Looking for opinions

[washman]

Always have a plan B Frig

and here it is.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/210-Shady-Ave_Butler_PA_16001_M40870-20644?row=6

Brand new no less. I am not overly thrilled with the wide open living room/dining area but there are obvious positives here.

One, everything is new, up to code, and the house has an energy star rating. See, I am green after all.

It is on a slab. No basement to dicker with.

All HVAC ductwork is in the ceiling and, voila, insulated. I poked my head up in the access panel just to be sure

2 bedrooms, same what I have now. I have never lacked for space as I live alone.

Kitchen is first rate. They can keep the fancy smoothtop stove; if this goes through, I will by hook or crook, get a gas line run over there. And start cooking with gas and get back into stir fry.

Appliances are all Frigidairs..........meh! But I will take them anyway!

No landscaping done here. Part of the trade I guess. No worries, I have the rest of my life to plant trees and grass.

Laundry area is perfect for the Speed Queens. You can bet your last cup of detergent they ARE coming with me.

Needs curtains and/or blinds. I don't know squat about decorating.

Needs a garage door opener installed.

Garage is not heated. That can be addressed with a ceiling mount heater later on.l

Garage does have a drain.

IF and I do mean IF I can get the builder to pay closing costs, this may well work.

THus far, I have looked at homes ranging between 30 and 60 years old. And I found out that not all things age gracefully. Most of the older homes don't meet modern codes and would need lots of $$$ which I simply do not have to spend.

At least this, being new, albeit higher than what I wanted to go, will be ok for many years before I have to spend tons of money to fix or maintain.

 

[washer111]

I'm not saying its the deal of a lifetime, since I don't know squat about housing prices/values in the U.S. 

 

But considering the stuff you had major gripes with in the previous house are *done*, and as a completely new house, you don't have to worry as much about hack jobs being done in the past. 

 

Yes, there are squabbles with the appliances, and do-dads here and there. But they are easily fixed. You can spiff up that kitchen quicksmart with some *real* appliances (I'm thinking nice vintage KA or GE's here), and the rest can be done as you have time to do so. 

 

It looks spacious, clean and ready to make "your own." I'd say go for it!

 

{And I must say, sorry to hear about the previous house. It sucks when you find stuff that just shouldn't be so}

 

[rapunzel]

The house looks neat, but the property is exposed. Open on all sides, no privacy at all. Can you at least put a fence around it so you have a yard that is protected from public view and noise? Some trees and shrubs will spruce it up. Being located on route 68 and 422, what's the traffic noise like? Is $150,000 a reasonable price for that area? It is affordable, that's for sure. Have you checked out the neighboring properties to get a feel for what kind of people live in your immediate vicinity?

The house is new and may not have all the problems and issues of the older homes that you looked at, but some of the other properties were more attractive overall. Location is always important. Appearance, size, privacy, attractiveness and neighboring properties influence re-sale value and appreciation.

 

[washman]

Certainly not the deal of a lifetime

As to the question about the location, it is in what is called the "highfield" section of town, presumably named after the highfield park. And there is a street in the area called Highfield street.

Yes it is open. Found out that a double wide existed on this lot years ago, burnt down, and the builder bought the lot and erected this house.

Yes it is exposed. I plan on putting some trees and shrubs around to break up the openness and provide some privacy. It is not on highway 68 or 422, the two main arteries out of town to I79 or eastbound towards Altoona. But close enough.

The area is what is called "mature". Not much in the way of new construction but on the other hand, what IS there is well maintained.

As I found out and expected, buying an existing home is give and take. Lots of it in fact! Each house I looked at taught me something. Some good, some not so good. Deal breakers were baseboard heat, oil heat, boiler heat, no room to add dishwasher, 2 stories (stairs again), along with "needs updating" in the listing description. Naturally, the eliminates 90% of the homes on the market in my price range. Now if I had 200K to spend and made 6 figures, sure, no problem. I'll take the French Provincial if you please.

Ryan homes are quite predominant around here. Some are ok, some are barely assembled grab bags of lumber and plaster. And the shortcuts and cost cutting are plainly obvious in some of them. At the age group I viewed, nearly all were ready for some major investment in structure.

I figured I had to have a basement. Well based on what I looked at, some are missing drains, others have massive leaks and mold or rather large air gaps for vermin and cold air to intrude. Not my cup of tea. So quite unexpectedly I settled on this one and it is on a basic concrete slab. National homes built thousands of their cookie cutter slap together homes like this. And dad's house in FL is on a slab too. No biggie.

Of exceptional importance was obviously new construction. I never planned on buying a new home in the first place but when this one came up, the give and take kicked in. WOuld I like a 3rd bedroom? Sure, but the two in here are sufficiently sized for me as I live alone.
Would I like a less open living, dining, kitchen area? Sure, but this does have a ready to go kitchen, 95% eff furnace, laundry room with floor drain, garage with floor drain, and floor drain in the furnace hot water heater alcove. This will be cheaper to heat and cool as I don't have to push cool air upstairs in the summer or deal with hot upstairs in the winter.

For many years I won't have to make any structural investments in roof or foundation. In fact, I can forsee the bulk of my expenditures being in landscaping, driveway paving, interior blinds for the windows, and figuring out where the heck the mailbox goes.

What iced the deal was the contractor agreed to pay closing costs, grade and seed the lot, and provide a 1 year full home warranty. And I am locked in at 3 1/8 % fixed mortgage for 30 years. All in all, just comparing what I pay in rent vs a mortgage, I will spend about $180 less per month, build equity, and have a place to call my own.

Only thing is, I cannot host washins but I welcome visitors anytime.

 

[magic_clean]

Congratulations

on your new home. Your house hunting story has been an interesting one to follow. Certainly everything will come together in time. Again......congrats!

L.P.

 

[frigilux]

Ben-- Haven't checked back here for awhile so I'm late to the party, but CONGRATULATIONS!

I am a big fan of the open plan kitchen/dining/living room. You never feel boxed in; there's always a sense of spaciousness. You also have an incredible amount of flexibility for furniture placement/arrangement. My sister/brother-in-law bought a condo with a similar open layout. My sister was skeptical at first, but she really loves it now.

Frigidaire appliances: While you're probably going to want to 86 that dishwasher soon, the range and refrigerator should be solid, reliable performers. My 13-year old fridge, gas and electric ranges have not needed service. Personally---and I cook constantly---I far prefer the smoothtop electric. The oven bakes more evenly and the burners put out considerably more intense heat than will gas burners. The heat from a gas range during the self-cleaning cycle will drive you out of the house.

Stir-frying: Cooks Illustrated did an article on stir-frying several years ago which argued it was better for home cooks to stir-fry in a tall-sided chef's pan (these go by several different names) because more of the cooking surface is in direct contact with the heat. Always a wok user, I was skeptical, but tried it. The wok went in the trash and I've made excellent stir-fries on the high-powered smoothtop burner ever since.

Anyway, there's my 2-cents. I'm so happy for you! May you have good moving karma when the day arrives.[this post was last edited: 2/8/2015-09:57]

 

[appnut]

Ben, I think this is near-perfect situation for you!!    Very nice.  I can relate to not liking the open floor plan, can't always hide "the mess" while cooking.  But, makes it very easy to hear music from sound system or watch TV while working in the kitchen. 

 

[washman]

Frig I expect

no less from you than a bag of PODS as a housewarming gift!

 

[frigilux]

Ben, I wouldn't dream of forcing my lifestyle on you!