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The House Hunters Thread

Thanks ladies! I''m hoping to drive by again this weekend sometime to see if anything new has been done.


Date: 1/3/2010 7:22:15 PM
Author: PilsnPinkysMom

Meresal: I think you might have mentioned this a few pages back, but at what point do you need to be at in your home building to benefit from the first-time buyer/builder credit? Is it just breaking ground?
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You have to sign a purchase agreement before April 30, and I think that signing our agreement before building is considered our Purchase Agreement. However, they entire house HAS to be completed by the end of June in order to get the money.

I don''t think we should have any problems beating the final deadline, I just need to check on the requirement for the end of April, and make sure we have fulfilled it.
 
Mer... I''m hoping for some progress for you! Fingers crossed for foundation this weekend...

PPM... any further thoughts on that house? It sounds promising, though I hear you on the commute.

Not much going on here... the doors are in (boy were they a PITA... the frames weren''t square). Did I tell you the oven broke? Well, it did, and I got to talking to one of my co-workers, who was renovating her kitchen... turns out her old wall oven was the exact size as mine. Her and her hubby even delivered it to us. It''s probably from 1990-ish, which is better than 1970 avocado green! It was sooo nice of her... I tried to give her money, but she refused! So I''m sending her a home depot gift card.
So we''re kinda at a stall as far as renovations go. Basement has to wait til spring. DH put that plastic weather proof stuff in the back bedrooms... we''ve shut off the vents in those rooms since we don''t really use them for anything.

Smurphy... any luck yet?

Continued dust for everyone!
 
Sorry NEL, that''s too bad. Not good that the sellers were hiding things though? Eek. Have they tried to lure you back at all or did anyone else buy it? Househunting is one crazy ride! In our town, the market is moving again, so that''s good news..esp for January.
 
Wow Lynnie! You guys are non-stop! Congrats on the "New" oven, what a great co worker she is!

I received a text last night from my friend, that is our soon-to-be-new-neighbor, saying that the dirt has been spread across the lot, and I''m assuming that means they have leveled the ground! Hopefully that also means they will mark, stake, and pour the foundation in the next week!

I''m still working on the photos! Soooo sorry!
 
Thanks again, everybody! I am still really sad about the house because we loved it, but I was not even slightly interested in being dragged into a legal battle over the land. There are no other offers on it as of now, so hopefully they get the land issue straightened out BEFORE another interested party gets dragged through the same thing. I wish there was some way for us to give all of the inspections we had done to the next buyer...I feel like we had so many people come in to look at it that it would be a waste not to give all that info. to the next buyer. We're supposed to go pick up our deposit check this week since they had to return it.

I promised D that I would take a bit of a break...but I can't get off the crazy train. There is a 1770's house that I really like in a neighboring city that I'm gong to show Dan this weekend. I'm so bad...but I feel it's a great value for the money and it's in an ideal town. I just need to get off the crazy train.

ETA: Lynnie, you are on a roll!! You guys have knocked out so much!

Mer, I can't wait to see some pics! This all sounds VERY promising!! YAY!

Janine, the market is starting to move again here, too. Seems to be new stuff popping up everyday.

Also, lots of dust to everybody who just joined the hunt!
 
NEL - Noooo! Aw that sucks.
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It''s fine. I''m getting over it :)

How is your apt. hunt going, Gecko? Or are you holding off for a bit since your lease isn''t up for a few months?
 
Ha-ha, Nel the crazy train can be really fun sometimes
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DH in front of the Lot
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Chris in front of the lot 1.2.10.jpg
 
The brick is the right color
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and fence of neighbors whom we haven''t met yet.

Chris house brick and lot.jpg
 
MER!! YAY!!!

Look at that! There is dirt on your lot!! There is brick waiting to be laid!! And look at that, there is machinery!! This is all very promising. And awwww, how great is it that you get to document your house being built? How fun!

Can''t wait to see the progression of this house, I''m so excited for you!
 
Meresal: Ah! How wonderfully exciting! Brick = progress! Thanks for explaining the tax credit for me- I now understand
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Once things get-a-rollin', what's the estimated time from start 'til completion?


NEL: The train may be crazy, but it's oh--so--fun, too!
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There's no harm in looking. Ya never know what you might find!

Lynnie: You guys are rockin' and rollin. How lovely of your coworker, too! If you feel comfortable, I'd love to see more pics as you progress with updates, renos & home-facelifts!


