I need some major house buying vibes....Update #34

[essnce629]

Sending good house hunting vibes!!!

And I think reevaluating your must haves and like to haves lists would be a good idea. I think having a 3 car garage as a must have would narrow your options real fast! I don't know anyone IRL with a 3 car garage in CA!

[AnnieW625]

Thanks all!

Our list of must haves is always changing due to what is available. We are trying to be as flexible as possible. We look at photos online, look at the street view of the area, then try to assess if the house would work for us, and then if so put it on our must see list. I was voicing my frustrations yesterday morning on a little more than 4 hours of sleep.

A 3 car garage is fairly common in our new area and especially in the houses that were built in the 1970s and newer. We plan to use the area as a workshop or to put an air hockey or foosball table. A lot of the houses we are looking at don’t have separate game/media rooms so the 3 car garage could work for that and if I am being completely honest I would rather have flying plastic pucks not near the windows.

A pool is very common in the area as well. I have done satellite views of neighborhoods and in some found entire neighborhoods where each house has a pool. It would be easier to buy a house with a pool and unless the backyard is really torn up and the price of the house is way under budget I don’t think we will put in a pool, it is just too much of a hassle. Dh could change his mind though. Dd2’s #1 request since we told her we were moving is a pool so I really want to try and make that happen. I would take a house in one of the best established neighborhoods in the city with no pool though, and those neighborhoods are where we really want to live.

I would like some shade because it gets hot there. I would also like solar to help offset the cooling costs.

The 20 minute drive at 5 am through a semi rural area to the train station is not something I wanted to be doing 4-5 days a week, but might consider one day a week, but again driving when it is dark through an area of the city with minimal to no street lights isn’t something I am really comfortable with either so I prefer a more urban neighborhood, but again if the perfect house exists in the more rural area we will have to consider it. We already passed up on one and I kind of regret doing that. We also don’t want more than a 15 minute drive to DD1’s school.

We found two nice house rentals yesterday online and we haven’t inquired about them yet but will soon if they are still on the market early next week and an offer hasn’t been accepted in one of the houses we see this weekend. If we don’t do into escrow this next week decided it will most likely be easier to rent, and just keep looking and hope the market improves for buyers in the next year, plus we won’t have to deal with contingencies on our offer; but I don’t really want to have to move twice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[westwoodmom04]

Thanks all!

Our list of must haves is always changing due to what is available. We are trying to be as flexible as possible. We look at photos online, look at the street view of the area, then try to assess if the house would work for us, and then if so put it on our must see list. I was voicing my frustrations yesterday morning on a little more than 4 hours of sleep.

A 3 car garage is fairly common in our new area and especially in the houses that were built in the 1970s and newer. We plan to use the area as a workshop or to put an air hockey or foosball table. A lot of the houses we are looking at don’t have separate game/media rooms so the 3 car garage could work for that and if I am being completely honest I would rather have flying plastic pucks not near the windows.

A pool is very common in the area as well. I have done satellite views of neighborhoods and in some found entire neighborhoods where each house has a pool. It would be easier to buy a house with a pool and unless the backyard is really torn up and the price of the house is way under budget I don’t think we will put in a pool, it is just too much of a hassle. Dh could change his mind though. Dd2’s #1 request since we told her we were moving is a pool so I really want to try and make that happen. I would take a house in one of the best established neighborhoods in the city with no pool though, and those neighborhoods are where we really want to live.

I would like some shade because it gets hot there. I would also like solar to help offset the cooling costs.

The 20 minute drive at 5 am through a semi rural area to the train station is not something I wanted to be doing 4-5 days a week, but might consider one day a week, but again driving when it is dark through an area of the city with minimal to no street lights isn’t something I am really comfortable with either so I prefer a more urban neighborhood, but again if the perfect house exists in the more rural area we will have to consider it. We already passed up on one and I kind of regret doing that. We also don’t want more than a 15 minute drive to DD1’s school.

