The I need to buy a house thread

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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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When we bought our home the seller said that as a contingency for accepting our bid,we had to rent it back to them for two months, as their new place wasn’t ready yet. We were happy to do that and did the same thing to the buyer of our place so the dates would all line up.

As somebody said, for us, the hardest part was the moving process.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Yeah I don't think this is a difficult situation unless you fall in love with a house before you get yours under contract. Most people buy houses this way. We had to rent for a few months while our current house was being finished, but that was more our decision than pressure from our buyer.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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I'll also say this; our "dream" house is our backup plan, for lack of a better term. Barely out of our pre-approval price range at the moment. Brand new and just sitting there in a neighborhood that's being built (on market for 6+ months). If it's still there in three weeks and LA falls in love with it like she thinks (and I think) she will, then the wheels will go in motion.

We're going to look around because our budget is pretty broad and there's a lot of houses within our range. I'd prefer to go with a newish pre-owned house. But if we got that house $40K under asking, I'd be all in and ready to move tomorrow.

I'm not worried about finding anything. And we're doing this so she's not pressured to get all the shit out of her place right away. if we close mid-Feb like our plan is, she has 2-3 weeks to clean out her apartment.

Now to research the prices of storage units.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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(1) Climate control and (2) get one bigger than you think you need.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Brontoburglar wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 8:48 am I'll also say this; our "dream" house is our backup plan, for lack of a better term. Barely out of our pre-approval price range at the moment. Brand new and just sitting there in a neighborhood that's being built (on market for 6+ months). If it's still there in three weeks and LA falls in love with it like she thinks (and I think) she will, then the wheels will go in motion.

We're going to look around because our budget is pretty broad and there's a lot of houses within our range. I'd prefer to go with a newish pre-owned house. But if we got that house $40K under asking, I'd be all in and ready to move tomorrow.

I'm not worried about finding anything. And we're doing this so she's not pressured to get all the shit out of her place right away. if we close mid-Feb like our plan is, she has 2-3 weeks to clean out her apartment.

Now to research the prices of storage units.
That bolded part is huge. We are stuck staying in town, because we don't want to move the kids to a different school district at this point. Our town has very little inventory, ever, in the range we are looking. The two we put offers in are the only 2 we've been excited about in 3 years of looking. We'd either have to go up $200,000 more than we are currently under contract for, which we aren't going that high.

I would be very careful going over, or even near, the top of your pre-approval rate. I'm not completely comfortable with the number we are at, and pre-approval would have gone several hundred thousand higher. Despite the supposed restraint after the mortgage collapse in 2008, banks will still approve way higher than they should.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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The Sybian wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 10:12 am
Brontoburglar wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 8:48 am I'll also say this; our "dream" house is our backup plan, for lack of a better term. Barely out of our pre-approval price range at the moment. Brand new and just sitting there in a neighborhood that's being built (on market for 6+ months). If it's still there in three weeks and LA falls in love with it like she thinks (and I think) she will, then the wheels will go in motion.

We're going to look around because our budget is pretty broad and there's a lot of houses within our range. I'd prefer to go with a newish pre-owned house. But if we got that house $40K under asking, I'd be all in and ready to move tomorrow.

I'm not worried about finding anything. And we're doing this so she's not pressured to get all the shit out of her place right away. if we close mid-Feb like our plan is, she has 2-3 weeks to clean out her apartment.

Now to research the prices of storage units.
That bolded part is huge. We are stuck staying in town, because we don't want to move the kids to a different school district at this point. Our town has very little inventory, ever, in the range we are looking. The two we put offers in are the only 2 we've been excited about in 3 years of looking. We'd either have to go up $200,000 more than we are currently under contract for, which we aren't going that high.