As for us: I started a 20% down thread a few days ago to get some feedback on what the norm TRULY is for down payments. I'm (hopefully) starting a new grad program this May (pending acceptance- perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself
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) and am now 100% sure I can't get in-state tuition. Which stinks. Majorly. And is costing an extra 22k in school costs. I have a boatload of loans from law school & FI has a bunch from Rx school, so we were hoping to pay for this next year out of pocket. In order to do that it means bye-bye down payment... Unless we did a 3-3.5% down (which our realtor was pressuring us to do). Even if we have the option, it's a totally stupid decision. We'd have a higher mortgage payment, PMI & it would leave little free income to save for improvements, babies, advance student loan payments, or any number of things we'll need money for in the next 5-10 years.

Plus, who am I kidding? I don't work. I'm a nanny & a student. By this time next year I won't be working (
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) but if all goes well, I WILL have a job lined up for fall 2011.

It's much smarter to pay for my schooling outright. Even if I managed to get in-state tuition, I'm seeing some advantages in waiting (again). We won't ever be on the market for a home that's more costly than what we were looking for over the past month, but 16-18-24 months down the road we WILL have a replenished 20%+ down payment & a nice emergency fund. If life doesn't get in the way, anywho
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But yep- I'll probably stick around, regardless. I'm trying to pay attention to market trends & get a better feel for what neighborhoods we'd like to live in. And FWIW: The home in rural-ish suburbia was wonderful, but I realized I can't live in soccer-mom-country just yet. Especially if I'm going to teach in an urban HS, which is the plan.
 
Oh... and new obsession: House Plans!

Even if you don''t plan on building, it''s fun to check out floorplans & such. Some of which are terrible, but others are nice. I just like to peruse all the homes with giant wrap-around porches, regardless of style or layout
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PnPsMom, for what it''s worth, I think you are making a very wise decision. I know it''s a hard decision, but it''s for the best.

I can definitely relate--I had an old student loan hanging around that I absolutely refused to let DH pay for. I regret going into debt for school and didn''t want for him to have to pay for my mistakes, but then when the deal fell through on our last house, we had MANY long discussions about it and I finally agreed that it was in both of our best interests to just pay for the stupid thing. It''s going to take us about 6 months to replinish what I took out, and I''m sad that we need to put the house hunt on hold, but I also know it''s the best decision. I''m SO READY for a house! We actually started looking in 2008, but then lost our downpayment in the stock market when it crashed (another bad financial decision). By this summer I was ready to start looking again, though we weren''t back to our financial fighting weight. Now we have this setback--though it''s not really a setback, since I believe it''s most definitely the right decision--but I do think that in 6 months we''ll be ready and nothing will stand in our way! We need to think about how much we''ll appreciate our house when the time comes, right? And we''ll both know we''ve done it the right way!

We did see a house this weekend that was at a lower price point (could do it without replinishing the account), but we decided we''d rather wait the 6 months to get back to where we were instead of getting something that we would grow out of quickly.

I definitely plan on sticking around as well! And I''ll be keeping my eyes peeled while we wait! This has been such a helpful thread for me that I definitely want to encourage and help others the way I''ve been encouraged and helped!
 
Ok. I know it''s been a while since I popped in here. But- my realtor just called - and she found the mythical house. She''s trying to get me in tonight to see it, or tomorrow at the latest. Gah! Something MUST be wrong with it - it looks too good to be true!
 

Ohhhh, Gecko!! Lots of house dust!! I hope this is IT!!

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We have frame boards as of Saturday!


House process 1.16.10.JPG
 
Oooh, Gecko!!! I hope this is IT, too!! Good luck!

Meresal - Three cheers for progress! How cool is it that you are documenting the build? What an awesome idea for a scrapbook or something!
 
Oh, Gecko! I''m crossing everything I can for you, please give us an update when you see it!

Mer!! Your house is going up!!! I love these pictures, I just think it''s so exciting to watch your house being built!
 
See me hitting my head against the wall. Knew it was too good to be true!!! It was really, really beat up, had squatters, tiniest bedrooms EVER. HOW do houses look so fantastic in listings and then suck in person? How is it possible! Gah!
 
Ugh, I''m so sorry, Gecko. The house had squatters?? Was that in the listing? (hehe). The good news is that you''ve been doing this long enough not to be too disappointed...just keep those eyes peeled, you never know what might pop up.
 
