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The House Searching / Buying/ Building Thread

The last time we renovated our kitchen we ended up renovating that entire floor of the house. I like a nice kitchen too, sadly gas would cost us close to 1k just to get the lines in place.


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deuce said:
Yeah, probably will. It's something I'm going to keep in my back pocket, at the very least, for the next house. We've seen close to a couple dozen houses at this point, and only two had what I could call "renovated" kitchens. I know it's probably the last part of a house you'd renovate because it's the most expensive ... but honestly, the houses we're looking at now all have kitchens smaller than the one in my house and they're double the total square footage.

I guess it shows that I'm Italian. The main selling point for my house was the kitchen. It also annoys me that none of the houses I've seen have gas stoves. It's probably an improvement I'll have to pay for after we close.
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I went to an open house for a very expensive home in the area just for kicks. Developer bought it and had renovated it. Really old mansion. They renovated everything except the 1960s style kitchen. Justification: everyone has their own idea of what a perfect kitchen is, so why sink all the money into updating when your buyer is going to just want to rip it out and start again? If you're selling soon, I would do as little as possible. I doubt you'd get your money back on the updates.
 
dazeedmonds said:
The last time we renovated our kitchen we ended up renovating that entire floor of the house. I like a nice kitchen too, sadly gas would cost us close to 1k just to get the lines in place.
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$1000? Do it. Would be the best grand you ever spent IMO. The most expensive item in our house is the range, and I didn't think twice about plunking the money down for it either.
 
We discussed it, but ended up just putting a new range in, and that's been much better. We discussed going with a conduction range, but ended up just replacing with a nice glass top.


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House inspection for Dawn's house was on Monday and as of last night both her and her realtor had not heard back. She was getting nervous that the buyer was thinking about backing out on buying the house. Well she finally got the inspection and a list of repairs this morning and Dawn noticed that inspector noted in his report, "Per the seller's father" on a couple of items. Apparently her father decided to stop over and chat with the inspector as he was doing the inspection and filled him in on all of the work that had been done on the house , what work he had wished they had done. Noticed in the list of repairs that each item noted that it should be fixed by a licensed contractor, which wasn't noted on the sale of my house in Boston, so I can help but think that stipulation is the result of the conversation. Some of the items are pretty easy fixes so hopefully it won't cost a lot too much money, but that was the angriest I have ever heard Dawn and I am glad it wasn't directed at me.
 
Ouch...hopefully it gets resolved Aaron and the house sells. Sometimes less talking is better.
 
Our house went back on the market 3 weeks ago. Had a young lady come look last Friday and apparently she loved it and wants to put in an offer. Her realtor said they are working with private funds and need to get approval for her to put in the offer. Our realtor texted us yesterday saying they are still working on the approval. I don't know who she needs approval from, but this waiting game is agony.
 
We held an open house last night as our last ditch effort before going the realtor route. Had a couple come through that absolutely loved the house and mentioned they could never make out weekend open houses. Thanked me for having one during the weekday. Let's hope that turns into an offer. Fingers crossed.
 
mmaynard11 said:
Ouch...hopefully it gets resolved Aaron and the house sells. Sometimes less talking is better.
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Thanks! I think it is all going to work out and as of right now they still want to move forward.

I am still trying to figure out why he was over there. He is a great guy but I already told Dawn he is going nowhere near the house we end up buying until after we close.
 
Hey Deuce, I would definitely be hesitant to spend money on a Brick countertop if you are planning on selling. While certain buyers are definitely going to think it's cool, others will be turned off by it. I don't know your house or your market, but here I think it could do more harm than good in most houses. I would only do it if your house already has that rough charm to it.

I have seen a few houses that pulled off a very cheap renovation by going with tile countertops. They used a larger glossy tile and very thin grout lines so it appeared to be granite from a distance. They were in a lower price point so I think it brought them a higher price than formica. But I would definitely be careful even with that. In a higher price point I think that would backfire as well.

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Benefits of buying in a small town? Everyone knows everyone's business ... particularly those who are trying to sell. The house we wanted, but couldn't reach an agreement on went "off market". Turns out, his wife is annoyed that they haven't been able to sell, so they took it off the market and are planning on listing it with a realtor. The realtors we talked to all have said that the house was over-priced, so our last offer would turn out to be a very good offer if they decide to choose it. I reached out to them today and said "the offer still stands" and I'm hoping they reconsider. I told them specifically why we wouldn't go any higher, so we'll see if the straightforward common sense approach works. He may double down, but that's not my problem. We walked away once, we'll stay away if we have to.
 
deuce said:
Benefits of buying in a small town? Everyone knows everyone's business ... particularly those who are trying to sell. The house we wanted, but couldn't reach an agreement on went "off market". Turns out, his wife is annoyed that they haven't been able to sell, so they took it off the market and are planning on listing it with a realtor. The realtors we talked to all have said that the house was over-priced, so our last offer would turn out to be a very good offer if they decide to choose it. I reached out to them today and said "the offer still stands" and I'm hoping they reconsider. I told them specifically why we wouldn't go any higher, so we'll see if the straightforward common sense approach works. He may double down, but that's not my problem. We walked away once, we'll stay away if we have to.
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That's it. You've got your number. Show them your back until they hit it.
 
