You're back in the Quad Cities, if I'm not mistaken, where the real estate market is still mildly depressed but is on an incline. Honest question: Are you just looking to buy a party house?
Your first house
- Thread starter RoJoHen
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You're back in the Quad Cities, if I'm not mistaken, where the real estate market is still mildly depressed but is on an incline. Honest question: Are you just looking to buy a party house?
Nope, I'm looking to buy a house where I can live. My college partying days are over. I barely drink anymore. If I do, it's usually for a special occasion.
Plus, I'm really trying to focusing on weightlifting and saving money, and consuming alcohol is really bad for both of those things.
Exactly.
Knew I had it figured out...
Fair enough! You're a braver man than I to go without!
Good man. I wasn't trying to troll you -- I just have a friend in Dubuque who graduated with a finance degree and looked into buying a house so he wouldn't have to worry about a landlord getting pissed about party damages. I didn't want to see you making the same mistake.
Good luck, man.
The house I'm living in *is* my first house. I bought the first one I saw when I went house hunting. I may have been able to find a better one, maybe not. All I knew was that this house has a perfect location, is exactly the size I needed, was affordable, and is in a great neighborhood. I figured, why give up a good thing that I *did* have in the hopes of *maybe* finding something better later? (Plus it was late October and I did not want to spend a whole winter looking for a house.)
I've lived in this house for 12 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. If I do say so myself, I admit I am proud of the work I've put into it. I don't anticipate moving *anytime* soon.
I've lived in this house for 12 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. If I do say so myself, I admit I am proud of the work I've put into it. I don't anticipate moving *anytime* soon.
I try. I can get carried away sometimes, but I'm actually quite good at staying away from the stuff when I want to. It helps that my friends have also slowed down on the drinking as well, so there are fewer occasions to do it.Exactly.
Knew I had it figured out...
Fair enough! You're a braver man than I to go without!
I mean, I'm sure I'll have parties, but that is far from the biggest reason I want to buy a house. I'm really just sick to death of renting, and my current landlord is a giant douche. I've never had problems with landlords before; I don't know what this guy's problem is. And the good thing is: I'm not locked into a set lease. As long as I give him 30 days notice, I can be out of here whenever I want.
AND...the house across the street is for sale and kind of awesome, and it's only $64,000. That would be the most convenient move ever. I wouldn't even need to rent a truck!
The house we are currently in is our 3rd house. The rate is pretty good and our payments are affordable...a bit tighter now with certain work related cuts my husband has had to take.
It fits us right now, and considering it has been through 5-6
major hurricanes and is still standing with no damage..I am good with it
We have been doing a lot of thinking of downsizing when the kids are gone(within the next 8 years), and hopefully when that time comes the market down here will be better and we can get a good deal. There is no way we could sell now.
Good luck to you. Just keep your head about you, which we all know you will, and don't rush into a decision cause you feel pressured by the realtors, time or whatever.
It fits us right now, and considering it has been through 5-6
major hurricanes and is still standing with no damage..I am good with itWe have been doing a lot of thinking of downsizing when the kids are gone(within the next 8 years), and hopefully when that time comes the market down here will be better and we can get a good deal. There is no way we could sell now.
Good luck to you. Just keep your head about you, which we all know you will, and don't rush into a decision cause you feel pressured by the realtors, time or whatever.
Good luck to you. Just keep your head about you, which we all know you will, and don't rush into a decision cause you feel pressured by the realtors, time or whatever.
Ideally, I'm waiting for the First Time Homebuyer Credit to make a comeback.
We are also in our first home, 20 years now.
We stayed in budget, put 10% down when we bought it and then plowed everything we could (essentially my wife's entire income) into paying it off. After five years we owned it free and clear. That is a huge benefit that I am still thankful for.
We'll stay here until we retire (~10 yrs) and then plan to move to property we have on an island in the Caribbean. The property was paid for the same way.
Our retirement is being built the same way.
Learn to live on less than you make; buy only when you have the funds to pay for it - STAY OUT OF DEBT.
We don't make a ton of money, our combined annual incomes never exceeded $90k (and are now lower) but with discipline we made it happen.
