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Curious to know what you're looking for in a home

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Ron6262
Regular Contributor

Re: Curious to know what you're looking for in a home

    After living in several style homes over my adult life, I finally felt like I knew what I wanted.  I dont like the new cookie cutter neighborhoods, even the ones that claim not be, but still have all the houses lined up just perfectly.   I like the character of 70's style houses with a modern twist.  I also wanted something with a relaxing setting, oh and a detatched garage for  my toys.

 

    I found a home built in 1971 that had it all.  The house sits on a small lake, had a detatched garage and a 1 car attatched, bonus points.  I had a lot of character, it did have popcorn ceilings, but I had those redone with California knockdown as we call it here in the midwest.  I am in the process of updating the fixtures and will be doing a lot of remodeling/addition over the next three years.  I bought it for a song due to the weak housing market, so putting another 30K in it will still have me in a very good situation, and it probably will only take closer to 15K to 20K to get it where I want it.

 

    I was also able to only take on a 15 yr note which was important to me, and I sturctured my payments so it is paid off in 11 years.

Message 11 of 26
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Curious to know what you're looking for in a home

Sounds great!!

Message 12 of 26
Cloudlb
Regular Contributor

Re: Curious to know what you're looking for in a home

Interesting about buying a home built in a boom.  Unfortunately, I'm in a poor border town -- if there's a boom, it's now, which is why we are getting sprawl. 

 

If an older home, do you look hard at the foundation, plumbing, electrical, and other systems?  Do you care about asbestos?  or do you just care about granite countertops or a backyard for your dog. 

 

I'm not being facetious here, just swimming upstream. 

 

I would prefer a home that's very small, energy efficient, built with universal design for age in place, and built to withstand storms, disasters, and power outages.  With a view. 

 

(lafs) I know, I know -- there just isn't anything out there like that unless you can build it yourself.  Compromise, compromise! 

 

So, what did you compromise on?

Message 13 of 26
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Curious to know what you're looking for in a home

We're going with a new build. I like the turn-key aspect of it, and the neighborhood (a planned subdivision) is not "cookie-cutter", and will be great for our 3 year old. She'll have kids her age nearby, and there's a park, pool and fitness center not too far from us. Close to shopping, major highways and about 15 minutes from work.

 

My *ideal* home is much different..I'd like something in the style of what northwest indiana has..basement and all. We don't have basements in south texas!

Message 14 of 26
webhopper
Moderator Emeritus

Re: Curious to know what you're looking for in a home


@Cloudlb wrote:

Interesting about buying a home built in a boom.  Unfortunately, I'm in a poor border town -- if there's a boom, it's now, which is why we are getting sprawl. 

 

If an older home, do you look hard at the foundation, plumbing, electrical, and other systems?  Do you care about asbestos?  or do you just care about granite countertops or a backyard for your dog. 

 

I'm not being facetious here, just swimming upstream. 

 

I would prefer a home that's very small, energy efficient, built with universal design for age in place, and built to withstand storms, disasters, and power outages.  With a view. 

 

(lafs) I know, I know -- there just isn't anything out there like that unless you can build it yourself.  Compromise, compromise! 

 

So, what did you compromise on?


I do not feel like I compromised at all on either of the properties that I bought. It fit my needs at the time. The first time around, location and the fact that it was a duplex were what I was most concerned about.  Affordability and location. As a bonus I got a really great kitchen and a nice balcony overlooking the living room. I didn't compromise on the neighborhood, and I knew that I was buying a home that needed repairs, but that was my choice and it tied into the "affordability" aspect of the purchase.

 

The second time around, I was looking for more space, and something that didn't need a lot of work, as I've already got a property to "work on"

I paid close attention to the market and was most interested in something that I could get a really good deal on.  I'm not emotionally tied to houses, other than making sure that they are close to work and have an adequate amount of space for me and the family.  There are only 3 of us, my husband and I, and my daughter...  so its not really too hard to have find a place with enough space.  My husband needed a dedicated hobby space, and I needed a place for my office. I did compromise in that the new house didn't have a fence for the dog, but I asked the seller for a fencing allowance, and they agreed to give me money for building the fence. The new house came with a bakery out back with its own septic, my husband uses that space for his hobby room now. In the evenings we go out there and he reloads bullets and I lay on the futon and read or participate in this forum on my kindle.  

 

Omg, absolutely. For me the Structure and the Location are the key determinates. I can overlook minor damage and cosmetic issues.   The foundation and structure is a very important thing for me. I look at the type of material used, 2X4 vs 2X6 studs, how far apart are they spaced. How is the roof connected to the frame...   We have a lot of snow storms that knock out power, so I do like having a fire place and/or gas heating so that we can stay warm if we are without power for several days during a blizzard.   My first house had virtually no yard, easy maintenance.   My first house was definately a fixer upper, it had been a rental for several years. I lived in it for 4 years and now it is a rental again.  It was definately lacking all of the luxuries like granite countertops. There were holes in the walls that we had to repair, and we had a pest problem (roaches).  but the location was great, right across the street from my work. I would have continued living there except that I changed jobs, and it wasn't as convenient anymore.

