The I need to buy a house thread

[Rush2112]

As for Johnnie's rent v. buy. ABQ was one of the fastest growing cities in the US and after a bit of a slow down seems to be on the uptick again. Depending on where the house is you shouldn't have that much difficulty renting to fellow chair force personnel from Kirtland. There are so many people shuffling in and out that it shouldn't be difficult.

[Johnnie]

So, update with me...

I close on Monday. The house appraised at 3.5k above what I'm paying for it. All the inspections came back great. I'm actually closing early too. My realtor said that all of this is completely atypical of his experience. So that's neat.

Then today I got the final closing disclosure and I'm actually getting $435 back. Completely caught me by surprise. I was expecting to spend like $5k out of pocket for closing costs. So I said to the lender that I wish I could've paid down to get a better APR.

Well...she did some reconfiguring and with roughly a $2,800 cash to close amount I go from 4.25% to 3.875% on the APR. Saves $40 a month P&I. After 5.7 years it evens out. So over the remaining life of the loan I'll save over $11k.

Yea, this seems like it worked out well, all things considered. I feel like something is supposed to jump out and make this all not worth it, but maybe that's just my natural pessimism.

[govmentchedda]

Everything's coming up Milhouse!

[The Sybian]

I feel like something is supposed to jump out and make this all not worth it, but maybe that's just my natural pessimism.

Just wait until you start to realize the previous owner skimped on repairs and installations, so everything starts to break, the roof springs leaks, you learn the sewer lines are buckled and clogged... I mean, congratulations!

[Johnnie]

Just wait until you start to realize the previous owner skimped on repairs and installations, so everything starts to break, the roof springs leaks, you learn the sewer lines are buckled and clogged... I mean, congratulations!

Heh. Just started moving in this week after being gone for a week after closing on the 11th.

The fridge is dead. It was fine when I was house hunting. It had bottled water in it and it was cold. It was fine through everything afterward, but the compressor and fan died somewhere in the meantime.

So, I do the insurance thing. The appliance isn't on my plan, so I add it because I'm still in the grace period. $50. I schedule a repair man to come out and check it. Yup, dead. That call out cost $75 bucks. He recommends either new parts or a new fridge to the insurance company.

I get a call from him this morning saying that the warranty folks need a copy of the inspection from when I was buying the house. Ok. The warranty folks call me to reiterate that and I send the home inspection to them. I decide to look over the home inspection. The refrigerator is literally listed in a section that says "present, but not inspected." WTF.

So now I'm waiting to hear back what the verdict is. I already have a feeling about what the answer is, but I'll remain hopeful.

The fridge is an old as shit Amana. It was bound to die soon. So what's the point of insurance in the first year if I do in fact get the "I'm sorry, but we cannot verify your claim" nonsense? Ridiculous.

[duff]

Just wait until you start to realize the previous owner skimped on repairs and installations, so everything starts to break, the roof springs leaks, you learn the sewer lines are buckled and clogged... I mean, congratulations!

Heh. Just started moving in this week after being gone for a week after closing on the 11th.

The fridge is dead. It was fine when I was house hunting. It had bottled water in it and it was cold. It was fine through everything afterward, but the compressor and fan died somewhere in the meantime.

So, I do the insurance thing. The appliance isn't on my plan, so I add it because I'm still in the grace period. $50. I schedule a repair man to come out and check it. Yup, dead. That call out cost $75 bucks. He recommends either new parts or a new fridge to the insurance company.

I get a call from him this morning saying that the warranty folks need a copy of the inspection from when I was buying the house. Ok. The warranty folks call me to reiterate that and I send the home inspection to them. I decide to look over the home inspection. The refrigerator is literally listed in a section that says "present, but not inspected." WTF.

So now I'm waiting to hear back what the verdict is. I already have a feeling about what the answer is, but I'll remain hopeful.

The fridge is an old as shit Amana. It was bound to die soon. So what's the point of insurance in the first year if I do in fact get the "I'm sorry, but we cannot verify your claim" nonsense? Ridiculous.

Welcome to home ownership and dealing with insurance.

[brian]

I've had nothing but good things to say about my home warranty policy (and am hoping for continued good luck since our A/C died last night and I just made a report and am waiting to hear if someone can come out today), but this might be a case where you got screwed by your inspector more than anything.

But good luck. If you have to replace it yourself might be a blessing in disguise if they end up cheaping out on you. Getting a better model than the one they get for you might help with resale value in a few years (and make you happier in the interim).

[mister d]

When this does go the direction I'm sure its going, it might be worth really looking at the other three appliances to see how long they'll last because you can bundle and save a decent amount.

[Johnnie]

Yea, I can only figure that my other stuff is going to go to hell too.

New appliances were certainly a thing that I'd like to get eventually. But I can't live in a place without a fridge.

