Nerak Goes House Hunting

Nerak936 · 06-28-2007

I finally did it. Saw my first two houses tonight after work.

Decided a little while ago that it's time to get off my happily-situated butt (well, as happily-situated as anyone can be while living in the same building as her 5 tenants including the one who sued her ass a few years ago when he fell down a flight of stairs and broke a hip), and get looking for a single-family house where I can give a crap about what color the walls are painted and what's planted in the yard, rather than always thinking "well, someday someone else will live in this apartment" and "I know the tenants don't give a damn about the flowers, but I like them!").

I've started house hunting and thought maybe I'd share the experience. It might be fun or boring or sad or frustrating or confusing or wonderful or a total waste of time - both for me and for you reading this thread. But I figured I'd give it a start and see where (or if) it goes.

I'm looking for (in a perfect world) a 3-bedroom ranch in an area encompassing four towns which will put me closer to David but yet not too far away from my work. I want a ranch OR a cape with a full bath on the first floor and a room also on the first floor that could be closed off with doors in the future to be a bedroom (probably an existing dining room). In other words, a house that I can live in til I'm old and feeble and too old to climb stairs to take a bath and go to bed. Also... the yard/land. Don't want much more than 1/3-1/2 acre tops. I don't plan to grow corn or harvest wheat.

Just want a yard large enough to maybe toss up a badminton net and maybe chip a few golf balls now and then. I don't want to have to buy a riding lawnmower, and if I do, I sure won't take driving lessons from kathy.web (inside joke). I guess I'll have to buy and learn how to operate a snowblower, and if I can do that without losing a finger or limb, I'll be proud.

I'm working with a close friend who's a local real estate broker who was not only my parents' next door neighbor but who's also held in extremely high regard in the community for his knowledge of the market and his strict code of ethics, and he's been a total God-send to me during the past 8 years that I've owned the apartment house as far as keeping my arse out of legal trouble (too bad he couldn't keep that tenant from falling down the damn stairs!) in regard to local code, etc. He's acting as my buying agent in my search.

So... anyone interested in hearing about the first two houses I saw?

roni · 06-28-2007

Good time to look in Boston, from what I read. Have fun and good luck!!

LeedsTyke · 06-28-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nerak936

I finally did it. Saw my first two houses tonight after work.
So... anyone interested in hearing about the first two houses I saw?

Yep, I'm all ears. Would like to hear all about it.

jamesblonde · 06-28-2007

Very interested. I like to see the differences in the markets. I'm glad you have someone you know and trust. The ethics portion is what's missing with so many Realtors.

mastequilapf · 06-28-2007

Karen! It's funny that you bring this up! We're house hunting too. We've decided that being renters is a drag. This is not because we don't like our landlords (they're great, actually!). It is for the same reasons as you- we want to plant flowers, we want to paint the walls, we want to blow out wallls and not have to answer to anyone but ourselves.

We saw some houses last night, and then about 2 weeks or so ago we saw a few more. We found one that we really liked, but found out someone else put an offer in on it. We thought about puttting in an offer of our own (hey, we've got nothing to loose), but then sat back and decided that we hadn't been looking that long and that we should probably see other things too that were more comparable (we hadn't seen anything that was true apples to apples with this house). Turns out we've fallen out of love with that house...the other offer got accepted, and a construction project has started next door. What once was a nice forest is now barren land, and the site of a townhome community. yikes.

We're looking for something similar to you. 3 bed, 2 bath, at least a driveway (ideally a garage). We're looking for both 1 story and 2 storys, although a 1 story would make it much more easy for me to install my whole house audio system. Yes, i'm a nerd. We want a yard for Hunter (ideally fenced). He prefers 1 story houses because stairs aren't good for his long back.

We found this house last night, which is hands-down our favorite so far. Great layout, great space, nice rooms, nice finishes, good location. However, it's listing for about $30,000 more than our target price, and I don't know if I can negotiate down that far. On the other hand, it may be worth it to buy a little more house and have something that we can grow into and something that's going to appreciate. The neighborhood in which we're primarily interested is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Atlanta. Lots of new construction and lots of rising land values.

Anyway, I hope you have a successful search! It's been pretty tiring for us. Fortunately we have a great realtor. She's the mother of one of the youths at our church (Susan and I work with the youth program), so there is more there than here trying to seal a quick sale. I guess this will give us somethign else to chat (or gripe) about in August!

jamesblonde · 06-28-2007

Nice house Josef. Is the market there a buyer's market like it is here?

**sctx** · 06-28-2007

I can get you a good deal on the house next door......it comes with it's own collection of cats

mastequilapf · 06-28-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesblonde

Nice house Josef. Is the market there a buyer's market like it is here?

