What will the neighbors think?!

[zoom-zoom]

So we're finally in the market to buy a new (to us) home. We have our eyes seriously on a cute cape cod with a 3 stall garage. Most houses in our preferred size range (1500-2000 sq. ft) have 2 stall garages. Generally only oversized, overpriced McMansions in sprawling subdivisions have 3 stalls, so this place is extra appealing (and on over a wooded acre).

DH and I were talking about how we'd move our bikes (I think about 13, at current count...though a couple of those are really not even used. I think we should get rid of the dept. store mtn tandem purchased at a resale shop, personally. We never ever use it and it must weigh 50#s, at least). We were laughing about the reaction people would have if they saw 3 people unloading a dozen or more bikes from a moving truck!

[Becky]

At least twice now, upon seeing the contents of our garage, we've had someone (a contractor, the postal carrier, etc.) ask if we're storing bikes for friends. We don't have the heart to tell them that there's 4 more in the basement and that they're all ours!

[Irulan]

we built an addition to hold bikes and rafts....

[shootingstar]

Wow, 13 bikes..

We disperse our bikes across 2 cities: 8 bikes.

[roo4]

We get comments and we only have a mere 6 bikes. Clearly we need to step up a bit.

[IBrakeforPastry]

I have 4 bikes right now. I love when someone is shopping for a bike and asks me what kind I have. When I start naming them all, they get this funny look. Well, my road bike is a .... and the hybrid is a .... and.....

Personally, I'd be glad there weren't 13 motorcycles moving in next door! Good luck with the home buying :)

[zoom-zoom]

Wow, 13 bikes..

We disperse our bikes across 2 cities: 8 bikes.

Our count includes 3 unused/outgrown bikes, including DH's childhood BMX. He refuses to part with that. We need to sell DS's cute little Redline Conquest 24, too, since he's now big enough for adult bikes.

So it's really more like 10 bikes for 3 people. Does that really seem less insane, though? :o

[zoom-zoom]

I have 4 bikes right now. I love when someone is shopping for a bike and asks me what kind I have. When I start naming them all, they get this funny look. Well, my road bike is a .... and the hybrid is a .... and.....

Personally, I'd be glad there weren't 13 motorcycles moving in next door! Good luck with the home buying :)

I also have 4. I had a chat with someone like this, recently. They saw my 2012 mileage and said "ahhh...you must be a roadie." I said, yes...and a CXer/mtn biker/fat biker. :D

[Owlie]

Our count includes 3 unused/outgrown bikes, including DH's childhood BMX. He refuses to part with that. We need to sell DS's cute little Redline Conquest 24, too, since he's now big enough for adult bikes.

So it's really more like 10 bikes for 3 people. Does that really seem less insane, though? :o

Hey, it's down from 4.33 bikes per person to 3.33 bikes per person!

And here I was worried about moving two or three bikes...

[Crankin]

When we moved 7 years ago, we had 9-10 bikes for the 2 of us. Two went to my son a few years later, and one was my younger son's bike that he eventually took. I took 4 of them on the bike rack at a time (we moved 9 miles). I also took all of our clothes and breakable items I did not want going in the truck.
We only have 4 bikes now.

[tealtreak]

have no fear- we have (at last count......) 17 bikes including a vintage high-wheeler..... also several kayaks hanging inside the garage on pulleys (: Our neighbors do think we are crazy.....but it also might have to do with the equally loony collection of guitars, pianos and saxophones...I guess most "normal" people would have bought a bigger, fancier house!

[zoom-zoom]

I guess most "normal" people would have bought a bigger, fancier house!

I pity those people. I would rather have less house, but more yard and more toys! Who needs a big house when all the fun stuff we do is outside?!

[Owlie]

The only problem is striking a balance between toys and the amount of space needed to store said toys.

[zoom-zoom]

The only problem is striking a balance between toys and the amount of space needed to store said toys.

Truth. Though just about anything will be bigger than our current set-up. We can't wait to have a full basement!! :D

[eofelis]

14 bikes in our place. 7 each.

[Giulianna23]

8 over here :)

[zoom-zoom]

Now I feel like we are behind the curve! ;)

[malkin]

The neighbors might think: These will be the go to people for minor repairs!

