What does MM think of this house?

[kwynn]

I apologize if I'm posting too much. You ladies really are the wisest people I have in my life regarding all things financial and real estate. I really appreciate all the advice I've been given here over the years.

Anyway, I know nothing about buying a house. I do have a buyer's agent I found through a recommendation from a friend. I'm getting pre-approved. I am also still keeping my eye out for rentals and have had my sister/roommate looking at places as well---she's seen two places in the past week, both within the budget, but also one place was in pretty bad shape. (The other was fine and is on the list for now).

My buyer's agent and my family will have to look at places for me and narrow them down if I decide to buy. I will then take a weeklong trip up to check things out further. If I rent, this won't be possible---I'll just take whatever my sister thinks looks good (we will have to move fast on a rental since we haven't found much).

This house is in a good school district (not a concern for me, but a concern for resale or rental in the future). It doesn't have two bathrooms like I wanted and the back of the house isn't to my tastes (compromises, compromises), but what do you think? It's under my budget. Just wondering if I should put it on the list for them to see or if you think it looks rough just from the photos--definitely needs some work, but what doesn't?

www.prudentialpreferred.com/real-estate/index.cfm?fuseaction=property-detail&proptype=res&MLS=922087
ETA: The photos on the website don't always work right. Click on the big photo on the left to advance through.

All opinions welcome! I have some other places I want to show you ladies too--I know some of you are Pittsburgh people and would know these areas better than me.

[CloudBee]

So cute, and a decent size! I don't see any major upgrades that would need to be done right away. I think that you could easily paint and decorate when you move in, then consider appliance updates, etc., in the coming years.

What a great price!

[lola]

That's a great price.

There are some aesthetic changes I'd make (wall colors, flooring, etc.) but for $85K that seems like NBD.

[penguingrrl]

That's adorable! I can't imagine living somewhere where it would be attainable price-wise, forget that low!

[Deleted]

I think it is cute. What is the neighborhood like?

[Deleted]

I owned a house with almost the exact layout. It works. I will worn the kitchen had almost an identical feel (different color). It really worked. I loved there for 10 years.

[explorer2001]

It's not bad at all. I'd want to know why the stove is electric when the house lists "gas" as a ulitiy. Definitely have an inspection. Outside of that, it's pretty cute. Weird window treatments and some paint that need to be updated but in the scheme of things that's nothing. Do you have an information on the basement? Also see if your inspector could give you an idea about how diffcult it might be to add a bathroom or half bath if you are there for a long time. Same for a dish washer. It looks like there is a spacein the cabinets for it next to the sink in the picture. Also I didn't see if it was zoned so you could work from the house or where you would have clients visit you there.

That was sort of a ramble of random thoughts but it has potential to be a good fit.

[kwynn]

Jan 5, 2013 18:40:29 GMT -5 cuadrado said:

I think it is cute. What is the neighborhood like?

I know we have some ladies here that live in that suburb, so hopefully they can weigh in. This neighborhood is, overall, average. Very, very safe.

Maybe there are some rundown houses around there, it's the older section of town, and some things are outdated. But there are also some nice homes in the neighborhood. It's definitely the way more affordable portion of the school district, which is considered to be very good.

Cons---it's far from the city of Pittsburgh.

Pros--the property tax is WAY cheaper than Allegheny County.

I don't like the kitchen layout (looks awkward to me) and I wish there were two bathrooms, and the decorating isn't my taste but that's paint.

I'm also looking at townhomes in the area too.

[kwynn]

Jan 5, 2013 18:43:06 GMT -5 explorer2001 said:

It's not bad at all. I'd want to know why the stove is electric when the house lists "gas" as a ulitiy. Definitely have an inspection. Outside of that, it's pretty cute. Weird window treatments and some paint that need to be updated but in the scheme of things that's nothing. Do you have an information on the basement? Also see if your inspector could give you an idea about how diffcult it might be to add a bathroom or half bath if you are there for a long time. Same for a dish washer. It looks like there is a spacein the cabinets for it next to the sink in the picture. Also I didn't see if it was zoned so you could work from the house or where you would have clients visit you there.

