If real estate appreciation was your primary goal, where would you buy a house?

[3cents]

OP, I think G-fused gave great advice there.

I guess a SFH is easy to maintain:
- Lawn: spring clean-up, re-seeding, summer mowing, fertilizing, detaching, shrub trimming, leaf raking, lawn watering (a pain if you don't have an irrigation system), occasional planting of new flowers, mulch, etc.
- Snowblower: yearly maintenance, minor repairs sometimes
- Driveway, walkway: sealing a couple of years, minor repairs, snow blowing
- Gutters: pre and post winter cleanup
- Roof: replace the occasional shingle
- Siding: repaint siding every few years (if cedar shakes)
- Heating system: yearly maintenance
- Pipes: winterization
- Trash: in a condo apartment, you'll just throw it down a chute. Ain't the case for SFH.
- Masonry: any brick or stone stairs, veneer, walkway etc. needs repointing every now and then due to frost damage
- Appliances: In a condo apartment, you'll just ring the management if anything breaks down. In a SFH, it's unto yourself.
- Garage: If your condo apartment has an underground garage, great! Just enjoy the snow. If you have 2 cars and your SFH has only 1 car garage, that's an issue when it snows.

[jayrandom]

Thanks for this list. When everyone was saying how much of a burden a SFH is, I was afraid that I was just not doing sufficient upkeep. Now I'm less worried.

Originally Posted by 3cents

OP, I think G-fused gave great advice there.

I guess a SFH is easy to maintain:
- Lawn: spring clean-up, re-seeding, summer mowing, fertilizing, detaching, shrub trimming, leaf raking, lawn watering (a pain if you don't have an irrigation system), occasional planting of new flowers, mulch, etc.
- Snowblower: yearly maintenance, minor repairs sometimes
- Driveway, walkway: sealing a couple of years, minor repairs, snow blowing
- Gutters: pre and post winter cleanup
- Roof: replace the occasional shingle
- Siding: repaint siding every few years (if cedar shakes)
- Heating system: yearly maintenance
- Pipes: winterization
- Trash: in a condo apartment, you'll just throw it down a chute. Ain't the case for SFH.
- Masonry: any brick or stone stairs, veneer, walkway etc. needs repointing every now and then due to frost damage
- Appliances: In a condo apartment, you'll just ring the management if anything breaks down. In a SFH, it's unto yourself.
- Garage: If your condo apartment has an underground garage, great! Just enjoy the snow. If you have 2 cars and your SFH has only 1 car garage, that's an issue when it snows.

I was going to post and saw its always something but it's not really that hard. This list is a great reference point though--if this seems excessive stay away from a SFH. In reality there's more to do but you can almost always hire it out. Personally I'd do twice what I do if it meant no one lived above or below me. I lived in a rental duplex above a really great couple and even they got on my nerves after a while.

Except for the trash thing. If walking the trash can fifty feet down the driveway once a week seems excessive, just live in hotels.

[bohemka]

The big thing that hit me when I became a homeowner is that I essentially became a facilities manager. When there's a problem, with anything, it's on me. And in a house, particularly an old house with a century-long parade of half-ass DIY owners, it's not whether something is going to go wrong, it's more about how many things are going to wrong at the same time, and who will be able to solve the riddle of the prior owner's thought process that led to this problem.

When stuff happens, I can take care of it or I can find someone else to do it, but, as anyone who has owned a house can attest, it's not that easy to just hire it out. Tracking down reputable people to do the work and getting and reviewing estimates and all the rest is quite a bit of work in itself — not to mention making sure everything is done correctly and on budget. [canned laughter here]

And you're always mindful of what the situation is in and around your house. When I'm hanging out at the beach I'm thinking about projects and maintenance and upkeep. When I lived in a condo I thought about what needed to be done around the condo exactly zero times. Someone mentioned the hassle of turning off the outside spigot for winter. This came across to many as a joke, because turning it off takes a minute. The truth is the task itself isn't the issue. It's that that task is in your head, along with a zillion other things that you need to pay attention to or suffer the consequences.

I do enjoy it, however, but when the kids are out I imagine I'll be running back to apartment living.

[mmyk72]

I think 3cents' list is pretty good. I took 6+ yrs to find a house to buy (as a FTHB) because I didn't want to end up with a project house (which most are where I live, unless one is super rich enough to buy brand new). My compromise was buying a townhouse (sharing 1 wall) that was newer and it turned out to be a great choice. I did not have many surprises when it comes to repairs, but the initial few weeks/months still involved lots of trips to HD, figuring out what the problem is and how to fix things (thanks to Youtube and online resources). It's been 3 yrs and I love every min that I no longer hear my Landlord whose every sound comes thru the ceiling and walls, everything he cooks makes my place smells like his kitchen exhaust, and putting up with I (LL) am better than you (tenant) attitude.