[SheFly]

Like Irulan, we built an addition to hold our bikes (currently somewhere in the 20+ range for 2 people).

SheFly

[missjean]

I pity those people. I would rather have less house, but more yard and more toys! Who needs a big house when all the fun stuff we do is outside?!

Winner! :)

[zoom-zoom]

Like Irulan, we built an addition to hold our bikes (currently somewhere in the 20+ range for 2 people).

SheFly

I could see DH wanting to someday build an addition to the garage with a little woodstove...a la his man cave. In addition to 2 cars and all the bikes he also has a lot of woodworking stuff. Something like a little 10x15 space would probably be perfect. If we end up on a >1.25 acre lot that would be completely doable.

[nuliajuk]

One of our neighbours expressed curiosity about our bikes when we moved in... then brought his bike over to ask about problems...then my husband fixed some of those problems... then he started riding a lot more. He's now borrowed Tour de France dvds and ridden 50k on his incredibly heavy ancient department store bike. We think he'll bite the bullet and get something more modern and light this year. He asks lots of questions and we're always happy to answer them.

[zoom-zoom]

One of our neighbours expressed curiosity about our bikes when we moved in... then brought his bike over to ask about problems...then my husband fixed some of those problems... then he started riding a lot more. He's now borrowed Tour de France dvds and ridden 50k on his incredibly heavy ancient department store bike. We think he'll bite the bullet and get something more modern and light this year. He asks lots of questions and we're always happy to answer them.

That's really cool. I always like when we are ambassadors for the sport. I have a friend who is working to lose weight and has been putting in serious miles on a stationary bike. I think it's only a matter of time before she is tempted by a real bike to ride outdoors.

[GLC1968]

I pity those people. I would rather have less house, but more yard and more toys! Who needs a big house when all the fun stuff we do is outside?!

We felt the same way but went with zero yard so that we will have even more time for fun!


The only problem is striking a balance between toys and the amount of space needed to store said toys.

Werd.

When we were looking at houses we went with a long tape measure. We didn't care about furniture space but we needed at least a 20 ft wall in the garage for kayaks and another 15 ft one for bikes. Our cars get parked on the street. The garage is for toys. ;)

I will say that living in the Portland area is somewhat comforting. Our garage door goes up and the typical response to the bicycles, kayaks, camping gear and a dual-sport moto is a knowing smile.

[grey]

Am I the only one that wants pics of the house that's making you consider moving? :D:D

[zoom-zoom]

Am I the only one that wants pics of the house that's making you consider moving? :D:D

It was this one (http://www.cbwm.com/Property/MI/49417/Grand_Haven/13650_148th_Ave)...but after walking through it it's off the table. It clearly has some roofing and ventilation issues (advantage of going through houses in Winter is this stuff becomes clear). Really freaking cute and has some wonderful features, but it also looks more than 15 years old in spots.

We've moved on to this (http://www.cbgreatlakes.com/Property/MI/49417/Grand_Haven/14523_Brigham_Dr). It's $10k more than we wanted to spend, but brand new. We're debating about pulling the trigger, but it would require a high interest bridge loan for a while. We may simply take out a loan for a lot in the same development and then build later-on...and get exactly what we want for the same price (the house has a lot of brown-tones and neutrals, while I tend to prefer brighter tones and grays). They would remove all of the downstairs carpet and install the high end laminate in its place if we bought, though.

There's our realtor hanging out while we checked the place out:
http://zoomy.smugmug.com/Architecture/Brighamwood-House/i-j8MDCzd/0/L/IMAG0105-L.jpg

[zoom-zoom]

So...tomorrow we are putting in an offer on that gorgeous new home. My MIL is graciously going to loan us enough to cover a 20% down payment and we'll do a land contract for the months we'll be waiting until inheritance money from my DH's grandparents' estate is distributed. We will eventually be able to pay for this house in-full (and pay my MIL back, too). We're going to offer the full asking price, but request that all main floor carpeting be removed (because we have a messy kid and 3 puke-prone cats) and instead install more of the kitchen/dining area high-end laminate. We also are requesting that the exterior basement walls be drywalled, since they are currently exposed insulation. We're also going to see if they would install a garage door opener on the main 2-wide garage bay.

