need opinions

[soontobe]

so we are living in a smallish 2 bedroom apt. we have a 2.5 ds and i am due in aug. we ar going to have to move out of here in the next little while (would love to pre-baby, but don't think its going to happen).

ill keep the millions of details out, but would you BUY (not rent) a condo that has 2 full bedrooms and a 'den' (which we could possibly make a little bedroom)? we will already have 2 kids when we buy it and we are hoping to have more. I believe they are any where from 1100-1350 square feet

i feel like i could just use some objective opinions here

thanks!!!!

[weech]

Nope. I'd rather rent a larger place than buy a place that is/will be too small for my family.

However, I live in the suburbs and am used to having space. If you're just one of those people who is cool with small living quarters, that would be different.

[MMMommy]

No, I wouldn't buy the condo. Sounds too small for the size family you plan to have. I would consider renting a place of that size until you further expand the family, but I wouldn't buy.

[lil_acorn]

No I wouldn't buy a condo that you know you are going to outgrow. I think condos are typically more difficult to sell and their values decline more than houses. Plus, you really don't want to deal with the hassle of moving house 2x, especially after having kids and continuing to accumulate more "stuff". Not to mention having to pay the sellers fee to the realtor when you have to sell your condo.

[zag95]

I def wouldn't buy a condo- those HOA fees are killers and I think it would be better to get something bigger, if you are intending to grow your family. Why not live in a place where you have room to expand?

[vonfirmath]

so we are living in a smallish 2 bedroom apt. we have a 2.5 ds and i am due in aug. we ar going to have to move out of here in the next little while (would love to pre-baby, but don't think its going to happen).

ill keep the millions of details out, but would you BUY (not rent) a condo that has 2 full bedrooms and a 'den' (which we could possibly make a little bedroom)? we will already have 2 kids when we buy it and we are hoping to have more. I believe they are any where from 1100-1350 square feet

i feel like i could just use some objective opinions here

thanks!!!!

No. If they call the room a den it is because it can not officially be designated a bedroom -- does not have two means of egress from the room. Plus there is not growing room. I'd look for something with 3 bedrooms. The general rule of thumb is not to buy if you will not stay there 3 years, at least. This does not sound like a place with 3 years of growing room.

Also, with it being a condo -- can you put play stuff in the backyard? Will you want to as your kids get older?

ETA: We are in your position right now. Family of 3. DS turns 4 years old just when the baby is due -- in August. Living in a 2-bedroom 950 sq ft place. We just looked at moving and decided that our money is best spent right now making the 2 bedroom "do" and putting away the extra money we'd otherwise be using for higher rent into savings for the future. We'd need to spend about $1050/mo to get something equivalent to what we have now, 1200 sq ft and 3 bedroom. Our budget, though, is no more than $900 and at that, its a squeeze. So we're staying put for now. We can always decide to move in the future if stuff changes -- we're pretty sure the crib will fit in DS's room and we're clearing part of our walk-in closet to make a place for the bassinet near our bed for right now.

[twowhat?]

I vote rent as well. A condo will be a pain to sell when the time comes, and you won't want to have to deal with it! Give yourself time to see what kind of larger home would work best for your family after you have your new baby.

[soontobe]

thank you everyone for your thoughts. we are thinking of this simply because it is the less expensive option. the COL here is nuts and there is no way to move into the "forever" house within the next 6 years for sure. the condos we r looking at have a very good resale value and sell pretty quickly. they also come with amazing amenities that we would get a lot of use out of... if we don't buy we move into a 3 bedroom apt that we wouldn't be able to stay in for that long either...

[ashleybama24]

We have a 2 bedroom house and with 2 adults, 1 and half children (I'm due in July), 2 cats and a dog it often doesn't feel big enough! But we love our location and historic charm of the house and aren't ready for the suburbs yet. We are going to have the kids share a bedroom which they will be doing the rest of their lives anyway so why not start now? (roommate in dorm, roommates in apartment during and post college, spouse) I have a friend who has 4 kids and the 3 oldest WANT to be roommates despite having other bedrooms. They gave up and turned one into a playroom.

Rent, save your pennies for the dream house. The kids won't care as much now about sharing rooms as they will as teenagers.

