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[Ron Mexico]

Nothing built in. Just a microwave and washer and dryer. I even hired a cleaning crew to clean everything up and asked my contractor to patch holes from my TV mounts, so I was hoping the least they could do was respect my time a little. But nope. So here we are.

I won't overtly be a dick to them, of course. I'm just not above this passive-aggressive pettiness stuff.

Probably being overly cautious here, but I would just double check the seller's disclosure-- I remember specifically having to include my washer & dryer in there to my buyer and there was a (seemingly much more mild) disagreement with the seller on the new house over a water treatment setup he "forgot" to remove.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Probably being overly cautious here, but I would just double check the seller's disclosure-- I remember specifically having to include my washer & dryer in there to my buyer and there was a (seemingly much more mild) disagreement with the seller on the new house over a water treatment setup he "forgot" to remove.

Nope, there's nothing in there, so I'm good to go.

On the plus side, they were able to get a waiver, so escrow is closing today! Finally!

 

[demosthenes]

Is solar an option for you? I was talking with SolarCity, and they will give you a Nest if you get their panels.

Neighbor has large tree which has would hurt my chances at recouping costs. I plan to be here 5-8 years max. Not worth all that extra cost for a 250 thermostat lol.

 

[muu]

Neighbor has large tree which has would hurt my chances at recouping costs. I plan to be here 5-8 years max. Not worth all that extra cost for a 250 thermostat lol.

https://www.google.com/get/sunroof

What state are you in? Here in sunny Oregon we got some ridiculous programs in place now where your ROI can be as low as 2-3 years.

 

[Schlep]

Can finally see what the front of the house looks like finished, minus the bag on the door, and the carpet in the grass, and not being fully landscaped or the driveway cleaned...lol.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Can finally see what the front of the house looks like finished, minus the bag on the door, and the carpet in the grass, and not being fully landscaped or the driveway cleaned...lol.

Jealous.

 

[Jerbs]

All the paperwork is signed. My inspections are scheduled for next Friday.

 

[rainy_day]

So one thing we did not plan for in this new build was the space for the fridge.
The way the kitchen island is it blocks the kitchen fridge a bit so we are now limited on how deep the fridge can really be. We had our eyes on reasonably priced Samsung french door fridge but its 7 inches too deep! If we want the fridge we want in the right depth we have to pay an extra $600. It's not the end of the world but man that makes me mad when I measured today!
If only the built in island was like another 1 to 2 feet back this would not be an issue.

 

[Timan]

So one thing we did not plan for in this new build was the space for the fridge.
The way the kitchen island is it blocks the kitchen fridge a bit so we are now limited on how deep the fridge can really be. We had our eyes on reasonably priced Samsung french door fridge but its 7 inches too deep! If we want the fridge we want in the right depth we have to pay an extra $600. It's not the end of the world but man that makes me mad when I measured today!
If only the built in island was like another 1 to 2 feet back this would not be an issue.

heh yea, I had to find a fridge that can have its right door open up a little bit (due to hitting a wall) and still be able to pull out the drawers/freezer. Thankfully there are enough damn models out there that I had a few choices. But man you overlook so much when building a house its maddening

 

[Maedre]

Can finally see what the front of the house looks like finished, minus the bag on the door, and the carpet in the grass, and not being fully landscaped or the driveway cleaned...lol.

What did a house like this cost you?

 

[NH Apache]

I wish there was a way to clean up the OP and add some good info.

When buying, you should look into your state's programs for homebuyers.

In Louisiana, you may be eligible for up to 4 percent of your loan as a grant towards the down payment on the house.

For example, on a 200,000 dollar loan, you could get a grant (basically free money) for up to $8,000 towards a down payment, closing costs, or other assistance. That could free up good cash for solar, etc.

http://lhc.louisiana.gov/page/buyers

We've owned for 3 years now a condo, which btw has it's own little PITA stuff like it's tougher to get loans, the condo association has to show certain things, etc. We'll be moving into a traditional home in the spring we think as with holidays and Mardi Gras, it's tougher to sell. We've looked into building but the only good land is too far for a commute so now we've been searching neighborhoods locally to see where to live.

We're in a tough conundrum where we want to look for a short commute but yet have a safe spot for future kids to grow up. It sucks that we have to balance the two.

 

[Ourobolus]

I wish there was a way to clean up the OP and add some good info.

