How many houses did you see before you bought?

[NewEnglandLady]

Just curious to see answers

 

[NewEnglandLady]

D and I have already looked at over 20 homes and I always find something that I don''t love. This weekend we were 99% sure we were going to put in an offer on a house, then I toured it a second time and I just didn''t love it as much. My in-laws only looked at 3 houses before they bought. My own parents found their house the first day they looked.

I''m sure some of this has to do with the market--we feel we have plenty of time. But I''m beginning to wonder if I''m just way too nitpicky.

 

[Dreamer_D]

We were buying accross the country from where we live, so it isn't the same probably, but I watched the market there for a month using our realtors website, so I knew what prices houses were going for, how quickly, and generally what was available in our price range. Then we went to the city we are moving to for a week and we saw *every* house available in our price range in the locations we wanted -- was about 10-12 houses. Ended up that there was one really good one so we bought it. But if that particular house hadn't been there we would have waited.

Most people I know look at about 4-5. They decide "We are buying a house!" then just go out and buy one from what is available. Not sure if that's the best way but there you go!

NEL You sound like you are a lot like me. When I am making a decision I really like to mull it over and think through all the angels and make sure it is the *right* decision, and I am even more like this when spending a lot of money. So you can imagine how I was house hunting

When we looked at houses I was really disappointed that I didn't fall in love with any of the ones we saw. The truth is, that we were buying in a market where the median home price is $600 000 and prices have *not* dropped in the last couple years if you can imagine that. Anyways, we were looking for a house that was a little under them median in value and so all the houses we saw were lacking in some way or another. I really liked the house we bought the first time I saw it, but when we went back the second time, by critical side came out and I didn't like it as much.

It was built in 1987 and it has no character at all, never been redoecorated since the builders packed up! ... and $50 000 more than we wanted to spend

But is had lots of other things we liked -- 1.5 km from my work, walk to shopping, next to a park, near a rec centre, great school district. There was just no emotional pull (and a kitchen that really needed work!). But in the end I knew we couldn't afford a house that had the emotional pull *and* all the features I described. So we bought this one and I am happy with our choice now.

I think no home will ever be perfect. And for people like (it seems) you and I, that is probably especially the case, since I know I really look at the details and analyze things the death. There comes a point where you have to just make a list of what you want and then if the house meets those needs, you buy it, and overlook some of the smaller details. Our house met so many of our practical needs in terms of locations, size, and layout, that we just overlooked the fact that is had little character. I think we made the right choice in the end.

ETA Some people really hate thinking about things and making decisons, and those people tend to jump at the first house they see IMO, maybe your family members are like that. They fall in love and let the heart lead. I am not like that, maybe you are not either? For me, the head needs to lead.

What types of things are turning you off the houses you like initially? Is it smaller things or major things?

 

[Phoenix]

I looked at close to 100 before I bought my first home, seriously!

For our place in Singapore, I seem to remember we looked at about 40-50 houses before we bought ours. We did put in several offers before buying our place but they fell through!

 

[lucyandroger]

Well before we started seriosly looking we went to about 10-15 open houses on our own to try and get a feel for different price ranges and neighborhoods. This was over the course of a few months.

Then we met our realtor at one of these open houses and seriously looked with her for just over a month. In that month, we saw 40-45 houses and she pre-viewed even more that we didn't end up seeing ourselves.

We were really all about the "gut feeling." It had to feel like home. The house that we're in the process of buying is a split-foyer and our realtor didn't show it to us for a while because we had said absolutely no split-foyers. Well, she was in the neighborhood one day looking at another house and decided to pop in to take a look. She knew right away we would love it and we did. We never would have thought that we would be buying a split foyer but it's much different than the usual split-foyer floor plan and has a huge addition that give it the "wow factor" we were looking for.

So I guess my advice is to keep being picky but also keep an open mind in the process. Oh, and no, I don't think you've seen too many houses...keep looking!

