@demi wrote:
Plantation. What drove up the price was the sliding glass door shutters. Expensive, but will last forever.
You have any pictures?
Starting Score: (2009) EQ = 626 | TU = 664 
With our builder Lennar, all the stainless steel appliances were included, including the washer and dryer.
I admit that we really over did it with this home and it was so nice it was an inventory home with all upgrades ($51,000) already included in the purchase price. So it was much easier to say yes to all of it. One of the upgrades that I really like is the media outlets in every room. It is so convenient to have a Ethernet jack in every room! We use DSL and when it is run wirelessly, it loses bandwidth and before if I wanted to work connected to the Ethernet, I would have to work in the one room where the router was setup because they filter all the other jacks to eliminate interference. Now the modem is plugged into the central hub box down in the basement and the wires from every room come down to a central hub in the basement and you just plug them into the router and boom, all the rooms are hot. It is nice for guests because they can plug in their laptop anywhere almost and you don't have to give them your wireless code.
The subdivision I built in also doesn't include the deck as standard so I was happy our home included the deck, which I love as it sits outside the main floor above the walkout basement with stairs that take you down to the grass. This is extra nice as it is impossible to do right later on as to be correct, the beams have to go through the house to equal out the load. So for BBQs, I can BBQ above ground level while the kids play at garden level. I don't have to keep saying, "stay away from the BBQ grill!" LOL! Can't wait until summer!
I guess the big question is, will you really do it later? REALLY? Another question to ask is, when will I have the money to do it and does that support when I want to do it? When choosing upgrades, these are very important questions to ask. Like for me, I would like the basement finished but realistically, it will probably be 5-10 years from now. So then you have to ask, will I miss out on enjoying something I really want for a very long time and am I okay with that? Because once you move in, funds may be lower due to downpayment, etc. and often times they are and what you have becomes an emergency fund. So for me, it makes the home extra special when everything is done and you can enjoy it right away versus every time you come in the kitchen you say, I wish I would have upgraded the countertops to granite or I can't wait until they are upgraded. Those types of discussions that I would have with myself would kill some of my enjoyment. For instance, I would probably like to cook in the new kitchen versus extremely enjoy cooking in the new kitchen.
Another thing to consider is ability to resell. Homes that are base everything, usually don't sell as fast as a lot of people (including myself) want hardwood floors in an established home as well as granite countertops. A house that is basic everything, turns a lot of buyers off especially as the purchase price goes up...so something to consider there. It may also have trouble selling as it ages too because it won't age as gracefully. For example, linoleum tile often begins to come up after 10 years versus hardwoods/ceramic often still look great after ten years. The linoleum tile issue could get you in a predicament where a buyer will ask you to put new tile in. Even if you plan on staying in your home, if you have to sell due to something unexpected, you would want the house to sell quickly and homes with upgrades tend to sale quicker than those without upgrades. It doesn't have to be upgraded to the max...just a few changes that make the home unique. They can be structural too. Just something above the plain vanilla base model. The more upgrades you have that makes the home stand out, the easier they will be seen by a prospective buyer.
Truth with us is I am no handy person...neither is my husband. So we don't know how to make a lot of changes and don't want to out of fear that we will screw up. So we are glad we have peace of mind and the only thing that will need upgrading is the unfinished basement and we will hire contractors to do that.
I admit that we really over did it with this home and it was so nice it was an inventory home with all upgrades ($51,000) already included in the purchase price. So it was much easier to say yes to all of it. One of the upgrades that I really like is the media outlets in every room. It is so convenient to have a Ethernet jack in every room! We use DSL and when it is run wirelessly, it loses bandwidth and before if I wanted to work connected to the Ethernet, I would have to work in the one room where the router was setup because they filter all the other jacks to eliminate interference. Now the modem is plugged into the central hub box down in the basement and the wires from every room come down to a central hub in the basement and you just plug them into the router and boom, all the rooms are hot. It is nice for guests because they can plug in their laptop anywhere almost and you don't have to give them your wireless code.
The subdivision I built in also doesn't include the deck as standard so I was happy our home included the deck, which I love as it sits outside the main floor above the walkout basement with stairs that take you down to the grass. This is extra nice as it is impossible to do right later on as to be correct, the beams have to go through the house to equal out the load. So for BBQs, I can BBQ above ground level while the kids play at garden level. I don't have to keep saying, "stay away from the BBQ grill!" LOL! Can't wait until summer!
