Ready to look in the Port Charlotte / Englewood / Venice area + 3 Questions (Sarasota: bank owned, transplants)

[Operaman]

Finished going through the Posts recently and found many of my original questions had already been answered.
Thanks to all those that spent the time answering the many questions from Florida wannabes and recent transplants.

We will be down in the area Dec 8th and not a bit too soon as the Wisconsin winter is about to turn ugly.

Being on the thrifty side we're looking for value and something we can be proud of. It is very unlikely we would want to look at anything above 150K & I would prefer to stay under 100K. justNancy expressed our sentiments exactly regarding condo's: "I only like single family homes because I am totally paranoid about hearing neighbors through the walls or floors". We're partial to beach proximity, though, I wouldn't want that to limit our choices. We're not necessarilly looking for cheap but we do want value and something nice. I'm probably getting a little too old for a fixer upper. We will be taking a look at LaCasa per grandmaille's sugesstion. Any other suggestions will be appreciated.

3 Questions:
When a house is advertised, "As Is with the Right of Inspection", is that the clue to avoid that property?
Problems with block homes seem to be with well water quality and it's effect on pipes, mold and/or rot in older homes, and the residual effects of CDW in some newer homes, even when replaced. Is a manufactured home the better answer?
How old a home is considered too old for the Florida environment?

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Operaman

Finished going through the Posts recently and found many of my original questions had already been answered.
Thanks to all those that spent the time answering the many questions from Florida wannabes and recent transplants.

We will be down in the area Dec 8th and not a bit too soon as the Wisconsin winter is about to turn ugly.

Being on the thrifty side we're looking for value and something we can be proud of. It is very unlikely we would want to look at anything above 150K & I would prefer to stay under 100K. justNancy expressed our sentiments exactly regarding condo's: "I only like single family homes because I am totally paranoid about hearing neighbors through the walls or floors". We're partial to beach proximity, though, I wouldn't want that to limit our choices. We're not necessarilly looking for cheap but we do want value and something nice. I'm probably getting a little too old for a fixer upper. We will be taking a look at LaCasa per grandmaille's sugesstion. Any other suggestions will be appreciated.

3 Questions:
When a house is advertised, "As Is with the Right of Inspection", is that the clue to avoid that property?
Problems with block homes seem to be with well water quality and it's effect on pipes, mold and/or rot in older homes, and the residual effects of CDW in some newer homes, even when replaced. Is a manufactured home the better answer?
How old a home is considered too old for the Florida environment?

Nope, that doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong. All bank owned properties are As-Is with right to inspect. This just means that they have never lived there so they can't tell you, for example, if the roof leaked in 2003 or whatever. They wouldn't have that knowledge like a homeowner might. If it is owed by a regular seller then they should fill out a sellers disclosure and let you know any issues that they are aware of or have been repaired. There are a number of reasons for an "As-Is sale". Just make sure you get a good inspector.

On your second question. It's really a matter of preference. Some people just don't like manufactured homes, some do. Look at the insurance costs as well. Generally newer block homes get better rates than frame. There are other issues they take into consideration as well-hip roof, hurricane protection or not, how close you are to a natural body of water, etc.

Now your last question is a bit subjective as well. There are some old early 1900 cracker homes built of cypress that are tough as nails and nearly as good as when they built them. Much of this has to do with how the home has been maintained. So, my answer would be that it's really on a case by case basis. I own a duplex that was built in the 1960's and it's in fine shape. It is built of block, which in my opinion, is going to be the most durable.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by Operaman

We will be taking a look at LaCasa per grandmaille's sugesstion. Any other suggestions will be appreciated.

I owned a mobile home and, although you might have a great time living in a community with nice neighbors and lots of activities, they're rarely a good investment. Just my opinion.

I am not very familiar with La Casa but, from what I can tell, it has just about everything you need to keep busy and enjoy your life. However, you mentioned "value" and, most of the time when you buy a home in a park, you are buying a lifestyle.

[mrs.cool]

Welcome to the Board Operaman. We live 15 minutes east of Madison, but hope to move to Port Charlotte SOMEDAY. We bought property on a canal there, and hope to build a house on it eventually.
GO BADGERS!!!!!

[Big House]

Originally Posted by Operaman

Finished going through the Posts recently and found many of my original questions had already been answered.
Thanks to all those that spent the time answering the many questions from Florida wannabes and recent transplants.

We will be down in the area Dec 8th and not a bit too soon as the Wisconsin winter is about to turn ugly.