 

[Kismet]

It depends on what you don''t like about the house(s). If you''re unhappy with the paint color, then yes you''re being too picky. If you''re unhappy with the location, then no you''re not being too picky. Everything in between is a matter of how much time, effort and expense you want to put into changing what you don''t like and only you can determine that. e.g you''re okay with removing wallpaper and painting but not with removing carpet and putting in hardwood or you''re fine with refacing the kitchen cabinets but don''t want to change the location of sink/stove/fridge. You just need to think about what you''re willing and not willing to do with any house you purchase.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 8/31/2009 10:18:52 AM
Author: lucyandroger
Well before we started seriosly looking we went to about 10-15 open houses on our own to try and get a feel for different price ranges and neighborhoods. This was over the course of a few months.

Then we met our realtor at one of these open houses and seriously looked with her for just over a month. In that month, we saw 40-45 houses and she pre-viewed even more that we didn''t end up seeing ourselves.

We were really all about the ''gut feeling.'' It had to feel like home. The house that we''re in the process of buying is a split-foyer and our realtor didn''t show it to us for a while because we had said absolutely no split-foyers. Well, she was in the neighborhood one day looking at another house and decided to pop in to take a look. She knew right away we would love it and we did. We never would have thought that we would be buying a split foyer but it''s much different than the usual split-foyer floor plan and has a huge addition that give it the ''wow factor'' we were looking for.

So I guess my advice is to keep being picky but also keep an open mind in the process. Oh, and no, I don''t think you''ve seen too many houses...keep looking!

Lucy,

What is a "split-foyer"? Is it like a landing that goes up more than one level? Do you have a pic of this split foyer?

Sorry about the threadjack, NEL.

 

[lucyandroger]

Date: 8/31/2009 10:26:44 AM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 8/31/2009 10:18:52 AM
Author: lucyandroger
Well before we started seriosly looking we went to about 10-15 open houses on our own to try and get a feel for different price ranges and neighborhoods. This was over the course of a few months.

Then we met our realtor at one of these open houses and seriously looked with her for just over a month. In that month, we saw 40-45 houses and she pre-viewed even more that we didn''t end up seeing ourselves.

We were really all about the ''gut feeling.'' It had to feel like home. The house that we''re in the process of buying is a split-foyer and our realtor didn''t show it to us for a while because we had said absolutely no split-foyers. Well, she was in the neighborhood one day looking at another house and decided to pop in to take a look. She knew right away we would love it and we did. We never would have thought that we would be buying a split foyer but it''s much different than the usual split-foyer floor plan and has a huge addition that give it the ''wow factor'' we were looking for.

So I guess my advice is to keep being picky but also keep an open mind in the process. Oh, and no, I don''t think you''ve seen too many houses...keep looking!

Lucy,

What is a ''split-foyer''? Is it like a landing that goes up more than one level? Do you have a pic of this split foyer?

Sorry about the threadjack, NEL.

Hey Phoenix, I''ve heard split-foyers called by all sorts of different names - "high ranch," "split ranch," or as my BF''s family calls it "split level" (I think that''s something different than what we''re buying). Anyway, it''s when you walk in the front door and there is half a flight of stairs up to the main living level and half a flight of stairs down to the lower level that is mostly above ground as well. I just looked through the photos we took during the inspection and unfortunately don''t have a good photo of the foyer but I grabbed this one from the virtual tour. The pic is taken from the upper level so you can see it''s more like a half a flight of stairs. Hope that makes sense!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

dreamer_dachsie, I definitely think we are very similar. You are very analytical and when you are serious about something, I can tell you dive in head first and try to learn everything about it. I'm sure you can relate to the analysis paralysis issue!

It's very reassuring to me that there were a few things you didn't like about the house, but accepted it and after the fact feel that you made the right decision. I know the decision wasn't an easy one for you and I'm really glad to know that you are now very happy with it. When making a huge decision like this, part of my paralysis is the buyer's remorse issue. Our situation is very much like yours: high median prices, many antique homes (with a lot of character) with a mix of new construction where previous owners tore down the old house and rebuilt. The house we were going to put an offer in was a 1970's split-level ranch, which I did not think I would like at all. I went to see it because it was a good value and ended up loving the land the house is on. We ended up not putting in an offer yesterday because I didn't think I coud get over the fact that I don't love the style of house.

