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In this Discussion
- 1234 March 2013
- Cherry_Pie March 2013
- Dr_William_Hayward February 2013
- flossy_log_lady April 2013
- Leland April 2013
- lolo January 2013
- Loose_Thread April 2013
- MirandaJuly April 2013
- Schlabe March 2013
- swamp_knobbler_mahan January 2013
- the_owls January 2013
- UncleBoatShoes2011 March 2013
- YoursTruly April 2013
HELP!!!
Should I buy this condo!?
Need to make offer by tomorrow! Just saw it today! I am stressed out! How did this happen? I don't have this kind of money! What was I thinking when I got this ball rolling?
Please send your advice ASAP. I kind of love it. I also kind of feel like maybe this is close to "the one" but not quite it yet.
Do you live in a condo? What are your stories? I feel like we've had the house vs. condo convo here on UHX before, but indulge me with a rehash.
Need to make offer by tomorrow! Just saw it today! I am stressed out! How did this happen? I don't have this kind of money! What was I thinking when I got this ball rolling?
Please send your advice ASAP. I kind of love it. I also kind of feel like maybe this is close to "the one" but not quite it yet.
Do you live in a condo? What are your stories? I feel like we've had the house vs. condo convo here on UHX before, but indulge me with a rehash.
Comments
If you love it, DO IT! But if you're not feeling that it's not quite THE ONE and that you want to look around more, DON'T DO IT!
UrHo party (from the spammer thread) at my new pad? Four and a half of you would fit! Yikes.
The taxes and HOA dues ALONE would be significantly higher than what I pay now for RENT. I would be one of those people who would be freaked out about losing her job because I'd be worried about losing my home! I've never even considered putting myself in that position. Half of me thinks: good investment. The other half thinks: are you crazy?
Alex: if I move out of the boathouse (which, yes, I would do if I buy this crazy thing), I think Big Mac (who still officially rents space there) would be happy to work something out with you.
Jesus.
Thanks for your advice, everyone. I just needed to talk this thing out (and Big Mac is on the other side of the country).
I'd much prefer a cozy birds nest up in the air than a big old house.
I'll house sit anytime for you!!
It looks awesome!!!!!!!
SINK THREAD!
There are others out there that are better.
I am positive of that.
It's okay. This time I do not need your help so much. I feel like I'm getting used to the stress and the "letting it go, whatever happens." 2013 is the year of ACTING BEFORE THINKING (too much)(obsessively), so we'll see how that works out for me!
This place is 3-4 blocks from Peninsula Park. Old granny inside, hasn't been updated in 40+ years. Linoleum floors. I LOVE IT! If I end up in this home, I will need roommates stat, just sayin!
Consider the mechanicals - wiring, furnace-oil tank?, plumbing, basement dry, sewer line, insulations, roof, condition of windows & doors, asbestos, air sealing and duct sealing.
Just talking to a friend about changing knob and tube to modern wiring; requires plaster and floor work to do (her house is a little older). Another friend had a nightmare discovering his sewer was conjoined with the neighbor, $$$ to fix. Old houses are much more solid than new, but updating and maintaining is something to weigh in the offer which the offering realtors conveniently ignore.
Despite above, I'm 100% for older houses.
Same owner for many years is a plus - no intervening bad remodels!
Sure you know, portlandmaps.com is a cornucopia of info about a house. Older permit drawings and details are on file at the City. The Multnomah County office by the E Hawthorne bridge has survey information and maybe lien & easement stuff. I wrote my offer so I could withdraw and get deposit %100 back based on my sole judgement of the inspection. So offer contract fine print is a thing. I also laid out plenty of onerous conditions on my first offer just to see what the bargaining room would be.
Of course by law in Oregon, your realtor, unless you have them under contract as a buyer's agent, is working for the seller.
That house is in a great hood and looks sweet and well loved!
+ plus all that stuff Bill said.
How old is the house? Looks like it could be 60's/70's so wiring might not be a horror. Run water through faucets for to see that there is good flow and no rust. Brown water when you turn on the faucet, brown rings in sinks or tubs, and/or bad flow could mean old decaying pipes.
Heat source is important, like Bill said. Underground oil tanks don't last forever and if it starts leaking while you own it, it's your problem to dig it out and all the polluted soil around it. Likewise, mainline water pipes, that connect the house to the city water and sewer have a life expectancy somewhere between 60 and 100 years. When they fail they have to be dug up and replaced. Not the end of the world, but definitely a nuisance and expense.
