Help! They accepted my offer...

"Poor_Sh" (ar4x)
03/13/2019 at 20:43 • Filed to: None

Not car related so... pic for your time?

From a fun drive a few months ago.

Sort of freaking out. I’ve only been searching a few months, but I’ve been researching for years so I feel like I know enough to move forward. But, I only actually walked into 4 houses. Seems suspicious that I could find something I actually want to pay HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for that quickly, especially given what I’m looking for and my budget. I’m really nervous that having my first real commute could end up not being worth all the other benefits I’d be getting with this house. I’m really nervous my friends will never drive the extra time to come see me. And, I’m really nervous that all my math for all this time is somehow wrong and I’m not going to be able to afford to be even just comfortable. But I digress...

MY OFFER GOT ACCEPTED! I’m (probably) getting a house, with a yard, with a garage, with new utilities, a sun room, a new shed, etc etc etc. God I hope it’s a clean inspection. I have SO MUCH to do now before closing, and to move, and set up my new living situation. It’s overwhelming, but I can’t wait until I can do an oil change and bleed my brakes then walk inside and get a drink. I will have to slowly build up my garage (and my house furnishings) though so I don’t just go crazy.

Doesn’t look amazing in this picture given the season, but the inside is way better than it should be.

I had some questions, but damn my head is swimming and I can’t think of them. Maybe later lol what were your first houses like??

DISCUSSION (51)

Tristan > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 20:53

Congrats! You’ll live having your own place. I stalled on buying for years, but it ended up being awesome. I’m on my third house now, but it’s only been about 5 years since the first.

Kinja'd!!!

It was a 1,600 SF 3/2 on 1/4 acre. Bought it for $124,000 on preforeclosure in 2014. Sadly, I only lived in it for about 6 months because I decided suddenly I was done with the active duty military life. I rented it for a while and sold it last summer for $189,000. I do miss it and I wish I could have lived in it longer.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 20:53

We just got our first house, check my most recent post because I’m too lazy to link it here, we just got furniture today and now it definitely feels like home

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Tristan
03/13/2019 at 20:58

Garage....mmmmm

cbell04 > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 21:06

C ongrats! You don’t want a completely squeaky clean inspection hope that they hit them for a couple small things that you can tackle for much cheaper on your own and you’ll get to keep some of that money from the offer. A crap photo screen shot from zillow of our 1st

Kinja'd!!!

smobgirl > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 21:10

I’m still in my first house thanks to Denver’s crazy cost of living increases. 900ish square feet, 2 bed 1 bath with 2 closets and 12 outlets in the whole house. I do have a garage, but the door was walled off and it’s too tiny to use for much. Fits my bike collection and Christas decorations.

I just wish I had more storage space. Attic, basement, closets, something.

Brickman > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 21:12

If it’s the first time you ever moved, then it sucks. I always thought moving would be fun. Unpacking and thinking where to place stuff is fun.

I got a landscaping bug in me since me and my dad bought a new house almost a year ago . I planted juniper trees and working on a walkway for the front of the house. Previous owners just left the front door open to grass :|

Kiltedpadre > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 21:20

It won’t be my first house, but we’re moving this weekend. The search was significantly faster than I had expected and also much faster than my previous search. We only seriously looked for 6 weeks and didn’t even look at anything one of those because our showings were canceled due to massive snows.

Kinja'd!!!

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 21:23

Congrats and good luck! It'll be so awesome to have your own pad to Oppo from.

shop-teacher > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 21:25

Oh boy, you’ve done it now!

My wife and I bought our first, and so far only, house in June of 2010. It was a 4-bed 2-bath Craftsman style bungalow, with a detached 2-1/2 car garage. We’ve since remodeled the two small bedrooms on the second floor, into one big master suite. It still needs a lot of work, but we’re slowly chipping away at it.

The tough thing about being an auto enthusiast with a house, is most of our disposable income has to go into the house. At least it’s an investment. We’ll make a bunch of money on this place someday. We love the house though , as well as t he town and our neighborhood, so that won’t be for many years (probably).

Poor_Sh > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
03/13/2019 at 21:29

Samesies.

