Half-Off Sale at Greenlake....

[tomtom]

But my realtor says there's never been a better time to buy...

 

For realtors, it's always a good time to cash a commission check.

[JayB]

Right Jay...just thought you were going to try to settle down in a home in the Seattle area. Agree about the personal decision vs. speculating on what the market will do next.

 

Still might. We're renting a place on the North end of Capitol Hill now that'll probably do for the next 2-3 years. Don't see the rent/own math changing anytime soon, even if our circumstances do, so no rush.

 

All things being equal, having a large garage, a yard, driveway, and being way closer to the pass sounds quite a bit more appealing but it probably isn't in the cards unless teleportation replaces the standard commute.

[JayB]

But my realtor says there's never been a better time to buy...

 

For realtors, it's always a good time to cash a commission check.

 

Cynic.

[Ponderosa]

BTW - making the right call vis-a-vis the market is much less important than making the right call vis-a-vis your own financial situation IMO.

 

If one is sincere in an expectation of buying a home, eventually, aren't the two conjoined in the best of outcomes?

 

If one speculates that the market is near low ebb, and further that the price of a home today that goes for $300K may inflate to $400k in three years, your 20% down increase of $20k (as well as net increase of required six-months payments banked, rent payments, etc.) is as steep a price to pay for very conservative parameters as penalties often associated with higher risk.

 

But, I understand. We serve ourselves best when we are diligent to act in a manner that serves our peace.

[JayB]

I suppose, but you never go broke by saving too much.

[tomtom]

But my realtor says there's never been a better time to buy...

For realtors, it's always a good time to cash a commission check.

Cynic.

The ABC's of Real Estate are Always Be Closing.

 

Here's an instructional video on the topic:

 

[video:youtube]

[Ponderosa]

nor, lose sleep.

[Ponderosa]

unless you think there is always someone just outside your sight and hearing that has designs to steal your stacks of saved Nat Geographics and newspapers.

[ScottP]

 

Generally, the superior quality of older homes is due to superior construction practices, not a difference in materials.

 

I'm going to have to call bullshit on that one...my house, built in 1969, has 4 x 12 vg fir beams on 4 foot centers supporting 2 x 6 tongue and groove car decking sub flooring. The new joists and subfloor that went into the remodel I had done this last year look a lot skimpier than the 1969 version. My contractor was pleased to be tying his work into the existing construction stability.

[olyclimber]

agree. nothing like the old growth fir in the framing of my '49 house.

[tvashtarkatena]

...old homes last 3 to 5 times longer than new ones due to vastly superior materials (as any builder will tell you)...

 

Generally, the superior quality of older homes is due to superior construction practices, not a difference in materials.

 

Let's see, what materials do my 1911 Craftsman and a modern home have in common?

 

That would be none.

 

 

Sounds like we got ourselves a tender fingered office worker who's never pounded a nail here, boys.

[tomtom]

Better there than standing in the forest.

[DPS]

If folks are looking for cheap housing, my next door neighbor got foreclosed. The asking price is about 200,000 lower than comparable homes in the neighborhood and is priced what condos and townhomes go for. It would be cool to get a neighbor who climbs.

[DPS]

...old homes last 3 to 5 times longer than new ones due to vastly superior materials (as any builder will tell you)...

 

Generally, the superior quality of older homes is due to superior construction practices, not a difference in materials.

 

Let's see, what materials do my 1911 Craftsman and a modern home have in common?

 

That would be none.

 

 

 

Sounds like we got ourselves a tender fingered office worker who's never pounded a nail here, boys.

 

 

My grandfather worked as a carpenter for over 70 years. He once said "People say they don't build 'em like they used to. Well, they built 'em like crap back then too!"

Edited October 22, 2009 by danielpatricksmith

[tvashtarkatena]

That's absolutely true. Toenailed rafters, 1/4 gaps under the kitchen door...I've seen it (though not in my house, fortunately). The raw materials, with a few notable exceptions (asbestos, anyone? With a side of lead paint?), were far superior, though.

