you will be cutting it close because lenders will be busy processing lots of last minute people like yourself.

1/20/2010 4:15:45 PM

^ and

Quote :

"^ I'll tell you what... you're going to be stressed. I'm sure that they will be able to fast-track the underwriting and get you closed before the deadline, but if I were you, I would aim to close mid april... just in case. Also, don't expect to get your money any time soon. We closed mid september... still no $."

thanks for the heads up. I assumed a month was usually an average time, but you are right, there might be a lot of people trying to sneak in like we might be. Better to be safe than sorry. Also, I need to check about April 31st being the last date. I thought it was, but someone at work was saying something about it being in May.

And about the tax return, yea I've heard its taking awhile. I really am not basing the house downpayment on needing that money immediately. If we get a house and get that refund, probably half of it is going into savings, with the other half being used to furnish/paint/other expenses related to moving into your first house. So, nothing that can't wait a few months.

As I said in another thread, its pretty scary thinking about spending this much money at once. It was hard to decide how much house we could afford. I'm paying 875 a month right now in rent. My goal/thought was to get a house where the mortgage(just P+I) was somewhere 875-925ish. By my estimated calcs, I figured the tax and insurance (if paid monthly) would largely be a wash with the extra money in my pay check as a resulting of upping my W4. This left HOA fees + higher power bill + PMI as some extra monthly costs I am willing to take on as the result of owning a home. So hopefully I'm in a good price range. This put me 175k-195k depending on what the house/location is like. If I use that range, between my wife and I, we have about 32-36% of that price range in cash in the bank and I plan to make ~10-15% downpayment. (I know some people have told me not to put that much down but I dono...).

Also, besides food which my wife pays for (since she is still out of full time work at the moment), I'm basing monthly payments totally off of my salary.

Sorry for the rambling, thought someone might be able to provide some insight, or at least tell me I'm looking at a reasonable price range.

[Edited on January 20, 2010 at 4:33 PM. Reason : ]

1/20/2010 4:22:33 PM

All the advice I got was that putting down enough to avoid PMI was the thing to do.

1/20/2010 5:06:55 PM

well yea, I'd love to avoid the PMI, and I could do that even in the range we are looking at, but it would leave me with less in the bank that I want right now. I think I have decided its worth the little bit extra to keep a little cushion in the bank. Plus, if I go that route I'm planning for the extra ~$10k to be in a savings account my wife has with a decent interest rate so it will eat a little into the PMI at least (not a lot of course).

I know the people that have told me to avoid PMI told me I need to just look at cheaper houses if I want to keep X in the bank and still put 20% down. And maybe they are right, I dono. But, in that price range, I didn't find a lot I was interested in actually buying :/

1/20/2010 5:32:03 PM

Everything in my house is a weird size. In the master bath the plastic outlet covers had been cut to fit next to the door moulding but we switched to metal and I don't want to gouge the frames for a wall plate. Is it possible/wise/advisable to move the box over?

1/20/2010 8:42:48 PM

^^if you have 63k in the bank, why not put down 35-39k on the house to easily get out of pmi?

you'll still have 24k in the bank (worst case) to be supplemented by the 4k from home buyers credit you plan to save and you'll have 4k to spend on furnishing, painting, etc.

1/21/2010 6:35:38 AM

only need 10% down at SECU to avoid pmi, for both arms and fixed.

1/21/2010 8:42:21 AM

Quote :

"In the master bath the plastic outlet covers had been cut to fit next to the door moulding but we switched to metal and I don't want to gouge the frames for a wall plate. Is it possible/wise/advisable to move the box over?"

It is possible, but it might be a chore.

Take the outlet cover off and look to see if the wiring is coming in from the top, bottom, or side of the box.

It'll be easiest if it's coming from the side that you want to move towards. Just cut a new hole, insert a new box, pull the wire through (leaving at least 6" of wire hanging out of the box), hook to the new outlet, and stuff it all in the box. Take out the old box, patch the sheet rock, and you're done.