Also, because of the high home prices I know that we can't afford absolutely everything we want (many can relate to that, I'm sure!), which means that every time I go into a house I think "what would we need to change?". Update the kitchen, landscape the yard, retile or refinish the floors, build a deck, etc. For this reason I'm trying to focus more on location, but that has its own drawbacks: more land and privacy but more than a mile from the beach vs. on the water, but not a big yard. It's a lot of money, but I still have to make compromises and I can't figure out what is most important to me.

Phoenix, while I agree that 100 homes is a LOT to look at, I could easily see how it could happen! I can't imagine buying in Singapore, it must be very sressful!

LucyandRoger, I agree with you on the gut-feeling. We've seen a couple of homes that feel very "homey" to me, but I honestly think it has to do with how it's decorated. I can't seem to get my mind to only focus on the house itself. Yesterday we saw a really messy home and I just couldn't get a "feel" for it. Funny how that happens. I definitely understand the split-level foyer issue--I never thought I'd end up considering a house like that, but when I was looking at all the other factors (layout of house, size, price, land, etc.) it just seemed less and less important.

 

[D&T]

in this market, you can view more than 20 now and have your pickings almost. Back during the boom,,, it was ridiculous, we would only be able to view maybe 5 at the most, before we had to place and offer and buy the house

 

[neatfreak]

We did what Dreamer did too. We had a limited timeframe, there were limited houses in our budget, so we had our agent check out every one that was available and then we saw the "winners" out of that group. So she took tons (maybe 100 at each house) of pictures of maybe 10 houses for us and there were only 3 that we wanted to see.

We found a house that we loved the 3L's (lot, location, layout) and everything else can be changed! So we bought it. But this market is still pretty hot-houses don't usually sit on the market if they are priced right. Plus it's an expensive area and we had a limited budget-so that made it pretty easy to decide!

No house is going to be 100% perfect I have learned. Choose a house with the 3L's that you love and that the things you **don't** are easily fixable. Many first time buyers get paralyzed by things that are easy to change (tile, paint, appliances, etc.) As long as it has the 3L's you can change anything else!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Neatfreak, if there is anybody who I could count on to have a very solid basis for analyzing this, it would be you! I think it''s very smart to focus on those three Ls and not focus on those things that could be changed over time. I do weigh what will need to be changed against the asking price because I think about how much additional money we would have to spend, but there is no reason for me to prioritize anything cosmetic over the three Ls.

I also agree that while housing prices have softened a little and we do have a nice selection, houses that are priced competitively and are in a good location are going pretty fast--usually in less than a month. We viewed seven houses yesterday--two had been on the market for over 100 days and now I understand why: they are overpriced for what they offer. Two have been on the market for less than 2 weeks and I feel are well-priced and they had been seeing quite a bit of activity. At first I thought the reason might be because first-time home buyers are wanting to close by Nov. 30th, but after talking with the selling agents it seems that many of the interested buyers are families who are looking for more space and already own. This makes sense since we are looking for a home that will fit our family over the next 5 - 10 years.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 8/31/2009 11:18:13 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady
Neatfreak, if there is anybody who I could count on to have a very solid basis for analyzing this, it would be you! I think it''s very smart to focus on those three Ls and not focus on those things that could be changed over time. I do weigh what will need to be changed against the asking price because I think about how much additional money we would have to spend, but there is no reason for me to prioritize anything cosmetic over the three Ls.


I also agree that while housing prices have softened a little and we do have a nice selection, houses that are priced competitively and are in a good location are going pretty fast--usually in less than a month. We viewed seven houses yesterday--two had been on the market for over 100 days and now I understand why: they are overpriced for what they offer. Two have been on the market for less than 2 weeks and I feel are well-priced and they had been seeing quite a bit of activity. At first I thought the reason might be because first-time home buyers are wanting to close by Nov. 30th, but after talking with the selling agents it seems that many of the interested buyers are families who are looking for more space and already own. This makes sense since we are looking for a home that will fit our family over the next 5 - 10 years.

Aww thanks NEL! Something else to consider is that those overpriced houses that are sitting? If you really like them make them a lowball offer! They might just be desperate enough to accept it!

