<p>So sorry for the ups and downs! Any chance your craftsman shouse sale fell through?? Maybe your realtor should double check. Will you counter the counter-- maybe try to meet in between or get them to pay all closing costs? As you said- dont know what might surface with an inspection-- also a point to negotiate further. Good luck</p>
<p>jym, I wish the sale on the craftsman had fallen through - but in fact I drove by the craftsman today & the for sale sign is down. I’m not going to counter the counter on the L-shaped house. The sellers weren’t even willing to pay the closing costs that are customary for the seller to pay. Today’s was the third counter and the owner isn’t willing to give and at this point neither am I. The L-shaped house has the original heater, no central air, knob & tube wiring. & that’s what I know about it before any inspections. I went and looked at new houses & found one today that’s quite charming. For about $30,000 more than what the L-shaped owners are asking in their most recent counter, I can get a brand new house, with some charm, a decent sized back yard & it come with new energy efficient appliances & energy efficient heating and air, dual pane windows…and I’d get to pick out the details(but I wouldn’t be able to move in til March). And the new house is 2000 sq. ft. versus the 1500 square feet of L-shaped house. Plus the new house comes with warranties (the L-shaped owners won’t even provide a home warranty for a year). My head is spinning. I did see one new house I love that I could move in right away - but its $100,000 more and I was really hoping to keep my mortgage very low. But I can’t tell you how tempted I was when the agent told me if I’d just give her a thousand dollar deposit, I could have three days to think about without losing my money.</p>
<p>OLmom,
I’m getting the feeling that buying a house in CA is rather like dating. Previously, you mentioned all the positives about L-shaped house, but now the negatives come out. If the sellers have done no obvious improvements, and plumbing, heating system, appliances, are so out-dated, I would think the flaws will go even deeper. Then, the owners act narcissistically that the house is fine as is, and they won’t budge on price or offer a guarantee for 1 year (which I thought was mandatory). So, if we were chatting over you starting a new relationship, and you shared the pros and cons of this person, I’d definitely be advising you to run, not walk, away from this person.</p>
<p>Oooh, both the new houses sound wonderful. When we bought our house - 10 years ago now, our old house sold quickly, and we needed something in a hurry. We bought a brand new house that was bigger than we wanted simply because it ended up being cheaper in the long run. Builder paid closing costs, warantees on everything, could move in right away, so wouldn’t have to pay to move twice and lose rent money in the meantime. There were so many things I hadn’t thought about that made buying this house so much more practical. The fact that it was my “dream” house - had everything I’d hoped for - made it easier.</p>
<p>I love new houses. Despite the “punch lists” that go with the territory, I like not inheriting other people’s problems. (Or dirt.)</p>
<p>my latest house,bought brand new 10 years ago made me a convert.new,while it may lack some character, makes up for it in energy effeciency,shiny new finishes,that never lived in feel…new all the way for me!
Your house hunt is fascinating reading .Seems to me sellers never pay any of the closing costs here in NY,and a year warranty on a “used” house…thats news to me too.
Looking forward to TPIR on Nov 8 and more house installments!</p>
<p>I just found this wonderful thread. What a treat!</p>
<p>If you change the names, I think your NaNOWriMo novel is here.</p>
<p>Ok, those of you that bought new…did any of you buy a new house and the house next door had not been constructed yet? I know I tend to fall in love with a house filled with light. The new house that is available now has wonderful light - but an empty lot on one side. I also wonder what it would be like living in a house with construction going on next door? I must say I LOVE that house. But its also the most expensive…but I also wonder if they’d come down in price…
mominva - hmm, hadn’t thought of this a novel material - but maybe…I’m behind on my word count.<br>
bookworm - my thoughts exactly, if the owners of the L-shaped house won’t budge on price now, I think they won’t budge after inspections which undoubtedly will reveal at least some more work to do.<br>
Ahh, I think I’m off to look for a rental today. This should be interesting: we’ve got 2 dogs & 3 cats.</p>
<p>oaklandmom: I’m with you. Bring on the light. I put windows in new places and French doors in all over the house. Now only one room lacks enough light, and that is the dining room which is a perfect breakfast room because it faces east, whereas the kitchen faces west.</p>
<p>The new house may appreciate more and hold its value more; then again if it is overpriced the opposite will occur.</p>
<p>I’ve never bought a new house because in our neck of the woods new houses have much higher taxes and come at a premium.</p>
<p>You are an early bird when I think of CA time.</p>