Luckily I always plan what ifs in my head constantly, so I was already looking for upgrades in the meantime. I'm happy that I can get something on base tax free and probably marked down considerably. The other non washer and dryer appliances were inspected. So it makes sense to get a package deal.

[mister d]

Did you walk through on the inspection? Interesting they'd check all appliances except the one that was clearly(?) going to shit.

[A_B]

I never bother with appliance on the insurance. Usually better to just replace with upgrades, IMO. The days where a fridge lasted 15-20 years seem to be over. Too much electronics integrated.

(I have performed two pretty easy repairs on my fridge which we have had for about 5 years. Probably about 125 bucks total in parts which would have been out of pocket on deductible anyway. )

[BSF21]

Just wait until you start to realize the previous owner skimped on repairs and installations, so everything starts to break, the roof springs leaks, you learn the sewer lines are buckled and clogged... I mean, congratulations!

Heh. Just started moving in this week after being gone for a week after closing on the 11th.

The fridge is dead. It was fine when I was house hunting. It had bottled water in it and it was cold. It was fine through everything afterward, but the compressor and fan died somewhere in the meantime.

So, I do the insurance thing. The appliance isn't on my plan, so I add it because I'm still in the grace period. $50. I schedule a repair man to come out and check it. Yup, dead. That call out cost $75 bucks. He recommends either new parts or a new fridge to the insurance company.

I get a call from him this morning saying that the warranty folks need a copy of the inspection from when I was buying the house. Ok. The warranty folks call me to reiterate that and I send the home inspection to them. I decide to look over the home inspection. The refrigerator is literally listed in a section that says "present, but not inspected." WTF.

So now I'm waiting to hear back what the verdict is. I already have a feeling about what the answer is, but I'll remain hopeful.

The fridge is an old as shit Amana. It was bound to die soon. So what's the point of insurance in the first year if I do in fact get the "I'm sorry, but we cannot verify your claim" nonsense? Ridiculous.

Go hard on them. Their job is to not pay claims. Dog them until they do. Mention social media.

[mister d]

Its weird because this is the one time I kinda get the insurance side. When someone buys a house with shitty old appliances, should a $100 policy really cover all the replacements?

(Or am I stupid for not trying to do this knowing we "needed" to replace when we bought here?)

[BSF21]

Its weird because this is the one time I kinda get the insurance side. When someone buys a house with shitty old appliances, should a $100 policy really cover all the replacements?

(Or am I stupid for not trying to do this knowing we "needed" to replace when we bought here?)

I get it. This is exactly why I stay away from home warranty policies in the first place. They're a scam. It's nearly impossible to get them to cover things and you've got to fight them tooth and nail. (Brian's experiences notwithstanding, I just have 25ish from people I know on the other side of that ledger)

Johnnie, depending on how long you can wait, go buy a fridge on clearance from Lowes. Surely there will be a 4th of July sale or something coming up. If you're in the process of moving and need to be set up in there, it may not be worth the headache or you can fight them on reimbursement.

[brian]

Its weird because this is the one time I kinda get the insurance side. When someone buys a house with shitty old appliances, should a $100 policy really cover all the replacements?

(Or am I stupid for not trying to do this knowing we "needed" to replace when we bought here?)

If it really wasn't inspected I'm inclined to let them off the hook. Remember one of the problems with home warranties, even the best ones (and again I'm totally happy with mine -- they replaced a $3,000 pool heater, no questions asked and no bullshit, as well as two or three repairs to my A/C -- is that they tend to only "patch" issues by just trying to get the unit working again even if they know it's a old piece of shit and probably should be replaced -- they're content to kick that can down the road as long as possible since they continue to collect the $75 deductible every time they have to come out in addition to the cost of the warranty itself.

[brian]

Its weird because this is the one time I kinda get the insurance side. When someone buys a house with shitty old appliances, should a $100 policy really cover all the replacements?

(Or am I stupid for not trying to do this knowing we "needed" to replace when we bought here?)

I get it. This is exactly why I stay away from home warranty policies in the first place. They're a scam. It's nearly impossible to get them to cover things and you've got to fight them tooth and nail. (Brian's experiences notwithstanding, I just have 25ish from people I know on the other side of that ledger)

Johnnie, depending on how long you can wait, go buy a fridge on clearance from Lowes. Surely there will be a 4th of July sale or something coming up. If you're in the process of moving and need to be set up in there, it may not be worth the headache or you can fight them on reimbursement.

Probably cheaper for him to get one from the BX.

[Johnnie]

Did you walk through on the inspection? Interesting they'd check all appliances except the one that was clearly(?) going to shit.

