Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
H110Hawk
Dec 28, 2006

PurpleLizardWizard posted:

What kind of repairs are these? Obviously painting is easier before you have a bunch of furniture around to be careful with, and doing anything with the floor is easier if there's nothing on it yet, but is anything else more than it's-inconvenient-to-live-through-it? In case it changes the answer, I've got two dumb cats that would absolutely jump into a hole in the wall, and one of them has already proven he's allergic to mortar dust and treats it like super-catnip.

Wires, pipes (in or out), paint, floors are the big ones I can think of, anything that prevents basic habitability. Anything that causes a lot of plaster dust is 100x easier to cleanup without all your crap everywhere, especially since several layers of your paint probably have lead in them. Really if it's something you're 100% going to do in <12 months time that involves things inside your walls, see if you can do it right then. Also order can matter, if you're going to blow insulation into your attic, your electrician will thank you if you do it after you re-do the wires.

Don't put yourself in the dangerzone with money, but "core upgrades" like wires are hard to regret.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Queen Victorian
Feb 21, 2018

PurpleLizardWizard posted:

Haha, not quite. I can like modern homes, but I have to feel like they were built with purpose and character. And modern houses that fit that and hit my other requirements are largely outside of my budget. That, or they have septic systems and private drives with informal HOAs that I don't trust to actually maintain the road.

There's also a smidge of YOLO going on, because many years from now when I design my Dream Home(tm), it's going to be a ranch just because I want to make sure I can age in place. Pretty sure you can't do a Victorian ranch, and I'd regret never having a pretentious house full of built-ins, velvet curtains, chunky crown molding, and wainscoting (and upsetting the historical purists by painting the whole thing blue and purple).

I can certainly appreciate authentic mid-century modernism, and if I ever found myself living in such a house, I'd go whole hog modern. My dad sometimes moonlights as an unofficial architect and usually gravitates towards the old timey American shingle style, but has told me that one of his bucket list items is to design and build a Philip Johnson style modernist house. I would LOVE to help him out with that (I studied industrial design but ALMOST went into architecture). Still prefer Victorian and Craftsman styles for my own personal residence though. And authentic modernist houses are really rare in the neighborhoods we were interested in because the areas were all built up at least a hundred years ago, so the only way newer houses got built was when old houses burned down or when huge old estates got subdivided. All the new-build "modernist" stuff is that dumb blocky "McModern" style you see everywhere nowadays.

If you want to do a ranch-type house, look at Craftsman bungalows for inspiration. I agree a Victorian ranch wouldn't really work, but I think a Craftsman one totally would.

quote:

As indicated above, I'm a heathen that doesn't care about historical integrity a whole bunch. Like, yeah, I would put in the effort to find and pay a premium for replacement/replica windows that fit the house aesthetics, and I'd make sure anything I removed went to the local architectural salvage shop. But if I don't like, say, the baseboards and it turns out there's a different style from roughly the same time period I prefer? Gonna replace it.

Our house has two sets of replacement windows: Several seem to be relatively recent and are good quality vinyl ones that have been custom sized to fit the frames and retain details like working transom sections and stuff. The other replacement windows are earlier aluminum sliders that replaced much taller double hung windows (which means the top parts of the window were filled in). They are bad, ugly, and reduce natural light so I want to get rid of them because they suck. Vinyl ones are nice and can stay until I can afford to blow thousands of dollars to replace perfectly good windows with ones that are just slightly nicer.

I'm also totally fine with replacing busted old stuff with new where applicable, as long as it works contextually.

quote:

There's a good mixture of Victorians and their cousin/offshoot(?) Italianates. The latter actually concern me a bit because I'm just not used to the idea of a flat, lightly sloped roof and don't understand yet how they work.

If you're worried about roofs, consider American foursquares/prairie boxes (presuming you are in the US). These are the ubiquitous all-American boxy houses with simple hipped roofs and a couple dormers. In the older ones (1890s - 1910s), you'll frequently find Victorian/Edwardian/Craftsman style interiors. We looked at several of these houses. I really like them - they can be made up to be fancy and ornate, or stripped down to be simple and functional (and hell, even modern).