When buying, you should look into your state's programs for homebuyers.

In Louisiana, you may be eligible for up to 4 percent of your loan as a grant towards the down payment on the house.

For example, on a 200,000 dollar loan, you could get a grant (basically free money) for up to $8,000 towards a down payment, closing costs, or other assistance. That could free up good cash for solar, etc.

http://lhc.louisiana.gov/page/buyers

We've owned for 3 years now a condo, which btw has it's own little PITA stuff like it's tougher to get loans, the condo association has to show certain things, etc. We'll be moving into a traditional home in the spring we think as with holidays and Mardi Gras, it's tougher to sell. We've looked into building but the only good land is too far for a commute so now we've been searching neighborhoods locally to see where to live.

We're in a tough conundrum where we want to look for a short commute but yet have a safe spot for future kids to grow up. It sucks that we have to balance the two.

Hey, if you guys want to compile a list, I'll happily add it. I've just not really been around the thread for a bit so I may have missed it.

 

[NH Apache]

Hey, if you guys want to compile a list, I'll happily add it. I've just not really been around the thread for a bit so I may have missed it.

Sorry, may have come of a bit harsher than intended. I'll try to get some stuff together this week and PM you. Thanks!

 

[Ourobolus]

Sorry, may have come of a bit harsher than intended. I'll try to get some stuff together this week and PM you. Thanks!

No worries. It'll give me an excuse to use that crappy double post I made!

 

[Schlep]

Jealous.

Thanks!

What did a house like this cost you?

When I signed in late November, $286k. To have them start building the same house today and finish in probably mid-2017, $310k. A house down the street with the same floor plan, but not as many upgrades just sold in early June for $343k.

There's a definite lack of housing around here (north Fort Worth) with tons of jobs coming in, and it's pushing prices up fast.

 

[FallingEdge]

Friends, I am now a home owner.

hoorah!

Thanks!


When I signed in late November, $286k. To have them start building the same house today and finish in probably mid-2017, $310k. A house down the street with the same floor plan, but not as many upgrades just sold in early June for $343k.

There's a definite lack of housing around here (north Fort Worth) with tons of jobs coming in, and it's pushing prices up fast.

god damn, 286k. So jealous.

A house like that in Denver would be damn near 800k.

 

[Zoe]

Wow, that's a long build time!

 

[Septimus Prime]

Congrats, everyone!

Also, in my area, a house like that would be around $3.5 million, so I "win" until someone from SF shows up and posts the prices in that area.

EDIT: Also, my escrow finally closed late last week, and the money's been wired into our account, so I'm officially a home seller now!

 

[Ourobolus]

Thanks!


When I signed in late November, $286k. To have them start building the same house today and finish in probably mid-2017, $310k. A house down the street with the same floor plan, but not as many upgrades just sold in early June for $343k.

There's a definite lack of housing around here (north Fort Worth) with tons of jobs coming in, and it's pushing prices up fast.

goddamn, nice

I'm planning on keeping my house even once I move. DC is always expanding, and they're starting to build up more and more around this area, so I think I can make a pretty penny as market prices increase over the years.

 

[demosthenes]

Getting my fridge today, excited.

 

[bennywhatever]

Anyone here own multiple homes? Any major advice?
My wife and I are entertaining the idea of getting something really small in Maryville, TN as our Smoky Mountains getaway. We probably won't do it, but the idea is rolling around. It'd be something sub-$50k, which is pretty common in that area.

 

[FallingEdge]

Inspection went well, the only pressing issue is that they have a swamp cooler and they need to hire someone to fix a bit of leaking.

 

[dave is ok]

I wish there was a way to clean up the OP and add some good info.

When buying, you should look into your state's programs for homebuyers.

In Louisiana, you may be eligible for up to 4 percent of your loan as a grant towards the down payment on the house.

For example, on a 200,000 dollar loan, you could get a grant (basically free money) for up to $8,000 towards a down payment, closing costs, or other assistance. That could free up good cash for solar, etc.

http://lhc.louisiana.gov/page/buyers

We've owned for 3 years now a condo, which btw has it's own little PITA stuff like it's tougher to get loans, the condo association has to show certain things, etc. We'll be moving into a traditional home in the spring we think as with holidays and Mardi Gras, it's tougher to sell. We've looked into building but the only good land is too far for a commute so now we've been searching neighborhoods locally to see where to live.