Oh yes. There the whole time and had questions about everything I was curious about. When I arrived the inspector was actually in the kitchen testing things. It's the final report, which I thought I read intently, that I should've noticed that the refrigerator wasn't considered inspected. Myself and my realtor had opened it to get some bottled water that day and others, so it doesn't make sense that a cursory "it worked" on the report wasn't noted.

Its weird because this is the one time I kinda get the insurance side. When someone buys a house with shitty old appliances, should a $100 policy really cover all the replacements?

(Or am I stupid for not trying to do this knowing we "needed" to replace when we bought here?)

I get it. This is exactly why I stay away from home warranty policies in the first place. They're a scam. It's nearly impossible to get them to cover things and you've got to fight them tooth and nail. (Brian's experiences notwithstanding, I just have 25ish from people I know on the other side of that ledger)

Johnnie, depending on how long you can wait, go buy a fridge on clearance from Lowes. Surely there will be a 4th of July sale or something coming up. If you're in the process of moving and need to be set up in there, it may not be worth the headache or you can fight them on reimbursement.

This is for the first year home warranty that my realtor buddy actually paid for. He got the basic plan which I added refrigerator to after the fact. Each appliance is also added separately. I see why.

I have to chalk this up to an inspector error. The insurance people clearly don't want to want to but anything not verified beforehand and I get that. But there's no reason the fridge should have been glossed over like this.

[brian]

Wanna be clear I still acknowledge that it's usually not a good idea to sign up for a home warranty. We rolled the dice here and got lucky but did it specifically because the A/C unit and pool equipment was so old we figured it was worth the risk and it turned out to be right so far. But even then we've probably still barely gotten more value out of it as we've spent on the warranty and deductibles.

[Johnnie]

Just talked to the inspectors. "Normally refrigerators don't convey when buying the property in New Mexico so as a rule we don't inspect them. We only inspect permanent fixtures."

So that's a nice loophole for the warranty people to have.

[mister d]

Only weirdos take their fridges out with them.

[BSF21]

Did you walk through on the inspection? Interesting they'd check all appliances except the one that was clearly(?) going to shit.

Oh yes. There the whole time and had questions about everything I was curious about. When I arrived the inspector was actually in the kitchen testing things. It's the final report, which I thought I read intently, that I should've noticed that the refrigerator wasn't considered inspected. Myself and my realtor had opened it to get some bottled water that day and others, so it doesn't make sense that a cursory "it worked" on the report wasn't noted.

Its weird because this is the one time I kinda get the insurance side. When someone buys a house with shitty old appliances, should a $100 policy really cover all the replacements?

(Or am I stupid for not trying to do this knowing we "needed" to replace when we bought here?)

I get it. This is exactly why I stay away from home warranty policies in the first place. They're a scam. It's nearly impossible to get them to cover things and you've got to fight them tooth and nail. (Brian's experiences notwithstanding, I just have 25ish from people I know on the other side of that ledger)

Johnnie, depending on how long you can wait, go buy a fridge on clearance from Lowes. Surely there will be a 4th of July sale or something coming up. If you're in the process of moving and need to be set up in there, it may not be worth the headache or you can fight them on reimbursement.

This is for the first year home warranty that my realtor buddy actually paid for. He got the basic plan which I added refrigerator to after the fact. Each appliance is also added separately. I see why.

I have to chalk this up to an inspector error. The insurance people clearly don't want to want to but anything not verified beforehand and I get that. But there's no reason the fridge should have been glossed over like this.

Your buddy may have done you a solid here but someone got paid which means you could have used that $ as extra money towards closing or DP or something else. All ex post facto now, run with it and find something on clearance that'll get you by. Sorry it happened that way

[testuser2]

If you haven't already go and get the mylowes military discount. You have to register before you can use it. 10% is a good deal and I've used the in-laws discount on top of the other discounts that are available to anyone.

[Johnnie]

If you haven't already go and get the mylowes military discount. You have to register before you can use it. 10% is a good deal and I've used the in-laws discount on top of the other discounts that are available to anyone.

Yup. All over doing that today. I think Home Depot does it too without the paperwork as well.

I've been comparing prices from everywhere seeing what the best package deal is. Costco, the BX, Home Depot, Lowe's...etc. I seem to be able to put together something for a couple grand that includes all appliances. So we'll see. Once I get that military offer on the Chase Sapphire up and running, I can get me some points too.

And my realtor called me back. He's annoyed that this has happened. I guess his realty firm switched over home warranty companies and something they didn't tell them was to ask specifically to have the fridge inspected because home inspectors don't do that. So he's not very happy either.

Thanks everyone though. All the info has been awesome. TWILTS.

[mister d]

Since I've done all this recently ... check the install prices and necessary add-ons (new hoses and shit) and also the haul away. That can be like a $300 swing between places.

