When I was house shopping, before interest rates shot up, I wouldn’t look at a house less than 50 yrs old. Bought a 90 year old house. When you examine the layout and decisions made they all make sense in terms of land layout as well as function, as demo-d in the street facing part of the design in the photos. With my house, there’s a slight almost undetectable slope to the land, and the house is in the geographic center of the “peak”. Meanwhile, a neighborhood down the way is complaining of foundation and wall cracks inside the first 5 years.
There’s this weird idea that any new house will be problem free. Never. Seriously. Never. Your mortgage is always always always the minimum monthly. (Having a house is a hobby whether you want it to be or not.)
Plus. HOA single family homes are sad and lack longevity. The lack of real wood is depressing and icky. Great windows and insulation factor though, to start. Even so.
As is, mine is mostly wood, apart from some shitty prior owner decisions on doors. And white paint. 8 foot wide porch that’s more than a suggestion. I have a whole desk out there. No plastic exterior in a set of dull colors. Brick part of the porch left unpainted, thank Christ. An actual parcel of land. No HOA.
And there’s always something that needs addressing.
When I was house shopping, before interest rates shot up, I wouldn’t look at a house less than 50 yrs old. Bought a 90 year old house. When you examine the layout and decisions made they all make sense in terms of land layout as well as function, as demo-d in the street facing part of the design in the photos. With my house, there’s a slight almost undetectable slope to the land, and the house is in the geographic center of the “peak”. Meanwhile, a neighborhood down the way is complaining of foundation and wall cracks inside the first 5 years.
There’s this weird idea that any new house will be problem free. Never. Seriously. Never. Your mortgage is always always always the minimum monthly. (Having a house is a hobby whether you want it to be or not.)
Plus. HOA single family homes are sad and lack longevity. The lack of real wood is depressing and icky. Great windows and insulation factor though, to start. Even so.
As is, mine is mostly wood, apart from some shitty prior owner decisions on doors. And white paint. 8 foot wide porch that’s more than a suggestion. I have a whole desk out there. No plastic exterior in a set of dull colors. Brick part of the porch left unpainted, thank Christ. An actual parcel of land. No HOA.
And there’s always something that needs addressing.