#1: was in the incredible little city of Pasadena Hills. (If you look at the photos under the Historic District section of the website- you'll see what I mean!). The house was about 80 years old but had all of the major systems updated. It was adorable. The area was gorgeous. I loved it. I wanted it... but the husband vetoed it because the Garage only measured 19'x20' (one foot narrower than the standard double garage size). He didn't even want to seriously look at the place after ruling out the garage.
Subsequently I sulked for days. Weeks? My friend Donna tried to console me by saying that the area was too ritzy and that I wouldn't be happy there. It's not much consolation because the snob in me kicked into overdrive upon entering the neighborhood. I loved the idea of living there. I loved the idea of inviting people over to my house there. It was very much a selfish look at me! look at me! look what I have! kind of devotion.
Of course though, if Jon's not happy, I doubt I could have been happy... so moving on!
#2: was in Riverview. Okay St. Louisans and West County Folk who never venture further than West County Mall- I know what you're thinking- ewwww Riverview. Bare with me!
This house was up on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. It was architecturally designed and built in the 1950s. It was literally my Retro Mid Century Modern Dream Home. Real Timber feature walls. Real (huge) heated slate tile flooring throughout. Mamie Pink Bathroom and an Aquamarine Bathroom. Huge Garage. I wanted it. It was going to be mine.
Jon and I submitted an offer to Bank of America coming in slightly below the asking price with the contingency of inspection. They rejected it. So we came back in at the asking price (we really, really wanted the house) again with the contingency of inspection. Anyway, somewhere within the process- the house got broken into TWICE and got a lovely splashing of Gang Graffiti, had the HVAC stolen and numerous other issues. What the WHAT? Oh- and our lovely intruders left all of their beer bottles and signs of their little party all over the yard and such. Goodness Gracious Me.
It left such a bad taste in our mouth that we withdrew the offer- although Jon kept saying we should go back at $10k because that was all it was "worth now" with the damage the local doosh-doosh-gang had committed. Ironically, about a month later the Bank of America contacted our realtor asking us to make another offer. Pfffft.
#3: is/was in Green Acres- again located in North County. It's a gorgeous subdivision. Jon and I looked at 2 other properties there but when we found out that one particular one was getting ready for market we decided to bide our time and wait for it. So we waited. And waited. And waited.
We knew (per county records) that it had been foreclosed upon in late February. Finally, a month ago it appeared on Wells Fargo's website as Coming Soon- Price TBD. Yay! Finally! My Mid Century Modern Ranch is almost here! This house ticked all my boxes. An oversized double garage, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, full basement, 2400+sq ft. Pretty subdivision. So my realtor contacted the realtor representing the house for Wells Fargo. I contacted the realtor representing the house for Wells Fargo. (This is where we insert crickets chirping). Nothing. Zilch. Hell, even his cell phone was constantly switched off and the land line always went to message bank.
Finally he responded to one of my emails and bluntly said This house is not for sale. DUDE. You're lying to me! So I emailed him back and said it was listed on Wells Fargo's website as coming soon, it was foreclosed upon in February, and per county records it hasn't been sold. I would have noticed if it was listed anywhere else as I've been OCD about keeping tabs on this house. (More crickets chirping).
So the other day, my realtor was in the area and decided to swing by Green Acres to see if there were any signs of what was happening. The trash can was out on the curb, a car was in the drive way, the porch light was on... what? So she went to ring the door bell. No answer. BUT there were evidently signs of life. The house was occupied. How is that possible? My inclination is that Mark Fowler at Gateway Realty Solutions has something to do with it. He's Wells Fargo's listing agent but he is also the only employee of Gateway Realty Solutions and operates from his private home (which just happens to be on Green Acres doorstep). With how shady he's been about returning calls (or lack thereof) and emails- it wouldn't surprise me if one of his buddies or cohorts was occupying the house in Green Acres.
UGH!
So I was doing some housework today and thinking about it. I started getting angrier the more I thought about it to the point where I was furious. So I calmly called Wells Fargo and spoke with a nice gentleman who is going to pass the information to the relevant department to investigate. They should get back to me by Tuesday. HAH. I hope they deep fry Mark Fowler in Toad Fat.
The moral of this story is... so far we've had atrocious luck in finding a house. (St. Louisans will probably tell you at this point that this is North County for ya, go to West County or St. Charles... go far, far away from St. Louis because it's an awful scary place. Tell them to hush. North County is super affordable and mid century cool). The other moral of this story is to not mess with me if you're a real estate agent. If I like your house and you try to screw me over... I'm going to hang you out soaking wet off the Chain of Rocks bridge by your ankles to give you some time to contemplate your actions.
On the flip side, my realtor Shannon over at St. Louis Homes with Soul is incredible. If you're looking for a house somewhere in Eastern Missouri you can't do better than her!
Anyway that's my ramble for the day!
Stay Glamorous!
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