Home buying thread

Blazin · May 21, 2021

LachiusTZ said:
That's a winner.

But there are some real neat new techs in building, dunno if Amish would use it or your would even care. Lol

Guy named Matt Risingler (sp?) Has a YouTube channel where he is always showing off new things in the industry.

Really cool stuff, you might want to check it out for ideas.

When we were going to do CO mtn house we were definitely leaning towards new tech. Radiant floor heating, ICF construction etc. Around here in PA you'd be inviting a gigantic headache with the inspectors. Things never change because nobody wants to spend the time/money fighting them. They want it by their code book even when that code book is dire need of an update. They'll tolerate ICF in the basement but doing your whole house that way would send them spinning. Still getting a more efficient house than 30yrs ago but no where near pushing the envelope of new styles and techniques.

I'll check out the channel though.

Fucker · May 21, 2021

Blazin said:
One builder meeting down another one next week. Trying to decide between a company that does over 80 homes a year vs a smaller more personal one that does around 8. Pros and cons to each, general rapport will probably end up tilting it one way or the other. The small one is an Amish guy I get along with rather well as we both hate over reaching government.

I'd go with the smaller guy.

I've never seen a home built buy a big builder that was built correctly. I'm sure they exist, but I've yet to find one. This place was built by a small company, and I've yet to find a single thing wrong with it. But then, small builders can be meatheads, too.

I rented a house that was just a few years old. It was built by a large company, and it didn't get a single QA pass at all. All of the windows and doors leaked, the deck needed to be replaced, as did the downstairs bathroom, and the insulation was thrown in. I forgot what my figure to fix it was, but it was around $150k at least. It still would have been a piece of trash even fixed.

Blazin · May 21, 2021

Fogel said:
I'd lean towards the smaller guy. When looking at houses last year I looked at some of the larger developments with new houses and the build/material quality was much lower compared to a new house being built by a smaller guy who only did a few a year. I ended up buying from the smaller guy.

I'm definitely leaning towards small guy right now, he is far more likely to work with me on municipal issues and I may be able to do some scope for myself. A bigger builder I'd end up a lot less involved. I have the time to commit.

I'm hoping for a June settlement on the land, we are getting kind of late in the season for what I'm going to do with the land this year. Have Alfalfa planted on a lot of the acreage now and some soy bean that is just starting to sprout. Probably going to be stuck just letting the neighboring farm continue to lease it through 2022 growing season.

Right now I spend my time studying equipment and farming more than I think about the house.

Nija · May 21, 2021

Gravel said:
Mostly this is due to wanting a 20'x20' room for a gym (not bedroom) which is pretty niche.

Have you considered a shop instead of adding that kind room to your house? That way, when you go to sell, the potential owner can use it however they wish. Old picture of my gym setup as I was getting it unpacked last summer.

Intrinsic · May 21, 2021

This was the part of your process I was most interested in so thanks for continuing to post.

Don't have the time / land to do my own construction and am 110% leery of any new home / track housing construction. Had too many friends and acquaintances with infant house syndrome due to poor construction just trying to throw together subdivisions ASAP.

Trying to decide who to use is a big gap I have no idea about and not sure anyone around me has done it either.

Intrinsic · May 21, 2021

Nija said:
Have you considered a shop instead of adding that kind room to your house? That way, when you go to sell, the potential owner can use it however they wish. Old picture of my gym setup as I was getting it unpacked last summer.

View attachment 354818

When you say shop do you mean outdoor structure? Going back to the HOA conversations earlier most of them around here don't allow you to build outdoor shops so you have to find an area without one or one relaxed enough to get it. Maybe someone that has one already and is grandfathered in. But again it just dilutes the available choices from an already empty supply. It is 100% what I'm most nervous about when looking for our new house. No room for my gym stuff and no room for my wood stuff and the idea of giving up my wood hobby is nauseating.

Gravel · May 21, 2021

Nija said:
Have you considered a shop instead of adding that kind room to your house? That way, when you go to sell, the potential owner can use it however they wish. Old picture of my gym setup as I was getting it unpacked last summer.

View attachment 354818

Yeah, that was my original plan. But then we started looking more and more in areas that are flood prone, and so I just figured I'd add it as part of the house. Plus it makes it easier to heat/cool. I think also when I had planned that, we were wanting less gym. Now I want 400 sqft, and that seems like a massive building if the main house would be 1000 sqft.

LachiusTZ · May 21, 2021

Blazin said:
I'm definitely leaning towards small guy right now, he is far more likely to work with me on municipal issues and I may be able to do some scope for myself. A bigger builder I'd end up a lot less involved. I have the time to commit.