Poor_Sh > Kiltedpadre
03/13/2019 at 21:30

Looks like what I wanted. A garage with a bedroom attached lol

Poor_Sh > cbell04
03/13/2019 at 21:33

That sounds correct, but man do I not have time to do things for a while. It was really hard to find something basically turnkey in my budget while still having a garage. Oh and, more importantly, inside 20 miles away from work.

Poor_Sh > cbell04
03/13/2019 at 21:33

KINJA!!!

Poor_Sh > Brickman
03/13/2019 at 21:35

I’ve moved all my stuff a bunch of times but, I never had much. I mean I’ve been in a 1 bedroom apartment for 5 years so I don’t have a house of stuff, but I have a lot. I am finding it fun to imagine what I’ll do with all the rooms I don’t need lol

thefinalmonster > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 21:35

Congrats- it’s worth the trouble. Made the same move a few years ago and it feels so much better than renting. I actually own something that I will be able to sell. (And it’s still going up in value, at least in my area)

The trade offs...most of those don’t apply...except....you’re right, your friends will stop coming to see you because they are too lazy. I learned this fast.

But having the space to wash my car, like WHENEVER, is awesome.

And yes, you will be super busy with paperwork between now and closing. Piece of advice: in the mortgage process, be super accurate. Do not lie. Do not bend the truth. The bank will turn you inside out, and will look at EVERY detail of your finances. Stupid things like, two days prior to closing, they will ask for a fresh bank statement, and then ask you to explain why you spent X dollars at company XYZ. Or why your friend deposited $200 in your account. It’s insane. Keep a tight ship until closing.

wafflesnfalafel > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 21:37

fingers crossed - good move. Property ownership is the way to go. I have made more money sitting on my a$$ in my garage as my tiny little 1968 split level appreciated than in any other investment...

Poor_Sh > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute
03/13/2019 at 21:38

Might’ve seen it. I lurk a lot during work when something is taking my other computer functions away, but I can’t log in and post.

Poor_Sh > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
03/13/2019 at 21:38

Yeah, my dream is to get a project autocross/track car in under 5 years. But, I can only mostly find 1 car garages so I’ll have to finagle things a bit. Big driveway though!

Poor_Sh > wafflesnfalafel
03/13/2019 at 21:40

I actually wanted to rent a house for a year to pretend I was grown up, but the difference in price wasn’t significant enough that it made sense to hold off. Would be nice to have some equity though.

functionoverfashion > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 21:47

Congrats! I remember when we got a call that our offer was accepted, we pulled over and were just kind of stunned. We umm, still live in that house now. The only thing is, the location was so good, we ignored two of the things we said were mandatory. We had to add a bedroom which wasn’t hard, admittedly, but we still have yet to add a garage. In hindsight, of course, we should have done that before kids! Anyway, congrats. I hope it all goes well!

TheRealBicycleBuck > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 21:50

I’ve moved something like 18 times. Sometimes it was just across town, but I’ve made four moves to different states and probably 6 or so moves of 100+ miles. I can’t say it has ever been fun, but some were more tolerable than others.

The most significant new home was when my mom bought five acres of raw land, half wooded, half tall-grass prairie. The first time we visited, she handed me an axe and told me to make a path through the woods to where our new home would be. I was 11 years old. That place was amazing. I had to learn everything while getting us settled in : carpentry, plumbing, a little electrical, gardening, etc. It was hard, but it was worth it.

As an adult, I didn’t buy a home until after I got married. That was after we moved four times to two different states. We still own that home. It’s not our forever home, but it will do for a few more years, I hope.

Good luck getting through closing. Getting your first home definitely changes your perspective on things. I’m sure you’ll love it.

Poor_Sh > thefinalmonster
03/13/2019 at 21:53

Oh yeah I can’t wait to wash my car whenever and without quarters hehe

As to the mortgage, I’m already fully approved for one with all the bank stuff figured out. I mean, if there’s more last minute then that would suck too, but we’ll see. Mostly I’m just worried about going with the wrong company/rate/lender and leave thousands on the table. It’s not a great way to look at it, but still my monthly payment won’t change much even if my rate is .2% higher than the best possible rate. I do really like the current lender I’ve been talking to.

Poor_Sh > shop-teacher
03/13/2019 at 21:59

Yeah I made sure to do all the math so I was still able to at least keep up with my hobbies enough to be happy, maybe not ecstatic though lol I can do a few events a year probably easily but it will certainly depend on how much of a money pit this turns into.

