What's wrong with this picture?

[LBear]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

How does a house built in 1997 have 80's cabinets?

Easy. You can go to the carpet store today and buy 1970's style shag-green carpet. No joke. The builder bought some old-stock outdated 1980's style, cheap and lame cabinets in 1997.

You can even buy 1600's style furniture, wrought-iron medieval-style fixtures, distraught furniture. They actually take NEW furniture and beat it with chains and then let it sit outside so it becomes "weathered", and then paint it with paint that makes it look like it is flaking off. Not my style but some people like it.

Back to the cabinets, whatever was the cheapest, the builder threw it in, typical cookie-cutter mega-builder stuff. If HGTV seen that kitchen they would tear down those cabinets, ASAP.

You need to get out more, get some good-taste or watch some HGTV...

EscapeDenver

[mrpeatie]

Cannot sleep and am reading these boards for various parts of the country were friends live. This is by far the most humorous thing I have read in a while. A home has 10 years to become obsolete? Really? Are you kidding me?

I am an architect and the following had me laughing out loud:

The home is 10+ years old. It is reaching the magical 10-15 year mark. That is when homes have HUGE update issues and costs.

National Association of Home Builders states the following in regards to LIFE EXPECTANCY:

Electrical Lighting Accessories 10 years You mean light covers/shades
Electrical Lighting Controls 10 years Light switches

Asphalt Shingles 15 years Ever hear of a 30 year roof or asking for an allowance. Make sure you have a good underlayment to extend this when you reroof/ also either vent from the soffit to ridge orinsulate to remove the occurance of a frost line on the roof.
Air Conditioners - central 15 years
Air Quality Systems 15 years So they put filtration systems with monitors in tract homes a decade ago? You must be living right in Colorado.

Boilers - electric 13 years This house was built in the 1990s not the 1890s
Burners 10 years
Dehumidifiers 8 years A dehumidifier in Denver?
Ducting 10 years Why would you need to switch out ducts? Did they come out with a new fashion color? At worse you can have the isides flushed/cleaned and retape or insulate the outside of the duct.
DX - electric 15 years

Furnaces - warm-air, electric 15 years
Furnaces - warm-air, gas 18 years So this house has both gas and electric furnaces?
Heat Pumps 16 years Wow- two furnaces and a heat pump- it must feel like Bermuda in there.
Humidifiers 8 years This would make sense in Denver- especially on a house that is also being dehumidified!

Induction & Fan-Coil Units 10-15 years
Radiant Heater - hot water or steam 15 years Hmm- again- in a tract home from the 90s?
Ventilators 7 years
Water Heaters - electric 11 years
Water Heaters - gas 10 years
Exhaust Fans 10 years Swich this out for a quieter model but it should last past 10 years.

Aluminum/Aluminum Clad Windows 15-20 years
Garage Door Openers 10-15 years
Termite Proofing 12 years Is this the big issue in the hot, humid climate that is Denver? You can have baiting/spraying done seasonally for a lower overall cost.
Waterproofing with Bituminous Coating 10 years
Garbage Disposals 12 years Buy an Insinkorator they last forever.

Faucets, Bar/Hospitality 15 years
Faucets, Kitchen Sinks 15 years
Faucets, Toilets/Bidets 10 years A bidet in a tract home?
Sinks - enamel steel 5-10 years These should last at least 20 years unless you are washing hammers in them.
Carpet Flooring 8-10 years If it was flipped this is generally something they always change out.
Range/Oven Hoods 14 years
Ranges - electric 13 years
Ranges - gas 15 years So two types of ranges as well- even the bad ones last 20 years.
Washing Machines 10 years

Phew- to think I've lived in imploding homes and buildings almost my entire life. Everything can and will go at some point but some of those estimates were overly conservative. A good inspection will root out what is and isn't an issue. And some of those items will last longer if you chose decent brands (plumbing fixtures, appliances) while others will go one you or have parts fail at any point (heating/cooling systems). Home ownership is a crap shoot, believe that anything flagged on the inspection is valid and be prepared to spend at least 1-2% of the homes value on maintenance and repairs for the life of the home. Ask your realtor to check with realtors who frequently sell there to see if the slabs are an issue in this particular development. National home builders build.. nationally and that means they will accumulate almost every problem over time but they don't all occur in every house.

