House Hunting is Fun ... / myLot

United States

October 31, 2015 1:43pm CST

...I especially love it when it is someone else who will be spending the money! We met our friends at one house not too far from us in order to say 'Hi' and to check it out. It is way above their budget and they do want to a pool. That house is over priced and very poorly laid out. Lots of wasted space. The only nice feature was the flat back yard. The house itself I would cross off the list. When you squeeze 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, a den, living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room and lots of wasted space into 3100 square feet - you get small rooms. They had 5 or 6 more homes lined up to tour today and since we didn't want to interfere with all of them we said our goodbyes and let them continue on. They should be finished maybe 7 pm this evening as the last house is a good hour drive each way. One of the homes I picked out, so I am curious how that one does! They have changed their requirements so many times it's hard to keep up. First they wanted only 1 acre, then they said maybe 5 acres, and they have one house to tour today that has 20 acres (that's a big joke!) - they want country but are seeing 3 in the city limits. It gets confusing! Oh well, I'm sure I will hear all about it tomorrow - they will be heading back to New York in the morning. That's a long ride to stay a few hours!

12 people like this

12 responses

Ann LeFlore

@poehere (15123)

• French Polynesia

31 Oct 15

WOW I guess when you finally arrive and see the place you can change your mind a million times. Hope they can find what they want.

2 people like this

AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45490)

• United States

31 Oct 15

I think part of the problem is they keep changing what they want.

2 people like this

Ann LeFlore

@poehere (15123)

• French Polynesia

31 Oct 15

@AbbyGreenhill You know if I was going to make that big of a move and it would be my last house to buy I might do the same thing. I think they are looking for one last perfect home for them to live in. I might be wrong but it might be true at the same time.

1 person likes this

AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45490)

• United States

31 Oct 15

@poehere The thing is they won't be living in it for 4 years...the husband will live here part time and they will spend vacations here, but the wife will still live in NY until she retires.

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Marlina

@marlina (154103)

• Canada

31 Oct 15

Should be fun to find out if they decided on any one of those houses.

2 people like this

AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45490)

• United States

31 Oct 15

The only reason I'd like it if they bought the one we saw with them is that's its close to us!

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celticeagle

@celticeagle (189838)

• Boise, Idaho

31 Oct 15

Yes, I remember when my ex and I were looking for a house. We had a realtor who took us around showing us homes in this area of town. It was fun. I guess it would be even more fun if it was someone else's money. LOL

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celticeagle

@celticeagle (189838)

• Boise, Idaho

1 Nov 15

@AbbyGreenhill ...Well, sounds helpful.

AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45490)

• United States

1 Nov 15

Someone else's money - plus I love to give advice LOL - and I just gave him two e-mails full because the house he now likes is not in a good area.

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41Combedale

@41CombedaleRoad (5966)

• Greece

1 Nov 15

It is quite a responsibility to help friends with their househunting, some friends helped us 9 years ago and we felt under pressure to make a decision because we felt we were taking up their time. We made a hasty and bad decision and then had to live with it for a year. I'm sure this does not describe your situation as you are already standing back a little and aware of the dangers.

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AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45490)

• United States

1 Nov 15

What house they buy is up to them, but I won't let them buy a home in a 'bad' area.

Anna

@LadyDuck (502429)

• Italy

1 Nov 15

It sounds as they are not yet sure about what they really want. It's hard to find a house if you do not know which kind of house you are looking for.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (502429)

• Italy

1 Nov 15

@AbbyGreenhill This is a big mistake. They have to plan everything first and then buy.

AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45490)

• United States

1 Nov 15

@LadyDuck I keep telling him and I think its sinking in. They like the privacy we have then they go look at a subdivision with one home on top of another - go figure.

1 person likes this

AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45490)

• United States

1 Nov 15

They are so anxious to buy that they aren't really taking things into consideration.

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Shannon

@fawkes62 (1276)

• United States

1 Nov 15

Hopefully they find what they are looking for. We tried moving for a while, but houses around here are flying off the market, which is why I wanted to sell ours. Unfortunately it makes it difficult to find a good house in our price range. We decided to wait after only viewing a few. All were overpriced for what needed fixing. All the others that I liked were gone before I could look at them or over our budget.

1 person likes this

AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45490)

• United States

1 Nov 15

You must live where the market is very hot and not enough inventory. Right now, fall, isn't the best time to sell or buy a home. With the holidays coming up people don't want to bother - been there so I know. We had our last house on the market 2 1/2 years and took it off the market in the winters.

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Shannon

@fawkes62 (1276)

• United States

1 Nov 15

@AbbyGreenhill It's probably slowing down now because we are nearing winter. We were looking in May and June. That's a busy time in most areas, but especially here where winters can get really cold and snowy.

maezee

@maezee (41985)

• United States

19 Jan 16

Im certainly glad youre having fun with it. Ill be starting the process of house hunting soon and I am already stressed out by it. Ha. Any suggestions or tips are welcome!

AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45490)

• United States

19 Jan 16

#1 - Make a list, priority order, of what you need and want in a home including location, br's ba's, property size, new home, age doesn't matter, basement or not, city/country, close to shopping/restaurants/schoools...just a few things to think about #2 - Search on reator.com - have an idea of homes you like and give the links to your realtor - no realtor has ever found us a home, I find them and tell the realtor. Take control of it or they will run you in 100 wrong directions. #3 - Don't rush into anything, take your time, check out as many homes as you can. Winter isn't the best time, since its pretty much 'leftovers' as not many people list in winter unless they have to due to job or something. #4 - When you find the perfect one, drive by it in morning, noon, night - check out the area, is it quiet enough? Are the other homes well kept? Are the neighbors loud? Do as much research as you need. #5 - Don't ever pay the asking price - everything is negotiable Good luck.

Judy Story

@jstory07 (148730)

• Roseburg, Oregon

31 Oct 15

I am sure when they see the house of their dream they will knew that is the one for them.

1 person likes this

AbbyGreenhill

@AbbyGreenhill (45490)

• United States

31 Oct 15

I hope so, they are probably up to the 30th one since they started!

Cahaya

@cahaya1983 (11116)

• Malaysia

2 Nov 15

Wow. I think I'm the opposite because I'd rather go on a house hunting mission for myself.

I wouldn't mind helping out friends or family though, although I'm not very sure if I'm good at making recommendations for others when it comes to houses.