Here's our entire assortment of pics (http://zoomy.smugmug.com/Architecture/Brighamwood-House/27912969_FpbkJL#!i=2355771856&k=tmWXLwF).

My 40th birthday is Tues -- all I want for my birthday is that house!! Not too much to ask, right? ;)

[IBrakeforPastry]

Good luck, congratulations, happy birthday, and can you keep that giraffe?

I think it's really nice that they left so many trees. It looks so pretty! All too often it seems the landscape is clear cut so they can build.

[zoom-zoom]

Good luck, congratulations, happy birthday, and can you keep that giraffe?

I think it's really nice that they left so many trees. It looks so pretty! All too often it seems the landscape is clear cut so they can build.

I generally LOATHE subdivisions...because in the upper midwest they are often simply converted farmland with a bunch of random juvenile trees. And often the build quality is terrible. My brother bought one of these right out of college. It was HORRID and a total money pit (it was a miracle that he was able to sell it, really). This place is far and away better than a lot of mass-produced tract homes. Plus this is a model home for the development, so it has a TON of upgrades. We couldn't build the same house in this development for nearly the same price. We're truly amazed that it's not been snatched-up, already.

As for the giraffe...we already asked. :o The woman who represents this neighborhood has already called dibs. :(

We are planning to order this house # plaque (http://www.etsy.com/listing/76771505/sprocket-address-plaque-home-numbers-for?) once life settles-down a bit. I've been eyeballing this for ages.

[indysteel]

Pretty house, Zoom! Good luck and happy birthday!

Is your area prone to flooding and/or wet basements? If yes, then I might wait on the basement drywalling until you know for sure whether you're going to have any issues with this basement. If nothing else, specify that they are to use a mold or moisture resistant drywall. I'd suggest use that type of product regardless of whether you anticipate any problem with a basement. Regular drywall is just not the best product to use in basements IMO.

[zoom-zoom]

Pretty house, Zoom! Good luck and happy birthday!

Is your area prone to flooding and/or wet basements? If yes, then I might wait on the basement drywalling until you know for sure whether you're going to have any issues with this basement. If nothing else, specify that they are to use a mold or moisture resistant drywall. I'd suggest use that type of product regardless of whether you anticipate any problem with a basement. Regular drywall is just not the best product to use in basements IMO.

Nope, very high and dry. West MI is essentially a giant sand dune. We have the opposite of water issues in these parts--our trouble is maintaining grass and plants around here. About a decade ago we had a really dry Summer that killed a birch tree in our yard. We simply couldn't water it enough. Even when we do get heavy rains it drains through the sandy soil really fast. The only people who have flooding issues are the ones who live near rivers when we have Winter/Spring ice dam issues (that's what people get for building/buying close to flood plains, IMO).

[indysteel]

Lucky! Basements here in Indiana are often wet. Our clay soil doesn't allow for good drainage. :(

[zoom-zoom]

Lucky! Basements here in Indiana are often wet. Our clay soil doesn't allow for good drainage. :(

We have an area maybe 10 miles from where we currently live that is clay...just a small little area. It's a very weird anomaly. My ILs used to have a home in an area with clay soil and they had constant basement issues.

The bad thing here is that high winds frequently uproot massive trees, since they can't put down stable and deep root systems. They spread the roots very horizontally to absorb more water, so it takes little for them to be completely yanked from the ground.

[emily_in_nc]

It's a beautiful house, Kirsten. Crossing fingers for you!

[zoom-zoom]

Thanks, ladies...I hope all this good mojo works!!

[GLC1968]

I know where you can get a giraffe like that for about $50. We bought one for my mom for her birthday last year and had it shipped to her. :-)

And I should have known you were an Aquarius...another thing we have in common. I turned 45 yesterday. :)

Great house! Keeping my fingers crossed for you! (we just bought a model home ourselves)

[Owlie]

Fingers crossed!

[zoom-zoom]

I know where you can get a giraffe like that for about $50. We bought one for my mom for her birthday last year and had it shipped to her. :-)

And I should have known you were an Aquarius...another thing we have in common. I turned 45 yesterday. :)

Great house! Keeping my fingers crossed for you! (we just bought a model home ourselves)

No way!!! Happy belated birthday!

