Buying a house...How do you know which one??? (long)

[robbie3982]

DH and I currently rent a 2-bedroom townhouse (1300 sqft plus a semi-finished basement) which we've currently outgrown so we've started looking for a house. Our lease has just gone month-to-month so we're in no hurry especially since it's a buyer's market. We've only been seriously looking for about 2 weeks and I'm soooo overwhelmed!

First there's deciding which area we want to live in. We have it down to 2, but every time I think I have my mind made up someone says something that makes me change it! We currently live in one of the areas we're considering and DH works in the other. They're neighboring towns though so distance isn't an issue for either of our jobs (however I work downtown and the farther from there the better!).

The town were DH works is supposed to have excellent schools, but I'm getting the feeling that it's maybe a bit snobby. This is really just from hearing what others have said. My first hand experience with people from the town has been nothing but positive. It's definitely not the snobbiest town in our area either.

The town we currently live in has a lot of apartments and some areas that are just not all that nice, but it also has areas that are really nice. The schools are not as good in the ones where DH works, but I don't think they're necessarily bad either, though beyond state exams, how do you really compare schools?

I've lived in the current town for a bit over a year and I really thought that I'd have a better feel for where I wanted to live by now! DH has been here for 3 years and he has even less of an idea than I do, thought that's probably because I'm out in the community with my job much more than he is.

I think that the town where DH works is more like the town where I grew up and the town where we currently live is a bit more like the town where he grew up (also neighboring towns, but in a different city).

And if deciding where to buy wasn't hard enough, then we have to decide on the actual house! I don't know how we're ever going to be able to decide! I ended up with 2 wedding gowns because I'm so indecisive.

So, all you homeowners out there, how did you do it?!?! How did you make such an important decision? Did you just know when you found *the* house? Or is it more just a "this house will do" thing?

ETA: Hmmm...probably should've put this in Family & Home since it has to do with buying a home...If I can't even get my post in the right place how am I ever going to get my house there???

 

[somethingshiny]

I think you find THE house. I had never intended to live in my current town, and actually don''t own my home yet. We were looking for a place closer to DH work and came across our house. She didn''t want to sell yet, but we didn''t want to lose it.

The moment I walked in the door I could imagine little kids running around and I could picture my Christmas tree up in the living room. I saw the sunporch and nearly fainted. It''s not perfect by any means. It''s a hundred year old house with green carpet in two rooms, and pink carpet in another. (shudder)

Some may analyze the whole thing. From driving distance, and schools, to churches, etc. But, I just knew.

Good Luck!

 

[Skippy123]

Oh goodness it took us 6 or 7 months to find our house. I actually started looking on my own first; I went to open houses and then narrowed it down the the neighborhood I liked best (hubby knew I was picky so he wanted in later on in the search). For me looking for a house was a roller coast ride; we had 2 deals fall through and then the 3rd one was the charm. I didn't realize how important the inspections really are! I think if you want kids you want to try and find a good school and neighborhood you like. I would start looking and then ask your friends and family if they could recommend a good realtor. A good realtor makes a huge difference; she can alert you to houses which meet your criteria. I like the realtors I click with best. Best wishes on your search and take your time since you are renting month to month.

 

[Regular Guy]

I don''t know if you want to be run by school direction...but it can be a guide for narrowing. Not sure where you are, and what your municipality publishes. This thread goes maybe overboard (and me with it) on the subject; it''s for the DC area. Maybe it would give you some ideas about the kinds of resources you could look for.

Also, my town publishes in the Washingtonian about neighborhoods that are nice, trendy, etc. Sometimes our paper does this in it''s real estate section, too. Just some ideas.

 

[robbie3982]

Thanks for the responses somethingshiny and skippy!

We''re working with a realtor right now. She seems to be very upfront about what she thinks is wrong with houses and what she thinks could be within our price range even if they''re listed outside of it. She also seems to be really good at showing us things that on paper we don''t think are so great, but then we walk in and we''re like, well, maybe we should rethink that...

Right now our top 3 houses are so drastically different from eachother. One is a 2-story 3 bedroom approx 2000 sqft house built in 1948. The master is an ok size. I think it''s about the size of what we have now. The other 2 bedrooms are tiny. The basement is huge and partially finished. It''s 1.5 bathrooms and there''s only a 1 car garage, but it just really calls to me. It''s seriously the most adorable house I''ve ever seen and the kitchen and layout of the whole house are awesome. It''s also overpriced for what it is and the street it''s on.

The second house is brand new, built in 2006, 1500 sqft great layout, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, ranch, awesome basement just waiting to be finished. The realtor thinks that if we pay asking price that the builder will make some adjustments to the master suit (extend the bathroom, add in a jacuzzi tub, add light fixtures and throw in a refrigerator). Asking price is a good price as it is and is completely within our budget.