Also I think Italianate stuff is pretty old - it was really popular in the 1850s to 1880s. Stick/Eastlake and Queen Anne styles came after.

quote:

Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on these. Having a larger kitchen is an absolute requirement for me, so I'm making sure there aren't doors/stairs/low windows that would interfere with expanding the current kitchen if it isn't up to snuff for me. I'm also under the impression that internal walls of row houses largely aren't load bearing?

Hahaha oh my god the trifecta of obstacles in our house's kitchen. The kitchen is a good sized squarish room (11' x 14') which you think would be just fine for a kitchen, buuut no - this kitchen has SIX doors in it, including three along one wall. There is a gigantic window with a sill that sits about 18" off the ground. On that wall with the three doors, two of those doors lead to staircases - butler stairs and basement stairs. In addition to these problems, there is also an old stove chimney that juts out into the room, as well as a radiator sitting right in the middle of prime cabinet zone. I think the awkward not-updated kitchen in this house is a major part of why the house was sitting on the market for six months with multiple price drops and why we got it so cheaply. The house was almost 100k under our budget, so we were willing to take it with the lovely kitchen and just redo it.

However, in the vast majority of older houses we looked at, the kitchen had already been fixed up. Our house was like one of two we toured that did NOT have an updated kitchen.

The thing about VIctorian era kitchens to keep in mind is that they were not configured the same way modern kitchens are. Modern kitchens have all the workspace around the wall in the form of counters, while Victorian kitchens and stove, sink, icebox, and freestanding storage furniture along the walls and a huge wooden work table in the middle of the room, hence all the awkward low windows, doors, and radiators.

PurpleLizardWizard
Jun 11, 2012

H110Hawk posted:

Also order can matter, if you're going to blow insulation into your attic, your electrician will thank you if you do it after you re-do the wires.

I'm lucky in that my best friend is an electrician (most of the way through his apprenticeship), so he can steer me right with the wiring at least. But how do I make sure I'm doing everything else in order? I'm doing plenty of research, but every house is going to be unique and this is going to be my first one. Are there house consultants you can ask to do an audit for stuff like this?

Queen Victorian posted:

Also I think Italianate stuff is pretty old - it was really popular in the 1850s to 1880s. Stick/Eastlake and Queen Anne styles came after.

Yeah, I'd read that, but my city has a lot of stragglers from the 1890s and some even later than that.

Queen Victorian posted:

The thing about VIctorian era kitchens to keep in mind is that they were not configured the same way modern kitchens are. Modern kitchens have all the workspace around the wall in the form of counters, while Victorian kitchens and stove, sink, icebox, and freestanding storage furniture along the walls and a huge wooden work table in the middle of the room, hence all the awkward low windows, doors, and radiators.

Ah, I knew counter heights and dimensions got standardized later on, but I didn't know much about historical kitchen layouts.


Oh, are there any specific concerns if a house was a duplex at some point? I'm looking at single family homes, but there's been a fair share of them that were converted from a single family to a duplex and back and still have separate electric bills for each floor. My friend's told me that it'd be an annoyance to get it all back on one panel, but nothing too expensive, especially if I was thinking about upgrading anyways.

knox_harrington
Feb 18, 2011

Running no point.

House sale completed after a very long time and a lot of effort. Thank gently caress for that. I'm not buying anywhere for a while so need to work out what to do with all the cash.

H110Hawk
Dec 28, 2006

PurpleLizardWizard posted:

I'm lucky in that my best friend is an electrician (most of the way through his apprenticeship), so he can steer me right with the wiring at least. But how do I make sure I'm doing everything else in order? I'm doing plenty of research, but every house is going to be unique and this is going to be my first one. Are there house consultants you can ask to do an audit for stuff like this?

