Home Improvement advice....please. :)

[margecat]

Originally Posted by Oscarsmommy

While Travis and I were looking, we saw about 20 houses and out of the ones we had really liked, we sat down, pulled out a notebook and weighed out the pros and cons. This was AFTER we were pre-approved for the loan like someone else said.If you do want to fix things that are just for you to love your home even more, start SLOOOOWLY. We almost almost bought a home we were going to have to make the kitchen MUCH bigger like you are saying about this house. To take out the partition wall and extend the whole kitchen, move some appliances around to make it more functional the for cabinets, flooring and countertops, it was going to be almost $7000 for the lowest end things!!! And that's leaving the sink and dishwasher where it was! Kitchens are the most expensive things to remodel. We were ready to do this, but we found a house we liked with a bigger kitchen and we loved everything else about it and we are moving in on December 1! Our house HAD to have a big backyard, big kitchen and a full basement. If they didn't have those things we didn't even bother. If yuo really want a backyard and the house that you are looking at doesn't have one, that's not something that's easily fixable. My biggest advice is DON'T SETTLE! This is a house you may be living in for 30+ years!

Just remember, if you have the finances to do these things you want done, then GO FOR IT! If not, start small and get things done that aren't so expansive first.


GOOD LUCK!

Oscarsmommy,

You made such good points! We just re-did our kitchen ourselves, and it cost $7000-8000 (though $3000 of that was a very expensive countertop). Kitchens are a royal PAIN to renovate, whether you contract out or DIY. We installed new cabinets, a new sink/faucet, new chandelier, crown moulding, new ceiling (the other was water-damaged), a new floor, and the countertop (that was professionally installed), and a new tile backsplash. I had to rip up 4 layers of flooring myself, demo the fake brick backsplash (VERY satisfying!), paint, etc. DH had the hard parts.

I agree--I would hold out for pretty much what you really want in a house. You usually don;t get 100% of what you;re looking for (unless it is custom-built), but major things.

 

[oscarsmommy]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

How does one get pre-approved for a particular loan? DH and I tried to do it that way and lost one house. The one we're getting now came uncontracted on a Monday, we saw it that day - put our bid down the very next morning and by Wednesday the realtor was taking our offer and two other's to the owner. She chose us because she wanted a nice young couple that would take care of the home.

We were pre-qualified before going after this last house.

The first home we went after would have needed work, new flooring, kitchen needed work because it was very odd shaped/small, was all electric. I realize now that it would have been a huge pain - though it had the most amazing back yard with fruit trees, spineless prickly pear cacti (great turtle food), grapes, and a large garden pond that needed a little work. All in a very nice stockade fence. .63 acres..

The house we're getting has nothing wrong on the inside aside from some color choices I don't agree with.... teal carpet, orange brick on the fireplace, dark wood paneling in a room with no windows. The yard isn't nearly as large, but there's a very nice covered patio and large metal building (workshop/garage) with a rear entrance from a paved road. It's fenced, but one side needs to be repaired (realtor is fixing that). Luckily there is enough sun and space for my turtles and a garden.



I agree with what the others have said. If a yard is important to you, and since you have dogs it likely is, wait till you find the home that has the yard you want. Though - finding the perfect yard will be harder then finding the perfect home.

Also, make sure you like the realtor you're going through - if you use one. The one we're using now is a great guy. Very straight forward down to earth and hands on. I'll be surprised if he doesn't go out to help fix the fencing or at least oversee it being fixed.

We are going through a lender. He has contacted us, ran our credit with basic information(i.e. employer, how long at current job, address, phone numbers, etc)sent us an email about any hits on our credit(i.e. if you have outstanding medical bills, deferred student loans, etc) and we got our pre-approval. I am not sure EXACTLY the things that they needed as my fiance handles all that. But both of our names are on the loan. Before you can get a house, you have to have a pre-approval letter though. Anyone please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this...

 

[menagerie mama]

I would love to hold out for the house I want, and I also agree on seeing different houses before deciing on the very first and only one we saw.....the problem is, DB already has his mind set that moving next to his parents would be a convenient thing since we are first time home owners. the house on the opposite side of them is going to be for sale...not to sound rude, the lady living in it has cancer and doesn't have 6 months to live, and they're probably going to sell it once she passes away....I would be more interested in her house, she has a better yard and I guess the updates are far better. She already remodeled her attic and basement, and it's bigger. However, with that comes a bigger price tag. However again, 6 or more months we might have a bigger down payment, and it would really be a wash as far as spend the money on the house or spend the money remodeling....decisions, decisons....

 

[russian blue]

As Pam mentioned above, Rob and I are finally at the end of a whole home renovation. We used to live in a condo in downtown Toronto and Rob became bored and wanted something to renovate.

We've been living through this nightmare (I mean journey

) for the last 5 years.

