Struggling with buying a house

[Wahine]

OK, I want to start off by saying this is a ridiculous first world problem. Not just that, it's a middle class first world problem. But I'm bringing it up because I am struggling.

If you had to choose between .6 acres, 3 miles to work, amazingly cute small house, but on a very busy street (logging trucks going 50 mph) or 6 miles (including a very big hill) from work, 4 acres, secluded, world class riding right off of your property but a house that needed a ton of work before you could even move in...

What would you choose?

The price is essentially the same.

[SadieKate]

Think of the trials course you could build on 4 acres. Just sayin'.

[Wahine]

Think of the trials course you could build on 4 acres. Just sayin'.

You might be one of the few people that understands what I'm getting at here. Not only that, I could build trail that connects directly to the Post Canyon trail network. We've already talked about a pump track...

But in terms of an investment, the other house seems like it has better appeal to the general population and therefore, better rental or resale potential.

[Owlie]

How much work needs to be done on the house on 4 acres? When you say "the cost is about the same", are you including the work that needs to be done in your calculation?

But then, there's the awesome riding...

[trickycoolj]

Working on a house can take away from riding time. I bought new construction last spring and it derailed my plans for my first STP this year. I spend a lot more time in Home Depot and Ikea putting stepson my pedometer than riding my bike. It's calmed down now after the first few months, but a house needing work can be a real time-suck on the weekends. That is unless you're willing to live with the items needing work.

[jessmarimba]

I'd go for the second

Only reason I didn't do the exact same thing here is because my isolated fixer upper couldn't get internet or cell service, which I needed for work. I'd say if the house is structurally sound and you're up for the work - follow your heart.

[TrekDianna]

I would go for the second one, but that's just me. I do things like that. You can make your own technical trail to practice on and then access the one you mentioned in no time at all.

We just actually closed on a townhouse 2.5 hours away from us so we can ride the central Oregon trails and not have to drive back home over the pass. So, we essentially spent a ton of money so I could have access to more trails on the dry side of the state.

[Wahine]

I'd go for the second

Only reason I didn't do the exact same thing here is because my isolated fixer upper couldn't get internet or cell service, which I needed for work. I'd say if the house is structurally sound and you're up for the work - follow your heart.

I totally understand what you're saying here. The funny thing is that as long as I'm not dealing with the road, for eg, if I'm lying on the couch in my living room looking around at the house we are in, I love it!! I think that I forgot to mention that the perfect house, smaller lot, busy street option is the house that we have been renting for the last 1.5 yrs. So we really know the ins and outs of this place.

[Wahine]

How much work needs to be done on the house on 4 acres? When you say "the cost is about the same", are you including the work that needs to be done in your calculation?

But then, there's the awesome riding...

The house pn the 4 acres is liveable right now. But not what I'd want long term. The big immediate need would be to build a shop for my partner's business. That would likely cost around $40 to 50k more. But the cost is low enough that I could pay for that without a loan. But then there wouldn't be anything to put toward the house for a while.

The other house is perfect for us. It is the right size, has a detached garage with studio that functions as work space and it is on a nice peice of land with a creek. The *only* downside is the road and the traffic. That's why it's such a tough decision.

[SadieKate]

I wouldn't survive more than one day with the traffic and logging trucks.

[nuliajuk]

I'd avoid the one with the logging trucks, myself. However, the other one will be more expensive in the long run due to the renovation costs. On the other hand, it will keep it's value better because of having the bigger lot and not being on a busy road.
There will always be houses for sale. If neither one is quite what you had in mind, keep looking.

[smittykitty]

Love my beautiful house and yard. We've worked very hard to make it what is over the years. HATE THE NEIGHBORHOOD it has turned into over 30 years.

Will be hard if not impossible to sell and with poor return in this market/economy/community.

So for now, at least, we stay.

As previously stated: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Can't change that one!

And yes, a vacation rental would be an option in beautiful Hood River. (I'd rent from you for a fall ride week-end!) My daughter found renting her house in Eugene through VRBO to be a LOT of work though. They were able to sell it this summer and she bought a nice, new purse with the proceeds

I'm by far no real estate expert, but I guess I would sit on this a bit. Interest rates aren't moving much. I think you'll know when its right.

[Wahine]

The thing about location, location, location is that both locations have advantages and disadvantages. In terms of making the best investment, I think they both weigh out pretty evenly on the location aspect.

While the house I live in is on a busy road, it's only a 5 min drive into down town for restaurants shopping etc, and it's rideable as well. You're only 1 mile from the most well known trail head for the Post Canyon trail system that isn't functional as the moment but will be again (about 6 months I would guess), and you're less than a mile from 2 wineries, one very well known, less than 3 miles from several with another very well known one in there. The traffic seems like a lot to me, but as my friends that came to visit last night said, it's manageable. To put things into perspective a bit, the property is well treed and has a creek that borders the back property line, so when you're sitting on the back deck, you can't hear the road for the creek sounds and you feel like you're in the woods.

The other house has more acreage and solitude, it's on a dead ending road, and it backs onto county forest so you can access the well known Post Canyon trail system from the property but not at a well know trail head. These are things that are highly desireable to me but that I'm not sure I should weight them so heavily in my decision.

[Wahine]

Right now I am planning to keep looking through the next few months just to see what else is around and what else crops up.

[lovelygamer]

Do you have children or plan to? the logging truck scenario scares the crap out of me when it comes to pets or children. God forbid one wander into the street. I mean it could happen on any street-but what are the survival chances when it's a logging truck. Did you ever see pet cemetery, the movie? Ugh. So sad. P.S. kids don't even need to wander in the street anymore to get hurt. My niece was hit by a car when she was nine...standing in the most corner part of her families yard on a road with little shoulder. Thankfully, she survived but she was in the hospital for days.