House #3 would be at the top of our budget if they come down as much as the realtor thinks they will. Not the best layout, but HUGE (3000 sqft). 4 bedrooms, an office, formal living and dining rooms, fairly updated kitchen that''s open to the family room, nice deck, 3.5 baths, 2 HUGE bedrooms upstairs (seriously they''re at least twice as big as our current master). Great deal/sqft as it is, if they come down like she thinks they will, it would be a steal and it''s in a really really nice neighborhood.

They''re all so different I don''t even know how to compare!

 

[robbie3982]

Date: 11/1/2007 10:52:54 PM
Author: Regular Guy
I don''t know if you want to be run by school direction...but it can be a guide for narrowing. Not sure where you are, and what your municipality publishes. This thread goes maybe overboard (and me with it) on the subject; it''s for the DC area. Maybe it would give you some ideas about the kinds of resources you could look for.

Also, my town publishes in the Washingtonian about neighborhoods that are nice, trendy, etc. Sometimes our paper does this in it''s real estate section, too. Just some ideas.

Thanks for the link! I''ll definitely have to check it out. I''m in OH and I work at a newspaper, so the people I''m asking for advice on neighborhoods are the same ones who''d be writing about it in the paper

and they''re all giving me different opinions! Agh!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Robbie, as a realtor I can tell you that the three most important decisions you'll make are location, location, and location. You said early on that there are two areas that potentially work for you--you're lucky! Explore them both for the *right* house. Notice I did not say the *perfect* house. There is no such thing. There is ALWAYS some element of compromise or something you might even find after the fact that you don't love about it. Relish in the 99% you DO love and forgive it the 1% that you don't.

As for "knowing the right house when you see it"... Sometimes. But sometimes not. If you find a lot of homes that "will work" it helps to do the ol' "plusses and minuses" lists.

It sounds like you're working with a good Realtor, and that along is worth it's weight in gold! (And I am NOT just saying that because I *am* one!)

Based on the three potential homes you described BTW I would see if they really will come down enough on the third one. That is the home that I feel you have the most enthusiasm for, and remember, if you buy big enough/good enough now it will save you from upgrading and moving in just a few years, which is an expensive and stressful event in and of itself.

Just my 2 cents... GOOD LUCK!

 

[Haven]

Oh, Robbie, I feel for you, honey! FI and I have only been looking for our first home for about a month and it is already tiring me out! We''ve made a lot of changes in our preferences since we started looking and boy, is it stressful.

Our problem is that we have what *I think* is a very good budget (400K give or take for the purchase price) and we can''t find a house that we like in the right area. 400K is not a ton of money for the area were looking in, but I''m seriously not willing to spend that much on an "okay" home. I mean--that''s almost half a million dollars! I''m still shocked at the prices.

SO, we''re actually thinking about buying an inexpensive townhouse and socking away a ton of money for a couple years so we can buy a nice house in our ideal location. We''re keeping both of our current condos as rental properties, too, so we have to work on renting those out. So many decisions! So much to do! It''s overwhelming!

It sounds like you have three great candidates in the running--I can''t wait to hear what you decide. Good luck! It IS very exciting to buy a home, though, isn''t it? (And are you filling up on all the homemade cookies people have at these open houses, too? Do realtors tell their clients to bake cookies? It''s crazy--I''ve eaten more cookies in the last month than I did in the entire year of 2006!)

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 11/1/2007 11:47:07 PM
Author: Haven
(And are you filling up on all the homemade cookies people have at these open houses, too? Do realtors tell their clients to bake cookies? It''s crazy--I''ve eaten more cookies in the last month than I did in the entire year of 2006!)

LOL -- Yes indeed they do! (I bet you''ve noticed a lot of apple pie and pumpkin scented candles too!)

 

[monarch64]

Robbie, we were in a similar boat a few years ago, going from renting to paying a mortgage! We are both pretty decisive, though, so we only had to scope out a few homes before deciding. I agree with DeeJay, location is everything. We found a house just 13 miles west of downtown Chicago that is close to the train station, major highways, Midway airport, etc., in our price range. The deciding factor really though was that I walked in first and it just felt like home. The couple who had inhabited it previously were what I would call "flippers with a conscience" i.e., they took great pains to make everything right with this little brick two-story Georgian...he is an electrician, she was a realtor/new mother, and the house was built in 48. One could tell they did everything from a buyer''s POV, from the re-wiring down to the paint colors and finishes. I loved it because I walked in and knew I didn''t have to do a damn thing besides add furniture and accessories, honestly. We''ve had zero problems (aside from a neighborhood electrical blowout this past spring, not their fault) with anything re. this house, and the only reason we are looking for a new house at this point is simply that we''ve begun to outgrow these digs and are getting ready to start a family in the next few years.

