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So now that I am officially in the home buying process, I thought it would be cool to see where everyone else is. I know how frustrating it can be and how much waiting we can do. So let's keep ourselves busy...
Oh, plus, I would love to learn from bees who are further along in the process than I am.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? (looking at houses but not pre-approval, pre-approved and now visiting homes, offer submited, waiting to hear back, counter-offer received, home inspection, closing, keys received!... etc.)
2. Is this your first home?
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? You don't have to share the price, if you don't want to.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
I'll start.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Just pre-approved and now looking at homes to see which ones I want to visit. Also, waiting to hear back from my realtor to see when we can start looking at home. I'm hoping this weekend.
2. Is this your first home?
Yes, first home. But we did go through the home buying process about 3 year ago.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
Condo, but would be great if we found a nice townhouse or home with a yard. Minimum 2 bed/ 1.5 bath. If a condo, I want a low HOA fee. DH would like a two floored condo if we get a condo.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)
Really gitty. I can't wait to start looking at homes.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
None, so far!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process?
We bought last May :)
2. Is this your first home?
Yes, first home for both of us.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
Ours is 3 bedrooms/2 bath, finished basement and huge yard. Our requirements were location, big yard, quiet neighborhood/street, 3+ bedrooms, and nothing that needed major repairs. We got all that, plus more :)
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)
Now I am happy!! I love owning a home!! However, during the process my emotions ranged from happy, sad, anger, happy, furious, etc. I cried many times during the 3 months we were under contract. It was so stressful, but so worth it.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
Omg, so much. Have all your paperwork in order like tax returns, bank statements, work history, etc. Find a realtor that you trust-we had to break up with our first one. Find a mortgage broker or bank that you trust-we hated and still hate ours. Im still traumatized by the whole experience.
I'll bite!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process?
We have put in an offer and had it accepted last weekend... we have signed all of our mortgage papers, and are waiting on the inspection and appraisal this week.
2. Is this your first home?
Yes, first home.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
We wanted a cute 3 bedroom - 2 bath- spacious kitchen, fenced in (decent sized) back yard- cute/safe neighborhood- not older than 1990- 2 car garage- It took 28 houses to find this!
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)
Super excited- we are ready to move in already!
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
Keep looking until you find the perfect house- we were ready to settle for a less than perfect house, and this one popped up on the market on Thursday- we put an offer in on Saturday! Our search was really getting frustrated!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? My boyfriend and I just started house hunting a couple of weeks ago. We obsessively searched Trulia and found a realtor and loan officer. We have just settled on an agreement for a house and next up is the home inspection process within this week sometime. Eep!
2. Is this your first home? We live together in an apartment, but this will be the first home we've ever owned.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We've been looking for a home in Pennsylvania under 200k with 3 bedrooms, central air, a backyard and not a huge fixer upper (although we will do DIY projects like removing wallpaper and such).
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Excited, nervous, giddy, hopeful!
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? I think my main tip is to not rely too heavily on realtor advice. Our realtor suggested we settle for the price the house was listed as and we ignored her since we figured she was just looking out for herself. We offered a price $8,000 under the listed price, and also got $11,000 of sellers assist, which was perfect for us. I definitely recommend spending your free time browsing Trulia.com and not getting discouraged if you spend weekend after weekend checking out houses that looked better online. You'll find one with a little patience and perseverance!
Me too!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Waiting to close on March 18 and move on March 26! We found a place in January and went through the whole process of putting in an offer, getting our home inspection, negotiating repairs, final approval for the loan and here we are... waiting!
2. Is this your first home? Yes!
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We were looking for ideally a 3 bed/2 bath under or around $200k in the Chicago suburbs with a large kitchen, moderate back yard, a garage, with some character and not a foreclosure/short-sale/run down property. Almost impossible, but we finally settled for a large 2 bed 1960 cape cod with 1.5 bath, a basement and 1 car garage. Not perfect, but close enough for our first house!
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Super anxious and stressed, but very excited! We are trying to get everything together before the move and start packing. I just need it to be moving day now so I can stop worrying and start doing!
