So me and the wife are house hunting, and we are currently split on 2 houses: House #1: 3 bdr/2 bath Located in historic district lots of old charm (character) 9' ceilings unique brick fireplace updated bathrooms and kitchen original hardwood floors nice deck lacks closet space small rooms small yard no garage wood siding - exterior House #2: 4 bdr/2 bath Huge yard 2 car garage updated master suite with jacuzzi and tile shower walk-in closets original hardwood floors brick patio 8' ceilings decent kitchen good neighborhood, but doesn't have the feel and charm as the other House #2 has everything we want, but the house and neighborhood just doesn't excite us like the other. So do you sacrifice modern conveniences for character in a home? Any words of wisdom?
I have an old house (1920) that is full of "character". It is a nice house, but I would trade it in for modern conveniences in a heartbeat.
words of wisdom when buying a house?? make a couple of requirements for your list (man cave, 3-car garage, etc) and then let the wife find the one that fits... its gonna be her call eventually anyway...
Planning to resell down the road? Location, location, location. All other things aside since you didn't ask about them (cooling system, taxes, condition of roof, interior, plumbing, etc), it's all location, location, location. I personally don't like old homes, unless they have been updated (ironic, huh)?
I have a house that was built in the 1870's. Character.... yeah, lots of that. I think it was originally a one room train depot that got stuff added on as the years went by. Both bedrooms were added on, as was the kitchen, the bathroom, sunroom, mudroom... Each has it's own 'character'. In the basement there is a main support beam... on this beam you can see where someone hand hewn it from a log. Neato. It has a coal room in the basement. Still has the oil tanks from when it was upgraded to fuel oil and now it has a high-efficiency propane furnance. The poor furnance runs almost non-stop when it's cold and windy (like now) even tho' the thermostat is only set at 64 degrees. A house with a lot of character like this one has a lot of drafts too. (it has all new windows, siding and roof.. but the wind just comes in anyhow) Most of the electric has been updated from knob and tube but I'm not sure about the stuff in the walls. Despite our best efforts with cement, caulk, and insulation... mice freely come in whenever they want. Crickets come in during the summer and asian ladybugs are a pain in the fall/early winter. .....so after living here for a bit... I'd knock this house down in a heartbeat and build a modernized one. I'd save that main beam, some door knobs and brass but otherwise.... I'm tired of 'character'. The thing that I like about this place (and why I live here) is because it's on 3.8 acres. There's no way I'd go for an old house and a small lot. If there wasn't room to build a garage, I wouldn't even begin to consider it. Little closet space in the house... no garage... I can't believe it's even on your list... where are you guys going to put your stuff???
My house has all the character and more you could ever want. Character is meaningless and wears off after the 1st, 2nd, 20th time you need to fix something or run out of room for things. Take the modern conveniences!!!!!!!!!
I vote for "reason". That way, when you get divorced...excuse me, if you get divorced...it won't be hard to part with the house. Sounds like the "reason" house will be easier to replace. You might get to attached with the "charm" house, and then it will become a big issue if she gets the house in the divorce. Kind of like a dog. You don't want to deal with that drama.
I bet if you bought the old house, at some point you would wish you had more space, more electric outlets, bigger yard, etc etc.... I doubt if you bought the newer house you would wish your extra closet space and garages away in favor of some fancier wood trim.
Depends....... If this house in an investment that may hopefully help pay for the house you want to live in long term, and if you have the know how and $$$$ to put into it.......then the house with character may be the better fit. If the house is going to be a long term home, then I'd go with the more modern one, no questions asked. My wife and I bought a house about 3 years ago. It had "character". I knew it was a great investment and I would have the $$$ to really add a lot of sweat equity to the house. While I'm very grateful to have the house, I'm really looking forward to selling, cashing out, and buying a place that's newer and won't require all my time and $$$.
My brain says #2. My wife says #2. My heart says #1. We'll probably settle on #2 if we can't find anything better soon.
Being a contractor, I'd go with reason over character any day of the week. Old houses have a tendency to be very poorly insulated and can be expensive to heat/cool. If you do decide to go with character, ask for the previous winter and summer utility bills, that may influence your decision.
Two words of advice: 1. Location; location; location 2. Own your home. Don't allow your home to own you. Our mortgage is extremely manage-able. Could we afford more home in a different spot? Doesn't matter. We LIVE in our home, every day. We don't inhabit a box. Kind of off-topic. (sorry) Good luck.
I know. It's why #1 is even in the discussion because of it's awesome location. But it's not like #2 is in a bad location, just not as good of a location. I have no idea what this means.
It means.....we don't live in a house that's in the hottest neighborhood.....inhabited by the "who's-who" in our town....JUST to be "there". Where we live is most important. How we live runs a close second. "either does he" - classic.....lol.
Is it just me, or does it seem like you keep contradicting yourself with each post? And to be clear, the houses are basically the same price.
Please explain. We live where we live (relatively), because it's close to loved ones and it's in the country. We live in the exact house we live in, because it fits the budget we're comfortable with. Location; location; location.....................& our house (mortgage) doesn't own us. Not sure how this contradicts anything.
90 years old house with plenty of charm...who wants it. Even trade for a modern, level, and upgraded house! My house is very nice and we like it a lot but, I would trade the charm for the house that actually has what we want. I would take house #2 but, it is different for everyone.