If it is coming in from the top or bottom then you'll probably need a junction box inside the wall where the current outlet is. Then you'll run a wire from that junction box to where the new outlet should be. Patch the sheet rock over the old box, put in your new box, new outlet, etc.

[Edited on January 21, 2010 at 11:00 AM. Reason : l]

1/21/2010 11:00:18 AM

By code, you cant put a junction box where it isnt accessible.

1/21/2010 11:21:50 AM

If you're just talking about moving the switch from one stud over to the the next one, within the same space, it shouldn't matter where the wire is coming from. We're just talking about moving it a bit to make space for the face plate, right? You could probably just shim it over with a piece of 2x4 nailed onto the stud the box is attached to now.

You'd still have to cut and patch the drywall and repaint.

1/21/2010 11:31:47 AM

Quote :

"By code, you cant put a junction box where it isnt accessible."

I did not know that. Good info.

Quote :

"You could probably just shim it over with a piece of 2x4 nailed onto the stud the box is attached to now."

This could work if the box is already on the right side of the joist, but more than likely the wire will be too short even if you just move it a couple of inches. Maybe if you move the outlet up or down a little it could compensate for the wire length.

1/21/2010 12:04:36 PM

Anyone have recommendations for built-in shelving vs. free-standing for something like a pantry?

I have a laundry room/pantry off of my kitchen, which has built-in shelves for food on the wall opposite of the washer and dryer.

I'm thinking of either redoing the shelves or buying a cabinet to store the food in.

Picture:



[Edited on January 21, 2010 at 12:43 PM. Reason : picture]

1/21/2010 12:41:26 PM

If you buy a cabnit will it be something made or from somewhere else?

p.s., what's that access panel on the ceiling for?

[Edited on January 21, 2010 at 12:53 PM. Reason : l]

1/21/2010 12:52:38 PM

The access panel is for the AC unit so it can't be blocked, making me think shelving will be the way to keep it.

I was looking at IKEA for a cabinet, just to help keep the food organized. It's currently all spread out over the shelves and looks like a mess.

1/21/2010 12:56:05 PM

check Lowe's for their custom shelving and cabinet hanging system

you can pretty much customize and build it the way you want by hanging slotted rails

and change it around if you get tired of it

1/21/2010 5:03:19 PM

Thanks Skack and Wolfmarsh. Before and after pictures forthcoming if I don't electrocute myself.

Wadhead1 - shelving probably the way to go. Food in the pantry that's out of sight is out of mind, and it might get claustrophobic in there with a cabinet. I'd go with H8R's ( ) suggestion if it were my pantry to make the most of the space. Maybe have a few trashcan size bins to hold recyclables or plastic grocery bags.

1/21/2010 7:25:54 PM

This shelving is made by rubbermaid, and you can buy it at lowe's and home cheapo. I've used it in regular closets, but this pic has it in a pantry. color coordinated everything optional.

1/21/2010 8:18:11 PM

^that's exactly what i was talking about

^^

1/22/2010 8:25:13 AM

That's pretty awesome looking, I like that.

1/22/2010 9:08:35 AM

Went looking at houses today. Started out kind of disappointing; of the five houses we picked, our 2nd favorite canceled the showing due to a conflict, and our 3rd favorite went under contract Thursday. Then, the house that was by far our first choice from the pictures online...ended up having a huge retention pond directly behind the yard, and the neighboring subdivision on the other side of the retention pond was significantly cheaper homes (probably avg to avg a $50,000 difference).

However, our agent salvaged the day. There was a house that went on the market yesterday that she got an email about overnight; she saw it in her inbox while she was checking her mail before we arrived at the office this morning. There were no pictures or anything, but since it was only 2 houses down from the house we originally wanted to look at in that neighborhood (the one that canceled the showing) she figured we should swing by since it was similar.