"Order" is only a convenience thing. Just think through what you want to accomplish: "I want my house to lose less heat in the winter!" If it's windows that's pretty much whenever you want, if it's insulation what else lives where you're going to put insulation. Intend to replace that in the nearly immediate future? See about doing it first. It can still be done in any order you like, but talk to contractors about what would make jobs easier or harder. If you flat don't have the cash to do something completely optimally don't min/max it or fret too much.

Jose Valasquez
Apr 8, 2005

Anyone ever dealt with a situation where it was difficult for the home inspector to do the pest inspection?

The basement in the house we are buying has black plastic stapled covering the entire ceiling, presumably to keep the insulation from falling, but that made it impossible for our inspector to inspect the joists. Is it reasonable to request the seller to get a more invasive pest inspection done as part of the reply to inspections?

striking-wolf
Jun 16, 2003

weeeeeeeeeeeeezard
Is it a good idea to hire a lawyer to craft an addendum to a home purchase contract if negotiations over the inspection are complicated? The actual home purchase contract was standard and straightforward, but inspection negotiations are proving tricky because of the nature of the problem.

Say the house in question has a fair amount of visible wood rot, with potential for more wood rot underneath what is visible and for the potential need to replace several windows and doors during the repair process, depending on how it all goes. The closing date is less than a month away and can't be pushed back, so there's a very real chance the wood rot can't be fully addressed before then. We want the wood rot fully addressed, whether it is 4k or 20k to do it, and, if it isn't finished by closing, we want the sellers to have to cut a check to contractors (with an amount determined by an updated quote), to be held by the title company until the work is completed. Or something like that. We also want to make sure they actually start work and don't ignore it so that they can't avoid discovering underlying problems. There are also some other things going on, but suffice to say we still want the home, so long as they really take care of the wood rot (and a couple other small things, but they are more straightforward).

Our agent thinks that getting a lawyer involved would be alarming and alienating for the sellers (one of whom is actually a lawyer), and that an agreement made in good faith will be honored. I am more skeptical and would prefer an airtight addendum that either makes them pay for it all or lets us walk away if they won't. Thoughts or experiences?

kw0134
Apr 19, 2003

I buy feet pics🍆

Remember the agent only gets paid when the deal closes, so his advice is self-serving. If an attorney doesn't understand that another party wants his legal rights protected in a transaction, he's a lovely attorney or needs to get the gently caress over himself. And as a professional he should understand that you're not willing to take his word for it, which is something that's hammered into you in law school (that's why contracts exist!)

You're not here to make friends. As a home buyer if you want an attorney, then get an attorney and ask if there's a way to get this into the agreement which is honestly not too hard to add ("pending results of the inspection, seller shall make good either in credits on agreed-upon purchase price or repair whatever is necessary to remedy such damage as was uncovered, retaining responsibility of performance of such work to its completion" or something like that) . If the sellers find it onerous, they're the ones who have to find a buyer willing to fiddle with potential structure-compromising damage. YOU are the one party who is harmed if this turns to poo poo after the transaction closes, so do whatever you feel necessary.

Though, unless you have a compelling reason, it would be easier to simply make it a contingency that allows the seller to pay you off and YOU pay the contractors yourself.

lampey
Mar 27, 2012

Using a real estate attorney in a real estate transaction is not alienating. Standard real estate forms handle this in many states so whether or not to use a lawyer depends on your location. Any negotiations will have to be accepted by the seller so it all depends on the market and your leverage.

Verifying that the repairs are completed is not a straightforward process, two different inspectors will have different opinions about what needs to be replaced or whether the work is complete. Your remedies after closing(or if you are unwilling to walk away) are more limited. Especially if the seller is paying the contractors directly, the contractor is not looking out for your best interest. It is possible to have a substantial amount kept in escrow until the repairs are finished but it is usually best to delay the closing until the repairs are done to your satisfaction. Or to get more invasive inspections, then get a credit from the seller or a reduced sale price.