Being on the thrifty side we're looking for value and something we can be proud of. It is very unlikely we would want to look at anything above 150K & I would prefer to stay under 100K. justNancy expressed our sentiments exactly regarding condo's: "I only like single family homes because I am totally paranoid about hearing neighbors through the walls or floors". We're partial to beach proximity, though, I wouldn't want that to limit our choices. We're not necessarilly looking for cheap but we do want value and something nice. I'm probably getting a little too old for a fixer upper. We will be taking a look at LaCasa per grandmaille's sugesstion. Any other suggestions will be appreciated.

3 Questions:
When a house is advertised, "As Is with the Right of Inspection", is that the clue to avoid that property?
Problems with block homes seem to be with well water quality and it's effect on pipes, mold and/or rot in older homes, and the residual effects of CDW in some newer homes, even when replaced. Is a manufactured home the better answer?
How old a home is considered too old for the Florida environment?

All good questions. I'm sure you will find a very nice house that will work in that price range. There are some really great values right now. So good luck!

And, yeah - agreeing with SoFLGal - most of the contacts that will be executed in FL are going to be AS-IS contracts for just the reason she stated. There are so many foreclosures, or homes that have recently been purchased through foreclosures that no one has lived in since they were vacated during the process, that no one can tell you much about them. Doesn't mean there is anything wrong, but her advice to get a good inspector is important. And, make sure that you check for Chinese drywall - there are some out there, but many many many that do not have it. Inspectors now know what to do to determine if it has it or not, and how to do a reliable job as well.

Coming from out of state you want to make sure you have a good agent that deals with out of town buyers. It is a long process, and you need an agent that will go the extra mile for you, and knows all the agencies out there that can give you good service.

Welcome to the board (I'm sure you know a great agent right now!).

[Racelady88]

We listed last month "As Is". For us that meant that the price reflects the condition of the property and we would not be making any adjustments or non safety related repairs. In this market buyers have been making some outrageous requests of sellers and I decided we were not going to play that game. Yes, the bathroom vanity is outdated. If you want to update it do it on your dime. KWIM?

For what it is worth, we went under contract in 19 days for $900 under list. We are closing sometime this week. There was nothing wrong with our house. Don't be afraid of "As Is", just make sure to hire a good inspector.

[bkwrm40]

Hi Operaman and Mrs. Cool! I'm also from WI- about 50 minutes north of Madison in the country- I've been lurking and reading everyone's posts with great interest. We are (impatiently) waiting for our house to sell so we can move down to the Sarasota area.

[SoFLGal]

That's great Racelady! Yes, that's why I said there are a lot of variables to why the home may be "as-Is". You can't just assume that it has issues. Congrats on the contract.

@ bkwrm-Seems like there are quite of few popping up from Wisconsin lately.

@Opreaman I wanted to mention one more thing on the CDW issue. Many people think that if they don't buy a home between 2002-2007 they're not going to have to worry about it. Usually that's the case but not always. Hurricane Charley ripped through in 2004 and many people replaced drywall. This was the same time frame when the CDW was being imported. Just wanted to throw that variable out there. Again, that's where a good home inspector comes in.

[Rushmore]

Originally Posted by Racelady88

We listed last month "As Is". For us that meant that the price reflects the condition of the property and we would not be making any adjustments or non safety related repairs. In this market buyers have been making some outrageous requests of sellers and I decided we were not going to play that game. Yes, the bathroom vanity is outdated. If you want to update it do it on your dime. KWIM?

For what it is worth, we went under contract in 19 days for $900 under list. We are closing sometime this week. There was nothing wrong with our house. Don't be afraid of "As Is", just make sure to hire a good inspector.

This was my thinking exactly.

I think a lot of people have this misconception about AS-IS, like it's going to be ramshackle. I must say I don't understand the point of putting it in the listing, though. I mean, all property has a "right to inspect," so isn't that just rhetorical? Why not just omit all of this from the listing and have the agents communicate properly?

In any event, wouldn't "price reflects allowance for updating" or something be better?

Hey, what do I know? I paid 100% of the list price for our home, and I would do it again.

But i would have gotten a better inspector. To do so, I would go on my own and find one. I would NOT use an inspector referred by my agent. It's not that I do not trust my agent, it's just that who needs the additional hassle of a deal falling apart because some inspector makes the buyer think he'll have to replace the roof in three weeks? If I were an agent, I would want someone "good and thorough," but not overly thorough, for obvious reasons.

My agent's guy fell on the "not thorough enough" side, though, which is bad.

[GPH]

We looked in Sarasota, Englewood and finally decided on Venice. The house is a single family, block construction, built in the 70's, bank owned "as is with right to inspect" for under 150. Great neighborhood with amenities. Deed restricted not age restricted,we closed in August. The advice I would give is, look, look, look, check out all areas you are interested in, even if it takes more than 1 trip down. Good luck and have fun!