It was far and away the best house we looked at during the day. We will definitely look at some more houses and also revisit this one, but we fell in love with everything about this one right away. Its list is definitely higher than what I think it is worth, but hopefully we could talk them down. Now heres to hoping my wife gets the job she should be interviewing for this week. If she gets that job, I really would be interested in making an offer on the house.

Sorry, I'm sure no one really cares, but I'm really hoping to be able to join this thread's true purpose soon

1/23/2010 11:05:21 PM

lesson #1 in house hunting: do not get emotionally attached.

1/24/2010 12:01:47 AM

yea no doubt about that. its tough when you've had a lot of trouble finding a house you really like in your price range and finally find one you love. We would both definitely be disappointed if someone else gets it before we can sort some stuff out or it doesnt work out for us but we'll definitely try not to get too hung up on it.

1/24/2010 9:18:14 AM

in general, I wouldn't get too high on a house that I looked at my first day. Most people don't really even know what they actually want the first day. I know when we started looking, we found one the first day that we thought was great. Then we went a few more times and suddenly that house that we originally thought was great, was only "meh" and there were others that we liked better.

In short, don't be in too big of a rush to find the "perfect" house. This is a very large purchase after all.

1/24/2010 9:10:25 PM

oh sure. i've been looking online since last summer, but it is definitely totally different seeing them in person. We are going to look at another set of 5 houses this coming weekend regardless of how much we liked the last one.

1/24/2010 10:07:45 PM

Fiance and I went house 'window shopping' on Sunday. Spent 4 hours driving around the northern hemisphere of charlotte. We found a few that we liked, and crossed a bunch off of our list.
She is completely scared of buying a house, and is trying to convince me that we should rent a house for our first year together, while we get everything with jobs and life sorted out.

1/25/2010 1:08:40 PM

^probably not a bad idea...depending on how stable your job/life situation is at the moment.

1/25/2010 8:03:22 PM

She is a CPA with a good and steady job.
I'm finishing my masters and moving down there. I will have to find a job when I get down there.
We are getting married in June, but are trying to be moved in 'wherever' in May.
She is afraid that if my job doesn't materialize that we will be stuck in a house we can't afford. There are plenty of teaching positions that I am qualified for, and have no problem taking a menial job elsewhere to make the bills.
I hate the idea of us 1. having to move again in a year and 2. wasting the money on renting a house for more than we would be spending on a mortgage.

1/25/2010 11:22:05 PM

has anyone had their windows done, or at least had them priced?



whats the average price per window?

if you've had them done, how much did your power/gas bill drop as a result?

1/26/2010 4:13:57 PM

i just had kelly window and door come over and price mine (for reference) and they were really expensive. i have 9 windows, (although 6 arent really "standard") and it broke out to be ~$644/window.

i think you should spend no more than ~$300 per window (installed) for most circumstances.

ive also heard you should expect about 20% increase in energy efficiency...obviously that will depend on how good or bad your current windows are.

[Edited on January 26, 2010 at 7:36 PM. Reason : u]

1/26/2010 7:33:32 PM

We have to replace a set of french doors that go to our deck. Does this look too much like a front door?



http://www.lowes.com/pd_35009-11813-35009_4294858082_4294937087?productId=3041856&pl=1¤tURL=/pl_Patio%2BDoors_4294858082_4294937087_?No=0

1/26/2010 10:03:44 PM

Quote :

"whats the average price per window?"

For the windows...I bought 8 windows and the bill was $1600. Put them in myself. If you're not retarded, you can do the same. Putting in windows is pretty damned simple. And my heat doesn't cut on nearly as often as it did in the past. As a result, my house actually feels cooler (also possibly due to hardwoods), because hot air isn't coming in as often as before. Does that make sense?

and yes ^.

