So, my partner and I have been on the hunt for a new house for what feels like forever, about two months now. The other day, we decided to check out this older house that was built back in 2000. Our real estate agent, who had her daughter tagging along, beat us to the property and let herself in. As we approached, she casually mentioned, “I don’t think you’re gonna want this house” because apparently, there was a cockroach chilling in the bathtub. Ew, right? The place was vacant, and as soon as I stepped inside, I could tell something was off. The house looked dirty, and there was this funky smell lingering in the air. Our pest control person once mentioned that you can even smell roach infestations in some houses, which I didn’t know was a thing until now. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps.
But wait, it gets worse. To my left, just a foot into the doorway, there was a pile of mouse poop. I mean, seriously?! That was my cue to exit, stage left. We’ve seen our fair share of houses during this search, but this one took the cake. Oh, and let’s not forget the property with active WDOs (wood-destroying organisms) that welcomed us at the front door. Nope, not dealing with that either.
Thankfully, our house-hunting journey took a turn for the better when we visited a new build community. It was love at first sight, and we ended up signing the deal for a move-in-ready new build, priced $30k higher than that roach-infested mouse poop disaster. But you know what? It made total sense to us. With all the incentives and lower insurance costs, it felt like a no-brainer. We are over the moon with our decision.
I can’t help but wonder about the owners of those gross houses we visited. Like, seriously, how can you have a property on the market for almost half a year and not bother to check in on its condition? It’s mind-boggling. Has anyone else encountered such horror stories while house hunting? The worst part is that the listing photos didn’t give off any hints of the dirty, gross reality awaiting us. If I had seen those, I would’ve avoided that nightmare house like the plague.
In the end, we are beyond thrilled with our new home and grateful that we dodged those bullet