I would be very careful going over, or even near, the top of your pre-approval rate. I'm not completely comfortable with the number we are at, and pre-approval would have gone several hundred thousand higher. Despite the supposed restraint after the mortgage collapse in 2008, banks will still approve way higher than they should.
^ That shit is the truth. You're not a first time buyer so you know the go around but yea, the "perfect house" isn't a thing. Also is there a reason new construction has sat in inventory for 6 months? I'd be very wary of that, especially if the neighborhood isn't finished. It may never get finished.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Yeah, pre-approvals are insane, and double insane when you're buying as DINKs. I'm sure you know this, but any forecasting you're doing should take the high end of local daycare rates multiplied by two.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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BSF21 wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 10:20 amAlso is there a reason new construction has sat in inventory for 6 months? I'd be very wary of that, especially if the neighborhood isn't finished. It may never get finished.
This is a good point. Finding out everything you can about the builder is a huge deal; our town doesn't have new construction but does have flips and we have a pretty solid handle on who is legit and who isn't right now (and it has zero to do with name recognition). We got really lucky in Boston, that was a reno and we just took a chance and the guy ended up being really great in terms of the work done and the returns for minor things over the first year.

Alllllllso for another stating the obvious, see what developments in 2014 are listing for now in your area and how many others are going in or could be going in.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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mister d wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 9:05 am get one bigger than you think you need.
Yeah, I'd emphasize this, to he degree you can afford. We thought we had tons of space, but we use it all up.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by Brontoburglar »

I live in the midwest. I'm playing a way different game than you all are when it comes to this stuff. We're saving $500 a month in living expenses alone at the top rate of our pre-approval -- which we intentionally set lower than we knew we *could* afford. I know what line of work I am in, after all.

And when I say that it's barely out of pre-approval range, I'm talking $10K, not $200K. And when I say $40K off asking, I'm talking about double-digit percent, not something that barely makes a blip. And I'm at the point where I don't want to pay over $150 a sqft because it's "too expensive." Yeah, it's cheap.
BSF21 wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 10:20 am ^ That shit is the truth. You're not a first time buyer so you know the go around but yea, the "perfect house" isn't a thing. Also is there a reason new construction has sat in inventory for 6 months? I'd be very wary of that, especially if the neighborhood isn't finished. It may never get finished.
I should have said street. last street in the neighborhood. cul de sac. five or six houses under construction on that street. maybe one or two lots remaining. not an issue. we like it because it's 10 minutes from downtown and within 2 minutes of two major highways.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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sancarlos wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 12:08 pm
mister d wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 9:05 am get one bigger than you think you need.
Yeah, I'd emphasize this, to he degree you can afford. We thought we had tons of space, but we use it all up.
So funny looking back at our first house. We moved out of a tiny one bedroom in Manhattan, to a small Cape Cod style house in the 'burbs. We really thought we would raise our kids in that house. When my parents first visited, my Mom made a comment that it was a lovely "starter home." My wife didn't take that well, as again, we thought it was a 25 year home. The upstairs was a low-ceiling master suite, 2 bed downstairs. We thought we would put a crib upstairs for a year or two, then move baby #1 downstairs. Nope. Ended up sleeping in a downstairs bedroom, pretty sure we used the master bathroom to shower and stuff. One room served as the family room, living room, playroom, and man did that small room fill up with baby stuff. No way we were having a second kid in that tiny house, but at the time it seemed huge.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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We’re talking about storage units Mr. Mansion.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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mister d wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 8:52 pm We’re talking about storage units Mr. Mansion.
San Carlos was not I don’t think.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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AB is right
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Mr. Mansions plural, it would seem.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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mister d wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 12:35 am Mr. Mansions plural, it would seem.
Settle down. The point is to get as much space as you can afford.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Speaking of mansions, I watched Home Alone on tv with the wife tonight. I didn’t remember Kevin McCallister and family living in such an enormous house.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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sancarlos wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:53 am Speaking of mansions, I watched Home Alone on tv with the wife tonight. I didn’t remember Kevin McCallister and family living in such an enormous house.
There's a great theory that's been passed around the internet about Kevin's dad being connected to the mob because that's the only way he could afford that home in Chicago as well as flying his entire extended family to Paris for Christmas. Makes me laugh.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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First, holy hell, the stress and anxiety buying houses back east. No no no no no no. I'm getting restless reading that. It makes a couple leaks in my place look like nothing.

Second, has the idea to get as much space as one can afford changed a bit in recent years?

My friend and her then husband took that advice when they bought a house in Tucson in 2012. It was the absolute bottom of the market so they got a nice big (2,400 sq ft, 4 bd, 3.5 bath) home for like 160k. And they hated the maintenance on it.

She's since urged me to get something not that big for me and my fiancee whenever we but the next one. The one I'm in now is 1600 sq ft and I'd love something much bigger, but I don't think it would make sense to go ginormous.