So our decision was based upon 1. location, 2. quality, and 3. move-in-ability. 2 and 3 could probably interchange...that was a tight race between the two.

Good luck to you and Mr. Robbie in your home purchase decision! It''s a fun one and a daunting one at the same time, but you''ll get through it just like wedding planning...and look forward to lots of fun "firsts" like parties, GTG''s, children, etc.

 

[Deelight]

People buy houses for many different reasons firstly you need to identify exactly what you want from your house and what your long term plans are, do you want to invest, stay, stay for a while and turn it into an investment etc. This will greatly impact what you will be looking for your house to do.


My number 1 advice is to buy UNDER your budget and plan ahead interest rates can change and and can affect that amount of repayment you have to make each fortnight (paying fortnightly is also better then monthly and if you can pay extra do it ) if you have extended your budget to maximum you don't have wiggle room if things change (again I know nothing about the market in your area). But rates can change and fast

Location is important look at the selling trends of the houses in the area contact a realtor and ask for the selling prices for houses in the areas your looking for the past 12 mths you can see what prices are like are they stable falling rising? etc. Make sure to have building and pest inspections done and check tress close to the home that they are not affecting foundations or pipes. When we had termites the guy who sprayed our house told me of a couple spent all their money on a house only to find it needed to be demolished due to termites

.

My second advice is to remove all emotion many people fall in love with the idea of a house, love the house for sure but make sure you look at all things like the structure of the house possible defects things you can do to improve value (preferably inexpensive things) and finally if you change your reason for wanting this house or decide to sell will it appeal to others.

I bought my first and only house when I was 17 with my dad (10 years ago and just recently have bought my dad out) at the time my house was undervalued for the area and quite large compared to the other houses around a little run down but she has potential. This house is not a house I want to live in for much longer so identifying that need I am currently looking to renovate to be a rental. Currently where I live in Brisbane Australia we are seeing a drastic BOOM in house prices and it is continuing I am currently looking to buy a second house but what house I buy will be directly influenced for need to grow my portfolio.

I wish you luck in your quest make sure you look at many many many houses. I would look at about least 20 before making a decision on one if it is a buyers market you have a lot of room to negotiate as well and get yourself a good deal, you will be surprised what some people will accept.

Hope this helps some

 

[Steel]

Date: 11/1/2007 11:51:58 PM
Author: Dee*Jay

Date: 11/1/2007 11:47:07 PM
Author: Haven
(And are you filling up on all the homemade cookies people have at these open houses, too? Do realtors tell their clients to bake cookies? It''s crazy--I''ve eaten more cookies in the last month than I did in the entire year of 2006!)

LOL -- Yes indeed they do! (I bet you''ve noticed a lot of apple pie and pumpkin scented candles too!)

Ha Ha,

I deceided to sell my house without an estate agent and thought long and hard about what ''tricks'' I wanted to utilise so as to maximise my sale price and get the best sale.

Every viewing I asked DH to bake either a cake or gorgeous cupcakes.

I felt so devious. (He trained as a chef origionally!)

 

[Steel]

Hi Robbie,

Your come across as such a sweetheart, I hope you find the house of your dreams.

I have lots of advice for you, but I am sure you have heard it all before, so I will stick with 3 gems:

1: Go for Location & SIZE as joint priorities. The first will change over time with urban crawl, so make sure you like the actual location and not just for its'' proximity to another place. (If you get me.) The second is the most common reason outside a change of job why you would need/want to move. Buy bigger than you think you will need whenever possible.

2: Interest rates. Notwithstanding that you can ''fix'' your interest rate or get a first time buyers ''deal'' for a few years, look carefully at the bang for your buck in your budget. Go as high as you want within that budget as long as you are getting something ''more'' for it; location, basement, potential to extend etc. But please Robbie check that your max budget is very very do-able. Look at a redundancy, ill health, children etc but most of all plan for 2/3 more interest rate hikes per year with things in the money markets staying normal. If you can afford that then you should be fine.

3: Re the ONE. I do not recommend in this bullish market that you set your heart (formally) on any house. (Depending on your local laws) I would bid on a number of ''suitable'' houses when you find a good selection. Bid low in an non committal fashion. As long as the house ticks the boxes you need once you get the price down you will LOVE it no matter where it came on your original priority list. You may not get what you feel is your first choice house but maybe it wasn''t for you anyway? It is a buyers market - cash in on it.