Definitely buyers. I know several people right now who are having a hell of a time trying to sell. People are taking losses left and right, espeically in condos and townhomes. Fortunately for us, as renters, we have nothing to sell.

mastequilapf · 06-28-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by sctx

I can get you a good deal on the house next door......it comes with it's own collection of cats

the houses on either side of the one we saw actually DID have a lot of cats. Unfortunately for them, they aren't in the best living conditions. Our realtor wasn't crazy about the looks of those houses. I agree that they did look really crappy, but I am willing to put money on the fact that in 5 years both of them will be gone and replaced with something else. The infill housing is spreading like wildfire in this neighborhood

Nerak936 · 06-28-2007

OK.... I'll give a rundown on the two houses.

Tomorrow!

Of course, it figures that the ONE night that I spend two hours after work looking at the houses is the ONE night that David comes up to my place. So after returning home late and going out for a bite and couple glasses of vino at our local fav pub, I'm about ready to hit the hay.

I'll let you know the deets tomorrow. One was pretty much a "naaah"; the other had major good points but also major bad. Realtor pal is gonna do some research about the bad.

But if did feel good to "get my feet wet" on the whole thing. The more I see, the more I know I'll be confident when I see "IT".

Yeah, Josef.... we'll have PLENTY to chat about in August!! Keep huntin', pal!!

TAPPY · 06-28-2007

Get to posting some pics will ya !!!

I love looking at houses and often spend my Sundays going to open houses (I like to go in the $$$$$ ones and pretend like I am in the market) ha !

We are all ready looking to downsize, but I cant find what I want...so I am thinking we are going to build in the near future.

Nerak936 · 06-28-2007

Sorry, no pics, Tappy. Didn't have the camera with me, and not sure if taking pics is cool (I'll have to check with my broker on that one).

TAPPY · 06-28-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nerak936

Sorry, no pics, Tappy. Didn't have the camera with me, and not sure if taking pics is cool (I'll have to check with my broker on that one).

Most realtors have web sites with linkys !!! So if you see something good that has got a linky let us take a peek !!

Good luck with your search !!!!

Seakony · 06-28-2007

Lot's of luck Karen. Do you need to sell your apartment building first? You don't want to get stuck paying for 2 places if you do. If ya don't then, take your time looking around. Do they have any one story houses in the northeast? That will solve any old age problems.

Be sure you get all the inspections done on any house you decide on..you certainly don't want any surprises and plan on spending extra money when you make the move..alot of extra money.

**Jesus** · 06-28-2007

Doooh, I thought this thread was about a haunted house!

I was expecting you scaring your tenants away!

Good luck, hope you are done before August, I don't want to meet a stressed Nerak in Playa,

06-28-2007	#1 (permalink)
Nerak936 =^. " .^= Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 18,508	Nerak Goes House Hunting I finally did it. Saw my first two houses tonight after work. Decided a little while ago that it's time to get off my happily-situated butt (well, as happily-situated as anyone can be while living in the same building as her 5 tenants including the one who sued her ass a few years ago when he fell down a flight of stairs and broke a hip), and get looking for a single-family house where I can give a crap about what color the walls are painted and what's planted in the yard, rather than always thinking "well, someday someone else will live in this apartment" and "I know the tenants don't give a damn about the flowers, but I like them!"). I've started house hunting and thought maybe I'd share the experience. It might be fun or boring or sad or frustrating or confusing or wonderful or a total waste of time - both for me and for you reading this thread. But I figured I'd give it a start and see where (or if) it goes. I'm looking for (in a perfect world) a 3-bedroom ranch in an area encompassing four towns which will put me closer to David but yet not too far away from my work. I want a ranch OR a cape with a full bath on the first floor and a room also on the first floor that could be closed off with doors in the future to be a bedroom (probably an existing dining room). In other words, a house that I can live in til I'm old and feeble and too old to climb stairs to take a bath and go to bed. Also... the yard/land. Don't want much more than 1/3-1/2 acre tops. I don't plan to grow corn or harvest wheat. Just want a yard large enough to maybe toss up a badminton net and maybe chip a few golf balls now and then. I don't want to have to buy a riding lawnmower, and if I do, I sure won't take driving lessons from kathy.web (inside joke). I guess I'll have to buy and learn how to operate a snowblower, and if I can do that without losing a finger or limb, I'll be proud. I'm working with a close friend who's a local real estate broker who was not only my parents' next door neighbor but who's also held in extremely high regard in the community for his knowledge of the market and his strict code of ethics, and he's been a total God-send to me during the past 8 years that I've owned the apartment house as far as keeping my arse out of legal trouble (too bad he couldn't keep that tenant from falling down the damn stairs!) in regard to local code, etc. He's acting as my buying agent in my search. So... anyone interested in hearing about the first two houses I saw? __________________ Do YOU have your NERAK BEADS? Click here for the Nerak Beads story. For each item sold, I donate $1 to the Peanut Pet Shelter!! To see the Beads, click below: "Classic" Beads "I Love Playa" Beads "I Love Playa" Key Chains