We stayed in budget, put 10% down when we bought it and then plowed everything we could (essentially my wife's entire income) into paying it off. After five years we owned it free and clear. That is a huge benefit that I am still thankful for.
We'll stay here until we retire (~10 yrs) and then plan to move to property we have on an island in the Caribbean. The property was paid for the same way.
Our retirement is being built the same way.
Learn to live on less than you make; buy only when you have the funds to pay for it - STAY OUT OF DEBT.
We don't make a ton of money, our combined annual incomes never exceeded $90k (and are now lower) but with discipline we made it happen.
Hubby and I are in our first house. When we decided to stay in Fresno, we began looking for a house, though prices were rising by then. Had we looked a year or so earlier, prices were well lower, but the options were very slim--half of the normal number of houses for sale.
But we stayed in our budget and found a house in an older neighborhood. There can be problems in location, but we couldn't afford the "best" neighborhood--but ours is not bad.
Pluses? We wanted an older homes, with wood floors and a fireplace. We got 1800 sq ft plus a 250 sq ft finished basement, which is holding everything many people put in their garages. Our garage is narrow, but we can fit both cars in it. The bedrooms have picture moulding at the top, so no holes in the lathe-and-plaster walls there. The kitchen cabinets actually have a style to them--streamline modern--and we got trim work and handles to complement it.
The floorplan is great and we've gotten many positive comments on its functionality. There's a small foyer with the front door on one wall, a door to a 20-foot long hallway on the opposite wall, and a third wall has an arch to the living room (16' x 20' ), which has a similar arch to the dining room (12' x 16'). One wall of that room has a new wood-framed sliding glass door to a patio, the third wall has a push-door to the breakfast room (8' x 8'), and the last wall has a door to the other end of the long hallway. The breakfast room naturally is attached to the kitchen, which also has a door to the hallway. At the other end of kitchen is a small laundry room (5' x 5'), which also has the back door and a door to a small 3/4 bathroom. The bathroom also leads to one bedroom, and on the opposite wall from the bathroom is the end of the hallway. Going down the hallway back towards the front door are the doors to the dining room and kitchen on one's right, and a bedroom/office on one's left. Continuing down the hall is the door to the basement on the right and two closets, while on the left is a turn to a large storage/linen closet and the main bathroom and finally our bedroom. Then your back where you started, at the foyer and front door.
Sacrifices? A small laundry room--I'd like a side-by-side washer and dryer cause I'm short and have a hard time reaching socks hiding at the far end of the dryer. A narrow-ish garage. No driveway, cause we live on a corner.
What I'd change (besides wishing for a larger laundry room and wider garage)?
Get rid of the linoleum floor in the breakfast room-kitchen-laundry room-bathroom. Big black and white tiles that absorb dirt because periodically sealing them is ridiculous. I want white period-style hexagonal tiles with black grout and some black ones in some kind of pattern--and I'd love to have soapstone counters with white subway tile backsplash. Repeat that in the other bathroom.
And Hubby and I plan on clearing out a lot of the basement so it's usuable for more than storage. We have about 5000 comics and a bunch of Disney stuff we collected, plus other usual stuff. I want at least a third of it gone within two years. Sell it, give it away, or throw it away.
Wow! Long post. I like my house--my Mom calls it "being house-proud."
But we stayed in our budget and found a house in an older neighborhood. There can be problems in location, but we couldn't afford the "best" neighborhood--but ours is not bad.
Pluses? We wanted an older homes, with wood floors and a fireplace. We got 1800 sq ft plus a 250 sq ft finished basement, which is holding everything many people put in their garages. Our garage is narrow, but we can fit both cars in it. The bedrooms have picture moulding at the top, so no holes in the lathe-and-plaster walls there. The kitchen cabinets actually have a style to them--streamline modern--and we got trim work and handles to complement it.
