Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > House
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-08-2008, 01:58 PM
 
88 posts, read 272,779 times
Reputation: 75

Advertisements

Hi! We have relocated to a small town and are currently living in a motel. My husbands job will pay for housing until we find a home, but we would like to buy a home asap for the children.

I know it's wise to wait and live in the area a few months but since this is such a small town and we are determined to stay in town, our selection is very limited. We are very happy with the town and want to keep my husbands commute under 10 minutes - which is anywhere in this town!

Unfortunately, most of the houses for sale here are around 1400 sq ft or smaller. We are a family of 4 with two sons, ages 12 and 13. We have only lived in one home as a family. It was just over 2500 sq. ft. with 4 bedrooms, dining room, living room, and family room. It was a very spacious home and very easy living.

We have searched high and low here and have narrowed our choices down to 2 very different homes. Really, we didn't narrow the choices down. They are the only two homes in town we like at all.

Home #1
- 3000 sq. ft. 1940's house with a lot of character. Built ins, lots of woodwork and details.
- Has a slight (hopefully) leveling issue. There is a bid in of $3500 to fix.
- Kitchen is old, small, and needs to be completely redone.
- Windows look like they are original and functional, but probably need some cleaning and slight repairs.
- In a great part of town and has a great balcony overlooking the town park.
- Has a really nice private backyard with a pool that looks like it needs work or replacement. Lots of nice living in the back.
- Busy street.
- I have always wanted to live in a house like this, with an updated kitchen. The bedroom set up is perfect for us with room for guests.
- We are afraid of it becoming too expensive to keep fixing things. We've never lived in an older home.
- We can easily afford to buy the home and do repairs little by little, but we would be left with less disposable income and college saving income.

2.
- 1800 Sq. ft. 1980's home. Three bedrooms, small living room, galley kitchen with breakfast area. No dining room or separate living area.
- Amazing back yard/pool area. Backs to greenbelt.
- Would probably need to update kitchen and tear down walls to open up living area.
- Would not leave room for guest room/play(video game) room for boys. Would make it less likely we would have out of town visitors since it would be tight and uncomfortable.
- I imagine we would always be competing for living area with the boys.
- Is $70,000 less than the 1st house so much more disposable/savings income. This is something we have done without in the past so it's VERY appealing.

For financial reasons we would love for the second house to work out. It's just that I am very concerned about having enough room for both everyday living and having friends/family over. The first, larger, house could be a "dream house" for me, but it would need a lot of work. We could afford it, would probably do the leveling and kitchen right away, but everything else would have to wait and be done little by little. And then we won't have as much "fun" funds. Like I said, that's something we never have really had in the past and this is our chance.

Any advice/opinions? Has anyone with a similar size family lived in a house like the smaller house and been happy with it. I'm thinking we may just be too spoiled having all that extra space and that it would be just fine living in the smaller home. If money issues were the same, I would definitely prefer the 1940's house.

Thanks in advance!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-08-2008, 02:58 PM
 
Location: Richmond, VA
2,309 posts, read 2,299,535 times
Reputation: 974
If you like the first home so much and it has a lot of additional square footage, why not put in a lower bid with everything you told us and see what happens. If you can get this home even cheaper than you thought then you will be in a good spot. If it doesn't work out, then put in a bid on the other home. Just remember the second home is much smaller and may make you want to move sooner than later unless there is room to add on. The first home is large and may make you stay in the home longer. Sounds like they both need work and the only plus to the smaller home is price...so, in this market, try and get the larger one at a better price.
good luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-08-2008, 03:22 PM
 
88 posts, read 272,779 times
Reputation: 75
Thanks for the advice. You are right about putting in a lower offer. Our Realtor is actually the listing agent for the larger home. She has been very helpful and has offered excellent advice on all the homes we have seen. My husband said he may want to get some quotes on fixing the kitchen and make our offer based on that. We will look at the two homes again tonight. Hopefully we can come to a decision soon!

