Opinion on this home, please

[SarahFair]

We are on the hunt for a new home.

Kind of butting heads with the significant other on older home vs newer.

Currently we are in a home that was built in 2002 and have lived here since 2006 or 7.
We've had nothing but problems with this home. Faulty electrical work, faulty plumbing, corners cut/sloppy on sheet rock, gutters, porches, etc..


The SO fears buying an older home will be nothing but another set of problems.
...but as proven newer homes can have their set of problems as well.

The house Im linking is down the street of another older home I really liked. I bugged and bugged him to go see it but he dug his heels in.
It sold, but they did have an estate sale so I got to view it anyways, just to see what I was missing.
Part of me was sad, but another was okay with it because there were some oddities about it. Like in a hallway the floor awkwardly bowed down, I'm guessing from years of settlement. There was also settlement cracks on some walls that raised an eye brow.

I'm kind of glad the SO didn't see it because I didn't want to scare him off from older homes..

Anyways, this house is on the market and has been for a year, with no price change.

Looking through the pictures I personally don't see any quirks, but not having lived in an older house (yet) I don't know what to look for.
Does anyone see anything in the pictures that would make you say, "pass"?

Does anyone know what style of home this is and what kind of "hurdles"might come with it?
I'm curious as to why there are no pictures of the bathrooms..

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhom ... 80#photo11

Opinions are appreciated

[phil]

it's lost most of it's nice original features. . trim is all painted white. has it got vinyl siding or something ? Ugh! they sure went overboard with the white paint. the glassed in portion isn't in keeping with any style the house had. I'd pass because its a lot of work to restore all of that but if it appeals to you maybe it's a step between a new home and something with heritage. To me it looks like a flipper prettied it up with no reguards to keeping it's heritage aspects and that's a bad sign. I'd check how long the last owner had it. Has plumbing and electrical and water/sewer been done? is the electrical panel new or did they just put new outlets on the boxes and leave the old electrical system intact? ? I'd be scared they covered up a lot of other things but the pictures don't reveal the mechanical aspects very well. new paint sells but what's underneath? how is the foundation? any water issues? any musky smells that indicate rot? is it insulated?

I strongly believe it isn't a good idea to buy an older home if you aren't both truly committed to the idea of doing reno projects together or hiring contractors to do the work for you. . It really is necessary otherwise you might buy it, realize it needs a lot more than you saw on the surface and that kind of pressure might get between you two. You might find one that's had a lot of work already done. consulting with a good inspector would be beneficial just be wary because like all trades there are some who can talk and some who really know their stuff. You need to really look at the nuts and bolts not just the surface and I just get the impression it's all been done to flip it and make money.
I can't comment on the price, Homes here are so much higher that it's like comparing apples to oranges.

[Kansas.1911]

I agree with Phil. I'd pass on this also. Assume that the bathrooms are in need of everything--wiring, plumbing, fixtures, floor. All that paint-covered woodwork would be a turn-off. If nobody lived in it for a year, other "critters" might have moved in. We have battled bats, termites, birds (inside!) and pigeons. Our house was empty for only three months.

[SarahFair]

Someone lives in it currently.
I think it may be a relative or a tenant. Whom ever owns it lives out of state. I looked them up and there is an obituary for a lady with the same name, maybe she just got old and moved in with family..
Im thinking shes owned it for awhile because the online tax records dont even show whom she bought it from.
The last remodel date Ive seen online for it (zillow, maybe?) was for the 1980s. I understand that comes with its own set of problems.
Can I go to the county and look up remodel records?
I know its on sewer vs septic.


I dont so much mind the white paint. I know its not original and getting it back to original would be near impossible, but it is something I can live with.
The siding is vinyl. It was on the house up the street I was interested in as well.
When I was over looking the other house I noticed the original wood siding was still on the house, under they vinyl, maybe the same case with this one, I just fear there might be rot there


A good inspector will be used. Someone has told me of a local man who has some kind of camera that can see inside the walls. We know builders and electricians who could come give it a good look over if its something we are seriously considering, no plumbers in our circle though, just some family who installs industrial fire sprinklers

As far as remodel work goes, I can do a lot of stuff myself, I just have no passion for the house we live in now. Its cookie-cutter dull.
The SO will help, its just not his cup of tea. If its out of his wheel-house I have a BIL who is a mastermind at building anything that I can cook for in trade of work


We should be coming out with a good bit of equity in our current house, even after a down payment..
And if I can get them to come down around 20% (hey, I can dream ) there should be a good nest egg for work that needs contracting out.

As an estimate, what would a bathroom cost to remodel in older homes? Not talking on the super high end we need marble everything, just a nice regular, lets fix the plumbing and put a new sink, toilet, shower, and possibly flooring in..
What about a kitchen? ...again, fixing the plumbing, counter tops, maaaybe keeping the cabinets, and fixing that floor.


When you say the "glassed in area" are you referring to what they are calling a green house?
I know it doesnt really "go" with the house, but its in the back yard and cant be seen from the street.
Its actually a plus for me because I do love to garden. The detached garage a bonus as well even though it does not go with the era of the house. I restore vintage and antique furniture and having a place to work is a must for me.

[Sara]

I actually think there's a lot to like here. Don't let the purists scare you off. The outside is kind of on the bland side but if you like it go for it.

