Girls who are buying/bought houses

we are *kinda* looking now...but I dont want to live on Long Island forever. I want to buy a house off LI now but DH wants to live here for a few years.

i feel the same as you though...the 1st house we buy I'd like to be THE house we stay in for like 20+ years

We have a townhouse.. we can easily have at least 2 kids and still be comfortable but I don't see us here forever.
We will probably stay where we are until DH retires in 10 years and then move to a house..

DH n i just started looking and we are looking at both options.....

i think it will come down to what we can afford now and will see later....

saw 2 good houses so far and I is a long term keeper and the other is a starter....

pros and cons to both and we need to look at more

i say the best thing is to keep your options open

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Posted by Mimacat

I'd just hate to get attached to a house. I'm bad with change.

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then i say look now for a house with potential.....
something you can easily expand or finish the basement or maybe has a apartment now that you could take back later if you need more room

i dont do well with change either but i am working on that

We planning on buying a 'starter home' first. Something we can def. fit children in but not something we plan on being in forever. After a few years we plan to get something bigger

we started seriously looking about 6 months ago - we put an offer on a house a few months ago and im glad it didn't go through b/c we changed our minds a bit on some things - we decided that we both want a house that is more of a 'forever' house....we want something we can live comfortably in for awhile - and b/c we live together already (and have lived in 2 apartments) we have a better idea of the types of features and home layout that we would like (especially when it comes to an idea of how much storage we want, closets, etc.)....

we decided that we wanted a home with 4 bedrooms (the other home we put an offer on only had 3 bedrooms) we figure that if we are going to live there for awhile then we need at least 4 bedrooms - that way we can still have an office/study even after we have kids - or have the room to convert it into a guest room if my inlaws ever decide they'd like to stay with us for a month or two here or there (which is a good possibility once we move, they retire, and we have grandkids for them ).....i also wanted a lake view and room for a pool.....a nice neighborhood with good schools (for our future kids).....

so after some thinking, we figure it would be better to look for a home we can last longer in - something with more rooms, more square feet....nothing huge, something practical and cozy but with room to grow.....maybe not a 'forever' house but we both want something that we can see ourselves in for the next 10 years at least - enough room for 2-3 kids, a dog, toys, and all of our crap

we actually put an offer on a house last week we both love it and it meets our criteria - lake view, big yard, 4 bedrooms, and it doesn't need any major renovating b/c we love just about everything in it - just a few tweaks and our own personal touches here and there - and of course we'd have to build a pool....it is definitley a place we can see ourselves living for a long time - we just hope that we get it....its a short sale so its up in the air......but compared to the other homes we were looking at 6 months ago this is definitley more of a 'forever' home....a little more expensive but a much nicer area - more upscale, and a nicer, bigger home - much less of a need to trade up if we get this home or something else like it - i don't like the idea of a 'starter' home - seems silly - i think people lots of times get a starter and end up in it longer than they want to b/c of bills, cost of living, etc.

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Posted by agraydc

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Posted by Mimacat

I'd just hate to get attached to a house. I'm bad with change.

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then i say look now for a house with potential.....
something you can easily expand or finish the basement or maybe has a apartment now that you could take back later if you need more room

i dont do well with change either but i am working on that

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agreed! Our home would need to be expanded if we ever had kids..but I like the idea of re creating it into something that is 'our own' and since the house we bought rarely needed any remodeling or updating when we bought it (it was move in ready..thankgod!) we can use that money for future renovation

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Posted by Mimacat

I'd just hate to get attached to a house. I'm bad with change.

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i am so attached to the house i grew up in - i moved out when i was turning 20 - and got an apartment with DH - my parents sold it and moved to florida - it was horrible - i still drive by it - A LOT and i hate the people that moved in since then DH and I have lived in 2 apartments and when i sleep at night and have dreams - i STILL dream that i live in the house i grew up in - so 4 years later i still can't let it go i tell DH all the time that if we can ever afford that house and it goes up for sale we are buying it if we had the money i would give up my dream for florida just to live there hahahaha....

i think i'll become attached to our first home together - our apartments - eh - i'm not that attached

We are definitely buying a forever house. Think of it this way. If you buy a forever house and have to move -then fine, you have an even nicer house to sell. But if you buy a starter home and you CANT buy something else, you are stuck.

I just know too many people STUCK in their first homes or condos or coops or whatever. For different reasons - unexpected pregnancies or sickness or losing a job.

My sister was stuck in a ONE BEDROOM apartment with two babies and her husband bc she couldnt go back to work since my nephew needed full time care. . .there is no way to plan for things like that.

Plus, I am just that type of person. . . I dont like change and I like being comfortable in my surroundings.

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Posted by Future Mulligan

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Posted by Mimacat

I'd just hate to get attached to a house. I'm bad with change.

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i am so attached to the house i grew up in - i moved out when i was turning 20 - and got an apartment with DH - my parents sold it and moved to florida - it was horrible - i still drive by it - A LOT and i hate the people that moved in since then DH and I have lived in 2 apartments and when i sleep at night and have dreams - i STILL dream that i live in the house i grew up in - so 4 years later i still can't let it go i tell DH all the time that if we can ever afford that house and it goes up for sale we are buying it if we had the money i would give up my dream for florida just to live there hahahaha....

i think i'll become attached to our first home together - our apartments - eh - i'm not that attached

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Please... I just moved downstairs in m yparents house (we rent) and I miss my old bedroom sometimes! I'm BAD with change.

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Posted by ant n tilde

We are definitely buying a forever house. Think of it this way. If you buy a forever house and have to move -then fine, you have an even nicer house to sell. But if you buy a starter home and you CANT buy something else, you are stuck.

I just know too many people STUCK in their first homes or condos or coops or whatever. For different reasons - unexpected pregnancies or sickness or losing a job.

My sister was stuck in a ONE BEDROOM apartment with two babies and her husband bc she couldnt go back to work since my nephew needed full time care. . .there is no way to plan for things like that.

Plus, I am just that type of person. . . I dont like change and I like being comfortable in my surroundings.

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same here - i know people who are stuck too - so like i said in my post we def want something that could be forever and if its not forever at least for a very long time - something that we can definitley have room for kids and pets, parents and inlaws

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Posted by ant n tilde

We are definitely buying a forever house. Think of it this way. If you buy a forever house and have to move -then fine, you have an even nicer house to sell. But if you buy a starter home and you CANT buy something else, you are stuck.

I just know too many people STUCK in their first homes or condos or coops or whatever. For different reasons - unexpected pregnancies or sickness or losing a job.

My sister was stuck in a ONE BEDROOM apartment with two babies and her husband bc she couldnt go back to work since my nephew needed full time care. . .there is no way to plan for things like that.

Plus, I am just that type of person. . . I dont like change and I like being comfortable in my surroundings.

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That's a very good point Tilde. I know a lot of people that have gotten stuck too.