OK, where did you get the giraffe? I want to surprise my DH with that! :D

Offer is in. Seller has 2 days to counter/accept. Biting. my. damned. nails!!!

[GLC1968]

Ugh! I thought for sure the store would have a website since they have multiple locations in my area but I cannot find one. This is the branch I shopped at:
http://www.villageatsunriver.com/shopping/directory/items/view/signature-imports

and apparently there is one in downtown Portland, and two at the coast. I'm certain you'd be able to email them, send them the photo showing the giraffe and they'd match it and give you a price to ship it to you. They are super helpful that way (particularly the store in Sunriver that I went to), but I'm not sure you'd want to go through that much trouble.

[zoom-zoom]

If not a giraffe, we'll at least get one of these (http://www.etsy.com/listing/73913334/zombie-garden-gnome-walking-dead-cast?) for the yard...
http://img3.etsystatic.com/000/0/5526195/il_570xN.243299051.jpg

[Irulan]

Have you seen seen the gnome that is giving the finger?

[zoom-zoom]

Ooh, we could collect parody gnomes!

[zoom-zoom]

We've got it! Snagging our dream house for $5k under original asking price PLUS >$6k worth of improvements (drywall and electrical in basement, washer/dryer, garage door opener, laminate in entire main level).

[Becky]

Woohoo! Congratulations!

[IBrakeforPastry]

From another Aquarius/February TE'er: Congratulations! Home is where the giraffes and gnomes are :D There is a "gnome reserve" in southeast England I went to a few years ago. It was a walk through the woods, with gnomes everywhere! They were set up in scenes. No zombies, though. I must have taken a whole roll of film, and I wish I could post photos, but, well, they're on film. Good luck and have fun setting up the new home!

[emily_in_nc]

Congratulations, that is great news!

Frankly I'm surprised they agreed to do all that upgrade work. If I were the seller, I'd lower the price before I'd take on doing a bunch of renovations right before moving out. That's not to say I wouldn't renovate before putting it on the market, but once I have an offer, I would not be wanting to drywall, redo floors, or anything of that nature -- by that time, I'm ready to GO.

So happy for you. The stars were aligned!

[Owlie]

we've got it! Snagging our dream house for $5k under original asking price plus >$6k worth of improvements (drywall and electrical in basement, washer/dryer, garage door opener, laminate in entire main level).

woohoo!

[zoom-zoom]

Congratulations, that is great news!

Frankly I'm surprised they agreed to do all that upgrade work. If I were the seller, I'd lower the price before I'd take on doing a bunch of renovations right before moving out. That's not to say I wouldn't renovate before putting it on the market, but once I have an offer, I would not be wanting to drywall, redo floors, or anything of that nature -- by that time, I'm ready to GO.

So happy for you. The stars were aligned!

The sellers are a big housing company here in MI (Eastbrook Homes) and the house is a model home. We will be the first owners, so we're getting a semi-custom home for the price of pre-owned! :D

[indysteel]

Nice, Zoom. Very, very nice. I hope you have many happy years there.

Are you selling/have you already sold your current house? Good luck with that, too!

[zoom-zoom]

Nice, Zoom. Very, very nice. I hope you have many happy years there.

Are you selling/have you already sold your current house? Good luck with that, too!

Thanks!

We'll be selling our current home after we do some finishing work...the sorts of stuff that were difficult to do while living in it. I am SO thankful that we don't have to list it while we live here. That is such a hassle and disruption. I feel for people who have homes on the market for a year or more and have to clear out at a moment's notice every time a potential buyer wants a walk-through. With 3 cats it would be extra miserable.

[emily_in_nc]

The sellers are a big housing company here in MI (Eastbrook Homes) and the house is a model home. We will be the first owners, so we're getting a semi-custom home for the price of pre-owned! :D

Aha...that explains why they were willing to do the work. Excellent!

[GLC1968]

We'll be selling our current home after we do some finishing work...the sorts of stuff that were difficult to do while living in it. I am SO thankful that we don't have to list it while we live here. That is such a hassle and disruption. I feel for people who have homes on the market for a year or more and have to clear out at a moment's notice every time a potential buyer wants a walk-through. With 3 cats it would be extra miserable.

And another thing we have in common.

