Another edition of... talk me out of this old house!

[Susie]

We're in the process of saving up to add a master suite to our house (hopefully 2022 at the latest), and before we commit, I'm keeping an eye on the RE market just to make sure it's what I really want to do.  This house just popped up today.  

www.zillow.com/homes/778-Route-9w-Glenmont,-NY,-12077_rb/29674658_zpid/



7 beds / 3.5 baths / 3668 sf / 2.4 acres / built in 1900

Located in our current school district, albeit in a different neighborhood elementary.  (My oldest is an in-person kindergartener now, and my youngest is 1.)

I like:
- the age/character
- the extra bedrooms/bathrooms/space
- more yard space

I would miss about my current house:
- having neighbors - we have great neighbors!
- attached garage
- I've worked so so hard on landscaping and this house would be starting over
- a more manageable sized yard to landscape (I'm being realistic about my time)
- modern insulation!
- reasonable bills for everything - heating, updating, furnishing, etc.
- central air conditioning
- sheetrock walls are easier to work with, fix, etc. than plaster

I am curious how many people live there now, that 3660 sf looks so packed and crowded.

Price wise... they're asking $380k.  We refinanced ours a year ago with an appraised value of $280k.  I'm thinking post-addition it would be around $320k (but would cost $50-100k to do, including re-siding/etc.).  So it's a similar ballpark to get to either place, although our existing house + addition would be much cheaper to maintain.

Anyone want to tell me I'm insane to either consider it or not consider it?

[lo]

I live in such a similar house and love it! Same colors and everything, except we are in the process of repainting it green right now. 1897 Queen Anne that we are renovating and fixing up. Your place is a bit bigger and looks much better inside than ours. However, I also love having neighbors and live in a tightly packed neighborhood. My kids have someone to play with at all times, which is priceless to us.

We paid $310k for ours and have already put almost 100k into it. It also came with a cottage we rent out for $1100 a month, so that greatly helps.

[lo]

Also we put central air in and it was only around 3k.

[winecat]

I love turrets!

I couldn’t get your link to work. The one I found has really bad photos. Of the 3.5 baths, I saw one small sink. They do have a lot of stuff. But I’m guessing that the closets are awkward, if they’re there at all.

[Susie]

Oct 13, 2020 9:48:23 GMT -5 winecat said:

I couldn’t get your link to work.

Sorry!  Here's another one, photos look the same as the link in the OP:  www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/778-Route-9W_Glenmont_NY_12077_M48852-16292 

[k3am]

How do your kitchen and bathrooms compare to this one? What little I can see of the kitchen looks like it could use some updating. The fact that there are very few photos of the kitchen and bathrooms makes me think that they likely weren't shown for a reason. I would add the cost/time/energy into your price estimate for this house as well.

[Susie]

Oct 13, 2020 10:41:12 GMT -5 k3am said:

How do your kitchen and bathrooms compare to this one? What little I can see of the kitchen looks like it could use some updating. The fact that there are very few photos of the kitchen and bathrooms makes me think that they likely weren't shown for a reason. I would add the cost/time/energy into your price estimate for this house as well.

My kitchen is 1985 original, with cosmetic updates (cabinet paint/etc.), but some layout flaws.  We're looking forward to a reno, but very much "someday," no time soon.  It's fine to live with for now.

My bathrooms are both already gutted and reno'ed, and I'm very happy with them (except that there are only 1.5 of them).  If we did the addition we'd have 2.5 baths that are all new/done by us.  So pouring money into baths in another house is certainly a consideration.

To your point, I did notice a lot of appliances (KA mixer/etc.) out on the kitchen counters in the listing pics.  That's our life now, but it's not ideal and not a great way to showcase a kitchen!  

[mrsukyankee]

If you had the money to put into updating that house, it could be amazing. Otherwise, it might feel like a money pit.

[laterz]

Never underestimate the power of good insulation.

[simpsongal]

oh man that's tough....could you make a go of it w/not so great issues at a house like that until there's more room in the budget for major upgrades (e.g., bigger renovations?). I love a house w/character....that is very tempting.

I would also miss neighbors. I'm sure you'd enjoy landscaping that place, so I wouldn't be discouraged on that front.

Who painted all that molding - I'd probably want to open it up a bit on the first floor too. It's definitely worth a walk through and a super good inspection.