<p>We’re on our fourth house. Each one has been used but each has also been newer then the previous one. Our current house is 20 years old, we bought it ten years ago. For people like me that are not interested in decorating or major landscaping, it works out well. This house came with a one year warranty and we sold our previous one (20 years old) with a warranty. That worked out well because we needed to move in quickly or rent and with three kids, a dog and a cat, renting in the small town we wanted to move to would have been tough. Once we moved in we had a radon test done and found that the house did indeed have radon and the warranty covered the remedy. However, now that this house is 20 years old, we’re starting to replace things as are our neighbors. Last year there seemed to be a hot water heater waiting for special trash pick up every other month. This year the roofing companies are making their rounds. Our heat pump is on it’s last legs and probably won’t make it through the winter. </p>
<p>I’ve been following your story oaklandmom and was really rooting for the Craftsman house. The new cute one sounds interesting.</p>
<p>Yes, Oaklandmom, when we bought our house, the house on each side was under construction, and the land behind us was not yet cleared. Now we have a cul-de-sac of homes behind us (and some very nice neighbors - and two of my piano students!) Dealing with construction was not really an issue. The only problem was ants – when the construction sites disturbed hills, they all came to our house for refuge. That settled down once the work was done.</p>
<p>It was hard getting used to houses right behind us where there used to be trees, and I was really, really sorry to see those trees go. It changed the flow of water through the yard, too. (But we’re in Atlanta, where rain is unfortunately not much of a problem!) In the 10 intervening years, we have planted new trees, (the kind I wanted - a magnolia, an oak, a ginko, a red maple, and a pecan) and so have our neighbors, and it’s all very comfortable. We don’t have a huge yard (a third of an acre), but we still have plenty of light and plenty of privacy. But we have so many windows in the family room, I don’t have much wall space to hang pictures on.</p>
<p>Oaklandmom - I would advise you not to buy the more expensive house, but wait for the cheaper and smaller house. Think taxes on the more expensive house, (taxes never go away), and all that extra space to heat and cool. I live in 1900 square feet, and often think that hubby and I should downsize to something smaller. (Not going to happen; we helped build our house, and DH’s dad designed it. Plus we like it lots. But sometimes, the itch for change comes on me, and we talk about a small condo…) Wouldn’t you rather have the momentary trauma of renting for a while, and a more affordable house in the end? Also, if you are living in a rental, you really have the luxury of taking your time to find the right house for you! No worry about selling your existing house… You have money in the bank, and you are in the position of power. Wait and take your time… JMHO ;)</p>
<p>I’m with everyone who said that the L-shaped house has a few warning bells going off. Good riddance to them. Also agree with anxiousmom on not buying the more expensive house…save the $$ to spend on yourself!!!</p>
<p>We’ve never moved into a brand-new house, but have lived in neighborhoods where construction is going on…drawbacks are lots of dust everywhere, and having to put up with the construction noise during the day if you work at home… Between the hammering and loud music and big delivery/concrete/etc. trucks coming and going–it can get pretty annoying. But, we’ve always enjoyed higher home values because of the new construction, so it’s worth it. Just expect it to take a while to feel like a neighborhood.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone, I’m still not certain what I’m going to do. I’m searching craigslist for rentals - not sure how hard it will be to find a rental with 2 dogs & 3 cats. But I’ve sent out several emails. I do like of making a decision on my time and not being rushed, I’ll probably head back up tomorrow and revisit some of the new houses. One of the developments offers solar power as an upgrade which is very appealing (the house I couldn’t move into until March & midpriced). All of the houses I’m looking at are bigger than what I have now…I want studio space and it seems the best way to get it is an extra bedroom, since I’m not finding many houses that have a separate studio.<br>
In the meantime I’m so frustrated with my agents, neither have returned my calls this weekend. Today the buyer wants to come over & see the house in the afternoon light & go over where we stand in terms of the last contingencies. I don’t want to talk about the contract with them - that’s my agents job & the house is a mess, so its not going to happen. But where is my agent???<br>
As for the money in the bank - I don’t want the money to be sitting in the bank when I have to do FAFSA for next year - I want it all tucked nicely into a house!</p>
<p>Count us in on the “new house” folks. We bought the lot, picked the plans, and chose everything in the house (a headache, but at least we can’t blame anyone else for bad choices). Actually WE were the ones building when the rest of the street was already built. We looked at both old and new homes. I wanted an old house to fix up. DH wanted a new house with all the pluses of a new house (insulation, efficient heating and appliances, new everything). He won. BUT the compromise was that I could choose some custom moldings and wood floors, and the windows I wanted. Of course, our new house is not an antique, but here in New England it’s nice to have a well insulated house with an efficient heating system, custom windows, and an orientation to the south for maximum passive solar gain. And everything is square and level.</p>