Here is my experience with the chore list:
- Lawn: spring clean-up, re-seeding, summer mowing, fertilizing, detaching, shrub trimming, leaf raking, lawn watering (a pain if you don't have an irrigation system), occasional planting of new flowers, mulch, etc. Spend more & do less OR spend less & do more. Where I live, we pay for mowing (I manage when it's needed) and it's actually inexpensive since I split each mow with 2 neighbors in the same complex ($40/3). The only pain in the xxx is leaves in the fall (I did not want to spend $500 for someone to do it for our small yard). Mulch is not that big a deal and I actually did it myself (and saved $300+ compared to having the lawn guy do it). It was hard labor though. Almost no lawn watering is needed where I live. We have good shrubs that I trim (I actually like doing it and don't trust anyone else to hack at them with a chainsaw).
- Snowblower: yearly maintenance, minor repairs sometimes (none needed - I've an electric snowblower)
- Driveway, walkway: sealing a couple of years, minor repairs, snow blowing
- Gutters: pre and post winter cleanup We have to hire out since it's too high to reach. quite expensive and good thing I split the cost 3 ways. We had to replace a 75 ft gutter after the mega snowy winter in 2014. Again, splitting the bill made it less painful.
- Roof: replace the occasional shingle
- Siding: repaint siding every few years (if cedar shakes) none needed since my house has vinyl siding. But I did have to figure out how to clean moss/mold on the North facing side 2 yrs ago... they never came back but it turned out to be real easy with the right product.
- Heating system: yearly maintenance None needed yet - I have gas furnace
- Pipes: winterization. none needed. Only thing I do is turn off the main water to my unit when I leave for a trip in the winter
- Trash: in a condo apartment, you'll just throw it down a chute. Ain't the case for SFH. What! putting the trash out on to the curb is that big a deal? However, my town charges for each bag of trash.
- Masonry: any brick or stone stairs, veneer, walkway etc. needs repointing every now and then due to frost damage. none needed since my house has none that can be damaged
- Appliances: In a condo apartment, you'll just ring the management if anything breaks down. In a SFH, it's unto yourself. Only if you rent... when you own a condo, you own the applicances.
- Garage: If your condo apartment has an underground garage, great! Just enjoy the snow. If you have 2 cars and your SFH has only 1 car garage, that's an issue when it snows.[/quote] Even with a garage, you still need to clear the whole driveway to get the car out. Yes, very pain in the xxx again. But I lived 10+ yrs in an apt without a garage and I love this feature.

[TownShopping]

Someone earlier mentioned Stoughton as a choice. I might just agree with that. It's bordered by Canton and Sharon whose prices continue to rise due to the school systems and Commuter Rail access. As families are priced out of those towns (ahem, like mine) Stoughton gets considered as a good place to start out and move into the other towns once kids hit middle school and families have saved more living several years in less expensive Stoughton. That's how it is right now anyway. Stoughton itself is in a position of significant potential if certain things currently in the works pan out. A new high school is slated to be built if it passes the town vote for a debt exclusion (I think the vote is in June). That in and of itself makes the town a bit more attractive to families and will hopefully have a positive impact on school ratings. Additionally, there are plans in action to revitalize the downtown area...restoring an old theater that's been sitting unused so that it can be operational and attract performers, a local artist has been improving upon the visual appeal of local businesses on his own time using salvaged materials for the most part, the library is slated for renovation, a farmer's market operates in the center of town during the summer, and there is more to that list that's just not coming to mind at the moment. It's commuter rail accessible. Hospitals are nearby (Good Samaritan and Norwood Hospital), something I consider important as a parent. And if you choose to go the condo route, there are several complexes to choose from. We rent a condo currently and what I can tell you about this complex is that 2-3 bedroom townhouse and ranch style units are selling in the low 200's, each with a garage and an additional deeded spot. The HOA fee is relatively high at $495/month after increases related to the snow from last winter, but it includes heat and hot water, landscaping, snow removal (they do a great job), use of the pool, tennis court, basketball court and small playground, and trash collection 2x/week. Though condos as a general rule don't appreciate as much as SFH's, I think it's fairly safe to say that prices will at the very least hold steady if not increase as the town's improvements are completed. It's worth noting that condos in neighboring Canton with less amenities are selling in the 300's-400's. While you are single and don't necessarily need a house, I highly recommend going the condo route and either putting more money toward the principal on your mortgage or otherwise investing your savings. These properties rent easily in case you decide later to keep it for rental income. That's my two cents, anyway. Hope it saves you a few dollars :-)

[G-fused]

Originally Posted by 3cents

OP, I think G-fused gave great advice there.