Why can't you delay the closing until the repairs are completed? If the sellers are unable or unwilling to make the repairs, and will not come down on the price, do you still want to buy the home or would you walk away? Are you in a sellers market?

H110Hawk
Dec 28, 2006
Consider what is called an "escrow holdback". I have a feeling the more alienating part of the deal would be the unlimited liability of the sellers. You are likely going to need to agree on a number that is probably big enough if you are going to allow the deal to close prior to repairs being completed. This could be the worst case +20% or whatever. Your real estate attorney will be able to guide you.

Dwight Eisenhower
Jan 24, 2006

Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.
A real estate agent recommending you don't get a lawyer to protect your rear end when wood rot is discovered is an agent you should fire.

striking-wolf
Jun 16, 2003

weeeeeeeeeeeeezard
Thanks all -- this confirms what I have been thinking. I'm annoyed that I doubted myself, but our agent can have that effect.

Elephanthead
Sep 11, 2008


Toilet Rascal
If you have to replace several wood windows and doors 20k isn't going to cover it. I doubt your sellers are going to agree to an open-ended credit amount where you decide how much needs to be replaced but don't agree to anything that comes short of that.

DR FRASIER KRANG
Feb 4, 2005

"Are you forgetting that just this afternoon I was punched in the face by a turtle now dead?
In Seattle you’d be fighting 20 other people to spend 50K over the listing price of the house.

Jose Valasquez
Apr 8, 2005

Paid to have a sewer line test done as an additional part of inspections, we made it clear that we were on a timeline and would need the results by today at the latest. After multiple attempts to get them to give us a report a couple hours ago we got a YouTube video of the test and no additional information. At this point I can confirm that there appear to be pipes but pretty much nothing else since I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking for :v:

Hauki
May 11, 2010


Jose Valasquez posted:

Paid to have a sewer line test done as an additional part of inspections, we made it clear that we were on a timeline and would need the results by today at the latest. After multiple attempts to get them to give us a report a couple hours ago we got a YouTube video of the test and no additional information. At this point I can confirm that there appear to be pipes but pretty much nothing else since I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking for :v:

Were you not present for the inspection? When we had one done, the dude talked us through everything as he was scoping, watched the video with us afterwards and pointed out other poo poo (figuratively), then burned a hard copy on the spot and handed it over.

Jose Valasquez
Apr 8, 2005

Hauki posted:

Were you not present for the inspection? When we had one done, the dude talked us through everything as he was scoping, watched the video with us afterwards and pointed out other poo poo (figuratively), then burned a hard copy on the spot and handed it over.

Nope, we couldn't be there so our realtor handled it. He told her that we'd have the report later that day (Friday)

SpartanIvy
May 18, 2007
Hair Elf
"I couldn't be there for the car inspection so I let the car salesman handle it"

Expect a great report!

Jose Valasquez
Apr 8, 2005

SpartanIvy posted:

"I couldn't be there for the car inspection so I let the car salesman handle it"

Expect a great report!

This would be a good analogy if our realtor was doing the inspection or was paying someone they know for the inspection or we just had a really shady realtor in general. Instead she was just there to unlock the door for the guy that we hired. The general shittiness and unresponsiveness of the plumber is on us for picking a lovely unresponsive plumber. I would have preferred to be there too, but the slowness to get the report wouldn't have changed and a report is going to be needed to ask for any concessions anyway.

Mandalay
Mar 16, 2007

WoW Forums Refugee
Our plumber actually wrote us a report on the spot (describing the sewer scope and the general state of the plumbing)

Motronic
Nov 6, 2009

Jose Valasquez posted:

This would be a good analogy if our realtor was doing the inspection or was paying someone they know for the inspection or we just had a really shady realtor in general.

So you actually don't understand the conflict of interest here. Like at all.

It's in the realtor's best interest to sell you the very first property they show you, at the highest price you will pay.

It's in the inspector's best interest to make nice to the new realtor they just met so they can get more business from them.