Thanks for the respite from the insomnia.

[formercalifornian]

Thank you MrPeatie! As far as HGTV, I absolutely abhor that waste of signal. HGTV is a major player in the rise of discontent that overwhelmed our culture during the first part of this decade. It's housing porn! No wonder we had all those cash-out re-fi's and a Home Depot or Lowe's on every corner. Our landfills are over-flowing with cabinets and fixtures that still had a lot of life left, all because they were slightly out of fashion according to HGTV. Oh, the tragedy of living with out-dated cabinets! Please pardon me while I go throw up.

[suzco]

Let's also acknowledge that for the short period of time (less than a year?) that LBear apparently lived in Colorado, after all his research and all his expertise, the location he chose to live was Brighton, according to his earlier posts. That was his choice, but I'd venture to guess that that would not necessarily be the best choice for many, and that his expertise did not result in his choosing a suitable home for himself. Take his advice with a grain of salt.

Originally Posted by LBear

I am in Brighton, a couple miles east of I-25.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by LBear

The home is 10+ years old. It is reaching the magical 10-15 year mark. That is when homes have HUGE update issues and costs.

National Association of Home Builders states the following in regards to LIFE EXPECTANCY:

Electrical Lighting Accessories 10 years
Electrical Lighting Controls 10 years
<snip>

I find these numbers quite conservative. Our house is now 30 years old, still has the original furnace (we know it will soon need to be replaced); the only major replacement we have had is the roof. We remodeled the kitchen, but that was an elective operation. Oh, we did get a new water heater, shortly after we moved in when the house was 9 yrs old.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I find these numbers quite conservative. Our house is now 30 years old, still has the original furnace (we know it will soon need to be replaced); the only major replacement we have had is the roof. We remodeled the kitchen, but that was an elective operation. Oh, we did get a new water heater, shortly after we moved in when the house was 9 yrs old.

Yeah 10 years for light switches? Tell that to my parent's 35 year old house with original switches and plugs. Plugs in apartments get loose very quickly because of the high turnover and people always plugging and unplugging stuff. But in an owner occupied house, you typically plug something in and leave it there for a long time so there's no wear. Their gas heater is also original but being California it doesn't get the kind of use it would in Colorado. Their kitchen is original except for the stove top and the kitchen faucet. Yeah the cabinets and double oven are all dated but they still work fine. Its not like the cabinets are falling off the walls just because they're old. Stuff like that is personal preference. If you hate the looks of them that much, either don't buy the house or save up for a remodel on your own schedule.

[ArthurDaly]

Originally Posted by LBear

If you are paying $106.00 per sq.ft. for a 10-year old home in today's market, in the Aurora area, you are completely overpaying.

1 year from now, that same home will devalue and be worth $75 per sq.ft. If you are willing to lose $50,000 in equity in 1 year, plus spend money on major home updates and fixes, then feel free to buy it.

The home is 10+ years old, it will need roof replacement, A/C repair, hot water replacement, furnace replacement, etc., in the next 1-5 years. ALL those major items have a life expectancy in the 10-15 year range. That is their LIFE EXPECTANCY. Those costs MUST be figured into the home before you buy.

Also, the power lines in the back of the home are an External Obsolescence and it is NOT curable. Any appraiser or investor worth his or her 2 cents would advise AGAINST buying a home with an External Obsolescence, such as the electrical towers. Not to mention the possible health risks involved with high-voltage wires near your home. Many studies link cancer and other health issues with living next to high power electrical towers.

I thought this was pretty funny - I was doing some research on heat pumps and this popped up. I think this guy needs a new crystal ball.

[headingtoDenver]

Originally Posted by ArthurDaly

I thought this was pretty funny - I was doing some research on heat pumps and this popped up. I think this guy needs a new crystal ball.

Just shows that a lot of people talk out of their ass and have no clue as to what is going on.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by headingtoDenver

Just shows that a lot of people talk out of their ass and have no clue as to what is going on.

Originally Posted by ArthurDaly

I thought this was pretty funny - I was doing some research on heat pumps and this popped up. I think this guy needs a new crystal ball.

NOTE that the poster (L Bear) left the building 5 years ago for being a troll. Ignore what he wrote.

[AnnieA]

I thought that was pretty funny, too. I wonder if the house was purchased or the OP bought somewhere else......? Would love to know.