We got our house for $50k under asking (which is pretty significant since our price range is still under jumbo loan territory) because we looked a teensy bit above our price range for things that had been sitting. It''s a great house but showed REALLY poorly (horrible paint jobs, messy everywhere, basically the opposite of staged) AND it was $50k overpriced. So we put in a lowball offer and they accepted it! So that''s a method that worked for us too.

 

[packrat]

I didn''t vote b/c even after we agreed on this house, I still went out and looked at others just b/c it''s fun. And a few times the first couple years after we got married I''d get a bug up my butt about seeing what else was out there and start looking again. We got a good price on this one but it ended up needing waaay more work than we thought at first..and we both quickly realized we''re "project people" and always have something we''re researching or planning or doing.

I will say I did NOT want to buy this house. It''s so small-my room at my parents house was about as big as our now living room. However-my gramma lives around the corner, and next door to her are an aunt and uncle. The hospital is 1 1/2 blocks away (and it''s where I work) and the Elementary school is right next to it. It''s SO convenient!

Like others have said, there are things that can be changed about a house if you''re not totally in love with it. Non supportive walls can be taken out to open up spaces, you could add on, etc.

Think about what you do and don''t like when you tour a house, and ask yourself if they''re things that can be changed at some point. Make lists even..I kept all the spec sheets from the houses and wrote stuff on the backs of them as we went thru the houses so I had something to refer back to.

I never once had a house we toured scream "this is HOME". But this one did have the potential.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 8/31/2009 11:21:43 AM
Author: neatfreak

Aww thanks NEL! Something else to consider is that those overpriced houses that are sitting? If you really like them make them a lowball offer! They might just be desperate enough to accept it!

We got our house for $50k under asking (which is pretty significant since our price range is still under jumbo loan territory) because we looked a teensy bit above our price range for things that had been sitting. It''s a great house but showed REALLY poorly (horrible paint jobs, messy everywhere, basically the opposite of staged) AND it was $50k overpriced. So we put in a lowball offer and they accepted it! So that''s a method that worked for us too.

This is also a good point--I feel like I''ve spent a dozen hours on redfin looking up sales comps and the ones that I feel were overpriced (overpriced = over assessed value for me) end up selling very close to or even under the assessed value. I''ve printed out hundreds of listings and keep them all so I can refer back to the asking price after it sells. There are some exceptions--I know one of the houses we are looking at is significantly above the asking prices because the assessment does not include a significant addition to the house made recently. Anyway, you are right--just because the asking price is high does not mean that the seller expects to get that price.

I have noticed, however, that owners who are eager to sell and negotiate will list the house for a competitive price, which is usually at or under the assessed value. I know I tend to use the asking price as a measure for how motivated a seller is, which may not be very accurate.

Packrat--I can definitely relate to continuing to compare after a purchase. I remember after buying our vehicle this year, I kept looking at listings just to make sure we got the best price. I have no idea why, it''s not like it would have changed anything. It''s sort of like that feeling when you buy something, then see it goes on sale a week later. Only magnified, haha.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 8/31/2009 11:42:16 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady

I have noticed, however, that owners who are eager to sell and negotiate will list the house for a competitive price, which is usually at or under the assessed value. I know I tend to use the asking price as a measure for how motivated a seller is, which may not be very accurate.
.

Personally, I think that''s VERY right for houses that just come on the market. But remember that the market has fallen further in a few months. So if it was listed a BIT high 100 days ago, it could be VERY high now. And the sellers might just be in denial, the agent might be an idiot, etc.

So for us it worked I think because the sellers finally just realized that they might get even less if they wait-and they wanted to be done with it. They were just worn down. So it''s worth a try-worst thing is that you''ve wasted a few minutes of your time writing the offer, right?

 

[Allison D.]

NEL, I think you're doing all the right things, and seeing more rather than less will mean less likelihood of buyers remorse.

Hub and I spent a full 3 months house shopping. The market was quite diff. when we were buying as options in our price range moved fast. Still, we toured over 35 houses via appointment, and we drove by another 40+ that we considered but dismissed based on outside impressions without booking to see the interiors.

I will say that I think that process for us was very valuable. It helped us to identify things that weren't on our initial list of criteria but became more important as we looked.

