Please tear this house to shreds for me

[sometimesrunner]

For some reason I started looking for houses yesterday. (whyyyyyy?) Well, I found a house I fell in love with. I cannot stop thinking about the fireplace and the living room. So, I need you to knock some sense into me and tell me why this would be a bad move. Things to consider:

-Our current interest rate is 2.75% on a 15 year loan. We would want to do another 15 year loan (but the rate would now be 3.65), so our payment would go up by $500/month. We would probably decrease our retirement savings by this much per year to cover this. (would go from saving 16% to 12%)

-Our current house is finally "done." We just finished our basement and our house is now complete. It's only 4 years old and for the price point could not suit us better.

-Things that this house has that our current one does not: formal dining room, mud room, and extra bedrooms. (we have no plans for more than 2 kids, so we definitely do not NEED all this space)

Please help me forget about this house!


::POOF::

Thank you all for your help! It was immensely helpful!

[drloretta]

That is a LOT to clean, and I hate the fireplace

[vegas]

I love it. apparently I'm not the right person for this request.

[sometimesrunner]

Aug 23, 2013 9:12:37 GMT -5 drloretta said:

That is a LOT to clean, and I hate the fireplace

You do?  I think it's amazing.

[soozy87]

I am not a huge fan of the color of the outside of the house.

[krystee]

I love it! But if there is not any room in your budget to absorb $500 and you'd have to take it all from your retirement contributions, it's probably not a good idea. Also, the heating and cooling costs in such a big house with vaulted ceilings would probably be pretty exorbitant.

On another note, I am curious if any GBCNer has bought a house after seeing someone post it on here.

[sometimesrunner]

Aug 23, 2013 9:16:15 GMT -5 soozy87 said:

I am not a huge fan of the color of the outside of the house.

Me neither. It's not what I would have picked, but I love the inside so much that I don't care. lol

[heyrebekah]

I actually like pretty much everything about it except the fireplace.

Who has a house like that and decorates with a giant moustache?

[soozy87]

Aug 23, 2013 9:16:58 GMT -5 sometimesrunner said:

Aug 23, 2013 9:16:15 GMT -5 soozy87 said:

I am not a huge fan of the color of the outside of the house.

Me neither. It's not what I would have picked, but I love the inside so much that I don't care. lol

Yeah, the inside is pretty great!

[sometimesrunner]

Aug 23, 2013 9:17:13 GMT -5 heyrebekah said:

I actually like pretty much everything about it except the fireplace.

Who has a house like that and decorates with a giant moustache?

I know, right? I actually like how most of the house has been decorated except for that. What don't you like about the fireplace?

[raangoli]

Aug 23, 2013 9:12:37 GMT -5 drloretta said:

That is a LOT to clean, and I hate the fireplace

I hate the purple wreath (?) on the fireplace. Otherwise it's kind of nice. I like the house. I would love the kitchen. I think a few bedrooms need new carpet bc of the color, but it seems nice. I wouldnt want to heat it though with those high ceilings.

[Pom]

I have to agree with Dr. L, not a big fan of the fireplace either. The brick color and design are NMS.  The house has many great features and is nicely appointed. Do you have furniture that would fit this house? It is huge and I would for certain want enough money to furnish it similarly and hire house cleaners.

[heyrebekah]

Aug 23, 2013 9:18:38 GMT -5 sometimesrunner said:

Aug 23, 2013 9:17:13 GMT -5 heyrebekah said:

I actually like pretty much everything about it except the fireplace.

Who has a house like that and decorates with a giant moustache?

I know, right? I actually like how most of the house has been decorated except for that. What don't you like about the fireplace?

I think it is a little large for the space and I don't love the color of the brick. And I really dislike the railing/loft area behind the fireplace. It just doesn't seem to go together.

[Marmee]

The carpet upstairs in no bueno...especially the green/blue room. But yeah, it's a pretty cool house.

[Deleted]

The worst thing about this house is the owner's West Elm meets 1975 country kitsch design sense.

I like the house but dislike the property itself.

[lb2006]

I love it - of course there are a few small cosmetic changes (carpet upstairs) - but here's the kicker:

1) you have to sell your house to buy this one, right?
2) if yes, would you profit from your house or break even/take a loss?

If you break even/take a loss, does the $500/month go up on the overall cost?

[wanderlustfoodie]

This is very similar to the house I grew up in (albeit bigger) so for sentimental reasons alone I love it. When my parents bought the house it even had a brick fireplace (although on a smaller scale than in this house) but eventually they replaced the brick with tile or some other material. But I like the brick fireplace here...so I'm also the wrong person for this thread

[drloretta]

Aug 23, 2013 9:15:59 GMT -5 sometimesrunner said:

Aug 23, 2013 9:12:37 GMT -5 drloretta said:

That is a LOT to clean, and I hate the fireplace

You do?  I think it's amazing.

I do. River tock would have looked so much better than that brick monstrosity. And all the windows would make it a bitch to heat.

[sometimesrunner]

You guys are doing excellent, keep up the good work.

I wish the house was $50k less and there was no upstairs. Just the main level and unfinished basement.

[sometimesrunner]

Aug 23, 2013 9:27:50 GMT -5 drloretta said:

Aug 23, 2013 9:15:59 GMT -5 sometimesrunner said:

You do?  I think it's amazing.

I do. River tock would have looked so much better than that brick monstrosity. And all the windows would make it a bitch to heat.

Ah, I see.