2-1/2 car garage though! Swoon.

Poor_Sh > functionoverfashion
03/13/2019 at 22:04

Yeah I got my requirements I guess, but my like-to-haves would have come with a fire place, and a commute from a different direction. However, people who live near this house have somewhat quelled my fears, and I can get a gas fireplace eventually and be mostly satisfied.

Poor_Sh > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/13/2019 at 22:10

Wow that’s made some crazy stories I bet. I do wish I already knew more about maintaining a house, but I’m an engineer so I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t give it a good try. Mostly.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 22:15

The first step in learning how to maintain a house is buying a house to maintain. You’re well on your way, padawan.

Tekamul > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 22:30

Congrats! My first house looked an awful lot like that one. 940 sqft 3 br r anch.

I staid there 13 years, and did just about everything to it (wood floors, 400 sqft addition, landscaping, stone walkway, new windows). It was a really good fit until I had too many kids.

Poor_Sh > Tekamul
03/13/2019 at 22:37

Sounds like a good time. What did you do first?

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 22:38

Rip. Either way make sure to get an inspection done, they accepted our offer on another house but inspection showed that the roof and AC were fucked with various bother things, even termites when all looked good on the surface. Keep your eyes peeled for anything that might look off.

66P1800inpieces > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 22:41

Get the normal house inspection but if you can be there try to be there otherwise they might gloss over some things. If you have a friend who is a contractor or just really handy have them do the walk through with you and the inspector. Its a big investment and the showing agent will be fine with you opening things up and climbing in the attic. The Inspector might pop their head up but get in there, way in there, and check the roof sheathing for leaks or mold.

Also, it is super tempting, but unless you have the prior owners certified oil tank inspection and you call the company who made the certification to make sure it is valid, pay the extra $250 for the oil tank check. Even if the previous owner swears there was no oil. Some will just look for signs of an old oil pipe but those can be buried under Sheetrock so it is an unreliable indicator . As soon as you close you are on the hook. Friend of a friend had an oil tank and it was buried under the driveway. No access to it, I guess they put a driveway where there was none before. They had to dig up his driveway, and since it leaked, soil from under his neighbors foundation. I remember the bill was something around $75k..

Poor_Sh > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute
03/13/2019 at 22:43

Yup yup, gonna call some inspectors I got references for tomorrow.

Chariotoflove > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 23:03

Welcome to advanced adulting!

I built my first house. It’s a 2100 sq ft ranch in a cul de sac. I’m still living in it 18 years later.

cbell04 > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 23:05

Don’t don’t worry so much about the lender most mortgages get sold within a year of their original contract I’ve had three mortgages with three different companies and all of them have been bought by Wells Fargo. To be honest they’re not bad to deal with when it comes to loans so long as you pay them. Make sure you get good rates and all that fun stuff but don’t worry about from who so much. Also any pre-approval they send you with actual figures and quotes that they claim you shouldn’t show other lenders is only so the other lenders can’t beat it we literally get a loan quote then shop it 2 another then shop it to another then shop that one to another and save thousands of dollars because of it. Essentially none of them want to give you their bottom line so you kind of have to beat it out of them if they tell you don’t share this with other lenders immediately asked why and tell them are they afraid that other lenders would be able to do better? And follow with p erhaps you should do better now.

Poor_Sh > Chariotoflove
03/13/2019 at 23:18

That’s very impressive! I built a L ego house once, and I was very young. Not to brag.

Poor_Sh > cbell04
03/13/2019 at 23:25

I want to shop around, but I’m shy because I got a bit shoe-horned into the situation. The mortgage lender office is in conjunction with the realtor office, so they have a discount associated for using them and really good reviews. Having talked with them at the beginning and getting tons of help and questions answered, I’ve got a rapport with the lender. A nd though I told him I want to get some competing quotes that I’d let him beat/match, I’m having trouble with it. He admitted they will sell the mortgage, but they still support their clients as long as you want them to. Same to the realtors. They have great stories of being there for references for future help (plumbers, electricians, contractors, refinancing). So, I’m hoping that’s not all just bullshit lol

