So for the last three years of my life, I constantly find myself on Trulia looking at homes and wishing that I could get a few of them, but that never happens because in a couple of weeks or even days they are off the market. Does that mean that they will never reappear? No, it just means that hopefully the person that bought them decides that they want to move somewhere else and I can end up buying it. So if it comes back on the market in three years, don't be surprise to see that I may be the new owner.
The one thing that I've learned about buying big purchases, like cars, is that it is good to think on it. Unlike a car, a house may not be available the next day. If you are thinking about buying it, trust and believe that there is someone else out there thinking the same thing. That doesn't mean to try to rush and get it before someone else does because you may end up looking sad in the end when you find out that the layout or some of the problems it has does not work for you AFTER you bought it.
To sum everything up, look around and explore what's out there before you decide to buy to make sure you know what you want and to understand how much you can and can not get for your money.
Here are a few homes that I went by to look at:
HOUSE #1 (My Somewhat of a Dream Home):
I would show you all the link, but i'll keep this one to myself *evil laugh*. I will tell you it's a 3 bed 2.5 bath and 1514 sq. ft. Here's what I would do with the exterior
Front:
Repaint house and shutters to give it a refreshed look
Cut down trees in the front yard
Redo fix and paint to match shutters
Plant some flowers
Change front door to clear glass and repaint
Back:
Refinish deck
Redo deck covering to go all the wall across
Plant flowers and shrubs
I'm sure I would do a lot more, but that comes with actually staying there and getting an idea what is needed for you to enjoy the space better.
What made me fall in love with this house is the front porch and the architecture. The inside is an entirely different story. Just know there would have to be a lot done. Painting, pulling up carpet, a DIYer dream. And i'm sure you would like to know how it looks:
I didn't even show you the worst parts. Two hot pink rooms and the 1/2 bath has red walls. Nothing that paint can not fix but I would paint each and every room probably within the first month there if not the second. I would have said the first week but that would have been too much work to do by myself.
For the bathroom I would replace the counter top or get an entirely new vanity and re-glaze the tub surround to be white like Jenna Sue did here:
For the kitchen I would probably get rid of everything and tear down some walls to make it more open to the family room, but I would have gotten a better idea of what to do if I actually went inside or even saw a floor plan of the house.
Time to move on...
HOUSE #2:
This was listed at $112,900 before it got sold. My heart was crushed. It was updated with new hardwood/laminate floors, granite counter tops, pretty much everything redone from top to bottom.
The only things I didn't like about this house is that the cabinets weren't new. There was some water damage since all they did was reface them. The house was a 3 bed, 1.5 bath. and the half bath was in the "master" which was small.
Those were the only things that I didn't like. Everything else I loved but I do know that when a house is updated you sometimes get blinded in the updates and not what's wrong. I'm happy that after looking at all the design shows I am able to see not just all the beauty in the home but also what is wrong.
This was the first house I ever went in to actually see and boy was it a treat! I think I would love to go into different homes each week that are for sale and tell you what I thought about them. Can I get paid for that??
I wish I had pictures of the inside, but that did not happen so you are only left with the imagination of how it looks.
Be on the look out for Part 2 coming soon! I think I will start doing these more often just because it makes me happy! Does it do the same for you?
Labels: Inside Homes, Let's Buy It