[AnnieW625]

thank you everyone for your thoughts. we are thinking of this simply because it is the less expensive option. the COL here is nuts and there is no way to move into the "forever" house within the next 6 years for sure. the condos we r looking at have a very good resale value and sell pretty quickly. they also come with amazing amenities that we would get a lot of use out of... if we don't buy we move into a 3 bedroom apt that we wouldn't be able to stay in for that long either...

As someone who almost bought a condo vs. a house and still sometimes wishes I had bought a condo instead because we live in a high COL area (and the condo was $60,000 less) I think that if you like the condo enough and can see yourself spending the next 6 to 10 yrs. there then I think it makes sense, esp. if the payment (plus property taxes) is close to what you'd be paying in rent. Also a den is basically a bedroom without a closet in it so for a child as long as they have a nice wardrobe it shouldn't be an issue as long as you can put a regular bedroom door on the den (if there isn't one already).

I currently live in an 1100 sq. ft. 3 bed 1 bath house 1950s tract house with two girls (they do have their own bedrooms, although DD1's bedroom is very small), my DH and our dog (although she spends most time in the garage) and while we do have moments where we'd love a playroom, larger bedrooms, and a second bathroom we are happy in our small little home.

I really think that the norm of families here is to live in a high COL area with a great income or live in a lower COL area with a middle to high income and be able to have huge house. I tend to think that posters here might be more spoiled with that type of living situation and probably won't understand unless they have lived in a high COL area, made less money, and had to make the choice between renting a larger place and not getting a tax deduction for renting vs. buying a smaller place and being able to get a tax deduction (which was a huge reason of why we decided to buy vs. waiting, although waiting in the end would've saved us about $100,000 on the price of our house).

Hope that makes sense.

[ha98ed14]

thank you everyone for your thoughts. we are thinking of this simply because it is the less expensive option. the COL here is nuts and there is no way to move into the "forever" house within the next 6 years for sure. the condos we r looking at have a very good resale value and sell pretty quickly. they also come with amazing amenities that we would get a lot of use out of... if we don't buy we move into a 3 bedroom apt that we wouldn't be able to stay in for that long either...

If monthly payments on this condo would be LESS than your rent for a 3 BR, it might be worth it. Would you consider it keeping it as a rental property after you move out? If you decide to do it, I would use the den as a playroom and keep the toys in there and use the bedroom just for sleeping. The baby will be in with you for a while. Once he/she is on a schedule, I'd put him/er in with DC#1. If push came to shove, put the baby's crib in the den for night times and have them nap in your or the other child's room. I think it can work if you are willing to give up the idea that every child will have their own room that they will always have access to. Baby might sleep in the LR/Den and nap in the MBR. It works fine, it just doesn't necessarily feel the same as a dedicated nursery that is all for that one DC.

[eh613c]

I agree with other PPs. I don't recommend buying a condo with 2 bdrms and plan on having more kids. If you can't afford to buy a house right now, rent a bigger appartment.

[wencit]

No way. There are 4 of us right now in our [rented] 2 bedroom, 1200 sq ft condo, and it is already very, very cramped. Before we signed the lease on this place, I had envisioned putting the kids in 1 room together or having DS2 room with us, but for a million reasons, it didn't work out that way, so now poor DH sleeps on the living room sofa every night. You just never know how things are going to work out (or not, as in our case!).

I totally understand being in a high COL area (I lived in the SF Bay Area for 30 years before moving here), but I would continue to rent for the time being.

[llama8]

a 2 bedroom condo seems way to small. Is there a way to find a 3 bedroom condo you can afford?

If not, I would rent.

[niccig]

Best housing advice we got was that when you buy, you have to be able to see yourself living there for 10 yrs if the bottom falls out of the market, as you'll have to stay to ride it out - which is what we're doing now.

[WatchingThemGrow]

We're in a 1250 sf home with an enclosed porch that adds 160sf, and no garage. Depending on how soon you plan to have #3, you may find yourself stuck in this condo with nowhere for your DC play outside, to put a couple bikes, outside toys, guests, hand-me-down clothes, etc. I would have been *okay* in our space with 2 DC, but with 3, things are different. Sharing a room isn't the problem, but having space for people to spread out when everyone is home is an issue. It is definitely a stressor to have a space that seems too small AND several little ones.

[ahrimie]

I think you would outgrow that space quickly. I would rent a larger place for now and buy later or something bigger. I live in suburbia though and space isn't as much of a luxury as it would be in a city. I think 1800-2500 is a good amount of space (I live in 3500 sq ft with an unfinished basement though).