We're in a tough conundrum where we want to look for a short commute but yet have a safe spot for future kids to grow up. It sucks that we have to balance the two.

If you're a first time homebuyer with less-than-exceptional income, I'd look into NACA.

I've seen people with 0.xxx% fixed 30 year interest rates because of the way they let you pay down your rate.

 

[demosthenes]

A general complaint. The contract said "would sweep clean". BS, they did nothing of the sort and probably hadn't cleaned the place a single time in 6 years. Ok, maybe not that bad b/c it couldn't be seen with all the furniture in there and our final walk through sadly was when they still had everything in there but it's been cleaning for a while now. How do people live with not cleaning?

 

[n64coder]

Anyone here own multiple homes? Any major advice?
My wife and I are entertaining the idea of getting something really small in Maryville, TN as our Smoky Mountains getaway. We probably won't do it, but the idea is rolling around. It'd be something sub-$50k, which is pretty common in that area.

I used to want the same but then a friend of mine gave me advice that I would seriously consider which is to forget getting a second home and just use the money to rent a place or take a really nice vacation.

I have seen what my in-laws had to do when they had 3 homes. You're always spending time maintaining multiple places (fortunately their FL place was a town house), having multiple sets of tools/kitchen appliances/clothes/etc).

It was nice for them when my wife was a kid and the family would spend the summers at the lake house and the father worked at the restaurant 1/2 hour away.

After awhile, I sometimes wonder if you would get bored of being at the same location. Another in-law has a ski-in/out condo and for us, it's nice to use a couple times a year but I get bored skiing the same mountain after a few days. There's something to be said for being able to go to a different place.

Before you buy something, maybe consider renting it for a few months and seeing if you really want to do it.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Anyone here own multiple homes? Any major advice?
My wife and I are entertaining the idea of getting something really small in Maryville, TN as our Smoky Mountains getaway. We probably won't do it, but the idea is rolling around. It'd be something sub-$50k, which is pretty common in that area.

I used to want the same but then a friend of mine gave me advice that I would seriously consider which is to forget getting a second home and just use the money to rent a place or take a really nice vacation.

I have seen what my in-laws had to do when they had 3 homes. You're always spending time maintaining multiple places (fortunately their FL place was a town house), having multiple sets of tools/kitchen appliances/clothes/etc).

It was nice for them when my wife was a kid and the family would spend the summers at the lake house and the father worked at the restaurant 1/2 hour away.

After awhile, I sometimes wonder if you would get bored of being at the same location. Another in-law has a ski-in/out condo and for us, it's nice to use a couple times a year but I get bored skiing the same mountain after a few days. There's something to be said for being able to go to a different place.

Before you buy something, maybe consider renting it for a few months and seeing if you really want to do it.

I wonder if, for that price, it might be better to just get something like a Wyndham time share, where you can have a "home" wherever you want to go but don't need to do any maintenance.

 

[n64coder]

I wonder if, for that price, it might be better to just get something like a Wyndham time share, where you can have a "home" wherever you want to go but don't need to do any maintenance.

I would be curious to know more about timeshares from people who truly enjoy them and they go to different places. How much do they cost and what are the annual fees?

I have a friend who has a Disney World timeshare and lately, he has traded it in to get the week on a Disney cruise. I have no insight into the cost, etc. I believe his share is for 50 years and he's about 7-8 years into it.

 

[Septimus Prime]

I would be curious to know more about timeshares from people who truly enjoy them and they go to different places. How much do they cost and what are the annual fees?

I have a friend who has a Disney World timeshare and lately, he has traded it in to get the week on a Disney cruise. I have no insight into the cost, etc. I believe his share is for 50 years and he's about 7-8 years into it.

I got pulled into a sales pitch for Wyndham (which is why I bring that one up, specifically) a few years ago, so I kind of know what they do. Basically, once you buy in, they allot you a certain amount of points per year, which you can use for any Wyndham affiliated resort around the world. Bigger rooms cost more points, so it's kind of like scrip, except you pay it all upfront, which means the price per room will never change. The time share also transfers to your heirs after you die, too, so it kind of has the same benefit as owning, so long as Wyndham stays in business and honors its agreements, I guess.

The buy-in cost, though? At the time, it was $60k, and I really just went to the seminar to claim a free 2-night stay anywhere in the continental US. We ended up using that to visit Universal Studios Orlando, and the free room was actually super nice.