I like this alternative:



http://www.lowes.com/pd_35009-11813-35009_4294858082_4294937087?productId=3041856&pl=1¤tURL=/pl_Patio%2BDoors_4294858082_4294937087_?No=0

[Edited on January 27, 2010 at 7:49 AM. Reason : a]

1/27/2010 7:45:06 AM

I am also very curious about window pricing. Does anyone have experience with really old windows? Mine are from 1928.

I know I'll probably have to pay extra for the lead paint, right?

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether I should repair them or replace them? On one hand, I don't want to toss original features of my home. On the other hand, storm windows suck. I'd really like to be able to just open a window when I want.

1/27/2010 10:40:59 AM

Tasteful updates with real benefits are never a bad idea IMO. I bet the storm windows aren't from 1928, so the original vision has already been compromised.

[Edited on January 27, 2010 at 11:28 AM. Reason : l]

1/27/2010 11:28:05 AM

Quote :

"She is afraid that if my job doesn't materialize that we will be stuck in a house we can't afford."

When my wife and I were looking at houses we thought about getting one that would take both of us working to pay for. At the time my wife didn't have a job. We ended up buying a house that we could afford on my income alone and it his been very nice not worrying about money.

1/27/2010 11:38:10 AM

^^^ You want have to pay extra if you're not worried about removing and replacing them yourself. Even then, I don't think there is a surcharge to remove lead painted windows...that'd be dumb. I know my FIL doesn't care.

1/27/2010 11:56:48 AM

^^ definitely solid advice. My wife and I have been looking for a home and all the financial decisions about what price we could afford, etc. were based on using my income alone (since she was unemployed at the time). Now, she just got a job this week while we are still looking, but we are not changing any of our limits on our price range.

1/28/2010 8:37:43 AM

We were looking in the 200 range, but we found a sweet house for 140 that we are looking at this weekend.

1/28/2010 10:49:17 AM

Anyone have advice on purchasing refrigerators/large appliances.

I need to pick up a new refrigerator in the near future and know that there are deals out there for new energystar compliant appliances, wondering if anyone knows the best places to get those? I don't want to spent more than $1000, and a white fridge actually works best for my kitchen so I think I'll be able to get under budget.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 10:52 AM. Reason : ^Congrats!]

1/28/2010 10:52:06 AM

I dunno where you are, but you can go out to Triangle Town Center area in North Raleigh and go past Sears, HH Gregg, Garner TV and Appliance's North ralegih store, Lowe's, HD, and Best Buy all right there together.

1/28/2010 11:14:32 AM

Ah - I'm actually in Charlotte but there's similar areas.

1/28/2010 11:16:14 AM

^^^^good luck! We've been looking at a lot of houses over the past week now (in person and online although I have looked online for months) and it is fun but also frustrating. The houses in our price range that we have just absolutely loved inside and out have been A) the most expensive house in the neighborhood, B) directly next to neighborhood retention pond or C) in neighborhoods where there is just absolutely no lot (<0.25 acres and the houses are just crammed).

And then on the other hand, the neighborhoods we have loved (houses sitting a good distance from the street, wider streets instead of those super narrow ones, at least a decent yard) all have houses that are either out of our price range if we are interested in them, or the houses themselves are just not what we are looking for.

I'm sure everyone runs into that, and you have to compromise on something, but its just hard to decide where to make the compromises. One of the things that is limiting my search a lot, but that I would like to try and stick to is being on a crawl space. And maybe I'm making a bigger deal of that than I need to, I have always just preferred a crawl space over slab. The other thing is that I have a hard time settling for a house with a nice interior if it is just crammed onto a small lot that sits close to the road.

Something else I'm trying to consider: How much does it cost to resurface cabinets/drawers in a kitchen?

There is a house we like online that just got listed and its a pretty good looking house. The kitchen is hideous though. It has a good layout, ceramic tile flooring, and lots of counter space but is just finished and decorated terribly outside of that:



With something like that, does anyone have a rough ballpark figure on a resurfacing cost? I could see that kitchen having a lot of potential with darker stained wood cabinet doors and drawers with newer hardware, a light tile backsplash to accent the floor, black or stainless appliances (as needed over the course of owning the home) and resurfaced countertops and removing the wallpaper. Obviously that would be kind of a long term project and could add up but I think it'd be worth it.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 11:26 AM. Reason : ]

1/28/2010 11:20:26 AM

^^There's a Sears outlet in Charlotte. They have a website but the best deals are not going to be advertised online. http://www.searsoutlet.com (you can select a particular store and browse their stock)

1/28/2010 11:23:37 AM

^^To refinish your counter tops, cabinets, and add tile, you will probably be looking at 2-3 grand for higher end finish. That would be significantly cheaper if you did the work yourself. Then you need to add in the cost of new appliances.

1/28/2010 11:43:35 AM

Quote :

"In the master bath the plastic outlet covers had been cut to fit next to the door moulding but we switched to metal and I don't want to gouge the frames for a wall plate. Is it possible/wise/advisable to move the box over?"

Lol...Thought of this thread when I saw this:



This site is a gold mine: http://thereifixedit.com/

1/28/2010 11:47:25 AM

Quote :

"Ah - I'm actually in Charlotte but there's similar areas."

Well then, we just replaced ours old GE after the compressor locked up. We got that GE free from my mom. I didn't like it. I think we had a GE before that one (came with the house) and I liked that one less.

But anyways, the most recent GE had some sort of plastic paddle for an ice-maker shut-off arm that never worked like it was supposed to. It's was a bad try at re-inventing the wheel. Random stuff like that was irritating. The ice bin was closed off so you couldn't ever just reach in a grab some cubes, and it had some screwy shelving. The opening for the door service didn't shut completely so there was alot of frost buildup that you had to occasionally clean out.

We went with a Whirlpool from HH Gregg, Model No: 197632. IT's energystar and was like 800 bones. It's a bit noisy compared to the old one but it also cost a lot less. It doesn't have a bunch of fancy ice/water digital computerized stuff in the door service thing, which I do like. So far it's been good.

1/28/2010 11:51:36 AM

Quote :

"^^To refinish your counter tops, cabinets, and add tile, you will probably be looking at 2-3 grand for higher end finish. That would be significantly cheaper if you did the work yourself. Then you need to add in the cost of new appliances."

right, and the appliances could come later for sure. Basically, whenever we get a house, i'm planning to budget at least half of the tax credit towards upgrading finishes etc. In most houses we have looked at, that would go toward some hardwood floors and either tile or countertops. Since this house we are looking at already has hardwood in the foyer, dining room, and living room, and also has ceramic tile in the kitchen, it could go towards counters and cabinets I was thinking.

Mainly just crunching numbers in my head as I try and look at these houses as first cost + upgrades we want to do.

1/28/2010 12:00:06 PM

I should probably clarify my response a little. Granite tops and new cabinets would probably come closer to 10k, but just refinishing the cabinets and new counter tops would be 2-3k.


I'm pulling a lot of money out of one of my investment accounts for our down payment, and most of the tax credit will go towards paying the 15% tax on it.

1/28/2010 1:08:01 PM

yea thats what I figured you meant. (the price you said originally being for just refinishing/refacing + new counter tops (either corian or granite). I was kind of assuming closer to $5000 but I guess it really just depends on the type of wood, adding molding to the cabinets, type of surface you use for the new counter tops etc. But as long as my guess wasn't way UNDER what it would probably cost thats fine

who knows, maybe I am giving that kitchen too much credit, but I'm going to look the house again Saturday so I'll try and gauge it more in person.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 1:43 PM. Reason : ]

1/28/2010 1:18:31 PM

damn, the house we were looking at went under contract with someone else.

1/28/2010 4:03:30 PM

ugh, sorry man! I know how much that sucks. Happened to one of ours we really liked so far.

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 4:55 PM. Reason : ]

1/28/2010 4:55:24 PM