Wouldn't a Moving Coordinator be Great?

Maybe a missed opportunity…

There are wedding coordinators and party planners. There are even funeral directors, but is there a person out there who helps you move?

This may sound crazy, but a couple of years ago I decided I wanted to buy a house. It didn’t matter where it was in the United States. I couldn’t afford to move back to the Kansas City area. A sad (very sad) two bedroom/1 bath costs more than a quarter of a million dollars.

As a single-mom teacher, that was out of reach. So I opened the door to living almost anywhere in the States if I could afford a home.

The Pandemic, low interest rates (allowing investors to buy more houses than individuals), and then Roe vs. Wade began to limit things. My daughter who’s of childbearing age didn’t want to be in a state where abortion is more vigorously punished than rape.

Months passed in my search.

The field kept narrowing. I tried to find some moving experts to help. No one came forward. I spoke to many realtors. They could help in their specific city, but not beyond. I was hopeful one of the national franchises could help, but none I spoke to would.

I personally used Zillow to start trying to zero in on cities with affordable homes. Keeping all considerations in mind, upstate New York and a couple cities in Illinois were in the running.

I found a brilliant broker in Springfield, Illinois, Betty Shuster. I wish she covered the entire state because she understood the home we were looking for. Unfortunately, her banker wasn’t quite as good, and things fell apart.

Tony Savala tried to help us in the Quad-Cities, but the right house in the right neighborhood never came through.

In Rochester, NY, agent Jeff Cimo takes on the challenge. We check out houses on Zillow and sometimes he sends us links. When we find something we think might work, we set up a Zoom tour with Jeff. He showed us homes in and around Rochester. He was always positive and willing to work with us.

He knew we were also looking at houses in Peoria, Illinois. Our agent there was helpful, sort of. His phone and Zoom didn’t work well, so eventually, he made videos for us and put them on YouTube for us to view.

Finally, we found a house. An offer is made and earnest money paid. Inspections are scheduled, and I make the trip from Kansas to Peoria. The attic has mold problems. The basement wall the owner has disguised is bowing, and there’s more mold.

A few hundred dollars poorer (hotel, gas, food, inspection fees, time), I head back to Kansas and continue to pour over the listings in Rochester and Peoria.

We find another hit in Peoria. Houses in Rochester are just out of range.

The videos show us a house we can work with.

A price is negotiated, earnest money paid, and inspections scheduled. I don’t make the trip this time, as I believe the parties involved have my best interests at heart. We’ve met, spoken, been through a previous inspection, and seem to have open communication. Every trip I make takes money away from my house fund.

I send emails to the realtor and inspector about things I’m concerned about. I want them specifically checked out because the videos seem to indicate problems.

Check out the stove and oven. We love to cook. No problems are noted on the inspection. The day we moved in, the previous owner has a note that says “Inop” and the knob removed from one of the burners. Another burner wasn’t able to boil water in 30 minutes on high. I haven’t tried the oven. I’m not sure I should unpack.

Before closing, I can’t decide if there’s just a strange angle in the video or a problem in the only shower, so I ask the inspector to check the shower walls. No problems are noted on the inspection.

On the day we moved in, my daughter is cleaning the tub and shower. I’m in the kitchen downstairs. I ask her why she didn’t clean up the spill she’d left in the kitchen. She thinks I’m nuts. I look up to see the spill is coming from the ceiling. I’m below the bathroom.

A plumber comes the next day to check out the pipes and find the problem. The pipes are okay, but a flashlight reveals the missing grout in the shower walls. So much grout is missing that the previous owner must have known, and the inspector should have caught it. Remember, this was one of my “must check” items.

I’ve hung plastic over all 3 walls. To turn the water on you must reach behind a sheet of plastic. It’s kind of like taking a shower inside a garbage bag,

Tomorrow another plumber is coming to check out why the utility sink where the washer drains isn’t draining. Yeah, that was one of my concerns too. The sink has already overflowed, Laundry is piling up.

I knew there were going to be some problems. We renegotiated the price after the realtor got some estimates. Unfortunately, the fellow who provided the estimates is proving difficult to get hold of. I’m not sure he ever came to the house. I suspect he only used the inspector’s photos. But I can’t confirm that. One part of his estimates says the price will be $1,250 or $2,500 depending on the amps. Shouldn’t he know that if he’s looking at the electrical box and that’s what the estimate is for?

The realtor had the estimates. He gave me the total we needed to renegotiate. If I’d seen this before we countered, I would have withdrawn my offer. If I survive this ordeal, I won’t make the same mistake again.

So let’s go back to the beginning. Why isn’t there a company who helps movers?

·????????A company that can offer purchasing or rental pricing across the country

·????????A company that has an “A” list of realtors for each state

·????????A company that knows good local movers who can load and unload trucks

·????????A company with a list of contractors/fix it people who provide clear and fair estimates that they stand behind

·????????A company with skilled inspectors who warrant their inspections and honor buyer concerns

·????????A company that puts the buyer first

Many of these things seem like they should be a buyer’s agent’s responsibility, but my current experience isn’t proving to be the case.

The company that I dream of is one that has boots on the ground when the buyer is moving from another area. It’s easier when the buyer is local and already knows local vendors. It’s tougher when you’re out of state and out of touch with what’s happening locally.

Could this company happen? I’d like to think so. I’ll think about it more while I’m in my garbage bag shower.

PS:?If you know a good contractor in Peoria, IL, let me know. I’ve got a house that needs some help.