Jose Valasquez
Apr 8, 2005

Motronic posted:

So you actually don't understand the conflict of interest here. Like at all.

It's in the realtor's best interest to sell you the very first property they show you, at the highest price you will pay.

It's in the inspector's best interest to make nice to the new realtor they just met so they can get more business from them.

Our realtor is the one who recommended we go beyond the typical inspection and get the sewer lines looked at too, it hasn't been something I've done with previous purchases. I don't think she's playing three dimensional chess with this one. She also talked us out of a couple places we were considering and talked us into offering significantly less than we originally planned and saved us almost 10% so maybe you just have dealt with lovely realtors? Actual good realtors do exist, even if they are rare. They are the ones who understand that it is in their long term best interest to build a good reputation rather than try to gently caress over all their clients, get a bad reputation, and get no referrals or repeat business.

It would also be pretty bad for the plumber if he lied and said everything was fine after providing us with video evidence that it isn't and then our pipes break in a couple months.

The incentives aren't as clear cut as you make them seem for either party.

Sepist
Dec 26, 2005

FUCK BITCHES, ROUTE PACKETS

Gravy Boat 2k
Our plumber gave us a written result of the sewer scope on the spot. If I hadn't been there my realtor is one of those people that wouldn't have gotten a detrailed report from them. Sounds like you have a mediocre plumber and realtor. Also you probably won't know how to determine your sewer is made of detreriotating Orangeburg. You need the report

Motronic
Nov 6, 2009

Jose Valasquez posted:

so maybe you just have dealt with lovely realtors? Actual good realtors do exist, even if they are rare.

I am friends with many realtors. One of them is representing me for the next home I'm looking to purchase. Friends to the point that we vacation together as families.

Yes, good ones exist. I'm not saying they don't. But your NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS and it doesn't seem like you do. I texted your post off to my "realtor of record" and the response was "that's so cute."

Nobody knows your relationship with this realtor. But if it wasn't one that existed long before a real estate purchase from them was a thing I wouldn't go betting your likely largest ever purchase on your feelsies for a salesperson. They may absolutely be doing all the right things. But how do you actually know that?

You verify. I still do my own property and title research and push things I don't understand off to my attorney.

Motronic fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Mar 13, 2018

Jose Valasquez
Apr 8, 2005

Motronic posted:

I am friends with many realtors. One of them is representing me for the next home I'm looking to purchase. Friends to the point that we vacation together as families.

Yes, good ones exist. I'm not saying they don't. But your NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS and it doesn't seem like you do. I texted your post off to my "realtor of record" and the response was "that's so cute."

Nobody ktroublenows your relationship with this realtor. But if it wasn't one that existed long before a real estate purchase from them was a thing I wouldn't go betting your likely largest ever purchase on your feelsies for a salesperson. They may absolutely be doing all the right things. But how do you actually know that?

You verify. I still do my own property and title research and push things I don't understand off to my attorney.

In this case I don't think they are trying to screw me because there are much easier avenues to screwing someone on a real estate deal than recommending they get an extra inspection that could potentially ruin the deal on the hopes that they have trouble scheduling the inspection and hire a plumber who is willing to lie while providing video evidence that they are lying.

Sure, maybe we fell directly into her trap, but the alternative was not having the inspection done at all. If her goal was to get us to spend an extra couple hundred dollars for no reason other than to maybe have the opportunity to buddy up to a plumber and we end up not getting the report or getting a doctored report then jokes on me, but given the circumstances that seems unlikely and is an acceptable risk. It is much more likely that the plumber is just lovely and unresponsive.

Selious
Mar 11, 2007

Master Defenestrator
Currently trying to remediate the one of the first large issues with my new house. Closed two weeks ago, haven't been able to get the gas turned on due to the lines not holding pressure. Had a plumber out, appears to be a leak under the foundation near the front of the house. House had gas on when I inspected it, and up until a week before I closed. Current estimate is something around 3k to abandon the underground pipe and run a new line over the roof to serve the furnace/stove. Other option is to remove the furnace on the front of the house, and just let the house be heated by wall furnaces in the back of the house, which wouldn't require running a new line. Since this is in AZ and an adobe house heating isn't a large issue, but I don't want to get rid of my central furnace if I don't have to.

