We are most likely going to live in a suburban ranch house! I have never lived in the suburbs before or in a new (post-World War II) house before. It's not my normal taste, and to be honest, this is just not how I pictured things going after finally being ready to settle into a home of our own. But I am trying to stay positive and be grateful for the fact that we are easily able to buy a house at all when there is so much unemployment and chaos in the world.
Thank you all for the advice.That's why I find house hunters so dumb. You don't just have 3 houses and decide. You wait, find one put in an offer/miss, then move on to the next.
Unfortunately I won't need it, because BAG END JUST SOLD!!!!
I requested a showing within hours of it going on the market. We were supposed to see it today, but that got cancelled.
We had just started to lean toward Bag End. We were feeling so positive! We had dreamed a new dream!
RAAAAARGHHHHHHhhhhhhgg
I'm not happy.
House Hunters is reality TV.Thank you all for the advice.That's why I find house hunters so dumb. You don't just have 3 houses and decide. You wait, find one put in an offer/miss, then move on to the next.
Unfortunately I won't need it, because BAG END JUST SOLD!!!!
I requested a showing within hours of it going on the market. We were supposed to see it today, but that got cancelled.
We had just started to lean toward Bag End. We were feeling so positive! We had dreamed a new dream!
RAAAAARGHHHHHHhhhhhhgg
I'm not happy.
@betsbillabong I didn't think you were hijacking! It's heartening to hear from others in the same boat.
I'm trying to envision us pulling up to our new home to unpack and start our new life. If we're at the fixer-upper, are we excited to begin a new adventure, or are we anxious about safety/money? If we end up in a more typical suburban house in good repair, are we relieved, or do we regret letting Hobbiton House go due to our fears?
On one hand, this seems like the PERFECT place for us. Similar pieces of land in the area (but with large, new houses) are now up for sale in the million-dollar range, so this may indeed be our last chance to get a property like this, among the last of the little run-down cottages.
BUT fixing it up (especially while living a few hours away) will be a challenge. We can afford repairs, but there is the potential for this to spiral out of control and become a financial drag if we are not careful. Also, actually being able to vet good contractors and ensure that they are doing quality work to make it habitable for us and our baby is now my major concern.
I'm trying to envision us pulling up to our new home to unpack and start our new life. If we're at the fixer-upper, are we excited to begin a new adventure, or are we anxious about safety/money? If we end up in a more typical suburban house in good repair, are we relieved, or do we regret letting Hobbiton House go due to our fears?
The first house we bought when young needed a ton of work but was habitable. We barely moved in before we had our first child. We redid one room a year ourselves. Only thing hired was the roof and furnace. 8 years ago we bought a house in worse condition and being 40 years older we didn’t move in until everything was done. Luckily my husband had just retired and I hired him a full time helper. It took 4 months. Since you would be hiring everything my guess is it’s not going to be worth the cost.
Yeah, I'd be game for something like this, but my husband is not. He has a demanding job and pre-existing hobbies, and he does not want house repair to become a new, all-consuming activity that takes up all his free time for years, no matter how cool the property is. This is one of his lines in the sand.
@AMandM : Lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor!
Edit: At first I thought the victim was a teenager. Then I googled a little more into some of the details, and now I think she was probably more like 10-11 years old.
I think I just can't work with this guy. I'm feeling a very bad feeling.
@AMandM : Lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor!
Edit: At first I thought the victim was a teenager. Then I googled a little more into some of the details, and now I think she was probably more like 10-11 years old.
I think I just can't work with this guy. I'm feeling a very bad feeling.
But after calling our realtor about it, my husband and I both felt a tremendous burden lift from our shoulders, and we knew we had made the right choice.
After cancelling, we immediately made an offer on our second-choice property: a modest but cheerful suburban house-flipper house. I never imagined I would move into a flip, kind of like I never imagined I would live in a post-WWII home, but there is some relief in not having to worry about major renovations (that we know of so far). I think we could spend some happy years there.
The house will need a LOT of work: a new roof and new electrical system just for starters.
