Xeryon Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I really need to start photographing these places I have been checking out. Last night was certainly the low point. I was kind of excited to find a property hit the market 2 miles from my house for 25k. For 25k I assumed it was going to be in reasonable shape. I've looked at places for 10k and 15k that just needed new flooring, roof repairs and appliances. This place, this was something else. I can not believe someone actually lived in this house at one time. In every single room the ceiling was collapsing, the floor boards in each room had at least one failed floor joist and you step in a spot where it feels like the express route to the basement. The only bathroom in the house didn't have a single foot of it that didn't feel like the floor was going to collapse. God only knows how the floor was still holding up the cast iron bathtub. How the hell did these people take a shower. Oh, and when I opened up the attic access panel to look at the inside of the roof I got hit in the head with Porn. European Erotica, to be exact. Seems someone had a secret hiding spot for the spank material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIR_VTEC Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Oh wow, that place just sounds like a Rehab's Dream Home, but for you no, thats a big money pit that will eventually eat you whole. What your doing is right, check your basis, structure, location, age, and see what type of family that lived there before hand.....from what it sounds like is a porn addicted slob, that didnt care about the house lived there....lol. Im not sure how the market is out by you, but a 25k house here is considered a terribly low end home and in the northside which = crack houses....the best valued house that are in foreclosures are the houses in the 75-150k range because they use to be 300k+ homes before they went to foreclosure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 Just trying to find something I can write a check for. Currently into our current house for around 105 and current market value should peg it above 180. profit take from it should be enough to complete renovations to the new place and wipe clean every last debt I have and still have a nice little house to live in. now if only i could find one of these places with a solid frame to work with. this one would certainly have been doable, but to do it solo would have taken me months. others i have already looked at but my offers were rejected I could have competed renovation enough to be habitable in a month or less. in any case it is fun shopping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelSolSweetie Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 i love house shopping! I'll be up there at the end of mayish.. we are looking around the 25th.. to look at houses/rentals i dont think i could do a foreclosure like that though.. too much time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 Just threw down a new offer tonight for a city house on a 1/4 acre lot. 12k. You can buy foreclosure properties that are turn-key, or need very minimal work. If you have the right realtor they will help you down that path. Apparently my guy's #1 rule - always offer half what they are asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelSolSweetie Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 the relator we are talking to has found a couple decent ones but they were a little older and a little more work then we wanted to do.. if you run across any foreclosures that are in good condition with a min. two car garage and room for a shop in the back let me know (that are in the marysville/north lewisburg area I guess.. want to be close to work but still on the eastern side of Honda so columbus isnt too far) pics of house you want to buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raley Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 My house was a forclosure and i didnt do crap... it needs paint but what doesnt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 12k foreclosure house does the link work for you guys? I can't direct link the images. Sarah, that's why I was suggesting sitting out a one year rental. There are a ton of great places to be found. There is a small house in North Lewisburg that needs work and it comes with an 2000sq ft workshop, hell with a 2 car garage, and i think asking price is 25. It probably needs 15-20k in renovation work but if you don't mind living in a construction site you can do the work yourself for less then half of that and be able to live in it with only a few hundred out of pocket to make it habitable. sorry, asking is 40, you could offer 25 and get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelSolSweetie Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 looks like it would have no backyard and the shop takes up the whole thing which i don't want and i from the rentals i've seen they dont allow animals, dont have enough room for 4 cars, or are stupidly expensive (and i wanted to be within 30 minutes to work so the drive isnt ridiculous during winter) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 You have to sacrifice something somewhere. That was just an example. Keep looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelSolSweetie Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 found this: http://www.realtor.c...40_M40636-96997 love the house.. but i'm thinking it'd be too much to finish.. most of it looks like paint/flooring but like pictures like # 6 worry me advice master o' bank owned properties? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben. Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Drywall isn't too hard to deal with if you've installed it before. That isn't what I'd consider a decent starter house, Sarah. I'd stay away from it unless you're damn sure you want to either PAY someone to make repairs or are well versed in dealing with it yourself. The price for the size is damn good compared to housing prices in Florida but you're going to spend a healthy chunk to get it finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelSolSweetie Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 well we've found quite a few houses that are ~1800 sq ft.. at least quarter acre (we just want room for a smaller shop in the backyard and room for the dogs to play) for about $100k.. the houses we are going to go look at beginning of june are actually anywhere from 1400-2000 sq ft and .25 acres to 2+ acres.. i just dont want too much yard to maintain.. and i dont need a huge house i just LOVE how that house looks... wish it was a little more complete though and chris has done quite a bit of drywall/plumbing/electrical... every firefighter around here basically has two jobs so before he started working EMS he'd just work with his friends.. but i'm going to assume you'd need a licensed contractor for some parts of that house that arn't flooring/paint/hole fixes.. not sure why they did such a huge remodel on a house from 1979 either.. seems excessive to rip that much wall down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben. Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 There may have been more to it than met the eye, thus the reason for the teardown. Plumbing leak, electrical problems.. Chasing problems can lead to some torn up walls in a house. As far as the doing it yourself goes, if you have the know-how and money to do so, I'd be all for it. It's much cheaper than having a contractor doing, but if you're uncomfortable at all with it then I'd spend the money (unless of course it wasn't there) and have it done by someone who's licensed and insured. I'd be aware though, that if projects like that go on and it looks like you've got construction going on in your house (I know in Florida anyway) that if a city or county inspector rolls by and thinks there's construction ongoing without proper permitting, they'll shut it down and fine the hell out of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 This is the middle of nowhere. Minimal permitting is required. That house is pretty interesting inside. My guess is the wallboard is that damaged due to previous owners stripping anything of value out of the house before the bank changed the locks. I doubt they were leak fixing and more just value stripping. Kind of odd that the kitchen appliances are still there. This one would require closer inspection to figure it out. With a 94k price tag I would guess that the house structure is perfectly fine. All you are looking at is finish work. It's only been listed for sale for 9 days though. Give it 30-45 days and if it's still listed put down an offer of $50 or 60 (providing you are pre-approved). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 Just looking through a few of the houses linked up in here... DAMN you guys got it good, places are cheap as hell over there! For 100k where I'm at, I'd be looking at getting a tiny 1 bedroom flat. One question I gotta ask... its kinda related, what is it with all the wooden houses in the usa? especially with all the sh*t weather/hurricanes you get? Figures you were going to say that. A question recently asked by a good friend of ours from the UK was "Is it true that Americans build all of their houses out of sticks?" "You mean they don't build their houses to last 200 years or more?." I thought about this the last couple months. Really, it's a matter of easily available resources throughout history. Look around yourself and tell me how many trees you have? I can find tracks of land in the US where the trees are still unbroken for hours and hours of highway driving. Hundreds of years ago when our ancestors left Europe I am sure your landscape still looked just as void of trees. They landed in the US and there were nothing but trees. I just bought 70 acres of land in Northern Michigan and I can't walk 3 feet without running into a tree. To build a cabin I will need to cut down at least 50 trees just to make a flat spot to build on. It is for this reason that housing is so cheap. The effort invested to build the house is minimal and the expected lifespan of a house built in the last 20-30 years is under 100 years. Houses built prior to the 1970's were made with hardwoods and masonry and it's not unusual to for them to be 150-200 years old. I grew up in a house that was built around sometime between 1850 and 1875. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelSolSweetie Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 This is the middle of nowhere. Minimal permitting is required. That house is pretty interesting inside. My guess is the wallboard is that damaged due to previous owners stripping anything of value out of the house before the bank changed the locks. I doubt they were leak fixing and more just value stripping. Kind of odd that the kitchen appliances are still there. This one would require closer inspection to figure it out. With a 94k price tag I would guess that the house structure is perfectly fine. All you are looking at is finish work. It's only been listed for sale for 9 days though. Give it 30-45 days and if it's still listed put down an offer of $50 or 60 (providing you are pre-approved). well we are going up on the 1st - 4th just to look at houses and we might give it a look.. its looks like it was a halfway done