Housing/real estate

[bradfordwhite]

I remember looking at new home developemnts in Orlands. They would have tract homes that were nothing special, and on standard sized lots, 2 car garage but
have 6 to 8 decent sized bedrooms that were attached to a bathroom.
They'd have just one kitchen and one living room.

I realized these are not what most would consider a luxury estate home. These are like for Air BNB or similiar where they are renting out the rooms. Probably to the low paid employees at Disney and Univ. Theme parks.

----

Even if Calif. relaxed their overly restrictive building laws, it would be UNlikely to see a lot of needed new homes because of the lack of water.

I mean one could easily build out toward the central valley or Palm Springs but.... where's the water coming from, or NOT coming from.

Under natural circumstance L.A. can only support about 1/2 million people wit the water that is/was there. If it weren't for shipping water in, there's no way L.A. could exist the way it does. But the Colorado river is increasingly under performing and other sources are tapped out.

If California could build it would help cut prices, but that's not going to happen without some significant changes.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I live in the center part of Florida. Not in the Orlando area, or along any of the coasts. I think if I lived in those areas I wouldn't even be considering the thought of being able to buy a house. LOL

Mainly I am looking for a 2 bed 2 bath or 3 bed 2 bath house with a two car garage on a semi private lot. There are houses like that on the market here for around $150k.

Many homes in that price range in this area mean you are looking at homes built in the 1970s/early 80s. Which is fine. But that also means those darn 8 foot ceilings throughout. Really this shouldn't bother me, I've lived in houses with 8 foot ceilings my whole life and it never bothered me.

But I work in the construction/planning business and hardly anyone builds houses with all 8 foot ceilings anymore. I'd be fine with them if they at least had a vault ceiling in the main living area, or tray ceilings, but no house built before 2005 or so here has trays and few homes in the 70s had vaults. Some in the 50s/60s had vaulted beamed ceilings but those aren't common here.

I even looked at some homes here that had 7 foot ceilings! Why they did this is beyond me. It was the early 70s so maybe energy crisis played a role.

Of course houses here built in the 1920s and earlier have 9 foot ceilings and I really like the doors/moldings and large windows of those era homes but they rarely ever come on the market and those that do, often need lots of work, and I don't care for that part of town as much. Taxes are higher and people don't tend to keep up their yards as well in those areas.

So if I want higher ceilings I have to look at newer homes, which I like the style and feature of better anyway than these plain jane 70s/early 80s tract homes, but it also means the price goes up to $165-180k or so which to me is not worth it just to get something with higher ceilings. I could make a 70s tract home look like a newer home but there's nothing I can do about 8 foot ceilings aside from tearing the roof off which would be dumb.

I know, a petty consideration when any ceiling over one's head is better than none.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Oh, and I meant to say "nobody builds houses with ALL 8 foot ceilings anymore".

I don't mind a house with 8 foot ceilings, but I want something that has a little variation, the house I live in now has a vaulted living room at least.

I don't expect to have 9 foot+ ceilings throughout the whole house.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Really?

If that's all it takes...

If you buy a single level house you can remove the roof and have new roof trusses delivered and a new roof put on.

Hire a crane for a day or two to lift off the old roof in pieces and then lift the new trusses onto the walls. Then have new shingles or metal roof installed.

It looks like a big job, but it's actually easy compared to foundation repairs, plumbing problems and things that require excavation.

If you coordinate it right, you can be out and back into your home in about a week.

I know someone that did this. They wanted not only vaulted ceilings but also a greater pitch on the roof. They also needed a new roof material so they were like 'we have to strip the old shingles anyway....'

It also gives you a chance to beef up your ceiling insulation and change lighting arrangements if desired.

 

[qsd-dan]

Florida is an area I'd prefer 8 foot ceilings as a new/young homeowner. A/C isn't exactly cheap.

 

[fan-of-fans]

In way higher ceilings help in hotter environments - hot air rises, making the area above the floor feel cooler. Hence homes years ago in warmer climates had very high ceilings, whereas ones in very cold climates, such as New England had very low ceilings.

 

[circlew]

High ceilings

I remember being in several big old houses in Mississippi that had ceilings that were 10' - 12' high. Many had transoms above the doors for air to circulate.

My house, which was built in 1952, has 8' ceilings. Most around here built between around 1930 and 1990 have ceilings of that height, with the obvious exception of palatial mansions.

 

[bradfordwhite]

I'm perfectly happy with 8' or even 7 1/2' ceilings. 7' is too short.

Do not like towering, breezy two story rooms either. I had that with the second home I built. It had a two story foyer and behind it was a two story breakfast room with curve top window above the patio door. The second story hallway was like a bridge to get from one side to the other.

