1st time Home buyer question (Farmingdale: renter, appliances, credit)
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Hey guys. Looking at a home in Farmingdale, 1st time home.
It's not at the *top* of my price range but it is at the limit of what i received from the bank. I would have about another $15 - $20k for modifications etc. Leaving me with about $10k - $15k to keep in the bank for safety.
Here are my questions.
The heating is Oil. As a renter I had oil, had to deal with the oil company etc, and hated it.
1. How much does it cost on average to convert this house to gas? I am calling National grid tomorrow to make sure there is a gas line outside.
2. The kitchen has the old 1950s style oven with the electric range top. Do I need to do any homework or can I just buy a gas range for the place?
There is a wall separating the living room and kitchen. We love open concept (hard to find in our price range max of $365k.
NO IDEA if this is a load bearing wall.
3. Can I do anything BEFORE buying the house to see if this is a load bearing wall and able to me opened up into the kitchen?
Yes I understand these projects will exceed my $12 - $15k money to change things. But I can do 1 project each year etc.
You can certainly get contractors to check out properties before you buy. We brought some in because we were putting in a 2nd floor to ranches. They can tell you what's possible or not, but without architect drawings they can't give an accurate figure though they are free to guess. Some experienced realtors will be able to tell you about the load-bearing as well - they run across the same questions every day and hear the explanations too. Conversion will be ballpark $6k-$12k.
Your home inspector should be able to tell you if it's a load bearing wall.
Obviously you'll need to have gas in the house to get a gas range and you'll have to have gas run to the kitchen. Does the current range that is SIXTY YEARS OLD actually work? You should have your attorney put in the contract that appliances must be in working order. That will put seller on the hook to replace, or you can ask for a credit if you want to do it yourself.
I see plenty of 50s/60s type ovens/ranges around and most of them DO work; appliances used to be made to last.
Only on Long Island do people think it's OK to pay near half a million for a house with a 60 year old range. I'm sure it's in perfect working condition and energy efficient too. The many many homes I saw when house hunting on LI all those years ago were surely anomalies.
Something tells me we're not talking about a vintage Garland range here.
This is *not* a picture from the house (does not show online) but it is like it. The stove is old inside the cabinets (which are more modern) and the electric range top shown on the right side of the picture sits on top of the counter space.
This is *not* a picture from the house (does not show online) but it is like it. The stove is old inside the cabinets (which are more modern) and the electric range top shown on the right side of the picture sits on top of the counter space.
Even worse, impossible to get replacement parts for a wall oven. My sister's was 20 years old and needed a new door, may as well have been trying to find the holy grail.
Hey guys. Looking at a home in Farmingdale, 1st time home.
It's not at the *top* of my price range but it is at the limit of what i received from the bank. I would have about another $15 - $20k for modifications etc. Leaving me with about $10k - $15k to keep in the bank for safety.
Here are my questions.
The heating is Oil. As a renter I had oil, had to deal with the oil company etc, and hated it.
1. How much does it cost on average to convert this house to gas? I am calling National grid tomorrow to make sure there is a gas line outside.
2. The kitchen has the old 1950s style oven with the electric range top. Do I need to do any homework or can I just buy a gas range for the place?
There is a wall separating the living room and kitchen. We love open concept (hard to find in our price range max of $365k.
NO IDEA if this is a load bearing wall.
3. Can I do anything BEFORE buying the house to see if this is a load bearing wall and able to me opened up into the kitchen?
Yes I understand these projects will exceed my $12 - $15k money to change things. But I can do 1 project each year etc.
Thanks for help
1) Budget $7500-9000 which whould include a gas supply for a dryer and stove.
2)measure the width of the existing range ...should be standard size.
3) It's not the job of the home inspector to verify load bearing walls. With that said, a good inspector can easily determine that for you.
Best of luck!
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