I agree, the things to be wary of that will eat your budget are plumbing, structural, and electrical. Get a plumber in that can scope the main line and take a look at everything else. Get a good electrician in that will look at the box and check all of the wiring. Get someone in who knows century homes to take a look at the structure and foundation.

I think the greenhouse is quaint enough. And if you can't see it from the road - even better.

[Sara]

I forgot to say.. I don't hate the white paint. I would never paint my own trimwork but if someone else had done it before me that might be kind of liberating. The 'private' sections of my own house always had the painted woodwork.

[Sara]

Looking it up on Zillow.. the zestimate is only 123,000. And it looks like the 2015 tax assessment is only 30,320. Any idea why? That might scare me.

Also.. in the bird's eye view there seems to be a huge parking lot very close. If the location was less than ideal that might make me look elsewhere. You can never change a home's location.

[SarahFair]

Its off "main street" of historic downtown, so there are parking lots all over. The big parking lot you're seeing is probably the church the neighborhood sits behind.
The neighborhood also sits on the other side of the old Cotton mills that have been converted into antique malls (which is where my booth is conveniently located)


Idk much about the tax assessments around here, but they are always lower than what houses sell for.


The Zestimate of my house is around 20% higher than what it should sell for, so idk.

[phil]

it's lots to think about. If you don't mind the vinyl siding and painted trim and such then you would just have to look a bit deeper to see what other issues might cost a lot of money. If it's near a church parking lot that's nice because they won't be difficult to deal with and it's probably vacant a lot. I feel the same about graveyards.

You are into restoring furniture you know what it would take to get the paint off , not impossible there is just a lot of it. I'd suspect the crown moldings and such are just modern updates but you'd have to look closer. It's probably good to be aware of how much is original. as modern ones won't be fir they'd probably be pine or MDF

The greenhouse isn't a huge issue you could keep it or knock it down if it has huge issues.
as said location can't be changed and I'd look at the structure carefully. If it needs plumbing , electrical , new heater etc that can cost a lot and what's important there is that they dont' turn out to be surprises.
There is nothign wrong with buying on a main street you just have to take whatever tradeoffs you can live with but it will affect growth in value. Being near a historic neighborhood is nice. I bought mine on a super busy street but it was that or some twisted house with other issues that were in my price range. I liked the one I got but it needed so much, the plus was that it hadn't been reno'd to pieces.

the garage helps the value , they aren't cheap to build. the kitchen isn't bad it's just too white for my liking but paint is cheap so look beyond that you can always adjust the colors, that's easy. you don't know about the bathroom.

I'd advise to take a look at lots of houses. go see 20 at least just to get a feel for the price range and what you can get, then start looking more seriously. If the agent balks just find another. I look at them as the guy that has the keys , nothing else because they are in a conflict of interest to give you advice. a good realtor may still have lots of knowledge of the area etc. They are experts at talk but I think it's always best to draw conclusions on what you can get based on the ones you missed, what they sold for, not the listed values.

past renos may never have had a permit pulled, that's common. I'd just look for where they might have cut corners for resale. one of your contractor friends could probably try to spot areas where they went cheap. If you find many areas Whereere they did a crappy job and hid stuff I'd be very wary. I'd be looking at the trim and wanting to strip everything and that would make me nuts but
you are not me and if it appeals to you, then look more.

one stratagy I took in a hot market was to get an inspection and then make an offer with no subjects , that's dangerous if you aren't sure because you cant' back out but sometimes, particularly if the home has been almost sold and fallen through a few times the seller might take a lower price on a sure thing compared to a higher offer with subject to financing or inspection.

If you look at lots and find one you both really love than that time will really pale in comparison to the time you spend working on it so it's time well spent and you'll get lots of reno ideas and such from looking at all the others.

I bought my house with my wife. I loved the restoration work and looked at it as a way to grow a bit and maintain my job. She wanted renos and contractor$ and found it disappointing especially after 2 weeks and I had a sewer back up and a few other major issues with plumbing etc. I worked really hard for a couple years at it , and it was difficult because we got along we just wanted different lifestyles. We eventually decided to amicably separate and I dont' hold regrets other than I guess I'd sort of lost the window to have kids..Not her fault and such is life and my experiences will be different from yours I'm sure. It just sets off alarm bells when I hear of couples not really agreeing on such an important decision as it's a common cause of break-ups. It's very important that you both like it. That will go a long way when you need to cooperate through tough renos or invest more than you first thought and need to live on rice so to speak.
try not to let the roller coaster ride take a toll. make some lowball offers, after some time you'll just know which are a good deal and which are not, or what trade offs you are both wiling to make. No matter what your budget there will e trade offs.

if you get to the point where you are going to make a decision I'd recoment going there at about 11:00 on a friday night and just listening. You do not want a bunch of crazy party animal neighbors and stuff like that you might not even consider. If you are serious I wouldn't hesitate to go knock on the neighbors door and take some chocolate or somethign to bribe them. you never know what they might be able to tell you if you get on their good side.

Phil

[Texas_Ranger]

One thing that immediately jumped at me is the sloppy wiring(?) hanging on the floor, apparently coming out of a bookshelf built into a former doorway or something like that (#5, to the right of the fireplace).

Something you can look at yourself are the outlets. If they're 2-prong you can bet the electrical system hasn't been worked on for a LOOOOOONG time!