I'm not sure what else to say.... I'm in the planning stages and only know it will be in the vicinity of KC, but I don't know what neighborhood or township yet. Put the word out, send me your comments, your emails, your advice, your spreadsheets. Anything you've got. I'm considering a 15-year mortgage, for instance, because it builds equity faster and costs a lot less in the end. It just depends on how much house you buy. New or old? Carpet or hardwood floors? Single or two-story? These are all big, tough questions.
I'm excited and dream about it. I plan and scheme it. I've been reading up and checking my credit report. I wonder how long it will take? All the rest is just details, but of course, it's all details.
4 comments:
Yeay, hooray, go for it! Old is cool, but watch out for the infrastructure (likewise with new, I daresay). -- XOXO, MOM
Hmmm... OK I just finished reading this post: http://wbrussee.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/april-2009-update-of-%E2%80%9Cthe-great-depression-of-debt%E2%80%9D/
saying housing hasn't bottomed out yet.
I'm also intrigued by the issue of market value vs replacement value, but that's caught up in the value of labor and the cost of modern insurance.
Also Beth & Cary just sold in PA and will be shopping in CA, so this could turn into a group discussion.
Then there's the YES! magazine article on tiny houses: http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=3044
and this fellow: http://wildernessawareness.ning.com/video/nature-cribs
And definitely read James Howard Kunstler's books, like Geography of Nowhere...
all in all, proceed with caution! fascinating topic though, where we live and why and how things are built and what they're worth and how our built environment comes together as a society.
What about the tornadoes????
I don't know shit about this. But, from what people around me say, a house is not a good investment, so don't buy one as an investment. Also, as well as I know you, I think you should plan on selling in between four and eight years (pro-15 yr mortgage), so don't try to buy the final house of your life. Instead, buy a house that makes you happy, but that will keep its resale value. Don't buy a house with too few bathrooms. Buy a house that you think has too many. Buy more house than you need, if given the choice. Stretch yourself a little thin, if the perfect thing comes along. But perfect should mean that you and Krista love it now, and you and Krista think it will have wide market appeal in 2015. (i.e., it's relatively plain-jane and generic. two-car garage, not facing a school or a power sub-station, or a major road, etc. etc. And, plenty of bathrooms.)
Buy the house that you guys LOVE later. Maybe even next, or second. But, buy the house that sells in five years now. But buy something that you guys will be happy in. Buy more house than you can afford, and do a 15 yr mortgage. Work hard and live simply. Take care of your Honda. Be frugal, and take care of the deep-seated core stuff of your house, even more than the cosmetic shit.
Post a Comment