For reference, I love this place. But would that make sense? Not sure.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Maybe it’s regional, but space here is a trade-off with either a lot more money or a lesser location. Even if it weren’t, I’ve never been a space guy. Just seems like more places to furnish, maintain and then hope nothing goes wrong in while they sit idle.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Johnnie wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 8:27 am First, holy hell, the stress and anxiety buying houses back east. No no no no no no. I'm getting restless reading that. It makes a couple leaks in my place look like nothing.

Second, has the idea to get as much space as one can afford changed a bit in recent years?

My friend and her then husband took that advice when they bought a house in Tucson in 2012. It was the absolute bottom of the market so they got a nice big (2,400 sq ft, 4 bd, 3.5 bath) home for like 160k. And they hated the maintenance on it.

She's since urged me to get something not that big for me and my fiancee whenever we but the next one. The one I'm in now is 1600 sq ft and I'd love something much bigger, but I don't think it would make sense to go ginormous.

For reference, I love this place. But would that make sense? Not sure.
7 bedrooms?? I mean even at that square footage, why? That's a beautiful looking place.

As for room I'll throw my 2 cents in after purchasing my second home. First place was 1980sqft on a half acre wooded corner lot on a crawlspace. We love it, it was a great space, never felt crowded but some of the storage was just oddly placed. It was very built int he 50s and closed off, no open spaces which made it hard to entertain more than 6-8 people at a time. Outdoor maintenance was a nightmare. So many mature trees it just created so many problems (tree fell on house, tree fell on neighbors shed, limb fell on power supply line, endless acorns everywhere that made every vehicle I parked there look like it had been through a hailstorm).

Fast forward to new house. 2800 sqft ranch, basically the exact size of the old house except with a basement this time. Unfinished, but we can work on that. .39 acre lot, minimal trees. We love this place and space so much more. The storage is so much easier, especially with a basement. The home feels even bigger than it is because of the openness and flow. We love it.

However when we first started looking we found a place that we absolutely fell in love with. In the bougie neighborhood, close to lots of stuff, and the house was enormous. 5400 sqft. 3 floors with a basement. It was out of our price range but if we got top dollar for our old home and we waited on some furniture and stuff for 6 months we could have squeaked by. I'm so happy we didn't jump at it. I think back now that I'm in my cushy 2800' house that takes work to keep clean and take care of, what the hell would I have done with a place twice this big, for a couple with no kids (and maybe not having any), it would have just been insane.

I understand where you're coming from Bronto and others, I wish we could convey to the coasters what real estate is like out here. You can get so much more for your money.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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yeah, it's absolutely ridiculous compared to what prices are on either coast. we're looking at around that 3K sq feet mark though I'd bet that we'd end up less than that if we found a place with an unfinished basement

and I'm honestly at the point where an unfinished basement with a walkout isn't a bad idea at all for less money than a place with a finished basement because we could then customize it to the specifications that I want (I'm planning on going sports bar crazy) vs. trying to retrofit to a basement that's already finished. that's a benefit of redoing my current basement so many times before finally solving the water issues -- I know what I'm doing when it comes to basic construction now.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Indoor batting cage. your kid will thank you.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Brontoburglar wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:50 am(I'm planning on going sports bar crazy)
Like maybe a circular bar in the middle and people can only go around it clockwise?
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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BSF21 wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 9:01 am
Johnnie wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 8:27 am For reference, I love this place. But would that make sense? Not sure.
7 bedrooms?? I mean even at that square footage, why? That's a beautiful looking place.
That's crazy. Our house is ok, big yard, finished basement, 4 bedrooms and we could sell and have enough to refurnish that place. I guess Boulder suburbs outdo Tuscon, but wow.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by sancarlos »

Ya know, when I was talking space, I didn’t mean more bedrooms. I meant get more closet and storage space. That’s what I ran out of.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Drama intensifies. Got the inspection report back, and it shows a crack in the foundation and a damp wall in the basement. I saw the foundation crack, and it seemed more like chipped paint, bt the report made it sound like the house was on the verge of collapse. We put together a very comprehensive list of demands to the seller, some are not negotiable, others might be. Lawyer told us we need to get a structural engineer and waterproofing inspector out this week if we want to save the deal.

