Buying A House: C or D?

Hooray...for now!

The apartment I got kicked out of in March because the property was sold for muy expensive condos is still standing, though they've harvested every saleable item in it and now it's just a hollow shell (which makes me sad). I wish they'd just hurry up and knock it down so I don't feel the need to drive by it, walk up into my old unit, and just sit there being emo.

Sorry for working out my ish on this thread tonight, but for various reasons we basically CAN'T move, or at least all options will be much, much worse than what we have right now. It's really important to my life functioning that this building doesn't sell/we don't get evicted.

There are older neighborhoods in a Arlington but the houses don't come up that often, the vast majority are '60s ranch houses (and lousy ones at that). That's what makes it hard to shop here and probably why people ask too much for the Craftsman/bungalow/etc. type I like when they do appear.

Fort Worth has a lot of those houses but they're either rapidly gentrifying or in neighborhoods that are legitimately terrible and will be after I'm dead.

I'd rather, if my situation became a two-income partnership, spend twice as much to buy a similar house in FW to what I could theoretically afford now but I doubt I'll ever be able to buy in FW solo.

50s-60s ranchers—possibly my least favorite of all types of domicile

Hilariously my new place is a 1963 ranch house and I'm super stoked about it.

I grew up where almost everyone I know lived in 2 story wood houses built during the late 1800s mining boom - like this one, or this one, or this, all of which are within a few blocks of my parents house.

Ranch houses in general are still really exotic and space-age to me and having all your shit on the same level feels ridiculously extravagant compared to having to climb up dangerously pitched narrow staircases to get to the one bathroom in the house.

In the southeast, at least, most ranch homes are red brick with a black roof and the subdivisions filled with them go on for miles and miles. They are the symbol of midcentury sprawl and it feels overwhelming and endless. They're so anonymous and devoid of any personality that when I finally moved to a city with whole neighborhoods full of early 20th century craftsman and bungalow homes it's what I'd been wanting for as long as I can remember.

I could totally see how if they're not something that's prevalent in your area that they could be desirable. Every place I've lived, though, they're plentiful.

Yeah I totally get that - I love old craftsman houses a lot, and I live in a 1940 bungalow right now which I also really dig. And there are a lot of boring generic ranch houses but I love 50s or 60s ones with lots of veneered wood and formica and frank lloyd wrightish touches.

My sprawl angst is more for the 90s style houses with the double garage as the main focus of the front and a giant foyer and such.

Yeah, those are awful. My parents just built the biggest house they've ever owned now that it's just the two of them and it's exactly what you just described. If that's what they've always wanted, hey...good for them. My mom just called me tonight and said they spent all day cleaning it and they said to each other "why did we need this much house?"

JBR just posted this one on fb, an atomic ranch in LA's San Fernando Valley. Very pricey compared to what's been discussed here lately, but reasonable for LA.

http://www.redfin.com/CA/Van-Nuys/6929-Louise-Ave-91406/home/4552224

Saw that. If I had 600k to blow, I'd have bought it yesterday.

Ooh, there's an open house both days this weekend!

That house on W. Ontario turned out to be more than I could possibly get my head around. The photos are flattering to it, but that thing needs a lot of work. Hurting 2 was right...it's a property for an investor to turn around and sell for $200k a year from now, but there's no way I could live there at the same time all the work was going on. ;_;

Also looked at this one today: http://www.trulia.com/property/1055100745-1012-Burns-Dr-SW-Atlanta-GA-30310

Unlike the one on W. Ontario, this is one I actually could live in while making it nicer. It's a case of being one of the lower end houses on a nice street, so the upside is definitely there. Couple of weird things, though...the water heater is actually outside in a little screened-in porch area that's really only big enough for itself and one person to stand out there with it. Also, it has a washer hook-up, but nothing for a dryer (?!). At $55k, though, and being generally liveable in its present state, it's definitely a contender.

that is a cute place! the last two places i lived, the water heater was outside. this seems weird to me - in nz they're inside and they have to be insulated (energy-saving). i guess it's different in california bc it never gets cold.

55k is insanely cheap - that isn't even a down payment for a house like that here.

what's the neighborhood like?

yeah that seems OK, just wrap some insulation around it. an electrician could probably wire in a 220 volt outlet for a dryer in half a day, assuming there's room in the panel box (I would check).

It could be "liveable" in its "current state" and also have a beyond-hope problem. I would still consider an inspection. Whenever something is way, way below market, there's a reason.

