I came across this house...

**minnie1928** · 12-14-2008, 05:21 PM

I think it's really cute too! Since the bank is considering a short sale I think you might be able to get a good deal. However, from what I understand banks can be difficult to work with, so if you decide to move forward just make sure you know what to expect. Also, since the previous owners are obviously experiencing financial difficulty you should look for things that were not maintenanced the way they should have been.

**ScrimpAndSave** · 12-14-2008, 06:33 PM

I mean, the cheap things to change would be paint colors...light fixtures and other fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen...hardware and stuff.

But after I put 5% down...I wouldn't really be left with much...but my monthly payment would be feasible...it's a very nice house, but it is outside of the "suburban" subdivisions within my city...which makes it a little less expensive and less desirable (the elementary schools aren't as nice).

But, my fiance and I are looking to buy a house that we will stay in for a long time and also don't want to have kids...it just looks like the kind of place that we don't have to majorly upgrade...but can make it something really special in the future.

A crazy buy, too...hmm. My dad wants to take a ride past it tomorrow. Geez!

**DebbieL** · 12-15-2008, 09:02 AM

Very cute!

**disneysteve** · 12-15-2008, 10:23 AM

Whether or not it is a cute house is irrelevant.
Whether or not it would meet your needs is irrelevant.

What is relevant, as we've said over and over, is if you are financially ready to buy a house. If you can only put down 5% and then be left with not much in savings, you aren't ready to buy.

You have a perfectly good financial plan. You need to stick with it. You've also said that you couldn't bear to see your family house be sold to someone else. If you still feel that way (and your fiance is okay with living there), you need to STOP LOOKING!

**ScrimpAndSave** · 12-15-2008, 11:14 AM

I guess so.

**Joan.of.the.Arch** · 12-15-2008, 12:03 PM

Well if it helps any, you won't hear me calling that a cute house. Any house with what amounts to a plain shed plopped in front of it doesn't get the "cute" sticker from me. I'd rather storage areas, including garages, not be prominent on the face of a house...But of course, this is a matter of taste and style, isn't it? My tastes were formed back when attached garages were either in back, or on the side of a house and, ideally, built to look no different the living space of the home.

I think I mentioned to you a few months ago that you can use the time prior to buying a home to shop around and see what is out there and what the conditions of homes are at various price levels, locations, and ages. I was thinking of you educating yourself as a consumer, not tempting yourself. Go in objectively to learn-- not as someone who is ready to go ahead and buy if a "deal" presents itself.

Maybe you could educate yourself about homes in another way while you are in this saving stage. Do you know much about home repair? Perhaps you can check out some books from the library about home maintenance and repair. Start reading them to learn how things are done, what the materials are, how to estimate a DIY job, what the tools are, what things are called. Any house you own will need things done over the years. Start getting an idea of which type projects you would like to try yourself.

Sign up for all the classes offered at Home Depot: Learn how to put up a straight and level fence panel, how to make a foundation for a raised deck. When they have tile cutting workshops, go to those. If they have a class on landscape drainage problems to avoid, take that. If they have a class on switching out a bath vanity or doing special wood finishes, sign up and go. Those classes are free and sometimes you get small tools or coupons with them. Make yourself as much of an expert as you can during your spare time instead of taunting yourself with cute houses you aren't really ready to buy and cannot decide upon anyway. Knowing some of this stuff will help you decide what your house priorities are, plus will eventually save you money. Even if some of the classes are for things that you are sure you would hire out, take classes on them. That will help keep you from getting ripped off. (Hey, my roofer was about to spit nails when I told him they had to go back and put an ice blocking sheet under the shingles over my dormer sections due to the low slope of the roof there. Have I ever put on a roof? No, but I had read the specifications for the use of the shingles we ordered. When they tried to argue that the slope was not even as low as I said, I got out a protractor & a photo of the roof and showed them how to measure it. Another roofer told me I would have had expensive problems the very first winter without the ice blocking sheet. We have regular ice storms here.)

As you get an idea what tools you may need for your home, take some weekends to go to estate sales to buy them. Make that a bit of a hobby, even. You could have a nice set of helpful tools all gathered well before you get your house. But it is all part of the process of becoming a home owner and something real that you can do now, something you can sink your teeth into. It will be progress in a different way than saving your down payment is progress. Maybe it would be more satisfying for you than browsing ads and driving by to see houses.

**ScrimpAndSave** · 12-15-2008, 12:30 PM

Thanks Joan of Arch...I can always count on your tough love.

I guess I got all caught up in the idea of having a home for my fiance and I when we get married...rather than a year afterward.

**disneysteve** · 12-15-2008, 12:35 PM

Originally posted by ScrimpAndSave View Post

I guess I got all caught up in the idea of having a home for my fiance and I when we get married...rather than a year afterward.

Definitely get over that. Lots and lots of couples don't own a home when they first get married. In fact, I'd think owning a home upon marriage is the exception rather than the norm unless one partner already owns a house coming in. We got married in July 1992 and bought our house in April 1994, so we were renting for nearly 2 years.

**gamecock43** · 12-15-2008, 02:33 PM

The colors are cute and I like the roof line...but as noted..that garage is bad! It looks like a shed that was dropped off in the driveway and is waiting to be moved to the backyard. It's very distracting from the appealing parts of the house.

**ScrimpAndSave** · 12-15-2008, 02:44 PM

Thanks.

**gamecock43** · 12-15-2008, 02:44 PM

sorry. that was harsh. i like the big picture window.

**segmond** · 12-15-2008, 03:41 PM

lol, that house is OVERPRICED!

**DebbieL** · 12-15-2008, 04:03 PM

Overpriced? Not where I live. Here it would be $500k. It may be very reasonably priced for Scrimp's area.

**ScrimpAndSave** · 12-15-2008, 06:02 PM

It is definitely not overpriced. Usual market value for that square footage is around $300k. This is a STEAL.

I came across this house...