House Hunting Tips

We have a history with real estate. I’m a real estate broker, was an appraiser, was a mortgage broker, all in the State of Florida. And we’ve bought and sold a few properties.

The main lesson I want to share is: Do your own research. You simply cannot rely on what another person says; it does not matter if they are a Realtor, Banker, Appraiser, Surveyor…

Here are some quick tips that we’ve picked up. Hopefully, they will be a help to some of you.

• Look up the property on the county appraiser’s site. Search “name of county property is in” property appraiser {Duval County Property Appraiser}. Once on their site, click “property search” You can usually find it by address. This will show you previous sales as well as the taxable value and even a building sketch and list of site improvements. There’s also usually a link to the tax assessor’s office so that you can see what the current taxes are and estimate your property taxes.
• Then search the property on Google Maps. Check out the satellite imaging. {We didn’t want to be very close to high tension power lines or train tracks, so we googled every property before we spent the time and gas money to go see it in person.}
• Most of the properties on the market today are foreclosures or short sales. Be prepared. The majority of properties have problems. We’ve seen holes in walls, destroyed flooring, wiring that’s been stolen, AC units have been stolen, a foundation that was literally washing away, and cabinets that had been ripped apart so that the wall oven and stovetop could be stolen. Just brace yourself. And start a savings account so that you can make repairs on the property you buy.
• HUD homes. If you are interested in a foreclosure, the HUD HomeStore is a good place to start. You can search for properties and read the addendums (including the PCR- Property Condition Report- that will reveal any major known problems) all from the comfort of your home. Of course, in our experience, these inspectors can miss some things. Let the Buyer Beware. A note- HUD properties are listed with a Realtor and will be on the MLS as well as Realtor.com and Zillow.com. You don’t have to know somebody to buy one.

In most cases, you cannot simply buy a HUD owned property. You have to bid on it. For this, you need a HUD registered real estate broker who can place your bid for you. This can be tricky. Many HUD properties seem to be listed below Fair Market Value, but if you bid above the list price, you must have cash for the difference. No bank (in my experience) will finance a loan amount above the listed price. Then again, if you make a full price bid, someone with cash might outbid you. C’est la vie.

• Financing. Find a loan officer you like and make application. Then ask them if you qualify for a USDA 100% loan (No Down Payment Required). If not, ask them if you qualify for an FHA loan (As Little as 3.5% Down Required). Qualifying for these programs is more hassle, but less cash. You decide if it’s worth it.
• One more personal bit of advice: ask your loan officer what is the maximum amount you can finance. Then divide that by 2 and shoot for finding a property at that price. Maxing out your credit is a good way to get stuck with a home you cannot afford to live in. {Speaking from personal experience here!}

Blessings!

Making Baby Plants - Rootings

 

Did you know that cuttings need darkness to root?

Neither did I.

When I bought my English Lavender at the Farmer’s Market, I asked the farmer if it was easy to grow/root/take care of. He said ‘Yes.’ He said to take a cutting of new growth (green and flexible – not woody and hard) and place it in a glass of water in a sunny window.

So I did. The lavender cutting was healthy. It was happy. It even made a flower. But it did not grow roots. Eventually, I switched it from the glass to this dark blue vase. I thought the dark blue would look pretty with the lavender flower.

After about a week, I pulled it out to change the water and found roots! Voila!

Since then I’ve made another cutting, a woody one this time. Placed in the blue vase in a sunny window, it rooted as well. Then I cut two pieces from it and now they are growing roots in the blue vase.

I adore this little guy.

Okay, so I’ve admitted that I had no idea a simple clear glass would not work.

Who knew?

FarmGirl Crafts – The Sock Monkey

The Sock Monkey is an American classic craft that emerged during the Depression. The Sock Monkeys with the iconic red mouth were made from worn out Rockford Red Heel socks. You can buy these classic socks from Fox River Mills. Each pair of socks comes with instructions for making sock monkeys.

Lyli spotted a bright sock monkey in Bealls one day in 2010. The $30 toy didn’t fit into our budget, so I ordered a pair of socks and made one myself.

Here she is sleeping with it in 2011.

Loral likes it too.

 

I’m happy to say that the monkey has survived for a couple of years, even though Lyl removed his red hair and blue bow-tie that I had made.

 

I hope to make more in the future, using the Fox River Mills pink socks and other unique socks that I’ve collected.