I'm hoping for a June settlement on the land, we are getting kind of late in the season for what I'm going to do with the land this year. Have Alfalfa planted on a lot of the acreage now and some soy bean that is just starting to sprout. Probably going to be stuck just letting the neighboring farm continue to lease it through 2022 growing season.

Right now I spend my time studying equipment and farming more than I think about the house.

There are some really cool sustainable farming techniques as well.

I'd have to dig it up, but crop rotations, organic, etc, has made a lot of progress. Higher yield, better for the soil, etc etc

I'd say heed my advice in the farming thread, but you aren't a retard so you already know better. Lol

Tmac · May 21, 2021

Intrinsic said:
When you say shop do you mean outdoor structure? Going back to the HOA conversations earlier most of them around here don't allow you to build outdoor shops so you have to find an area without one or one relaxed enough to get it. Maybe someone that has one already and is grandfathered in. But again it just dilutes the available choices from an already empty supply. It is 100% what I'm most nervous about when looking for our new house. No room for my gym stuff and no room for my wood stuff and the idea of giving up my wood hobby is nauseating.

My sisters house has a side entry shop in the house. It’s like a garage beside their basement that has a separate driveway.

All the homes in her neighborhood have shops in the house. They’re like extra garages w smaller entries.

Intrinsic · May 21, 2021

Tmac said:
My sisters house has a side entry shop in the house. It’s like a garage beside their basement that has a separate driveway.

All the homes in her neighborhood have shops in the house. They’re like extra garages w smaller entries.

I think that would be a good way to get around it. No unattached structures but if you added on to the house not sure how the HOA could really ding you. You're just adding a "room" to your house.

Tmac · May 21, 2021

Intrinsic said:
I think that would be a good way to get around it. No unattached structures but if you added on to the house not sure how the HOA could really ding you. You're just adding a "room" to your house.

If you build on a hill they're super easy to work into the plan.

house-plans-with-daylight-basement-drive-through-portico-house-plans-with-shop-basement-rec-ro...gif

Sorce · May 22, 2021

So, my wife and I are looking to buy a larger home due to our newest addition, and needing an extra room for my office. We have been looking for months and like everyone is posting here, the prices to buy are pretty high right now. We live in a town where it seems a lot of folks are migrating to since it is just far enough away from the bustle of a concrete jungle, but close enough to be convenient. The school system is great, too, and is probably the biggest factor in where we live.

My concern is that we purchase a home at these current prices and when the dust settles (which some feel may be relatively soon) we will always be upside down, not being able to ever sell at that price again.

Is it better to make it work where I am (3 Bdr, 2 Ba for a family of 5, plus an office), or is it worth going for it since we will be able to sell our home for a higher than normal price as well?

Really torn on this.

Lanx · May 22, 2021

Sorce said:
So, my wife and I are looking to buy a larger home due to our newest addition, and needing an extra room for my office. We have been looking for months and like everyone is posting here, the prices to buy are pretty high right now. We live in a town where it seems a lot of folks are migrating to since it is just far enough away from the bustle of a concrete jungle, but close enough to be convenient. The school system is great, too, and is probably the biggest factor in where we live.

My concern is that we purchase a home at these current prices and when the dust settles (which some feel may be relatively soon) we will always be upside down, not being able to ever sell at that price again.

Is it better to make it work where I am (3 Bdr, 2 Ba for a family of 5, plus an office), or is it worth going for it since we will be able to sell our home for a higher than normal price as well?

Really torn on this.

imo look at the historicals, on zillow you can search houses sold and give a time frame i.e., sold in the last 30days, etc. and check out the prices and their increase from 60 or 90 days prior.

where i'm trying to move to south of nashville, my agent has said he almost doesn't even recommend us flying out to check out houses, cuz they'll be put on contract in 2 days or less. (we're doing it anyway since it's comped and we want to see the neighborhoods), and is almost gonna say just buy sight unseen.

maybe talk to an agent, see how see movement.

Intrinsic · May 22, 2021

Everyone's situation is different so don't take anyone's opinion as gospel. Have to figure out what is right for you financially and also from the stress it will put on your family. If you're trying to time a sell and buy vs. selling then renting then buying, and everything else in between. Even if it makes financial sense it may not be good for y'all. And etc. etc.

I personally am not going to stress about the chance of a housing downtown. A home isn't an investment and I'm not looking to move again soon so we'll be in a position to ride through whatever happens here in the short to mid term. Unless you're really razor thin on stuff or have specific goals about flipping or borrowing against your equity I just don't see the benefit of worrying about some big housing crash. But again that is based on my research of areas I'm looking to move to and other factors. Banks also don't want this to happen (I mean... yeah, well) so the appraisal process and other things can help mitigate some risk. But obviously I'm not gonna try to buy a home that is worth $200k for $400k just b/c the market is tight.

