Still Hunting

Well we've done it.  We've finally passed the average number of houses (40) seen by Americans before they buy.  House #40 was not even tempting.  I don't know if it's us or the houses, but somehow it never seems quite right.  I swear we are not THAT picky!  All we want is a fairly normal house (some neighborhoods around here are architectural history lessons from the 70's) in fairly decent condition in a fairly decent location.  Is that so much to ask?  Unfortunately that's what everyone else wants too.

A new part of the game seems to be bidding wars.  When we started out there was never any pressure to put in an offer because most houses sat for several weeks or months before selling.  Now we are seeing properties that have six full-price offers and 50k escalators within the first day or two.  One 60's era house with a view of the lake got 26 offers in its first weekend on the market!

At least the number of houses available is starting to increase.  I think those people who were holding out as long as they could because they didn't want to sell at the absolute bottom are starting to edge back into the market.  Of course they're doing so because prices are edging up too.  The old double-edged sword is definitely in play here.  With only five months left before the baby comes, I'm starting to get a bit nervous.