I'm still looking into whether the seller or inspector should have picked up on this, but it's all a bit odd since the leak has gone on for an unknown amount of time. No gas smell during the inspection (or any of the other times I was there before closing), and gas company said the bill averaged $20-40 for the past two years.

Elephanthead
Sep 11, 2008


Toilet Rascal
I told a friend relator that I wasn't going to pay them $20 to digitize my closing documents and she said she couldn't remove it from the offer. I have closed on 5 houses without her. A line in the sand well thought out.

Hauki
May 11, 2010


Put in an offer today. Somehow this poo poo was way less stressful the first time around.

IT BURNS
Nov 19, 2012

So, MY WIFE and I are getting ready to purchase our first house. Read the OP and here's our situation:

Combined income: $110k
Money for down payment: $65k
FICO: 785
Range: $200k-$240k (want to be able to do the full 20% down payment and still have something left over)

Our realtor is pretty good and doesn't seem to be pushing us to something we can't afford. Property taxes where we live are hellacious ($3k-$6k a year depending on location, Texas has no state income tax, so this is how they get us). Does everything look reasonable/should we be able to get a good loan? We're looking for something newer but don't want to build a house.

Jose Valasquez
Apr 8, 2005

IT BURNS posted:

So, MY WIFE and I are getting ready to purchase our first house. Read the OP and here's our situation:

Combined income: $110k
Money for down payment: $65k
FICO: 785
Range: $200k-$240k (want to be able to do the full 20% down payment and still have something left over)

Our realtor is pretty good and doesn't seem to be pushing us to something we can't afford. Property taxes where we live are hellacious ($3k-$6k a year depending on location, Texas has no state income tax, so this is how they get us). Does everything look reasonable/should we be able to get a good loan? We're looking for something newer but don't want to build a house.

Unless you have a pile of debt or something you should be able to qualify for $200k-$240k pretty easily and 785 should be good enough for the best rates. Keep in mind that if you are applying jointly they are going to use the lower of your two credit scores*, so hopefully that's the 785.

* as I understand it they look at all three scores for both of you, take the middle score for each of you, and then use the lower middle score. That may vary some by lender

Elephanthead
Sep 11, 2008


Toilet Rascal

IT BURNS posted:

So, MY WIFE and I are getting ready to purchase our first house. Read the OP and here's our situation:

Combined income: $110k
Money for down payment: $65k
FICO: 785
Range: $200k-$240k (want to be able to do the full 20% down payment and still have something left over)

Our realtor is pretty good and doesn't seem to be pushing us to something we can't afford. Property taxes where we live are hellacious ($3k-$6k a year depending on location, Texas has no state income tax, so this is how they get us). Does everything look reasonable/should we be able to get a good loan? We're looking for something newer but don't want to build a house.

I think about 3 years after a subdivision is built can be a sweet spot of picking up divorce or job move bargains. I would pick the builder and subdivisions you like and just wait out the right listing with an offer ready to go. My current house I knew the school I wanted and pick the two subdivisions in that area that fit my price and build quality/layout desires, and just waited for one to list, looked and made an offer that day.

totalnewbie
Nov 13, 2005

I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.
Haha oh yeah, banks will be chomping at the bit to give you their money.

IT BURNS
Nov 19, 2012

Jose Valasquez posted:

Unless you have a pile of debt or something you should be able to qualify for $200k-$240k pretty easily and 785 should be good enough for the best rates. Keep in mind that if you are applying jointly they are going to use the lower of your two credit scores*, so hopefully that's the 785.