Chariotoflove > Poor_Sh
03/13/2019 at 23:43

No need to be modest. Those sets take a lot of work.

cbell04 > Poor_Sh
03/14/2019 at 00:17

Your first your first house is such a big deal do what makes you feel safe honestly a couple $1,000 over the course of a couple years is nothing just kind of bragging rights. We totally had the same experience for our first home very comforting bu t once we realized it’s just a business we got pretty Cutthroat for our second and third. Enjoy this moment. Think about it this way even in a worst-case scenario you will have a hard time not breaking even after about four or five years something you could never say if you were still renting! Owning is where it’s at! Best of luck one last piece of advice make sure that home inspection is thorough personally I am on site shadowing the inspector while it happens reading something on paper and seeing it in person I just two entirely different things for me. A good inspector wont care if you hang out. Beware of one stop shop loan/realtor/inspectors they are all in it together to close a deal. You want the same thing but make sure your protecting yourself and not just hearing what you want.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Poor_Sh
03/14/2019 at 00:47

The feels of that whole buying something so expensive with little time to decide. I had to move crazy fast on mine because houses sell so quickly in my market. We liked it, but it was almost a surprise when we moved in because we only spent maybe 15 minutes looking at it, then it was all this paperwork on something I felt like we barely saw...

Also, the cost of utilities and maintaining a house is higher than you realize until after you’re stuck. It’s frustrating.

Kiltedpadre > Poor_Sh
03/14/2019 at 06:15

There’s even a bathroom thrown in to sweeten the deal.

shop-teacher > Poor_Sh
03/14/2019 at 07:34

Houses have a way of messing up the best laid plans. Surprise, you need a new furnace! Stuff like that. You just have to stay on top of it.

XJDano > Poor_Sh
03/14/2019 at 08:32

I bought my first house early in 2008, right before the crash. I had a good job, but I over pai d for an outdated interior.

A in 2011 my wife got an idea to have her family move here, help us update the house as she was an interior designer. Bought a second house on a short sale for a good deal.

Family rentals aren’t a good idea ever.

I’m glad to have only one house now.

This is about as short as I could make it. The details are awful.

Enjoy the new to you house. It’s great when you can turn up the stereo or watch a movie. Also not having neighbor kids/ dog running around in the apartment above you.

Tekamul > Poor_Sh
03/14/2019 at 08:41

First was the landscaping , then walkway, then floors, then windows, then addition.

functionoverfashion > Poor_Sh
03/14/2019 at 09:14

We looked at several houses that were bigger, had garages, everything we wanted, for the same money, but... this house is at the end of a dead end road but 5 minutes from town and the highway, AND. Has a killer view.

Everything else can be changed, in theory at least.

Kinja'd!!!

Poor_Sh > functionoverfashion
03/14/2019 at 18:14

Well, DAYUM. First place I looked at had a great view, and a lot of potential, but I had to remind myself that a good view just isn’t a necessity when at the expense of my other criteria. Some day!

Poor_Sh > cbell04
03/14/2019 at 18:14

Thanks a ton!

Poor_Sh > Kiltedpadre
03/14/2019 at 18:16

Oh that’s nice!

Poor_Sh > Kiltedpadre
03/14/2019 at 18:16

Oh that’s nice!

Poor_Sh > Tekamul
03/14/2019 at 18:18

I’m thinking of a bush wall/screen to install in front of the fence line, but it might be a bit expensive to do early on. I also don’t want to spend too much time taking care of the place if I don’t have to. I want to mow the lawn and basically that’s it lol

Poor_Sh > 66P1800inpieces
03/14/2019 at 18:19

Yup yup, I do a ton of research for everything so I checked as much as I could about the inspectors I got referenced. They have good reviews, long and thorough example reports, and I’ll be there the whole time.

Poor_Sh > XJDano
03/14/2019 at 18:20

I can hear my neighbors from my living room while watching TV. I can hear other neighbors while I’m trying to sleep... they’re just talking at normal volume. I’m done with this life. But, I’m still super nervous.

Poor_Sh > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
03/14/2019 at 18:23

I’ve been SUPER conservative with all my math to make sure I can afford everything. And while I’m sure I can withstand a few significant fixes, it would be really depressing if I can’t afford my hobbies too some year.