The first thing I can honestly tell you is to never jump into a real estate purchase. You can luck out, but for piece of mind and your bank account make sure you do your homework and really understand what you are buying.

Without a doubt, get a home inspection. You do not want to buy something and a few months down the road find out the foundation is faulty, or you have septic tanks buried in your backyard or you have a termite infestation or a mold problem that you didn't see when you went to look at the place. This would be a horrible wake up call to your new home experience.

Second, get a pre-approval from the bank. Then, you know how much you can afford.

Third, get a few contractors in and let them give you quotes on how much the renos will cost. This will give you a ballpark figure on how much $$$ is needed if you use them for certain projects.

At this point, make a list of your priorities - your renos that NEED to happen right now. I'm not talking about the renos you WANT to happen, I mean the one's that will need to take place within a few months of purchase to make this home livable to your standard (ie- if there is faulty wiring, plumbing problems....).

Rob and I purchased a 'handyman special' - a very old one room schoolhouse that had seen better days. We looked at a huge amount of houses and spent 8 months before buying this one. The house has a very good structure, excellent neighbourhood and will totally hold its value for the future. We live in the historical area that is in high demand.

Our real estate motto, which we have always held close, is to buy the least expensive house in the most expensive area. That way, you can renovate it but not be too expensive for the area once you are finished.

Rob and I did have many things on our side. First, we have two family friends who were contractors. They replaced all the main electrical for the house (everything needed to be replaced - it was all old knob and tube). Also, Rob works in the manufacturing sector, so we could redo our kitchen for free (therefore saving $10K right there).

Knowing that the house was stable and just needed the guts redone, we took it on. Life happened, I lost my job, we had a sewer backup within 3 months of moving in and lost everything.

We had all our belonging in the basement because we were renovating the main floor of the house.

Soooo, after that wonderful surprise, I told Rob that since he wanted this house, I now get any lens I want for my camera addiction.

I think that was a fair trade to losing stuff in flood.

I can't recommend any books. We really learned a lot through the internet on home improvement sites (This Old House, ehow.com, etc). We also spent countless hours at Home Depot and talked with some great guys who gave us step by step instructions. You learn quickly which sale reps have experience and which one's don't. We also talked with the town's Building Division who were a great source of info.

I noticed the more I talked about the projects the more info sources I found. Many people are willing to share experiences and advice, you just need to ask the knowledgable ones.

After this long winded post (

), I would suggest the following:

1.Beside the necessities, don't do any major renovation for one full year. You need to familiarize yourself with the flow and daily pattern of the house. What you might want now, you might not want in a year from now.

2. Research, read, budget, research, read, budget. I can't stress that enough. Prioritize your projects, and take it one step at a time. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day.

3. Expect to spend more that you originally planned. You could tear down a wall and find something unexpected.

4. Don't rush into any project. Be financially stable, and take on one project at a time. You don't want to start a project, run out of money, and then be left with the mess.

5. If you start a project, don't be afraid to bring in the experts. When we brought in some contractors, they gave us so many new ideas we never thought of. Remember, they do this on a daily basis, and know what works. So, listen to them and work with it.

6. The grunt work always saves you money. If you do the hard labour, ripping stuff apart, disposing it etc., it will save you a lot of money. Then, use the money to bring in contractors who can do the job in half the time so you can focus on the projects you can do yourself.

7. Lastly, but certainly not least, put the fear behind and take that first step. Many of the projects we did, looked scary at first, but were actually quite easy if you took it step by step. Again, let the experts do their part (ie-plumbing, electrical) but you can certainly do the flooring, drywalling, installing kitchen cabinets etc.

In the end, we replaced the roof, all the electrical, tore down a few walls, moved the kitchen to the other side of the house and installed a new one, installed a 4 seasons sunroom, installed pot lights, installed wood flooring and slate tile, built a shed, created the cement base for our new workshop (structure will be built this Friday), replaced the front porch, repointed/replaced the exterior brick, drywalled the entire house, ripped out two walls upstairs to create a loft, replaced all the windows and finally painted everything. I'm now a little tired but would not have changed a thing. .

Honestly, it's all a matter or research, PATIENCE, budget and a good glass of wine!

 

[menagerie mama]

After much debate, and help from all of you, we discussed it, and unless she's practically giving the house away, I am pretty much guessing we'll be holding out for the other house. I talked to his mom and she said the other house has 5 bedrooms! (Which she may or may not have done with a permit...in which case, may not be able to claim it in the assessment from what I understand....) And everything is bascially done. The question will be the price tag. I would like to move in somewhere that the only remodeling I have to do is think of pretty things to plant in my garden, or what color I want the walls.

We plan on having a family, and those kind of renovations just don't fit into our schedule, or budget. This was a stressing time, I feel much better now.

