OT: General OT Thread [NO POLITICS, RACE OR RELIGION]

[MickeyDavis]

When I was married we built a house. That actually wasn't too bad. Finding the area and lot was the biggest challenge. It was kind of fun (and a lot of work) deciding how to decorate everything, picking out the flooring, counter tops, cabinets, lighting. But overall it was pretty good.

[MikeIsGood]

Man, how does any relationship survive the home buying process? We have only been looking for 3 weeks and I think we’ve gotten into an argument every weekend. She would put in an offer on almost anything we look at and I’ve liked 1 house so far and would take another 6 months if it was up to me.

It’s only the biggest financial commitment of our lives that’s going to lock us into a living situation for the next 3-5 years. Let’s take our time and not settle, right?

It's so hard to move right now. Selling? Awesome. Buying? Insanity.

Our first house hunt was in 2017. We looked at over 40 houses in one weekend with our realtor - we were moving across the country, and didn't live in our new city yet, so we packed-in as much as possible. We still didn't find something we were comfortable with...so we did it all again three weeks later. 30 more houses, eventually finding one still being built that ended up being right (enough) for us.

We moved again in 2021. Again across the country. Slightly smaller, but generally similar sized location. There was some stuff on the market, but not meeting our needs. There was...literally nothing. We made no trips like our first house hunt, because we knew we'd be setting ourselves up for disappointment looking at houses that are too small, poor location, etc. So we had alerts setup for every website, our agent was trying to get ahead with pocket listings, etc. There were five or six 'should we fly-in for this house?' moments, but we didn't pull the trigger because only one of us would be on board. Then "the one" - heavy air quotes - came to us before it hit market, we flew in the next day, made sure the online listing wasn't fools gold, and put in our offer same day. It was utter madness. And we are already talking about looking again in 3-5 years because it's not quite right for us. But it was right enough. Now we're trying to balance what we want to do to improve the house vs. return if we were to move, which is a whole new kind of stress.

So yeah, right now especially, house hunting can definitely put a strain on things. Tons of money + house hunting stress + different priorities =

[buckboy]

I can't imagine trying to buy right now. "Insanity" indeed.

I'm not even sure why I responded, as things are so different now than they were 30 months ago.

I guess I just could've just said "don't cave".

[MissKhriddleton]

Wow, some really good and helpful comments. Thank you.

Managing expectations is definitely part of it. I realize I’ll have to compromise on some things, but a lot of houses I can just tell right away ain’t it even though they check a lot of boxes (starting to hate that phrase).

We haven’t really settled on a location yet either which is another part of it. I grew up in the burbs and moving back scares the hell out of me. I don’t want to feel like we’re a 45 minute drive to the city because then we’ll never actually make the drive. She would probably live on a farm if she could. I thought Tosa was a good compromise but it’s so much money.

[glenn]

Wow, some really good and helpful comments. Thank you.

Managing expectations is definitely part of it. I realize I’ll have to compromise on some things, but a lot of houses I can just tell right away ain’t it even though they check a lot of boxes (starting to hate that phrase).

We haven’t really settled on a location yet either which is another part of it. I grew up in the burbs and moving back scares the hell out of me. I don’t want to feel like we’re a 45 minute drive to the city because then we’ll never actually make the drive. She would probably live on a farm if she could. I thought Tosa was a good compromise but it’s so much money.

My wife and I bought our first house in October after looking for about a year and dealt with a lot of that same things you're talking about. Tosa was high on the list, but taxes put it out of our budget. My wife wanted to offer on quite a few, but I wasn't willing to make major compromises and we ended up only offering on three. We fought a bit, and I think I drove our realtor insane. It was hard, but we ended up with something we love in and she thanks me now for standing my ground.

It's just a brutal market. She still keeps an eye on listings and we haven't seen anything come up for sale in our budget that is comparable to what we ended up with. Good luck!

One piece of advice for those buying - don't waive the inspection. A lot of people are doing it to make their offer more attractive, but I've heard some horror stories lately. We brought in an inspector, but agreed to be responsible for repair costs up to 5,000. It was a fair compromise for us.

[glenn]

There were five or six 'should we fly-in for this house?' moments, but we didn't pull the trigger because only one of us would be on board. Then "the one" - heavy air quotes - came to us before it hit market, we flew in the next day, made sure the online listing wasn't fools gold, and put in our offer same day. It was utter madness.

The craziest part of the whole process to me was that we would be given 30 minutes (sometimes 15!) to tour a house and then have to make a decision same day (with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line) to have any hope of a chance. I can spend months making sure I pick the right sound bar for my bedroom TV, so this was not a normal thing for me.

[MikeIsGood]

There were five or six 'should we fly-in for this house?' moments, but we didn't pull the trigger because only one of us would be on board. Then "the one" - heavy air quotes - came to us before it hit market, we flew in the next day, made sure the online listing wasn't fools gold, and put in our offer same day. It was utter madness.

The craziest part of the whole process to me was that we would be given 30 minutes (sometimes 15!) to tour a house and then have to make a decision same day (with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line) to have any hope of a chance. I can spend months making sure I pick the right sound bar for my bedroom TV, so this was not a normal thing for me.

I'm definitely in the same boat - can research purchases for weeks and months to make sure I feel like I get the right thing. It was definitely among the most uncomfortable I've ever been, just because of how little research and contemplation had gone into it. We made a quick decision the first time too, I suppose, but it was after having toured like 70 houses already. So we were ready to make a quick decision when we found something that really clicked.