That was sort of a ramble of random thoughts but it has potential to be a good fit.

I think the stove is electric based on where it is---there may not be a gas line there. I noticed the dishwasher thing--so weird.

Any home would have a thorough inspection, yes, and places look so different in the photos than in real life.

As far as zoning, this area is definitely mixed residential and commercial (coffee shops, funeral home, I can't remember what else, etc) so I would have to check that out.

[LoveTrains]

I think it looks cute! Definitely worth a look if the neighborhood is OK.

It is not that uncommon to have gas heat and an electric stove. In some cases they just didn't run the gas to the kitchen. My condo was like that.

[countthestars]

I like it! I'd keep it on the list.

[jackpackage]

I think it's cute! I have nothing to add besides I love window shopping for houses.

[pitterwoo]

I really like it. I'm sure you're going to have maintenance and projects to take on, so make sure you are considering that in your budget too. I agree that the area seems safe and there's nothing really wrong with it. I know someone who lives in that suburb and works downtown, so it's not overly far from the city.

[thinkofthesoldiers]

The bedrooms look small. How old are the windows? What bout the boiler? I don't like the layout of the kitchen. It doesn't look that functional, but if there is a basement you could upgrade to gas for the stove. Looks like an older house. Make sure you get everything inspected--electrical, plumbing, and structural. I might consider bringing an electrician and plumber separate from the regular inspector. The living room looks pretty small and awkward too.

[kwynn]

Jan 5, 2013 19:34:05 GMT -5 toriwc said:

Will you be commuting to the city every day? The paint jobs look poor to me, but maybe it's just the photos. Certainly not enough of a deal breaker to not take a look at it. I am not super familiar with the area, but I think it is ok.

Nope, I work from home, but what I do does involve going to the city sometimes (wedding photographer) but certainly not every day, maybe twice a week. I also go to Greensburg, etc, and my roommate's job is about 20 minutes from this place too.

I hate the paint jobs too. But I figure, you nearly always have to paint.

[Deleted]

We have gas heat and an electric stove. The two are not related, at all. It's all about how they ran the gas lines.

I think the house is super cute. How many square feet is it? I couldn't find that on the site for some reason.

For the price I think any updates you need to make would be NBD.

[EmilieMadison]

How common is a garage in that area? This house not only has no garage, but not even a driveway for parking. This could be a HUGE re-sale/future rental obstacle. Most people buying a SFH want a garage or, at minimum, something other than street parking. This would also mean no parking for your clients.

That would give me pause, personally, but if it doesn't bother you, then no matter. Have you seen it in person yet? If not, do it ASAP. Sometimes it's shocking how different the pictures are from the real thing (sometimes it's much better, sometimes worse).

Also, it looks like it has almost NO kitchen cabinets. And very limited counter space.

Is it a shortsale or a foreclosure? Those are the other things I'd find out ASAP.

[Deleted]

Cute! The biggest con is that it looks like only on-street parking. That could be a pain along with no garage. Otherwise, I think it's great & has lots of potential to be even cuter.

[rubytue]

I think its really cute! The biggest downside I noticed is the bright yellow kitchen (cheap, easy fix and some might like it) and it seems really close to the road. I looks like its not a main road though, so that might be tolerable. I would not want a house that close to a busy road though.

[KaraOrNot]

It's cute. I like the stairs and I have always wanted doors leading into a dining room.

[Deleted]

Is street parking the norm in that area? Is overnight street parking legal? My best friend owns a home in a neighborhood with on street parking only. She lived there for two years, and rents it out now. She had no problem finding a renter, due to it being a popular neighborhood with on street being common.

[delawarejen]

As an owner of an old house, I think it's gorgeous. If you do decide to buy, you'll need to get a great home inspector. I would ask the neighbors about parking - if it really is easy to find a spot, or not. I would also find out from the neighbors about snow removal - it's a huge issue in on-street parking situations that they plow again a few days after a big storm once everyone goes back to work. (Mine was fine until my city got cheap and stopped doing it, so people keep stealing each other's shoveled out spots and I had to shovel out 4 different ones the last time we had a storm.)

