Home

[ScenicMaine]

Thank you @Snowpuppy  for your input.

If we're fortunate to get this particular home, it will bring peace of mind for sure.   With the neighborhood changing, I see the "writing on the wall" & feel as though we're being forced out.  Maybe that's exaggeration, but I know what I want for our living situation.  DH was in agreement, then this week, he was in "moody" mode!  I took him to see the house today (he saw it on line) so he likes the area.

I envy you living in a rural area.  You must have peaceful, pleasant days always.  Good for you.  Good luck building your dream home.  

[ScenicMaine]

@phoenixbrd 

Thank you again for your input.

Yes each home I think has possibility, I check all the description along with the property taxes.  Also, the purchase history, date when listed & prices changes.  I mentioned in another post this particular home has decreased $15K.  Taxes are I think about $300/yr. more than ours.

Thank you for your encouraging words & best wishes.  I will update as time goes by.

[lovesrecess]

We are trying to find a one story home because we can’t do stairs anymore...two houses on our block sold the same day they were listed....both over the listing price. I hope you are able to find exactly what you want within your budget. We have not put ours on the market yet because we have no place to go yet...and I don’t want to move twice.
Prices have been so high in our area that slowly, prices are coming down a little.....because they are really through the roof...we can’t even afford to buy our own house at these prices! I would not take any money from retirement for a home...that would keep me from really enjoying a new home, but that’s just me.

[ScenicMaine]

We want first floor living only.  Looking to the future, one never knows how our health will be, so no unnecessary stairs wanted here.

I hope you find the first floor living you need.

[queendiva]

@ScenicMaine I bought and sold at this time last year. This is peak season for inventory, so you will have the best choices.

Personally, I would never buy before selling. Two family members did this last year. One house just sold after 13 months on market, the other has been for sale for about 9-10 months. Having carrying costs for two homes, even if one is owned outright (as both of these are)? Not good.

I always wait until after the buyers' home inspection of my home before making an offer on the next one as having two mortgages would crush me even short term. Buying before selling can be quite a gamble.

The listing agent offering 5% commission? Around here that is standard. No one gets 6% any more. Nothing special. She needs to show you how many houses she sold in 2018 and 2019 and how many active listings she currently has and average days on market. Getting a listing is easy. Getting it sold is a lot harder and not every agent is equal to the task. Slow down. Sounds like you have made a decision to sell but are rushing the whole sell/ buy process.

[ID2]

The housing market is completely fierce here in the state I live!! My son and dil just found their first house. But every single house they were interested in, you had to act FAST or you lost it. They bid on quite a few and were quickly outbid. Everything ended up in a bidding war. The house they finally got was, once again, in a bidding war but this time my son won! 

[SilleeMee]

I'm in Colorado. It's a sellers' market here right now and there are not enough houses, old and new, for the numbers of people looking to buy. Affordable housing is getting rare and that has caused a huge increase in the numbers of apartment complexes being built here. I own my home, free and clear, and although I can get a good price for it if I sell, it would not be enough to buy another house here. The prices of houses are, for me, too expensive. So I'm not selling because where would I go? Not into a townhome or apartment, no way.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

Life is short, and if you find a sweet house, and since each day could be your last, you would go out happy.  At least that's how I feel about mine.

We found a little hideaway that many had rejected (for all the wrong reasons, IMO, but they all missed out) and love it dearly.  

We also bought before selling and yes, it was stressful but once we  listed the other house it sold in about a month.  I would not want to go through that again, but who knows.  

Good luck to you.  It sounds like you are considering all the important stuff.  Oh - we went through this in 2013/2014.  Bought mid-fall, sold mid-winter (snow and all).

[gardenman]

The housing market here in rural South Jersey is abysmal right now. Homes that sold for $90,000+ a few years ago are now selling for $20,000 or less. The state and my local county have decided that nearly all older homes on septic systems need new modern septic systems and wells installed before they can be moved into. Add in the high property taxes and they've pretty much made those homes unsellable. The townships still appraise the houses very highly for tax purposes, but you get nowhere near that if you put the house on the market.

My neighbor recently offered their house and got a high offer of $8,000 for it. This is for a house on a double lot, in very good condition with a newer roof, vinyl siding and newer windows. It includes a two car garage and a small cottage out back. It's taxed at over $140,000 value, but there's not much room for a new septic system, only about a twenty foot square area out back, so the house is viewed as being largely unlivable by prospective buyers. There are septic solutions that can be fit into that space, but they're very expensive compared to conventional systems.

The last three homes that have sold in this neighborhood are still unoccupied as the buyers try to figure out how to comply with the new rules and regulations. They sold for $21,500, $22,000 and the latest for $15,000. The buyers all thought they were getting bargains.As they learn the costs of upgrading systems to comply with the new regulations they're learning how expensive a mistake they've made. One had a new septic system installed and a new well, but the cost was over $60,000 and getting the approvals for it all took well over six months of time. When she applied for an adjustment on her property taxes they re-evaluated the house higher than it was before, so instead of her property taxes going down, they've gone up. She's to the point where she's talking of giving the house to a charity just to stop bleeding money.

If you're buying a house and assuming the value will increase, you might end up disappointed. Housing values around here are in freefall. It's not because of the economy, but because of bureaucrats and their rules and high property taxes. Your investment can disappear in the blink of an eye by bureaucrats rewriting the rules.

[kaydee50]

Having bought and sold several houses, my only advice is to sell first and then buy unless you can afford 2 places for an indefinite period of time.  The housing market is very changeable and of course the realtor is going to tell you anything to get you to list your house.  Good luck!!