Buying a house - Page 4

germanshepherdlove · ‎04-20-2020

In AZ one can pay less than $500 per month to rent a lot for a mobile home and that includes water and trash. Don't know where you live but many senior only parks out there and are very good and have expectations of each mobile home owner to maintain their lot (like an hoa without hoa fees).

ahoymate · ‎05-30-2010

Mobile homes? From all the recent floods, hurricanes, tornados, they don't look like a safe place to live. Most are not located in desirable areas from what I've seen.

Do love German Sheps!

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

Great time to buy a home. Just think of the organic veggies you can grow out back!

Nuttmeg · ‎03-09-2010

@Mz iMac wrote:
Depending on which state you live in, NOW is the time to buy a house and/or autos. Especially if your state/city/county is a "hot" zone. Huge discounts can be had.

Yes, you can get a discount and you could get sick.

There is nothing really opened up in New Jersey or New York. The mortgage rate is 3.25%.

I would not consider buying or selling a home. It is too risky in a hot zone for senior citizens.

I would watch the market and buy a little later.

jannabelle1 · ‎09-12-2010

Of course you have to do what it right for you, but age is a factor that should be considered. DH and I have a town home with a wonderful HOA and management company. I'm 72 and in pretty good health, but DH now has health issues and is on oxygen 24/7. While I loved all of the homes I owned, there would be no way that I would be able to handle outside (and even interior things like painting) home maintenance on my own. Our monthly maintenance fee is $200 and it covers lawn care, snow removal, exterior painting, roof maintenance, etc. We have a large patio that I take care of, but I still will be hiring someone to power wash the bricks and help me with patio furniture because my sweet hubby isn't physically able to do it.

I don't mean to sound negative. If you are both in good health and can take care of the daily and seasonal maintenance when you need it, then I'm sure you'll love your new home.

drizzellla · ‎03-14-2010

@riley1 wrote:
Besides a real estate lawyer, get a good house inspector who will thoroughly go through the house and give a list of what needs fixing, etc.

YES! But PLEASE make sure that the building inspector gives you his report in writing. We learned the hard way.It turned out the house inspector we hired to inspect our house was a "friend" of the real estate agent. He gave a verbal glowing report about what great shape the house was in. Then he said it would take several days for him to make a written report plus he was going to charge us an additional $250. He never mentioned that when we hired him.

We put in the bid for the house and were going to settlement 10 days later. We doubted we would get his report before settlement. I think the real estate agent told him all that before the inspection. It was $500 wasted.

It turned out there were several leaks in the roof and carpenter ants had damaged the wood around two windows.

sissel · ‎08-13-2010

Hire your own inspector my DD has a townhouse she got 2yrs ago, same problem the apt rent going up every year. With any house you will redo or replace once you get in. No washer/dryer ok had to get a new one, townhouse 14yrs old knew fridge, dishwasher & mircrowave would break (it did but not at the same time) she is so happy with her 1500 sq ft place she owns. HOA does take care of the front yard ,Backyard very small mostly brick patio with some plants in planters no big deal. So much quieter than people up & down hallway apt building. She knows her mortgage is fixed & will never go up every year.

riley1 · ‎03-10-2010

@Boehm Collector - I'm a former Jersey girl from the northern part of the state. My gf is a RE agent there and it drives her crazy when the paperwork is not in order or forms are not submitted in a timely fashion.

Boehm Collector · ‎03-09-2010

@riley1 wrote:
@Boehm Collector - I'm a former Jersey girl from the northern part of the state. My gf is a RE agent there and it drives her crazy when the paperwork is not in order or forms are not submitted in a timely fashion.

@riley1 . there are less than a hand full of RE I have dealt with that know what they are doing and do their job well. But for the most part they are practically useless. I used to try so hard to work with RE as I felt that we all wanted to achieve the same end. But over the years I have learned why attorneys dislike RE so much. And they just seem to have become progressively worse over the years.

riley1 · ‎03-10-2010

@Boehm Collector - I get what you are saying - my friend has been in RE for the better part of 30 yrs - she is always on top of everything and very organized. She truly goes the extra mile in everything she does. It drives her crazy until the signatures are on the dotted line.