Three houses, each 80% perfect, 20% wrong. Which to buy?

[Jeanne in MN]

We've been looking at houses for 2 1/2 years now and can't find the one. There are three up for sale now, all in our price range, all ranch style, and all have some great qualities, but a couple poor ones.

 

House #1 is squished in a neighborhood full of houses, no way to access garage from the house and only two bedrooms upstairs although there are two more downstairs. Our boys react to musty basements, as does my hubby so that leaves dd and she doesn't want to sleep in the basement.

 

House #2 has great layout, tons of storage, perfect sized kitchen, new shingles, permanent siding, but missing a third upstairs bedroom and is a little close to one house-a big fence divides the two lots and feels dark and closed in on that side because of all the plants and trees. Beautiful back yard.

 

House #3 has a garage under the house, back yard slopes down into it which drives dh mad thinking about, even though there are drains outside of the garage. It has an awesome basement apt. that I can so picture our school room in, and a guest room and an art room in the kitchen, but have to go outside to access it. Nice neighborhood, close to friends. Central air is really weird and comes out of ceiling of each room! So no lfixed ighting in those rooms.

 

Just tired of looking and trying to figure it all out.

[JFSinIL]

I'd rule out number 1 at once. And, if any ground slopes towards the garage/house, I would worry about a flooded basement. I'd go with number 2.

[FaithManor]

I guess one of my biggest considerations would be HOW CLOSE ARE THE NEIGHBORS? Because, given the threads of late, you probably want to be as far away as possible!

 

For house number three, you might ask a contractor to take a look...it's possible that inside access to the basement apt. could be made for a reasonable sum of money and you could offer less citing the need to pay for this remodel.

 

Faith

[Liz CA]

Does it have to be one of the three or could you be looking some more? If you are done looking and you will buy one of the three, I would go with what feels best. Some houses have great layouts (subjective for sure but you know what you like), others are in nice neighborhoods or close to something that is important to you.

Perhaps it would help writing a list of your absolute must-have's and then the "would be nice" category. See which house has most must-have's and hopefully some points in "would be nice."

[The Girls' Mom]

I would go with no. 2 as well. In MN I would avoid ceiling vents...because we have them in this house and it NEVER GOT WARM. (And we are in TX!!) Excellent for cooling...not so much for heat.

[Mejane]

It would be #2 for us. When we were looking, dh would not even look at a house with garage underneath, so #3 would be out. #1 just doesn't seem to have much going for it.

[Carol in Cal.]

Number 2, I'm thinking. Hill sweeping down into the garage--not a good plan. And the first one with its basement bedrooms is really just pretty much unacceptable. I'd look some more if you don't really love number 2, but that sounds like the clear choice to me of the ones you have described.

[Barb_]

I'd go with #2 also. A really nice yard can make up for a lot of drawbacks.

 

Barb

[newbie]

2

[catalinakel]

Location and layout are most important to me.

[Unicorn.]

Central air is really weird and comes out of ceiling of each room! So no lfixed ighting in those rooms.

 

.

 

Umm, down here in TX all of our Cent air and Heat come out of the ceiling, and we have fixed lighting. :D I personally find it weird not to have it that way, but .... it doesn't exclude fixed. Just sayin'

 

Otherwise, I agree w/ Liz Ca. Go w/ what feels right.

[Crimson Wife]

#2 and re-landscape the backyard near the fence.

[Teachin'Mine]

Number 2 seems to be the consensus, but it's still missing a bedroom. Are you able to add on? If not, how will you arrange sleeping in a two bedroom home?

 

I'd be more inclined to go with number 3 - IF the basement shows absolutely NO signs of ever having had water in it, and this can be verified with a thorough home inspection. A/C is better coming from the ceiling as cold air drops. :) How many bedrooms does this one have?

[joannqn]

2

[debinindy]

Such a hard decision...we've been there. If things like this matter to you:

 

When you stand at the kitchen sink, what will you be looking at?

