Buying a new house in a subdivision with less expensive homes
lwg808
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kempek01
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Build a new home or buy a GORGEOUS one??
Comments (14)Great update - last Tuesday we were out looking at more houses even as far away as an hour from my office and 30 minutes from DH's (and that's one main reason we want to move is tso get closer to his office) and on a whim we called the builder we've spoken to and he agreed to meet us at a piece of land we had looked at before. The land was OK when we looked at it before but didn't 'speak' to either of us UNTIL.... I was standing on the top of the small dirt road which the property dead ends into and talking to my daughter. We both turned at the same time to look across the street from the land and we realized it has an incredible view, you can see for miles and miles and as the sun was setting behind us everything was sparkling and gold and I got chills and my daughter got tears in her eyes and we KNEW this was it. My DH came out from walking the land and he said this was what he wanted to do even before we told him about our experience. I honestly believe in those gut instincts that tell you when something is right and this was more than RIGHT. I'm sure others had looked at the property and not realized it's potential just as we had but that afternoon I will never forget. The builder said it's a great piece of land, too. I'll share a similar story since I'm in the mood - when my mom moved to Maine about 25 years ago, she had divorced my dad, remarried, went to college at age 50 and moved thousands of miles away. She wasn't sure she'd done the right thing until she went to see her current lake cottage. As she was leaving the drive with the realtor a puff of wind blew the snow from the roof and it sparkled and blew past her and she said it was that moment she knew it was the right thing to do. So... we are now finalzing the contract for the land and have visited again with the builder and I'll have the start of house plans (will be asking for lots of help on here :) starting tomorrow. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your thoughts. I know some of you think we should have taken the house but it had so many obsticles and the fact that my son who is only 8 would not be able to play on the road due to the fast and high volume of traffic whizzing past at 60 mph plus several acres of bottom land which would be unusable I know this is the right thing to do. It might have been different if we were in a larger city but we're looking in a very rural area and there just isn't much to choose from. So.... I'm excited and nervous but feeling more positive about this than I have in a long time. Thanks again, Sunny...See MoreNew house on market - bigger, less expensive than mine - grrrrrrr
Comments (19)NCrealestateguy, how do we know for sure at this point that the appraisal won't come in? I'm talking some years down the road, as I don't get the impression Cas is ready to sell right now. In the scenario I mapped out, I don't envision the new owner to be "an off the wall buyer" or that that buyer would be "over" paying. My point is, we don't know what the figures will look like in 5, 10 years. We may think we do, but we don't. You're the expert NCguy, not me, granted, but so much of this is like reading tea leaves. Afterall, who knew the economic downturn was going to hit, and impact quite the way that is has? (I know...many say they saw it coming and in graphic detail!) As for me, I am dedicated to taking care of my house and improving it, to the best of my ability, while not making outlandish changes that would be inappropriate to my neighborhood. I have faith that down the road, I will do fine when I sell, even though I "over" paid and indeed, was "an off the wall buyer" myself. Having said that, I DO think that people who bought in 2005-2006, who need to sell NOW, are in difficult straits. It's a shame that they can't wait it out. That paper loss will become real for them, and as one who looks at real estate daily, I know that there are plenty of people out there right now in this unfortunate circumstance. Some are choosing to rent out their houses if they must move, and rents, at least in my area, are quite high. That is a saving grace for many. I personally would not want to rent my house out, but it's a solution for some. Anyhoo, we can imagine the best as easily as we can imagine the worst, and so we might as well have faith in a good outcome....See MoreAdvice on buying new home from builder?
Comments (8)While there are some exceptions, such as suzi's example above, I don't think you need an agent for a new house. I say this as a person that has built 3 houses that ran the spectrum of builder types: large tract, national builder, semi-custom (builder owned lot) and built our house based on a design his draftsman drew (some choices in options--not many), and a custom home on a lot we purchased (with no obligation to use a certain builder). We used a realtor for the semi-custom home and to purchase the land for the custom home. The agent for the semi-custom home was paid for nothing--literally did nothing after we made the initial offer on the lot. He called us to find out when we were closing so he could pick up his check. He also stopped at the house with us after closing to take a peek at it. There was no value in using him for the purchase. Later I became an agent. I still would contend you don't need an agent--even after "helping" a sibling buy from a new home builder. We educated ourselves on the building process and had looked at new houses in the area to know what others were doing in the interior in our price range. A smart attorney and a few good books on construction will cost less....See MoreNew Home Build - Is this framing normal for a new home?
Comments (20)Pitiful but may be ok. You are looking at it all wrong. It is not the lumber it is about if it is plumb and leveled esp at the windows. It is not about foundation bolt - it is about if any of them are missing more than 6' apart and and 2x at the corners. It is not about the OSB flooring, rather if OSB was glued and fastened properly.... Sheathing same way can not end in the air....See MoreAlly De
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