Definitely not saying don't. More saying, Make the house prove to you it is the one.
I went against all logic on some of these points you make, mainly: the house is heated by oil, but the oil tank is in the basement and looks sound. Obviously when I hire someone to inspect the place I will pay extra to have them inspect the grounds to make sure there are no underground tanks.
The house was built in 1946. I am hoping that the linoleum on the first floor (in kitchen/bedroom/dining room) was laid over wood floors at some point (seems likely). The house was shown ONE TIME ONLY today, from 1-3pm. They are only showing it once a week, but they plan to review offers on Monday, so it was really a now-or-never type thing. That being the case, by the time my realtor arrived she had about 15-20 minutes to go through the place with me. We don't know much about the wiring or the plumbing, but I'll find out more after the inspection.
Some great things:
1. Original 1940s kitchen!
2. 3 bedrooms (kinda - one barely has a closet)
3. Nice big two-car garage for storage (alley access)
4. Nice yard
5. LOCATION! Love how close it is to Peninsula Park.
6. Love the fireplace
7. It's one of the only houses on the block that hasn't been updated (it's surrounded by lots of nicer homes)
8. Unfinished basement has potential to be finished and used (904 sq. ft, pretty high ceilings, plumbing already in basement for extra bathroom/kitchen/whatevs).
Some not-so great things:
1. oil tank/heat
2. only one bathroom, and it needs a gooooood scrubbin' before I'll feel comfortable using it, let me tell you
3. The basement has egress windows that are old and leaking a little bit - but it doesn't look like they're leaking too much. It seems like a pretty dry basement, and it doesn't look like the owner has tried to "cover up" anything.
4. Some water stains on the ceilings - but they look old, not fresh.
5. A few suspicious cracks running through walls/ceilings
6. no AC (I can definitely live with this!)
7. There is a random toilet in the basement. It's just chillin' down there. I wasn't sure whether to add this to the "great things" list or the "not so great things" list.
I'm going to head over to portlandmaps.com now!
Is this the stupidest or the best decision I have made? Only time will tell.
So... I think it's probably just not going to work out for me right now. Thanks for the offer, though, YT.
I have a fighting chance this time because the house is not yet listed. My co-worker's husband has been working his carpentry magic on this house and knew the owner was about to sell. We've met and everyone likes this idea of going sans-agent, so it might work!
If I do get it, I will need renters to move into the basement ASAP. WHO NEEDS A PLACE TO LIVE (other than YT and Co., who I think do not want to live in the same house as I)? It is not your typical basement. It is a daylight basement with two bedrooms and three+ very large legal egress windows and a full (small) kitchen (minus dishwasher - but who needs a dishwasher?). The place is right about at Ainsworth and 12th. The basement was completely refinished in the past month - everything is clean clean clean! You would need to be willing to let me come down through your space every once in a while to use the laundry room.
Keep your fingers crossed for me, guys and gals!
Also I told you to email me ages ago re: living together!!!!!!! I am not averse to it at all!
I don't want to live in your basement though, but thank you!
GOOD LUCK!!~!!!!!!!L!LKJASLKGJAPIFG
Ok, first of all, I totally lied about the basement apartment. It is not a "daylight" basement, as BillMc pointed out to me last night. I thought a "daylight basement" just meant that daylight was coming into the basement, but I was 100% wrong about that. It does have really solid large egress windows, but it's still completely underground and you have to walk up a flight of stairs to exit. Also, it's not super bright. But it DOES have light, for sure!
I am hoping for around $900 for basement. I would go down to $800 in a snap for the right folks. But when I type that out it really seems like too much? Other folks who have seen it have said, "You could get a grand, easy" but I don't think so.
Because it's a 2-bedroom, a couple could move on in. Plus, the house has a garage and I'm happy to work something out re: extra storage.
All of this, of course, depends on my getting the house. Which depends on me figuring out how to draft a sales agreement on my own (since it's a FSBO), etc. etc. So if you know anyone (lawyer, agent) who would charge a reasonable fee for representing me in this transaction, please pass their info my way. Also - if anyone can recommend an inspector, that would be great, too!
Friends helping friends!
AND THEN...
I countered back (what was I thinking?)! I'm expecting to hear back today. I am thiiiiis close to having an accepted offer, you guys!