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Personally if the location and area were perfect to me, I would jump on it. I can deal with a dated look inside - and that's something that can be changed with time as you live there. The location cannot. It looks like a lovely spot. I would go for it.
I agree. If the house is livable for you as is for now and you can actually get it for your budgeted amount, I'd go for it.
I would go for it if I were you. It's hard to tell from a few photos, but it doesn't look like this is a house that has an actual need for a massive renovation. It looks to be well taken care of an in good shape, just not HGTV-stylish inside. Any house you buy that looks like it fell straight out of a design magazine is going to be "dated" in a few years anyway. If you buy based on characteristics like location/school district/lot/work proximity/etc instead of trendy finishes you can use a little less HGTV and a little more elbow grease and come away with something that is a much better fit in the long run.
I learned many years ago not to ever tell a real estate agent my 'top line' budget because they will always try to stretch it and get me to look at houses above the top range I 'want to' afford. And banks will approve much higher than I am comfortable with as well. I don't want to be tempted.
However you are already 'tempted'. So if I were you I would first re-examine what that means for you financially. If you are that close to the edge that you cannot afford even paint to 'update' the house, opt out now before it makes you sadder than you need to be that you missed out on the 'perfect house'. You will get over it. I would further advise that you either not look at houses at all that are above $300k - to give you a bit of a cushion in case you find something ideal in that range but it too 'absolutely MUST be renovated' .. much less 'need' maintenance issues you didn't know about - pronto .. or you stop your search for a while till you manage to accumulate sufficient funds to look above your current 'pay grade' if you will.
As others have asked ... is this house intended to be a forever house? What are the conditions under the surface that you cannot see and which may or may not have been disclosed? And how long has it been on the market? If so/if a while, maybe you can stretch things a bit, bid lower, get it for even below your max budget. Otherwise, keep looking, in a lower price range so aren't disappointed again and/or redefine your 'requirements' for a 'perfect house' - you can't unfortunately afford this one most likely, even if you can live with it not being updated at the outset.
I learned many years ago not to ever tell a real estate agent my 'top line' budget because they will always try to stretch it and get me to look at houses above the top range I 'want to' afford. And banks will approve much higher than I am comfortable with as well. I don't want to be tempted.
I'm guessing that you didn't read where she said her alter didn't tell her about it, rather she found it?
I would agree that when you bought "many years ago" the flow of information was different, and oftentimes ham-handed and potentially self-serving agents told unknowing clients "hey, you're just gonna need to spend more!" And could get away with it. But now, every buyer has the ability to know 99.5% of the houses that we know are for sale, and know which ones are in their budget.
This house and land are well worth the desire to purchase.
If the appliances function and serve there purpose .. Let them be..
Most things seem cosmetic... Not a new roof of hvac needing replaced, or damaged internal structure..
Go for it , and negotiate if the seller is willing.
I was thinking the same thing - cosmetic (paint and elbow grease) is one thing but the most important for expenses would be the mechanicals such as HVAC, electrical wiring, plumbing, roof, etc. If you go ahead, get a very good inspection service because those expenses will blow you out of the water.
Are the property taxes and insurance within your comfortable range?
If the cabinets are wood, painting them would freshen up the kitchen if you do a meticulous job. Actually I wish I had my oven from the 70s, which was solidly built and did a much better job than some appliances today. My mom's fridge from the 70s was still running into 2010 - appliances were maybe not as energy saving but sturdily built with better parts.
The new outlook is respect the house's roots and some folks are even looking for the perfect Brady Bunch type houses. We took on a cosmetic fixer with good bones in the best location years ago and have reaped the rewards of a great neighborhood and location - no need to ever move.
I think it's a great location. 12 minutes away from work and it feels like you are out in the country. I would make an offer on it close to the top of my budget. Does everything work? If it does, don't replace anything till something breaks.
Even if you buy that perfect HGTV house, it will look just as dated as this one does in 30 years! And you could end up with an hour commute each way.
You can never change the location of a house, and this one sounds perfect for you.
The views and the property are stunning.
The windows appear to have been replaced, and the roof looks ok. How is the furnace?
There is a big difference between "dated" and "neglected".
If the house is solid otherwise, just dated, then it seems like a good move. I would go for it. In the scheme of things $325 and $350 are not that far off.
Paint is relatively easy and relatively cheap, and will transform that house.
I think something to keep in mind when house hunting, is that your ideal and reality don't usually jibe as far as budget and wants/desires. There's always tweaking that has to happen.
And I don't know you. I would jump on it, but I like fixing up houses, if it's just cosmetic work, especially, which is all I see here. But, if you would absolutely hate being in that house without ripping everything out and spending thousands of dollars - which you wouldn't have - then, I think that's really important. And you should really consider whether or not you'd be more excited about the location, or more miserable with what you wish it had, but didn't.
When I look at what I'd change, this would be my priority:
1) Paint the kitchen cupboards a light color. I did this in a 1970's condo I bought with dark wood, and it transformed the whole condo. I did it over a long weekend. Cheap. And, the gray kitchen floors might not be your favorite type of flooring, but gray is actually a popular color now. You could paint the walls and the cupboards in some of the popular tones that go with gray and it would look more updated. And like I said, paint is cheap.
2) Bathroom pinkness-from-hell: replace the toilet and the sink. Put in new white ones with new vanity. Cheap, easy. You can find some really artsy sinks/vanities for pretty cheap. And put down new linoleum. Easy, cheap. Put up a shower curtain to hide the pink shower/tub tiles until a later date when you can afford to rip out the shower/tub tiles and replace them with something not pink LOL.
Be happy the appliances are white. White is timeless. And I love the wall ovens. They're so convenient! No bending over to try and wrench a giant turkey out of the oven :-)
Nothing else bothers me. But, like I say, you are you, and I am me. I personally hate stainless steel, and love white appliances. I also don't like the look of granite countertops, although I appreciate their function. I'm 60 years old now, and I've seen so many trends come and go. Which is why I like appliances and colors that are fairly timeless, like white appliances. Wall colors are easy to change, though.
Anyway, maybe you could look again at what you don't like, and get ideas on easy/cheap ways to change it up to something you'd be happy with?
Okay, here's one photo I found of a kitchen with a gray floor. Now, you'd be doing a cheaper version, but, these are popular colors. The gray with the tannish brown and white:
Here's a kitchen with the brown countertops and gray flooring. I dont' like the color of the walls, but you would just need to tie in the brown kitchen counters into your color scheme, which you could do with chairs or your table or some artwork, etc.:
And it's funny how your eye will glance over the fact that the countertop isn't a fancy material, or the flooring isn't expensive slate, etc., if the overall color scheme is pleasing. And you can change out the kitchen counter pretty cheap, too, if you just go with a formica type countertop. My mother was an amazing decorator with a cheap budget. One of the things she taught me is that if you have just one thing in a room that looks expensive, it tricks the eye into thinking everything is - if you do it well.
And it would be really easy to tie in the black beams in the living room, by just adding some black leather or other black accents. You just need a good color pallet.
Anyway, I love this stuff. But you might not :-) I'll stop now.
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