 

I wish I'd thought of this more when we chose our current home.

[mom4him]

Is building an option? Even if you would need to make it a bit smaller with idea of adding on later?

If I had a choice I would not buy a house that I did not love 95% at least. Things like paint, floor covering etc are easy enough to change out but the basic design?

[Mommyof4ks]

Umm, down here in TX all of our Cent air and Heat come out of the ceiling, and we have fixed lighting. :D I personally find it weird not to have it that way, but .... it doesn't exclude fixed. Just sayin'

 

Otherwise, I agree w/ Liz Ca. Go w/ what feels right.

 

Haha, then I was reading that right. I was thinking, umm...that sounds like every house we have ever looked at in cent. Texas. We have fixed lighting and ceiling fans in every room too. :D

 

I would go with #2 also unless there is a park nearby, because it would be hard to play in a backyard that slopes IMO.

 

ETA: If building is an option, that can be much cheaper than buying and you get what you want! I wish we had done that. We could have a much bigger house with a kitchen we love and a real laundry room!

[Scarlett]

Haha, then I was reading that right. I was thinking, umm...that sounds like every house we have ever looked at in cent. Texas. We have fixed lighting and ceiling fans in every room too. :D

 

I would go with #2 also unless there is a park nearby, because it would be hard to play in a backyard that slopes IMO.

 

ETA: If building is an option, that can be much cheaper than buying and you get what you want! I wish we had done that. We could have a much bigger house with a kitchen we love and a real laundry room!

 

Me too....in AR my last two houses have ceiling vents for CH&A. And fixed lighting in all those rooms.

 

I would go with number 2. Although I wasn't clear if it ONLY has 2 bedrooms or just 2 upstairs...only 2 bedrooms with 3 kids might be a problem.

[sbgrace]

I'd do #2. No way number one. Number three the water situation (a nightmare for my parents) would make me leery and I'd wonder also about possible mold allergy issues with it?

[yellowperch]

Keep looking. I wish we had! (And I still do ;))

[JFSinIL]

Umm, down here in TX all of our Cent air and Heat come out of the ceiling, and we have fixed lighting. :D I personally find it weird not to have it that way, but .... it doesn't exclude fixed. Just sayin'

 

Otherwise, I agree w/ Liz Ca. Go w/ what feels right.

 

As I recall, growing up in S. California all our vents for heat/air were up near the ceiling. In the "new" (1950ish) addition to our 1906 house the vents are also up near the ceiling. Works fine.

[jujsky]

#2 sounds like your best bet.

[MariannNOVA]

I guess one of my biggest considerations would be HOW CLOSE ARE THE NEIGHBORS? Because, given the threads of late, you probably want to be as far away as possible!

 

 

Faith

 

:iagree:

 

I'd probably keep looking.

[3littlekeets]

Honestly, each of those seem like "fatal" flaws to me. I'd keep looking. Sorry.

[The Girls' Mom]

As I recall, growing up in S. California all our vents for heat/air were up near the ceiling. In the "new" (1950ish) addition to our 1906 house the vents are also up near the ceiling. Works fine.

 

 

We must have gotten a faulty house then..:lol: we just moved to TX this past winter, and was the first time we've encountered ceiling vents. Our house FROZE during the colder than average winter. I figured it was due to the vents (hot air rising and all) I couldn't imagine it in a MN winter...brr!!! So there's hope that ALL ceiling systems aren't as heat poor as this one??

[ChristusG]

I'm down here in Florida....and I've never seen a house that didn't have ceiling vents LOL! Are they usually on the floor up there? Gosh, I can only imagine how many small toys we would lose down there. How do you get them out?

[The Girls' Mom]

Yes, small toys are sometimes lost. But most often they land just in the bend of the duct so you can reach in and get it. I think floor vents must just be the norm in colder climates and ceiling in the warmer ones. I had just never lived far enough south to see them until this year!

