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.
Hello all, here we go again. I love getting the input for people in this forum and as first time home-buyer I have lots of questions.
In our area there are not many houses for sale that fulfill our needs and budget. There's a house that is in a good school district, with OK taxes and in good condition, but it's only a 2 bedroom and doesn't have a place for my husband workshop. The lot is big and a garage with a bedroom on top could be build. The price is OK for us, not much left over to build the addition right away. We can fit in it for now.
Should we consider this or keep looking for a place that has all we need?
1) Do you know if the garage is structurally strong enough to support having a second story added to it ?
2) Would zoning permit such an addition ? An additional bedroom over a garage might classify your home as having a second unit.
3) What's the point of a bedroom without a bathroom ?
4) You would still have a two bedroom home when you go to sell in the future. People who want three bedroom homes usually want them under one roof with accessible bathrooms..
5) Would the cost to do a garage addition equal or surpass the value in the market. Try to find some comparable sales of similar type homes. You don't want to spend tens of thousands to have it be worth
$ 5,000 in the market. Just an example -YMMV
Seriously, to my mind, if you want three bedrooms, keep looking for a three bedroom home. Are basements common where you are? Maybe a home with a daylight (walk out basement) might get you a third bedroom and workshop.
The technical points have been well addressed here.
I would say move on.
As your family grows and ages, things have a way of getting more expensive. Construction costs are rising, and who wants to live in a construction zone if you don't have to? Based on my personal experience, the addition would be placed farther down the priority list, and then you'll be stuck in a house that was always too small.
another thing to consider is: how long until your kids are older and start to leave home? College, jobs, move away to work. . . Frankly, I wouldn't make it TOO comfortable for them.
I dunno, I had the opportunity to buy what was maybe the perfect house for me... except it was too small. One floor, two tiny bedrooms, but perfectly adorable. I would have had to build an addition eventually.
I'm a single person, but I have multiple pets and reading is one of my great loves - I have a lot of books and no intention of getting rid of them. I also work from home with a minimum 10-hour day, so a very small house, even with two bedrooms, would have been a bit claustrophobic. I also decided I wanted to have the ability to take on roommates in the event that I lost my job or encountered some other disaster. Ironically, the roommate I have now is a good friend and she thought I should buy the house and build an addition. Oh hell no. Who wants to go through that kind of hassle if it can be avoided?
Instead I've bought a house that is bigger than I needed and even cheaper than that cute little house I passed up. I can take on at least two roommates, and possibly 3 if I made some modifications to the layout.
The house isn't as adorable as the first and doesn't have nearly as many upgrades. But I'm slowly making it my own. And that's enough for me.
I'd hold off until you find something that suits you better.
[quote=Merjolie8;35299731]
Buying a house knowing you need to build an addition to fit your family. Yea or nay?
Only for the brave, experienced or very well heeled.
Quote:
...as first time home-buyer ?
No way.
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.
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.
