Would you consider buying....

[CaroleF]

After getting all excited about that house, I found out today that the owner is leasing it to someone instead of selling it. The realtor is the owner and she said she has found some cracks that need to be taken care of. She had had it completely remodeled. The full buyers report mentions asbestos and the realtor/owner said that she covered the original siding with new siding. Maybe that wouldn't be a problem, but it is a moot point now: it is obviously not my home! Next!

[Uconn97]

UPDATE

Well, that was easier than I thought. The house had great curb appeal and presence, but once my wife saw how worn out the interior was, the work it needed and what 3800 square feet actually means in terms of space she was done. I didn't even need my spreadsheet!

Just to comment on something - a few people have indicated the need for space etc that they didn't even know they needed until they had it. I am truly against buying a ridiculoulsy large home. Certainly everyone is entitled to buy what they want IF they can afford it. Most people who want it can't, even when they think they can. Few consider the costs of maintainance, upkeep, etc. One of the items that made it into my spreadsheet was the cost to repaint a 3800 square foot home with elabororate trim work - our current home (2,000 sq ft) cost us about 2,000 to paint 6 years ago and the trim work is just standard. How many people actually think about that? There is no way a family of 4 needs a 3800 square foot home. Hoping we find something in the 2,000-2,500 range.

Thanks everyone for the comments and thoughts.

[progmac]

thanks for the update uconn. your monthly energy and upkeep costs on a 2000 ft will be substantially less than with a larger home; that is very important to consider. how much can you budget for maintenance and energy? figure that out, get an optimal house size and then figure out mortgage payments. that is one approach anyways. good luck!