Random questions to which you seek an answer
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Also, this website is pretty amazing and shows plenty of examples of both well executed and poorly executed architecture:
This blog is great! Admittedly, 95% of the homes in our market would constitute at least a 7 on the scale, where three of the 4 houses on our list would probably equate to a 10 haha.
Our area is weird… we live in a small area, so housing prices are all over the board. For us, our top three choices are all about the same cost, which means the biggest factor for me is HOA dues and how "efficient" it is in order to keep heating and cooling costs down. Our property taxes are pretty much non-existant, and the first and second house are in the best school district. Our biggest variable is insurance - the closer to water you are, the most wind insurance you have to have.
My choice:.
My Wife's top choice
The house we both can "deal" with. (it looks bigger than it is…)
Im sure I know which one you will all say to go with lol
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I like your top choice, good spaces, good light and nicely decorated already.
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Is it not at all feasible to live in Mobile, AL @Appfaff? Terrible schools? Commute? Crime? I've never been there and have little to no knowledge of the area but just a quick peek at the market there makes it look like you could get a lot of bang for your buck.
This place looks like a true diamond in the rough, I know it'd be a nightmare to most but it looks like it's got so much potential plus I love all of the little architectural details and craftsmanship:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/204-Rapier-Ave-Mobile-AL-36604/51009363_zpid/
This one looks to be a rather nice remodel that maintains the character of the home:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/207-S-Cedar-St-Mobile-AL-36602/51010981_zpid/
The burglar bars are probably a dead giveaway but this house anywhere in central Austin would be $500k minimum, I can't imagine how it's only $75k:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/510-S-Jefferson-St-Mobile-AL-36603/51026153_zpid/
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They're all beautiful @Clint_D ! 75K! damn! ???
Haunted? Poltergeist? Stream in basement ?
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Also, this website is pretty amazing and shows plenty of examples of both well executed and poorly executed architecture:
This blog is great! Admittedly, 95% of the homes in our market would constitute at least a 7 on the scale, where three of the 4 houses on our list would probably equate to a 10 haha.
Our area is weird… we live in a small area, so housing prices are all over the board. For us, our top three choices are all about the same cost, which means the biggest factor for me is HOA dues and how "efficient" it is in order to keep heating and cooling costs down. Our property taxes are pretty much non-existant, and the first and second house are in the best school district. Our biggest variable is insurance - the closer to water you are, the most wind insurance you have to have.
My choice:.
Im sure I know which one you will all say to go with lol
Stick to your guns @Appfaff your choice looks best. Love the Mcmansion site thanks for the link.
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Go with the best school, otherwise you may find yourself moving again….......
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Thanks guys! Yes, Mobile is about 50 minutes from my business but my wife could work in her Mobile
Office is she wanted. Their is a revitalization of young home buyers moving into the area, which is great for remodels and boosting values in the future, but crime is crazy. Mainly petty crime, but the schools are beyond terrible. The rule of thumbs is A.live in mobile and send your kids to private school, or B. Live in Baldwin County (where we live) and send you kids to good public schools. Even the worst schools in BC are better than the best ones in Mobile.I lived in the highest end area of mobile for 4 years in college and you still didn't want to go for a run early in the morning. The housing market IS crazy cheap though - I saw this amazing custom house they just built listed for around 400, while it would be close to 1MIL in our neck of the woods.
Cool thing about the green house is that it is in an area called Fairhope - it's highly desirable, with very high resale values. Since I work for myself, my only retirement account is what I make for myself. Our plan is to buy something that will have high resale value in 15-17 years and use the funds to pay cash for the kids college. Of course, we never know what the market will do, but homes in Downtown Fairhope weren't really touched by the market crash because people fight to live there. Homes just 5 blocks
North sell for 3-4 times the cost of the home we are looking at and the new city government is trying to out a spot to new construction, which could ramp up current home values even more.Of course, we have to sell our current home first, which has been a pain, but I think the Green home is our safest investment while allowing us to enjoy the life we want in a community that draws us in. Plus, it's 2 blocks from my wife's work lol
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Happy wife, happy appfaff.
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I typically keep the house at between 74F and 78F.
Glad I don't live with you… During winter I do 65F max...
Since it's mostly hot as hell in TX, I was referring to cooling the house to 74-78F. In the winter, I keep the house in in the low 60's or as low as I can before my wife complains.
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I'm with @Clint_D - when the temps are 105F, it's almost all our AC handlers can do to keep it below 80, especially if you have two stories. I usually rock 75 during the day if im in the house, 78 if im gone and 73 at night. In winter it's heat set on 67 most of the time. Our kids room gets super hot in the summer and super cold in the winter, so this year we will probably rolling hotter than normal to keep them comfortable.
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Yep, life in the South is hot. Houston basically has two seasons- summer and not summer. I sweat constantly and sometimes change shirts two or three times a day. The 4 months of the year that constitute not-summer are the only time the weather here is bearable.
Despite this, I probably will be here the rest of my life. At least I've convinced my wife that if Texas secedes, (again) we're moving to America. So I've got that going for me…
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Also, this website is pretty amazing and shows plenty of examples of both well executed and poorly executed architecture:
This blog is great! Admittedly, 95% of the homes in our market would constitute at least a 7 on the scale, where three of the 4 houses on our list would probably equate to a 10 haha.
