PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Our house just sold and we have a few weeks until closing. We are moving out of state and just toured several houses in the new location. Right now the ones we liked best were: (1) House in the school district we like best (kids are planning to go back for middle/high school), smaller and sloped lot, small kitchen, but otherwise very nice with big windows. Possible water issue with a sprinkler? We aren't sure what is going on - maybe a broken sprinkler, but the back corner is very wet and muddy and it hasn't been raining there. (2) House up in the hills. Very nice and gorgeous view. In a different school district, but the high school is still good. Beautiful house - almost too nice for me (maybe will be less fancy when we live there and decorate). Very large. Also sloped, though. Power transmission line right next to it. Not on city sewer - uses a sump pump or something? I've only lived in the suburbs, so I don't know about this stuff. :) Everything in the house seems very well done, high-end materials, etc. (3) House in the forest. Very beautiful, artsy. Big windows and view of forest. Nice touches (pretty doorknobs, unique design). However, only has two bedrooms upstairs, one down (we have three kids). The downstairs bedroom is really tiny - just room for a bed and closet (otherwise, we would take that one and put the kids upstairs). Lots of land and I don't know what upkeep that would require. Same schools as #2. (4) House in district, but not the same middle school. The other middle school (house 1) has 28% Asian population (Important to us because our girls were born in China). This middle school has only 5% and is also rated lower - 7 instead of 10. Same high school as #1. Very big lot, but much of it is along the street - cul-de-sac. Has a small pond they made to handle drainage issues. House is big and beautiful, but doesn't feel right to me. Not logical, but there it is. The school district does have a lottery for other middle schools, so for this house we would have a chance to get into a really great school (not so for #2 and #3). (5) Wait longer! This is probably the best option, but is difficult. We have one month of rent-back available for our current house if we need it. I don't know if the right house will pop up in the next month or so. The school district we like has mostly new houses with teeny tiny lots. They are building more and more of these, so I'm scared the value will go down once the new houses are built. (Our agent said they have had low inventory for 2 1/2 years so the current prices probably reflect that). We are hoping having a larger lot will help protect the house value, but these are few and far between in that district. We could rent in the new location, but I hate to move twice and want to have as much stability as we can (youngest dd was just adopted 6 months ago and we are planning on adopting again - moving again would mean starting the homestudy over for that adoption). Sorry to be complicated! Anyway, thoughts? How did you know your house was "the one?" Or did you feel rushed and regret your decision? Feel rushed and grow to love your house? General advice would be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Wanted to add houses 1 and 3 would lower our mortgage, houses 2 and 4 our mortgage would be the same as our old house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie~Phlox Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Do you have any photos or links to the listings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I would wait and possibly rent. The last house I lived in for 10 years I bought out of desperation. I had looked at nearly 100 houses, had two kids, two large dogs and a cat. A rental was not going to be easy to find. Over the years I often thought, "why did I buy this house?". Thankfully it was in an amazing school district and I sold it super fast. I tell my kids constantly to not make the mistake I made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Given the information you listed, I would say no to 2, 3, and 4. I would either choose the first one or wait to see if something better comes along (choice 5). It really seems like you have reservations about most of your choices. I know it's hard -- we have been house hunting for eight or nine months and still haven't found exactly the right one (we haven't had to settle for a less-than-perfect house because our current home has not sold yet -- we just keep looking). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Sure! Please note, I have never lived in such lovely houses. We are moving from CA to OR. Our current house is a 1435 sq ft, 70 year old house in an okay school district. One of the reasons for moving is that we can get a bigger house/yard and have a better high school for the kids (eventually). (Pictures removed) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 (pictures removed) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrygal Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 That's tough. I would never live in a house near a large power line. They are bad for your health. Maybe rent and see what comes up. Moving twice is easier than buying and regretting and having to resell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 (pictures removed) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 House 4: (Please note, house 4's yard does not look anything like this in person. It is all brown right now and along the street). The other building is a very tall extra garage. (pictures removed) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Those of you saying we should wait are probably right. Yikes! It is going to be hard. I thought the process of selling our house was stressful enough! :) Still would love your input in case we get to a point where we just can't wait. There are downsides to each house. I think we could work around many of them, but they are going to make it harder to sell in the future if needed. Having just sold our old house (which went fairly smoothly anyway), I am looking at what will make it hard for us in the future. For example, the first house has a really small kitchen and we could work around it, but if we later are selling at a time when more houses are available, it is going to be hard to sell with such a small kitchen. Trying to picture renting with three kids, two dogs, out of state and with a month-to-month or 6 month lease. That isn't going to be easy, either! But I also don't want to get stuck or have to sell/buy again. If only we could combine the good parts of all four houses - it would be perfect! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I'd be tempted by 3 and somehow try to fit into it. But this is probably not the most practical option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I vote to wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 #3 sounds awesome!!! Is one of the upstairs rooms large enough for your kids to share? The small room downstairs could be everyone's shared dressing room to save space in the bedroom. If you need/want one boy room and one girl room could you and your dh make the small room work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Number one sounds like a good option. Good schools trump a lot of other things. Is there possibilities for remodeling the kitchen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 If I couldn't wait until something felt perfect, I would go with house 4. Plenty of room, separate outbuilding is useful, good school etc. Tower of 2 would be a deal breaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 House #2 if it were me. House #1 is okay too. No to 3 and 4. 4 because it doesn't feel right, and that's huge. 3 because it's too small, and you are planning on adopting again. Listen to your gut. If the thought of buying one of them makes you sick at your stomach, the answer is no! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 I totally hear you on #3. It is the most "our style." We will eventually have two girls and two boys, so though they will share rooms, they can't all four share one room. :) I wonder if there would be a war over whether boys or girls get a big master bedroom with large closet and bathroom... LOL! Dh was trying to make it work: "We could build another bedroom over the garage through this wall.." and I was looking at him like this: :blink: I'm not sure we are up for such a big project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 I hear what you are saying about listening to my gut. Number 4 is probably the most logical, but I just didn't feel right in it at all. Number 1 felt nice, but one reason we are moving is so the kids could have a yard. Number 2 is gorgeous, I would love to buy it just for the view alone. Not sure about living that far out, the transmission line, not the school district, more than we wanted to spend. Number 3 would be great if we had just one or two children. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Is the master big enough to divide into a boy side and a girl side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I didn't read the descriptions of the houses. I think when moving to a new state or area, renting is nearly always best. It takes a while to figure out the traffic patterns, crime areas, which areas have the activites your kids want, etc. There are too many unknowns for me personally to buy in an area where I haven't lived before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 happi duck, Dh had the same question and I don't think it will work. I'm trying to remember how big it is. On pictures, you can see a bed, dresser and ottoman but that is pretty much most of the room. Plus, when we have our homestudy they probably won't like that. If we did build another room someday that would be a good temporary plan, though. HoppyTheToad, I have heard that from many people - rent before you buy. It makes sense. It is just that our little one has been home 6 months and the thought of moving house again in another 6 months or a year... it is just a lot of change. Well, keep your fingers crossed everyone that something will pop up in the next month or so! Our agent says that somehow these things usually just work out - we just don't know yet how they will. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 In a completely new area, I'd rent for a while just to get a feel for the place. After you've lived there a while you'll know where you really want to settle and you can wait for a house that suits you best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Could you buy #3 and build on to it within 5 years? It would be expensive, because building on would probably involve hiring an architect, but someone on the hive has probably done this before. However, #3 would be a lower mortgage, so you may have some extra funds with which to work. Get all the information about "building on" before you purchase. You don't want to buy a house and find out that there are zoning rules that would stop you from doing what you needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Of all your options, I like #4 best. Keep looking at the pictures and see if you warm up to it. What a lovely lot! Also, make a post, or add to this one, to see if it is a good area, what traffic patterns are, etc. #1 small kitchen, nope; #2 power lines, nope, #3 not big enough, nope. Waiting is fine, but if you are like us, you might wish you just settled. I would not like being trapped in a lease, then find a house I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 happi duck, Dh had the same question and I don't think it will work. I'm trying to remember how big it is. On pictures, you can see a bed, dresser and ottoman but that is pretty much most of the room. Plus, when we have our homestudy they probably won't like that. If we did build another room someday that would be a good temporary plan, though. HoppyTheToad, I have heard that from many people - rent before you buy. It makes sense. It is just that our little one has been home 6 months and the thought of moving house again in another 6 months or a year... it is just a lot of change. Well, keep your fingers crossed everyone that something will pop up in the next month or so! Our agent says that somehow these things usually just work out - we just don't know yet how they will. :) Oh! That makes sense. I guess I'll join the wait camp! I hope everything works out for the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 One thing I would check would be the TAXES----the actual taxes YOU would pay based on the selling price, which can be very different from the taxes the current owner is paying if they have lived there several years. For me, zoning (and maybe HOA stuff) would be very important so that I would know what I could do with my property as well as what others could do with theirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I would go with #1 or #4. Adding on to a house later might not work out (for various reasons like structure and expenses). I always think to myself (when buying), what if I had to leave the house as it is now? Would I still want it? Renovations are a lot of work. Power transmission lines are a no go for me if they are too close. How far are they? Something better could pop up, but I understand not wanting to move twice. The only positive to that is, you might find a house you like better since you aren't crazy about any of these. Would you regret it if that happened? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Rent and wait. We did that for longer than I care to remember, but OH! the results!! :) So happy in our new digs! All the best! Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbbulliv Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 #1 looks good to me. You need an inspection to find out what the water issue is. Also, what are the neighborhoods like? We live in a cul de sac and I just love it. The kids are always out there playing and biking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I know it sounds petty, but as I'm currently living in a house I love otherwise, but has a sloped yard, I would never again choose to buy a home with a sloped yard if I had any other option. A yard that is completely sloped is a deal breaker for me, I guess. The kids can't play at all in our backyard because of the slope - balls roll away, so anything involving a ball is out, the slope is too steep to take on a play set, and they frequently lose their footing and take tumbles just doing normal "play outside stuff" like running. Our front yard isn't sloped, so they can play out there - but must be very strictly supervised as we cannot fence it and it opens to the road (which, while it's a subdivision, it feeds from a major highway so traffic can be speedy). Again, I know it's petty, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1GirlTwinBoys Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 2 and 4 are my favorites as far as appearance. Main thing to remember is location is so important. If my kids were going to go to PS that would be a huge factor for me. I'd want to make sure it was a good one. I wouldn't buy a house next to power line either. A lot of people will feel the same way about that and it could be hard to resell. I would rent and wait to find a house that you love. So many things to consider and it's such a huge decision that you hate to rush it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 #1 is too close to the street for my taste. #2 is really pretty and the view looks really nice. This is more my taste #3 Meh, but since i haven' seen the inside, hard to know. #4 sounds great. My DH would love the extra garage (work space for him) My top choice would be #4 for the schools. However, without seeing them it is hard to say. We too moved out of CA and to a LCOL area. I felt like a kid in a candy store! I kept saying, "These houses are SO CHEAP!" It is all relative isn't it? Now that we have been here a while and are looking at moving, I keep thinking, "Man, these houses are expensive!" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Wait until you find the right house. Don't try to force it. I find new ways to dislike our house every day because I was impatient and just settled for what was available. I should have waited for a house that was better than ok or workable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 But really, I have never found my perfect house. In fact, many things I didn't know were *problems* until we moved in. In an ideal world, I would find a perfect house, however, I don't see that happening unless we can afford to buy a large plot on the lake and build it ourselves. We sat in a townhouse, renting, for 3 months while we looked. We chose this house. It isn't perfect. I don't even like a lot of it anymore, but it was the best that was offered at the time and the only one we both agreed on. We are now in the process of selling and moving. Dawn Wait until you find the right house. Don't try to force it. I find new ways to dislike our house every day because I was impatient and just settled for what was available. I should have waited for a house that was better than ok or workable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Before deciding to rent- check out the rental prices and if they are willing to rent to someone with pets. That may help you decide. In some areas, rentals are extremely pricey and lots have a no pet or only one pet clause. House 4 is what I would pick and put on an addition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Another note. Be cautious about choosing a home that is drastically different from your current one. Not everyone loves yardwork or home maintenance. Big homes and yards come with more work. Big homes take longer to clean. I really wish we had a rancher instead of a colonial. We have issues with wheelchair accessibility. You don't think of it when you're young and healthy, but eventually someone breaks a leg, or an elderly relative visits, or you want to age in place and not move when you're older. In our case, we had a child end up in a wheelchair 10 years after we bought the house. Also, I find two story homes are just less efficient to clean than single stories. There will be hidden costs, like maybe the taxes are higher even though houses cost less, or maybe you end up spending 3 times what you're used to in gas just getting around. Maybe you never thought that it could cost $400 a month to heat a home in the winter. I have a friend who has to budget to paint her homes exterior every 5-6 years. Definitely leave a substantial cushion in your budget for unexpected regional differences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 I really appreciate everyone's input here! This is such a big decision. It isn't an easy one! It is interesting, because we did see a few houses that seemed expensive for the area. There was one more expensive than two of these that was really out-dated and dark. Actually, our first day looking was