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Old 10-09-2015, 07:23 PM
 
1,493 posts, read 1,519,639 times
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Tell me about it. Not to mention the fact I probably know more than the realtors I deal with. About ready to throw in the towel. Spent the better part of the day reviewing my Asheville search...
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Old 10-10-2015, 10:01 AM
 
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@rdlr & NJBoy3: Ditto here - so far this has been torture for us. The builders seem almost arrogant when you ask a question, and half the realtors do not reply - probably because they are clueless. Getting frustrated for sure.
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Old 10-10-2015, 11:12 AM
 
Location: Lewes, DE
374 posts, read 517,367 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MnMan2015 View Post
@rdlr & NJBoy3: Ditto here - so far this has been torture for us. The builders seem almost arrogant when you ask a question, and half the realtors do not reply - probably because they are clueless. Getting frustrated for sure.
I suppose the process is different for everyone, because overall we really enjoyed the house search. Maybe because we were veteran movers (this was our 5th move in the past 13 years) we had the advantage of knowing what to expect.

When we decided to search for our retirement home, we first picked a general area based on a number of personal factors. We selected a geographic reason (mostly for location near family) of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. After researching things such as tax implications and real estate prices/taxes, we took a road trip and got a general feel for areas stretching from Philadelphia area in the north, to Annapolis in the west, to Ocean City (Maryland) in the south, to the Atlantic Ocean in the east. The result - we chose Delaware.

Our second trip was covering most of Delaware, checking out housing options (55+ and otherwise) and the advantages of different parts of the state. The result - we fell in love with being near the beaches. And we decided that we didn't need to be in a 55+ community, even though there are several nice ones.

Our third trip was touring Delaware beach areas with a realtor, including Ocean View, Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach, Rehoboth Beach, and Lewis. We concluded that for our lifestyle, the Lewis/Rehoboth Beach was best.

Our fourth and final trip was finding a specific house in the Lewis/Rehoboth area east of Route 1. We saw several candidates (thanks to our realtor), and after putting down a deposit to build new construction, ultimately fell in love with an existing house in Lewis. Of course, there were many spirited "debates" between my wife and I about specific house characteristics (e.g., storage space, garage spaces, basement or no basement, # of bedrooms, views, etc.), but in the end we wound up with one we both love. But for us the whole process was 80% enjoyable, because we viewed it as a fun and significant step in our lives (i.e., where to live in retirement).

Looking back, what really helped us was not only finding a good local realtor who knew the area and the builders, but also doing our own extensive research of the MLS listings on line beforehand. This way, we supplied our agent ahead of time with a list of homes and communities that we wanted to see so he would have them lined up for us as soon as we arrived, and he could talk to the advantages/disadvantages of the areas and communities in which they were located. He could also show us similar properties that we might have missed.

We actually anticipated having to make another trip or two to look at more houses, but got lucky enough to find the one we wanted on trip #4. If you don't have the luxury of making several trips to the area from Minnesota, you might consider moving first into a rental place for a few or several months and really taking the time to find the perfect place. The downside is having to store household goods for a while, but the upside is it really gives one time to get to know the different areas and make a decision with far less time pressure.

In any case, hope you can find a way to get some enjoyment out of the process! Don't hesitate to DM me if you have any questions that you think I may be able to help with.
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Old 10-10-2015, 12:14 PM
 
Location: Delaware Native
9,720 posts, read 14,259,318 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBoy3 View Post
Tell me about it. Not to mention the fact I probably know more than the realtors I deal with. About ready to throw in the towel. Spent the better part of the day reviewing my Asheville search...
Quote:
Originally Posted by MnMan2015 View Post
@rdlr & NJBoy3: Ditto here - so far this has been torture for us. The builders seem almost arrogant when you ask a question, and half the realtors do not reply - probably because they are clueless. Getting frustrated for sure.
Sorry for all this you're going through. Hope things work out for you both. I wouldn't be able to stand all this hullabaloo.
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Old 10-10-2015, 07:25 PM
 
