Home/Condo Owners

[quikah]

...and you're lucky if it's still available before the open house because some overseas buyer hasn't snagged it on a cash purchase +20%.

+20% is kind of low...

Townhouse just behind me sold for 26% over asking. It is nuts. I thank the heavens I had the $ to buy when I did in 2010.

 

[nakedfrog]

It's not a question of certainty, the house isn't changing every time you see it. You should be able to go into a house and decide whether you love it or not pretty quickly. The responses in the thread do make it sound like that is mostly the case. If someone goes to see a house 3, 4 or even more times it's because there are things they want to look at again, see if they 'will do' or 'can get used to it'. If we were in the market for a house and my wife took me to the same house multiple times, I'd tell her that's not the house for her.

I don't think buying a house because you loved it the first time you looked at it is a wise decision. Probably better to think about it, come back, and see things maybe you didn't notice the first time, there's a lot to take in when you look at a house. Of course, this is assuming one isn't in one of those neighborhoods where if you take time to think about it, the house will already be sold...

 

[dphantom]

Our latest home we went through twice. Second time was with a contractor experienced in remodeling lakeshore homes as the house was just over 100 years old and originally had been a lakeshore cottage since added on to. There was some sagging in floor joists where the stairs go up to the second floor. Looking underneath the house, it appeared the footings were not put down either deep or wide enough to handle the weight.
But after crawling under the house and looking at the joists, they appeared to be stable and we were comfortable enough to make an offer that took into account the possibility of needed repairs. The owners countered slightly above our offer and we accepted.

We'll gut the house in a year or two and part of the remodel will be to redo the crawlspace changing from a pier system to poured walls around the perimeter.

 

[dphantom]

I don't think buying a house because you loved it the first time you looked at it is a wise decision. Probably better to think about it, come back, and see things maybe you didn't notice the first time, there's a lot to take in when you look at a house. Of course, this is assuming one isn't in one of those neighborhoods where if you take time to think about it, the house will already be sold...

I have always done 2 visits plus web site views and perhaps a drive by before the first visit. The first to get a feel for the house, neighborhood, floor plan layout and general condition.

Second visit if we feel the house is where we want to be and what we are looking for is a serious look at structure, livability, value. We will have 1 or maybe 2 other houses in mind and the second visit will make up our mind. 3 or more, never in our case. I figure if we cannot decide in 2 visits, then it is not right for us.

 

[herm0016]

3 houses. saw them all once, put in offers that day. bought all of them. all in the last 5 years. we only own one now, but are watching for a rental in the area.

 

[Humpy]

We walked through twice to get a feeling while out hunting. Only really looked at it close one time before making an offer.

The seller's agent was a briefcase contractor who kept trying to bullshit me with my questions during the last visit. I played along for a while but got more and more combative until I called him a dumbfuck to his face and spilled the beans I was a real contractor. We were yelling at each other about replacement windows. My wife freaked out and went and sat in the car. Looking back it was the best way to start negotiations becasue I truly didn't like him and walking away would have been easy.

On the day we were moving in his fat ass was struggling in the sun to pull the real estate sign from the ground in front yard. I stood around watching him from the garage contemplating whether I could legally tell him to fuck off.