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? My advice echos a PP. Have all of your account information in order (bank statements, savings, retirement funds etc) and don't move a lot of money around between putting in your offer and getting officially approved. Banks are very picky these days and every little move you make will need to be documented!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We just bought our house in November. We had been looking pretty much since right after we got married in March. But we weren't seriously ready to make an offer until about September. I work for the bank that we did the mortgage through and I knew we would qualify so we didn't go through the pre-approval process. We just called them up once we had made an offer. And we happen to get lucky and buy when interest rates were pretty close to their bottom.
2. Is this your first home? Yup, first home for both of us.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We wanted 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and updated kitchen, and a nice yard (hopefully fenced in). We ended up finding exactly what we wanted in an adorable subdivision with lots of young families. We ended up getting 3 bedrooms plus a loft and 2 1/2 bathrooms. The guy who owned the house before us we a subcontractor and did some great work. We have amazing flooring through the downstairs, and awesome upgraded kitchen, and an amazing back yard with a custom deck.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Now, I feel awesome. But there were some ROUGH days! We ended up paying very close to the asking price of the house. Which, in all honestly was still a good deal. They were priced aggressively because the wife was pregnant with their 6th kid and they needed to get into their bigger house (which they had a contingency contract on). But still, I was really hoping to get a better deal and I felt like I was "losing" when they weren't very willing to budge. I think they knew how much we loved the house which probably hurt us. We went slightly above what we wanted to pay, but we weren't willing to walk away from the perfect house for the sake of $30 difference in our monthly mortgage payment. And even once the offer was accepted it was stressful to deal with all the paperwork for the mortgage and then we got in the house and I felt so unsettled for the couple weeks it took us to move everything from our apartment that I started to doubt out decision and freak out again. But now that I'm settled I am soooo happy with where we are.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Be picky! It's worth it. I know sometimes it's easy to get ahead of yourself. Once you're ready to buy you want to do it RIGHT.NOW. Especially if you are currently in a less than ideal living situation. But a few more months of discomfort and being anxious are totally worth it to find the perfect house. There are soooo many houses on the market right now that as long as your expectations are in line with your price point you can find your dream house. Also, if this isn't going to be a long term home remember to look at the house from the perspective of resale value as well!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We put an offer in a short sale house. We put in the contract that we want to know by May 15th (I'll be 7 months pregnant then and then 8 months by closing if this works out), so we're hoping it happens! It's been over a month so far...
2. Is this your first home? We're in a townhouse now that my husband bought before he met me. So technically it's mine now too, but I've never gone house hunting before.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We want 3 bed 2 bath. A big fenced in backyard for the dog is a must, and a 2 car garage. I want a fireplace too, but it's not a must. I live in FL, but it still gets cold in the winter! No major repairs b/c like I said, I'll be very pregnant when we move in so I won't be much help.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Anxious I guess, I'm trying to not think about it and what will happen if we don't get the house.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? I had a lot of trouble finding the "perfect" home. Since we have a short time frame to buy one (want to have it before the baby comes), I knew I just didn't have time to search for the perfect home, so I quickly realized that I can find a home that is nice, meets all of our requirements, and can be fixed up and made my perfect home over the years.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We are building. We put an offer on a block yesterday. Then its the long process of if they accept offer, get house plans, submit them to councel, await approval.. then build.. further 5/6 months.
2. Is this your first home? yes.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We are all for big open living, thats our priority. 4 x 2 with plenty of space.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) EXCITED!!
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? think about the reason, in our market at the moment it is cheaper to buy a block of land then build rather than an exisiting house. So hence why we are going this route. We get exactly what we want at approximately with a 30 - 200k saving.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Purchased last year.
2. Is this your first home? Yup, first for both of us
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We wanted a 3 or 4 bed, 2+ bath, with 2 car garage and good size yard. And we got our garages and 4 bed/2.5 bath, with an acre of useable lawn (unbelieveable how hard this was to find in the area) though we had to blow our target budget by 20% to get it,
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Thrilled now that the stress of the house hunt and two major disappointment of losing what we thought was the dream house.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Don't get too attached to the "one" until the offer is accepted and even if you do, I now believe things happen for a reason. We got a better home than the first two we thought was perfect. Be picky, but reasonable with what you can really buy with your budget or it will only cause fustration. And most importantly....don't underestimate the start up cost (tools and stuff for repairs) and cost of heating/cooling.
Fun!
So now that I am officially in the home buying process, I thought it would be cool to see where everyone else is. I know how frustrating it can be and how much waiting we can do. So let's keep ourselves busy...
