Alright, we are new to this and I want an unbiased opinion. We went house hunting today and looked at some houses and some condos. We are down to 2 places that we found today that we can really see ourselves in. We are trying to be smart about this and look at all options but DH and I are butting heads a bit. So I need some opinions from outsiders.
Option 1) Condo in Des Moines. Located on Cul De Sac, only residents go down the road cause there is nothing else there. LOTS of storage, gorgeous kitchen, about 10minutes from where we are at now so it doesn't add much time to DH's commute. Washer and dryer stay; they even have a little utility room in the unit. Patio storage BUT there is an enclosed deck because of the way the building is. It is technically ground floor but since it's built on a hill, right below the unit is more parking.
Option 2) Town house style home in Auburn. It is somewhat close to the river BUT if the river does flood, it would go to the east side and the home is on the west side. A little dated but HUGE! It even has a one car garage, a carport, more driveway, front yard and backyard area. It's all fenced in so there would be room for Carter to run and play and maybe even have a dog.
Both are turn key. In Auburn we would ideally update appliances over the next couple of years, paint, and strip the wall paper which is all stuff we enjoy doing so we don't see it as a downside. I know which one I want but I can't get DH on my side. So: Mommy's and homeowners....which one should we go for? We can always look more but for what we want and where we want it, our Realtor (who is family) says we should jump on one of these 2 sooner than later. Opinions?
Thanks!
Re: Home Question/Opinion
I would personally go with the townhouse too. Youre really going to appreciate a yard as your lo gets older. Plus if Cash For Calkers goes through you should be able to update your appliances and get 50% back in your taxes. (fingers crossed for cash for calkers!!)
Is this your first time out and looking?
Lynchie: Our max that we are comfy with is 140k. We could go more but we don't want to if we can avoid it.
It is our fist time going out but we did see around 20 homes and have been looking online for about 3 months. We don't want to make the wrong choice but the home in Auburn had similar ones on the market that only lasted days and were more expensive so we know this won't last. I guess we need to really decide if we go for it or take our chances looking elsewhere.
I would only buy if you can see yourself living there happily for at least 5 years. At least 7 would be even better.
I actually think I might have to choose the condo because I hate commuting. I wouldn't want to make my commute any longer than I had to.
Also make sure you check the specs of the neighborhood! and do lots of drive bys at all times of the day and night to make sure you're not getting into a bad neighborhood... look for things like if people have chainlink fences around their front yards, or bars on low to ground windows. Then more obvious things like junker cars and shady alley ways.
There is a difference between looking on line and seeing a home you and your family will love. If we lived in the first home DH and I saw and fell in love with we would have been miserable. We wanted to make an immediate offer full price but when we went to bid on it, it was gone. We were sad but 20/20 hindsight, where we are (edmonds vs. southcenter) is so much better for us. In the two options you give, I'd take the townhouse. I am all about space. The right house will come along but both you guys need to be on board. House hunting takes a lot of negotiation.
Good luck. Home buying is hard!
Auburn to Lake Union would kill me. Seriously. That's a long commute unless he can work off hours to miss the bad times. Or take light rail? Can he do that? I would want a commute where he could be home every niht (or most) for dinner.
I agree with someone above (Lynchie maybe?) that said don't jump on the first thing you see... You'll find something perfect for you.
Are you looking north at all? That's a heck of a commute to lock yourself into, particularly with a young child at home. More time on the road and at the job than ever with the family. If you looked north, you could avoid the downtown jam.
I think the townhome sounds good for backyard and size, but not for the updates. if you're struggling to get into a home at this point, i don't think you can count on replacing appliances and updating fixtures/rooms in the next few years. But perhaps you could you roll in some cash back into your home loan and do it before you're moved in and settled? Before baby starts moving.
I'd even look on the east side... that would be a better commute than from Auburn... I just found this one in Kirkland:
https://www.redfin.com/WA/Kirkland/13025-102nd-Ln-NE-98034/unit-2/home/21768241
You can take the train from Auburn to pioneer square in about 30 mins, it even has wifi. I had a co-worker who did the same, only she was coming from Everett. She gave it a thumbs up.
https://www.soundtransit.org/Riding-Sound-Transit/Schedules-and-Facilities/Sounder-Commuter-Rail.xml