[testuser2]

You should also get an appliance discount from the state or power company, but you may need them to pick it up. It looks like New Mexico has one. You can even get light bulbs for free from it.

[BSF21]

You should also get an appliance discount from the state or power company, but you may need them to pick it up. It looks like New Mexico has one. You can even get light bulbs for free from it.

Yep. I had an old fridge in my garage and they came and picked it up for and credited me like 60$ on my next power bill

[rass]

Week 5 ongoing. Paint is up. Tile is going down this week. The cabinets and granite soon? We’ll buy the appliances in the next week, too. Good deals for 7/4.

Also, I grilled frozen chicken nuggets tonight.

[rass]

A very nice (and sharp!) 84 year old woman processed our appliance purchase at the Depot. She says she keeps the job for fun. Today was her sixth straight day of work. She’s off tomorrow.

[mister d]

What brand???

Did I whine here I had a skunk under the front porch and still have another section to dig 16” down underground, attach hardware cloth (which makes you bleed when you cut it), drop in large paving stones then refill with dirt in a way that doesn’t look stupid?

[rass]

Settled on GE (the Adora line which is a step up from their base line which they apparently only sell at HD). The reviews were really solid, the stuff looks nice, and I think we got a good set of deals. Not sure if it was good timing or bad timing but we had just gotten the bill from our contractor for some extra plumbing and electrical work that gone done while the walls and floor were exposed, so it really helped us control ourselves.

[Sabo]

Settled on GE (the Adora line which is a step up from their base line which they apparently only sell at HD). The reviews were really solid, the stuff looks nice, and I think we got a good set of deals. Not sure if it was good timing or bad timing but we had just gotten the bill from our contractor for some extra plumbing and electrical work that gone done while the walls and floor were exposed, so it really helped us control ourselves.

We bought GE appliances when we redid our kitchen. We chose GE because of the good reviews. In the three years since our remodel, we’ve needed the dishwasher repaired twice (the soap dispenser didn’t consistently open during the wash cycle), and the fridge makes some really loud and horrendous noises at times. Also, the water dispenser will sometimes randomly switch to ice after it’s finished pouring water. The stove and oven have been kickass, though.

[mister d]

Hypothetically, how did you resolve that dishwasher door issue?

[rass]

I can tell we definitely got a different model fridge (I would have preferred no water dispenser, but ours has it on the inside). 84 year old Bea was very forthright about the fact that they don’t make shit like they used to...

[RSmith]

Settled on GE (the Adora line which is a step up from their base line which they apparently only sell at HD). The reviews were really solid, the stuff looks nice, and I think we got a good set of deals. Not sure if it was good timing or bad timing but we had just gotten the bill from our contractor for some extra plumbing and electrical work that gone done while the walls and floor were exposed, so it really helped us control ourselves.

We bought GE appliances when we redid our kitchen. We chose GE because of the good reviews. In the three years since our remodel, we’ve needed the dishwasher repaired twice (the soap dispenser didn’t consistently open during the wash cycle), and the fridge makes some really loud and horrendous noises at times. Also, the water dispenser will sometimes randomly switch to ice after it’s finished pouring water. The stove and oven have been kickass, though.

We've got all GE as well. Actually, I think technically there was some other brand name, but they were/are a subsidiary or product line of GE. Anyhow, we've had them a half dozen years now, and not a single issue or need of repair...

[Sabo]

Hypothetically, how did you resolve that dishwasher door issue?

Had the soap dispenser replaced both times. The first replacement worked for a couple of months before it needed to be replaced.

[sancarlos]

We've had our Bosch dishwasher for 14 years, but the time may be nigh for a new one. It is so quiet that I've loved it, but now the timer has gone nuts and it will wash forever if you don't stop it. So, for the past couple months, we've been manually stopping it and then running a short rinse cycle and then letting it dry. Could be a simple control panel issue. Any thoughts?

[rass]

JFC I wasn't prepared for how expensive dining room sets would be. A fight might be on the horizon...

[mister d]

Like just a table and chairs or all that other fancy shit people add on as they get older?

[testuser2]

Hypothetically, how did you resolve that dishwasher door issue?

Had the soap dispenser replaced both times. The first replacement worked for a couple of months before it needed to be replaced.

We had the same issue on our Bosch. It turned out to be the Wegman's brand of detergent. It was leaving residue on the door and tray. Switched to Cascade and it's been fine ever since. Now we just have a beeping issue. Everytime it starts a cycle it will be very loudly for five minutes and then get to work.

Has anyone every used those bags of cold patch before? I have a 3 foot sinkhole in the driveway directly below the basketball hoop that is going to break an ankle if I don't get it somewhat level.

[tennbengal]

JFC I wasn't prepared for how expensive dining room sets would be. A fight might be on the horizon...

Still around $3000 - $4000 for a good table and chairs? It's insane.