Oh, plus, I would love to learn from bees who are further along in the process than I am.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Looking at other houses in the other city, and trying to find renters for our house in our current city.
2. Is this your first home? Mine...yes. FI's name is on this house, but I've lived here for 1.5 years.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? Probably a condo or townhouse. Hopefully 2+ bedrooms.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Stressed!
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Nope...buy mine????
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We closed at the end of January, and moved in Feb 1!
2. Is this your first home? Yes
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We wanted a single family home but it turned out we couldn't afford anything "move in ready" in our area, so we went with a large townhouse/condo space in a "deluxe" development (whatever that means; I bet they all call themselves that!).
We wanted 2 bedrooms (and got 2 very good-sized bedrooms), a nice space for entertaining, and a great kitchen (I love to cook). We also wanted (and got) a basement for storage. I really wanted skylights and we did get 1, but it's on the top floor and I only see it when I work out (we have our TV and treadmill up there and, since we watch little actual tv, I'm almost only up there to do workout dvd's and treadmill). We also got a fireplace, which I really wanted, which is also on the top floor so I never actually use it (oops).
I wanted and did NOT get a cul de sac, my own yard, and a closed garage. I do have 2 little balcony/patio spaces off the main floor and the bedroom, as well as a little patio off the basement (we have a walk-out basement with full sliding door). We definitely compromised there, but at least I can grow herbs on the deck!
We started with a budget of 100k, quickly realized there would literally be nothing out there at that price, and bumped it up to 250k. We closed slightly above that price, and then had to pay all the closing costs (whoops) but we did get a great space for the price.
We also have a really crappy public school system, but we're not looking at having kids for another 7 years or so, so hopefully we'll be in a better place financially at that time and can upgrade!
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) I'm still having a hard time with the transition since this meant giving up my childhood home forever; my parents are selling which is why we had to move out (FI and I were renting from them since they moved to London and then to Denver). HOWEVER, when I look at the bright side, I get very excited. It's a really special time to be building our lives and home together, and I'm glad that FI will feel more included in our space (since he felt like my childhood home was really MY home and not OUR home).
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Be patient, breathe, and try to believe that it will happen when it's supposed to happen. Get an idea of prices in your area before you get pre-approved. Find a realtor you know you can trust since s/he will have to stick up for you in negotiations! Drink a lot of wine, and whiskey when you're really stressed out. (um, what? I totally work out when I'm stressed...except when I'm so stressed I can't think straight. I think I gained 5 alcohol pounds in the home buying process.)
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? I am pre-approved by underwriting. It will just be my name on the loan, hubs needs to clean up his credit, huge bummer cause we can't use his income. We offered $6000 under asking with up to $7700 in closing costs. We'll have an answer by the 25th of March.
2. Is this your first home? Our first purchase together, being both of us were married prior we've both owned sort of, my name was not on my ex husbands title.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? 3+ bdrm 2+ ba. What we made an offer on is teeny tiny, but 4 bdrm 2 ba. We can sacrifice the living space but not the bedroom space, everything in this area is either bank owned or a short sale so everything in my price range is trashed, absolutely trashed. This home is a short sale but has a bit of a different situation, the guys mom is an agent and her broker is listing, so there is a little bit of pull on our side.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Anxious, happy, relieved, and nervous.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
Don't get too wrapped up in the first one, if the counter then counter back, it's a buyers market right now. I've had some issues with different banks (some bank owned require you prequal with them and that has raised issues. Keep on looking, don't give up.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Kind of just peeking at mls to see what we can afford in the areas we like. May get more serious into buying a new house after the wedding in may and once the reno's are done this summer on our current house in hopes of getting more than we paid for it 2 years ago. Fingers crossed. We are completing the basement and updating almost everything.
