June 27, 2008

• The Great House Hunt

  ok it's come down to 2 houses.

   

  we like them both, each have their pluses and minuses -- doesn't everything?

   

  the first house DH liked turns out to be 2 doors down from my Intro to Jewish Roots instructor and so that has really made me take a second/third look at the house.  The instructor and his wife introduced me to their neighbor and they all said it's a quiet area, except right after the high school lets out at 2:30 lots of teens driving but as soon as they clear out, alls quiet again.  My instructor has both the US and Israel flags on a flagpole out front and he says the only cop on the burb/town force that is Jewish stopped and asked why they fly the flag and since then their street gets patrolled often.  The people who bought it in 2006 got it as a hud house but it's not being sold currently as a hud house. it's listing for 89,900 and their record shows they paid 88,507 for it in march of 2006.  unfortunately I can't show any pics of the basement, as there are none, but that is the area that really needs work and the chimney has a crack in it ... so several things we aren't sure if they will pass inspection.

  but here's some photos of the upstairs inside:

  

  

  

  

  the house is currently empty so these must be older photos.

  House #2:

  is just outside our smaller burb/town and into the limits of the big metro city ... which stinks because I've never seen police cars with that city name in this area, just the burb/town patrols which means they can't help us even if they see we need help, they can just call our police and hope they get their before we're robbed blind or dead, whichever comes first, ya know.  The people selling it lived there 34 years, in fact the photo of the kitchen below was originally remodeled in 1995 according to the disclosure ((which the first house has no disclosures))  the second house has an unfinished basement as well and in 1990 and 2007 has had some wall-bracing / water lock systems done because the walls were caving in, as are many homes in this area .... in the 50's a lot of houses were built and just about every one has needed water/cable lock or mud jacking or do it yourself wall bracing since then do to pressure on the poored concrete walls from the ground outside and heavy rains.  The water locking done in 2007 does have a lifetime transferable warranty.  The house is listed for 82,000 because many people are scared off by the work that has been done in the basement. Oh and this house has raspberries growing in the back-yard and since it's summer and the photos below are fall photos you can't see all the pretty flowers, but they are in full bloom right now.  Hoping there are hardwood floors under that bright blue carpet ... DH says down the road we can take it out.

  

  

  

  

  that sunroom has heat/air vents so can be used all year round -- I really like that.

  but again ... we'd be in a new city only by 2 houses in which means whole different property tax rates and not sure about the police/fire response times because not even sure where the closest that city's departments are ... etc

  this is such a huge decision and DH wants me to make one ASAP because he's tired of us having our realtor drive all over with gas prices as they are.   but this isn't like making a $150 purchase ... this could be a 20+ year purchase, ya know .... pressure, pressure.

  • 8:36 am
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