Would you buy this house?

amother

Orange

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 3:49 pm

Dh redoes houses in Lakewood area. Most of those houses need closets added because they don’t come with enough closet space. So it sounds pretty typical.

Iyh you’ll be able to add an extension down the line so you have more bedrooms. And you’ll be able to use the existing master as a playroom, the location is perfect

amother

Orange

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 3:51 pm

tweety1 wrote:

Only 2 bathrooms? No way. Unless you can put at least one more right away

That’s very personal because I would be ok with just 2 bathrooms. I have 2.5 where I live now

mummiedearest

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 4:13 pm

Is there anything about this house that you hate and can’t fix immediately? It sounds like a nice house. Will it work for you financially?

I look at home purchases as potentially long term, but there’s no obligation to live there forever. If it looks like it will be comfortable for you for the next few years and you anticipate being able to do renovations when you need them, I’d say go for it.

amother

Junglegreen

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 5:22 pm

mummiedearest wrote:

Curious about this- if you think you may want to move in a few years is it still worth it to buy a house? Isn't selling a house expensive? Or usually worth it in a frum, popular area?

amother

Wheat

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 5:31 pm

I feel you know which house is meant to be yours. I looked at many was able to logically say I should take it because xyz. None worked out for whatever reason. When I saw my house I knew it was the house I wanted. It just felt right. It has it’s imperfections like all houses do but you have to want to live in it and then you can deal with the rest.

amother

Tomato

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 5:44 pm

If you could afford it and it’s a good price, go for it.
We just recently bought a ranch, close to an acre property, 3 bedrooms, 1 bath. The house was at a really good price and if we wouldn’t have bought, I don’t think we’d be able to buy any time soon.
Is the house ideal? Not at all.
Did we make it work? Yup
Are we so thrilled that we own and happy with our decision? 100%!!

The only reason I would tell you maybe not to take is because of the septic. I would have an engineering company take a look at the site and make sure that it will be possible to extend down the line. Things can be very complicated. If there’s room for a new septic field, I would go ahead with it. Just keep in mind that when you extend, it’ll cost a good couple extra $$

amother

Latte

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 5:48 pm

I moved into my house because we had to move, not optional. I didn’t love and I still don’t. I have dreams about what my house would look like. But I was mature and realistic and on a tight budget so I’m making the best of it.
I don’t know what I’d advise you. It’s good enough and I made peace with it. But I don’t know that I’d recommend the same

mummiedearest

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 5:50 pm

amother Junglegreen wrote:

Curious about this- if you think you may want to move in a few years is it still worth it to buy a house? Isn't selling a house expensive? Or usually worth it in a frum, popular area?

That depends on your finances and comparative expenses in a rental of similar size in that area. There is always a chance you’ll move in a few years, even if that wasn’t your intention when buying.

Dolly Welsh

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 5:56 pm

I think it's fine.

However I remind you that an acre of land is a mowing bill. Well you can handle that. The septic tank is no big deal, it might need to be replaced and occasionally cleaned, but that is not the end of the world.

The roof should be good and the siding. If those are ok that's a plus.

I have the vague impression you want a more frum area.

This house will DO. You can dress it up with a new deck if you want or a porch with a large closet.

I agree to make the master a storage room or a study for your husband and use another bedroom.

If you want a more impressive front you can put in nice landscaping, decorative landscaping.

Old people adore a one-level house and hate stairs. But you don't sound old.

amother

Azure

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 6:20 pm

amother OP wrote:

Would you take this house?

Pros: right out of frum area with stores nearby and a frum person next door, on an acre of land, 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, laundry room, walk in closet in master, dining room living room area, trees behind the house, nice amount of storage space in small garage

Cons: No Pantry, No coat closet, ranch style house with master right off the kitchen and rest of bedrooms down the hallway, Master has a low ceiling, septic tank, not a lot of closet space on a whole just in each room + a small linen closet

Should I think of it as paying for the property and I can eventually redo it? Right now in no position to do that but the house is at a very good price....

Put aside the closets and septic tank and think about the living arrangements. Master bedroom off the kitchen is a big one for me. Are you going to hear all the ongoings in the kitchen and dining area from your bedroom? Will the kids have where to play on shabbos morning/afternoon without waking you?

If you feel the house can meet your living needs, then the other impractical stuff can be addressed. You need to be able to live and breathe comfortably in your own home.

amother

Daylily

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 6:32 pm

In this market I would buy any house I can afford. Make the best of it and sell when things become better. I did buy a year ago I was the 2nd frum family on my block it’s really hard. But I knew then if I didn’t buy this I would never get anything. U can’t retire if ur paying rent. Owing a home is the first step in financial security

octopus

Fri, Apr 19 2024, 6:35 pm

Can you leave the master bedroom as a guest suite at this point? I don't know how many kids you have and if that suggestion is completely off base. Are your kids older? If they are older it's not a big deal to be away from the kids. I would say it's even a plus ! Of course if you have little kids this is not ideal.

ora_43

Sat, Apr 20 2024, 1:34 pm

amother OP wrote:

Ideally I would look at other houses first and then if interested come back to this one but I dont think the house will be waiting for me.

Why haven't you looked at other houses? Is this an area where houses are only up for sale once every few months? Or you just started your search, like, last week?

In general I wouldn't buy the first house I saw unless I really liked it. Or it was a rare opportunity for whatever reason (significantly cheaper than other houses, amazing location where houses are almost never for sale, that kind of thing).

ora_43

Sat, Apr 20 2024, 1:39 pm

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I wouldn't worry about whether this specific house will still be available after you look around a bit more. I would only worry if there's real reason to think that there won't be any house that's in the ballpark of the right size, price, and location - not even one that would require repairs/alterations like this one would.

amother

Seafoam

Sat, Apr 20 2024, 10:51 pm

tweety1 wrote:

Only 2 bathrooms? No way. Unless you can put at least one more right away

Um she may only have 2 babies why would 2 bathrooms be bad?

We bought a very not perfect house, 2 years after saying no to a very similar house- the difference was we paid 200k more, triple the mortgage rate and 2 more years of running around.

Buy what you can afford, if you can afford better then wait but be realistic or you’ll end up buying this for more.