 

[Ron Mexico]

I would be curious to know more about timeshares from people who truly enjoy them and they go to different places. How much do they cost and what are the annual fees?

I have a friend who has a Disney World timeshare and lately, he has traded it in to get the week on a Disney cruise. I have no insight into the cost, etc. I believe his share is for 50 years and he's about 7-8 years into it.

I've seen timeshares (or products marketed as them) where there isn't even a deed involved. Personally, I'm leery as I know the resale value is poor and the fees are generally high. Without a deed, there's a chance, unlikely or not, that your holder goes belly up and your investment is worthless. Not my thing.

 

[Septimus Prime]

What the hell? Sears is saying my city requires a permit to install a dishwasher. I've never heard of permits for appliances.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

I've seen timeshares (or products marketed as them) where there isn't even a deed involved. Personally, I'm leery as I know the resale value is poor and the fees are generally high. Without a deed, there's a chance, unlikely or not, that your holder goes belly up and your investment is worthless. Not my thing.

Don't look at them as investments, that's your first problem

We've thought about them but have decided we'd prefer a permanent house/apartment somewhere warm where we could retire

 

[teruterubozu]

Don't look at them as investments, that's your first problem

We've thought about them but have decided we'd prefer a permanent house/apartment somewhere warm where we could retire

They're definitely not investments, thus they're a major problem. My mom pays ridiculous fees for her timeshare and she can't get rid of it.

 

[Xero]

My wife and I put in an offer on a 3 bed 2.5 bath 1387 sq. ft. home last week and it was accepted the same day. It was so exciting especially since it's our first time buying a home. I took the day off from work to be present for the home inspection and also the termite/pest inspection. No termites which was nice to hear. Only main issues regarding the home are: plumbing - the pipes underneath the home from what was seen in the crawl space are all old cast iron and who knows when any work was done to them. Luckily, the sellers agreed to fix all the plumbing issues which saves us a small fortune.

As a plumber unless they are repiping the house for you I would plan to repipe it in the next 5-10 years.

 

[n64coder]

What the hell? Sears is saying my city requires a permit to install a dishwasher. I've never heard of permits for appliances.

Where are you located? I can understand this as there's plumbing and electrical work involved. It's not a straight plugin like a fridge.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Where are you located? I can understand this as there's plumbing and electrical work involved. It's not a straight plugin like a fridge.

I'm in Arcadia, CA. The weird thing is that Sears is the only one that talks about this, whereas Home Depot, Lowe's, and Best Buy don't, so I ended up just buying the dishwasher from Best Buy.

 

[willow ve]

I've seen timeshares (or products marketed as them) where there isn't even a deed involved. Personally, I'm leery as I know the resale value is poor and the fees are generally high. Without a deed, there's a chance, unlikely or not, that your holder goes belly up and your investment is worthless. Not my thing.

Don't look at them as investments, that's your first problem

We've thought about them but have decided we'd prefer a permanent house/apartment somewhere warm where we could retire

They're definitely not investments, thus they're a major problem. My mom pays ridiculous fees for her timeshare and she can't get rid of it.

I reiterate; please please please do not get into Wyndham or any other timeshare. You're essentially locking in a lifetime of annual "maintenance fees" which are almost impossible to dump. Look at eBay at all the sad listings where people are trying to sell their Wyndham shares for $1 just to get rid of it.

 

[CosmicQueso]

Put an offer in on a place today. Equal parts hope, panic, excitement, nervousness, cheering and fear.

 

[TyrantII]

Put an offer in on a place today. Equal parts hope, panic, excitement, nervousness, cheering and fear.

Same here. Started in June, but July and August were slow. A property came up and I'm putting in an offer tomorrow.

Hello anxiety.

Question for the thread: My lender gave me a rate of 3.75%. How would I go about getting it down to 3.65 (or lower)?

Is it unrealistic to think I can get them down to that? I'll be only borrowing 80% of what they OK'd me for, and I'm putting 20% down.

 

[willow ve]

Same here. Started in June, but July and August were slow. A property came up and I'm putting in an offer tomorrow.

Hello anxiety.

Question for the thread: My lender gave me a rate of 3.75%. How would I go about getting it down to 3.65 (or lower)?

Is it unrealistic to think I can get them down to that? I'll be only borrowing 80% of what they OK'd me for, and I'm putting 20% down.