We moved into our new house at the end of Oct. We will be FINALLY ready to list our old house by the end of Feb. 4 months. Oy.

1) renovating a house while not living it in IS easier except when said house is 30 - 40 minutes away from new house (and everything else).
2) paying two mortgages sucks
3) listing a house without 3 dogs and a cat traipsing in an out is a huge, huge plus.
4) spending every single weekend at the old house where all the animals are gone and you have no internet and often enough, no heat, is depressing.

The bonus for us is that the housing market has improved since we moved out, so the delay will likely result in a slightly better sale prices.

Oh, and by the way - CONGRATULATIONS!! :D

[indysteel]

I sold my house after I'd already moved out of it. It was easier to do it that way, but it was stressful nevertheless. The house was vacant from September of 2009 until May of 2010. We had an accepted offer by March, but it took some time to close. It was a bad winter, and it seemed like it snowed right before every showing. Our new house was 25 miles away so that turned into a hassle. My old house is near my job at least, so it was convenient enough for me to stop by before or after work to check on it. Still, it worried me. But it sold, and I moved on with my life. Of course, this was in the middle of the market tanking and then tanking some more, so I'm just grateful we sold it (for less than I bought it for in 2002, but who's counting?). I'm so glad you guys are selling during an upswing!

[Crankin]

It may be easier, but it goes against all the real estate advice out there. We never had any issues with selling; it did take 4 months to sell our second house in AZ before we moved here, but we put it up for sale a year in advance of our target move date and then luckily, the buyers wanted to wait 3 months, which gave us time to find an apartment for 6 months. We *did* buy a vacant house, the time before the house we are in now, but we were under the gun. We had put a deposit down to build a semi custom home in the same neighborhood and then we sold our house in 4 days and the buyers wanted us out in a month. We couldn't put our kids in the schools without living there, even though we had a P and S. Our house wasn't going to be ready for months, so we went back and looked at the vacant one in the same neighborhood. It was smaller by about 7-800 sq. feet and the bedrooms were way smaller, but when we walked in, the layout of part of the kitchen was eerily reminiscent of our above house in AZ and we made an offer on the spot. In the end, it was a smarter financial move and now I have really good memories of that house.
I just never found selling that onerous. We had a fabulous agent here, who sadly, died a couple of years ago from cancer, while she was waiting to have a bone marrow transplant. When we are ready to down size, I will definitely go to her business partner, although we may try to sell this one ourselves.

[GLC1968]

Oh, we've never had a problem selling a house either (even our NC house we sold in 2008 as the market was slumping) but that's partly because we know how to price, prep and stage a house. Doing so on a working farm with 4 animals tracking mud in on an hourly basis was going to be nearly impossible, so this was our only choice.

Luckily, we bought a new house WELL below our comfort level in terms of cost so that we could afford two mortgages for awhile should it come to that. Our original plan was not to take 4 months to prep the place for sale but we kind of over-estimated how much we could get done on it considering we only have weekends in which to do it. I anticipate a quick sale once we do list it though.

[Crankin]

I can't imagine selling a farm.
We pretty much had the same strategy as you as we priced, marketed, and prepped all of our houses appropriately. Believe me, after seeing houses with dirty underwear draped over an ironing board in the family room, a garage door falling off in DH's hands, unflushed toilets, and DH falling through a rotted back deck stairway, I knew our house would pass a buyer's test without too much work!

[indysteel]

I didn't find selling my house to be onerous. It was really just kind of a hassle is all. The main reason I was glad not to be living there at the time is that I would have worried incessantly about someone letting my cats out inadvertently. As it was, there were several agents who failed to lock up my house after they left or screwed up the alarm. The only real difficulty I faced in selling was trying to price it. My house was downtown and pricing changes on a dime in that area from block to block. Most properties are unique in one way or another and there were so few comps, so it was a bit of a guessing game. I initially went in too high, but quickly adjusted it.

[zoom-zoom]

Here's the beauty of all of this -- when DH's grandma passed-away she left us with a hefty little inheritance (enough that we could buy TWO of this house and still have a little left). So we're essentially buying the new house with cash...and aren't at all stressed about when the current place will sell. We can take our time getting it sold and maybe if it sits for 6-12 months the upswing will net us a bit more than we'd see if we managed to sell it ASAP. :)