One house we looked at was just south of Payson in Round Valley.  It was a foreclosure property and needed a lot of work, but it was under $100,000 so I was really trying to make this house fit.  The main problem for me:  both of the bathrooms were accessed through bedrooms.  The main problem for Matt: the landscaping needed A LOT of work! As I debated with Matt about the merits of the property, our Realtor stood by silently as good Realtors do (although he later told me he was wondering if I had lost my mind).  In the end, common sense prevailed - mostly because the property behind the house was filled with old junky cars - and we moved on.

Our search continued the following weekend when Mike and I looked at new possibilities sent by our Realtor.  One of the properties was near the Payson airport and, though we did not like the house, we fell in love with the beautiful area.  It is at a higher elevation and away from the hustle and bustle of the town.  Since I had considered another fixer-upper, our Realtor said he may have the property for us in this new area.  It was a couple of streets over and needed some cosmetic work, but the price was right.  We took a look and instantly fell in love with the open floor plan and property location.  It was on a quarter-acre and backs up to horse property so the view off our back deck includes horses, lots of trees and a seasonal creek.

Front door to great room with pass through to kitchen

View from the patio, including work shed

We were excited about this house and decided to bring Matt back to get his opinion.  When we first started looking at homes in Payson, I got a leading from God that we would know which property to buy based on Matt's approval.  There were only two houses Matt liked in all the houses we visited.  The first was in Star Valley, which was a bit pricey for the work that it needed, and the second was this one.  He gave his enthusiastic approval.  We told the Realtor we wanted to offer $100,000 which he thought was too low considering the asking price, but by the time I brought Matt back up the following week, the bank had dropped the price to $108,000 so we made our offer and they accepted without a counter.  We were on our way.