Agh, darn it I want to say more....

Please post again when you want to offer on some houses, I am sure we can give you a LONG list of items to snag on the house. And get a SURVEY.

Best of luck.

ETA: #3 looks like a winner to me

. But bid on them alllllllllllllllllllllllllll

.

 

[ang3199]

Robbie: When FI and I bought our house (exactly one year ago yesterday!) we had been looking for a while and heard about it from a friend of a friend. We saw it and fell in love. Maybe we fell in love with it b.c it was our first house and we were anxious to buy, but I don''t know. All I know is that we have made it our own and it fits us perfectly.

Good luck to you. The whole process of buying a house is quite a pain!

 

[Pandora II]

No. 3 is looking good.

The house FI and I own, we bought 5 hours after it came onto the market - London is nuts, if you don't get in superfast you lose out.

It's not a beautiful house, or big (45 square metres total), but the location was superb. 5 minutes from a zone 1 tube station and 5 minutes from the Thames in an up and coming area.

In 3 years, it's value has doubled, entirely down to the location which is now becoming very sought after.

We need to move somewhere bigger, and sadly that amount we get selling this place will all be eaten up and then some buying bigger, as all the houses round here have risen by the same percentages. Or we have to move out of Zone 1 and pay $$ for travel and have huge commutes to work.

My advice:

Better to buy the worst house in a good location than to buy the best house in the worst location. Location, Location, Location as the UK TV programme says

Be prepared to look past the nasty curtains, terrible paint colours and not ideal layouts - these can all be fixed.

Buy bigger than your current needs.

Get a full survey done. Don't buy if there are major structural problems, and negotiate with the vendors for any non cosmetic work that needs doing.


(PS. If you have never owned a jacuzzi bath and know you like them - ask some people who have them if they would have them again. I once rented a house with one and I would never consider owning one

)

 

[laine]

I didn''t see this mentioned, but I apologize if its a repeat.

You''ve mentioned both schools and tiny bedrooms. I know kids are in the near future, so schools are an issue, but remember, it will probably be 7 years until you''re kids are in school, so things can change. Also, will you even still be in this same house then? You also mentioned tiny bedrooms. Not an issue now, but how many kids do you have planned? Can you picture these bedrooms being ok past infancy?

Just think about how long you''re planning to stay in this house. If its long term, your needs are likely different than if you expect to move (for more space or whatever). If you can''t afford as much house as you think you''ll need long term, then you can worry less about schools and things, since you''ll be moving by the time there are a few kids in the picture.

As for how you know, when I bought my townhouse, I looked at probably 50 houses, all different types, all over the area. I saw a few that were ok, and I knew I could make work, but when I walked in this one, I knew it was just what I wanted. I had the luxury of time, which I think you do too. It must be tough when you''re moving in a short time and have to take what is available then. I live in a college town, so most of the turnover is in the summer. I know this doesn''t happen to such an extreme everywhere, but I think more houses usually go in the market in the summer, so people can avoid their kids changing schools. If you can wait that long, you may have more options.

 

[eks6426]

Robbie--Have you & DH made a list of the things you want in a house? You should each do you own lists without the other''s involvement then compare the 2 & make a final list. I''m reading a lot of people commenting on size and perhaps that is the most important thing to you but it may not be. For example, I live with my husband & 2 sons in a 1400 sq foot house with 1 1/2 bathrooms. Our bedrooms & closets are small. It''s definitely not the "ideal" scenerio that most people picture but I LOVE my neighborhood & my 1940''s older house character. I wouldn''t trade it for the world to live in the suburbs with houses circ 1997 and newer even though the square footage would be double. But that''s just me.

If I remember right, you work for a newspaper..you have access to a lot of stats that most people won''t. Check the crime stats, check the trends. Talk to the news reporters who cover the 2 neighborhoods where are considering. They should have a real "feel" for the area & be able to tell you things that you can''t find written on paper. If you''ve changed jobs, you should still be able to contact the reporters.

If you''re going to buy older, how handy are you & DH? Most houses will require repairs but older houses tend to have more surprising repairs that pop up when you least expect it. The wiring/plumbing/walls etc. of older homes are different than newer homes and often a bit more challenging to work with. As I said, I love my 1940s house, but some of the repairs I''ve had to do have been just a pain...made more so because of plaster walls.

Make sure you look past the truly cosmetic items such as paint. Stuff that can easily be changed shouldn''t be a factor at all in your decision. Look for location, quality construction & layout.

Don''t rush the decision! Good luck in your search.

