Buying a House

[silva]

So here’s the update. The buyer wants the house as is. No drop in price. We had 24 hours of rain the day before inspection and no seepage! And he moved up the closing date to February 15 which just happens to be my birthday! I’m feeling better but still nervous. They’re doing a radon test Monday I don’t think that will be a problem.


Thanks to everyone for your input and support. It is greatly appreciated.

Oh yeah, and I finally saw the proof of funds. Must be nice to have all that cash sitting in your bank account, lol.

That's great news! Now how's your search been going? Do you have a good idea of what's most meaningful to you?
After buying my last house thinking more of the needs of others, and a generic checklist, I found it truly was the smaller things that make everyday living so much better.

 

[KLS52]

That's great news! Now how's your search been going? Do you have a good idea of what's most meaningful to you?
After buying my last house thinking more of the needs of others, and a generic checklist, I found it truly was the smaller things that make everyday living so much better.

Cost is number one. With just social security and my small pension, from not having worked a lot of years, cost needs to be number one. We will have to sacrifice “house size” for that. The good thing is, moving out of NY will be a savings right there. Connecticut is not as affordable as say, moving south, it’s still better than NY. Taxes are less than half where we are looking.
I could actually move further upstate for less but location is also important. I’m not looking to get out there and network a whole new life and meeting new people/friends. So upstate would really isolate me. I don’t want that. In Connecticut I will be 30-40 minutes from my daughter, I can avoid highways if I want (95 can be brutal) and be more involved with the grandkids on a more regular basis. And my daughter’s mil is in that area too so I have her to hang out with when I want the company of someone my own age.

Also, my older daughter will still be able to get to me, whereas if I went upstate NY I would never see any family/friends.

 

[silva]

Cost is number one. With just social security and my small pension, from not having worked a lot of years, cost needs to be number one. We will have to sacrifice “house size” for that. The good thing is, moving out of NY will be a savings right there. Connecticut is not as affordable as say, moving south, it’s still better than NY. Taxes are less than half where we are looking.
I could actually move further upstate for less but location is also important. I’m not looking to get out there and network a whole new life and meeting new people/friends. So upstate would really isolate me. I don’t want that. In Connecticut I will be 30-40 minutes from my daughter, I can avoid highways if I want (95 can be brutal) and be more involved with the grandkids on a more regular basis. And my daughter’s mil is in that area too so I have her to hang out with when I want the company of someone my own age.

Also, my older daughter will still be able to get to me, whereas if I went upstate NY I would never see any family/friends.

Sounds like a good plan! I went from a 2000 sq ft house to 1000, and it's soooo much better for me in every way! If it weren't for my sons still being here I'd do just fine if it were only the first floor. It was shockingly horrible how much junk we removed when we sold! Too close to the hoarding shows I love to binge watch. I'm not that bad, but I know I have to keep a check on myself. Like I keep papers piled on the coffee table and only on weekends do I purge. Right now my kitchen counters are full of stuff. What I have to check is the idea that I'm not all that bothered by it, and have to clean as routine, not because I can't go to bed with a sink full of dishes . That show Hoarders terrifies me!

 

[KLS52]

Sounds like a good plan! I went from a 2000 sq ft house to 1000, and it's soooo much better for me in every way! If it weren't for my sons still being here I'd do just fine if it were only the first floor. It was shockingly horrible how much junk we removed when we sold! Too close to the hoarding shows I love to binge watch. I'm not that bad, but I know I have to keep a check on myself. Like I keep papers piled on the coffee table and only on weekends do I purge. Right now my kitchen counters are full of stuff. What I have to check is the idea that I'm not all that bothered by it, and have to clean as routine, not because I can't go to bed with a sink full of dishes . That show Hoarders terrifies me!

My daughter calls me a potential hoarder. I do like to keep stuff. But I don’t have stuff in my living space. I put things in boxes and bins and store them in the attic. I donated at least fifty boxes of stuff to the veterans over the last few months. Mostly what I have now are boxes with papers in them...old bank statements, utility bills, old mail...I have too much to shred and I’m afraid to throw it out, although, our trash goes to an incinerator so it might be better to just do that...put everything into extra heavy duty black trash bags.

 

[KLS52]

I wonder if we would make good friends in real life. We have some similar situations like hoarding and adult sons who live at home. Too bad we don’t live near each other. We could commiserate together.

 

[silva]

My daughter calls me a potential hoarder. I do like to keep stuff. But I don’t have stuff in my living space. I put things in boxes and bins and store them in the attic. I donated at least fifty boxes of stuff to the veterans over the last few months. Mostly what I have now are boxes with papers in them...old bank statements, utility bills, old mail...I have too much to shred and I’m afraid to throw it out, although, our trash goes to an incinerator so it might be better to just do that...put everything into extra heavy duty black trash bags.