Our area is weird… we live in a small area, so housing prices are all over the board. For us, our top three choices are all about the same cost, which means the biggest factor for me is HOA dues and how "efficient" it is in order to keep heating and cooling costs down. Our property taxes are pretty much non-existant, and the first and second house are in the best school district. Our biggest variable is insurance - the closer to water you are, the most wind insurance you have to have.
My choice:.
My Wife's top choice
The house we both can "deal" with. (it looks bigger than it is…)
Im sure I know which one you will all say to go with lol
The first question I always ask is how hard would this house be to sell, if I had to leave. In the last 15 years, I have done 2 moves which I normally wouldn't have done. I started leaving a house I lived in for 15 yrs, and loved,outside Philadelphia, PA. to Charlotte, NC. Philly had sky high taxes, I moved into a 2300 sq ft. townhome, which was great, lived there for 8 yrs, and then moved to a 4000 sq ft. home, built by a prominent builder here, which is the best home I've ever lived in. It's only me and the other half, but MORE than enough room to stretch out. Namely the bar that I posted in the show us your pad category. I like space and like to entertain, so it really depends on how you live. Taxes and utilities are relatively low here.
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Ok Forum people, I need some advice.
The wife and I agree that we have "outgrown" our house (well, at least the configuration is quite wrong for us now) and are looking for new options for our family. We are in the "go as big as possible" vs. "Get exactly what we want, but smaller size" argument now. I guess, we don't want to get something too small and outgrow it too fast with our kiddos (and if we whoops and have a third), but I also don't want to get something too big and always regret buying more house than we need. My style is smaller, with usable spaces and high end/custom styling. My wife's style is not very particular, but she feels more space is more important.
I guess, I am looking for insight for those of your guys with multiple kids who have found the right balance of space without undertaking something that gets unused…
I know this post is very "american" lol my bad...
Cheers,
Adam
My $0.02 Adam @Appfaff
I just more or less went through this. My son is about 17 months old now. When we first had him, it was me, my wife, and my mother, plus a dog, in a tiny townhouse of about 900 sq ft. Before the little guy actually arrived, I thought this would be manageable, but it quickly became clear that it just wasn't going to work once we were faced with the prospect of him running around the house. And with the possibility of a second coming along sooner or later, I knew we needed to make a change more or less immediately.
I've always been the old fashioned type. I love stone farmhouses, etc and always pictured having one. But, looking at the market, the prices, the availability, and the functionality, it just became apparent that it wasn't practical. I see a lot of people suggesting smaller/functional. I am going to go and argue the opposite. Go for something big, new, and while still functional, it should seem like more than you need.
Obviously, everybody's life situation is different, but I'll give you mine. I work enough that I really don't have a lot of spare time. When I come home, I want to spend it with my family, which means I don't have a lot of time to devote to household type activities. I couldn't, as it stands now, keep up with the upkeep of an old home. The new house affords me some security in that everything is solid, new, and won't need any real maintenance (at least by me, I have a small builder who comes out to the house for issues when they arise). As a result, all I really have to do is maintain the yard, about an acre, keep things orderly inside and outside, and deal with cozying up the the place. I can honestly say, that even this is tough with 1 child, a dog, and a wife. Between weekend activities, family gatherings, busy workweek, and weekly errands, it is all I can fit in.
Honestly, nothing makes me feel better than coming home knowing: 1) I can just start hanging out with my family, 2) I have a solid roof over my head the requires little upkeep at the moment, 3) I adequate space for my family to grow, 4) the space I went with gives my son (and additional future kids) places to run, play, and have fun, and 5) both my mother and my dog also have enough space such that everyone can have their own private time if they need, which all do once in a while.
And if there is anything else I leave you with, which I haven't heard mentioned yet, its the old cliche "Happy wife, happy life."
Feel free to PM if you have any questions.
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Thank you very much for the honest feedback @ROman and @thomasnunnally - it really means alot o hear honest points of view.
ROman - I am very similar to you as I see a "house" as an investment. Can I sell this easily and make money is always on my mind. I always try to find the cheapest house in a high end neighborhood or community. It worked with my first home (sold for moderate profit in 16 hours) but isn't working for my current home (been on the market more than 100 days with no offers). With the inevitable market crash happening again within the 3-5 years (my guess after talking with people in the business, not pure fact so don't freak out!) I figured we might as well get into a house we know we will want to stay in for a while instead of simply taking one step up and possibly needing more space in the future and (worst case scenario) not being able to sell it. I'll have to check out your house photos again, but I do remember you having an AWESOME bar set up!
Thomas - I really appreciate you sharing your story. It sounds very similar to where we are. I am similar in the fact that I don't want to have a lot of projects on my hands because I work too much, and am not very handy with things haha. All the houses we are looking at are all new construction with 2/10 warranties and gold fortified so lower insurance costs. As much as I would love a 1960s Board and Batten Farmhouse with a wrap around porch and 3+ acres, I know 1. I will never mow it and 2. I will regret the weekend projects for the next 5 years haha.
Cheers gents, hope you guys have a wonderful weekend doing what you enjoy most.
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I have an 80 year old Tudor in south St Louis and although it's beautiful, it has been a bit of a money pit.
3 major roof repairs, insulation, ac/furnace, water heater, some small structural wood work, and lots of plaster and paint. A lot of our rehab money was spent on maintenance and will stay that way until my student loans are done in two years. It can be a little drafty (stained glass windows), can be a bitch to heat and cool, and is short on closets and bathroom space. It has a lot of character but sometimes I envy new builds.
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