YAY! We're moving to Columbia!!! (Greenville: mortgage, bad credit, lender)

[Borg8]

Hubby is going to accept the Columbia job, and we're gearing up to move! We have friends in Greenville that he'll have to stay with until we find a place, so that's going to be a miserable commute for awhile. The kids and I will be packing up the house after he leaves, Podding our stuff, and coming out ASAP.

Our biggest problem is our family is huge (2 adults, 7 kids, 2 large dogs, 2 dragons, 7 birds) and it's going to be tough to rent pretty much anything. The market where we're moving from is pretty bad (one month only 2 houses sold in our county), and we might not qualify for 2 mortgages. Hubby will have a substantial pay increase, but we have no idea what that will mean for purchasing yet. We need a place to live, but who in their right mind would rent to this circus? Any idea where I can find info about a lease to own option? Something preferably without a realtor.....a "Buy Owner" type of magazine/website?

[BarberStudent]

Why do you not want a realtor?, they know the area and have a much larger list of available properties. It kills me how people do not want the assistance of a professional who knows the area they are relocating to and no, I am not a realtor but their service is free, why not use it.

[jlboney]

I can't say that I blame you, I don't like real estate agents very much either. Try forsalebyowner.com and fsbo.com and see what you can find. I'm not sure if any of them will have a lease to own option, but I'm sure they will say so if they are willing to do it. Best of luck to you.

[dgfurman]

Originally Posted by BarberStudent

Why do you not want a realtor?, they know the area and have a much larger list of available properties. It kills me how people do not want the assistance of a professional who knows the area they are relocating to and no, I am not a realtor but their service is free, why not use it.

Good advice (and no, I'm not a realtor either). Also, have you considered renting before you strap yourself down to 2 mortgages? Even with a large family, there are houses with land to rent (as opposed to an apt.). With the mortgage/real estate climate the way it is right now, and so many foreclosures, I'd be surprised if any lender would agree to someone carrying 2 mortgages, even with a pay increase (unless of course you're making millions etc).

If you rent 1st, you can get a better feel for what areas you like, where you want to buy a home, and you won't have 2 mortgages. What happens if (god forbid) something happens to the breadwinner, and you have not one, but 2 mortgages? Check out the "real estate" and "mortgage" forums here, and you'll find plenty of stories of people who had slightly overextended themselves, and when the market soured, and something else unexpected happened (like job loss, hospitalization, illness, etc), - bankruptcy, foreclosure, bad credit history... not pretty.

[Brandon Hoffman]

I just have to comment on the strangeness of this post...the 2 non Realtors suggest using a Realtor and the Realtor who is married to a real estate agent suggests not using one.

I take option C.-Contact a property manager and do a 6 mo. lease. That drive from Greenville will get to your husband after about 5 days. I don't even know why I'm offering any advice since you don't want professional help but there it is.

[jlboney]

It was sarcasm Brandon, now stop frowning at me.

[Brandon Hoffman]

Originally Posted by jlboney

It was sarcasm Brandon, now stop frowning at me.

That's a question mark...this is a frown

[waccamatt]

Now now....

[Brandon Hoffman]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

Now now....

I was trying to joke in the second one just in case it wasn't picked up on, that's why I put the smiley face icon. My sarcasm meter was broken.

[needed_info]

Columbia SC is over overcrowded NOW and more people coming everyday.I have live here all my life and losing my family/freinds .They all have move further out or move to another state trying to find the good small town feeling again.