 

[lyra]

The market where we live in moves extremely fast. Basically, if you see a house you like, you have to offer immediately, as houses go in days. This really sucks, believe me. We have moved many times and are on our fifth house unfortunately. Two moves were job related and we had very little to choose from. I think we have it down now though. List your priorities. For us it is decent kitchen as #1, followed by decent lot, decent family room, 2 car garage, etc. We''ve found that since we spend the most time in the kitchen, it is the deal breaker/maker for any house. We are capable of doing any type of renovation work ourselves, and have done a lot, so cosmetics are no big deal at all to us. Even some structural issues can be overcome. Location or the lot itself is really big too. We live in high density areas, with too small lots, so it''s really hard to find a bigger lot within a decent budget.

Go with your gut feeling, but do have the home inspected by a professional before you buy if possible. Expect to feel stressed. This is *big* stress, even though it is good stress. Expect to feel buyer''s remorse too. Good luck!

 

[Mara]

we went into our home buying experience with a plan. we had a 5 year plan so we wanted a 5 year house. we didn't really want the pressure of something we wanted to own for longer than 5 years since we didn't know what we wanted to do aftere 5 years. we shopped around for a few months, we wanted new construction only because it was a shorter term plan, and we didn't want to deal with repairs or someone's old wallpaper and the roof or whatever for a house we didn't intend to stay in, nor did we have the time or inclination to deal with that on our weekends. we found a few places that might work but we found one townhouse that was amazing. but they were sold out of the model we wanted. so we were just about to make a decision on this other one that was kind of as nice but not QUITE and then we got a call that one of the sold out models we wanted had fallen out of financing and that they'd give it to us for like $30k less to just move it, and were we interested. of course, so we went the next day, wrote our check and that was it. we are still here 4.5 years later, deciding what to do in the next year, but we really like it here still. i do believe in 'fate' when it comes to this kind of stuff because we were about to put $$ down on something else and the one we REALLY wanted and adored (had seen nothing quite as nice for the $$) came through right at that time. and this has been a great investment for us also which is just a bonus. so for me i think that it's an equal part research and kind of things falling into place when you find the place you'll be for a little while.

the one thing NOT to do is get stressed out before you even have really thought things through. you may be indecisive but just remember...nothing is forever, so don't put that kind of pressure on finding the place you want to be in. sometimes 'right now' is what you should focus on esp when you guys are just starting out. maybe find what you can afford now and for the next few years and then go from there. think about jobs and location for now rather than thinking about great schools for your kids...my parents were trying to push that one on us when we were looking, and i was like umm we don't even HAVE kids yet so they def aren't going to school around here within 5 years, so no need to worry about that one right now.

good luck!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I think there are three things to look at, location, lot, and lay-out. The rest is SOOOO easy to change. I don''t know if I (at least) ever knew our homes were "the one." For our first home it was the right price, right size, right location. It is a great house and I was sad to move. Our current home is DH''s dream house. Again, great price, location, and size. I am sure we would be happy in many houses. I don''t have a romantic view about things like this. If the rooms seem to small now they will only shrink later (like diamonds

). Don''t over extend yourselves. Don''t buy in a flood zone. And remember this won''t be your forever house.

 

[gailrmv]

I really agree w/ Tacori and Dee Jay''s advice on what to look for. We have done it twice now and both times have had some regrets - the first time location (we were new the area and should have rented first... we picked a part of town without very good amenities). The second time lot size - it was a new construction neighborhood and it seemed like we would have more land before they actually put the houses up!. Also, with the falling market, it is discouraging to see the house next door sell for much less than we paid when they should have been the same

Anyway sorry if that it TMI. I guess the moral of the story is don''t rush, focus on the things you cannot change (lot, layout, location) and make sure you are happy with them! Try not to let cosmetic things enter into your decision - if you like them, that''s a bonus, but if not, you can change them. Some things are so easy like paint and window treatments and even flooring, esp if you have it done before you move in, and other things like kitchens and baths are harder and more expensive but can definitely be done (DIY or hire someone!)
Of the houses you described #3 sounds like it would be my choice.

 

[robbie3982]

Yay! More responses!

DeeJay, our realtor does seem to be very good. She''s been finding some things that aren''t necessarily what we asked for, but we like them once we''re inside. I think what I want is to find not necessarily our dream home, but something that we''d be ok to stay in forever if we had to becuase you never know what''s going to happen.

Haven, if you were in our area, your budget would get you an AMAZING house. Our max is more like $160k, but in this area, that should still be able to get us something nice. I used to like the idea of buying something more for right now and saving up more, but I''m worried that when we''d need to go bigger the market would be how it is now and we''d lose money and be worse off. We actually haven''t been to any open houses yet! We''ve just been around with the realtor so far.