really depressing because the houses looked so much worse in person than they did in photos. It made me realize how nice our old house is and thought maybe the prices here aren't as crazy as I thought. :) Renting with the dogs may be tough. There is one house for rent that says pets are okay and is renting month to month. It is not a nice house, but in the right school district for us to apply for the lottery schools. The owner is building two more houses on the lot and we would hear construction noise. Doesn't sound too fun. I'm not sure about HOAs, I know #4 is on a cul-de-sac with three other houses and they will allow or not allow changes. That sounds a little scary because I feel we would at least need to put a fence around the "pond" for safety and liability reasons. But what if they don't approve of having a fence? I would actually prefer to just have the house and the medium backyard and not all the dry grass/drainage pond near the road. The house with the transmission lines - it is really close unfortunately. Maybe 50 or 100 feet? I'm not a good judge of distance. Heating, taxes, etc. - yes. We will have to find out what those would be. I know #1 has a kind of siding that needs to be repainted every few years. :( KungFuPanda, you are right. I do NOT want to clean a big house. I think that is an advantage of our current house. I can plug in the vacuum once and vacuum almost half the house! I clean the bathroom floors by hand because they are so small. :) Dh really wants a bigger house. I would be happy with a smaller house with enough land for privacy, play and gardens. The wheelchair issue has crossed my mind. Our youngest has issues that effect her mobility. When we adopt again, our fourth child may have a physical need like that as well. House #2 has everything important on the level you walk in on - kitchen, living, master bedroom, and an office that could be a bedroom if needed. The other bedrooms are downstairs. House #4 has one room downstairs that has a sliding door to the outside, however getting upstairs would be an issue. #3 would be okay with the one bedroom downstairs. Yikes! Well, I guess part of the problem is that the houses we are seeing are the houses that have been for sale for awhile. Except for house 1, they have all been listed for a few weeks to a few months. It may be that the kind of house we are looking for is the kind you have to pounce on within a few days of listing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimom Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Photogal, I didn't really read closely, but what did pop out at me was the school with 28% Asian population. My daughters are also adopted from China and one experienced issues at her previous school due to being a minority (99% white). I would have loved to have found a school with more diversity, especially where she had a large Asian population. Also, knowing that many adoptions from China are now through the waiting child program, and one of our own daughters has a physical disability, consider what KungFuPanda has to say. Even if a future child does not need the house to be accessible, we have had friends appreciate that our main level is accessible, it was a tremendous help when one family member shattered their leg, and we planned on living here until the end so it will work for us at all stages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 Zimom, you are completely right. If we could pick, we would choose that school district. It is almost impossible to find a house on one level in that area - they all have stairs. The kids love the stairs (even our youngest, who needs help getting up and down them) but they aren't ideal. We don't know what special need our fourth child will have, but a wheelchair is not out of the picture. If we found a house in the school district that was a ranch, big enough to make it easy to get around (that is one reason we are moving - our bathrooms are way too small if we ever have someone in a wheelchair here), a good sized yard... Keep fingers crossed for us! It is a tough search, since the vast majority of houses in the school district are cookie-cutters with stairs on tiny lots (and more of these will be built as time goes on!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 If you don't see something you really like, I might consider the rental if they allow dogs and it is month by month. Even if you are only there a few months the PERFECT house might come up and you could then put in a very strong offer and be ready to move on it right away. We were ousted by a highway project---along with about 20 other families in our rural township and it was TOUGH finding what we wanted. We needed 5+ acres so we could keep our horses and chickens. We also wanted handicapped friendly as my mother is in a power wheelchair full time and my FIL (since passed away) had a walker. We also had the issue of other families looking for the same thing at the same time. We saw many that we could have made work and we even put in a very strong offer on one house but the lady turned us down hoping for a bidding war with another family who was also ousted (lady lost out though as they had found another house and we had agreed before hand NOT to go into a bidding war with friends). I was getting really discouraged when I checked Realtor.com, etc. at 6am one morning. There was a new listing for a 3 bedroom home (we really needed 4 so we could do foster care) but it had 5 acres and the price was in our range. I called the realtor at 8am. She got us a showing at 11am, we put in an offer by noon, and it was accepted by 1pm. It helped that we could make a cash, no contingency offer on the house (other than passing inspections). Ended up the home had JUST hit the listings overnight and it wasn't even accurate. It did have 3 bedrooms but had an office that could be a bedroom and it had 1 more bathroom than was listed. With portable ramps it is handicap accessible and in the future if needed we could easily build a ramp and enlarge the mainfloor bath to be fully accessible. All of that to say, check the listings daily and be ready to move when the right one comes along..........at least we were only moving 2 1/2 miles down the road, not to a different state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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