I guess the big question is, will you really do it later? REALLY? Another question to ask is, when will I have the money to do it and does that support when I want to do it? When choosing upgrades, these are very important questions to ask. Like for me, I would like the basement finished but realistically, it will probably be 5-10 years from now. So then you have to ask, will I miss out on enjoying something I really want for a very long time and am I okay with that? Because once you move in, funds may be lower due to downpayment, etc. and often times they are and what you have becomes an emergency fund. So for me, it makes the home extra special when everything is done and you can enjoy it right away versus every time you come in the kitchen you say, I wish I would have upgraded the countertops to granite or I can't wait until they are upgraded. Those types of discussions that I would have with myself would kill some of my enjoyment. For instance, I would probably like to cook in the new kitchen versus extremely enjoy cooking in the new kitchen.
Another thing to consider is ability to resell. Homes that are base everything, usually don't sell as fast as a lot of people (including myself) want hardwood floors in an established home as well as granite countertops. A house that is basic everything, turns a lot of buyers off especially as the purchase price goes up...so something to consider there. It may also have trouble selling as it ages too because it won't age as gracefully. For example, linoleum tile often begins to come up after 10 years versus hardwoods/ceramic often still look great after ten years. The linoleum tile issue could get you in a predicament where a buyer will ask you to put new tile in. Even if you plan on staying in your home, if you have to sell due to something unexpected, you would want the house to sell quickly and homes with upgrades tend to sale quicker than those without upgrades. It doesn't have to be upgraded to the max...just a few changes that make the home unique. They can be structural too. Just something above the plain vanilla base model. The more upgrades you have that makes the home stand out, the easier they will be seen by a prospective buyer.
Truth with us is I am no handy person...neither is my husband. So we don't know how to make a lot of changes and don't want to out of fear that we will screw up. So we are glad we have peace of mind and the only thing that will need upgrading is the unfinished basement and we will hire contractors to do that.
Cards: Orchard Bank ($1100) | Cap1 Cash Rewards ($2500) | Chase Freedom ($1000) | Best Buy ($2500) | Discover It ($1000) | Barclay Rewards ($2500) | Current scores: EX FAKO: 684, CK TU: 649, FICO EQ: 680, FICO TU: 698, FICO EX: 658 Happy Homeowner Since 2/6/13! 
Not necessarily. There are so many fish in the sea. I have seen homes in my state sit on the market for 6 months because they didn't have a basement. When I looked at established homes, I definitely the examined the pictures and price carefully to see if it had what I wanted.
You may personally look at houses differently but trust me, for most folks it isn't just about being a homeowner. It is also about buying something you would really like to live in. Being a homeowner is great BUT that realization isn't going to make someone purchase the first thing they see because they just want to be a homeowner. I know I was examining EVERYTHING. There were some houses I really liked, but then I saw the linoleum tile countertops and linoleum floor tile in the kitchen and said, nevermind and moved on to the next house. Also, I think purchase price plays a role as well. I was preapproved for $360K so my standards/expectations were higher when looking at homes. Buying a home is a big investment and major life purchase. Most people don't settle for something they like somewhat, no. In reality, they look for their perfect home.
I, at least wanted hardwoods in the kitchen and casual dining area but I don't like it in the bedrooms etc. For me, I like hardwoods better than linoleum tile because it lasts much longer while continuing to look elegant after 15 years. I've learned from experience that you don't want carpet in the casual dining area with kids. So our house has hardwood in the kitchen area, casual dining area, and main entryway to impress guests when they walk in. LOL!
In some areas you don't have many choices because there isn't much inventory and the homes sell so quickly that you have to put an offer on the first home you see just to make sure you will be able to buy a home in the area you want.
You may personally look at houses differently but trust me, for most folks it isn't just about being a homeowner. It is also about buying something you would really like to live in. Being a homeowner is great BUT that realization isn't going to make someone purchase the first thing they see because they just want to be a homeowner. I know I was examining EVERYTHING. There were some houses I really liked, but then I saw the linoleum tile countertops and linoleum floor tile in the kitchen and said, nevermind and moved on to the next house. Also, I think purchase price plays a role as well. I was preapproved for $360K so my standards/expectations were higher when looking at homes. Buying a home is a big investment and major life purchase. Most people don't settle for something they like somewhat, no. In reality, they look for their perfect home.
