What type of home is worth buying? Bigger lot or more house? (Sacramento: condos, how much)

[hellaslover]

I found a house in rocklin built in 1980. It's a 2000square feet with 3bed, 2.5bath, one story. We were looking for a new (2000 and up) 2 story house, over 2000sq feet with 3bed/2bath minimum. This house that i found barely fits our "minimum requirements" but the reason i like it is because it has a huge back yard. It's on a 13,500 lot size. It also has a pool at the very end where you have to climp stairs to get to the pool (it's built on a higher ground). Is it worth to consider to buy it since it's so old and only 3/2.5? Should we buy a house with a large back yard or a big house with smaller yard?

[wburg]

Depends on how much you like mowing.

[CityGirl72]

That is really your personal preference - have you ever had a big yard before?

We have a HUGE yard right now and it's SUCKS. I hate how much maintenance it takes, it just one (or more) big chore to take care of it.

And as we are house hunting - I'm hoping for NO POOL - just ANOTHER thing to take care of. I just don't have the time. And you have to pay me to get into a bathing suit so I'd never use it (kids would, just not me)

[CityGirl72]

PS - I look at it like this - you'll spend most of your days and nights in the house itself. Love the house - the yard should be a secondary priority

[Mossy]

I would vote for a bigger yard than house. I just don't like if people could see in my windows.

[DMenscha]

Despite all the subject comments here, the historical data is that the bigger lots retain value better than bigger homes on smaller lots.

Now you can just go buy what suits you

[CityGirl72]

Okay - I wouldn't want to buy a big house on a postage stamp lot - but I kind of get weary of the BIG lots. Those are the ones I don't want.

We are looking at Condos too(with views, no back neighbors) - which = No backyard work, but no close proximity neighbors either

[wburg]

There's an easy way to stop people from seeing in your windows: close the curtains, or lower the blinds. The main question is, are you the sort of person that can really use a backyard? Especially in California's climate, your house can extend into your yard, in a fashion that can greatly increase the useful size of the house.

I lived in a 731 sf 1b/1ba with my wife, and one way we made the space seem bigger was by making the backyard into a lovely landscaped grotto. The lot was tiny (1600 sf) but it was enough space for a vegetable garden, a lemon tree, a bricked-in patio, and an overhead lattice for grapes (both beautiful and edible!) It added a few hundred feet to the house, was great for entertaining, and provided a beautiful view out of our back windows. And that's in a backyard a tenth the size that the OP is considering!

[zen_klown]

I would pass on the home.

Prices are still dropping fairly rapidly in the Sacramento region. The only reason to buy something right now is to get something that is exactly what you want where you are prepared to live in it long enough so you don't care how the local housing market does over the next 10 years.

This house isn't that. You want something much newer, this house is too old for you. You aren't entirely sure if this house is too small.

The real question to me is if you are upside down on this home would you still like living in it? If not keep looking.

There is a lot of inventory out there and prices keep falling. Why settle for something you don't love? Get exactly what you want. This isn't it.

[simplygib]

I just bought a 1200 sq. ft. place on 5 acres so you know how I'm gonna vote. :-)

If I was in your shoes I would think it would depend on personal preference for house size as well as how much you enjoy yard work (and how much time you can dedicate to that). I don't like yard work so I'd either buy it with the idea of making it a low maintenance yard if it wasn't already, or I wouldn't buy it. But I really dislike big houses on small lots too. I'd rather have a large or medium-sized low-maintenance lot with a small house, if I was going to buy anything on a lot.

My 5 acres is in the forest and it's going to remain "au naturale."