SanDiegoLady, I had a Christmas tree moment in the brand new house yesterday! It has vaulted ceilings and I could picture our tree going up. I''m just worried that we''d outgrow that one.

Monarch, I wish I could decide where I''d rather be. This is hard.

Lol. I''m really torn between getting a fixer upper and getting something where we wouldn''t want to change anything.

Deelight, we''ll be in the house for at least 5 years. DH says that we''ll be moving back to Pittsburgh (where we''re both from) eventually, but he also said that we''d move back as soon as we were done with the wedding planning which is obviously not happening. (I don''t want to make it sound like DH is a liar or anything, he just really loves his job and doesn''t want to leave it. I honestly don''t think he''s going to ever want to leave it, but I''ve come to terms with it). We''ll definitely be getting a fixed rate mortgage, so interest rates changing wouldn''t effect our monthly payment. Our budget is set up so that we''ll still be able to put a decent amount of money away each month. I''ve realized recently that if it wasn''t for wedding expenses for the last year we''d have a much better downpayment (and we didn''t even pay for the majority of the wedding). We''ll definitely be having a buliding inspector come through before we purchase anything. Wow, I can''t even imagine going through all of this at 17!

Steel, I''m going to have to be more aware of the smells in the house to see if they''re effecting my feelings about the house! DH and my dad both think that we should buy bigger than what we need right now, FIL thinks we should start small and work up if we need to, but this is coming from the man who raised 5 kids in a 3 bedroom 1.5 bathroom house (granted the kids ages are very spaced out with the oldest at 42 and the youngest at 21, but I seriously can''t even imagine that many people sharing one shower!). I can see both sides and sometimes it just makes me more confused to all of their opinions. The top of our budget is definitely doable with us both working. We''ve figured out with the downpayment that we have and the interest rate that we''ll be able to get, what our monthly payments would be for different mortgages and we made sure that we''ll still be able to save money each month. I''m a bit confused about all this talk about varying interest rates...I thought that when you have a fixed interest rate it''s fixed for the life of the loan...am I wrong? That would definitely change everything...I don''t know if you can bid on multiple houses at once here. Anyone know?

I really hope that we have that "this is the one" feeling. It would make the whole thing a lot simpler.

Pandora, #3 is DH''s favorite, or at least it was last night...he changes his mind almost as much as I do

! Our market is very different than yours. A lot of the houses we''ve been looking at have been on the market for over a year. What didn''t you like about the jacuzzi tub? We had one on the honeymoon and liked it, but we also only used it a few times.

Laine, I''m not sure if we''ll still be in this house when we have kids, but I figure it''s better to get something that we''d be ok in with 2 kids (that''s how many we want) than to have to find something new in 7 years because who knows what our situation will be then? I think the bedrooms would probably be a bit small once the kids grew up a bit more in house #1. I go back and forth in my head about whether or not this would be an issue since we''d finish the basement and they could use that as a play area. DH is not big on change, so even though he doesn''t seem to think we''ll be in our first house forever, I want to make sure that we''d be ok with it if we were. We can definitely wait as long as we need to. Our rent isn''t bad and is only going up $25/month in 08 so we''re in no rush.

ID, we had an original list, but it keeps changing! Originally we wanted 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2 car garage. Beyond that we were open to possibilities. Apparently 4 br, 2.5 baths, 2 car garages are not the nicest in our budget so we expanded to 3 bedrooms and so on and so forth and that''s how the list keeps changing. DH & I aren''t necessarily the most handy, but we learn pretty quickly and FIL is very handy and would be able to help us and teach us what we needed to know. We''re definitely trying our best to look beyond cosmetic stuff when we''re looking.

Lyra, I''m definitely not looking forward to that buyer''s remorse!

Mara, I hope that things work out as well for us as they did for you guys!

Tacori, it seems like many homes in the area have flooding issues so we''re making sure to inspect all basements thoroughly!

Thanks for the advice TanDogMom!

 

[Pandora II]

Gosh I could cry when I hear what your house prices are!

We live in what is mainly a welfare block of flats where about 5 out of 40 are privately owned. The rest are very,very low rent for people who are on welfare. A 1 bedroom flat (40 m square) here sold last week for $500k.

The problem I found with the jacuzzi was that they only seem to work well if you buy the really expensive ones. When you turn them on, you get hit with a load of cold scummy water that has been sitting in the pipes since the last time. Of course, design may have improved since I last had one...

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 11/2/2007 1:18:13 PM
Author: robbie3982
Yay! More responses!