The floorplan is great and we've gotten many positive comments on its functionality. There's a small foyer with the front door on one wall, a door to a 20-foot long hallway on the opposite wall, and a third wall has an arch to the living room (16' x 20' ), which has a similar arch to the dining room (12' x 16'). One wall of that room has a new wood-framed sliding glass door to a patio, the third wall has a push-door to the breakfast room (8' x 8'), and the last wall has a door to the other end of the long hallway. The breakfast room naturally is attached to the kitchen, which also has a door to the hallway. At the other end of kitchen is a small laundry room (5' x 5'), which also has the back door and a door to a small 3/4 bathroom. The bathroom also leads to one bedroom, and on the opposite wall from the bathroom is the end of the hallway. Going down the hallway back towards the front door are the doors to the dining room and kitchen on one's right, and a bedroom/office on one's left. Continuing down the hall is the door to the basement on the right and two closets, while on the left is a turn to a large storage/linen closet and the main bathroom and finally our bedroom. Then your back where you started, at the foyer and front door.
Sacrifices? A small laundry room--I'd like a side-by-side washer and dryer cause I'm short and have a hard time reaching socks hiding at the far end of the dryer. A narrow-ish garage. No driveway, cause we live on a corner.
What I'd change (besides wishing for a larger laundry room and wider garage)?
Get rid of the linoleum floor in the breakfast room-kitchen-laundry room-bathroom. Big black and white tiles that absorb dirt because periodically sealing them is ridiculous. I want white period-style hexagonal tiles with black grout and some black ones in some kind of pattern--and I'd love to have soapstone counters with white subway tile backsplash. Repeat that in the other bathroom.
And Hubby and I plan on clearing out a lot of the basement so it's usuable for more than storage. We have about 5000 comics and a bunch of Disney stuff we collected, plus other usual stuff. I want at least a third of it gone within two years. Sell it, give it away, or throw it away.
Wow! Long post. I like my house--my Mom calls it "being house-proud."
HAH! "Our house, in the middle of our street....."
"Mess"? Well, not quite as bad as those shows on tv about hoarders, but my old bedroom? You can stand in the doorway, that's about as far as you get. She is starting to go through everything, though.
My dad helped us to buy our first home, and we were lucky to buy it in 1995 before UK house prices went absolutely insane. That house was a 1930s fixer-upper and cost us £54,500. We're now in our third house after moving back from Canada. It's in the next county over from where we first lived and this slightly smaller 1930s fixer-upper cost us £194,500 four years ago. Insane.
What took some getting used to once we became house owners is that we are now responsible for everything that needs repairing, and those repairs can be damned expensive (why do plumbing leaks and electrical faults ALWAYS happen on Friday nights?). Keeping this in mind it's a good idea to make sure you have some money left over after the monthly bills are paid for these emergencies.
Good luck with your househunting!
What took some getting used to once we became house owners is that we are now responsible for everything that needs repairing, and those repairs can be damned expensive (why do plumbing leaks and electrical faults ALWAYS happen on Friday nights?). Keeping this in mind it's a good idea to make sure you have some money left over after the monthly bills are paid for these emergencies.
Good luck with your househunting!
One thing I decided on from the get-go is that my house shall have no decorations of any kind. All walls are painted bare white; no posters, no furniture I don't need, no wallpaper, no fancy shit. (Except for the pool table downstairs, of course. I got standards. ) I have wholly embraced minimalism. I'd like to think that I've got this place pared down to where I could move completely out of here in an hour.
) I have wholly embraced minimalism. I'd like to think that I've got this place pared down to where I could move completely out of here in an hour.
One thing I decided on from the get-go is that my house shall have no decorations of any kind. All walls are painted bare white; no posters, no furniture I don't need, no wallpaper, no fancy shit. (Except for the pool table downstairs, of course. I got standards.
If HGTV has taught me anything, it's that you will never be able to sell in such a condition. You need warm colors...and accessories!
I just bought my first house a few weeks ago.
Interestingly enough, it was a house my father designed and built and lived in with my mother from 1953 until 1961, when I came along and dad made a bigger house. It's a rather little thing, so I'm bumping out the back to make more room and create a master suite and office for my metric buttload of books.
Here's my LJ page on it.
http://sengokudaimyo.livejournal.com/7830.html
Interestingly enough, it was a house my father designed and built and lived in with my mother from 1953 until 1961, when I came along and dad made a bigger house. It's a rather little thing, so I'm bumping out the back to make more room and create a master suite and office for my metric buttload of books.
Here's my LJ page on it.
http://sengokudaimyo.livejournal.com/7830.html
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