Our initial wants were: 3 BR, city water/sewer, forced air heat (or alternately existing ductwork so we could easily add central air), laundry on 1st floor or above, good-sized kitchen, dining room positioned out of view from LR, age of house 10-15 years, manageable sized yard, and no pool. Nice-to-haves-but-not-essentials were 2nd floor laundry, fireplace, central air, upscale kitchen amenities.

Based on this criteria, we set our budget at X. Along the way, we came to realize that we really did want garages (which we initially discussed and felt they weren't on our priority list), so budget went up a bit. Then it went up a bit more. Then we were close enough in price to potentially reach a few new construction properties; after seeing them, we realized we really did want new construction but ONLY if we could find it in outside of a 'development' setting. Budget went up a bit more and we finally settled on our existing home.

End result: newly built house on older established quiet street, forced air heat, 13x22 kitchen, dining room out of view from LR, manageable yard (though a bit bigger than we'd initially envisioned), no pool, 2nd floor laundry, fireplace, 2-car garage, walk-up attic, backs to conservation, dead-end street. These last 4 things in blue weren't even on our radar until we spent time looking, but we came to realize how we'd value them and they helped shape our wants. Our budget began at X; we ended up spending X + 55K, and we added the central air 4 months post-purchase.

Our house was 95% of our wish list and even had a few of our but there were things I didn't like. (We didn't see the house until it was already half-built, so we couldn't influence the layout, etc.) The LR was too narrow (12' x 26') for my liking, the ceilings were lower than I'd have preferred, and the LR/Kitchen configuration was somewhat 'open-concept' style which I'm not a fan of. The placement of the windows/fireplace makes furniture configuration nearly impossible.

Having lived in the house for almost 5 years now, I still wish the LR was wider and the ceilings a bit higher on the first floor. However, I've come to appreciate the LR/Kitchen layout and am actually glad it is the way it is. Since we bought, hub has developed hobbies that are a bit tight for our half-basement, and that likely would have been part of our criteria if his hobbies existed then. After trying to start a new lawn, I've come to appreciate the value of irrigation (which wasn't on our list); we'll likely add that in the next year or two.

I think seeing so many homes really helped us avoid buyers remorse because we knew we'd done plenty of homework. We also learned there's no such thing as home nirvana; even people who have them built to spec eventually come to wish they'd done this or could change that once they actually live in it.

You're doing all the right things, and you'll know when you've found the right fit. Don't be afraid to go back and reconsider properties even after you've initially rejected them. The first time we saw our house, we felt the price was somewhat high and it didn't really gel for hub because he couldn't envision it more finished. We moved on and continued to shop; six weeks later, we took another look at it when it was more fully completed and realized immediately it was the right choice for us.

ETA: And by comparison, my parents chose their home after a single day of looking. They listed 12 candidates, narrowed it to 4, looked at all 4 on the same day and chose the one they most liked. LOL

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Thanks so much, Allison, for sharing that, it was very helpful. We have divided our "must haves" into primary and secondary lists as well, though I feel like they sort of adjust with every house we see. If we see something that we just seem to really like, I notice that everything else seems to be less important. One of our criteria is that at least 3 bedrooms be on the same floor (for the kids--I don''t want to have a nursery on another floor). So yesterday I saw a beautiful home where the master was not convenient to the other 2 rooms and I kept thinking "well it''s not that far!" haha. I need to walk away in order to re-evaluate.

We''re going to take a short break, go on vacation and re-assess when we get back. I think we have made the mental shift from "looking" to "ready to buy", so I do think that we will find something we love and go for it, even if it takes us a little while longer. It''s nice to hear that other people took quite a bit of time before they found something they really wanted and have grown to love the decision.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 8/31/2009 10:44:29 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady
dreamer_dachsie, I definitely think we are very similar. You are very analytical and when you are serious about something, I can tell you dive in head first and try to learn everything about it. I''m sure you can relate to the analysis paralysis issue!