2. Is this your first home? This will be our second home. We bought our first house 2 years ago when i was 21 and FI was 23. Now looking into getting out of a townhouse lifestyle and buying a detatched single family home.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We are looking for a newer build. Newer area. Something close to parks for the dogs. Something with a fenced yard for the dogs. Must have at last 3 bedrooms. 2 bathrooms. a eat-in kitchen. open concept. would prefer a finished basement but not necessary. We are looking around $300 to $350 range.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) I am excited we were blessed enough to buy a newer house faster than we had expected due to our raises we have both got from work.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Do allot of searching on your own as well as enlisting an agent. Sometimes it's hard for the agent to find what you're looking for. I actually ended up finding our house and just needed the agent to view it and make the deal go through. Check into the neighbourhoods crime, etc before buying in it. Talk to neighbours of the house you may be interested in, i found this was really reassuring when we bought out first house. Make sure you have at least the necessities you want because even though it's your first time home you never know how long you might be living there. Make sure you keep your options open and don't get to impatient you will find the right home for you. I think it is best to start with a fixer upper so you can build equity and hopefully end up selling it for more than you paid. You can also learn how to do allot of DIY reno's. We learned how to tile (probably my least favorite but, made allot more modern looking bathroom). Did allot of painting. Installing a new vanity/sink (learned some things about plumbing). Adding new light fixtures (learned a thing or two about electricians). It's amazing how simple some of these projects were once we got started. It's the best feeling in the world to buy your first house. Good luck bees.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Offer submitted as of nine a.m today!
2. Is this your first home? Mine yes but not his.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We have an offer in on a 3 bed, 2 bath colonial in my hometown. We needed to stay near his son and wanted to stay near my family.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Nervous! Accept our offer :)
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
1. What step are you at in the home buying process?
Bought and moved in 2 weeks before Christmas... Mostly unpacked.
2. Is this your first home?
It's our first home together, though we had a fantastic apartment the last 2 years
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
We didn't have a general house idea other than a cape or non-cramped feeling ranch, but definitely wanted: 2+ bedrooms, at least a bath and a half, garage.
We ended up with a 3 bed, 1.5 bath cape with 2 fire places, full basement, entry bonus room, and custome updated kitchen, 2 car garage that can hold 4 if parked creatively, 1bed apt. above garage (FSIL is currently living there and paying rent) with a fantastic patio on a semi-private lot. Oh all hardwood & tile and its gas heat & central air and we paid $230K for it all in W. mass.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)
Very happy with our choice. Definitely looking forward to the snow melting off my patio so we can sit outside and enjoy it. Not everything has a place yet so that makes me a little anxious but that's it.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home
If you're not 100% okay with your choice, don't do it. We almost bought a much smaller house in the spring and while it was really nice, it didn't make us both as happy as this place did. We had to pay a little more, but with FSIL paying rent, it makes covering the bills easier. We looked on and off for about a year before we found this place. Take your time and the right house will find you.
@almostmrsc: What a deal! I'm so jealous you got all that for the price! We're definitely not western MA but we're not exactly in the city proper so I was disappointed to see what was out there in our price range (which was not a lot).
"If parked creatively"--love it.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Nearly completing the sale of FI's previous home (where he lived until when we got married), probably completing next week. Have had an offer accepted on a flat we want to buy, now we're waiting to hear from bank re the offer and progressing with documentation.
2. Is this your first home? It's my first, but FI's had one before.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We like new (not necessarily brand new), purpose built flats. 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, parking (which in London is a bit of a luxury)
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Happy! Looking forward to moving & starting decorating.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? If you think you can't afford something, there's no harm in making a cheeky offer (don't let estate agents bully you into thinking otherwise). Don't get into price wars. Don't get emotional about buying a house, it will only make you overpay for it.
Edit: saying how much we paid for it will depress me, seeing how much you bees have spent on your homes... we're paying nearly $500k. Yes, for a 2 bedroom flat. London is a joke.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We're preapproved! We've also gone out with our realtor to look at some houses and found one that we're thinking about making an offer on :)
2. Is this your first home? Yup. We currently live in an apartment that we share.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, open kitchen and living area, 2 floors, built after 1990, at least 2 car garage, semi-decent school district, 1/2 hr commute downtown at most, preferably finished basement, appliances included, 1st floor laundry, little work needed, a deck would be a nice-to-have, in a township so we don't have to pay city taxes.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc): Excited. Anxious for FI to say we can make an offer (he wants to wait a couple of weeks to make sure the house is "the one"). Scared because the asking price is way too much; hopeful that current owners will accept a more reasonable offer.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Don't settle for less than the best :)
@BunnyBrideToBe: The houses in our town range from probably 180K for a small ranch to upwards of 1mil.. seriously. Our house is a freaking steal! The house was in absolute move in condition so all I need to do is paint a little when it's a tad warmer out. We had to buy all of our appliances (kitchen & Laundry) so that wasn't too great, but we got the best deal. As for parking creatively.. if you park the cars the perpendicular to the door, you can fit 4 in there.. we've done 3 for the snow storms.