I, at least wanted hardwoods in the kitchen and casual dining area but I don't like it in the bedrooms etc. For me, I like hardwoods better than linoleum tile because it lasts much longer while continuing to look elegant after 15 years. I've learned from experience that you don't want carpet in the casual dining area with kids. So our house has hardwood in the kitchen area, casual dining area, and main entryway to impress guests when they walk in. LOL!
In some areas you don't have many choices because there isn't much inventory and the homes sell so quickly that you have to put an offer on the first home you see just to make sure you will be able to buy a home in the area you want.
One other thing. You aren't saving the cost of the upgrade in the purchase price in all cases because many upgrades, such as a finished basement aren't affordable enough to pay cash for. So where does the cost go? In a HELOC/2nd or 3rd mortgage that may have higher interest than the first mortgage. And there you have it, upgrade in the purchase price. And the more mortgages you have, the harder refinancing will be.
So there are many things to consider when deciding whether to upgrade upfront or not.
So there are many things to consider when deciding whether to upgrade upfront or not.
True. I agree it is a different strokes thing for sure. One member here said it was cheaper for her builder to finish the basement than a contractor. So I think it depends on builder as well.
I know personally for me, when I moved in and got settled, that was when I truly began to appreciate and enjoy the upgrades the builder put into this home as I know based on my personal finances, my goal is to save, save, save for the next 5 years. So any upgrades I say I could do for cheaper won't be done for awhile. And if I had to wait, that would really start to bum me out plus, it would eat into the money I saved for furniture, electronics, window drapery, bathroom accessories, rugs, etc. so instead of upgrading the home itself, I can focus on upgrading the things in it.
We can only do so much and it is important that we be honest with ourselves regarding what we can truly do and list them in order of importance to avoid being disappointed later.
All I want people to truly think about is, we all know what we say we are going to do and can do, but will we really be able to financially do it later with cash or will have to be done with a HELOC and how does that compare to having it done upfront in the purchase price. Some people are over zealous, and they need to truly ask themselves if they are going to do those upgrades later on. I have run into so many homeowners that said, I was planning to put granite in and never got around to it or they are still saying they will put in granite 15 years later.
I know personally for me, when I moved in and got settled, that was when I truly began to appreciate and enjoy the upgrades the builder put into this home as I know based on my personal finances, my goal is to save, save, save for the next 5 years. So any upgrades I say I could do for cheaper won't be done for awhile. And if I had to wait, that would really start to bum me out plus, it would eat into the money I saved for furniture, electronics, window drapery, bathroom accessories, rugs, etc. so instead of upgrading the home itself, I can focus on upgrading the things in it.
We can only do so much and it is important that we be honest with ourselves regarding what we can truly do and list them in order of importance to avoid being disappointed later.
All I want people to truly think about is, we all know what we say we are going to do and can do, but will we really be able to financially do it later with cash or will have to be done with a HELOC and how does that compare to having it done upfront in the purchase price. Some people are over zealous, and they need to truly ask themselves if they are going to do those upgrades later on. I have run into so many homeowners that said, I was planning to put granite in and never got around to it or they are still saying they will put in granite 15 years later.
Will post some tonight (of the shutters)...if I can find them! Otherwise will take some. Also have a lot of "extra" windows that are in stairwell, etc....don't open, but are there for light, they have shutters as well.
Another one that absolutely makes sense to have builders install is a fireplace. I am so happy I did, it was very inexpensive (something like 600, way cheaper than even buying one) and is great...heats like a charm.
I negotiated for my upgrades, I regret maybe not negotiating for more. I ran into the painter while they were touching up my building (my walls are off white, and he offerred me a better deal then the builder- saved me a grand). First time homebuyer ignorance, wouldn't had known I could negotiate anything but the price if it wasn't for my realtor.
Some things are rediculously priced in options like fans or drawer handles, lol.
SS was standard for me too with dr horton, we got them to throw in closing costs, w/d, blinds, fridge, and a year of hoa fees. (It was easier to negotiate after my realtor told them we were looking at lennar places right down the road 
)
Autum,
Where are you buying at? The base price for our condo in Maryland was 210k with NVR. I wonder if were in the same neighborhood/building...