The biggest milestone in recent memory

MerF · 02-06-2009, 11:41 AM

http://www.merfproductions.com/newhouse/

Finally. We're getting dressed and ready to go to the final walk-thru and closing on our first house! I barely achieved my goal of homeownership before 30, but I did it.

Let me tell you, do NOT believe the hype that this is the prime market to buy in.

Damn, I'm gonna have to leave it at that because it's time to go, I intend to rant when I return!

Overall though....

Justin · 02-06-2009, 11:58 AM

Congrats, it looks beautiful. ^_^.

a6pk2go · 02-06-2009, 12:01 PM

Congratualtions on your new house.

PQ · 02-06-2009, 12:02 PM

Hope everything turned out allright. Deals are out there. Just not in every market. And not much selling because so many refuse to take the loss.

Place looks good. You will have a new Camaro sitting in front one day.

I hesitated clicking the link for fear of Rick Astley.

Justin · 02-06-2009, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irpq11

Hope everything turned out allright. Deals are out there. Just not in every market. And not much selling because so many refuse to take the loss.

Place looks good. You will have a new Camaro sitting in front one day.

I hesitated clicking the link for fear of Rick Astley.

I even installed a second browser for when I get RRed, so I can just force quit it and be done. Haha.

Zabo · 02-06-2009, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MerF

http://www.merfproductions.com/newhouse/

Finally.... I barely achieved my goal of homeownership before 30, but I did it. Overall though.

Nice House there, Merf. I take it you plan to do some major renovations.. That baby blue tile and kitchen make it look like something out of Fallout 3. Just gotta find the Raiders and Slavers before settling down, ya know?

Georgie · 02-06-2009, 01:08 PM

good job. make sure you fight for lower property tax

69 Hugger · 02-06-2009, 01:35 PM

Congrats on your new home, Honeydo list to follow

Tactical Z · 02-06-2009, 01:43 PM

No...Sorry I didnt click it....I've been haunted by Rick assley I meant astley.

Mr Twisty · 02-06-2009, 03:13 PM

All that furniture makes my back hurt just looking at it!

One of the best investments a young person can make, dare I say it, even more important than the camaro. Congrats

Rodrunner · 02-06-2009, 03:33 PM

Congrats, Merf. Very exciting time, huh? Do you love turquoise as much as the previous owner? HaHa! Oh well, plenty of time for "mods". Enjoy the American dream....you made it baby!!!!!

MerF · 02-06-2009, 08:43 PM

Ok, I'm back and it's official! Woo-hoooooo!

Ok some more info:

The house was built in 1961. The older fellow in one of the kitchen photos (wife was shaming my D-SLR by the way, I was at work while the house was being inspected) is the owner. His father built the house and it was estated to him. Which means I'm technically the second owner of the house...in St Petersburg that's a rare happening.

The appliance are old, no doubt...but they are vintage. I looked it up and because they work and were maintained by a super-efficient Jewish family, they have some very good value. They are pristine, so they will be removed shortly and replaced with new appliances but they will be photographed and packed up for sale as soon as reasonably possible.

The house is a 3/2/1 with about 1800 sq ft. 4 year old roof, no flood zone (a real treat on a peninsula), new air handler and no signs of rot/termites anywhere in the house. Oh and we were given the house's actual blueprints from building. That is freaking cool, we looked at those a lot for fun.

Neat sidenote, the seller is a write for Rueters. Thought that was pretty cool, he's covered some pretty cool stories that I'm sure we've read at one time or another.

Unfortunately, now that I have closed, I get to go on a business trip! So we don't move in until I get back. In the meantime, the shag carpet is being pulled up and hardwoods are going in through most of the living space and new carpeting for the bedrooms. The kitchen and sunroom are going to keep the original turrazo flooring for now, because we want to do something special once we plan those rooms better.

Once we're moved in I will update pics and show the house a bit better.

As for the market...here's the deal. Everything is a short sale or already in foreclosure. We'd get with our kick-ass realtor every day and see a few more houses, and all of them would have an asking price that made it a short sale...and if it wasn't a short sale it would not appraise for asking and thus become a short sale through the process. I had seriously come close to giving up, then one day we saw this hosue pop on the market and decided to give it a shot since it was brand new.

We did not hesitate, the house was SO cheap, and not because the seller was in any hurry, he just didn't owe anything on it and wanted it to sell. So many houses (4/5 of the comps) were in foreclosure his value was shot to crap. We did the analysis and the house was worth $180k just a few years ago...we got it for $138 with him covering closing costs (so call it $130k). We made the offer that day and while our realtor was in his realtor's office they had to turn down no less than a dozen more offers over the phone...we got a steal.

So that's my affair! This is so wonderful, my monthly payments are wonderfully low, and once my wife finishes college and starts work again we are going to be living so far below our means that getting my 1SS/RS convertible in 2 years will be a walk in the park.

Thanks for the responses everyone, we're so happy! Any locals wanna come by for a BBQ or a meet...it's on!