remodel.. appliances look almost new in the kitchen.. the one bathroom with the blue/white tile would have to go though lol we'll probably go towards a finished house but we might be surprised by the one i posted.. and for some reason i just really like it.. its different Figures you were going to say that. A question recently asked by a good friend of ours from the UK was "Is it true that Americans build all of their houses out of sticks?" "You mean they don't build their houses to last 200 years or more?." chris hates when the historic district catches fire though.. something about ballon frame.. so when something catches the entire thing goes up pretty quick but there are plenty of houses in the south that are extremely old.. not saying they haven't went through many remodels but they are standing.. south carolina has some tornadoes but not often.. and normally hurricanes either don't come this way or are pretty mild by the time they get inland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 A lot of original structures from the 1700-1800's are still standing all throughout the east coast, but they were all made out of oak, hickory, brick and stone. But that was back when aged hardwood was plentiful and labor was cheap. Historic houses go up in flame faster often due to the doublewall construction. They were built prior to insulation technologies so the air space in the walls, sometimes a foot thick or more, wasn't for insulation so much but for structural rigidity. Trouble is that it allows the house to burn exceedingly fast in the hidden cavity and takes a while to burn through to the interior and for the occupants to realize it is on fire. By then the structure damage is often too much to save the home. My house is a 1950's brick facade ranch. The brick is just cosmetic, but the interior walls are all rough cut hardwood. Driving a d16 into one nets a bent nail better then half the time. The expansion on the back of the house dates to about 1975 and was made of pine 2x4's and it sags, creaks, leaks and is generally a turd compared to the rest of the house. When you look at a house initially ignore everything except for the attic and the basement. If there is water damage you can always re-plaster and paint but you can never get the staining off of the roof trusses/joists. Then go downstairs. It is easy to repaint the walls and floors with Killz or another water stain coverer, but look at the appliances. If they are rusted they have basement water problems, in unfinished basement areas look at the floor joists. Wet basements will make mold, mildew and damp spot stains on the floor joists. Old water doesn't mean no, it just means look closely. Next thing to check are the window sills. Any sign of damaged wood casing around a window means the interior walls may be rotted or moldy. Lastly, always be wary of a house they has recently been remodeled from top to bottom. Nobody does that unless there was flood, fire, mold, death, animals or they are trying to flip the house and make a huge profit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben. Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 House I'm going to be moving into is built with good ol' heart-pine.. If it ever catches on fire it's game over. Solid as a rock though. Roofing tacks weren't keen on penetrating the side of the house a while back. Not looking forward to putting on new siding. It's kinda' sad now though that mobile homes (at least in Florida, I know with our code requirements for hurricanes and floods we're ridiculous) are built better than modular or spec homes. 2x6 exterior walls and floor joists, better insulation more often than not, couple other thing that set them apart from houses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 ....couple other thing that set them apart from houses. ....the fact that you have to register your house with the DMV. If it's a double-wide you have to register it twice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben. Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 ....the fact that you have to register your house with the DMV. If it's a double-wide you have to register it twice! As though that's some time consuming process. I've fought longer battles with them over title transfers than I have getting my registration on where I've stayed when in mobile home. In any case, they're fairly well built now. Walk into a house that's under construction that ISN'T on a slab and tell me what kind of flooring you see as opposed to the actual plywood they're MAKING these builders put in these modular and mobile homes for roof decking and flooring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 I know it isn't a big deal. It's just humorous that people have to register their house as if it's a car. FL might be the only state that does that. Most other places only require a registration on a trailer, of any sort, if it hits pavement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben. Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Yea. Despite the fact it doesn't MOVE after it's set, it still has to be registered. Which is utter horsechit, but it's whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelSolSweetie Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 did you ever see this one? http://www.remax.com/property/88225065-61000045/267-W-State-St-Milford_Center-OH-43358/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max85 Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Sarah, When are you going to start your job at honda? I wish you the best of luck with your job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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