It''s very reassuring to me that there were a few things you didn''t like about the house, but accepted it and after the fact feel that you made the right decision. I know the decision wasn''t an easy one for you and I''m really glad to know that you are now very happy with it. When making a huge decision like this, part of my paralysis is the buyer''s remorse issue. Our situation is very much like yours: high median prices, many antique homes (with a lot of character) with a mix of new construction where previous owners tore down the old house and rebuilt. The house we were going to put an offer in was a 1970''s split-level ranch, which I did not think I would like at all. I went to see it because it was a good value and ended up loving the land the house is on. We ended up not putting in an offer yesterday because I didn''t think I coud get over the fact that I don''t love the style of house.

Also, because of the high home prices I know that we can''t afford absolutely everything we want (many can relate to that, I''m sure!), which means that every time I go into a house I think ''what would we need to change?''. Update the kitchen, landscape the yard, retile or refinish the floors, build a deck, etc. For this reason I''m trying to focus more on location, but that has its own drawbacks: more land and privacy but more than a mile from the beach vs. on the water, but not a big yard. It''s a lot of money, but I still have to make compromises and I can''t figure out what is most important to me.

Yes ,we are exaclty the same! It is a blessing and a curse unfortunately...

I think we are also in the same position buying and it makes it so hard! We spent over half a million on our home, which we never wanted to do, but it had all worked out well financially. But spending that much made me so anxious about buyers remorse! Our realtor said something that I tried to always keep in mind, "You are not looking for the home of your dreams right now, but rather a home that meets your needs". The reality is that we, and it sounds like you too, can''t afford the home of our dreams right now. And I think that means that the heart has to stay out of the decision a little bit.

For me, I thought a lot about how we live our life now and how we want to live our life in the future, and based on that I knew there are a couple of features that were really really important to me. I reallly wanted to be able to walk to work or take one direct bus to work, whic would allow us to remain a one-car family; I wanted to be able to walk to shopping; we wanted a second main living space like a rec room or family room (for a play room, I really dislike having the toys all over the main adult living space); we needed a yard for the dogs; we wanted a home we could add value to and climb the property ladder; and we did not want a home that had been subjected to years of bad DIY jobs. We also needed to buy in an area where our property would hold its value well, in case we needed to sell in a shorter period of time for some reason. Other than that we were very very open about the style of house etc, though we also had some preferences like 2+ baths.

So when I went looking I focussed entirely on those criteria, which really are very broad when it came to the exact look of the house. We ended up buying a home that met all those needs and also had 2.5 baths including a full ensuite

The downside is that *everything* needs updating -- painting, trim, kitchen, baths... you name it. But I had to look past all that to get the other things I wanted.

Can you narrow down your list to the *must have* things? It will really help I think.

 

[sbde]

NEL, we actually kept a spreadsheet of every house we viewed detailing their pros/cons and assigned them each a score based on things that were important to us (such as # bedrooms, bathrooms, flooring, appliances, finishes etc) because we wanted something that was move-in ready for us. yes we are complete nerds haha but looking at that spreadsheet helped us keep track of the top contenders in the over 100 houses we saw. so no, i don't think you're being nitpicky at all!

decide on what your absolute musts are that you won't compromise on, and if you're willing to make changes once you've moved in to the place not much else matters. good luck with the house hunt!!

ETA: our househunt also took over a year because we were unsure of how far out of Boston we wanted to move and which suburb best suited us. that is also why we ended up seeing so many houses!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Dreamer, I can definitely relate. We're in the same buying category and I find that it's very easy to keep upping the budget. You sort of start at 500K, then when you realize how small it is and how many updates you'd have to make, you keep upping the budget--it's a steep slope (another 100K doesn't buy you a TON more), which makes it even more slippery. I am not willing to go over our budget, which means we will be making updates! But I'm really okay with that because like you said, it means we can add value to the home.

I think that your list of must have things is important and I think we can start to re-assess our must haves before heading out for the next hunt.

sbde, I was very excited to hear about the spreadsheet you have! I have a spreadsheet process in which I look through all the listings, then pick out the ones I think we'd like. Then I insert that house into the spreadsheet which contains our primary and secondary criteria, then color code each cell in the criteria based on the average. It gives me a quick visual snapshot of how the houses compare (just using green, yellow and red for each cell). I would love to weight the criteria so that I can give each house a "score", but I think I'd have to do that process after seeing the house because many things aren't apparent to me until I see it in person. Still, the process would force me to prioritize my criteria.

