Bought a House

S

Sad Max

Artful Dodger
Well, for the last sixteen years we have been very happy with our two-bedroom place in Silverlake, just north of downtown L.A.

But what with potential future space requirements and low interest rates and a bottoming real-estate market and an accountant frantically insisting that we need to own more property, we found a very nice three-bedroom 1910 Craftsman house on about a quarter-acre in Garfield Heights (Pasadena) on which we just closed and accepted the keys yesterday.

So now we - or more accurately, my wife, since I am going to be on location until the end of August - are boxing and wrapping and packing and moving all of our crap the nine miles to Pasadena, arranging some renovations to the first place and looking to line up a renter to get installed there, hopefully within the next sixty days.

It's going to be an adjustment. We *really* loved living in Silverlake - the people, the location, the local eateries and businesses - and Pasadena is going to be a very different head. But the new house is very nice, we both dig Craftsman houses special, and being 1 mile from the Rose Bowl means that come next 4th of July we can sit on the roof and watch fireworks.
 
congrats! And I admire the strategy: Arranging to be in another state when the moving work needs to be done...well played sir. Well played.
 
Welcome to the American way! Apple pie, ball games and mortgage debt for the next 15-30 years! Of course we'll want to see pics of the new place with your ugly mug out in the front yard with the misses, of course holding a pitchfork...
 
*shrug* thanks to the peculiarities of the tax code, for the most part really mostly what I'm doing is putting money toward equity rather than taxes. Wacky, but that's how the laws are written...

...Charli, now we *have* to do the 'American Gothic' thing!
 
I still dream about the home I lived my first 14 years of life.

The attachment we have to our homes is always an interesting subject in our minds.
 
What's funny is that the moment we closed on the new place, both properties suddenly became investments, nothing more. What I need out of the first place is for it to bring in sufficient rent to suit my plans, and what I need out of the second is that (a) it hold the extra equity is came with and (b) it appreciate in value so as increase my equity position.

All the romance just drained right the heck away...
 
Congrats, that's so cool!!!!

We're waiting to hear back on our offer we put in last Friday... crossing our fingers...
 
Some pix offa the realty site...needless to say we'll be taking better ones...

A10011351_0.jpg




A10011351_4_0.jpg


A10011351_7_0.jpg


A10011351_9_0.jpg


A10011351_11_0.jpg


A10011351_13_0.jpg


A10011351_16_0.jpg


A10011351_17_0.jpg


A10011351_21_0.jpg
 
We work in the Antelope Valley, CA and we made an offer on a home in Palmdale. Housing prices are amazing. We really couldn't afford a home on our current salaries except that the market is how it is.

We offered 130 for a 3 bedroom 1500 sq. ft. house, in a pretty nice gated community.

The house was triple the cost about four or five years ago.
 
Yeah. From what my realtor said I think its about terms, not price.

And wow what a nice house! I won't be posting pics until we do a little touching up inside of the one we are hoping to get ;)
 
Don't let a couple thousand keep you from buying the home, I see so many people miss out on deals because of a $5k difference. Great time to buy in the depressed market, in 5 years you'll be sooo happy you did it.

NEVER MIND, you posted before I did.
 
One of the things we liked about this place is that it was all freshly re-plumbed, re-wired, foundation reinforced, new kitchen and bathrooms, new roof and floors, new deck and a bunch of upgrades all over. Of all the places we looked at it was the best balance of original Craftsman design and updated whatever. Basically turnkey; we didn't want to have to commit to a fixer-upper because of our schedules.

But as it is Una's re-painting a couple of rooms anyway. The seller's tastes don't entirely match our own.
 
Yeah, we need new updated carpet (original 80's carpet in there), some new flooring (tile) and some paint. That's about it to start.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top