Sun 17 Feb 2008
After another long Saturday of running around checking out open houses and taking external peeks at houses found online, we decided to not even put an offer on the 2nd short sale house, i.e. the ex “one”. One reason is that with all the offers already being considered by the bank on that one, putting another offer in for the asking price would likely be an exercise in futility. The other reason is that we discovered many other properties that are NOT on short sale that have fallen into our price range. The non-short-sale houses, because people are not upside-down on their mortgages, are in better condition and more move-in ready. And, they’re newer. Another thing we learned is that old houses are just not our thing. We thought we could do the 30- or 40-year-old homes if they’ve been fully upgraded, but truth is, the architecture then was just different and no matter how upgraded a bathroom, it’s just not gonna be the open double-vanity, separate tubbed bathrooms of this century. Of course, with newer houses are new cons, i.e. association fees, Mello-Roos taxes, and generally smaller square footage. You’re also in disturbingly close proximity to your neighbors.
So on Sunday, we’re meeting up with Grace’s dad again, to look at 2 newer homes and one older one which, at least according to photos, is promising.
As much as it is sage advice to not fall in love with a house at this stage, I really would like to fall in love again. I want to love the place we’re about to buy, whichever it is. I want to love all my major life decisions — from small things like my car to larger things like my homes to permanent things like my husband.
I love that a house built 30 years ago qualifies as “old”!
Around here, something has to pre-date electricity to really really be considered old…and “new construction” is basically non-existent…
The reason we don’t want to go “older” in SoCal is cuz they don’t build houses like they used to, so 30 years in a house makes it pretty delapidated unless money has been poured in for upgrades. Your 100+ year old structures may be perfectly liveable, but it’s rare our shoddy construction will still be standing, without upgrades, in 30 years.
there are so many houses on the market that you should really wait until you find a house that you *LOVE*. or at least can grow to *LOVE* with some minor improvements. (read installing an indoor volleyball court for me)
true, true… Mr. W, however, has fallen in love. He’s fallen SO in love, that he found photos of this house and its rooms online, and those photos are now set as his revolving wallpaper on his laptop computer.
I’m making him hold off for a week until our realtor returns from vacation. If in that time, the house is sold to someone else, then it wasn’t meant to be ours. If in a week the lack of interest inspires the owner to drop the price, then so much the better for us.