Then there's all the deferred maintenance. The siding may need to be replaced. There's potentially some hidden water damage in the bathroom. Some window frames are rotted. There is some cracking in the foundation which may or may not be serious. We aren't sure yet about radon or the condition of the chimney. Etc. etc.The bolded items above are what I would be very concerned about. Window rotting is not as frequent, and often a sign of water that has run down several levels to cause a large problem, on the outside. Foundation issues are real and major, so triple check that one. Chimney liners or cracked chimneys are a significant issue as it can be hard to find someone to even do the work. If it is just repointing and recapping it, that would be straightforward and able to be done with the roof repair.
It's a little off-putting to buy a house with all these "new improved" features that to me actually make the place worse!
But yeah. Like I said, I am trying to stay positive!
We are moving to the Shire. We have reclaimed an Airbnb for the people. We don't have to worry about a huge renovation or spending too much of our savings. We and our loved ones are healthy. If the worst thing in our lives is that we have to live in a trendy house-flipper house that needs some airing out, we're actually doing pretty well.
It's a little off-putting to buy a house with all these "new improved" features that to me actually make the place worse!
But yeah. Like I said, I am trying to stay positive!
We are moving to the Shire. We have reclaimed an Airbnb for the people. We don't have to worry about a huge renovation or spending too much of our savings. We and our loved ones are healthy. If the worst thing in our lives is that we have to live in a trendy house-flipper house that needs some airing out, we're actually doing pretty well.
So glad you found a home that will work for you!
I hear you on the airing out. The sellers of both of the last two houses we bought both did the "lipstick on the pig" job right before going on the market. The first place had all new bottom-on-the-line carpeting installed throughout. It was a neutral color so I just put up with it until we moved, but it was by far the lowest quality carpet I've dealt with in my adult life. The most recent place we bought had a lot of very low quality handyman work done to make the photos look decent (probably similar to the Air BnB vibe you are getting). Things like only painting the trim on the front view side of the house. And it still smells like paint inside several of the kitchen cabinets nearly a year later. Ugh!
Much of what we initially didn't like has grown on us, though. My vote would be eject what you absolutely hate right away, but don't be too hasty to toss something if it is functional and you don't have an immediate replacement available.
Did you ever get to the point of sending them a list of requests based on the home inspection? If you did, they may be legally entitled to a copy of the report (they are in Virginia anyway). If you did not get to the point of sending them a list of requests, then I'd say decline. If they want an inspection done, they can pay for it.
Or you can offer half.
If you have a legal obligation to share the report then, of course, share it. Otherwise, just walk away.
Your report, if shared, will likely be provided to other prospective buyers. Do you want your name and implicit backing of the details in said report sent to other potential buyers?
IMO, selling it to them (at half price) adds to the problem. Selling something generally means you take on certain liabilities for the product being sold.
Real estate transactions are big and complex, and involve plenty risk in the best of circumstances. No point in adding more variables to the process.
And that's exactly what I'd say to them as I politely declined their request. They're just being cheap, IMO.If you have a legal obligation to share the report then, of course, share it. Otherwise, just walk away.
Your report, if shared, will likely be provided to other prospective buyers. Do you want your name and implicit backing of the details in said report sent to other potential buyers?
IMO, selling it to them (at half price) adds to the problem. Selling something generally means you take on certain liabilities for the product being sold.
Real estate transactions are big and complex, and involve plenty risk in the best of circumstances. No point in adding more variables to the process.
Huh, I really had not thought of that at all. We have no legal obligation.
I'm actually surprised they want it, since if they read it, they may need to disclose certain issues to other buyers that they wouldn't have otherwise been on record as knowing about.
Hi, marble_faun! I know that it has been a year but I'm just really curious to what happened next. Also, I have a question: did you and your husband think about getting a new one built? Like maybe the ones from https://www.opushomes.com/communities/stouffville/detached-homes.html ? I just inherited a certain amount of money and I'm thinking of buying a property or stash it somewhere where it'll grow. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!Welcome, @myles! If you want to get someone's attention, either quote one of their posts or batsignal them the way I just did to you. You can also PM them.