We found two nice house rentals yesterday online and we haven’t inquired about them yet but will soon if they are still on the market early next week and an offer hasn’t been accepted in one of the houses we see this weekend. If we don’t do into escrow this next week decided it will most likely be easier to rent, and just keep looking and hope the market improves for buyers in the next year, plus we won’t have to deal with contingencies on our offer; but I don’t really want to have to move twice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hang in there. Not this go around, but the previous time we bought a house, we had a four month rent back since we sold first. That seemed like more than enough time to find a house, but the place we bought didn't become available to the very last minute in terms of us getting to closing on time, and we had found nothing that worked prior to that. Things have a way of working out, and even a rental wouldn't be the end of the world as it would give you more time to learn the ins and outs of the new area.

[niccig]

Fingers crossed for this week 🤞 I’d rather rent than rush and buy something that doesn’t work. The best advice we got was to buy a house you can stay in long term if the market crashes. We bought thinking it would be for a few years as all our friends bought first house then sold 3-5 years later. The market crashed. We’re still in same house 15 years later. Location is great. We renovated a few years back and fixed kitchen and master bedroom. We looked at moving but the costs associated with that weren’t going to get us much better house or school district.

Don’t rush this


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

[echoesofspring]

Fingers crossed for you! I hope you can find something you love quickly. And I hear you on the 3 car garage and pool. Around here 3 car is the norm in newer homes, since nothing has a basement or attic. And I have my eyes out for someplace with a pool, esp right now when we're home so much.

[AnnieW625]

Fingers crossed for this week I’d rather rent than rush and buy something that doesn’t work. The best advice we got was to buy a house you can stay in long term if the market crashes. We bought thinking it would be for a few years as all our friends bought first house then sold 3-5 years later. The market crashed. We’re still in same house 15 years later. Location is great. We renovated a few years back and fixed kitchen and master bedroom. We looked at moving but the costs associated with that weren’t going to get us much better house or school district.

Don’t rush this


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

Us too....we could’ve done okay in a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo that we were thinking of when we found our current house and gave up the one bathroom and got a yard and I am glad we gave up the second bathroom for the additional bedroom. While at the worst of the market we were underwater about $175k. Despite interest rates being super low right now we are worried it might happen again, but interest rates before the crash in 2008 were never this low so even if we buy high now and prices drop and interest rates rise there is a chance we could be paying the same amount for $450k house at 5-7 percent interest as buying a $625k at 3 percent. But yes we are hoping that this next house we buy is our retirement home and we have 15 years minimum until we retire so the 15 year plan is definitely a plan for us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HannaAddict]

You are entering peak buying season right now, summer always is more active even in down markets. And I’m amazed at how hot the market is in our city in the middle of a pandemic. A house on our street, an original 1950’s, never updated, small brick two bedrooms up, one in basement with slight view of the water, went for over $200k over asking at $1.25m and half the offers were all cash. You will be so much more competitive as a bidder once your house closes and you have more secure financing. Here, all cash is what wins, and pre-inspections or no inspections, and no contingencies. I would keep looking aggressively and plan on renting the bare minimum you can tolerate, cheap as possible rental, for six month term at a time while you look and hope things cool off in the fall or as we approach winter. We always have a long sales cycle when we buy, even our first house. We stayed in our ugly but cheap apartment until we found a great house in great neighborhood (in the dead of winter), and it took well over a year of looking and writing a few offers. We kept that same smaller house even with two kids until we found the right house and don’t regret waiting. Good luck and good vibes!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[niccig]

Us too....we could’ve done okay in a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo that we were thinking of when we found our current house and gave up the one bathroom and got a yard and I am glad we gave up the second bathroom for the additional bedroom. While at the worst of the market we were underwater about $175k. Despite interest rates being super low right now we are worried it might happen again, but interest rates before the crash in 2008 were never this low so even if we buy high now and prices drop and interest rates rise there is a chance we could be paying the same amount for $450k house at 5-7 percent interest as buying a $625k at 3 percent. But yes we are hoping that this next house we buy is our retirement home and we have 15 years minimum until we retire so the 15 year plan is definitely a plan for us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So don’t compromise on location for your work. Think long term, 15 years of not great commute vs how many years do the girls have left in school?