My boss bought a house in brighton that was a good deal, and about 30K more than what we spent, but he had to redo the whole interior and he doesn't have a garage or a driveway. There are some deals to be had if you go outside the 128 bubble, but still an "easy" commute in.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We've been pre-approved, have looked at a few homes, and will be resuming the search late next month (our financing requires a 2 month waiting period, so we're hoping to buy as soon after May 1 as possible!).
2. Is this your first home? It will be the first home we own, yes.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We're looking for a townhouse or condo, or a small house if we can find one in our budget. We'd love a 3/2, but that's probably not too realistic. Most likely it will be a 2/2 or a 2/2.5 townhouse.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Excited, but really stressed. I kind of feel like we are in a race against time!
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? I don't really have advice since I haven't done it yet!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We bought a foreclosed home the end of September
2. Is this your first home? His yes, but not mine. Still trying to sell the house I bought before meeting DH:(
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We had originally preferred to find a home in the country, but we found a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath corner lot, with fenced in backyard, storage shed and 2 car garage.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Happy that we have a bigger house to live, but very anxious to sell our other house, so we are not making 2 house pmts.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? I agree with everyone elses advice!! And don't look at houses you know you can't afford!!
I also want to say try to imagine the home with no furniture, that can make a huge difference. The house we made an offer on is small and has HUGE furniture, made it look 50% smaller.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? pre-approved, waiting to hear back on offer (second time, first house we wanted they decided to not sell)
2. Is this your first home? yes
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? I would like at least 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, I require at least 2 bathrooms! I want a bigger yard because we will buy a fur baby right away, maybe even 2...
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) I am excited/nervous right now since we are waiting to hear back and we know there are multiple offers. When we made the first two offers on the first house we LOVED I was super excited, and then got let down and got really pissed offed with what they did. Now I know to not get my hopes too high because this process may take quite some time!
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Don't get your hopes too high, you may put multiple offers on multiple houses! AND don't settle, there were houses I tried to like because my Mr. liked them a lot, but I just didn't like them at all.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process?
Purchased our house back in 2007.... currently looking to fix up the house to put back on the market then rent for a while while we start the process of building our dream home... i have no idea when this will start happening but i want it to happen now... i want our dream house to be in the building process not just a drawing on a peice of paper lol
2. Is this your first home?
Mine... not his (which is good because we sold his old place and used the money we got from that towards this house... so we have a very small Mortgage)
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? Our house has 4bedrooms(1being the spare downstairs which is now my scrapbook room), two bathrooms, two story, huge deck that goes right round one side of the house, a pool and lovely landscaped gardens(thanks for hubby).
Our dream house.... actually sounds crazy and huge but its not really... it has 6bedrooms - main have ensuite and retreat, a media room.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)
I'm excited about the future... umm kindda unhappy at the moment because i really want to get that ball rolling
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
Stay within your budget... even though you will be in debt with a mortgage make sure the min. month payments are in your budget
1. What step are you at in the home buying process?
We've been pre-approved for a conventional mortgage, have a broker in the wings if we decide to go for a fixer-upper that needs a 203K mortgage, and are actively working with a realtor to find our forever home. We've seen about 20 houses so far, and have fallen in love with one. Unfortunately, the bank-owned foreclosure is priced about $70k over its actual value in its current condition. So we are still looking. House 21 is scheduled for tonight. :/ So over this.
2. Is this your first home?
For Mr. LK, yes it is. For me, not it is not. I bought a home when I was 23 and it was perfect for my life then. but the middle school was no good, so when DS went into middle school, it was time to move. Since Mr. LK wasn't ready to purchase our forever home at that time, we moved into a rental in an area with much better schools for DS. Now we want to buy in our current neighborhood.
3. What type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
We want either a traditional center hall, 2-3 story colonial or a contemporary home with lots of angles and glass. Yes, they are on opposite ends of the spectrum. I have split home personalities. LOL I prefer the contemporary homes a bit more, but the supply is so limited that I have to keep my options open at least a little. Mr. LK wants a rancher, but there is no way i am living in one of those. They are too much like my parent's house!