Rodrunner · 02-06-2009, 11:34 PM

You're a lucky SOB! And getting it as cheap as you did, you can immediately do some of the renovations you want to. See, it is a good time to buy if you find the right property. Ha!

Mr Twisty · 02-07-2009, 12:42 AM

I hate to hear about so much foreclosure property in the area, but it sounds like it worked to your advantage.

02-06-2009, 11:41 AM	#1
MerF Go Rays! Drives: 03 Trailblazer Join Date: May 2007 Location: St Pete, Florida Posts: 2,532	The biggest milestone in recent memory http://www.merfproductions.com/newhouse/ Finally. We're getting dressed and ready to go to the final walk-thru and closing on our first house! I barely achieved my goal of homeownership before 30, but I did it. Let me tell you, do NOT believe the hype that this is the prime market to buy in. Damn, I'm gonna have to leave it at that because it's time to go, I intend to rant when I return! Overall though....

02-06-2009, 12:02 PM	#4
PQ Booooosted. Drives: 2010 Supercharged SS Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 36,717 View My Garage	Hope everything turned out allright. Deals are out there. Just not in every market. And not much selling because so many refuse to take the loss. Place looks good. You will have a new Camaro sitting in front one day. I hesitated clicking the link for fear of Rick Astley. __________________

02-06-2009, 03:33 PM	#11
Rodrunner Senior Member Drives: 2010 SS/RS, '06 350Z Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: So. Maryland Posts: 2,326	Congrats, Merf. Very exciting time, huh? Do you love turquoise as much as the previous owner? HaHa! Oh well, plenty of time for "mods". Enjoy the American dream....you made it baby!!!!! __________________ 2SS/RS - Black/Black - CGM Rally Stripes - Auto - VIN 10171

02-06-2009, 11:34 PM	#13
Rodrunner Senior Member Drives: 2010 SS/RS, '06 350Z Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: So. Maryland Posts: 2,326	You're a lucky SOB! And getting it as cheap as you did, you can immediately do some of the renovations you want to. See, it is a good time to buy if you find the right property. Ha! __________________ 2SS/RS - Black/Black - CGM Rally Stripes - Auto - VIN 10171

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MerF Go Rays! Drives: 03 Trailblazer Join Date: May 2007 Location: St Pete, Florida Posts: 2,532	Ok, I'm back and it's official! Woo-hoooooo! Ok some more info: The house was built in 1961. The older fellow in one of the kitchen photos (wife was shaming my D-SLR by the way, I was at work while the house was being inspected) is the owner. His father built the house and it was estated to him. Which means I'm technically the second owner of the house...in St Petersburg that's a rare happening. The appliance are old, no doubt...but they are vintage. I looked it up and because they work and were maintained by a super-efficient Jewish family, they have some very good value. They are pristine, so they will be removed shortly and replaced with new appliances but they will be photographed and packed up for sale as soon as reasonably possible. The house is a 3/2/1 with about 1800 sq ft. 4 year old roof, no flood zone (a real treat on a peninsula), new air handler and no signs of rot/termites anywhere in the house. Oh and we were given the house's actual blueprints from building. That is freaking cool, we looked at those a lot for fun. Neat sidenote, the seller is a write for Rueters. Thought that was pretty cool, he's covered some pretty cool stories that I'm sure we've read at one time or another. Unfortunately, now that I have closed, I get to go on a business trip! So we don't move in until I get back. In the meantime, the shag carpet is being pulled up and hardwoods are going in through most of the living space and new carpeting for the bedrooms. The kitchen and sunroom are going to keep the original turrazo flooring for now, because we want to do something special once we plan those rooms better. Once we're moved in I will update pics and show the house a bit better. As for the market...here's the deal. Everything is a short sale or already in foreclosure. We'd get with our kick-ass realtor every day and see a few more houses, and all of them would have an asking price that made it a short sale...and if it wasn't a short sale it would not appraise for asking and thus become a short sale through the process. I had seriously come close to giving up, then one day we saw this hosue pop on the market and decided to give it a shot since it was brand new. We did not hesitate, the house was SO cheap, and not because the seller was in any hurry, he just didn't owe anything on it and wanted it to sell. So many houses (4/5 of the comps) were in foreclosure his value was shot to crap. We did the analysis and the house was worth $180k just a few years ago...we got it for $138 with him covering closing costs (so call it $130k). We made the offer that day and while our realtor was in his realtor's office they had to turn down no less than a dozen more offers over the phone...we got a steal. So that's my affair! This is so wonderful, my monthly payments are wonderfully low, and once my wife finishes college and starts work again we are going to be living so far below our means that getting my 1SS/RS convertible in 2 years will be a walk in the park. Thanks for the responses everyone, we're so happy! Any locals wanna come by for a BBQ or a meet...it's on!

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Mr Twisty Drives: the 2nd amendment home Join Date: May 2008 Location: OK Posts: 14,763	I hate to hear about so much foreclosure property in the area, but it sounds like it worked to your advantage.