Just wanted to update since a few people were wondering. We were debating between a large 4,000 sqft fixer and a mostly move-in read 1200 sqft home. Well my in-laws came into town last week to look at the houses and basically poo-pooed both of them. They were seeing things I never would have even thought about, like how the smaller home had a block foundation which was leaking in a few spots and you could see had already been patched in a few more. My MIL explained how we'd spend the rest of our lives there patching the foundation, which isn't expensive but can get obnoxious and lead to bigger issues. The big one was even more of a mess than we initially thought. They think it's a full gut reno, basically, thanks to what looks like a massive flood in the basement at some point and possibly a fire in the attic. So my FIL went out and looked at every house for sale in town (all 8 of them) whether they were in our price range or not and said he'd only personally buy one... which was in our price range, but was of course the house I looked at with my mom and both of us hated. I didn't even want them to look at that house, it's just downright ugly. But they pointed out everything that was actually right with it and explained how our entire reno budget could actually go to things we want (new kitchen, new bathroom, etc.) rather than things we'd need to make the house safe.
I'm still not really that happy with the house but we had the contractor come through today to give us a quote and he got really excited about how nice the house was and got my kind of hyped for how it can look. And since it is under our budget we get to hire the contractor to do a lot of the things we were going to DIY that would have been not a lot of fun for me since I'll be 7-9 months pregnant during the reno. So hey, if I don't have to get down on my hands and knees and lay flooring and tile I guess I'll count that as a win. And we'll have a house and won't be homeless with two kids living in our car and showering at work so that's another win, right?
Now my goal is to get a contractor quote low enough to let me put the giant corner soaker tub I want in the bathroom. I haven't lived in a house with a tub in five years!
B born 7/15/13, C born 3/2/15, #3 on the way May '17
I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free. A diversified multi-cultural, post-modern deconstruction that is anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I’ve been up linked and downloaded, I’ve been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m a high-tech low-life. A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond! I’m new wave, but I’m old school and my inner child is outward bound. I’m a hot-wired, heat seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database, my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m radioactive.
Re: Update on Which House Would You Buy...
Also, as a person who moved to a house with a huge tub for the first time - make sure the hot water tank is a good enough size to fill it. Ours is a bit small compared to the tub, so we have to keep the hot water temp blazing hot just to fill the damn thing. Which won't really fly when we have a toddler...
Yay great update! I know the house is ugly now but I'm glad you can get a contractor in that's excited about your project and can make it exactly how you want it! It's really fun picking out so many details (and not worrying about the work part).
Me: 29, DH: 30
Married: April, 2011; TTC: July, 2012
Dx: MFI; June '14 IVF w/ ICSI: 11R, 8M, 5F... 1 5dt, beta #1: 213, beta #2: 621, beta #3: 8545!
Give some big thanks to your MIL and FIL, because they likely saved you a lot of frustration and heartache. There's a lot I don't know about homeownership, too (and I own my home lol) and I always welcome guidance.
Think of it this way, you have a good start to building a dream home
and since you're under budget you get to be creative and have flexibility! Overall it sounds like a really good deal.
I'd love a corner soaking tub! That's on my wish list for my forever house, too! We're planning to move in 3-4 years, at least that's our hope if we can stand our condo for that long with one or two kids. We shall see.
B born 7/15/13, C born 3/2/15, #3 on the way May '17
I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free. A diversified multi-cultural, post-modern deconstruction that is anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I’ve been up linked and downloaded, I’ve been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m a high-tech low-life. A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond! I’m new wave, but I’m old school and my inner child is outward bound. I’m a hot-wired, heat seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database, my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m radioactive.