ETA: where did you end up buying, sbde?

 

[Italiahaircolor]

When I was buying my condo, I was working with a small budget in a big, expensive area...there wasn''t much to see. I needed to live in the town--due to work, so my realtor showed me everything in my price range (6 condo''s on the button).

I ended up buying a condo I couldn''t even see because it was part of a high-rise tower that was still under construction. I was able to get into a condo at pre-construction prices that 3 months later I could have never afforded. I knew, due to the discounted commitment price, that this was the place for me because it was really a much more expensive condo and it really did reflect.

In the end, real estate is an investment. Sometimes you have to give to really be able to take. If you don''t think you''ve found the one, then keep looking--there is certainly no set time frame to buying.

 

[geckodani]

NEL - Twilight Zone moment - I was thinking about starting a poll like this today.

When all is said and done, DH and I are being really picky about the areas that we''re looking in. Our rather limited budget is playing a big factor as well. As is our time weirdness (by Nov 30th or not until April, LOL).

I think we''ll end up looking at around 5-15 houses initially. Actually, probably more like 10. If we find one that has our 3 Ls, as well as the other features we''re looking for, then we''ll most likely go for it. I tend to be one of those swift decison people, because otherwise I can stretch the process out indefinitely and drive myself absolutely insane in very short order.

The internet is a fantastic way to narrow it down as well. I know I need some combination of 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bath, or 2 Bed, 2 Bath and an easily finished basement. Basically I need a master bedroom, somewhere to put the computers, and somewhere to put a possible small human in a few years.

Surprisingly, there aren''t that many houses that meet those requirements, so a limited selection may be what we end up with. I''ll let you know how many we look at when it''s all said and done!

 

[April20]

When I bought my first house, I think I looked at 3 or 4. I can''t really remember now. I know it wasn''t a lot as the area I lived in was expensive for me and there was very little inventory at my price range. I pulled the trigger on the house I bought the night I saw it as it was in a good neighborhood, near water and had been remodeled.

When I bought my second house, I was moving cross-country and into a more affordable area where I could afford more house. I did a ton of research and made a trip to look at houses. I think I looked at close to 20 or 30 houses in two days. I sort of lost track after a while. I found *the* house on day 2. Great neighborhood, great lot and the right price. Having looked at so many houses and feeling the need to only move once, I pulled the trigger on it after looking at it twice.

Our current house DH and I made an offer on fifteen minutes after seeing it. It was the FIRST house we looked at in person, though we''d done lots of drive-bys of other properties. It was a ridiculously good deal and was 15 houses from the second house I bought (and had already sold), so we knew the neighborhood already and loved it. It was in excellent condition for the price and the kind of house that would be gone the next day if we didn''t act now, so we did. I would not have been as comfortable making such a major decision on the fly if I wasn''t already aware of so many of the things you tend to question when you buy a house- crime rate, walkable shopping/restaurants, noise, commute, etc.

 

[Haven]

Our house was the 69th home we looked at, and we looked at another 14 homes after we saw our house before we put in an offer. So, our grand total was 83 homes. I know this because I kept an Excel spreadsheet with vital info about each home we checked out.

I think we were home shopping for about nine months total, but I could be off by a couple months. The whole thing is hazy in my mind at the moment. DH generally takes a lot of time to research into things before he jumps in, so I knew the house hunting would take a while. (It took him nine months to buy his last television.)

SO, that being said, I wouldn't say you're being too nitpicky, NEL.

We ended up deciding that location, layout, and lot were our top priorities, just as you said. Really, location ended up being key for us, and once we figured that out we were able to speed up the process in the end.

I did know the *moment* that we walked into our home that I wanted to live here. DH started laughing and said "there is no way I will ever live here." He was wrong.

He wanted to live here too by the time we put in our first offer, so that's all that counts.

DH and I were completely incompatible when it came to buying a house--I wanted a ranch with an open layout and a proper foyer and a mudroom. DH wanted a two-storey home with a two-car garage and a full finished basement and a huge yard. We ended up with a ranch with an open layout and a proper foyer and a mudroom and a very large yard for our area.