deuce said:
Benefits of buying in a small town? Everyone knows everyone's business ... particularly those who are trying to sell. The house we wanted, but couldn't reach an agreement on went "off market". Turns out, his wife is annoyed that they haven't been able to sell, so they took it off the market and are planning on listing it with a realtor. The realtors we talked to all have said that the house was over-priced, so our last offer would turn out to be a very good offer if they decide to choose it. I reached out to them today and said "the offer still stands" and I'm hoping they reconsider. I told them specifically why we wouldn't go any higher, so we'll see if the straightforward common sense approach works. He may double down, but that's not my problem. We walked away once, we'll stay away if we have to.
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Good for you dude, hopefully they'll realize they have it over priced and come down to earth. Our hopeful home is in small town America and we're excited, the neighbors are nosey which means our neighborhood is safe lol, fortunately we have a large lot which will afford us some privacy
 
mmaynard11 said:
We held an open house last night as our last ditch effort before going the realtor route. Had a couple come through that absolutely loved the house and mentioned they could never make out weekend open houses. Thanked me for having one during the weekday. Let's hope that turns into an offer. Fingers crossed.
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I was going to suggest for your next open house, play some soft music with some subliminal messages in it. It's worth a shot and could save you $20k in commission.

Glad to hear you got positive feedback from your open house last night.
 
I think I'm going to be sick.

Met with the realtor on Tuesday to submit my bid. I was going to bid 5k under what it was listed for and ask them to cover closing. She said I'll be honest with you, I wouldn't be surprised if they did not accept your bid. My advice is to offer what they're asking and to cover closing costs because it's a foreclosure, it's the only unit available, etc. We at first thought we had to get the bid in by this Thursday, but she said when she looked it wasn't due until the 30th so she suggested I go sleep on it and decide if it was worth changing my bid. I did and by 2PM on Wednesday, I submitted my new bid. Asking price and I would cover closing. She replied to my email and said I have received your bid and will email you when I have submitted it. Well I didn't hear anything from her yesterday and I was going to email her today to check, but I just received a phone call from her and she said when she went to submit my bid this morning, she saw that they stopped accepting bids yesterday and the acknowledged a bid today.

So my bid didn't even get submitted. Pissed beyond words.
 
Miller Time said:
I think I'm going to be sick.

Met with the realtor on Tuesday to submit my bid. I was going to bid 5k under what it was listed for and ask them to cover closing. She said I'll be honest with you, I wouldn't be surprised if they did not accept your bid. My advice is to offer what they're asking and to cover closing costs because it's a foreclosure, it's the only unit available, etc. We at first thought we had to get the bid in by this Thursday, but she said when she looked it wasn't due until the 30th so she suggested I go sleep on it and decide if it was worth changing my bid. I did and by 2PM on Wednesday, I submitted my new bid. Asking price and I would cover closing. She replied to my email and said I have received your bid and will email you when I have submitted it. Well I didn't hear anything from her yesterday and I was going to email her today to check, but I just received a phone call from her and she said when she went to submit my bid this morning, she saw that they stopped accepting bids yesterday and the acknowledged a bid today.

So my bid didn't even get submitted. Pissed beyond words.
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Oh oh man id be smokin, that sucks for you dude.
 
bogeyme said:
I was going to suggest for your next open house, play some soft music with some subliminal messages in it. It's worth a shot and could save you $20k in commission.

Glad to hear you got positive feedback from your open house last night.
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Or you could hire Kevin Nealon to run guided tours :alien2:
 
Inspections complete, appraisal ordered, underwriter list of demands received, and home owners insurance quotes are rolling in...


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House hunting in our area is so frustrating right now. Once a new house hits the market we typically have less that 24 hours to tour it and make a decision. Some are selling within hours of hitting the market. That's a ton of pressure on such a big purchase, and I'm not one to make a snap decision on something like this. We missed out on one yesterday that we really liked, but had some cons that we took a few hours to think over.
 
My wife has been negotiating all week on a future retirement home in Naples, 3 years and 2 months from now! For the first time in our marriage I'm staying out of it, I've driven most real estate decisions and this time I lack the patience for it so have at it sweetheart.
 
Meant to post here..

Have an odd situation..

Home inspection was done on my townhouse and the inspector said that I needed my drain pipe that is in my attic to be extended to the exterior of structure. It is currently going into a pan with a shut off switch.

Called two local HVAC company and they said as of January 1, 2016, those drain lines are not required to be on the exterior of structure. Talked to my friend who is a HVAC mechanic and he said those exact words before I could finish what the inspector said.

Inspector responded by saying it needs to be done.

What to do now??
 
Sanzabar said:
Meant to post here..

Have an odd situation..

Home inspection was done on my townhouse and the inspector said that I needed my drain pipe that is in my attic to be extended to the exterior of structure. It is currently going into a pan with a shut off switch.

Called two local HVAC company and they said as of January 1, 2016, those drain lines are not required to be on the exterior of structure. Talked to my friend who is a HVAC mechanic and he said those exact words before I could finish what the inspector said.

Inspector responded by saying it needs to be done.

What to do now??
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I think Wake said it in another post, but get it in writing and pass it along to your homeowners insurance agent if you're required to have a normal policy opposed to just renters insurance. In a situation like this, you want as much documentation that covers your reason for not needing it as you can gather.
 
Owners Title Insurance, yes or no?
 
MWard said:
Yes, without question.
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What does it usually cost?
Would you recommend Owners Title Insurance or Homeowners Title Insurance?
 
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