DeeJay, our realtor does seem to be very good. She''s been finding some things that aren''t necessarily what we asked for, but we like them once we''re inside. I think what I want is to find not necessarily our dream home, but something that we''d be ok to stay in forever if we had to becuase you never know what''s going to happen.

Robbie, personally, I resonate with this. And good that you connect with your realtor. This is good, and it helps.

ID, we had an original list, but it keeps changing!
Tacori, it seems like many homes in the area have flooding issues so we''re making sure to inspect all basements thoroughly!

1) We made lists, too. The last list was typical of me...lots of components...weighted for each part. The house we bought did score high.

2) My wife was really focused on the flooding thing, since our last home had problems with it. No trees near the house for her (where leaves would clogg the gutters, causing problems later). Of course, we had flooding 3 days into the purchase. But...the owner prior to us hadn''t cleaned out their gutters. We think that was the problem. 1.3 years later...we haven''t had water problems since (but we did have a golly wopper 3 days after the purchase).

Have fun.

 

[jcrow]

we were facing this same thing last year. basically we could have a larger older home with not so nice features or a brand new smaller house with attention to detail. we chose the later. we got into a really great neighborhood with a great school district. yes it feels small sometimes, but it''s cozy. i just couldn''t see us doing all sorts remodeling to an older home. don''t know if i would have ever been happy with it. of course, i had just finished planning our wedding, so i was near pooped. we ended up building so the few extra months were nice. got to research and plan our options. and the finish product just feels so us.

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi Robbie,

I haven''t read all the responses yet, so I may be repeating others'' comments. From what you said about the three houses early on in this thread, I''d go with either #2 or 3. The first one you mentioned has tiny bedrooms, right? That alone would make me think twice before going for that one.

 

[jesterjigger]

We just bought a house in Ohio with a similar budget...and for the most part, just knew it was the one. We looked up houses in the two areas we were considering on the MLS. We had set criteria and then set up with our realtor to look at houses for two days (we were limited on time). Some of the houses, we just knew weren''t what we wanted when we walked in the door. There was one house that we adored, due solely to the way it was decorated. It was gorgeous, but overpriced because of it. And then we came to our house...everything was perfect, master room size, master closet, huge bathroom with jacuzzi tub and separate shower, fireplace, two huge spare bedroom, nice kitchen...everything.

When we looked we took a copy of the MLS info for the house and wrote notes on the back about strong likes and dislikes. I also took LOTS of pictures of each house. We then went home and looked at the pictures together, and also got input from my family. We looked at about 12 houses and then looked at a couple twice. You really need to look at the houses in person, because the layout can make a big difference. We ended up with a one story ranch (1800 square feet) and it seems a lot bigger in person than you would think. We looked at a couple of two story houses that were bigger, square footage-wise, but weren''t laid out as nicely. The stairs and halls took out what could have been living space and the openness of our floor plan just makes it seem really comfy and like a home.

One thing that my parents suggested that we didn''t actually do, but sounds like a great idea, is to video as you walk through the house...especially if you''re having trouble deciding. They said that a lot of things stick out more on the video that you don''t pay attention to or notice in person. Good luck...house hunting was a blast, it was fun walking into each house and imagining it as "ours". But that special moment of finding the one that really was ours was unforgettable...so have fun, especially since you have so much time!

 

[labbielove]

Hi Robbie,
The good news is you guys are in a great situation with a month to month lease, it''s a buyer''s market, and with you being renters you can buy with no contingencies, which makes you even MORE attractive to sellers.

You''ve gotten some great advice here. I''ve owned my own home for almost 9 years, and bought it well before I met Mr.Labbie, so may have had some different requirements if we were looking together, but one advantage is that we know we can afford the house on one salary, not that you have to do that, but the advice you got about looking for purchase price under budget is great- things always add up more quickly than you realize and it''s nice to have the extra cushion (i.e. you can sleep at night)

The other advice I would give is to really take advantage of your situation- I wish I would''ve bargained more with my sellers. I was in a month to month lease, pre-approved mortgage, and very flexible about moving times. My sellers were building, so I actually purchased the home and they rented back from me for 3 months- THEY made out great in this deal- I wish I would have bargained better- so use your attractiveness as a buyer to your full advantage.

 

[aljdewey]

Things I think would help you:

1. Make a kind of 'mission statement' about what you want. Do you want to buy a house you'll stay in the next 30 years, or something you only need for 5? You mentioned a possible intent to move back to PIT, but you seem to feel it's not terribly likely.) Also, how tolerant are you to the idea of upgrading/having to move? Will you be there long enough to worry about kids/schooling? If so, is private school a possibility? If it is, your placement within a school district might be less important if your kids won't use it.