[sometimesrunner]

Aug 23, 2013 9:27:15 GMT -5 lb2006 said:

I love it - of course there are a few small cosmetic changes (carpet upstairs) - but here's the kicker:

1) you have to sell your house to buy this one, right?
2) if yes, would you profit from your house or break even/take a loss?

If you break even/take a loss, does the $500/month go up on the overall cost?

1) Yes, we have a house to sell first.
2) We just finished our basement so we have no idea how much our house is worth. At a minimum I think we'd walk away with $70k. The $500/mo is the most that our payment would go up.

[lb2006]

Aug 23, 2013 9:32:03 GMT -5 sometimesrunner said:

Aug 23, 2013 9:27:15 GMT -5 lb2006 said:

I love it - of course there are a few small cosmetic changes (carpet upstairs) - but here's the kicker:

1) you have to sell your house to buy this one, right?
2) if yes, would you profit from your house or break even/take a loss?

If you break even/take a loss, does the $500/month go up on the overall cost?

1) Yes, we have a house to sell first.
2) We just finished our basement so we have no idea how much our house is worth. At a minimum I think we'd walk away with $70k. The $500/mo is the most that our payment would go up.

Then i'm an enabler   I'd say go for it - you could offer a contingency w/your house, although many sellers aren't fond of them.  It's worth asking!  And list your house to see if there is any interest.    I seem to have a different opinion of most MMers, so i'm not going to talk you out of it.

That's what we did w/our last house - found a house on the lot we loved, and decided to list our house b/c of it.  Ended up selling in 11 days and are now in this house!

[lime]

I also hate the fireplace.

[sometimesrunner]

Aug 23, 2013 9:34:52 GMT -5 lb2006 said:

Aug 23, 2013 9:32:03 GMT -5 sometimesrunner said:

1) Yes, we have a house to sell first.
2) We just finished our basement so we have no idea how much our house is worth. At a minimum I think we'd walk away with $70k. The $500/mo is the most that our payment would go up.

Then i'm an enabler   I'd say go for it - you could offer a contingency w/your house, although many sellers aren't fond of them.  It's worth asking!  And list your house to see if there is any interest.    I seem to have a different opinion of most MMers, so i'm not going to talk you out of it.

That's what we did w/our last house - found a house on the lot we loved, and decided to list our house b/c of it.  Ended up selling in 11 days and are now in this house!

You're my favorite. (heart)

[rachelgreen]

- I don't like the blue carpeting
- Some of the bathrooms need updating (flooring, older cabinets, counters) and those projects suck
- unfinished basement. Granted you have enough space upstairs but I prefer finished basements
- At first I thought it was a small backyard, having those trees as a property line, but then I saw that it goes past those trees. I hate that. I wouldn't want my yard segmented like that.
- I agree about the kitchen feeling squished. It's a nice kitchen but for the size of the house I would have liked it to be a little bigger. This one is a much more nit-picky comment though. I mean, it's nicer than my current kitchen so...

I actually like the fireplace fwiw.

[sometimesrunner]

Aug 23, 2013 9:36:11 GMT -5 lime said:

I also hate the fireplace.

Ugh you guys are killing me with the fireplace hate!

[sometimesrunner]

Aug 23, 2013 9:37:44 GMT -5 rachelgreen said:

- I don't like the blue carpeting
- Some of the bathrooms need updating (flooring, older cabinets, counters) and those projects suck
- unfinished basement. Granted you have enough space upstairs but I prefer finished basements
- At first I thought it was a small backyard, having those trees as a property line, but then I saw that it goes past those trees. I hate that. I wouldn't want my yard segmented like that.
- I agree about the kitchen feeling squished. It's a nice kitchen but for the size of the house I would have liked it to be a little bigger. This one is a much more nit-picky comment though. I mean, it's nicer than my current kitchen so...

I actually like the fireplace fwiw.

No you're right the backyard is tiny. This house is in one of those planned communities that is trying to mimic the older-style communities with tiny lots. So behind our house is most likely other lots. I would definitely want to check with the realtor to see what's planned.

[lime]

Aug 23, 2013 9:38:11 GMT -5 sometimesrunner said:

Aug 23, 2013 9:36:11 GMT -5 lime said:

I also hate the fireplace.

Ugh you guys are killing me with the fireplace hate!

Well, it just seems very dated with the 80s style brick. 

I mean, you did say to convince you to not love the house.  (devil)

Out of curiosity, why would you consider moving when you just got your current house fixed up? 

[thatgirl2478]

It's a weird mix of updated areas and old areas ... some bath's look like cheap builder grade but then others are super modern & updated. I get it, but it just seems strange to highlight that in the photos (it almost feels like some photos are from another house).

[sometimesrunner]

Aug 23, 2013 9:43:23 GMT -5 lime said:

Aug 23, 2013 9:38:11 GMT -5 sometimesrunner said:

Ugh you guys are killing me with the fireplace hate!

Well, it just seems very dated with the 80s style brick. 

I mean, you did say to convince you to not love the house.  (devil)

Out of curiosity, why would you consider moving when you just got your current house fixed up? 

Ugh I don't even know! I just randomly saw this house and fell in love with the living room. I LOVE the windows and the fireplace. I've always wanted a home with exposed brick and I'm not going to get that in the school district I want in Lincoln, NE. I love older homes and this one seems to be a good mix of character with some updates already made. Here all the cool old houses are either run down in not good areas of town or they're in the country club area and are $$$$.