But, the structure was sound, and I liked the floor plan and the layout. We are in tornado country, so the tornado shelter under the stairs was important.

 

Here are the pictures of the house now (the property is a duplex, and these pictures are of one side of the duplex):

 

http://media.rent.com/media/property/117/905/355X235/117905029.jpg

 

http://media.rent.com/media/property/117/916/355X235/117916465.jpg

 

http://media.rent.com/media/property/117/905/355X235/117905028.jpg

 

http://media.rent.com/media/property/117/908/355X235/117908482.jpg

 

http://media.rent.com/media/property/117/899/355X235/117899616.jpg

 

http://media.rent.com/media/property/117/905/355X235/117905035.jpg

 

http://media.rent.com/media/property/117/905/355X235/117905036.jpg

 

http://media.rent.com/media/property/117/905/355X235/117905032.jpg

 

 

I did a lot of work to the house.  Repainted using Valspar Paint, new carpet, fixed the holes, replaced tile, Upgraded to stainless steel appliances. I installed new countertops (laminate),  new sinks (stainless). I installed a security system.  I have actually replaced the ceiling fan in the master bedroom and the kitchen.  The kitchen got a nice chandelier. The master bedroom got a new ceiling fan.    I don't mind sinking cash into a house that has good "bones".

 

The 2012 house, I wanted it to be move in ready. I already have a "project house"  So I didn't necessarily want another one. I wanted it to be fairly close to my work, but not in the same school district as my work. I had changed jobs in 2009. So in 2011, My former house was about a 45-1 hr drive to work every day, and traffic was really bad due to some road construction that started in 2011 and will last until 2015.  The new house is about a 10 minute commute, I don't have to get on the main highway and I really enjoy my daughters school district.

 

FICO 9:
Filed Chapter 13 on 6/1/2017 after job loss. Discharged 6/1/2022.

Goal: Gardening!


Message 15 of 26
tooleman694
Valued Contributor

Re: Curious to know what you're looking for in a home

We need a home with 4 bedrooms, 2 living areas and an office.. roughly 3000 SQFT 2 story..

 

I am also very weird about my kitchens, hard to find a house with what I want in the kitchen.. So we are doing a new build so I can get it the way I want it..

 

Our hood is kind of semi custom and cookie cutter..

 

We love the city too..

Message 16 of 26
webhopper
Moderator Emeritus

Re: Curious to know what you're looking for in a home


@tooleman694 wrote:

We need a home with 4 bedrooms, 2 living areas and an office.. roughly 3000 SQFT 2 story..

 

I am also very weird about my kitchens, hard to find a house with what I want in the kitchen.. So we are doing a new build so I can get it the way I want it..

 

Our hood is kind of semi custom and cookie cutter..

 

We love the city too..


Kitchens are important... I refuse to compromise on a kitchen.  I want to have space to move around and plenty of cabinet space.  I hate "galley" style kitchens that are narrow.   I want a kitchen that my husband and I can both work in, since we cook together a lot of times.   Both of my houses have big kitchens.
When i was house shopping in 2011, there were a number of houses that were not an option because of the layout and size of the kitchen.

FICO 9:
Filed Chapter 13 on 6/1/2017 after job loss. Discharged 6/1/2022.

Goal: Gardening!


Message 17 of 26
Cloudlb
Regular Contributor

Re: Curious to know what you're looking for in a home

thanks to all for the great replies, especially webhopper!

 

I loathe all the current kitchen trends, but oh well. 

Message 18 of 26
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Curious to know what you're looking for in a home

We ended up buying a new construction home. We liked the turn-key aspect and the open areas of the house. We loved the neighborhood and the look/layout of the houses in the neighborhood as well. We had looked at all kinds of homes but ultimately the new construction had all that we were looking for (and more).

Message 19 of 26
thankfulheart
Established Contributor

Re: Curious to know what you're looking for in a home

I had to give myself a reality check.  My dream home is a log home. I've wanted to live in one my whole life and even went so far as to do plans back in the early 90s.  Life happened and I landed where I am and a single mom to boot.

 

That said, I opted for a cookie cutter-esque new construction house and neighborhood for convenience and future rent/sale-ability.  My absolute must-haves were 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 walk-in closets, and a kitchen with plenty of space and granite countertops.  Fortunately, I found a builder with a plan that could be modified and is perfect for us.  There are no "charming" homes in my area and the older homes I've looked at were either in horrible condition (as in, filled with wild animal feces and roaches) or were being snatched up by investors who are turning entire subdivisions into rentals.  I'm getting my brand new home for about $10-$20K more than a "used" house and it's money well-spent for turn-key.  I simply don't have time for any DIY at this point in my life. The area is a very small neighborhood in a good location for my family.  I think the tweaks I made to the plan will make it very attractive if I ever decide to sell and build that log home I've always wanted.

Starting Score: 10/1/2011 EQ 568 TU 593
Current Score: EQ 664 TU 700 EX 701 (FAKO)

Message 20 of 26
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