Our mission statement was: we want to move into our house and live in it until retirement; we've both already moved so many times that I just don't want to do it again. I want to be settled. We aren't having a family, so we didn't have to consider school districts, and we didn't want to buy in a location where the taxes were inflated due to good schooling we wouldn't utilize. We settled on our town because I'd lived there before; it's easily accessible to 3 major highways. It's surrounded by all well-off towns, but it has a blue-collar history, so tax base is still low and value for the dollar is best in the area. Express train to Boston stops in our city, so options were open for job changes if we wanted. It's 30 min commute to work; 10 min highway and 20 min winding roads through well-to-do towns. Reasonably safe city; pretty low crime rate.

3) List out your desires - split them into must-haves, would-like-to-haves, and don't-wants.

Our initial template:

Must haves: 3 BRs (master, guest and study), dining room (not visible from LR if possible), LR, sizeable kitchen, and basement/storage(8-15 years old).
1600-2000 sq. ft. (only 2 of us; wanted to be able to keep up with housework, etc and still have a life but we wanted big enough to attract wider buyer
audience when we sell
Not much more than a 1/4 acre land (again, wanted manageable maintenance)
Air ducts in place for central air capability (so forced air heat, or baseboard heat but central air already in place)
City town/water
Desirable neighborhood

Would like to haves: fireplace, 2nd floor laundry (would settle for 1st), bigger secondary bedrooms.

Don't wants: basement laundry, subcontractor developments (cookie cutter).

3) Get out and see a lot of homes. It's a HUGE learning experience and helps you figure out what what you want. We went into about 35 homes in two months, and we saw/eliminated another 40 or so just by driving up/looking from outside. We were prepared to spend as many months as it took to find the right fit. A garage didn't start out being a requirement for us, but the more we looked at, the more we wanted 2-car garage, and it became a must-have item. That changed our price range, but we were okay with that. Oddly, I've always been a fan of older homes, but house hunting changed that. I still love to look at them, but I don't want to live in one. We both realized we really wanted a new home if we could swing it - layout was much more amendable to us (larger rooms, bigger closets). Attics never even entered our minds until we saw new homes with walk-up attics, and that quickly escalated to a strong would-like-to-have.

Once our preferences were shaped, I thought we were going to have difficulty because most new construction here runs at least 2400+ sq and are in developments, neither of which we wanted.

When we first saw my house, it was only rough framed; hubby isn't a visionary so he didn't seem responsive over it. I thought it was nearly ideal for us: new house being built on last lot at the end of of quaint, pretty dead-end street. Easement/zoning means there cannot be any further development on this street. It's 1800 sq. ft., had everything on our wish list AND everything on our want-to-have list. It's 1/2 acre, but back half of that is conversation (woods/trees), so we only have to maintain 1/4. Vinyl siding, so easy upkeep. Only downsides: floor plan was a bit more open that I wanted in LR/Kit, LR was narrower than I wanted, and it was above what we wanted to spend. (It was still easily below our means, although it didn't feel like it at the time!)

As Dee mentioned, it was the 99% love it scenario, so I came back alone a few times. I just knew it was the right house for us. I stood in the living room thinking "I can SO see us here; it's nearly perfect for us." It's like the house was meant for us, and I could feel it. When the walls went up and the siding went on, hubby agreed to come back with our realtor. By that time, another 3 weeks of looking at houses had transpired. Hubby was somewhat more responsive now that he could better see layout. Realtor had said so many times 'no, I don't think this is the one for you'; when we met her at this one, she said "this is precisely what you've been wanting! This is the house for you." After we signed P&S and the finish details began coming together (cabinets installed, fireplace mantel, woodwork, hardwood floors), hubby fell in LOVE with it too.

It was definitely a process, and our requirements changed a little the more we learned. Househunting is like dating, seeing lots of them really helps define what you most want. I think it gives a much clearer picture of what your non-negotiables are, and what will really make you happy.

More than anything, don't let it get the better of you. When it gets overwhelming, step back a bit and take a break. Don't let it become this life-of-its-own drama. Enjoy the process.

 

[HappyAnniversary]

Robbie--Congrats on the marriage and now looking for a house. One thing to consider with the old v/s newer and small v/s large house might be the heating/cooling costs per month. Electric bills can vary a lot and newer houses would be more efficient, if your newer house is being built you can add more energy efficient options that will pay for themselves in the future. There should be able to find out what elctric bills were for the older house for the last year. also I have a two-story with 2 air conditioning units and two furnaces. DOUBLE COSTS to replace when the house turned 17 years old! I wish I had bought a one story and 1 bigger unit. And be sure to learn all about mortagage stuff if you are thinking of anything besides a fixed inteerest rate mortgage. Good luck.