Plus who knows what is going to happen with inflation. If it is likely to go up then I got a great interest rate on a home at, what 3% or less? I can manage my monthly payments or down payments in about 100 different ways that helps me mitigate my own risk and save on my own terms. Without having a ton of capital locked in to a home in case of a downturn.

Gotta weigh your stuff, talk to an advisor, a realtor, or any friends that have gone through it recently. If nothing else all this crap is putting my relationship to a test and I figure if we come out well on the other side we can make it through other things!

Sorce · May 23, 2021

Appreciate the insight and opinions. My wife does extensive research on the houses before we even go look at it, and the neighborhood it is in. Unfortunately, there are only 2 school districts that we have confidence in or it would be a move much farther away. Houses are selling like crazy here, which is the good part of the equation at least.

I think we will do our best to stop worrying too much and just look for the right house without going crazy on price. We have a good agent and all, but the current market might have them worrying about more $ signs than worrying about their reputation.

Pharazon2 · May 23, 2021

If you're in an area served by Redfin, you can get a Redfin agent for confidence they're not going to push you into a purchase for money. They work on salary no commission, and their bonuses are based on reviews. I used one for my purchase 1.5 years ago and never regretted it. Helped us to NOT pull the trigger on multiple places before eventually doing so on the place that was easily my favorite of any I had considered over the course of more than a year.

Sorce · May 23, 2021

Pharazon2 said:
If you're in an area served by Redfin, you can get a Redfin agent for confidence they're not going to push you into a purchase for money. They work on salary no commission, and their bonuses are based on reviews. I used one for my purchase 1.5 years ago and never regretted it. Helped us to NOT pull the trigger on multiple places before eventually doing so on the place that was easily my favorite of any I had considered over the course of more than a year.

Thanks, Pharazon2, I have never heard of Refin but will certainly check it out.

Pescador · May 23, 2021

Sorce said:
So, my wife and I are looking to buy a larger home due to our newest addition, and needing an extra room for my office. We have been looking for months and like everyone is posting here, the prices to buy are pretty high right now. We live in a town where it seems a lot of folks are migrating to since it is just far enough away from the bustle of a concrete jungle, but close enough to be convenient. The school system is great, too, and is probably the biggest factor in where we live.

My concern is that we purchase a home at these current prices and when the dust settles (which some feel may be relatively soon) we will always be upside down, not being able to ever sell at that price again.

Is it better to make it work where I am (3 Bdr, 2 Ba for a family of 5, plus an office), or is it worth going for it since we will be able to sell our home for a higher than normal price as well?

Really torn on this.

All depends on if and when you may move again. I'm in a similar boat - family of four, 3br home we bought a few years ago and we've kept one of the bedrooms as a home office so it feels 1 bedroom short. Not a big deal right now since we have two girls that love sharing a room but we'll probably have at least 1 more kid so we are looking to upsize.

When we bought in 2017 everyone was saying interest rates were historically low and prices were historically high and a correction was inevitable. People were saying that back in 2014 and people are still saying that today in 2021. Eventually it'll be true, and the small group of people who happened to get it exactly right can say "I told you so". Just like timing the stock market, waiting to buy the dip almost never works out unless you are just lucky and you happen to have cash available right around the time a dip occurs. But consciously waiting months or years for a dip almost always backfires. Even the 2008 housing crash was, in hindsight, inevitable, but the average homebuyer had no way to guess which year it would finally all blow up.

Gravel · May 23, 2021

It'll be interesting to see what happens in June. Hopefully they don't extend the forbearance another few months. July could be a bloodbath for real estate. Or not.

OneofOne · May 23, 2021

Never be afraid to walk away from a bad realtor. When I bought my first home, the first realtor we got was trying to sell us on literally every house we looked at - even a very very bad home that would essentially need to be rebuilt from the ground up. At that point we just said fuck it, our goals aren't aligned, we wish you luck with your next suckers.

I'm buying again right now, again using the same agent we got after that bad one. I love him. He never gives his opinion on why we should buy a home, but rather negative issues to consider. We really appreciate the honestly and mild pushback.

California prices are just obscene right now. There's really no better way to say it. Wife and I are looking for a 3/2 between 1500 - 2000 sqft, and we'll likely end up paying $650k - $675k, if not more if we can get it with a backyard larger than a postage stamp.

We're not in a hurry, nor are we settling for anything. We'll see what happens at the end of June, and if the housing market doesn't open up (keep in mind during the last recession homes were getting foreclosed on left, right, and center, and banks intentionally kept homes off the market so values didn't crash harder, so... we'll see) we're just going to say fuck it, get something smaller, and re-evaluate in 2-3 years for an upgrade.

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Home buying thread

Blazin

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Fucker

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Blazin

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Intrinsic

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Intrinsic

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Gravel

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Tmac

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Intrinsic

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Sorce

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