[Jim]

Gotta agree there while I'm in the middle of ripping apart and putting back together a basement space. Nice elements - knob and tube wiring, galvinzed pipe, lead pipe, single pane windows, non-bolted pony walls, creaky oil furnace, leaky underground oil tank, 3x support beams on tiny footings, asbestos tile - Yea, I like the newer materials and workings.

[prole]

[ScottP]

Gotta agree there while I'm in the middle of ripping apart and putting back together a basement space. Nice elements - knob and tube wiring, galvinzed pipe, lead pipe, single pane windows, non-bolted pony walls, creaky oil furnace, leaky underground oil tank, 3x support beams on tiny footings, asbestos tile - Yea, I like the newer materials and workings.

 

YOU hired a fucked up inspector, or ignored what the inspection report had to say, or chose shitty materials when you had your house built.

[Kimmo]

the idea that houses were built better "in the olden days" in terms of materials and craftsmanship is a silly generalization at best. yeah old growth (as an example) tends to be a stronger and more stable material than second or third growth (big deal: the structural parts are generally over-built anyways), but galvie or iron pipes aren't, knob and tube aren't, old skool elec panels aren't, asbestos and lead everything aren't, etc etc.

 

i like my new upstairs remodel!

[tvashtarkatena]

There's the small matter of the house design itself...yeah, the old craftsman's make the vast majority of today's econoboxes (feaux...everything, anyone?) look like what they are: cheap people packing crates slapped together by a give-a-shit contractor and his crew of meth heads. Compare the siding in today's homes (yeah, that's the part that gets the weather) and tell me that shit isn't somebody's idea of a bad joke.

 

My 1911 still has the original siding-still going strong. Um...that ain't gonna be happening for any new construction even 30 years from now, nevermind 100.

[Kimmo]

hey i won't argue about the attrocity that is today's spec house. looks like hell and what's up with the pastel colors? is it the rule that you're suposta make em look absolutely as terrible as possible?

 

my argument is that, unfortunately, they're gonna look just as damn ugly 50 years down the road, cuz the shit they're built with will, unfortunately, last. do routine paint maintenance on the cementitious faux wood siding, hardiplank, and i guarantee you it'll out-last any old growth cedar shake siding (which is hard to get nowadays anyway). our apt bldg is sided in t-111, and it's still going strong over 30 years later. and our house, built in '08, has places of dry rot on the original siding cuz of previous poor paint maintenance.

[G-spotter]

caves last the longest

[Jim]

Gotta agree there while I'm in the middle of ripping apart and putting back together a basement space. Nice elements - knob and tube wiring, galvinzed pipe, lead pipe, single pane windows, non-bolted pony walls, creaky oil furnace, leaky underground oil tank, 3x support beams on tiny footings, asbestos tile - Yea, I like the newer materials and workings.

 

YOU hired a fucked up inspector, or ignored what the inspection report had to say, or chose shitty materials when you had your house built.

 

Actually neither - knew what I was getting into and could handle it thanks. It's 1947 house that wasn't updated dude. Though the minor oil tank leak was a surprise. There's no way the owner would have updated prior to sale with the price I got. A little sweat equity goes a long way.

[Mtguide]

But my realtor says there's never been a better time to buy...

 

Actually, there have been better, or at least very good, times to buy. When I moved back to Portland in '89, there were lots of very decent older 2-3 BR homes and solid fixer-uppers going for as little as $29,000 to $35,000. Within the next 3 to 4 years things began to pop, and I know several people who were able to buy really low in '90 or '91 and then sell later, say by '94-'95, in the range of $165,000 to $180,000.

 

Of course now even those upper-end prices are a pipe dream. As I recall, the Seattle market at the time was higher, but there were still deals to be found. By the late 90's things had rapidly escalated, so it was a pretty brief window, maybe 5 or 6 years in all, and the really-easy-money party was over. No more buy low-sell high, just buy high, try to sell ridiculously higher.

 

[olyclimber]

the end it near! buy gold.