We will have at least 3 bedrooms (and a distinct office) or a 4th bedroom that I can use as my office because i work from home several times a week and my employer requires me to have a dedicated office space. It must also have at least 2.5 bathrooms, a basement with adequate mancave space for Mr. LK, natural gas in the community (we hate electric heating and cooking), good schools for DS, outdoor grilling/dining space, and somewhere to plant a garden. The house must also be asthma and allergy friendly, meaning that it has to either have all hard floor surfaces or be priced low enough that we can afford to install hard floor surfaces ASAP. DS has allergy-induced asthma, and I will not have a house that makes him sick.
4. How are you feeling? (happy, anxious, etc.)
Worn down and defeated. It is really hard to find your dream home and have the timing be all wrong. I love a house. LOVE it. But it needs $120k worth of work and the bank has only knocked $50k off of market value. I know that it is only a matter of time before the bank drops the price to where it needs to be, but the house has active water penetration. So the longer it sits, the worse the damage will be, and the more it will cost to repair. It's a nasty cycle. And to know that we have to keep looking at other properties and that someone else could scoop up the house that I am already in love with.... well that just sucks. Everyone tells me I will find another house that makes my heart skip a beat, but I just don't know.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
Discuss your "fixer upper" tolerance level with your partner before you start looking at houses. It was only after falling in love with one that I found out that Mr. LK is far more risk averse than I am when it comes the condition of a house. I am all in for a major renovation with contractors, while he really only wants to deal with small weekend projects that (he thinks) we can do on our own. It's a significant discrepancy that we are still working through.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process?
Bought my home back in Feb of 2010
2. Is this your first home?
It sure is!
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
I wanted a home in a good neighborhood, didnt care about the size just the nieighborhood. I ended getting a 4bedroom 2 bath. House was listed between 300k-400k bought it for 215k.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) 5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
I am super happy! I still cant beleive that when i come home sometimes that i own this house! It was a roller coaster of emotions through out the whole buying process lots of tears, smiles,sighs and the list goes on. But as my mother always says everything happens for a reason and it does. I submitted an offer on over 15 houses and never got any of them. Cried my eyes out each time. But thankfully after waiting and waiting i bought my dream home. Takes alot of patience but in the end it is all worth it.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process?
We made an offer on a house last weekend, they countered, we accepted! So far we have done the inspections and the loan application, waiting on appraisal...
2. Is this your first home?
Yes, this is our first house.
3. What type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
Single family house, 3 bed, 2 bath, 3 car garage in a nice/new neighborhood. Good schools, parks, and a neighborhood pool is a plus. We really wanted a covered front porch and back patio, and we liked newer homes (2000 or newer). Had to be under 180k. Luckily, we found the perfect place for us! 
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)
Very excited to get into our first house, not getting our hopes up though, since we know things could still go wrong.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
Patience is key! Also, keep important documents (pay stubs, taxes, etc.) handy, even if you just started looking at houses, you never know when the right one might come along and it can be a pain if all of the things you need for the loan application are scattered all over the place!
This is a great thread - thanks for all the advice!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Pre-approved, working with a realtor, have seen at least 30-35 houses so far.
2. Is this your first home? We are first-time homebuyers
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? Single family, 3-4 bedrooms, 2+ baths, good sized kitchen, 2000 sf, backyard, garage, finished basement, nice neighborhood, minimal commuting.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Excited, anxious and frustrated. My pretty sizable budget ($500k) is peanuts in my area, esp. given that we are looking for a forever home that we won't outgrow in a few years - we are in our mid-30s. Our area is pricey and full of adorable older homes with tiny rooms and minimal living space. Maybe they have a 1 car detached garage - if you're lucky. I have decided, sadly, that closets trump character and I have to remind myself everyday that that is my new mantra! It has been an interesting process so far.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? I thought that a decade of experience watching HGTV would make this a snap, but it's a lot more complicated, especially when you and your husband/SO have different views on wants/needs in a house. I think my "research" did help though b/c I can definitely look past messy rooms and ugly colors to see what I am really getting. I am just trying to have patience!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Pre-approved and looking at houses
2. Is this your first home? Yes
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We're looking for at minimum a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom. I'd love a front porch and a fenced in backyard. Other wants are a deck and a garage. We want to live in a nice neighborhood with good schools. A newer house would be nice and one where the house is pretty much move in ready and has been well maintained.
