Houses that are too good to be true generally are....but why?

[twingles]

Originally Posted by kunk10

I start to wonder if we aren't all sold a bill of goods re: school district.

Ya think? People here go absolutely nuts over the difference of 5 percentage points in test scores. Hell, I can show you a difference of that much between elementary schools in GC. They move teachers around, admins around, it doesn't change. The lower scores are consistently on the "richer" side of town.

I signed my kids up for a summer reading discussion group at the GC library a few years ago - there were 21 kids signed up ...16 of them were from my kids' school. The other kids were all in the Hamptons, I guess

[FrmlyBklyn]

I voted distorted pictures - remember seeing one place, it looked gorgeous, they showed "most angles" of the home, just not the one facing the heavy duty power line running parallel to the house, nor said anything about the "humming" sounds eminating from them.

[Chrisk327]

I would say the biggest is location. Although some photos are misleading... I don't think its all trick photography that is the issue. mainly that pictures of a nicely finished house look similar to a poorly finished one. you can't tell that the floors sag, the trim is done poorly and that the tiles are cracked in the photos, you can in person.

Also, location isn't only the double yellow lines. ther are plenty of houses on side streets just off of main streets that are issues. do you want to live 1 house in from Sunrise hwy? merrick rd. etc.

corner properties are such a mixed bag too. some are fine, most they put the house long ways on the lot and there is no backyard. I don't particularly mind a corner, just the bad lot whcih comes with most of them.

my view is there are very few true bargins out there. most are trade offs. House may be perfect except for something whether it be the, no garage, no basement, busier street, small lot, small kitchen, only 1 bath, location, etc.

First time I bought, I had compromises to get a house in a nice area, it was on a cut through street (but not really busy) it was a 2br, on a smaller lot, but had some room, without a garage. writing that out, it sounds terrible. it was actually a nice house that we did love and fixed up to be great inside. the buyers got a bargin, but they still live on a cut through street with 2brs and no garage.

Our second/current house we paid a premium to be on a quiet street, with a larger piece of property, taller basement, attached garage. It would have been better to do that the first time around, but ultimately you have a budget that stretches only so much.

most of the houses with the "too good to be true" prices have some defects that can't be corrected. when you sell, you'll be giving the same discount you got, and only you know whether you can live with the "defect"