Thread: Open Houses
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Old 03-10-2011, 02:27 PM
Boomer Boomer is offline
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Hi taylor,

I do not know how long you will be renting, but it might be worth calling the "Daily Sun" and subscribing when you arrive. The shortest subscription is one month, but you can call and cancel if you are leaving sooner than that. It's just that the minimum charge is for a month.

When we were there not long ago, one month's subscription was somewhere around 10 dollars, as I recall. It would be cheaper to pick it up at the stores or newsstand, of course, if the visit will be shorter than a month, but to me it was worth the convenience of having that paper in the driveway every morning. That way, you can have your coffee and map out your Open House route before you leave the house that day.

The delivery is really dependable. One day they missed us and I called and a knock at the door came within what seemed like a really short time. It was someone from the "Sun" handing me the paper personally.

I don't know if you have ever been to TV before, but it is HUGE. If you do not yet have the $5.00 map from the sales office, you might want to call and get one. We have an old map from AAA, too. It shows the surrounding areas. I do not know if there is an updated version of that one. But I would suggest getting one of those, too, if it is available. Kind of helps you to get your bearings.

Also, re. FSBO's, I see no reason to have any problem with FSBO's as long as you use an attorney. If you watch the ads in the "Sun" you might see one for a seminar on buying FSBO's. We went to that and the info was good. I think the law firm was Millhorn but I am not sure if I have that right. They also talked about title insurance which I would certainly buy. While some here strongly believe that it is OK not to buy it for new homes, I probably would. Property lines and such. But I must confess that I have been known to tape a post-it note -- just to make sure.

Things for us are a little different because we would not be selling our present home so we are in no hurry. We want to make sure it is worth the expense that comes with owning two.

For us, the interest is in pre-owned homes only. Well-maintained and upgraded pre-owned. For some, only new will do, and they look forward to doing all those extra things like adding landscaping and other upgrades. But for us, we have done so much of that through the years that we do not want to do that anymore. (I guess we want to buy a house from us.)

And as far as that thing you hear about new neighborhoods making it easier to find friends, I just don't think that TV's sales reps are all that concerned about my social life. I think you can find friends through your interests.

Take your time and learn as much as you can. My guess is that there will still be plenty of houses for you.

Boomer

PS: Oh my! I just looked back and I saw that you asked only about Open Houses and I got way into all kinds of extra advice. Oh dear. It's like you asked for the time and I built you a clock.

Last edited by Boomer; 03-10-2011 at 03:51 PM.