I have no intention to buy a house before the wedding because I can't even imagine being able to afford the wedding...
Anyway, how long of a process would you say it is? If I have no intention of buying anything until maybe 6 months after the wedding would it be worth doing anything now?
I guess what has me thinking is that there is a house that I saw that I liked (didn't really see it...saw it online). Would it be worth getting pre-approved? I can't do anything until a while after the wedding.
mdawg
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
i got preapproved and it basically meant nothing because we're still waiting on the banks attorneys. I sent in all of my papers and things, got the mortgage commitment, but we dont have a closing date because of the stupid banks attorneys. We were supposed to close May 18, but it doesnt look like its happening...
so basically , preapproval didnt make anything happen faster.
in total, its been about a 3 month process. we started looking in february.
FuTuRe MrS MaZz
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
I have a question also... The only way we'll be able to afford a down payment is after the wedding where we hope to get some $$ to use... Should we bother looking now? It seems silly to look and fall in love with a house you just cant get yet... No idea how all this works so dont make fun of me LOL
DnJ0809
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
FH and I are currently in contract and this has all been such a learning experience for me. We started casually looking at homes (in VA, btw) last summer and then seriously by January. We finally found one that we feel is best for us. We did get pre-approved a few months ago though (I think March) but as mdawg said, it really doesn't affect the speed of the process. Maybe go down to a bank and talk with them about loans and pre-approval. You'll get a credit score and maybe it'll help give you an idea of what an ideal price range would be for you. If you aren't looking to buy a house until 6 months from now, who knows what may come along during that time. If you see a house now that you like, check it out in person. Online pictures can sometimes be deceiving or leave out something they don't want the buyer to see.
ETA:
FH said that for NY, if you don't have anything to put down, then no sense in looking...
JJT09
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
We are in the same situation - we had no intention of buying a house until after the wedding since we were planning on using that money for a down payment...
we figured we would just start looking online to see what was out there - BUT we ended up seeing a house we loved and now we are buying it!
Only problem = down payment. Luckily we were able to borrow the money for the down payment from a family member until after the wedding when we will give it all back. Our closing date is tentatively set for July 17th, so I'd say 3-4 months from the time you see the house to the time you close...
so if you've already seen something you could love, don't let it pass because it probably will not last. My aunt is our real estate agent, and she said there are signs of housing picking up, so don't wait too long before prices go back up!
HotAir
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
I have a question also... The only way we'll be able to afford a down payment is after the wedding where we hope to get some $$ to use... Should we bother looking now? It seems silly to look and fall in love with a house you just cant get yet... No idea how all this works so dont make fun of me LOL
I don't know anything either!
Thanks for the advice everyone!
squeekietoy
Posted:
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
I have a question also... The only way we'll be able to afford a down payment is after the wedding where we hope to get some $$ to use... Should we bother looking now? It seems silly to look and fall in love with a house you just cant get yet... No idea how all this works so dont make fun of me LOL
Honestly, you don't know how long you could be looking for a home. You could fall in love with something immediately or it could take months. If I were you I would just start looking casually right now.
FuTuRe MrS MaZz
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by squeekietoy
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
I have a question also... The only way we'll be able to afford a down payment is after the wedding where we hope to get some $$ to use... Should we bother looking now? It seems silly to look and fall in love with a house you just cant get yet... No idea how all this works so dont make fun of me LOL
Honestly, you don't know how long you could be looking for a home. You could fall in love with something immediately or it could take months. If I were you I would just start looking casually right now.
which we are... sorta... still not sure of which would be the better towns to live in... or maybe its just easier to say which ones to stay away from completely... any ideas?
squeekietoy
Posted:
Member since
Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
Posted by squeekietoy
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
I have a question also... The only way we'll be able to afford a down payment is after the wedding where we hope to get some $$ to use... Should we bother looking now? It seems silly to look and fall in love with a house you just cant get yet... No idea how all this works so dont make fun of me LOL
Honestly, you don't know how long you could be looking for a home. You could fall in love with something immediately or it could take months. If I were you I would just start looking casually right now.
which we are... sorta... still not sure of which would be the better towns to live in... or maybe its just easier to say which ones to stay away from completely... any ideas?
Nassau or Suffolk?
