I first met with Sam (my realtor) on Monday, April 4th. You can read more about that encounter here ! We went over everything I was looking for in a house and then finally got to the fun part – setting up searches in the MLS database.
If you’re not sure what the MLS is, continue reading for a brief overview. If you already know, or don’t care about the details, feel free to skip the next paragraph!
MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service. It’s a comprehensive database that compiles information on properties for sale. The MLS operates by region and contains detailed information about properties currently on the market. It is the best source for up-to-date data on a house. While realtors have access to the MLS, the average person does not. However, if you work with a realtor it is possible for them to give a gateway to the site off of their profile. One great feature of the site is that you can create a custom search based on a large number of criteria: price, number of bedrooms, acreage, etc. The site will then send you emails with updates (like new listings or price decreases) on houses within the search parameters.
After creating a few custom searches, the hunt for the perfect house was officially on! I left the realtor office and thus began several days of obsessively checking for new listings. You might think: “Katie, why do you need to stare at the MLS all day when it’s going to email you the updates?” The answer: I just couldn’t help myself! I was minutes away from wearing out the site’s refresh button when an intriguing house listed late Friday night.
The house was in North Smithfield – one of the top towns on my list. It wasn’t really my style (a raised ranch), but the potential for equity was alluring. A foreclosure aggressively priced below market value, the house had nowhere to go but up. A home for that size, in that neighborhood, with that size lot would normally go for significantly more. I knew this was an amazing deal!
(Also, it was just a few miles from my favorite bakery in the area, Wright’s Dairy Farm . If you’ve never been there, you have to go! Not only do they have adorable cows you can meet, but the baked goods are out of this world. Everything is made fresh onsite. It’s hands down my number one choice for mouthwatering pastry. So, clearly, this was a major bonus about the location of this house.)
I picked up my phone to text Sam…and then realized it was 11:00pm. After deciding that I wasn’t quite ready to be that level of high maintenance (just yet), I sent her an email instead telling her of my interest in the property. And, because I know myself, I included that I would probably end up texting her in the morning about the house anyways. Just to make sure she got it. (I didn’t say I wasn’t a little high maintenance.)
The next morning I texted Sam. (Like anyone didn’t see that coming.) We set up a time to view the house at 4pm on Sunday. However, that evening I got another text from Sam. She was able to see the other showings booked for the house… and it was slamming! There were over 20 others parties already interested. We made the decision to move our showing up to Sunday morning.
At 9am the following day, my dad and I showed up ready to get inside and see how things looked. Foreclosures can be iffy investments; sometimes the homeowners get angry the house is being foreclosed and sabotage the property. I’ve heard of cement poured into drains, walls smashed…there’s no telling what people will do when upset. The pictures online looked great, but it wouldn’t compare to seeing it in person. However… it wasn’t to be!
The porch entrance had a lockbox that contained the key to the side door. Sam, and the other realtors, were given a code to access open it. This allows the house to be shown without the seller or listing agent being present. However, the key inside the box didn’t open any of the doors on the house.
I kind of felt like I was in an SNL skit as we traipsed around to all the doors, twisting the key around. Everyone tried the key. Ten minutes later, another buyer and realtor showed up and joined our troupe. They tried the key. Several jokes comparing the key to the Sword in the Stone were made. Sam tried to contact the listing agent, but after several minutes of unanswered calls and checking the doors for the 9th time, we had to accept that we weren’t getting into this house today. The only good news: no one else would be getting in either! We would have to wait until the key was replaced later in the week to have a shot at getting inside.
It was truly a bizarre turn of events. But, if all had gone to plan and I had made an offer on Sunday, I wouldn’t have noticed what would list the very next day.
House2Home 
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