4. How are you feeling? Frustrated. Whenever we find a home we like in our price range either the house isn't nice, the neighborhood isn't nice, or we want to go back the next day to look again and there's already an offer!
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Know what you are and are not willing to compromise on. It can be a frustrating process and feel more like a game at times. For myself, I tend to fall in love with houses quickly, but it's important not to get too attatched to a house and be realistic about the whole thing.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We're pre-approved and looking at houses. We made an offer two weeks ago on a short sale but the bank has another two weeks to respond. We'll probably submit two new offers (one short sale and one bank-owned foreclosure later today.
2. Is this your first home? Yep
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We're looking for a 3Bedroom with at least 1.75 Baths. We really want a two-car garage, central air conditioning (or central ductwork to put one in), and a dishwasher with a house that's more than 1,000 sf. We're hoping to spend between $250K-$300K. (Can you tell we're shopping in the Los Angeles area?)
4. How are you feeling? Very anxious. I really hope we can find something this spring and can move this summer. We hope we'll have enough saved for a conventional mortgage (20% down) but right now we might only have enough to put 17% down. We've been saving $3 to $4K each month by living off just my salary.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Get daily e-mails from Redfin based on saved searches. Get pre-approved with underwriting before looking for houses. Figure out how much your PITI will be before thinking about how much you can afford. Look beyond cosmetic details and concentrate on the bones of the house.
@inexplicablecomfort: We're looking in the Chicago suburbs too! I'd love to hear more about your house hunt!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We are pre-approved and working with a realor. Seen over 100 homes online, but only 2 in person. So we're just getting started...
2. Is this your first home? Yep! Been looking forward to house hunting for almost 2 years!
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? Looking for a 2+ bedroom, 2 bath single family home with 2 car garage, lowish taxes, a decent-sized yard, full basement (finished or unfinished) and a large kitchen.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Anxious to get started. SO has kind of been dragging his feet (though he's been really busy). Nervous we won't find anything we agree on. Also excited to move out of my parents home and have a space that SO and I can make our own.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? No advice yet, but I'm loving reading everyone else's advice!! It's been really helpful!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? pre-approved, looking but think we found THE ONE, just waiting to hear back from our realtor on a few specifics
2. Is this your first home? yes
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? 2 bed 2 bath loft with balcony, easy commute to both of our works, at least one car park (we will lease a second if necessary) for $400k or less in downtown Chicago
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) So happy, a little anxious because I want to get this process done ASAP so we don't have to live with my mom when we get to the states
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? nope!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Been pre-approved. Haven't gotten an offer accepted on first two houses because of bidding wars :( Hopefully this third house will be it.
2. Is this your first home?
Yes, first home. Individually and together. But, it will be his house, as I will not be on any of the paper work.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
We are looking for a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house. Preferably a basement, but it must have a 2+ car garage. We would like a pole barn or a large garage for SO's racecars so I can park in the garage but this is hard to find.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)
Anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
Don't fall in love with a house until you have the keys :( Even if your offer is accepted, there are still some things that could go wrong.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We are in contract for a coop apartment, board package submitted yesterday, waiting to be called in for an interview.
2. Is this your first home? Yes
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? Since this is the most expensive city in the country if not the world, we were originally considering a 1 bed/1bath so we could actually afford to live like normal human beings, but after going to several open houses realized that it was a bad decision. We ended up finding a large 2 bed 2 bath in a full service building. We got it at a good price since it needs renovations.
Trust me, you don't want to know the price. My sister lives in the suburbs of Philly and sneakily googled the price of our apartment behind our backs and almost had a heart attack. Weeks later it is just sinking in for her.
4. How are you feeling? I'm extremely anxious because the closing date is 100% out of our hands due to the coop board acceptance process. They can take as long as they want to call us in for an interview. And meanwhile our lease is up April 30th on our current rental, so we are desparate for them to hurry. I'm also excited at the idea of finally being able to have some control over the space I'm living in as well as living in an amazing building with so many amenaties.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Buying a home is such a personal decision, don't let anyone convince you to do something you're uncomfortable with. If you are dead set against doing any renovations, don't settle for something that needs to be gutted. But if you don't mind some renos, don't let a bad wall color keep you out of the perfect house in a desirable neighborhood.
