Ugh, why is house hunting so hard?!

[MomToTwoBoys]

DH is giving his decision for us to move in October. We've been spending the last week looking for a new house. It's such a PITA. I don't want to be all ...

but I really am.

I have a list about a page and a half of houses we've looked at online and LOVED! They all range in price between $239,000 and $289,000. They are all bungalows, which is what we want. This is a house that we plan to stay in for the rest of our lives (or until they throw us in the retirement home because we got too senile ). We also have two kids to consider, so nearby schools are a must.

I didn't think my list of requirements was so picky and neither is DH's list:

Mine - 3 bedrooms, large kitchen, dining room (if available), large yard
DH - close to work, near schools

We both want a house in a safe neighborhood. We both want a house that has lots of families around it. But no matter where we look, we can't seem to find what we want. Well, we do but there seems to be something wrong with every single one of them. Houses with no basements, houses with condo fees, houses in rough neighborhoods, houses too close to main roads, houses too far from schools (walking distance wise)...



Someone pointed out that maybe it wasn't the houses that had something wrong with them. I do admit we're pretty picky. We just want this to be the -right- house.

And as such, we've had to increase our range. We're looking way higher than we had intended, banking on the idea that we'll be able to get quite a bit for this place and use that as downpayment for the new one. We're trying not to stretch ourselves too thin; our maximum payment + taxes per month is $962. We were hoping to get something really great for a lower price to save money. However, it seems that a lot of the greater houses are just out of our price range. I found several houses that I love, but the importance of having a basement is essential to me () as is locality to schools for the kids. I don't want them to have to walk across busy streets to get to schools. I don't want to have to shoo away the unsavory people.

Am I being completely unrealistic? I just want everything to be perfect.

[Englishlady]

The thing about houses is unless you have unlimited funds there are ALWAYS compromises to be made.

I think we get very comfortable with our homes and it's like a part of us so it's hard to let go and start again with a whole new house.

In the UK they tell us to look out for houses being upgraded and refurbished, if this is being done in a less favourable area, it means that the area is "up and coming" or might be the next big property hotspot.

The same goes for new coffee shops, cafes etc all this kind of thing moving into a new area means gentrification and is a good sign.

So when you are looking at areas these are things to look out for.

Please be careful about stretching your budget too thin, you never know what's around the corner economically speaking.


The very best of luck to you, I hope you find something you will all be happy with

[Russ]

Curious... Have you contacted a real estate agent?

[monkeywrangler71]

Just did this, and it is not easy. Budget started at 225, after two months went up to 325. But, when we went through the more expensive homes I was brutal. There was no way I was stretching ourselves that thin for a house that was not absolutely perfect, zero compromises. We ended up spending 245 on a place which needs a lot of cosmetic work but is structurally sound and in a desirable location.

Location really is the most important factor, because it's about the only thing you can't fix. I would recommend that you make a list of the schools and neighbourhoods that you want to be near, and only search in those areas. There's nothing worse than falling in love with a house in an unsuitable location, so best to have never looked in the first place. I'm still pining away for a beautiful 200 yr old farmhouse, with a two hour commute and the worst schools in the province.

You have lots of time, you still need to get your own home sold. New places come up every day, so don't feel pressured to take something that doesn't feel right.

[ncarr]

I feel your pain... LITERALLY lol. We are going through the same exact thing. Our list of wants are similar to yours. We just can't find the right house in our price range and in the right location It really really sucks. I wish you the best of luck and hope you find the perfect home for you and your family.

[MomToTwoBoys]

Curious... Have you contacted a real estate agent?

Nah. We haven't contacted one in Edmonton. We did sign up for access to the more detailed listings on the homes, and with that came an agent's name and number. I don't really want to contact an agent in Edmonton if this place hasn't sold just yet.

I'm contacting a realtor this week for the house sale here. I have the furnace guy coming at 1:30 and once that's done, I'm cleaning more and then contacting the agent here in Calgary.

I did find more cute-as-a-button houses in Spruce Grove, which is on the west side of Edmonton and still close to Mike's work. It's a bedroom community and it does have an autism spectrum program. I tried looking in Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Beaumont, St Albert and Sherwood Park (which are all surrounding Edmonton and about a 15-20 min drive to Edmonton) but either they have no autism program or the houses are too expensive. Leduc had new build duplex buildings that started at $188k with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, which would have been awesome for us.

I'm willing to sacrifice yard size if it means we stay in our budget. The houses I was looking at had lots that were at least 6 or 7 times the size of the house, which would have meant more yard space for the kids and more garden space for me. I'm also trying not to get a house with property taxes that are too high. We pay $1350 a year for this place. We figure if we can stay around $1500-$1700, it wouldn't be so bad.

I have a list of neighborhoods with crime rates attached to it. Perhaps I'm being too picky in picking neighborhoods with an extremely low crime rate. I did start looking at ones a little more outside of our comfort zone. I also started looking at ones that were right near an elementary school. I'm not afraid of a little fixing up to do, but I don't want to have to do it right as we move in. There was a building in Brittania Youngstown that was $205k but it needed ALOT of work. We wanted a bungalow because the basement is generally larger on a bungalow and more storage = less clutter in the rest of the house. DH also grew up in a bungalow and loves it. I do admit, I like his parents' place as well.

Perhaps more houses will show up and I'll be able to find something better. I guess, for now, I can just start looking at houses that are near schools and still in the lower end of our budget.

[MomToTwoBoys]

So my inlaws have been so incredibly awesome, helping to look at houses in the areas they happen to be in that day for houses. My list is expanding and while I'm keeping requirements in mind, I'm also being more flexible.

We have one house that's $239,900 that's just beautiful, but for some reason it's listed as a condo. I'm not sure if I can take a mortgage + condo fee, but the house is really good and it's at the low end of our range.

We have one house that's $259,900 but the drawback is that there is no basement. There's second floor storage, which I guess is alright, with a double car garage AND a shed. It's four blocks from an elementary school and busing for the oldest son would be free from anywheres in Edmonton.

We have one house that's $269,900 and 6 blocks from an elementary school. It's been on the market for a while and can use a price reduction. It does have a basement.

Then we hit the higher end of our range. This is the 'only if we can get an awesome price reduction' range. One place was listed at $289,900 and is a bungalow. This is in a prime area for us in Spruce Grove. It has vaulted ceilings, updated appliances, two bedrooms up and two below with 2.5 baths and a rec room in the basement. It's basically my dream house.

I am definitely a little more at ease with the process. Now that we have more help and have had TONS of awesome advice, we can go at this with a level head and a clear mind.

I think it's a little easier loosening the restrictions a bit and checking areas that we didn't think we'd look in before. Now that we have more freedom to find a house that's right near a school for one of the boys, the other one can take the bus (because he'd need to anyways - there's five junior high schools in Edmonton that offer the Autism Spectrum Disorder program) and DH can figure out the best way to work.

[Siebrie]

Like you, we are househunting, and, just like you, we have a short 'needs' list (schools and public transport nearby, 2 bedrooms, South facing terrace, etc). We also have a long 'wants' list (3 bedrooms, South facing garden, cellar, attic, garage, etc).

After looking at a dozen houses at the low end of our price range, we had to add 'bathroom' and 'kitchen' to our needs-list!

People had lived in those houses all their married lives, some had congratulatory letters from the mayor on their 50-years marriage anniversary! They washed at the kitchen sink; the kitchen usually is just a 2-cabinet counter with a steel top and sink, next to a stove.