[lessel]

I get the money pit vibe from this too. I think the kitchen is probably worse than the couple photos are showing (I'm already seeing mis-matched cabinets and cabinets that appear damaged). The lack of bathroom photos is a red flag for me. Apart from all of the old house costs, I wonder if the house is going to feel small and kind of choppy inside for as many rooms as it has. I remember we saw a 6br house when were were house shopping and one of the bedrooms barely fit a twin bed.

I also wonder about major systems and how old they are. Freshly painted is one thing... but I'd rather know how many miles I'm going to get on the roof or the HVAC. Crap that I hate sinking money into.

I do think you're smart to check out the market in your area before greenlighting the renovation you're considering.

[winecat]

Oct 13, 2020 10:11:08 GMT -5 Susie said:

Oct 13, 2020 9:48:23 GMT -5 winecat said:

I couldn’t get your link to work.

Sorry!  Here's another one, photos look the same as the link in the OP:  www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/778-Route-9W_Glenmont_NY_12077_M48852-16292 

Those are the same pictures.  I agree that the lack of bathroom pictures is concerning.  I'd totally go see it. 

[winecat]

According to Zillow, it was last sold in 2004 for $117k. The people who bought it before that, 2002, paid $233k. The 1992 buyers paid $200k. It doesn't look like the last owner did much updating. From the looks of it, the 1992 sellers might have been the last ones to do much work.

But, I am lusting after those turrets!

[Susie]

Excellent points all around.  Agree that the lack of bathroom photos is a red flag, and the kitchen is odd.  What's with the task chair in the middle of it?  The wood floors also look like they need refinishing in a lot of places, and tired flooring over 3600+ sf isn't cheap.  At least one room looks like it has some kind of wood-look ... laminate?  that I think I would dislike.  I also see a basement listed in the listing, but no photos of it at all - or the inside of the detached structure (garage?).  Those are at least yellow flags.  Also no photos of the laundry room/area.

When it comes down to it I am always drawn to these old places, but the budget it would take to do them right is far, far, far more than what the purchase price would show.  Like I'm guessing I'd need a house budget over $500k to buy this place for in the mid $300ks and then fix it up properly.  If my house were my spending priority I could do that, but I'd be a lot more house poor than I want to be.

[lessel]

I will say I agree with going to check it out if you’re interested. I think getting into lots of different houses really helps you decide what will and won’t work for you.

[Wallflower]

I'm not going to try to talk you into or out of anything, but it is a lovely house. I can see the temptations!!

And in the grand scheme of the internet, we're neighbors! LOL - I'm up in Brunswick, just of Rt. 7.

[aprilsails]

If you have the opportunity, I would go and have a look just to satisfy your curiosity. That is a very sparse listing on both pictures and details so I would need to see more for sure.

And then come back and tell us all about the animals in the basement cellar and the old washrooms. Lol.

Also are you a cat person? My friend, sister and stepsister all live in beautiful homes of the same age, and every last one of them has had to get a mouser. There is nothing you can do to keep a house like that mouse free. (I also lived in an 140 yr old brick home and had to reset the traps every week).

[InBetweenDays]

Personally, I would only buy that house if I had a decent amount of money set aside for renovation and was looking for a big project. It's beautiful, but looks like it needs a lot of work.

We used to live in a house that was built in 1895. I SO miss the charm and character, but that is all I miss. After 9 years we sold it and moved because it was going to cost more than we were willing to put in to it (and more than we'd get out of it in the end) to get it to where we wanted. We were dealing with no insulation (we actually opened up one wall and found vines growing inside), single pane windows (most of which were painted shut), painted fir floors, forced air heat that seemed to blow 100 year old dust no matter how many times we had our ducts cleaned, plaster walls that were covered with multiple layers of wall paper which had been painted over (but the wall paper couldn't be removed without damaging the plaster and any time we tried to hang art some plaster would crumble behind the wallpaper), etc.

If you go look at it, just look with a very critical eye about what you're ok living with and what projects you're willing to take on.

[hamster]

I have no desire to own a 120 year old house. Too much unknown.

I have 1.75 acres. It's mostly landscaped and it's a LOT. Crushing sometimes. Unless you plan on doing something with that space, it's just too much IMO. For scale, we have a dozen chickens, more space for meat birds, plans for 15 or so fruit trees and a 5k square foot garden, and a berry garden. Im casually lobbying for a pair of pigs. And it's still a TON of grass and flower beds.

