The I need to buy a house thread

Okay . . . let's try this again.

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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by rass »

tennbengal wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 7:59 am
rass wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:25 am 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.
Yeah, and she would prefer a bench for one side of the table, and we need a new hutch, too. Wasn't expecting this to be an upwards of $4000 purchase.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by DSafetyGuy »

Ugh, benches. Twice a year for a picnic/cookout is fine. Every goddamn meal? Fuck that.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by mister d »

Benches look great in a showroom and then I assume everyone just argues over who has to sit on that side if you actually buy it.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by mister d »

If you wait for a sale, this ends up right around $2K for a table and 8 chairs (dark table + "smoke" chairs). More than enough space, durable as long as your 3 year old anarchist doesn't angrily jab a fork into the wood and doubles as an every day work space. Might be the only furniture in our house we haven't decided we don't like after a year or two.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by RSmith »

mister d wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 8:37 am Might be the only furniture in our house we haven't decided we don't like after a year or two.
That does seem to happen, doesn't it? That's how I ended up with a sofa in my study, that serves no purpose apart from having things piled upon it (I tend frequently to pile things up, which drives my wife round the bend).

ETA: We decided that sofa was a bad purchase almost instantly, though. It's a perfectly nice sofa, but it's a good few inches deeper than usual, and at a precisely average 5'11", I am at least a foot taller than anyone else in my house, which made it a might impractical.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by HaulCitgo »

Craigslist?
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by mister d »

Yeah, we've never not been able to sell a sofa for a few hundred on there.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by Rush2112 »

We got a fantastic dining room set on Craiglist from some overly rich young couple that think that a complete remodelling and refurbishing is required every 3-5 years.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by RSmith »

HaulCitgo wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 2:35 pmCraigslist?
Could do. The thought never occurred, but that's a good idea...
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by BSF21 »

rass wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 8:02 am
tennbengal wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 7:59 am
rass wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:25 am 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.
Yeah, and she would prefer a bench for one side of the table, and we need a new hutch, too. Wasn't expecting this to be an upwards of $4000 purchase.
Go find model homes for developments in your area and ask when they auction off their pieces. You can get furniture at a steal.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by Johnnie »

Furniture is easily one area where everything is wildly expensive
when bought brand new, but everyone else who's getting rid of it is selling it for super cheap.

If I want new and cheap I go with IKEA. Otherwise, Craigslist all the way as has been mentioned. 4 grand for a dining set is nuts.

Anyhoo, I went out and took advantage of Lowe's awesome appliance sale currently going on. $1,800 (after military discount) for a fridge, range, and OTR microwave with free delivery and pick up/take away of current appliances. I was able to get a free fridge from a dude at work to hold me over when the one that came with the house failed, but it isn't cutting it well enough.

And next up is getting a quote on a kitchen remodel. I swear I've been watching enough YouTube videos to do everything myself, but I want to see how much it would cost in general.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by Brontoburglar »

Johnnie wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:28 pm
And next up is getting a quote on a kitchen remodel. I swear I've been watching enough YouTube videos to do everything myself, but I want to see how much it would cost in general.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by BSF21 »

Hey cats, thought this might be a fun exercise for me.

We're getting ready to make the jump to our next place (baby BSF is being planned, our current house is too small for the dog situation, etc). So we're looking hard a new home to head to this spring/summer. We have a wishlist obviously but what are some of y'alls favorite things about your house/place that maybe we're not thinking of? Anything you have in particular that makes you say "well if I had to move I wouldn't give up that"?

Example, when we moved in to my current home it had a 3 season room that I was a whatever thing for me when we bought the place, and we end up using the shit out of that particular space.

It doesn't have to be that major but thought it might get some discussion going.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by Ryan »

TREES
Master bathroom
The exact right amount of yard (impossible but fun to try!)
Flat driveway (I don't have this and it sucks - probably not a problem for you)
Peloton loft
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by BSF21 »

Ryan wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 10:48 am TREES - NEVER AGAIN WITH THE TREES. I will sign on for tree, perhaps DoubleTree.
Master bathroom
The exact right amount of yard (impossible but fun to try!)
Flat driveway (I don't have this and it sucks - probably not a problem for you)
Peloton loft -- Sorry, this should have been a given. Mine will overlook the sprawling cornfields on one corner of the 3rd floor and the bustling metropolis on the other corner
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by mister d »

If there's a kid in the future, immediate neighborhood and school district are going to be more important than everything else combined.



(And, not sure what your area is like, but if there's a chance of a 2nd or 3rd kid, be very cognizant of the size of those bedrooms. About half of the three bedrooms in our area are cursed with a 4:3:2 size ratio or whatever you'd call the master being fine, the 2nd being a good size for a kid and the 3rd being rough for a kid long term.)
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by rass »

The mosquitos in the summer have gotten worse pretty much every year we've lived here, so the screened in porch that wasn't on our "must have" list gets a lot of use. Your fancy "three season room" might cover that, though. Good luck.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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A front porch big enough to put a couple of rocking chairs on and a back patio/deck big enough to have a nice party.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by brian »

Fuck, I was gonna say Peloton loft. I gotta reply to these quicker.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by mister d »

A_B wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 10:58 am A front porch big enough to put a couple of rocking chairs on and a back patio/deck big enough to have a nice party.
A front porch was right on my need/want cut-line. I knew I'd give it up for an otherwise great place but man do I love me some porching*.



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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by mister d »

My true must-have list was small: Main floor half-bath, one decent family TV area, 3 workable bedrooms on 2nd floor
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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mister d wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:01 am
A_B wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 10:58 am A front porch big enough to put a couple of rocking chairs on and a back patio/deck big enough to have a nice party.
A front porch was right on my need/want cut-line. I knew I'd give it up for an otherwise great place but man do I love me some porching*.



* This is not a real term but you can annoy most anyone acting like it is. Give it a try.
We paid extra for it when we built our current house. Totally worth it.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by BSF21 »

rass wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 10:58 am The mosquitos in the summer have gotten worse pretty much every year we've lived here, so the screened in porch that wasn't on our "must have" list gets a lot of use. Your fancy "three season room" might cover that, though. Good luck.
That's what it is. Is 3-season room a different thing and I've been fucking it up/being a douche?

Also per Mr. D, we call it porching it when we sit out back on the screened in and smoke cigars and drink so I'm on board with your verbing.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by rass »

BSF21 wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:10 am That's what it is. Is 3-season room a different thing and I've been fucking it up/being a douche?
Nah. If I've learned anything from my wife's crippling HGTV addiction it's that I'm both in general ignorant of a lot of design terms and that the vernacular can be pretty different from region to region in the country. So just because three season room sounds like a douchey way of saying screen in porch, it doesn't mean that it is.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by Ryan »

We definitely call our back porch a 3-season room but it's got slide-open windows in addition to screens. We also have like 43 seasons so it's not that useful! #JokesYouTellAtTheTownDump
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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mister d wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:01 am
A_B wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 10:58 am A front porch big enough to put a couple of rocking chairs on and a back patio/deck big enough to have a nice party.
A front porch was right on my need/want cut-line. I knew I'd give it up for an otherwise great place but man do I love me some porching*.



* This is not a real term but you can annoy most anyone acting like it is. Give it a try.
Don't want to return to the hard knock Poughkeepsie roots and sit on the steps, eh?
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by mister d »

Did last Halloween. Bad for an aging back.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by duff »

Are you looking to stay in the general area? Someone mentioned school systems up thread, and that would be a big one. Are you currently in HSE or Fischers? Any plans on moving to a different county, but still just outside the 465 loop?
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by BSF21 »

duff wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:46 am Are you looking to stay in the general area? Someone mentioned school systems up thread, and that would be a big one. Are you currently in HSE or Fischers? Any plans on moving to a different county, but still just outside the 465 loop?
I'm inside the loop on the west side right now. We're looking at anywhere close to 31/Meridian from Broad Ripple all the way up to Carmel. Somewhere with close Monon access. The farther north we go the closer we are to my parents which will help with eventual child. I'm less concerned about schools than most. If I don't care for the district we're in, I'm not opposed to going private (though it would be international school or center for inquiry, not religious-based).

I want to be no where near Fishers. Straight up Charlie Foxtrot up that way.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by sancarlos »

Following on what Mr. D said, are there some school districts that are better than others in your area? Research that now, or the wife will make you move to the good school district in five years.

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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by HaulCitgo »

Schools. Schools. Schools. Even if you don't send yours the next buyer will want to send theirs. And I can tell you with great certainty that private school tuition increases every year and sending one kid to kindergarten is a totally different deal financially than 3 all the way through. You don't want that pressure. Enough to destroy a man. Look for schools.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by mister d »

ANNNDDD ... even if you go private, the kids and their parents will still be your immediate neighbors. You don't want a nice house in the middle of people you find completely insufferable.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by Johnnie »

For me it's a nice kitchen. I like to cook in there. Plus it's basically where people congregate most of the time when company is over.

Other than that, I can tell you what I don't want ever again: a non sloping flat roof. It pools water and if you want it replaced you'll have to come out of pocket bigly.

Also, I don't like having a house that looks like a graduated apartment inside. Shitty carpet, white/off white walls, no personality...etc. I'm going to be doing some upgrading this summer, hopefully.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by mister d »

I probably average painting a room every 6 months.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by Pruitt »

mister d wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 10:57 am If there's a kid in the future, immediate neighborhood and school district are going to be more important than everything else combined.



(And, not sure what your area is like, but if there's a chance of a 2nd or 3rd kid, be very cognizant of the size of those bedrooms. About half of the three bedrooms in our area are cursed with a 4:3:2 size ratio or whatever you'd call the master being fine, the 2nd being a good size for a kid and the 3rd being rough for a kid long term.)
Truer words have never been spoken.

Plan for a 2nd kid unless you want to look into building an extension. Also, you need more than one good bathroom.

And you may know this already, but make sure the basement has been properly waterproofed.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by mister d »

Pruitt wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:34 pmAlso, you need more than one good bathroom.
Eat shit.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Pruitt wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:34 pmAnd you may know this already, but make sure the basement has been properly waterproofed.
I think the part that always worried us the most was coming back with the inspection asks and it probably shouldn't. Unless you're being totally unrealistic, inspectors are going to find the same things and going back out of contract is never good for the seller.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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mister d wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:37 pm
Pruitt wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:34 pmAnd you may know this already, but make sure the basement has been properly waterproofed.
I think the part that always worried us the most was coming back with the inspection asks and it probably shouldn't. Unless you're being totally unrealistic, inspectors are going to find the same things and going back out of contract is never good for the seller.
Yeah, I wrote that based on bitter experience. Our basement flooded just as we were putting the house on the market.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by The Sybian »

Our house is a bilevel, so our biggest issue is having the bedrooms on the same floor as our entertaining space. My son's room is directly across from the main bathroom, so it's difficult having people over after the kids go to bed. It was easy when they were little, because they would sleep through anything, but not so much anymore.

I loved having a yard with trees, and some woods behind the house, but it's been a nightmare. Most of the trees are very old Sweet Gum trees, which have the delightful bonus of throwing off thousands of spikey balls (pictured below). I had 3 of them in my yard, several in my neighbors, and tons of them in the woods behind my house. My yard gets covered in these fuckers, like every damned inch of my yard. Rake them all up, and in a week the yard is covered again. There are still some hanging on branches, it never fucking ends. We loved how so many houses had huge oak trees in the front yard, and even with a very wide street, the branches connected across the street making for a beautiful scene in the summer. Awesome, until he had all the huge storms and the trees or branches all came down on power lines.


Image

My entire yard looks like this patch around the tree. I cut down 4 already in my yard, and the Halloween blizzard took down a third of the trees behind my house, but it's still covered in the fuckers.

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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by testuser2 »

A kitchen island. I spend more waking hours using it than anything else in the house. Ours doesn't have outlets, but we'd love them.
Laundry near the master bedroom.
Basement with extra ceiling height. That way if you do decide to finish the space it feels like a real room.
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