[lochnessie]

It's really cute inside and has nice curb appeal! Is the only bathroom upstairs (sorry glanced quickly)? Do you have kids? If so, that might be a pain, but I think it would work!

[kwynn]

In the older suburbs of Pittsburgh, I would say a garage is not common and street parking is the norm. I want a garage, but in an older house, I probably won't get one. Maybe a detached one could be built somewhere way down the line. It's not ideal, but not a dealbreaker in this part of town.

This particular suburb, this part of it, the houses can be tight together there. To me, it does look like there is a driveway of some sort to the left of the home? But I'm not totally sure on that.

I haven't seen it in person yet. I can't go to the area until the end of February, so I am having my sister and my agent look and rule out anything that's a "heck no!" before I get there.

I do think the living room looks small and the rooms are tight. I have that on my list of things to ask. Kitchen layout is SUPER awkward.

[kwynn]

Jan 5, 2013 20:16:58 GMT -5 delawarejen said:

As an owner of an old house, I think it's gorgeous. If you do decide to buy, you'll need to get a great home inspector. I would ask the neighbors about parking - if it really is easy to find a spot, or not. I would also find out from the neighbors about snow removal - it's a huge issue in on-street parking situations that they plow again a few days after a big storm once everyone goes back to work. (Mine was fine until my city got cheap and stopped doing it, so people keep stealing each other's shoveled out spots and I had to shovel out 4 different ones the last time we had a storm.)

Do you know what a parking chair is? Maybe that's a Pittsburgh thing? You put out a chair to save your spot...respect the chair, haha.

I will definitely ask. I know some Nesties here live in that boro so they'd know about the snow removal best.

I love old houses and am only really looking at old houses or new townhouses. I can't afford a standard ranch or bigger house that's newer.

[kwynn]

Jan 5, 2013 20:20:44 GMT -5 lochnessie said:

It's really cute inside and has nice curb appeal! Is the only bathroom upstairs (sorry glanced quickly)? Do you have kids? If so, that might be a pain, but I think it would work!

No pics of bathroom, which is a red flag to me. I just eliminated a house I looked at because the only bathroom was on the first floor and that can be hard to deal with taking a shower downstairs, etc.

I don't have any children. Maybe someday...

I would need to ask about the feasability of adding a second bathroom anyway with a contractor, since that's like the number one thing I'd need to eventually rent it out or sell it or heck, live in it long term.

[Deleted]

Jan 5, 2013 19:14:15 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I think it looks cute! Definitely worth a look if the neighborhood is OK.

It is not that uncommon to have gas heat and an electric stove. In some cases they just didn't run the gas to the kitchen. My condo was like that.

That's what we have. Didn't seem strange to me at all for my area at least.

[londoncalling]

The kitchen layout is awkward but looks quite typical for the age of the house in Pittsburgh. Are you ok with only window air conditioning?

I did on street parking in the city for two years in college and I hated having to dig out a spot.

I would say keep it on the list, but keep looking for more options too.

[kwynn]

Jan 5, 2013 20:40:53 GMT -5 londoncalling said:

The kitchen layout is awkward but looks quite typical for the age of the house in Pittsburgh. Are you ok with only window air conditioning?

I did on street parking in the city for two years in college and I hated having to dig out a spot.

I would say keep it on the list, but keep looking for more options too.

I've never had a garage, so that doesn't bother me as much.

I hate A/C...I barely even use it here in Florida!

[pitterwoo]

I don't think the one street parking is an issue at all. People are usually good about respecting the spots in front of the house as "yours" and those houses aren't even close together so I doubt that there's that much demand for parking spots. I agree that it's worth making sure that's the norm for the neighborhood, but I imagine it is.

ETA: just going to emphasize the extra projects part again. we've been working on our house for years now and while we are doing some things nicer than they need to be, we spend a ton of money and time on our home. Insulation is going to be at the top of my list to look at. If the home hasn't had updates recently I wouldn't be surprised if the insulation situation is terrible. My cautionary tale is that our first month here (January) was a $600 heat bill just keeping the heat at 64. We had almost no insulation and that's totally common.