06-28-2007	#5 (permalink)
mastequilapf Un Hombre Legendario Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 4,965	Karen! It's funny that you bring this up! We're house hunting too. We've decided that being renters is a drag. This is not because we don't like our landlords (they're great, actually!). It is for the same reasons as you- we want to plant flowers, we want to paint the walls, we want to blow out wallls and not have to answer to anyone but ourselves. We saw some houses last night, and then about 2 weeks or so ago we saw a few more. We found one that we really liked, but found out someone else put an offer in on it. We thought about puttting in an offer of our own (hey, we've got nothing to loose), but then sat back and decided that we hadn't been looking that long and that we should probably see other things too that were more comparable (we hadn't seen anything that was true apples to apples with this house). Turns out we've fallen out of love with that house...the other offer got accepted, and a construction project has started next door. What once was a nice forest is now barren land, and the site of a townhome community. yikes. We're looking for something similar to you. 3 bed, 2 bath, at least a driveway (ideally a garage). We're looking for both 1 story and 2 storys, although a 1 story would make it much more easy for me to install my whole house audio system. Yes, i'm a nerd. We want a yard for Hunter (ideally fenced). He prefers 1 story houses because stairs aren't good for his long back. We found this house last night, which is hands-down our favorite so far. Great layout, great space, nice rooms, nice finishes, good location. However, it's listing for about $30,000 more than our target price, and I don't know if I can negotiate down that far. On the other hand, it may be worth it to buy a little more house and have something that we can grow into and something that's going to appreciate. The neighborhood in which we're primarily interested is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Atlanta. Lots of new construction and lots of rising land values. Anyway, I hope you have a successful search! It's been pretty tiring for us. Fortunately we have a great realtor. She's the mother of one of the youths at our church (Susan and I work with the youth program), so there is more there than here trying to seal a quick sale. I guess this will give us somethign else to chat (or gripe) about in August! __________________ -Josef Trip Reports: 2006 PDC / 2007 SPD / PITS II / 2007 PDC 'til HLI Peep meet! 'til Germany/Belgium!

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06-28-2007	#2 (permalink)
roni Happy Curmudgeon Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Oregon Posts: 25,503	Good time to look in Boston, from what I read. Have fun and good luck!!

06-28-2007	#4 (permalink)
jamesblonde No longer an intern Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: South of Seattle Posts: 7,599	Very interested. I like to see the differences in the markets. I'm glad you have someone you know and trust. The ethics portion is what's missing with so many Realtors.

06-28-2007	#6 (permalink)
jamesblonde No longer an intern Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: South of Seattle Posts: 7,599	Nice house Josef. Is the market there a buyer's market like it is here?

06-28-2007	#7 (permalink)
sctx political anarchist Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Body in San Marcos Tx....Tankah in my mind Posts: 27,164	I can get you a good deal on the house next door......it comes with it's own collection of cats

06-28-2007	#10 (permalink)
Nerak936 =^. " .^= Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 18,508	OK.... I'll give a rundown on the two houses. Tomorrow! Of course, it figures that the ONE night that I spend two hours after work looking at the houses is the ONE night that David comes up to my place. So after returning home late and going out for a bite and couple glasses of vino at our local fav pub, I'm about ready to hit the hay. I'll let you know the deets tomorrow. One was pretty much a "naaah"; the other had major good points but also major bad. Realtor pal is gonna do some research about the bad. But if did feel good to "get my feet wet" on the whole thing. The more I see, the more I know I'll be confident when I see "IT". Yeah, Josef.... we'll have PLENTY to chat about in August!! Keep huntin', pal!!

06-28-2007	#11 (permalink)
TAPPY añejo Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Louisiana Posts: 14,942	Get to posting some pics will ya !!! I love looking at houses and often spend my Sundays going to open houses (I like to go in the $$$$$ ones and pretend like I am in the market) ha ! We are all ready looking to downsize, but I cant find what I want...so I am thinking we are going to build in the near future.

06-28-2007	#12 (permalink)
Nerak936 =^. " .^= Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 18,508	Sorry, no pics, Tappy. Didn't have the camera with me, and not sure if taking pics is cool (I'll have to check with my broker on that one).

06-28-2007	#14 (permalink)
Seakony añejo Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: no longer in Mesquite with nothing to do Posts: 10,147	Lot's of luck Karen. Do you need to sell your apartment building first? You don't want to get stuck paying for 2 places if you do. If ya don't then, take your time looking around. Do they have any one story houses in the northeast? That will solve any old age problems. Be sure you get all the inspections done on any house you decide on..you certainly don't want any surprises and plan on spending extra money when you make the move..alot of extra money.

06-28-2007	#15 (permalink)
Jesus Nutty Peep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Mexico City, Mexico Posts: 4,625	Doooh, I thought this thread was about a haunted house! I was expecting you scaring your tenants away! Good luck, hope you are done before August, I don't want to meet a stressed Nerak in Playa,

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