Don't get me wrong, I like mcmansions but it shouldn't be flashy, gaudy, nor have tall rooms. lol

Tall rooms I've found are so sterile, impersonal, and it's breezy and uncomfortable. Lawyer Foyer is the name for these two story entries and I can't take credit for that name. lol.

But each to their own.
It's amazing how specific we can get when designing our perfect home.

McMansion Hell

If you love to hate the ugly houses that became ubiquitous before (and after) the bubble burst...

mcmansionhell.com

 

[vacerator]

I'd have to see

it to determne if it's a McMansion or not. That just means big but cheaply built with lower end finishes and fixtures.
As for crdenza cabinets or a demilune', they look nice, and that one has a vase on it. They are nice to set purses, wallets, keys on, etc. when comong or going. Check your look in the mirror while to put on earings or a tie.
Otherwise the obvious fault is it's in Florida. I know two middle aged dad's in Jacksonville. They have a little girl. They say since the moron governors mask mandate lift, it's scary to go anywhere. Florida lost 3 tinme the people as my state, and they weren't all seniors living in Ladylake, etc. God's waiting room.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Mask mandates

Seem to make little difference... states that have them often don't enforce them that well. In many states cases went UP when mask mandates started and went DOWN after they ended...

I'm very happy to live in Florida and be able to work this entire time and not be in "lockdown" for an entire year. The virus is real... but so are the harms of longterm lockdowns.

Sorry, but I think the governor of FL is far from a moron... and I'm not a far right conservative, and I have plenty of dem friends who agree...

Just because certain states are doing something, doesn't mean it's necessarily right. Given FL has an older population, I think they have done quite well... see NY and CA.

But that's neither here or there.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Also I take issue with people calling us stupid for being in FL... there was no need to bring that into this thread, IMO.

 

[combo52]

Ceiling Heights

High ceilings would probably help in hot climates BEFORE central A/C was the norm,

 

With C/A it is much cheaper to cool less CF of space, and vaulted ceilings are never insulated as well as a flat ceiling.

 

Hi Cole, if you have the down payment for a house in the 125,000-150,000 range in your area you would be crazy not to buy now while the interest rates are so low, even if the bottom drops out of the housing market when you are buying at a price so low you don't stand much chance of losing much.

 

John L.

 

[vacerator]

Cole, I didn't mean you!

Unless you were on the beaches during spring break, not social distancing, or masked up! I meant your moron governor though! I have friends in Jacksonville who say that! Also it has a serious racial issue problem, and was the nations murder capital per capita for 3 weeks not long ago. My son in law grew up in the Orlando area. He left it a decade ago. He earns more up here at what he does, and says this is home now.

 

[revvinkevin]

Adding to what John said above.....

I agree completely, buy something while interest rates are LOW! If you try to wait for the perfect time/price to buy, you could miss it as values and interest rates start rising again. If you have been looking / planning to buy the last 8 years, I imagine this will be a “forever home” for you, yes? Just buy and enjoy being a homeowner!

Some people get REALLY hung up on the idea of “oh I’ve lost so much money...” when home values in their area drop. But the reality is, if you DON’T sell your home, you haven’t actually lost ANYTHING! I have been in my home since 1999 when my ex and I bought it. Over the years I have seen it’s value fluctuate as much as $500,000, but as i have no plans to sell or move, it doesn’t matter to me.

Kevin

 

[davey7]

I'm going to throw out my quick thoughts on the housing market, at least as it stands around me. There is so little inventory available that even run down things are selling quickly, not sure if just to flippers or investors. If I could easily sell my place (obviously this is market specific) but I would have a heck of a time finding something equivalent even for more money. For example in the immediate area around me there are like three things for sale, a dinky condo (small dreary one bedroom, if in a nice-ish vintage building) and a poorly rehabbed rowhouse with no parking for way too much.

My advice would be to hold out for lower prices, even if rates go a little bit higher.

 

[DADoES]

 
My first house is for sale again.  Listing price is a bit more than 3.5x what I paid 30 yrs ago.

 

[vacerator]

Inventories low,

new builds selling fast too! I think were at the high end of a bubble, unless that is changing to an always up market like Chicago, Toronto, etc.
If I were in my first home and wanting to move up, I'd sell it now if I could rent or live with a relative until the market drops some, because a high profit on a starter or small house wotn't get you s much bigger house right now.
If you have no where else to live, then don't sell and move up until the market drops a bit. That way you only lode a litlle on selling your existing home, and will get more new house for less dollars per sq. ft.

 

[davey7]

Interestingly, prices did sag in Chicago. Example, one unit in my building sold for more during the recession (it was a private sale) yet resold for a bit less on the open market during better times.

However, we now have had two sales in my building, both were for significantly more than the previous sales, both cash sales, one for the asking price and the other a good chunk o' change less but still a record price. They will be unhappy once they realize how poorly the rehab was done.... AND the units each had offers within a day or two.