For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Just a couple of updates from last year:

We finally got all the local government paper work done to vacate our interior plot lines and make our lot "whole." An interior plot line had prevented us from having a deck put in last year since they denied the permit due to being too close to a lot line.

$500 and half a year later and its now one whole lot.

Whenever we move to another house having that type of survey done beforehand will be part of the process. Its the little things you don't think/know about.

With that done we should be getting a deck by the end of February.

We're also trying to get hold of an HVAC/electrician who can install a fan and vent in our bathroom since it is currently without one.

Last year we focused on sprucing up the front yard. I put in roses along our walk and put in pea gravel in all the flower beds to combat the neighbor cats from treating them like litter boxes.

This year I hope to get the backyard looking nice. Putting the deck in will help. We got a hammock for Christmas so I want to make a small area for that as well as start reseeding the yard and pulling up all this damn wire-grass that is creating so much havoc.

[RockinDaMike]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Anyone have a wooden deck? What is the best way to maintain it? The resort is built with a lot of wood and it such a bitch to maintain. Almost have revarnish everything every 3-4 months.

[XxKnicksRules215xX]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

About to buy my first home, using VA home loan and closing march 30.

[m1ke_nyc]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Me and my wife are under contract for our first home. Inspection tomorrow. Hopefully it goes well. The seller put some money into the home as everything inside is new. New carpet, new hardwood floors, new paint, new appliances, new cabinets etc. Here's to hoping everything is good structurally.

[m1ke_nyc]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

So we ended up backing out of the first home and going under contract for another. It's $12k cheaper. In a better neighborhood. Had the inspection today and it went great. No major issues structurally. Inspector recommend we pressure wash the outside of the house, and paint over some chipped paint and gaps. Water heater was purchased in 2016, AC unit and furnace purchased in 2014. He says we should be good to go for awhile assuming they don't have any premature issues. Roof had no damage, says it looks to have recently been worked on. Owners installed some type of metal guards to keep pests/rodents out. The owners have kept the inside in great shape. Think me and my wife found a winner. We are scheduled to close April 14th so just counting down the days.

[mgoblue]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Question for people here....

Got our house almost 5 years ago, but realize now that a community pool (instead of ours) and less yard to maintain would be better. To go with adding a bedroom and loft/living space.

Is it pretty simple to get a new house contingent on selling our current one? We'll have a bit of tax money that'll probably help with repairs, but most of our down payment would probably come from our current house (we put 20k down on a 220k house, but prices have gone up and we have added equity).

Just wondering how it'd all work...we'll be finding a realtor and talking to a mortgage person, but figured I'd see here too. Really hoping it's something that can be easy. I love owning a home, but the house doesn't fit us that well now that we have 3 kids. 4 bedrooms would give me a guest room/office, and tempted to let it be a media room too possibly.

[Stu]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Is it pretty simple to get a new house contingent on selling our current one?

I think it depends on your market. Where I live an offer with a sales contingency wouldn't even be considered because sellers are getting so many offers there's no reason for them to accept one with a contingency.

We sold our house first and stayed with my in laws for 2 months.

[DJ]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Question for people here....

Got our house almost 5 years ago, but realize now that a community pool (instead of ours) and less yard to maintain would be better. To go with adding a bedroom and loft/living space.

Is it pretty simple to get a new house contingent on selling our current one? We'll have a bit of tax money that'll probably help with repairs, but most of our down payment would probably come from our current house (we put 20k down on a 220k house, but prices have gone up and we have added equity).

Just wondering how it'd all work...we'll be finding a realtor and talking to a mortgage person, but figured I'd see here too. Really hoping it's something that can be easy. I love owning a home, but the house doesn't fit us that well now that we have 3 kids. 4 bedrooms would give me a guest room/office, and tempted to let it be a media room too possibly.

You shouldn't run into many issues. Our neighbor recently moved and did what you described when she bought/sold her home(s).

[mgoblue]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

I think it depends on your market. Where I live an offer with a sales contingency wouldn't even be considered because sellers are getting so many offers there's no reason for them to accept one with a contingency.

We sold our house first and stayed with my in laws for 2 months.

You shouldn't run into many issues. Our neighbor recently moved and did what you described when she bought/sold her home(s).

Thanks guys...i think I should be ok, but we'll see. we'll be looking into fixing up what has to get fixed, but houses in our neighborhood tend to sell fast. Seems like we'll have a good shot. There's enough houses in the area we want (my wife lives on realtor and zillow lol) so I think we'd be able to find somewhere that'll let us do it.

[Scott]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

Question for people here....

Got our house almost 5 years ago, but realize now that a community pool (instead of ours) and less yard to maintain would be better. To go with adding a bedroom and loft/living space.

Is it pretty simple to get a new house contingent on selling our current one? We'll have a bit of tax money that'll probably help with repairs, but most of our down payment would probably come from our current house (we put 20k down on a 220k house, but prices have gone up and we have added equity).

Just wondering how it'd all work...we'll be finding a realtor and talking to a mortgage person, but figured I'd see here too. Really hoping it's something that can be easy. I love owning a home, but the house doesn't fit us that well now that we have 3 kids. 4 bedrooms would give me a guest room/office, and tempted to let it be a media room too possibly.

As someone who has a media room, do it.

[mgoblue]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

As someone who has a media room, do it.

Yeah, i need a guest room/office for sure...Not going to pour tons of cash into it or something, but as long as there's a tv there, i could probably just eventually upgrade to a Xbox One S or Scorpio and move another into that room...or use my PC to easily stream from another xbox.

My MIL uses the guest room more, but if she moves back to our area then it'll more be a office (I work from home 2-3 days a week currently). I'll have to figure out a good way to make it work.

[m1ke_nyc]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

We just got our clear to close today. We are scheduled to close April 14th, but we're trying to get the seller to agree to close sooner, hopefully this weekend.

[rspencer86]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

We just got our clear to close today. We are scheduled to close April 14th, but we're trying to get the seller to agree to close sooner, hopefully this weekend.

Congrats man. My wife and I are closing on April 20. I've got a lot to learn about maintaining a home and just reading through this thread has been pretty helpful.

[DJ]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

We just got our clear to close today. We are scheduled to close April 14th, but we're trying to get the seller to agree to close sooner, hopefully this weekend.

Congrats man. My wife and I are closing on April 20. I've got a lot to learn about maintaining a home and just reading through this thread has been pretty helpful.

Congrats, guys!

Next Wednesday will mark the 1-year anniversary of our moving into our home in AZ. Still loving it and we're getting ready to make some additions to our outdoor pool area.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: For all of you guys who are homeowners or newly owned

We have a deck AND an outdoor light now!

Moving on up, fellas. I won't be grilling in mulch anymore.