My house wish list

[tarheels]

So you decided against that house you posted the other day? Bummer - I liked it 'Course I don't have to live in it

I have to tell ya I disagree with you on a few items (ie, it is impossible for me to care any less about the presence of or lack of popcorn ceilings, brass surrounds can be spray painted or replaced, fences are easy enough and would be a nice to have for me if the price was right). But eh, it's your house, not mine. It seems doable enough in a good market like you're in.

[FoxInFiji]

Here's my thoughts:

Must Haves
hard (or expensive) to change
not smoked in - This can be overcome but I understand why you won't want to deal with it. All the walls and ceiling need to be painted with a good primer (not such a big deal if you don't like the colors to begin with). Surfaces like carpet need to be replaced.

no brass shower surround - Easily replaceable, painted, or removed and replaced with a curtain.

fenced yard, fence in good shape - A cost add for sure but not that hard to change.

can’t change
linen closet - This can be changed. Framing out a small closet in a nook or unused corner isn't hard or costly.

Nice to Haves
can't change
fireplace - If you're talking about a wood burning no that's not easy to add but a gas fireplace isn't all that hard to add on an exterior wall.

no soffit above kitchen cabinets, prefer space - Kind of a picky request LOL.

[sjh722]

I agree with Fox and Tarheels.

Keep an open mind for the first 5 - 10 houses before getting super specific with your lists; every house is going to have small things that are relatively easy/inexpensive to change.

[tarheels]

You could sell the granite on CL.

We bought this current house brand new and the builder had put in granite tiles with a painted wood edge to hold them. I felt bad about ripping them out, but I wasn't going to live with that, though solid granite's different.

I don't love the raised bars either, so I've really just ignored mine in this house. It's decorated with a vase and candlesticks, but it doesn't have bar stools. I use it as a serving bar for parties and ignore it the rest of the time.

[emjacobs]

May 22, 2012 13:10:53 GMT -5 FormerlyRR said:

I will be living by myself, and have some cash to invest in a house and in some updates/upgrades. Can y'all look this over and see what I may be off-base about, or what I may have missed?

House Wish List
Must haves
hard (or expensive) to change
no popcorn ceiling :: I've seen people remove these, I wouldn't make this a deal breaker.
no wallpaper :: Wallpaper can be DIY removed, PITA? Absolutely. Dealbreaker? I wouldn't say so.
not smoked in :: As long as the house isn't wall to wall carpeted, you can get rid of the smell, I'm allergic to smoke in general so I feel you on this.
no brass shower surround
fenced yard, fence in good shape :: if you (or your friends/family) are handy you can put up a fence for pretty cheap.
can’t change
good sized master bedroom & closet
linen closet
pantry, can be smallish
one story, less than 2000 sqft
3/2, 2 car garage
easy exit from neighborhood (commute traffic)
Nice to Haves
can change
no mosaic tile backsplash, too busy
flat kitchen counter, not a raised bar
prefer white cabinets
mostly hard floors, very little carpet
decent blinds in all windows
water softener
can't change
fireplace
if a garden tub, jetted
gas stove, heat & water heater
single sinks, not double or two vanities
only one each living & dining spaces
no soffit above kitchen cabinets, prefer space

Go you for living by yourself, if you don't mind me asking why are you looking for a 3/2? Being the only person what are you planning to do with the rest of the space?

I think for the most part there are a lot of things listed that you could easily change with some time and effort. If the house is good and the location is good, you can make things work.

[FoxInFiji]

Well if you have an abundance of houses that fit that specific criteria and you can afford to buy them with one income then by all means go for it! But being a national board and seeing you list no location we would have no idea about your local market. I'm not sure why you asked the question then.

$2000 is a very small price to pay for a fence compared to the cost of a house. You'll be spending a lot more than that on maintenance issues, window treatments, paint, new furnishings that might be needed, etc. I would not rule out a house for that reason alone unless there were HOA rules that said I couldn't put up a fence.

[emjacobs]

Ok glad to see that you know that they aren't dealbreakers. A few of our close friends put up a fence around their side and back yards (90% 6 ft, 10% 4 ft) with panels they bought from home depot and spent less than $2000, they have 3/4 an acre and probably fenced about half of that. I live in a HCOL area. I'd be willing to bet that you could find someone through craigslist ( a couple of teenage boys) that could dig the holes if you marked where everything was supposed to go.

They had three companies out to quote a fence, installed, etc through them and the cheapest one was $7500.