We underpaid (I think) because we bought a place from crazy owners who kept the place filthy and cluttered, but being in a co-op apartment building, we knew it was unlikely for their to be any big ticket problems -- anything roof/structure related is the building not the apartment. And still, it was just like 10% lower than the market, not 50%.

what's the neighborhood like?

The burglar bars on the windows are a holdover from another time. The neighborhood has really turned around—plenty of renovated houses and it's old people, young people, white people, black people (at least in that little cluster of streets). I'd feel comfortable getting out to walk my dog at night if I had a dog, for sure.

an electrician could probably wire in a 220 volt outlet for a dryer in half a day, assuming there's room in the panel box (I would check).

Good idea. If I look at it again, I'll make sure to do that.

I would still consider an inspection.

Any home I put in an offer on will be inspected, and I'll make sure it's written into the contract that I can walk if the results aren't satisfactory.

right on

The history shown in that Trulia listing is interesting ... the house has been sold five times since 2006 at a range of prices. Fulton County tax assessors' office might have a little more information, you could check their web site and do a search on that address.

Looks like there's no air conditioning? Not ideal in Hotlanta.

My experience has been you have to look at a lot of properties before it all comes together. The more places you check out, the closer you are getting to finding the one you'll buy. This one is definitely intriguing!

(how come all the sneaky popups on that web page work but none of the pictures of the house are showing?)

Looks like there's no air conditioning? Not ideal in Hotlanta.

It's not documented, but there actually is central air in that house on Burns. At least there's a unit outside, vents in the ceilings and a climate control thermostat set up for both a/c and heat. Since the power wasn't turned on, there, I couldn't check it out.

Love those super-low Craftsman cased openings, they make me feel like a giant.

http://www.trulia.com/property/3160163140-3925-Pershing-Ave-Fort-Worth-TX-76107

$88k in that neighborhood, "good bones" - I assume the interior must be a war zone.

"Good bones" is something you talk about with your agent after you've seen a house you can cross off your list. In a listing itself? Run away!

I expanded my search area a little bit and branched out into East Point, which is south of SW Atlanta but still north of the airport. I never thought about looking there before because East Point has (or had) a little bit of a reputation. Some parts of it might actually live up to that reputation, but the areas I drove through today seem totally nice and, most importantly, are being revitalized (I won't say gentrified, because I didn't see cupcake shops and organic markets). But it's obvious that the people who live in the neighborhoods I drove through take pride in their homes and their community, so I'm feeling really good about this house:

http://www.trulia.com/property/3144645821-3031-Park-St-East-Point-GA-30344

Damn, that's gorgeous.

A couple other possibilites:

http://www.trulia.com/property/3135366559-3123-Church-St-East-Point-GA-30344
http://www.trulia.com/property/1030765092-1757-Hamilton-Ave-East-Point-GA-30344

East Point has (or had) a little bit of a reputation

It was all about the cess in your chest if I remember correctly

Also damn those are nice houses for the prices

God, I've never wanted to get a hold of my agent so bad!

second house has the best kitchen, third might have the best exterior, but the first looks like (from real estate photos, of course) the best overall package

The kitchen would only be a concern for resale value, really. I cook some, but not a lot. I drove down specifically to look the first one over yesterday, and I'm about to drive back down there and scope out the other two and get a better feel for the general environment. Tomorrow morning I'm going back down with my agent to officially view them. I might have a house before the week's over! Psyched!

Dublin rental market overheating but I'm checking prices back out west and damn I hope we get back in time before it starts to catch up.

I'm doin' it. Agent is writing up an offer right now. woo

!!!!!!!!!

mazel tov

Thanks, although maybe a bit premature. No idea if there are any other offers out there or if the counteroffer (if there is one) will be insane. Cautiously optimistic right now.

good luck!

thanks!

The seller counteroffered, I accepted. Now just waiting for the paperwork. Who wants to come to MAH HOUSE?! (sometime in August?)

grats man

Oh cool, congrats! Is it the one on Park St. linked above?

That's the one.

good pick, that was my favorite one of the three

55k is insanely cheap - that isn't even a down payment for a house like that here.

That's not even a down payment on a 1br apartment here.

Sweet house, JF!

The paperwork and process after the offer is accepted and you actually get the keys to your new house is the worst part of the whole process. Congrats and good luck but be patient and expect some leftfield bullshit to come your way. If it doesn't, you win. If it does, you're ready.

yeah I think I closed a month after I thought I would, stay calm

Cool, thanks for the advice. It's set for a 30 day closing and hopefully because it's been sold by a investor/flipper rather than a regular person they'll be eager to expedite the process. But you never know.