Fortunately, I remembered seeing the inspector is a licensed structural engineer. Called him last night, and speaking as an engineer rather than inspector, completely different story. He is confident it isn't a big deal. Said to take a picture today, take another in 5 years and see if it changes. OK, I can live with that.

Somehow got a waterproofer and realtor's schedules to synch up, and getting that looked at today. Basement seems perfectly dry, but the one place where insulation is visible, the inspector pulled back the insulation, and the wall was damp. Could be condensation, could be a major issue, or the gutters just need to be redirected. Hopefully I can find out today. I just need to know of this is happening or not. In the meantime, Ive got movers coming this morning to get estimates. Fuck, if this falls through, I've wasted dozens of hours preparing for this. If it goes through, my wife has every item of furniture, closet racks, down to bathroom baskets ready to order on a spreadsheet. Even have a rug picked out ready to order. Actually still need a sleeper sofa for a guestroom. Anyone have a suggestion for a legit comfortable sleeper sofa?
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Johnnie wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 8:27 am First, holy hell, the stress and anxiety buying houses back east. No no no no no no. I'm getting restless reading that. It makes a couple leaks in my place look like nothing.

Second, has the idea to get as much space as one can afford changed a bit in recent years?

My friend and her then husband took that advice when they bought a house in Tucson in 2012. It was the absolute bottom of the market so they got a nice big (2,400 sq ft, 4 bd, 3.5 bath) home for like 160k. And they hated the maintenance on it.

She's since urged me to get something not that big for me and my fiancee whenever we but the next one. The one I'm in now is 1600 sq ft and I'd love something much bigger, but I don't think it would make sense to go ginormous.

For reference, I love this place. But would that make sense? Not sure.
Jesus, that is a beautiful house! Hard to judge what that would go for in my area, since the style is so different, but I'd imagine it'd be at least $1.2 million with that much land. In some neighboring towns, that's going for well over $2 million.

ETA: My dad's cousin is a prominent realtor in Tucson if you need a recommendation.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by Johnnie »

I'm not sure why it's 7 either, but the description said it was a bed and breakfast. So it's possible when it was built that was what they had in mind. It's located near the highway so who knows what the thought process was exactly in 1991/1992.

But for me, I grew up in tiny as hell "apartments" (ginormous colonial homes converted into smaller living spaces that had 3+ families living there in the Northeast). They aren't like apartment complexes. It's like each level of a house was made into an "apartment."

So I want space. Those extra bedrooms can become a larger room depending upon the layout. But whether it's something like that or something else, space is important.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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Johnnie wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 12:44 pmBut for me, I grew up in tiny as hell "apartments" (ginormous colonial homes converted into smaller living spaces that had 3+ families living there in the Northeast). They aren't like apartment complexes. It's like each level of a house was made into an "apartment."
This is interesting. I grew up in a tiny house, like ~1,100 sq feet with one bathroom and one of those 10x7 closet 3rd bedrooms, and I've always assumed that's why I like small spaces.

Our place in Somerville was like you described, what would be a decently large but non-decadent house somewhere else was a 6 condo duplex, all under 1,000 sq ft. and its going to forever be my favorite place we lived.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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mister d wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 12:55 pm
Johnnie wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 12:44 pmBut for me, I grew up in tiny as hell "apartments" (ginormous colonial homes converted into smaller living spaces that had 3+ families living there in the Northeast). They aren't like apartment complexes. It's like each level of a house was made into an "apartment."
This is interesting. I grew up in a tiny house, like ~1,100 sq feet with one bathroom and one of those 10x7 closet 3rd bedrooms, and I've always assumed that's why I like small spaces.

Our place in Somerville was like you described, what would be a decently large but non-decadent house somewhere else was a 6 condo duplex, all under 1,000 sq ft. and its going to forever be my favorite place we lived.
Yes, you know exactly what I'm getting at having lived a few cities over from where I'm from. My brother has the 2nd floor of a 4 story place in Everett and I just can't take it. It's beautifully decorated, but no. My mortgage is half his rent and gives me gross flashbacks to childhood. Small kitchen, small bedrooms, extremely small bathroom for 4 of us. No. Can't do it.

