New adventures
Jul 8th 2022 | 9:41 am
#166
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 79,359
From: East Seaxe
Re: New adventures
Sad day. The inspection was not good and we decided today to terminate our offer.
First of all the roof needed replacing but also there was damage to the structure of the roof due to on going water damage. It was sagging. The attic had water damage, there was termite damage. The a/c and the water heater did not work. There was a leak in the ensuite shower that had caused damage through the closet behind it and the basement had the start of structural damage. So basically it would be a money pit and a lot of work..and we are too old for that much work!
So back to the drawing board. We are off to view four more tomorrow and hopefully find something else we like
I have to say we were really impressed with the inspector. I have worked with home inspectors in Texas and i know their inspections and reports are no way as detailed and as thorough as the one we had. He explained everything in great detail and his report, 62 pages, was easy to read and understand.
Sorry to hear this. I'm sure you'll find something better.
Jul 8th 2022 | 12:54 pm
#169
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Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 2,565
Re: New adventures
Hope that the right house comes along soon. Maybe see if the realtor has some that will be coming onto the market soon, so you get a heads up, and they know what you're looking for.
I just saw this house for real, on the day we moved in. After two house hunting trips, the realtor sent me the details, which I liked the look of, on the day I flew back, so DH had to do a quick viewing. Ours wasn't the highest offer, but the owners liked the reason we wanted to move there, and our realtor put in a good word with their realtor, and the rest is history.
I just saw this house for real, on the day we moved in. After two house hunting trips, the realtor sent me the details, which I liked the look of, on the day I flew back, so DH had to do a quick viewing. Ours wasn't the highest offer, but the owners liked the reason we wanted to move there, and our realtor put in a good word with their realtor, and the rest is history.
I am very glad we didn’t rush into the first house we were interested in when we moved to NJ. We rented instead. I hated it, but stuck it out. 15 mths in I just happened to drive past a new construction…called the builder and hey ho we lived in that house for almost 18 years. Take your time, until the right one comes along. Buy/selling/moving in the US is too expensive to make a mistake. Plus there is a good chance prices will drop due to a recession.
But you know all this…
Good luck.
But you know all this…
Good luck.
Currently, building supplies of all sorts are in short supply (the infamous 'supply chain' issues), making many DIY projects a nightmare. I had some 'roller blinds' installed at my home. I placed the order in August 2021; they finally got all the parts in Feb 2022. I needed a new microwave installed in my kitchen; when I called the store to find out what they had in stock, they laughed, suggesting most of them were 'on a boat somewhere in the Pacific' - and when they do arrive, they are back-ordered 6 months. I saw this amusing article a few months ago - https://thehustle.co/03022022-garage-door-shortage/ - Garage doors in short supply. It's one thing to work on a 'fun project' in the garden, but when it's your main living room or bathroom or kitchen, or whatever, it can be a real pain having extended wait times.
I'm sitting tight on the proceeds from my home sale in March. in May/June, places around me in CA were going for 200k over asking. Suddenly, I'm seeing 'Reduced $110,000' indicators on the website. I'm hoping for a housing recession, but not a general recession ... my retirement is all tied up in the stock market 
. Not that what I want / hope for will have any bearing whatsoever ...
. Not that what I want / hope for will have any bearing whatsoever ...If not I need to go back to Essex
So this will not be a fixer upper. It is a move in with no major changes needed although knowing M that will change
He will have a large area for a workshop so he is excited about . And it is just up a very steep hill from our daughter's house. In fact from the road we can see her backyard. This is the reason we heard about it, from another neighbor!The house was last purchased in 2008 and was completely updated in 2016 and some additions in 2020. There are disclosures on all the remodeling. So fingers crossed that this time it all works out. I love my daughter, son in law and grandkids but we just feel in limbo right now. I'm ready to have our own home again.
Knees.
Jul 9th 2022 | 1:12 pm
#173
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Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 2,565
Re: New adventures
Just a question for all who live in houses with basements.
How much do you use them? Do you use them for storage/ laundry room or do you use them as extra living space?
This is a whole new concept for us as basements in Texas are pretty much unheard of. The house we are trying to buy has a very well decked out basement area with a full bathroom, a closed off laundry area and a big storage area. Also a living area, and it has been done out very nicely! I was quite surprised.
And I guess some of you have heard about the Pittsburgh Potties
We viewed a couple of houses with the lone "pottie" just sitting in the basement. Very strange
How much do you use them? Do you use them for storage/ laundry room or do you use them as extra living space?
This is a whole new concept for us as basements in Texas are pretty much unheard of. The house we are trying to buy has a very well decked out basement area with a full bathroom, a closed off laundry area and a big storage area. Also a living area, and it has been done out very nicely! I was quite surprised.
And I guess some of you have heard about the Pittsburgh Potties
We viewed a couple of houses with the lone "pottie" just sitting in the basement. Very strange
Jul 9th 2022 | 1:40 pm
#174
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Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,519
From: Near Lynchburg Tennessee, home of Jack Daniels
Re: New adventures
A basement done correctly is the best type of construction. It doubled your home space for a fraction of the upper house cost. It also makes plumbing and HVAC more visible and easier to work on. I have built two houses over past 25 years here in Tennessee. The first had a walkout basement with 1/2 finished and 1/2 shop space. On my present house after I built the walkout basement meaning one side is open to outside I simple added a roof and have no other upper house.
Not a good picture but shows house in carved out hillside with only a entry door on other open side.
Not a good picture but shows house in carved out hillside with only a entry door on other open side.
Jul 9th 2022 | 1:57 pm
#175
NM, not new, not Mexico!
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 3,579
From: Socorro, NM
Re: New adventures
Our basement is half garage, half fully finished living space of which half is my sewing area and the other half (with toilet and hand basin behind a door in the understairs area) is our bedroom - it is consistently cool and dark, and also put our private space away from our teenagers when we settled here. We have stairs to the main floor and a door into the garage. If we hadn't had resident children when we moved in I would probably have taken over the whole space for my "stuff" 
One set of windows is a sideways slider, not a sash so could be used as egress in an emergency. Our laundry space is in the garage.
One set of windows is a sideways slider, not a sash so could be used as egress in an emergency. Our laundry space is in the garage.
Last edited by lizzyq; Jul 9th 2022 at 2:02 pm.
Jul 10th 2022 | 12:35 am
#176
Oscar nominated
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 55,309
From: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Re: New adventures
We use it for some storage and an additional chest freezer.
When we were house hunting we saw a house with an unfinished basement that was workshop, laundry area (much like the duplex I used o own) and just a shower cubicle. It must have been freezing stepping out in the winter
Basements are very common here, finished or not. But they're not so dark and dingy, as the main or 'ground' floors are actually above normal ground level, meaning basement windows are (partly) above ground level. I've always assumed that houses here have steps up to the front doors because of the snow. Less likely to be buried in
Jul 10th 2022 | 4:05 am
#177
NM, not new, not Mexico!
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 3,579
From: Socorro, NM
Re: New adventures
Our basement also has natural gas heated hydronic baseboard heating just like the rest of the house, so it would appear to have been designed as part of the living space from the get go.
Jul 11th 2022 | 1:11 pm
#178
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Posts: 2,565
Re: New adventures
Jul 11th 2022 | 2:22 pm
#179
Deep in the woods of CT
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 7,509