[hbomdiggity]

I think you’d be trading projects of similar value. If the goal is more sf and land then sure, but that house needs a lot of work to get it where your current place is.

[icedcoffee]

Are you looking to make home renovations your hobby? If so go for it. If you’d rather not always be updating something then hard pass.

I would not do this, personally, because I hate DIY and feeling like my house needs work.

[libbygrl109]

I can see the appeal - I am a sucker for old homes. I lived in a Victorian not too far from there before I was married, and aside from the 100+ year old drafty windows, I loved it. I agree with the others that they're not showing some key rooms, and no mention to any updates other than paint makes me wonder what hasn't been done to it. If you're willing to take the risk, and put in the crazy amount of time it would take to get it the way you want it (and eventually just maintain it), it could potentially be a really awesome house.

[Susie]

Ok, you all have me convinced!  I needed to be reminded of all of these things.

H thinks he wants a couple acres, he has this vision of a small orchard, and then making hard cider.  It's a reasonable extension of his current interests, he does brew beer and have a hop plant, but I basically take care of our current 0.25 acre minus his hop plant, and I don't foresee that balance changing much with 2+ acres.  I'm just not sure that's what I want.  Adding to that a house that will be a lot of money and work, and ... I think it's more than I want to take on.

[dr.girlfriend]

Also, not to be a downer, but I think anyone thinking about a "forever home" in their 30s or 40s needs to think about the ability to potentially age-in-place. Are all the bedrooms up some rickety stairs? Are the doorways too narrow for a wheelchair? How much work would it take to make the bathrooms accessible? Are there multiple steps up to even enter? Old houses are definitely much more challenging for those issues. Imagine spending a decade and hundreds of thousands of dollars getting that house right where you want it and then having to sell at a loss because you have a bum hip or something.

[wanderingback]

That house looks like my very worse nightmare!
I get easily fed up with our 3 bedroom rowhouse and am happy I spend most of my time living in a 1 bedroom apartment.

But I do wish you luck on deciding between buying something vs renovating.

[memenee]

I’m an old house lover! So generally I’m a huge enabler on these types of posts. The big thing that is giving me pause here has nothing to do with the house itself but the lack of neighbors and a good neighborhood feel. I’d rather see kids grow up in a “neighborhood” playing with the neighborhood kids, block parties, even just seeing other people every day and having someone to wave to. But that’s just something that is important to me and something I wanted for my own kids. That being said, it’s a beauty of an old house!

[Susie]

So suddenly there are a whole bunch of old houses for sale in my area!  For people who like looking at them I'll share pics.

The first one is just a hot mess, and it makes me so sad.  Whoever buys it is buying it mostly for the land, I'm sure.  $1.6 million, 5 beds, 4 baths, 6680 sf.  Built in 1820.  Sits on 55 acres.  And these are all of the 10 photos in the listing.  They're not even trying, lol at the pic with a person sitting in a chair off to the left.  I'm afraid this place is going to be razed.  

[Susie]

There's another place, $725k, 4 beds, 3 baths, 4200 sf, that is gorgeous.  Built in 1762, sits on 3.79 acres.  They did a wonderful job on it.  I'm guessing I'd spend that much in the end on the house in the OP, by the time I fixed it up.  But it feels more like a farmhouse museum to me than home.  A vibe worth thinking about whether I would really want.  



www.zillow.com/homedetails/1983-Indian-Fields-Rd-Feura-Bush-NY-12067/70902729_zpid/

[aprilsails]

Susie that second house is totally set up as a museum. Why are there 15 chamber pots and vases in the bathroom. Also where is the fridge and freezer and why are there baskets hanging from the ceiling in a bedroom?!? Interesting choices for sure.

I agree that the one on 55 acres is being sold for land value. I live in a new subdivision that was built around an old house like that. I think in my area there are covenants about tearing down the historic homes, since they always seem to be preserved on a little island of 1-2 acres in the middle of everything. It looks odd sometimes, but sometimes it is really well done.

[krystee]

I am guessing that second one is an AirBnB? Looks like the squeezed in lots of beds and lots of historic stuff for charm. I love it, though, and would totally support you going way over budget to buy it.