Shop around. Random banks have random offers. Never hurts to look elsewhere or even try a mortgage broker that isn't tied to one bank/lender.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Does anyone have a good solution for mosquitoes? I'm getting pincushioned whenever I dare to step outside.

I'm also starting to see that the previous owners did some of their own repair work but cut some corners. =/

 

[ErnieMcCracken]

Does anyone have a good solution for mosquitoes? I'm getting pincushioned whenever I dare to step outside.

I'm also starting to see that the previous owners did some of their own repair work but cut some corners. =/

Get rid of any standing water and plants that repel them:

http://www.naturallivingideas.com/11-plants-that-repel-mosquitoes/

 

[demosthenes]

Shop around. Random banks have random offers. Never hurts to look elsewhere or even try a mortgage broker that isn't tied to one bank/lender.

This. My credit scores were 790-800 and both banks said "we'll give you the lowest rate and match anyone"

 

[Septimus Prime]

Get rid of any standing water and plants that repel them:

http://www.naturallivingideas.com/11-plants-that-repel-mosquitoes/

Thanks! I'm tempted to just get all of them. Fuck mosquitoes.

EDIT: I bought these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AH849/?tag=neogaf0e-20 and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001AUF8G/?tag=neogaf0e-20

We'll probably try to get some repelling plants from the garden center this weekend or something, too.

 

[Schlep]

Had our first walk through today. Mainly consisted of marking any areas that need tape or texture touch ups. Inspector comes in on Thursday. Barring any huge changes, we should close next week.

One thing I'm considering is whether or not to put up the antenna myself. I can pay someone $350 which includes a Clearstream antenna, amplifier, and install. I could probably do it all myself for $150, but having it warrantied and cleanly installed may be worth the peace of mind.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Had our first walk through today. Mainly consisted of marking any areas that need tape or texture touch ups. Inspector comes in on Thursday. Barring any huge changes, we should close next week.

One thing I'm considering is whether or not to put up the antenna myself. I can pay someone $350 which includes a Clearstream antenna, amplifier, and install. I could probably do it all myself for $150, but having it warrantied and cleanly installed may be worth the peace of mind.

I would just pay to have it done. I could have probably ran Ethernet cables throughout my house, but it was just so much less of a hassle to pay someone to do it and to test it all.

 

[Schlep]

That's what I was thinking. Glad someone agrees. Thanks!

 

[demosthenes]

I talked to someone today about putting in about 1,500 lf of shoe molding for me. Any thoughts on what I should expect cost wise? I ready have the material.

 

[Easy_G]

My wife and I are now starting to think of buying a home, but i have so many questions and fears, especially considering we're in an expensive market.

A few to start:

1. What's the best way to find lenders? Do I start contacting local banks and credit unions?

2. We both have excellent credit, but my wife just left her job and is looking for another. Should we wait to get lending quotes until she has a job again? We could very likely afford a home on just my income, but I assume total income would be a big part of the process. Is there a minimum time that she should be employed before we start contacting lenders?

3. How do I go about finding a real state agent?

 

[Bluecondor]

Damn - some of the prices that people pay for houses in this thread are just mind blowing to me.

I live in a small suburb just north of Pittsburgh, PA - a 10 minute drive from downtown and 20 minutes from my office every morning. I bought my 4 bedroom house with one and a half bathrooms on a quarter acre lot in 2001 for $82,000. I paid it off in September of 2012 and haven't had a mortgage since.

But - even in Pittsburgh we have seen home prices rise in the recent past. Friends of mine who have bought houses here recently regularly pay between $250,000-$300,000.

 

[brerwolfe]

My wife and I are now starting to think of buying a home, but i have so many questions and fears, especially considering we're in an expensive market.

A few to start:

1. What's the best way to find lenders? Do I start contacting local banks and credit unions?

2. We both have excellent credit, but my wife just left her job and is looking for another. Should we wait to get lending quotes until she has a job again? We could very likely afford a home on just my income, but I assume total income would be a big part of the process. Is there a minimum time that she should be employed before we start contacting lenders?

3. How do I go about finding a real state agent?

First, wait until your wife is working. It'll be much more beneficial to you at the end of the day.

As for agents, just start talking to people. Talk to friends to see if they have recommendations. And for agents, go and meet a couple and see if you meld well with them. Have different agents show you different properties, nothing wrong with that.