<p>
Not necessarily, if taking your time means that you find the right house but still have months on your lease. Breaking a lease can be costly. And if you can’t break it, you’ll still be paying on two places (the house and the rental). If you can find a month-to-month tenancy, that’s easier, but those are few and far between in our neck of the woods. I can’t imagine they’d be more available in California. And they have their own problems: The landlord can raise your rent every month, or ask you to leave on one month’s notice.</p>
<p>No solution is ideal. You make the best of what’s available to you at the moment. </p>
<p>Good luck, oaklandmom - we’re pulling for you!</p>
<p>As far as new construction next door goes, is it part of a development with all the house designs coming out of one grouping? For example my sis and her husband built a lovely but very large home in a new development - they were the first to move in. Over the next 3 years, new houses were built by other builders and my s and h ended up with, by far, a McMansion in what was practically a trailer park in comparison (okay, they were 2-3 br tiny ranches next to a huge 6 br sprawling monstrosity), and they took quite a loss when they moved. Otherwise, construction lasts a finite amount of time. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>kathiep–don’t you love how all the big things wear out after 20 years? Around here everyone was getting a new roof at about the same time. And all the appliances were dying.</p>
<p>When you move into a “newish” house you think you’re all set, until 10 years later you realize all the stuff in it is getting old. Like you. ;)</p>
<p>We’re in our third new house. I love new homes because they are like a canvas in which I can create something beautiful on. When ever we decide to move we always look at older homes, but we never like the fact that we have to start out by spending a bunch of money and time ripping out old carpets, draperies, wallpaper, and then there are the more difficult things like out dated tiles in various shades of whatever was the last color style… One thing bad about new construction is often the landscaping. They almost always mow down all the trees and that’s usually not very attractive. We bought the first house in our subdivision. We knew what was planned for the other houses around us, because one developer was building them. They were all customized homes, but there were only about 8 basic plans to choose from. People made changes, but we knew that the lot next to us could only be a certain plan because of wet land restrictions.
My dad always says that you should always know exactly what is zoned in the area and that you should investigate with the town planner to make sure that a mall is not planned a quarter mile away or a that a major road will not be widened etc.
There is one other issue with a new home… Builders know all the tricks and will do things like put in granite counter tops but then cut corners on the quality of the appliances or furnace. We always end up upgrading the appliances and flooring. Be sure to look closely at the quality of the bathroom fixtures and windows too. My friend recently bought a house and was so taken by all the wonderful light and lovely tall ceilings that she failed to notice that the windows were not double paned! I don’t even know where the builder found the piece of cr** windows in this house and there was a “whirlpool tub” in the master bath, but it was a real junker and quit working just after the year was up. Those babies are not easy to replace and it’s basically useless…Oh, did I mention that the hot water heater was so small that she can’t even FILL the tub?
Do your research and a new home can be heaven, but NO house is ever perfect, even if you design and build the entire thing.</p>
<p>I love trees and mature landscaping so I tend not to like new homes. A family member calls those new developments popping up “scorched earth”. Kinda fits, at least around here.
Our house is close to 30 years old. All our neighbors are doing up their kitchens and baths - huge projects - and ours just sits with the same old design. Can’t bear to spend all that money! By the way, those renovation projects make noise to so don’t think you’re in the clear just cause the lots next to you already have houses.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine building from scratch and having to make all those decisions at once! Researching & choosing paint, wallpaper, carpet/hardwood/tile/vinyl, light fixtures, appliances…you become an expert but might never need the information again! I suppose you could assist your friends, if they want your help.</p>
<p>Our house is a real mishmosh of styles, depending on when we redecorated each room. My tastes have changed over the years, our furniture is an eclectic mix of antique and new, and yes, some decorating errors you just live with. They get hidden anyway under kids’ art projects and all the mail & music and other things that wander in here.</p>