[Jeanne in MN]

Yes, if no one can or will sleep in the basement, we are still short a bedroom. Adding on would cost more than we can afford and I can't picture where we could add on as the yards aren't big enough. House #3 has three bedrooms upstairs.

 

Basement is fixed up as an apt with almost all carpeted floors. i can't imagine it has any water problems if it's been used as an apt.-and a nice looking one at that?

 

Never thought about the A/C being better from the ceiling. That would make sense! :) From reading other posts, adding fixed lighting wouldn't be difficult?

 

 

 

Number 2 seems to be the consensus' date=' but it's still missing a bedroom. Are you able to add on? If not, how will you arrange sleeping in a two bedroom home?

 

I'd be more inclined to go with number 3 - IF the basement shows absolutely NO signs of ever having had water in it, and this can be verified with a thorough home inspection. A/C is better coming from the ceiling as cold air drops. :) How many bedrooms does this one have?[/quote']

[Jeanne in MN]

House #3 has the most distance from neighbors-which we like. :) Like the idea of asking a contractor to look at accessing the basement.

 

 

I guess one of my biggest considerations would be HOW CLOSE ARE THE NEIGHBORS? Because, given the threads of late, you probably want to be as far away as possible!

 

For house number three, you might ask a contractor to take a look...it's possible that inside access to the basement apt. could be made for a reasonable sum of money and you could offer less citing the need to pay for this remodel.

 

Faith

[Jeanne in MN]

LOL, I've thought about this. One window above the sink faces a window looking into the garage. Another window faces the neigbors tall, dark fence overshadowed by trees. Kinda dark and dreary. The other has two windows that overlook the backyard, garage and street-much nicer.

 

 

Such a hard decision...we've been there. If things like this matter to you:

 

When you stand at the kitchen sink, what will you be looking at?

 

I wish I'd thought of this more when we chose our current home.

[OnTheBrink]

#2 and re-landscape the backyard near the fence.

 

:iagree::iagree:

[Teachin'Mine]

Yes, if no one can or will sleep in the basement, we are still short a bedroom. Adding on would cost more than we can afford and I can't picture where we could add on as the yards aren't big enough. House #3 has three bedrooms upstairs.

 

Basement is fixed up as an apt with almost all carpeted floors. i can't imagine it has any water problems if it's been used as an apt.-and a nice looking one at that?

 

Never thought about the A/C being better from the ceiling. That would make sense! :) From reading other posts, adding fixed lighting wouldn't be difficult?

 

Number 3 sounds like it would work best for your family. It's the only one that doesn't put someone sleeping in the basement. ;)

 

I also think that the extra apartment space downstairs would be awesome. I also think it would probably be very doable to access it with stairs from inside.

 

There's no reason that ceiling vents would prevent you from putting up some fixed lighting. You can even ask for some money at closing to pay for the inside access to the basement and for adding some lighting. It's a buyers' market - be bold. The worst that could happen is they say no. :)

 

If you do decide to continue looking, I'd suggest limiting your search to 3 bedroom homes so you're not faced with finding a 2 bedroom that you really like. I know they are probably usually more, but you only need one 3 bedroom house that isn't. :)

[Melissa in Australia]

3

[debinindy]

Not sure how many kiddos you have, but some creative rearranging might help with the loss of a bedroom:

 

Back in the dark ages (early 1970's) my parents had a small 3 bedroom house with 3dd and 1ds. I remember them putting the three of us girls in the master bedroom while they took one of the other rooms and my brother had the third. Looking back, I think, "Wow, that was pretty creative."

 

Keep in mind, though, if you think your settling for less than what you want before you move in, it will only feel more like that after the fact.

 

Deb

[mcconnellboys]

I'd say number 2. It sounds like you really like number 3. Can you be sure that it won't flood in the basement? That would be a big hassle.....

