Darksamurai

Hell, I'm quit-claiming my place in North Dakota to my parents. I don't want to go through the paperwork to condemn the freakin' place... about the only reason I kept it was to store my car (I have a 1970 Impala, 2 door custom in my garage out there). The taxes were cheaper than storage... The foundation is crumbling (I know how to repair just about every other part of a house except that) and the roof is not looking too good (adding to the foundation problems).

I live in a apartment/loft in Helena, MT and I'm temporary here (planning on moving in two years and counting due to an event I'm waiting for)... home ownership doesn't work that well for a nomad.

Still, I miss being able to repair stuff and add improvements (I usually pull cat5 into every room and paint the place). Home ownership doesn't always mean you're stuck in an area, but trying to unload a place can be time-consuming, especially when the housing market is horrible in a given area...

As for the floor, it's not too hard to rip up carpet (it's dirty work don't get me wrong, but if you cut it up into reasonable sections, it's not too hard to pull up or get rid of). In which case, you could throw down a couple rugs until you could get someone out there. I've been lucky enough to find hardwood floors in a lot of the places I've lived in (more beautiful than carpetting) and I decided to just stay with that. If you decide you still need carpet, move in and not move your furniture in until your contractor is back. Still, hopefully everything comes together for you. I know it's not fun to have to deal with buying a place. Selling can be just as much a PITA, especially if it's a buyer's market!