Our real estate broker kept trying to get us to look at properties in a neighborhood that is much more affordable, but actually kind of dangerous and way less convenient commute-wise. We never gave in to this, we held our ground and compromised on space and price in order to stay in our desired neighborhood. We know that was the right decision for us, but it might not be for everyone.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process?
We are Pre-approved but still saving as much as possible. We have not looked at any houses in person but will drive around and use our Realitor.com app to check out houses that are on sale. =-)
2. Is this your first home?
Yes it will be both of our first homes.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
We would like a 3 bed 1.5 bath home. I would like to be in a subdivision and have a fenced in yard.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)\
I feel very excited but also stressed because there is so much planning and uncertainty.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
I do not have any, Sorry!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We are currently being approved for a loan, we should know within a week how much we will be approved for. We have been looking at houses for months now, and getting very serious lately. We have 2 favorites that we are absolutely in love with, and are hoping that in a week we can get the ball rolling!! :)
2. Is this your first home? Yes!
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? We are looking for a home that is above 1300 square feet, and has atleast 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, with a garage. We want a nice sized kitchen, with a big master bedroom and bath area, but we want all bedrooms and bathrooms to be atleast slightly bigger than "small". We are trying to stay away from "older" homes. We want our starter home to be less than 110,000 and so far, our favorite two are less than 100,000 and a LOT nicer than the more expensive ones we've looked at (105-120k). Luckily, we live in an area where the cost of living is very low :)
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) Very happy...I'm ready though, and I wish it would hurry up!!! I want to decorate and have a place to call ours!
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Not yet!
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? We are pre-approved and putting in our first offer on a house right now. We have the paper work and need to sign it and send it back to our realtor. We are also still looking, just in case this house falls through.
2. Is this your first home? Yes for both of us.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants? Haha, when we started, we wanted a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath house with a fenced yard, garage or basement in the two particular communities for $100K or less. We quickly realized we would have to pick between the house we wanted or the community we wanted. Since we are looking for more of a starter home that we could move from in a few years so we decided the neighborhood was more important. The house we are offering on has 2 bedrooms 1 bath and a loft area that the owners count as a bedroom, but it has a little garage and a nice fenced yard in a great historical neighborhood.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc) I am feeling a bunch of stuff right now, I'm excited but very nervous because we are offering WAY below the asking price but we are more than willing to walk away. I'm also a little upset because if we get this house we will be leaving the city that we currently live in and my job (hubs job is in the city we are moving to, they are allowing him to work from home right now)
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home? Get a great realtor! Our guy is fantastic, responding to e-mails within minutes, always available for questions, and he really is looking out for us. Don't fall in love with any place until you have the keys in your hand. Be flexible with your wants. My parents advice to us was play a little hardball and be willing to walk away, it's a buyers market right now, there will be a house that fits your needs for the price you want.
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Pre-approved, picked the neighborhood we like, found a home, put in an offer, received a counteroffer, countered the counteroffer, and now we're waiting!!
2. Is this your first home?
Yep.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
House - 4 bedrooms and at least 2.5 baths. 2 car garage. Decently sized yard. At least 2500 square feet. NICE KITCHEN!
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)
VERY anxious! Haha. I just want to know where I'll be living in two months!!
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
If you can - be willing to walk away. I feel like we're in a really good position right now with the offer we've made because we'll be happy if we get it (it would be a great deal!) but we'll be happy if we don't (wasn't meant to be!)
1. What step are you at in the home buying process? Mortgage is approved, final FHA inspection scheduled and hopefully settlement on 4/22/11.
2. Is this your first home?
Yes for me, no for DH.
3. What are type of home are you looking for? How many beds/baths? What are your other requirements or wants?
A sturdy home with at least two bedrooms and we got one with 3. To me, the land is far more important. We had the unusual requirement of zoning that would allow us to keep the cats of the sanctuary. Also very important is that the neighbors NOT live too close.
4. How are you feeling? (Happy, anxious, pissed off... etc)
Extremely sad and depressed, I p-resently live in paradise and I am NOT moving voluntarily.
5. Any advice for other bees buying a home?
RENT! Seriously, I would be happy to rent the rest of my days. Like I said, I am being forced to do this in order to save the cat sanctuary. The home buying process is ridiculous and totally sucks!
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