Twice a year, sping and falll, our community has free shredding, and I always put the dates on my calender! I've finally gotten rid of my mothers papers, as well as tax returns from the 90's. I do like to keep representaions of utility bills just to see how much they've changed.
I just watched a particularly disturbing episode of Hoarders

 

[shyvas]

Twice a year, sping and falll, our community has free shredding, and I always put the dates on my calender! I've finally gotten rid of my mothers papers, as well as tax returns from the 90's. I do like to keep representaions of utility bills just to see how much they've changed.
I just watched a particularly disturbing episode of Hoarders

I often watch Hoarders and one of the worst ones was a man who couldn't use his toilet. It was disgusting.

 

[silva]

I wonder if we would make good friends in real life. We have some similar situations like hoarding and adult sons who live at home. Too bad we don’t live near each other. We could commiserate together.

I've thought that too! I do think so I'd love to meet up with so many here!

 

[Val]

I've thought that too! I do think so I'd love to meet up with so many here!

As long as i remember, you promised to come to our place one day. (Still waiting for any news from you).

 

[silva]

As long as i remember, you promised to come to our place one day. (Still waiting for any news from you).

I need to include that in my gripe thread list of things I need to have money for! Never ends...

 

[KLS52]

My buyer backed out. I’m not devastated. Husband and son are happy but that’s because they’re in denial as to how hard it’s going to be financially once I stop working. But so be it. I love it here and don’t mind that I have some more time here.

We failed our radon test. Not being from this area, the buyer is concerned because they want to put a bedroom down in the basement. The guy who has been representing his girlfriend...she’s actually the buyer and the one putting up the money...still wants the house and is trying to convince her that the house is safe, especially since we are going ahead and having a remediation system put in. But for now we are considering the deal as a no go and I have another showing today. Then the house is coming off the market until February as previously planned.

It’s unfortunate because he was willing to take the house with the water issue, since it’s not a chronic one. We’ve had rain on and off the last few weeks and it’s bone dry. We also bought a plastic cover for the basement window well.

 

[KLS52]

Game is still on. Got another potential buyer from the showing yesterday. In negotiations.

 

[silva]

Game is still on. Got another potential buyer from the showing yesterday. In negotiations.

That's good-have you been looking?

 

[Katrina]

I will be posting here soon. So very, very close to paying off my student loan, and then my next goal will be saving up for a house. I would like to buy property and build a place out of shipping containers, or maybe use one of those log-home kits you can buy. I haven't researched it too deeply yet.

But whatever I do, it will be unconventional

 

[KLS52]

I will be posting here soon. So very, very close to paying off my student loan, and then my next goal will be saving up for a house. I would like to buy property and build a place out of shipping containers, or maybe use one of those log-home kits you can buy. I haven't researched it too deeply yet.

But whatever I do, it will be unconventional

So cool! I would love for my son to do something like that. We have the property upstate but it still seems too expensive for him to do with his salary.

 

[KLS52]

That's good-have you been looking?

Only online. I don’t want to go hardcore and drive my buying agent crazy unless we have a signed contract. I also don’t want to fall in love with something only to discover I can’t sell my house. Four places that I had saved on realtor.com were just sold. There’s not a lot out there now that I might actually need something.
I don’t want to count on anything yet. We’re still at the negotiating stage.

 

[silva]

Only online. I don’t want to go hardcore and drive my buying agent crazy unless we have a signed contract. I also don’t want to fall in love with something only to discover I can’t sell my house. Four places that I had saved on realtor.com were just sold. There’s not a lot out there now that I might actually need something.
I don’t want to count on anything yet. We’re still at the negotiating stage.

Everyone has different styles, but I would look and look and look. You can't get much of an idea online, esp with those weird camera wide shots! Neighborhoods are all different--so much more than a house! How far away are you looking? Are you familair with the areas? Google maps is so helpful now!
You don't think about selling your property?

 

[KLS52]

We agreed on a price. Now we wait for them to have an inspection and see where that takes us.

 

[Katrina]

So cool! I would love for my son to do something like that. We have the property upstate but it still seems too expensive for him to do with his salary.

It is probably too expensive for me too at this stage, but my town is a popular tourist attraction in the summer... so I am toying with the idea of renting out my place on the weekends, or for 1-2 week periods on Airbnb, and staying at a friend's place or with family for that time. That would help to pay off some of it. I would have to take out a loan in order to build it, I'm guessing.

How lucky for your son to have property already! What sort of house is he wanting to build?

 

[KLS52]

Something like these: