Real Estate Q

[krystee]

Would you pick a newer, nicer house 40 minutes from work or an older, more expensive house that would need renovations but is 15 minutes from work?

We have done both. First, we bought the newer and nicer 45 minutes away. I did not like the commute. Now we're renting in the much-closer-to-work place, but the house is very small. We are tempted to do the longer commute again, but this time buy in an area that has better highway access and has a few friends in the area so we're not ALWAYS driving far, even on weekends.

Here is an example of newer and nicer: www.redfin.com/IL/Gilberts/288-Town-Center-Blvd-60136/home/58879430 (we'd pay under $250K for a house a lot like this, most likely)

Here is an example of older and closer: www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1409-Carr-Ct_Elk-Grove-Village_IL_60007_M76589-65016?row=43 (this one is $317K and needs major renovations) or www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1244-Diane-Ln_Elk-Grove-Village_IL_60007_M75720-98104?row=31 (this house is $389K, but wouldn't need renovations--except I wouldn't buy this one in particular because the kitchen doesn't appeal to me, but I wouldn't want to tear out a brand-new kitchen).

We could not afford to pay for renovations in a house for quite awhile.

Which would you choose?

[krystee]

Also, I will probably delete the links later so my screen name is not attached to my area.

[HoneySpider]

Commuting sucks. I would be tempted to buy something closer but not one that needs a ton of work....so I guess my answer is closer in, but renovated/partially renovated even if it means waiting longer to be able to afford it.

Do both areas have lots of shopping, restaurants, etc or would you be "commuting" to go out and do things from one or the other?

[krystee]

Both areas have lots of shopping and restaurants within a very short drive.

I miss homeownership and I think I am just getting anxious to be settled. But the last thing I want is to regret our move again.

[luv2rn4fun]

This is a hard one. We moved to our new city because COL is much cheaper (so I could SAH). The house is bigger and much less than what we would have paid in our previous city. DH was able to find a job that pays equivalent but has a 40 min commute (longer if traffic is bad). Luckily, he is only at work for 8 hrs total (instead of your typical 8-5 or 9 hours so it helps offset the commute a little). I have had a horrendous commute and would not recommend that on anyone; however, we went in knowing it was temporary.

With a kid on the way, that kind of changes everything for me. I would want the extra time and cannot imagine working FT and having a bad/long commute. I guess I vote for sacrificing the house to live closer to work and having more time together as a family (or so you can have time to make dinner, chores, exercise, etc).

I like jjwritergirl suggestion of a compromise if it's possible.

[krystee]

One thing that appeals to me about the far place is that the neighborhood is filled with young families. My current town has two main parts---the small homes built in the 1960s (where we rent now) that still has a ton of the original owners (so 75-80 years old) and the larger homes built in the late 1970s-early 80s with those original owners (around 55-65).

There MUST be young families around here because there are several schools that are really nice, but I have no idea where they are!

[Deleted]

I would go with a shorter commute, but like PP said a compromise might be better. It would depend on the type of renovations the older house needs - are we talking cosmetic updates, or major, costly repairs?

[travelbug]

I would definitely want a shorter commute. I couldn't imagine driving for that long to get to work, but I understand what the joys of the other home would be. I like the idea of a compromise. Driving 20-25 min to and from work doesn't sound nearly as dreadful! All the homes you have picked are beautiful though

[melsamoony]

Shorter commute here too! I would go for something that is livable even if it wasn't totally modern. I have a nice 5 minute commute and it is the beeeeeeest.

[estrellita]

I refuse to live too far from work, especially since this town sucks so much with clearing the roads in the winter. So for me, the shorter commute is the winner. I think it really depends on which is more important to you. I personally like being home more, not dealing with traffic, and not having to get up a lot earlier to leave earlier for work. But that's me!

[krystee]

You're all right. I love this short commute. I love that I can run home at lunch if I forgot something and that I'm home at a reasonable hour.

I just get house envy when I am cleaning out my office and putting all my beloved books in boxes in the garage because we have no space for them anymore.

I have tons of ideas for increasing storage here, but they'd involve installing shelving and cabinets and other things,
and this is a rental.

Mainly I am just discouraged at the fact that it is taking so long to save for a downpayment and how much more impossible it will be when we're paying for daycare. But we haven't been trying as hard as we should have, so hopefully we can speed it up.

[estrellita]

I know the feeling krystee! The mortgage payments aren't the issue, it's that damn down payment! We're struggling with that too and hope to move by the time baby is about 6 months, but like you, daycare is going to make that difficult. Why is it so expensive!!

[MrsMB]

Devils advocate here.....but I'm loving my brand new, pretty house out in the sticks however, I know commute can be a major hassle.,,so go with your gut

[grover]

We live five miles from my work. I love the commute. I hate living in an unfinished home. We're considering move over the IN border and commuting from there, but it would be a brand new place (so no renovations).

On a side note, we ate dinner up in EGV the other night!

[krystee]

Nov 18, 2014 21:54:03 GMT -5 grover said:

We live five miles from my work. I love the commute. I hate living in an unfinished home. We're considering move over the IN border and commuting from there, but it would be a brand new place (so no renovations).