[Brigitte]

We must have gotten a faulty house then..:lol: we just moved to TX this past winter, and was the first time we've encountered ceiling vents. Our house FROZE during the colder than average winter. I figured it was due to the vents (hot air rising and all) I couldn't imagine it in a MN winter...brr!!! So there's hope that ALL ceiling systems aren't as heat poor as this one??

 

You probably have a heat pump and heat pumps can not keep up in extremely cold weather no matter where the vents are located. Around here a lot of people have heat pumps, but also have back-up heat for when it gets really cold.

[Brigitte]

You need a basement or crawl space for floor vents. I would guess that most homes in FL and parts of TX are on a slab foundation, making ceiling vents the only option.

[Mommyof4ks]

You probably have a heat pump and heat pumps can not keep up in extremely cold weather no matter where the vents are located. Around here a lot of people have heat pumps, but also have back-up heat for when it gets really cold.

 

That is what I was thinking. Turn on the emergency heat and all should be well. It works best with a digital thermostat too. If you don't have a heat pump then have the heat strips checked. Our system had never had 2 of the 4 heat strips wired to the breaker box and thus they were not getting electricity. That is why we froze for 2 months this last winter. Once those were hooked up it was nice and warm. Either way get some ceiling fans and turn them on counter clockwise to force the warm air down to the floor.

[StephanieZ]

#1 - no way b/c of health concerns

 

#2 - feasible if the 3rd BR isn't makeorbreak

 

#3 - my fave. Lights are very easy to fix. It sounds like the winner.

 

Compromise is good for the soul.

[RoughCollie]

I'd rule out number 1 at once. And, if any ground slopes towards the garage/house, I would worry about a flooded basement. I'd go with number 2.

 

:iagree:

 

Or, I'd keep looking if having a 3rd upstairs bedroom is important, or will be in the future.

[kalanamak]

 

Just tired of looking and trying to figure it all out.

 

"REading" your language, I saw #2.

[missmoe]

I think #3. The apartment in the basement would be wonderful. Have an inspector or contractor look at it for you.

[Miss Sherry]

deleted. never mind. I thought this was a recent thread.

[sassenach]

deleted. never mind. I thought this was a recent thread.

 

I wonder which one she bought?

[Capt_Uhura]

I haven't read any of the other responses so I might be repeating lol.... But I just bought a new house after looking for months. We had the same situation. 80% perfect. In the end, we went with location. And after being in the house for 2 months, it was the right choice. There might be ways of changing the house, but you can't change the location. I did not want to be sandwiched in a development. I didn't want neighbors close by. I sooo wanted a HS room. But I couldn't have it all.... So I opted for location, more property but smaller house w/ no HS room. You know, it's working out for us. And by the time we're done settling in, it'll be just fine. Right now we school in the kitchen and dining room - works better to have my boys split up and I walk between the two rooms. DD is close by in the family room playing. I have two bookcases in the office/guest room, well 3 actually if you count the one in the closet. We'll likely finish the basement, and all of the science kits, craft stuff we'll live down there and hopefully a fire proof table for science experiments. But the sun light and view of nothing but trees is so wonderful from the dining room and kitchen table that that is where we end up. I mention all this to say, write down your priorities. Things that were priorities for me in the beginning, turned out not to be in the end.

[Capt_Uhura]

OH LOL didn't check the date of the thread! :001_huh:

[kathkath]

2

[stephanier.1765]

Umm, down here in TX all of our Cent air and Heat come out of the ceiling, and we have fixed lighting. :D I personally find it weird not to have it that way, but .... it doesn't exclude fixed. Just sayin'

 

 

 

Um, this Floridian didn't know it came any other way. I was totally baffled by that sentence.:lol::lol:

[Mama2Three]

I'd go with #2 also. A really nice yard can make up for a lot of drawbacks.

 

Barb

 

We love our new house and neighborhood but still wish for that bigger backyard.

[BeckyFL]

I would keep looking. It's such a huge decision and you'll be living there every day for years to come. If none of them seem right, I would keep on. I can be very persistent, but it often leads to something great I never would have found without that relentless looking.