I guess a SFH is easy to maintain:
- Lawn: spring clean-up, re-seeding, summer mowing, fertilizing, detaching, shrub trimming, leaf raking, lawn watering (a pain if you don't have an irrigation system), occasional planting of new flowers, mulch, etc.
- Snowblower: yearly maintenance, minor repairs sometimes
- Driveway, walkway: sealing a couple of years, minor repairs, snow blowing
- Gutters: pre and post winter cleanup
- Roof: replace the occasional shingle
- Siding: repaint siding every few years (if cedar shakes)
- Heating system: yearly maintenance
- Pipes: winterization
- Trash: in a condo apartment, you'll just throw it down a chute. Ain't the case for SFH.
- Masonry: any brick or stone stairs, veneer, walkway etc. needs repointing every now and then due to frost damage
- Appliances: In a condo apartment, you'll just ring the management if anything breaks down. In a SFH, it's unto yourself.
- Garage: If your condo apartment has an underground garage, great! Just enjoy the snow. If you have 2 cars and your SFH has only 1 car garage, that's an issue when it snows.

All true. There's so much. I've been in a condo for over 6 yrs (2 yrs rental, 4 ownership) and the pain of home ownership is forgotten after a while but when I think back, I sure do appreciate things now. Again – lots that I miss a lot too.

But also want to point out that I’m not completely off the hook with things. I do about 20-30% of the work I did with a SFH. That’s because we’re a completely self managed building and do almost everything ourselves (snow removal, leaf cleaning the pkg lot, coordinating contractors, etc.). But the work is less (we have no grass) and it’s shared – both cost-wise and physical labor. And we are lucky enough to have great people in our small 3 family building so we cooperate well, and my neighbor is handy so he takes the lead on things. My point is that condo associations are very different. Some involve more work than others, and those usually have lower fees. So I do still have some pain but it’s nothing compared with owning my own house and having everything solely on me. Big key is a good condo association and making sure one understands the work that’s involved – if any. All of us care a lot about our building and maintain it really well, which means a greater amount of work for us.

Originally Posted by bohemka

The big thing that hit me when I became a homeowner is that I essentially became a facilities manager. When there's a problem, with anything, it's on me. And in a house, particularly an old house with a century-long parade of half-ass DIY owners, it's not whether something is going to go wrong, it's more about how many things are going to wrong at the same time, and who will be able to solve the riddle of the prior owner's thought process that led to this problem.

When stuff happens, I can take care of it or I can find someone else to do it, but, as anyone who has owned a house can attest, it's not that easy to just hire it out. Tracking down reputable people to do the work and getting and reviewing estimates and all the rest is quite a bit of work in itself — not to mention making sure everything is done correctly and on budget. [canned laughter here]

And you're always mindful of what the situation is in and around your house. When I'm hanging out at the beach I'm thinking about projects and maintenance and upkeep. When I lived in a condo I thought about what needed to be done around the condo exactly zero times. Someone mentioned the hassle of turning off the outside spigot for winter. This came across to many as a joke, because turning it off takes a minute. The truth is the task itself isn't the issue. It's that that task is in your head, along with a zillion other things that you need to pay attention to or suffer the consequences.

I do enjoy it, however, but when the kids are out I imagine I'll be running back to apartment living.

Facilities manager is a great title for a home owner. So true. It really is another job. And regarding contractors, that’s all true too, and you forgot to mention how you need to find someone who can come over when you are home (since we work regular business hrs, that can be a big challenge. We’ve had to take days off for things – stinks burning days from work for that kind of stuff). Oh, and of course we can’t neglect that many contractors simply don’t show up or don’t show up when they say they will. It’s a terrible culture. We’ve paid a big premium for contractors who have a good rep (which really just means showing up and doing the job).

The being mindful of what needs to be done is important too. It weighs on you and can suck enjoyment out of things.

OP, don’t let all the doom and gloom weigh too heavily. There was pain but I really enjoyed having a house. Many many great things about it. Live and learn about it all for yourself.

[3cents]

When I was looking for a SFH, I wanted a big yard. Now I wish my yard could shrink in half. I think having a SFH has made me poorer in terms of time and cash flow. And sometimes that single moderate repair (read: upwards of $10K) throws your year end budget off course. But owning a SFH has also made me better in terms of experience and lessons learnt. For instance: if you have something but don't use it regularly, it is a waste (ref. yard above). And in future, I can say: SFH? big yard? Been there, done that!

And btw, regarding the trash. My town don't do curbside. We haul it to the town's transfer station.