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mollyringleThe house-hunting has begun.
Gracious.
Okay. At the start of these things, you do see the good, the bad, and the ugly, and it's all a learning experience. Is it ever. Behold! In the city of Seattle you can get a 1,700-sq-ft vintage house (built in, say, 1909), which only needs new floors, new windows, a new foundation, a new roof, new paint, new appliances; what the heck, new wiring and plumbing too; new landscaping unless you like weeds; a full clean-and-disinfect to banish that gag-inducing smell permeating the place; oh, and I'd budget for an exorcism too, just in case--the "unfinished" basement with the dusty bathtub and overturned mildewy mattress in the dark corner does have a certain negative aura--yes, my friends, all this can be yours for the low, low price of $279,950!
Only the people from NYC and the S.F. Bay Area didn't blink at that number, I'm guessing.
There have been perfectly charming houses too. They've just tended to be rather tiny, in our most-desired neighborhoods. Fortunately, there are better places with enough room out there, in our price range. We just have to decide whether we want to live in a much farther-distant neighborhood. Got to say, though, West Seattle is looking good right now, longer commute be damned. Saw a couple desirable things there for only around $250,000. Which is still a freaking humongous sum of money, but at least it doesn't go into a black hole where you'll never see it again, like rent money does. The mystical forces of Appreciation are strong at work in a city like this one (brains, beauty, jobs--Seattle has it all; thus the prices, I guess); and since we're not banking the whole economy on Microsoft or Boeing alone anymore, it ought to stay that way for quite some time to come.
But, jeez. Stressful little process, this. Reminder to self: it gets better with every outing. We learn more every time. We get better at eliminating properties without having to see them. The right house is out there. And no one will force us to keep that pink-and-orange contact paper in the kitchen cupboards.
Gracious.
Okay. At the start of these things, you do see the good, the bad, and the ugly, and it's all a learning experience. Is it ever. Behold! In the city of Seattle you can get a 1,700-sq-ft vintage house (built in, say, 1909), which only needs new floors, new windows, a new foundation, a new roof, new paint, new appliances; what the heck, new wiring and plumbing too; new landscaping unless you like weeds; a full clean-and-disinfect to banish that gag-inducing smell permeating the place; oh, and I'd budget for an exorcism too, just in case--the "unfinished" basement with the dusty bathtub and overturned mildewy mattress in the dark corner does have a certain negative aura--yes, my friends, all this can be yours for the low, low price of $279,950!
Only the people from NYC and the S.F. Bay Area didn't blink at that number, I'm guessing.
There have been perfectly charming houses too. They've just tended to be rather tiny, in our most-desired neighborhoods. Fortunately, there are better places with enough room out there, in our price range. We just have to decide whether we want to live in a much farther-distant neighborhood. Got to say, though, West Seattle is looking good right now, longer commute be damned. Saw a couple desirable things there for only around $250,000. Which is still a freaking humongous sum of money, but at least it doesn't go into a black hole where you'll never see it again, like rent money does. The mystical forces of Appreciation are strong at work in a city like this one (brains, beauty, jobs--Seattle has it all; thus the prices, I guess); and since we're not banking the whole economy on Microsoft or Boeing alone anymore, it ought to stay that way for quite some time to come.
But, jeez. Stressful little process, this. Reminder to self: it gets better with every outing. We learn more every time. We get better at eliminating properties without having to see them. The right house is out there. And no one will force us to keep that pink-and-orange contact paper in the kitchen cupboards.
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Date: 2004-10-18 05:30 am (UTC)okee.. relurking now. just wanted to drop a warning.
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Date: 2004-10-18 06:21 am (UTC)BTW, glad to see you posting again. You have been missed, dearie. :-)
xo <3
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Date: 2004-10-18 07:14 am (UTC)::snort::
Yeah, those turn-of-the-century houses do have that, um, vibe, don't they? :-)
Good luck in your continued search. And trust me, find one with decent wiring. I'll tell you someday about the time my fusebox EXPLODED while I happened to be standing next to it...
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Date: 2004-10-18 10:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-18 10:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-18 10:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-18 04:03 pm (UTC)Basically, a three bedroom, 1.5 bath raised ranch with an attached garage on .5 or less of an acre around here is worth *at least* $300,000+. Also, for that pricetag, you can expect to do about $10-20K worth of "TLC" to it upon moving in. Move in condition houses with an acre+ are in the neighborhood of a half million dollars around here. Shit, there is a brandy new condo-community up the hill from me that goes for a half million *plus* monthly maintenance fees per unit. Needless to say, we can't afford to buy here, not even in our wildest dreams.
We're looking into buying land and building in NH...
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Date: 2004-10-18 04:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-18 05:40 pm (UTC)Yeah--heh, according to the junk faxes we get at work, I could be paying as low as 1% interest on my mortgage!...and then getting screwed over in later months. We've only gone to folks who have been recommended to us by trustworthy people, and so far the three different lenders have come in with about the same numbers, so chances are they're reputable. I've been learning more about prepayment penalties, lifetime interest rate caps, and adjustable rate mortgages than I ever wanted to know. :)
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Date: 2004-10-18 05:41 pm (UTC)Hasn't seemed like such a long hiatus - well, only a week technically - but time does fly when you're ridiculously busy. :)
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Date: 2004-10-18 05:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-18 05:43 pm (UTC)I imagine the London vicinity is the most expensive? Seemed like anything in London always cost a bit more than it would elsewhere.
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Date: 2004-10-18 05:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-18 05:45 pm (UTC)Apparently the average first-time house buyer only stays in their house about five years. Maybe it was three, even. I don't like moving, so I'm hoping for more like five. Ideally by then we can turn a good profit on that first house. (And spend even more on the second...ah, what a vicious cycle.)
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Date: 2004-10-18 05:47 pm (UTC)Good luck finding something, wherever you end up!
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Date: 2004-10-18 05:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-18 10:23 pm (UTC)4 beds, 2 receptions, 45' garden... £599K.
3 bed semi detached, £455K
2 bed Grade II listed apartment, £290K
And in case you were thinking "well, those are all period properties", this ugly 2 bed flat costs £185K.
Absolutely ludicrous, and it's why I don't intend to settle in London. How anyone buys anything is beyond me!
Apparently this is a really good time for British investment in property abroad, however!
new here
Date: 2004-10-18 11:40 pm (UTC)anyway, i will no longer pity myself for living northwest of D.C. and seeing new townhouses go up starting around a half mil. nice to see i'm not the only place that's overpriced. good luck!
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Date: 2004-10-19 03:09 am (UTC)But yes. Given the exchange rate, fabulous time for you Brits to invest in some American properties, though not vice-versa. ;)
Re: new here
Date: 2004-10-19 03:16 am (UTC)Anyway, welcome, and good luck to you as well in finding affordable decent housing someday. :)
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Date: 2004-10-19 11:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-21 03:38 pm (UTC)