Date: 1/20/2010 10:58:05 PM
Author: geckodani
See me hitting my head against the wall. Knew it was too good to be true!!! It was really, really beat up, had squatters, tiniest bedrooms EVER. HOW do houses look so fantastic in listings and then suck in person? How is it possible! Gah!
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I have seen SOOOOOOO many houses that we have gotten excited about from the MLS, then NADA, yuck and no way in heck would I purchase it. Its called good real estate agents who know how to work verbage and take good pics!
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Date: 1/20/2010 10:58:05 PM
Author: geckodani
See me hitting my head against the wall. Knew it was too good to be true!!! It was really, really beat up, had squatters, tiniest bedrooms EVER. HOW do houses look so fantastic in listings and then suck in person? How is it possible! Gah!
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I''m sorry lady. Are squatters common during the winter? That is crazy. There will be another one!

Lynnie and NEL- I
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being able to have all of these pictures! I have a baby appt today, so I am going to go by the house and see if they have made any more progress. Right now, I am trying to go by once a week, and when they really start the "building" I will be there at least twice. Once the foundation is poured they can do so much in one day, I want to be sure that I get to see all of it!
 
Quick update: They have put the pipes in!

Also, the house on the street that is about a week ahead of us schedule wise, has almsot all of their framing up! If the weather stays nice, then things should start flying along! (Hopefully
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)
 
Congrats Meresal! That is great and its so neat to be able to see it all done step by step. Thats going to be really cool when its done and you are living in it. Yay!
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Date: 1/22/2010 10:20:35 AM
Author: meresal
Quick update: They have put the pipes in!

Also, the house on the street that is about a week ahead of us schedule wise, has almsot all of their framing up! If the weather stays nice, then things should start flying along! (Hopefully
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)
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Yay for pipes!

And yes, the squatters let me in to look at the house. I was laughing hysterically. Sounded like the guy knew the listing agent. Very interesting.
 
Mer, that is fabulous news!! Yay for pipes!

Gecko, your squatter incident reminds me of the time we were greeted by a crazy lady wearing nothing but a bra and underwear. Who knew that viewing houses could be so entertaining, right?

drk, I''m not sure if you''re still around, but I definitely thought about you last Friday and am hoping your closing went smoothly! If you''re around, we''d love an update!
 
Can I play? We found out that FI will be getting a bonus this year that we did not think was coming and would help greatly in a down payment, so we are now seriously thinking of buying a loft-style condo or small house! I am SO excited!

How long have you been on the hunt?
2 days! We actually looked at 4 condos today and will be looking at more next weekend...

What are your must/must not haves?
2-3 bedrooms, 2+ bathrooms. I want for the unit to be as new as possible with hardwood/concrete floors in the living areas and carpet in the bedrooms. Stainless appliances and granite countertops are a plus.
We would like to be somewhat close to downtown and close to our workplaces. We also want the unit/house to be attractive to renters because we will be moving in 3 years when I finish my PhD.

How many homes have you looked at?
4 so far.

Have you put in any offers?
Not yet.

Is the Obama tax credit putting you under the crunch? We are not married yet (wedding is Aug of this year) so we will not qualify for the single-payer credit due to income. Not sure what we can do about this...
 
Our foundation was poured Saturday morning and when we went by yesterday afternoon, it was dry!!!!!!!!
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Here is a picture as of Friday morning, but since I think alot of stuff will be done this week, I will hold off on posting the foundation pics and post a small montage later.

ETA: Welcome LabRat! Congratulations on the unexpected Bonus!

01.22.10 Right before foundation.JPG
 
Welcome and good luck, Labrat!!!
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Wow, Mer!!! How exciting!
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I'm sorry, but I forget... when's the estimated completion date?

Gecko... really, squatters?? That's insane!!
 
Date: 1/25/2010 10:07:24 AM
Author: Lynnie
Wow, Mer!!! How exciting!
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I'm sorry, but I forget... when's the estimated completion date?
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They definitely DON'T give one... that would mean they would have to stick to a schedule, and due to weather and uncontrolable things like that, it would change all the time anyway.

However, the other house on the street that is like a week ahead of us, has ALL of their framing up (walls and ceilings), and even had some pieces of plywood up at the front of the house. So I'm hoping for great weather to get the rest of the framing, walls, and exterior stuff finished in the next couple of weeks.

I have a feeling that the process will slow down again once they begin doing the design things on the inside. I'm expecting lots of emails and calls regarding "waiting" for tile, cabinets, and different "things" to come in.
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