On a side note, we ate dinner up in EGV the other night!

Wow, that would be a long drive! My H wants to move out by you because he flies out of that airport, but traffic is so terrible, so I am refusing for now.

[grover]

Nov 18, 2014 22:03:35 GMT -5 krystee said:

Nov 18, 2014 21:54:03 GMT -5 grover said:

We live five miles from my work. I love the commute. I hate living in an unfinished home. We're considering move over the IN border and commuting from there, but it would be a brand new place (so no renovations).

On a side note, we ate dinner up in EGV the other night!

Wow, that would be a long drive! My H wants to move out by you because he flies out of that airport, but traffic is so terrible, so I am refusing for now.

I know I think it would turn into about a 40-45 minute commute on a good day... 
Plus sides are it's cheaper in general as far as COL, can get a bigger house (and not stress as much about property taxes), and my parents are looking to move out that way. And I'd only have to drive nine months out of every year. 
Bad side is that winters will suck big time driving. 

[HoneySpider]

krystee What is your plan for the house you own but rent out? Are you going to try selling it?

[krystee]

HoneySpider We will sell the second we don't have to bring money to the table (or at least not more than $5K or so). We have about $20K more to go before that can happen.

We thought about moving back in there, but the commute is just too far for H and it doesn't have as many friends/family in the area or as many shops and restaurants as close by. It's also not super close to a major highway so it feels far to get anywhere.

[MrsAggie]

I would buy something closer but updated like the $389K (assuming the budget allows for it). I was originally going to say newer house and commute until I saw updated older houses were an option. The first older one just seems daunting to me. I'd have to reno every single thing.

[MrsAggie]

I take everything back!

I just read your other responses and saw that you were wanting to save for a bigger down payment.

I vote buy the newer house that's 40 min away but 100K cheaper. An extra 25 min of commuting will not equal the cost of 100K difference. You can live there for 5 years, save, and then you could move closer if you wanted. I would even consider staying 40 min away if I loved the neighborhood, schools, restaurants, etc.

The one thing I sort of miss about my 40 min commute is having time to eat, drink some caffeine, and listen to the radio to wake up. I'm not complaining about my lack of commute though! Plus I love my job 100x more than the one I commuted to. If I had to though, I'd commute again. I wouldn't move out of the area I live in because I love it.

[MrsMB]

Nov 19, 2014 9:15:26 GMT -5 MrsAggie said:

I take everything back!

I just read your other responses and saw that you were wanting to save for a bigger down payment.

I vote buy the newer house that's 40 min away but 100K cheaper. An extra 25 min of commuting will not equal the cost of 100K difference. You can live there for 5 years, save, and then you could move closer if you wanted. I would even consider staying 40 min away if I loved the neighborhood, schools, restaurants, etc.

The one thing I sort of miss about my 40 min commute is having time to eat, drink some caffeine, and listen to the radio to wake up. I'm not complaining about my lack of commute though! Plus I love my job 100x more than the one I commuted to. If I had to though, I'd commute again. I wouldn't move out of the area I live in because I love it.

This exactly. 

[ginkgoleaf]

I like the newer and nicer but the second near EGV you posted looks really nice too. I wouldn't want a ton of work - you've seen my current house and it was a lot of work but not as much as EGV #1. We're still working on it and it's SO much harder to accomplish things with a kid. So I definitely vote for a house with little work.

Highway access is big, but also factor in the amount of traffic. I'd rather drive farther at higher speeds than be bumper to bumper going a shorter distance. Course this way be because it took me 3 hours to get to chicago yesterday...

I totally understand wanting to put down roots again and be able to make it your own, especially with a baby on the way. What does your DH think?

[krystee]

He thinks I am crazy because he thinks we'll get there and I'll immediately miss living where we do and having the super short commute. We are also five minutes from my parents now so the help from them will be invaluable.

I think our decision for now is to stay put for baby's first year and reevaluate afterward based on what our life looks like at that point. I will just need to get some patience!

[ginkgoleaf]

That sounds like a good plan. Also, side note, search Meetup or Facebook for moms groups in the areas you're looking in. It might give you an idea of the kids activities in each town and there might be more in EGV than you think. You're probably more likely to have more playgrounds a little farther out though. I'd also look at the school districts and how the libraries are, since that's a big form of entertainment in the way-too-long winter.

[mac08]

I just went from having a 45 min commute to a 5 min commute.  I never really hated my long commute, it was a nice chance to think, listen to the radio, and mentally gear up for/decompress from work.  Now, obviously it's nice with the shorter commute, but I'd definitely move farther away again for a house that much cheaper and newer/nicer/bigger, provided the area and neighborhood were as great as the house itself.

That being said, the quality of the long commute is really important.  Is it 45 minutes of easy highway driving with minimal traffic? Or is it 45 minutes of bumper to bumper traffic? My commute was somewhere in between those options, but closer to the easier side.  I couldn't deal though if it was awful traffic.