Thanks again!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-08-2008, 03:37 PM
 
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,307 posts, read 38,721,749 times
Reputation: 7185
Quote:
Originally Posted by twinmma View Post
If you like the first home so much and it has a lot of additional square footage, why not put in a lower bid with everything you told us and see what happens. If you can get this home even cheaper than you thought then you will be in a good spot. If it doesn't work out, then put in a bid on the other home. Just remember the second home is much smaller and may make you want to move sooner than later unless there is room to add on. The first home is large and may make you stay in the home longer. Sounds like they both need work and the only plus to the smaller home is price...so, in this market, try and get the larger one at a better price.
good luck!
I think this is excellent advice. I will say that with 2 boys about to get a giant dose of surly hormones back-to-back you will know exactly where the money for the extra square footage went. 1800 square feet for your family is going to be pretty tight. It's definitely do-able, but things will also definitely be cramped.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-08-2008, 04:39 PM
 
Location: NYC
16,061 posts, read 26,694,582 times
Reputation: 24848
Personally I would go for the larger house. We were in the same boat several years ago before kids and went with the smaller house. While we ended up LOVING where we lived; we quicly outgrew it. Didn't have enough room for guests etc. Hind sight is always 20/20 and wish we had went with a bigger home for a bit more.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-08-2008, 09:48 PM
 
Location: Somewhere out there...
3,663 posts, read 8,650,378 times
Reputation: 3750
The older home probably has other issues as well. The wiring, plumbing, heating and cooling and it's probably not very energy efficient. If you can afford to fix any major repairs then I would go for the larger house.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-09-2008, 05:40 AM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,189,627 times
Reputation: 10694
We had a 1940's home that was a great house. It had the original windows but they were in excellent shape. Our heating and cooling bills were basically nothing--in Minnesota. It was 3000 sq feet as well. We have also lived in 1920's homes and we have had no major upkeep issues. We have had to do more work to our 1995 house that we are in now then we have done to any of our other homes-not including cosmetic things like paint, etc. This house is no where near as energy efficient as our older homes.

The one thing that gets me about the first house is the 'busy street' comment. As much as you like your house, most people won't want to live on a busy street so resale is questionable. If you ask around that is on pretty much everyone's list of things they DON'T want in a house.

Is it possible to add on to the second house sometime in the future? Add a second story if there isn't one already maybe?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-09-2008, 07:11 AM
 
88 posts, read 272,779 times
Reputation: 75
The older home is on a "relatively" busy street. A busy street in this town isn't like busy streets elsewhere. I was originally very concerned about this, but after 3 visits I figured out the street is only is busy at certain times of day and is otherwise a peaceful place. I guess it would be the price we pay for being catty corner to the town park.

We visited both homes again last night. Let's just say we are no closer to a decision. Our Realtor also mentioned how older homes can be more comfortable temperature wise than new homes. I love the "feeling" I get when walking through the older home. It just feels good. The thing holding us back are the unknowns. Everywhere we turned there was something else that needed fixing - paint, wallpaper, a broken window, a couple of windows that looked like they needed repair, ripping up ugly carpeting, refinishing floors, and of course the kitchen and leveling.

We could squeeze into the smaller house but it would be tight. However, it seems like 90% of families in this town live in houses just as small. It makes me feel like I am being unreasonable in my space expectations. Maybe because I'm coming from PA where you have to spend the whole winter stuck inside if you are not into snow sports to Texas, where you can be outside almost all year long as long as you have a pool to cool off.

Well, thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it and read it all to my husband. I'll let y'all know what we decide!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-09-2008, 07:24 AM
 
Location: Wild, Wonderful WV
306 posts, read 899,752 times
Reputation: 160
I was in exactly the same situation a year ago. I chose the larger old house and I'm glad I did! My house was built in 1946. In the past year we have replaced all the windows, painted almost the entire inside of the house, updated the bathrooms (not major overhaul - just replacing vanity, potty, painting), done some minor landscaping, and we are putting on a new roof in 2 weeks. I have enjoyed every second of fixing up our home. Putting in fixtures etc. that I love b/c I picked them out. I love the character and feel of the house - it's very pleasing to me.

I can't imagine going from 2500 to 1800 sf. That would be very difficult.

If I were you, I would go for the older house ~ obviously

Good luck with whatever you decide!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-09-2008, 07:50 AM
 
Location: Lost in Montana *recalculating*...
19,619 posts, read 22,502,117 times
Reputation: 24627
Bigger older homes can mean bigger utility and remodeling bills.

I went from a 2,400 sq. ft home custom built in 1999 to a bit larger home built in 1970. Utility bills are easily doubled. For example- exterior facing wall insulation is R-7 and there's not much you can do about it without great expense...

I like do like the older houses, especially 40's and 50's era, but I tend to err on the cost conscious side. I have two kids ages 9 and 6, and if we move again, I'm going for newer, smaller and more certainly more energy efficient. If we found (or built) an 1,800 sq. ft home with a full basement, I could make plenty of livable space for 4 people..

All depends on where your priorites or heart is.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > House

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:55 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top