 

[oscarsmommy]

Originally Posted by menagerie mama

After much debate, and help from all of you, we discussed it, and unless she's practically giving the house away, I am pretty much guessing we'll be holding out for the other house. I talked to his mom and she said the other house has 5 bedrooms! (Which she may or may not have done with a permit...in which case, may not be able to claim it in the assessment from what I understand....) And everything is bascially done. The question will be the price tag. I would like to move in somewhere that the only remodeling I have to do is think of pretty things to plant in my garden, or what color I want the walls.

We plan on having a family, and those kind of renovatons just don't fit into our schedule, or budget. This was a stressing time, I feel much better now.

That sounds like a wonderful decision! Now you can get the house you want! And like you said, you can get a house that all you have to do it paint! When you find THE house, you will know! Good luck!

 

[menagerie mama]

Thank you ALL for your help. I do want to get the books you mentioned, because as much as I don't really love renovating, I would still like to have an idea HOW to.

Thanks again!

 

[menagerie mama]

Ok, so I looked on Ebay and Amazon, and found Black and Decker's Complete photo guide to home repairs, and Complete photo guide to outdoor home impovement....got both at great prices....once I get them, I'll be able to start understanding the mysterious world of home repairs!

 

[margecat]

Originally Posted by Oscarsmommy

We are going through a lender. He has contacted us, ran our credit with basic information(i.e. employer, how long at current job, address, phone numbers, etc)sent us an email about any hits on our credit(i.e. if you have outstanding medical bills, deferred student loans, etc) and we got our pre-approval. I am not sure EXACTLY the things that they needed as my fiance handles all that. But both of our names are on the loan. Before you can get a house, you have to have a pre-approval letter though. Anyone please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this...

You explained it very well! A letter of pre-qualification just means you may be able to get a mortgage loan somewhere. I am not trying to be rude, but I read years ago a book that literallly said that pre-qual is a waste of time, and not worth the paper it is written on. A pre-approval letter is a very different animal--it basically mean that you have gone to a lender, they have gone through your finances with a fine-toothed comb, know what amoutn of a mortgage you can afford, and will loan you a specified amount of money toward the amount of house you can afford. Most sellers really prefer to have this--after all, if the buyer is not pre-approved, how can the seller really be certain they are capable of buying the house, and getting through the whole buying process until the end? Sure, some sellers will accept a pre-qual letter; no law against that; but a pre-approval one says you have been vetted and approved, and are good to go, and have done your homework. This makes life a LOT easier for both the seller & the buyer.

Our neighbors recently tried to sell their house by themselves. The buyers needed to come up with more $; then the deal fell through beacuse the buyers couldn;t raise it. I am willing to bet that my neighbors didn;t bother with getting a pre-approval letter from the buyer, and ended up not selloing the house (and now, they;re getting a divorce anyway).

 

[gailc]

You know I'm not that far away for landscaping advice!! The first house sounds like you have a big silver maple in the backyard. This is not a tree for a small urban property unfortunately. It would be best to be cut down and removed which will be an expensive proposition (about $1500 at least!!). Then you will have to get the stump ground out/roots removed, soil hauled in etc....... If the tree was close to the house there could be potential foundation problems too.

 

[strange_wings]

I guess we where actually pre-approved then. Because somewhere between getting things in order for the first house someone beat us out bidding by two days - the bank had already went over our credit, finances, checked out our incomes, etc.

Originally Posted by GailC

If the tree was close to the house there could be potential foundation problems too.

I see this all the time. What is wrong with people? I can understand wanting a shade tree, but people always choose the wrong kind and put it much too close. The only thing worse is seeing all the roads ruined this way and the property owners who don't have a clue and won't cut down those trees.

 

[menagerie mama]

Originally Posted by GailC

You know I'm not that far away for landscaping advice!! The first house sounds like you have a big silver maple in the backyard. This is not a tree for a small urban property unfortunately. It would be best to be cut down and removed which will be an expensive proposition (about $1500 at least!!). Then you will have to get the stump ground out/roots removed, soil hauled in etc....... If the tree was close to the house there could be potential foundation problems too.

You know once I get a house I will be asking you all kinds of things!

The tree was smack in the middle of the yard...for someone who doesn't like yard work or a garden, etc, it would have been ok. It actually gives the yard a woodsy, serene feel, and I envisioned me reading in a hammock with my faerie land I am planning on creating all around me.... But I need a grassy yard, and sun to grow my vegetables and flowers!

I peeked at the other house yesterday....they have a yard with grass, and even though it's small too, she has a big patio and a separate section that would be perfect for a garden, and her fence gate comes half way down the driveway so that's a bigger area for the dogs to run. And there's a front yard, too, which just needs some ugly bushes ripped out and pretty flowers planted. I am so excited already....and it's nowhere near house-buying time!
By the way, I did tell by boyfriend we have to go to the bank and see how much we are pre-approved for...so that we know, not just speculate on how much we can afford. Hopefully there's something good for a first time buyer.