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.
I don't think you have a realistic grasp of the lack of inventory in my area. Here is my wish list:
Garage (a lot in my area don't have one )
At least 1.5 bathrooms
Pool or enough room in backyard to install IG
Decent school district / neighborhood
Nothing extra like a stupid second kitchen that will raise our taxes when we don't want it.
Finished basement would be nice but due to lack of inventory we gave up on that one. Even no basement would be okay.
Taxes under $12,500
You'd be flooded how many homes on the market don't hit all this. We've seen so many 1 bathrooms lately. We've entertained the idea of having one put in, but sorry we're not willing to pay 470+ for 1 bathroom (and yes, comps in our area support that standard.)
Point is yes, we often have to look at stuff that isn't ideal unfortunately for everyone. That's all there is right now. And I don't think my wish list is particularly unrealistic. At this point we've been reduced to trying to figure out, not which house is perfect for us, but which one needs the least work.
Welcome to life in a popular locale. And to reality (who gets 'ideal' stuff?). We've bought 3x in just a crazy of a market (SoCal) and we could have stomped our feet and cried 'poor me' for years about how hard an unfair the world is...but we didn't...and it worked.
The sooner you come to peace with this the more peaceful you will be, and I bet you'll buy something.
if homes don't typically have garages, it's going to be tough for you. At what price point (or heck, location) do they become more common?
How common are pools, or lots large enough to add one? At what price point do they become more common?
Same goes for the baths. And especially the ability to add a full bath. PLEASE don't have the mindset you just expressed "I'm not going to pay $X (which appears to be well within budget) if I have to add _______ (which seems to be achievable still within budget)". It's counter-productive.
This is a common exercise between me and my clients. If you REALLY want something (a "must have"), then we need to figure out at what price and/or WHERE we can get it. Sometimes that means your search goes to a place you haven't considered.
Most people find that "the house" is secondary to "the location".
This may or may not apply to you, Abby. But it definitely applies to many of your fellow first-timers as their homebuying process is shaped.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
10,352 posts, read 8,576,900 times
Reputation: 16698
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abby Schmitters
I don't think you have a realistic grasp of the lack of inventory in my area. Here is my wish list:
Garage (a lot in my area don't have one )
At least 1.5 bathrooms
Pool or enough room in backyard to install IG
Decent school district / neighborhood
Nothing extra like a stupid second kitchen that will raise our taxes when we don't want it.
Finished basement would be nice but due to lack of inventory we gave up on that one. Even no basement would be okay.
Taxes under $12,500
You'd be flooded how many homes on the market don't hit all this. We've seen so many 1 bathrooms lately. We've entertained the idea of having one put in, but sorry we're not willing to pay 470+ for 1 bathroom (and yes, comps in our area support that standard.)
Point is yes, we often have to look at stuff that isn't ideal unfortunately for everyone. That's all there is right now. And I don't think my wish list is particularly unrealistic. At this point we've been reduced to trying to figure out, not which house is perfect for us, but which one needs the least work.
So with reduced inventory and a highly unique set of wants it's more competitive and it all goes back to what the market dictates that house will sell for, not what Abby feels.
if homes don't typically have garages, it's going to be tough for you. At what price point (or heck, location) do they become more common?
How common are pools, or lots large enough to add one? At what price point do they become more common?
Same goes for the baths. And especially the ability to add a full bath. PLEASE don't have the mindset you just expressed "I'm not going to pay $X (which appears to be well within budget) if I have to add _______ (which seems to be achievable still within budget)". It's counter-productive.
This is a common exercise between me and my clients. If you REALLY want something (a "must have"), then we need to figure out at what price and/or WHERE we can get it. Sometimes that means your search goes to a place you haven't considered.
Most people find that "the house" is secondary to "the location".
This may or may not apply to you, Abby. But it definitely applies to many of your fellow first-timers as their homebuying process is shaped.
We are actually quite open to a vast majority of towns and open to one entire County and about 1/8 portion of another county. As for garages and price points, you'd be surprised but it really varies. There are plenty of houses with 1.5 bathrooms, a garage and a flat backyard conducive to IG pool installation that have gone or are estimated for our price range in areas we'd like, they're just either not for sale, few and far between, and went very fast when they came on the market. I don't believe we're looking in the wrong price range and did already have to make concessions to avoid going higher (the concessions were CAC, 2 story house, finished basement and 2 car garage.) Inventory is the biggest issue in my area right now, so it's a waiting game. It's not an issue of just looking at in area that doesn't have garages. Some do, some don't. Some converted the garage to living space, etc.
Last edited by Abby Schmitters; 10-13-2017 at 09:44 AM..
So with reduced inventory and a highly unique set of wants it's more competitive and it all goes back to what the market dictates that house will sell for, not what Abby feels.
Hah. You must be accustomed to quite a complacent clientele if you think my wish list is "highly unique".
We are actually quite open to a vast majority of towns and open to one entire County and about 1/8 portion of another county. As for garages and price points, you'd be surprised but it really varies. There are plenty of houses with 1.5 bathrooms, a garage and a flat backyard conducive to IG pool installation that have gone or are estimated for our price range in areas we'd like, they're just either not for sale, few and far between, and went very fast when they came on the market. I don't believe we're looking in the wrong price range and did already have to make concessions to avoid going higher (the concessions were CAC, 2 story house, finished basement and 2 car garage.) Inventory is the biggest issue in my area right now, so it's a waiting game. It's not an issue of just looking at in area that doesn't have garages. Some do, some don't. Some converted the garage to living space, etc.
If you drop the garage, how many come up? And how many of those have the space to install one? Building a stand-alone garage is VERY simple. It’s something that can be done in less than a week and add tremendous value.
Of course "she'll present it". She REQUIRED to do so.
Um no. They are "supposed" to but not always. I have had a few offers that I have had to contact the sellers directly to make sure they got my offer. A few didn't and I made deals with them directly. That happened twice. Sometimes the Realtor doesn't want to waste their time and won't present an offer even when it is cash.
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.
)