FuTuRe MrS MaZz
Posted:
Member since
Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by squeekietoy
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
Posted by squeekietoy
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
I have a question also... The only way we'll be able to afford a down payment is after the wedding where we hope to get some $$ to use... Should we bother looking now? It seems silly to look and fall in love with a house you just cant get yet... No idea how all this works so dont make fun of me LOL
Honestly, you don't know how long you could be looking for a home. You could fall in love with something immediately or it could take months. If I were you I would just start looking casually right now.
which we are... sorta... still not sure of which would be the better towns to live in... or maybe its just easier to say which ones to stay away from completely... any ideas?
Nassau or Suffolk?
im thinking suffolk but def not too far from the border... i doubt we can afford anything half decent in nassau... and doesnt suffolk have some kind of $$ loan or other incentive to buying out there?
squeekietoy
Posted:
Member since
Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
Posted by squeekietoy
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
Posted by squeekietoy
Nassau or Suffolk?
im thinking suffolk but def not too far from the border... i doubt we can afford anything half decent in nassau... and doesnt suffolk have some kind of $$ loan or other incentive to buying out there?
There is the tax credit up to $8000, but I thought that was on all homes. I could be wrong though. I'm not too keen on western suffolk but I DO know that I would not look in Bay Shore, Central Islip, Amityville, Brentwood, Wyandanch and some parts of Farmingdale and Huntington. But with Farmingdale and Huntington you have to know your areas. With the other towns it's just a matter of personal preference, I would not want to live there.
FuTuRe MrS MaZz
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by squeekietoy
There is the tax credit up to $8000, but I thought that was on all homes. I could be wrong though. I'm not too keen on western suffolk but I DO know that I would not look in Bay Shore, Central Islip, Amityville, Brentwood, Wyandanch and some parts of Farmingdale and Huntington. But with Farmingdale and Huntington you have to know your areas. With the other towns it's just a matter of personal preference, I would not want to live there.
I know about the 8k and know thats for every home... actually its a max of 8k ... its really 10% of the home price is what you get... so nothing too big...
we live in farmingdale now and yes, it has its parts... we love the area bc theres so much around, but i essentially am looking for a place with at least somewhat of a wooded backyard LOL ... where are you living?
ETA: sry, didnt see you said 'up to' 8k .. its late
squeekietoy
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
I know about the 8k and know thats for every home... actually its a max of 8k ... its really 10% of the home price is what you get... so nothing too big...
we live in farmingdale now and yes, it has its parts... we love the area bc theres so much around, but i essentially am looking for a place with at least somewhat of a wooded backyard LOL ... where are you living?
ETA: sry, didnt see you said 'up to' 8k .. its late
My grandmother lives in Farmingdale so I know what you mean. You get more property the further out east you go unfortunately. I live in Farmingville right now. We're currently house hunting in Selden, Centereach, Holtsville, Holbrook, Farmingville, Coram and Medford.
I'm assuming that you probably don't want to go out that far. If you're looking for more property, you'd probably do well in Deer Park, the Islips, the Babylons, etc.
IrishBrideASmiling
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
Posted by squeekietoy
There is the tax credit up to $8000, but I thought that was on all homes. I could be wrong though. I'm not too keen on western suffolk but I DO know that I would not look in Bay Shore, Central Islip, Amityville, Brentwood, Wyandanch and some parts of Farmingdale and Huntington. But with Farmingdale and Huntington you have to know your areas. With the other towns it's just a matter of personal preference, I would not want to live there.
I know about the 8k and know thats for every home... actually its a max of 8k ... its really 10% of the home price is what you get... so nothing too big...
we live in farmingdale now and yes, it has its parts... we love the area bc theres so much around, but i essentially am looking for a place with at least somewhat of a wooded backyard LOL ... where are you living?
ETA: sry, didnt see you said 'up to' 8k .. its late
Every first time homebuyer who closes before December 09 is entitled to $8,000
If you are looking in the Town of Babylon, there is another incentive, but I dont know the particulars. I believe that if you are already a resident, then you get first dibs on $15,000 and then others who are purchasing for the first time in Babylon then will be considered for the $15,000. Not sure if the $15,000 includes the $8000 or not.