National Geographic

We always had National Geographics around. My grandparents and cousin all subscribed. I will never forget the time I read an article about allergies. It basically said that children raised on farms were healthier than those raised off farms. (A gross generality, I know, but stick with me here.) The article actually stated that this one family would have been much healthier if they had moved a cow into their living room.

Well, a statement like that made an impact on my subconscious.

When I was growing up, I noticed a friend of mine with major health issues. She lived in a newer brick house. I lived in an old farmhouse (minus the farm) that was quite drafty. I was in much better health than her. I asked my parents what they thought. They responded basically that fresh air is good for you. Now that I’ve done more research, I realize that the paint and carpet and building materials in her new house were probably emitting toxic fumes. And the windows were so well-made and sealed tightly (and never opened) that the fumes had nowhere to go.

My FarmGirl leanings are all about health. My health and that of my family. I know that the food I grow in my own backyard is fresh, organic, and healthy. I know that working in the garden and with animals is good for our bodies and souls. Having room to run and play is a luxury that I had as a child, and one that I desperately want for our children.

So… the hunt is still on. We are still house-hunting. Dreaming of a HomeStead. Evolving into FarmGirls. Trusting God!

Keeping the Faith

 

Home-shopping is hard.

One place has a nice home on it, and the yard is too small. One place has a great yard, but the home is in poor condition. Another place is a lovely mini-farm, but the home has foundation issues. Expensive ones. This other place looks promising… until we drive to it and realize it is waaayyy far away from civilization. This seller wants too much. The bank won’t finance this one. sigh

Nice Barn! 

When things get tough, the tough keep the faith. When I feel like God isn’t listening or doesn’t care about our situation, I think about myself and my daughters. I love them deeply. And I want only the best for them.

Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” NKJV Matthew 7:11

God knows what we need before we need it. He knows what will happen to us before it does. It is our job to keep the faith, believing in His providence, power, and good.

My Temporary Homestead

 

We are temporarily living in a singlewide mobile home near my family. It’s small, but it’s close to world-class babysitters, and my kitchen window overlooks the pond. I love to sip my coffee and watch the birds play in the water. Yesterday, I watched a huge catfish skim the surface. YUM. Ben needs to fish for me!

Even though I am technically home-stead-less, I cannot stop planting and growing. It’s like an addiction, folks.

FarmGirl Forever!

So here’s my flowerpot garden.

Petunias, Basil seeds, lavender rootings, and German Chamomile.

My bolting red lettuce is on the shelf to the right. I am eagerly awaiting those seeds. I’ve never seen such a bright red lettuce.

My new homestead, wherever it may be, will have red lettuce seeds growing on it this fall.

A Farm Girl Without A Farm

 

For the past three years, my family has lived in rentals. At first, it was a motor home 5 minutes from Ben’s job. Then, it was an efficiency apartment close to the beach. After that, we lived in a small house near the beach. At least the little house had a yard. It was there that I finally began my FarmGirl Evolution.

My first garden was a 4 foot by 8 foot raised bed made from reclaimed fencing. And a plastic storage box that I called my “Box O’ Lettuce.” When I ran out of room, I started putting things in whatever I could find- clay pots, 5-gallon buckets, bags of soil, and even a reclaimed kitchen sink. Some things grew (lettuce); some things didn’t (corn. tomatoes. basil). But I was hooked.

The next year, we expanded the yard by fencing in part of the front yard. In that crowded and busy neighborhood, a fence was a necessity. For some reason, transients flock to the beach. Then, of course, they wander around the neighborhoods. So we doubled the size of the fenced yard and I increased my garden size with another raised bed.

Then I hung some flowerpots on the fence,

made a compost pile, and started my own seedlings.

Arugula was a huge hit. It was growing like weeds in the yard. My 3 year old helped me plant. :)

That summer, I finally got the chickens I’d been dreaming about: three gorgeous pullets. A Rhode Island Red and two Americaunas. Oh, how I love my girls. I practiced the deep bedding method in their run, and those three had made a perfectly grass-free, scratched and composted garden plot for me. So we moved the chicken coop and planted potatoes. Then we moved the chicken coop again and planted sunflowers.

But we’ve moved. I thought, at the time, that I may not be around to see my sunflowers bloom. But I planted anyway. That’s what FarmGirls do. We plant, we nurture, we grow; even when we’re not around to reap the harvest.