That house I linked is just a "Whoa, that's awesome" kinda place to me. Spanish style is where it's at. But there are certainly better $$/sq ft options in Tucson.
The Sybian wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 12:40 pmETA: My dad's cousin is a prominent realtor in Tucson if you need a recommendation.
Once I'm approved for retirement (this time next year, fingers crossed) I'll probably take you up on this.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

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mister d wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 11:01 am
Brontoburglar wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:50 am(I'm planning on going sports bar crazy)
Like maybe a circular bar in the middle and people can only go around it clockwise?
Heh
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by BSF21 »

Johnnie wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 12:44 pm I'm not sure why it's 7 either, but the description said it was a bed and breakfast. So it's possible when it was built that was what they had in mind. It's located near the highway so who knows what the thought process was exactly in 1991/1992.

But for me, I grew up in tiny as hell "apartments" (ginormous colonial homes converted into smaller living spaces that had 3+ families living there in the Northeast). They aren't like apartment complexes. It's like each level of a house was made into an "apartment."

So I want space. Those extra bedrooms can become a larger room depending upon the layout. But whether it's something like that or something else, space is important.
Yea, my main point would be at that sqft, I'd be knocking out walls to make a nice big comfy 3/4 br house, which costs money if you're serious about a place like that.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by The Sybian »

So I spared you guys the majority of the unending saga of my home buying experience. The deal fell through at least 10 times, or we wanted to get out but couldn't for a variety of reasons. We terminated the contract with a provision to reinstate, but with a rush. With 10 days to go, Seller disclosed the fence goes past the property line and into land owned by a utility behind the house. The lawyer never ordered a survey, because he thought we were backing out, so we had to order a survey on 8 days notice.

After endless back and forth, we sent a reinstatement to Seller on Friday, with a time of essence clause that we had to close tomorrow. We gave them an impossible list of demands, and they agreed to all, including dropping the price. We tried a credit at closing, but it was for more than the closing cost, so bank said we could only buy down interest rate, which is stupid. $10,000 to buy down a fraction of a percent... Sent the price reduction to the bank, they told me no problem. Monday, they say we need a new appraisal, because the price dropped more than 2% (by $1,800). Get all parties to sign a new addendum for just under 2%, but bank calls me this morning, said not to send new one, appraisal came back in 1 day. 2:30 this afternoon, bank calls, said they can't close until Monday, because law requires 3 day wait after new appraisal. Fuck! Why did you tell me not to send lower price reduction!

Long story short, as of 7:00 pm night before closing, bank still not responding on whether they can close with lower price reduction. Lawyer calls and tells me if bank doesn't get it done, we are in breech of contract, because we put in Time of Essence clause. We will lose $99,000 earnest money, and be liable for their damages, including all the work they have done to meet our demands and their holding costs until they are able to sell, plus any difference in sale price.

Finally at 8:15 tonight, bank calls saying they figured out a way, we can close tomorrow. He will send docs in 20 minutes. 90 minutes later, docs finally arrive. I've spent most of the last 4 weeks scrambling to save this deal and get everything set up on way too short notice, because the fucking oil tank being found, then having holes. Then the inspector scared the shit out of us with nothing bullshit, where I had one day to get a waterproofing expert to assess what turns out to be normal water leeching through cinder blocks into french drain.

I can't imagine what else could possibly go wrong at this point, but I still don't feel safe, and we are fucking closing tomorrow. This house better be worth it.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by rass »

JFC

I hope no meds doesn't mean no alcohol. Good luck today.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by govmentchedda »

rass wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2019 6:33 am JFC

I hope no meds doesn't mean no alcohol. Good luck today.
Good luck
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by tennbengal »

Sybian - that is one of the more terrifying narratives I have ever read. That would have destroyed my marriage - mostly from my meltdowns. You are truly a better person if you survive this with the family intact.
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by wlu_lax6 »

Syb..when this closes, let us know. I feel like the Swamp should come up big on the funny welcome mat house warming gift. you know this house is protected by god and guns, or such
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by Sabo »

wlu_lax6 wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2019 8:46 am Syb..when this closes, let us know. I feel like the Swamp should come up big on the funny welcome mat house warming gift. you know this house is protected by god and guns, or such
https://www.amazon.com/Custom-Doormat-W ... B015ZG5MZ6
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Re: The I need to buy a house thread

Post by BSF21 »

Currently in front of my door...

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