IrishBrideASmiling
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Here is a little about our experience with buying a home...
We started looking in February, got a REA in March, and made an offer and had it accepted in March. Still dont have a closing date. Just signed and returned the commitment letter and waiting for some CO issues to be straightened out before we close.
We are cutting it close, but honestly if you have the money, buy now! Yes its been stressful emotionally and financially but in the end i know it will be worth it. If you close by December 09 you will be entitled to $8000 on your tax return for 09, so why not buy now?
If you dont have the money, there is no harm in visiting a few open houses just to get an idea of what both you and your DH/FH want. That really helped us bc we had NO idea what we really needed or wanted. At first we didnt care about a basement or a smaller house, but after seeing a few homes where the family only had one child and seeing that they are already out of space, we immediately decided we needed a basement, or at least a garage.
HotAir
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Thanks everyone!
I am also looking in Suffolk because it's cheaper and also because that is where my family lives. As you get older you realize how nice it is to live closer to them. I'm about an hour drive away at this point.
Space is a huge thing. My FH and I live in a house without a basement or garage right now. And, although it has 2 bedrooms we have so much stuff! We even have stuff in an attic but we still don't have storage. I just can't wait to own something. My fear about finding a house now is that I can't be putting any money into a house with the wedding just 68 days away.
FuTuRe MrS MaZz
Posted:
Member since
Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by IrishBrideASmiling
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
Posted by squeekietoy
There is the tax credit up to $8000, but I thought that was on all homes. I could be wrong though. I'm not too keen on western suffolk but I DO know that I would not look in Bay Shore, Central Islip, Amityville, Brentwood, Wyandanch and some parts of Farmingdale and Huntington. But with Farmingdale and Huntington you have to know your areas. With the other towns it's just a matter of personal preference, I would not want to live there.
I know about the 8k and know thats for every home... actually its a max of 8k ... its really 10% of the home price is what you get... so nothing too big...
we live in farmingdale now and yes, it has its parts... we love the area bc theres so much around, but i essentially am looking for a place with at least somewhat of a wooded backyard LOL ... where are you living?
ETA: sry, didnt see you said 'up to' 8k .. its late
Every first time homebuyer who closes before December 09 is entitled to $8,000
If you are looking in the Town of Babylon, there is another incentive, but I dont know the particulars. I believe that if you are already a resident, then you get first dibs on $15,000 and then others who are purchasing for the first time in Babylon then will be considered for the $15,000. Not sure if the $15,000 includes the $8000 or not.
Just looked up the babylon thing: here's some info for others who want to know... Babylon down payment help
FuTuRe MrS MaZz
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
So out of these towns, which ones are the better ones:
AMITYVILLE • BABYLON • COPIAGUE • DEER PARK • FARMINGDALE (SUFFOLK COUNTY) • LINDENHURST • NORTH BABYLON • WEST BABYLON • WHEATLEY HEIGHTS • WYANDANCH
coldasice217
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
So out of these towns, which ones are the better ones:
AMITYVILLE • BABYLON • COPIAGUE • DEER PARK • FARMINGDALE (SUFFOLK COUNTY) • LINDENHURST • NORTH BABYLON • WEST BABYLON • WHEATLEY HEIGHTS • WYANDANCH
Babylon, Farmingdale, and Deer Park. And only parts of them.
North Babylon district is getting pretty bad. I'm just keeping my mouth shut on Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights because I'll just get in trouble. The others are ok, but depends what you're looking for. Personally I wouldn't consider them, but that's just me.
FuTuRe MrS MaZz
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Re: Girls buying or have bought houses....
Posted by coldasice217
Posted by FuTuRe MrS MaZz
So out of these towns, which ones are the better ones:
AMITYVILLE • BABYLON • COPIAGUE • DEER PARK • FARMINGDALE (SUFFOLK COUNTY) • LINDENHURST • NORTH BABYLON • WEST BABYLON • WHEATLEY HEIGHTS • WYANDANCH
Babylon, Farmingdale, and Deer Park. And only parts of them.
North Babylon district is getting pretty bad. I'm just keeping my mouth shut on Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights because I'll just get in trouble. The others are ok, but depends what you're looking for. Personally I wouldn't consider them, but that's just me.