34 posts, read 54,138 times
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@EnjoyEveryDay: great reply and advice - love your attitude btw. Honestly this has been mostly fun and similar to your experience at about 80% enjoyable. It is the 20% difficult annoying part that makes us a little crazy. The worst for us is that we stay in MN, and honestly we love it here except for the long winters. Plus it would be nice to be closer to family in DC since we are both retired now. We would consider renting for a while, but there does not seem to be a lot of affordable choices. Sounds like you like where you landed so that gives us hope. thanks!
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Old 10-10-2015, 09:54 PM
 
30,895 posts, read 36,946,537 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MnMan2015 View Post
We have never heard of Valley Fever. Will check that one out.

Also cannot help but watch this hurricane and wonder if that will be a problem for Delaware. Since the state is basically at sea level do the homes with basements flood often?
I lived in AZ for 6 years and never got it and never knew anyone (or of anyone) who got it. The risk of getting it is small. But if you ever get flu like symptoms, go to the doctor and get tested for it. It can be treated successfully. Many people who get it will have it go away on its own.

Valley Fever: 10 Things CDC Says You Should Know
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Old 10-11-2015, 07:40 AM
 
Location: Delaware Native
9,720 posts, read 14,259,318 times
Reputation: 21520
Quote:
Originally Posted by EnjoyEveryDay View Post

Our third trip was touring Delaware beach areas with a realtor, including Ocean View, Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach, Rehoboth Beach, and Lewis. We concluded that for our lifestyle, the Lewis/Rehoboth Beach was best.

Our fourth and final trip was finding a specific house in the Lewis/Rehoboth area east of Route 1. We saw several candidates (thanks to our realtor), and after putting down a deposit to build new construction, ultimately fell in love with an existing house in Lewis. Of course, there were many spirited "debates" between my wife and I about specific house characteristics (e.g., storage space, garage spaces, basement or no basement, # of bedrooms, views, etc.), but in the end we wound up with one we both love. But for us the whole process was 80% enjoyable, because we viewed it as a fun and significant step in our lives (i.e., where to live in retirement).
Glad you had a good experience, EEDay!
But OUCH!
I know old habits are hard to break, but your new habit should include the spelling of LEWES, your new location
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Old 10-11-2015, 10:10 AM
 
Location: Lewes, DE
374 posts, read 517,367 times
Reputation: 530
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Originally Posted by rdlr View Post
Glad you had a good experience, EEDay!
But OUCH!
I know old habits are hard to break, but your new habit should include the spelling of LEWES, your new location
Ouch is right! Must have been tired when I wrote that! I think it leaked out of my brain because the first two times we visited my wife and I (like many newcomers) pronounced it "Lose", as in "I hope we don't lose the game". So to compensate, we had to remember that it is pronounced the same as "Lewis".

But all that is a rationalization...after living here all summer there is no excuse. Thanks for the correction!

NjoyEvreyDae
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Old 10-11-2015, 10:26 AM
 
1,493 posts, read 1,519,639 times
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Enjoy - Glad you were able to make it work. I like Lewes but was concerned with rising water. Also concerned with crawl spaces that are not conditioned.
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Old 10-11-2015, 10:44 AM
 
Location: Delaware Native
9,720 posts, read 14,259,318 times
Reputation: 21520
Quote:
Originally Posted by EnjoyEveryDay View Post
Ouch is right! Must have been tired when I wrote that! I think it leaked out of my brain because the first two times we visited my wife and I (like many newcomers) pronounced it "Lose", as in "I hope we don't lose the game". So to compensate, we had to remember that it is pronounced the same as "Lewis".

But all that is a rationalization...after living here all summer there is no excuse. Thanks for the correction!

NjoyEvreyDae
Thank You for bearing with me, Nvreda!
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