* as I understand it they look at all three scores for both of you, take the middle score for each of you, and then use the lower middle score. That may vary some by lender

Cool. I forgot to mention that we have no debt (own both cars, no student loans, CCs are used minimally). I think my wife's FICO is 740ish. We feel good, but it's always interesting to hear what comes out of a loan officer's mouth - BoA said that they were reticent to pre-approve us for a $500,000 house loan...even though I never ever mentioned that figure or price-range.

Jose Valasquez
Apr 8, 2005

IT BURNS posted:

Cool. I forgot to mention that we have no debt (own both cars, no student loans, CCs are used minimally). I think my wife's FICO is 740ish. We feel good, but it's always interesting to hear what comes out of a loan officer's mouth - BoA said that they were reticent to pre-approve us for a $500,000 house loan...even though I never ever mentioned that figure or price-range.

Yeah, given the high level summary you posted I would not be surprised at all if you could be approved for $500k. Banks are still willing to approve people for ridiculous piles of cash, especially if they are in a pretty good financial situation like you are.

H110Hawk
Dec 28, 2006

IT BURNS posted:

Cool. I forgot to mention that we have no debt (own both cars, no student loans, CCs are used minimally). I think my wife's FICO is 740ish. We feel good, but it's always interesting to hear what comes out of a loan officer's mouth - BoA said that they were reticent to pre-approve us for a $500,000 house loan...even though I never ever mentioned that figure or price-range.

Always just take whatever pre-approval amount they offer. It's going to be some unaffordable multiple of your income but it's worth about as much as toilet paper until it goes into underwriting. You're going to be less than 2x your income in loan and debt to income on your payment is going to be super low. Shop 3 banks, 0 or 1 of them "big shops" like bofa.

Andy Dufresne
Aug 4, 2010

The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die
Shop Internet brokers first IMO. I used Zillow's portal and ended up using AimLoan. It was painless and they were professional. The local banks flat out told me that they couldn't compete when I told them my rate.

I was in a similar spot to you when I purchased (income, home price, down payment) and ended up with a 7/1 ARM at 2.75% which is now owned by Wells Fargo. It would have been 3% if I had gone fixed 30 year but I don't plan on sticking around that long.

H110Hawk
Dec 28, 2006

Andy Dufresne posted:

Shop Internet brokers first IMO. I used Zillow's portal and ended up using AimLoan. It was painless and they were professional. The local banks flat out told me that they couldn't compete when I told them my rate.

I was in a similar spot to you when I purchased (income, home price, down payment) and ended up with a 7/1 ARM at 2.75% which is now owned by Wells Fargo. It would have been 3% if I had gone fixed 30 year but I don't plan on sticking around that long.

I know everyone is different and all that, but 0.25% difference on historically low rates seems like a tiny spread with high risk if you wind up there for 8 or 9 years. I thought ARMs were normally a much larger spread than that? Or is this a case of "we can't go below inflation?"

gtkor
Feb 21, 2011

You lose a little bit of the spread once you extend the fixed rate period.

Also most arms have caps these days for the initial/lifetime adjustment, so it likely would have been beyond 8 or 9 years before the math didn't work out in his favor.

Andy Dufresne
Aug 4, 2010

The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die
It would take more than a couple of years at a higher rate to make the 2.75% ARM worse than the 3%, and we are probably going to sell at year 5.

There's more that goes into it too, with such a low housing cost relative to income you can save money to pay down a significant portion of the principal as soon as the rate adjusts if you want to. My wife and I are using these 5 years to save up a full down payment on our next home without needing a contingency on selling this one.

gtkor posted:

You lose a little bit of the spread once you extend the fixed rate period.

There's also the question of what's available on the market. I actually tried to find a 5/1 ARM with better rates and it wasn't available, AimLoan had the same rate on 5/1 and 7/1 so it was a no brainer.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Hauki
May 11, 2010


Jesus Christ, I wish I could get a house at $200k and not pay income tax. Living in Texas would be a deal breaker though.

Anyway, as a single adult with roughly half of the numbers of you two combined, I qualified for like 340, so you should have no problem getting that at all.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply