The boy and I looked at houses this weekend with our Realtor. It was severely depressing. Boston has no real-estate crisis. The three homes we requested to see on Tuesday, were all under agreement by Saturday; two of these were on the market less than a week, apparently we have ‘Good Taste’ (as quoted by our Realtor).
I think good taste really means less than $300/sf which is apparently a bargain just outside of Boston.
He took us to see a few others he thought we might be interested in - we were really not, but we went along anyways.
House #1 – FAIL
$342,000; 1600sf; 3 bed/2bath
- Laminate flooring in a new addition = why would you spend money on a new addition and put in laminate flooring? What does that say about the quality of the new construction?
- 30” wide staircase leading upstairs = I do not need a daily reminder of my girth by making me feel like I am too fat for the stairs.
- basement from 1890’s = foundation built of stones, not cement and I’m pretty sure that’s how snakes, bugs and mice get in – no thanks.
House #2 – FAIL
$330,000; 1600sf; 3 bed/1.5bath
- 1 level of living = just doesn’t feel ‘homey’
- Very awkward flow = 2 living rooms separated by the heating system for the house – who designed this?
- “New” Roof = Yes, I see it says you installed a new roof, why didn’t you replace the gutters which are clearly falling off and missing in some areas which has lead to the window sills rotting in multiple locations. I don’t trust you.
+ Large backyard in good neighborhood
House #3 – Half FAIL
$400,000; 1200sf; 2 bed/1 bath
- Quaint bungalow with open plan, but quite tiny.
- There were NO lights anywhere, seriously.
- Radiators = the most noisy form of heating IMO.
- Kitchen circa 1920 complete with faux wood laminate.
+ Fantastic original molding and wood floors.
+ Bordered on two sides by preserved land.
+ Very cute street.
Note to Self: Stop watching Property Virgins where people are putting down less than 10% and getting really cute houses for only a quarter of a million.
I think good taste really means less than $300/sf which is apparently a bargain just outside of Boston.
He took us to see a few others he thought we might be interested in - we were really not, but we went along anyways.
House #1 – FAIL
$342,000; 1600sf; 3 bed/2bath
- Laminate flooring in a new addition = why would you spend money on a new addition and put in laminate flooring? What does that say about the quality of the new construction?- 30” wide staircase leading upstairs = I do not need a daily reminder of my girth by making me feel like I am too fat for the stairs.
- basement from 1890’s = foundation built of stones, not cement and I’m pretty sure that’s how snakes, bugs and mice get in – no thanks.
House #2 – FAIL
$330,000; 1600sf; 3 bed/1.5bath
- 1 level of living = just doesn’t feel ‘homey’- Very awkward flow = 2 living rooms separated by the heating system for the house – who designed this?
- “New” Roof = Yes, I see it says you installed a new roof, why didn’t you replace the gutters which are clearly falling off and missing in some areas which has lead to the window sills rotting in multiple locations. I don’t trust you.
+ Large backyard in good neighborhood
House #3 – Half FAIL
$400,000; 1200sf; 2 bed/1 bath
- Quaint bungalow with open plan, but quite tiny.- There were NO lights anywhere, seriously.
- Radiators = the most noisy form of heating IMO.
- Kitchen circa 1920 complete with faux wood laminate.
+ Fantastic original molding and wood floors.
+ Bordered on two sides by preserved land.
+ Very cute street.
Note to Self: Stop watching Property Virgins where people are putting down less than 10% and getting really cute houses for only a quarter of a million.
Heh, your house search sounds so much like ours. We must have hit up 15 houses per day, in our not very big town, with whole neighborhoods on our "NOT A CHANCE" list. Highlights (lowlights?): a house where they added a 'second story' by cutting a hole in the top of the house, but didnt seal anything, didnt get any permits and installed no electrical or plumbing. Also, a house with no showers and a bright! barbie pink bathroom.
ReplyDeleteOk...you need to come over to our house built in 1909 that has a stone foundation, radiator heat and a skinny staircase. Even with all those things, it's a great house. My guess is it will be difficult in the Boston area to find houses w/o those features.
ReplyDelete@ Coasting Anon - We've been looking more westward, like Natick area - so it's a little easier to find the features we are looking for. That being said,I'd be fine with radiant heat and an icky basement. They boy's lifelong dream is to have a bar in the basement though so it's a HUGE negative for him.
ReplyDeleteHi I followed your blog over here from Weddingbee :)
ReplyDeleteI love Boston, and often try to convince my husband we should move there. However, after looking at real estate prices, I'm very glad for my 1600 sqft $85,000 city home in Upstate NY we bought last year! Of course it's old and has a stone basement and needs some updating, but I love it.
Good luck on your house search! If you want cheap houses, come to Rochester, NY :)