House owners/seekers

House owners/seekers

Ok so they say that no matter what house you buy there is going to be some major expense right after you move in--well for us we almost made it to 2 months--
our house had been completely(sort of) redone before we bought it but nontheless we had all major things checked out before and after we moved in(electrician, boiler man, etc) just to make sure we understand everything
well last week Jeremy noticed that the water pump was running constantly-- so we decided to have someone come look at it(figuring nothing was wrong) well to make a long story short $1600 later we have a new well, pump, and basically everything else that is associated with bringing water into our house!!! so we are hoping that no more surprises like that pop up--
I have to say that thank god it didnt happen the first week because then we would have been more overwhelmed than we were
Laura

so sorry to hear that, Laura...

I am sure it is distressing to go through such a major expense right after you spend so much $$ just to live in the house! I feel for you.

If it's any consolation - these things happen all the time, even in newly built homes. Hopefully for you and Jeremy, this will be the only major bump in the road for a very long time. :) Hang in there...

so sorry to hear that, Laura...

Laura;
Owning a house is a big learning experience. We have had our house for 2 1/2 years and sometimes it seems like there is a problem everyday! We now have to have our cesspools replaced (I am not so upset about that since we have the block kind which tend to collapse easily) and our driveway refinished! The past few years we have taken our tax refund and sunk it all into the house! We had to have some new pipes put in the basement and now there is another leak! It is a never ending process and it is easy to get discouraged. I just keep telling myself that we are building equity and one day we will own this little house and our grandchildren will come to visit me here!! Stay positive!

so sorry to hear that, Laura...

I know exactly how you feel, and also feel sometimes just like beck explained .. like there is something everyday. We went through a series of problems just after the wedding .. another perfect time to get hit with house troubles!

We were among the group of new homeowners just over 2 years ago that got hit with a major expense just after moving in. About a week after closing, we had water coming in through the electrical panel during a heavy rain storm. For that repair alone, it would have been over $700. But, since our engineer and the electrician recommended the ampage be upped, it seemed like the perfect time to do it, otherwise it would have been double the work when the ampage did get upped if we had waited to a later date, since most of the work was basically the same. So, we ended up paying over $1000 just after moving in.

My best advice to anyone planning on buying a house is to never cut themselves so short with money after closing that they won`t be prepared for whatever major expense might jump up, because there`s bound to be something. Basically everyone I know who`s bought a house has had something major not too long after moving in. If it means putting off furnishing the house or making cosmetic repairs to the house, definitely wait since this is the kind of thing that can wait.

Oh, the joys of homeownership .. but I`ll take this over the old apartment we had! And boy, what a terrible house that was!

Hang in there Laura! Basically I think no matter when that first big major repair bill hits, it`s always a little shocking. Hopefully, though, the big bills are very few and far between!

House owners/seekers

I understand your pain Laura! Our pool liner tore and our pool completely emptied out 2 weeks after we moved in. We now have a beautiful new liner, but to the tune of $3500! Not what we would have chosen to spend the $$ on!!!

Just replaced heating unit & water heater

House was built in 1955- and had the original oil furnace. Couldn't keep up with the demand for hot water when I wanted to take a bath(Iam a BIG fan of baths!)plus it was not efficient.

So, after much research and searching for a good plumber, we had it replaced..and even put in another one for the tenant. Also install a new water heater that is 40% more effiecient.
Total cost about $6.0

the old saying rings true'your house will find ways to spend $$ for you'

BUT at least I get to take bubble baths!
;0) (also helps in the romance dept-hehehe)

Ok you guys asked for it.......

In the first month we were in our 'new' 100 year old house, we had a small clean leak in the basement and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. But it seemed to happen whenever water was used for a long period of time ie, shower, washing machine, dishwasher, etc. So that coupled with the fact that when we were in the process of inspecting the house NO ONE had a clue where the septic was located or if it was cesspool, how old it was, etc. Between two real estate agencies and the owners no one could tell us. ( I think there should be a law against this) So we decided we should find out where it was and have it checked.

Septic cleaning people show up with their fancy snakes and computer equip to locate septic and determine it is about 10 ft away from our side door under our gravel driveway. So they start digging with a backhoe. BINGO! They hit a water valve and have old faithful spouting out of the ground and down the driveway. So the water dept shows up to shut the water and its a circus. Make a long story short - it took them two days to locate the septic which ended up being 75 ft away on the front lawn. Breaking another pipe in the basement and leaving us with two mud pits. $1600 later we know where it is, it is only about 10 yrs old and in good condition, and its spankin clean!
By the way it was filled to the brim thats why we were having the leak. AND my husband had to fix everything they broke.

Thanks guys

So many of us are in the same boat--
Kate--as for the septic --in NJ it is law-- it has to be inspected and tested and if it is found to not be in working order the house cant be sold!!
We were talking about the house to someone the other night and I said something about the commute being worth it because the condo we were in before the house was too small and the man was like you will be talking about that first place to your grandkids--and I was like OH God I dont want to be one of those people!!!
You guys are great
Laura