The process of putting in offers and negotiating the price was the most difficult for me. I made the mistake of getting very attached to our house, so I was really upset every time DH insisted that we walk away from the house when the buyers refused to come down. Of course, he was right because we would walk away, and then they'd call a couple days later with an even lower offer. It was very scary, though, thinking that we might lose this house that I loved so much.

Of course, had we lost this house, we'd probably be in a different house that I love and I'd be saying "thank goodness that didn't work out!"

Good luck with your search! I think the smartest thing we did was scale back our budget so we would easily be able to afford all of our expenses on the lesser of our two salaries. It's made life very comfortable being able to breathe easy as far as finances are concerned.

P.S. We call "split foyers" "raised ranches" in my neck of the woods!

 

[HollyS]

Probably about 20. It seems that they were all one house though. The floor plans were so similiar to each other, I didn't remember which address was which - - until we stepped into OUR house. Custom built in 1980, it has no generic features at all. We bought a one-of-a-kind. (Yippee!)

We closed at 1pm today! (It's still 8/31 in my time zone.) She's all ours!

 

[softly softly]

I''ve been on both ends of the spectrum. Our first place was a tiny art deco flat on a leafy inner city street near a major park. We had a particular interest in properties of that period and this was the first one that had come up in our price range. When we went to view it we could scarcely move for all other people cramming in to see and we had to look past piles of accumulated stuff the owner hadn''t seen fit to pack away, but we could immediately see it''s potential and ended up waiting until the end of the ''open for inspection'' and put in a full price offer to secure it - it was fairly obvious it wasn''t going to stay on the market long. We loved living there and never regretted jumping in so quickly, especially as when we went to sell we found we didn''t have to wait long for someone to snap it up.

By the time we bought our next place our situation had changed completely - we had one child, another imminent and had relocated across country. Again we looked at very few properties before buying our current house. This time the outcome has been slightly less satisfactory as within 2 years of moving in it became obvious we were going to outgrow this place very quickly. However we have ''made do'' for the past two years partly because selling so quickly didn''t make financial sense and partly because every other house we have looked at has not been sufficiently bigger or better than our current house. Finally after going around in circles for the past few months having explored every possible option - buying another property, trying to increase the floor space of this one, we have now decided to sell and build from scratch.

What I have learnt from all of this is that it is sometimes very hard to predict what you will require of your home even 5 years down the track. Babies seem to take up less space than active toddlers who need outside space as much as inside. Now that we are building I hope to be able to design a house that will allow us to grow with it, but even as we discuss layout and placement of bedrooms I am aware that I can not really predict how we will want to be living when our kids are teenagers instead of preschoolers.

 

[sbde]

NEL we moved 20 miles north of the city, close enough to commute but far enough to be able to afford something haha

we ended up purchasing a new house in an established area, so lucked out in the sense that we were able to customize all the finishes as it was being built.

 

[movie zombie]

i looked for 4 years and only had hubby take a look at the possibles that met my criteria.

mz

 

[diamondseeker2006]

We''ve looked on and off all summer. We''re trying to get new construction at a big discount because there is a lot on the market and sales are slow. We''ve made an offer on one of our top choices, they came back with a counter, and we made another offer today. The current offer is around $65k off the tax value on the property. The house is 2850 sq. ft., 3.5 baths, in a small custom built neighborbood, and all the lots are 3 acres or more. Thankfully, only about an acre has grass! I do not care at all about that much land, but my husband LOVES it! He wants to build a second garage in the back to be his play area, I mean...workshop! But we''ll see how the price goes...I wanted to look for a great deal since prices are normally high in the area where we''re looking.

I will say that I overanalyze EVERYTHING and will not find a "perfect" house. This one has everything we require, but there are a couple of things I don''t really like. So I am okay if we get it and okay if we don''t. The house I really like the most also has a couple of negatives, but it has been foreclosed and the bank is not yet pricing it where it needs to be. So we do have a back-up if the current one doesn''t materialize.

To answer the original question, I''ve done extensive looking online in order to narrow things down. So I guess we''ve looked at around 10 houses, but our specs narrowed down the list a lot.