[Iheartfootball]

I'd kill for WI prices out here in the Bay Area. It's like $1m for a starter home.

[ReasonablySober]

Florida is one I don't get. My dad has been looking at places down there and the housing prices are rising there higher than anywhere else in the country, and the state is a hole. You literally couldn't pay me to live in Florida.

[vital_signs]

I'd kill for WI prices out here in the Bay Area. It's like $1m for a starter home.

Denver is ridiculous as well, not bay area ridiculous, but still doesn't make sense. So here I am pissing >1000 a month for a studio because the cheapest places are still out of my range.

[M-C-G]

Florida is one I don't get. My dad has been looking at places down there and the housing prices are rising there higher than anywhere else in the country, and the state is a hole. You literally couldn't pay me to live in Florida.

Huh. Everyone I know that lives there loves it.


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[jute2003]

Florida is one I don't get. My dad has been looking at places down there and the housing prices are rising there higher than anywhere else in the country, and the state is a hole. You literally couldn't pay me to live in Florida.

Huh. Everyone I know that lives there loves it.


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Everyone that I know that lives there likes it but they're all like 98 and never leave their old people farms.

[TJ_Ford_11]

Florida is one I don't get. My dad has been looking at places down there and the housing prices are rising there higher than anywhere else in the country, and the state is a hole. You literally couldn't pay me to live in Florida.

Huh. Everyone I know that lives there loves it.


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Yea it’s actually nice here, and I’ve lived in a lot of different states (WI, OR, HI, VA, AK, FL). I might actually retire here in Florida. Lots of newer neighborhoods here.

[MickeyDavis]

Every state has pros and cons, nice areas and dumpy aeas. Some areas of Florida are great.

[Iheartfootball]

I'd kill for WI prices out here in the Bay Area. It's like $1m for a starter home.

Denver is ridiculous as well, not bay area ridiculous, but still doesn't make sense. So here I am pissing >1000 a month for a studio because the cheapest places are still out of my range.

Thank Californians for some of that. They are cashing out here and moving to places like CO, OR, WA, and TX.

[MickeyDavis]

I'd kill for WI prices out here in the Bay Area. It's like $1m for a starter home.

Denver is ridiculous as well, not bay area ridiculous, but still doesn't make sense. So here I am pissing >1000 a month for a studio because the cheapest places are still out of my range.

Thank Californians for some of that. They are cashing out here and moving to places like CO, OR, WA, and TX.

California, higher than average wages. Many CA companies are now work from home permanently. And employees are moving while keeping their CA jobs. Nevada and Utah have an influx of them. I was talking to some people in St. George, UT and Henderson, NV last summer. Crazy there with CA transplants.

[ReasonablySober]

Denver is ridiculous as well, not bay area ridiculous, but still doesn't make sense. So here I am pissing >1000 a month for a studio because the cheapest places are still out of my range.

Thank Californians for some of that. They are cashing out here and moving to places like CO, OR, WA, and TX.

California, higher than average wages. Many CA companies are now work from home permanently. And employees are moving while keeping their CA jobs. Nevada and Utah have an influx of them. I was talking to some people in St. George, UT and Henderson, NV last summer. Crazy there with CA transplants.

Montana has been huge with CA tech transplants. The richest people are basically buying up the most global warming proof spots.

[Turk Nowitzki]

Has anybody on here had LASIK?

My vision sucks and I've worn glasses basically my whole life. I've thought about getting it for years but I always chicken out in the end. Just wondering if anyone was in the same boat and actually went through with it or really if anyone has any experiences in general with the process.

[M-C-G]

Has anybody on here had LASIK?

My vision sucks and I've worn glasses basically my whole life. I've thought about getting it for years but I always chicken out in the end. Just wondering if anyone was in the same boat and actually went through with it or really if anyone has any experiences in general with the process.

Had it done like 15 years ago. One of the best decisions I have ever made, recovery time wasn't as bad as I had feared either.

Very strange feeling having it done but it was pretty incredible to be done with contacts and glasses. I'd also assume the process has gotten better since then, certainly seems like the cost has come down a lot.

[buckboy]

Wow, some really good and helpful comments. Thank you.

Managing expectations is definitely part of it. I realize I’ll have to compromise on some things, but a lot of houses I can just tell right away ain’t it even though they check a lot of boxes (starting to hate that phrase).

We haven’t really settled on a location yet either which is another part of it. I grew up in the burbs and moving back scares the hell out of me. I don’t want to feel like we’re a 45 minute drive to the city because then we’ll never actually make the drive. She would probably live on a farm if she could. I thought Tosa was a good compromise but it’s so much money.

My wife and I bought our first house in October after looking for about a year and dealt with a lot of that same things you're talking about. Tosa was high on the list, but taxes put it out of our budget. My wife wanted to offer on quite a few, but I wasn't willing to make major compromises and we ended up only offering on three. We fought a bit, and I think I drove our realtor insane. It was hard, but we ended up with something we love in and she thanks me now for standing my ground.

It's just a brutal market. She still keeps an eye on listings and we haven't seen anything come up for sale in our budget that is comparable to what we ended up with. Good luck!

One piece of advice for those buying - don't waive the inspection. A lot of people are doing it to make their offer more attractive, but I've heard some horror stories lately. We brought in an inspector, but agreed to be responsible for repair costs up to 5,000. It was a fair compromise for us.

Yeah, if you waive an inspection you get what you deserve.