We’re situated nicely by small freeways (2 and 134), so it easy for our commutes. I’m about 35 mins and DH is 45 mins. We looked at moving 10-15 mins further away and it just wasn’t worth it. School is marginally better, house isn’t better, so we renovated. DS then got in at very good magnet school in our area, and we pay for bus service. So it worked out for us. You can’t fix location.

I’d also say don’t compromise on size. We renovated to get extra bedroom and could do that as house size big enough to change interior walls. Adding on is way too expensive. So need enough square footage.

And yes, you need a pool! Shade would be great, but we use 3 outdoor umbrellas as waiting on 2 trees to get bigger - so you can make do for shade while plant fast growing trees


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

[SnuggleBuggles]

Thanks all!

Our list of must haves is always changing due to what is available. We are trying to be as flexible as possible. We look at photos online, look at the street view of the area, then try to assess if the house would work for us, and then if so put it on our must see list. I was voicing my frustrations yesterday morning on a little more than 4 hours of sleep.

A 3 car garage is fairly common in our new area and especially in the houses that were built in the 1970s and newer. We plan to use the area as a workshop or to put an air hockey or foosball table. A lot of the houses we are looking at don’t have separate game/media rooms so the 3 car garage could work for that and if I am being completely honest I would rather have flying plastic pucks not near the windows.

A pool is very common in the area as well. I have done satellite views of neighborhoods and in some found entire neighborhoods where each house has a pool. It would be easier to buy a house with a pool and unless the backyard is really torn up and the price of the house is way under budget I don’t think we will put in a pool, it is just too much of a hassle. Dh could change his mind though. Dd2’s #1 request since we told her we were moving is a pool so I really want to try and make that happen. I would take a house in one of the best established neighborhoods in the city with no pool though, and those neighborhoods are where we really want to live.

I would like some shade because it gets hot there. I would also like solar to help offset the cooling costs.

The 20 minute drive at 5 am through a semi rural area to the train station is not something I wanted to be doing 4-5 days a week, but might consider one day a week, but again driving when it is dark through an area of the city with minimal to no street lights isn’t something I am really comfortable with either so I prefer a more urban neighborhood, but again if the perfect house exists in the more rural area we will have to consider it. We already passed up on one and I kind of regret doing that. We also don’t want more than a 15 minute drive to DD1’s school.

We found two nice house rentals yesterday online and we haven’t inquired about them yet but will soon if they are still on the market early next week and an offer hasn’t been accepted in one of the houses we see this weekend. If we don’t do into escrow this next week decided it will most likely be easier to rent, and just keep looking and hope the market improves for buyers in the next year, plus we won’t have to deal with contingencies on our offer; but I don’t really want to have to move twice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was just thinking about this post today. The 3 car garage so you'd have a game room... 1. what's the price breakdown and availability of a 4 bedroom house with a 2 car garage vs a 3 bedroom with 3 car garage? That 4th bedroom could easily serve that function (the puck won't break normal windows ). or 2. what about maximizing outdoor living? A pergola over the games- could work a vast majority of your days weather wise. It's really common on the east coast for beach houses to have turned garages into either game rooms or extra bedrooms and they are actually pretty miserable to hang out in a lot of the time. Without HVAC and proper insulation, they just don't take the place of a real room.

[mom2binsd]

Annie, I'm curious if you found something, you mentioned in another thread about the seller moving out, think maybe you found something!

I noticed your concern with driving on a rural road for 20 min, I think you would get used to it very easily. I drive on some very very back roads, often in winter with icy patches, but you would easily adjust to that drive and not have winter weather to contend with (and no traffic probably).

Don't worry too much about the commute to the school, if the plan is to be here for awhile, 20 min vs 30 min would be ok, an hour, would be too much.

Fingers crossed for you!