Home Buying & Real Estate Thread

[Rootin4EverybodyBlack]

Parking is definitely one of those things you don’t really think about till it becomes a problem. I have 2 spaces in front of my townhome, and it’s been an ongoing issue with ppl parking in one of my spaces when im gone for awhile or stay at my girl’s spot. Had to have somebody towed last week out of one of my spots because my pops was coming over.

I say all that to say, definitely get a drive way. It’s high on the top of my list when I buy another house.

 

[solewoman]

Especially if you live in a area with snow.

 

[freshpairs]

Parking is definitely one of those things you don’t really think about till it becomes a problem. I have 2 spaces in front of my townhome, and it’s been an ongoing issue with ppl parking in one of my spaces when im gone for awhile or stay at my girl’s spot. Had to have somebody towed last week out of one of my spots because my pops was coming over.

I say all that to say, definitely get a drive way. It’s high on the top of my list when I buy another house.

How does that work with the tow? You pay out of pocket? Or go through the city?

 

[B Sox]

Here in LA, it's not uncommon for homes to go way above asking, especially in today's market. I don't think we can assume that your agent was advising you of such solely with his personal gain in mind...

Unfortunately, during a "sellers market", your offer isn't always what the value of the house may be, but what others may be willing to pay for it .. tons of houses everywhere are selling for way more than they're probably worth .. question is,

Obviously pretty biased since I'm an agent, but everything you said here is very much valid in the market I work in. The absolute most recent comps sometimes don't even matter. If a house has some things that really make it stand out, folks are willing to waive appraisals and whatnot and just pay the max they could afford, or whatever they "value" the house at. As a buyer agent, it sucks because it almost takes our expertise off the table because you're essentially facing against the irrational unknown. Sometimes the best we as agents can do is look and see how much over-ask price stuff is going for and give a suggestion. Maybe buyers get lucky every now and then and it sells for a little less, and other times stuff sells for way more than you'd ever imagine.

Epitome of a sellers market.

 

[Rootin4EverybodyBlack]

How does that work with the tow? You pay out of pocket? Or go through the city?

Where I live most HOAs have contracts with a tow company. It doesn’t cost me anything, but the car’s owner gotta pay $200 to get it out.

 

[freshpairs]

Where I live most HOAs have contracts with a tow company. It doesn’t cost me anything, but the car’s owner gotta pay $200 to get it out.

Hell yeah serves them right. I’d do the same

 

[oh you mad]

Anyone have experience tinting house windows? I reached out to this local company and they quoted me $5,100 for 56 windows.. another company coming to give me an estimate on thursday

 

[lovehateself]

Anyone have experience tinting house windows? I reached out to this local company and they quoted me $5,100 for 56 windows.. another company coming to give me an estimate on thursday

for that price, you might as well look to getting new window sashes with tinted glass

 

[oh you mad]

for that price, you might as well look to getting new window sashes with tinted glass

most are fixed windows, and glass and sliding doors

 

[lovehateself]

most are fixed windows, and glass and sliding doors

how old are the units ?
putting a tint/film on them would void the manufacturers warranty on them ( if insulated glass)

 

[onthenephs]

Hey those are nice windows bro!

I had carpets in the bedrooms removed in my new spot, thought I was getting baseboards with the flooring but they were jus gonna put new quarter rounds. Told the floorers to rip out the baseboards… after 2 weeks I jus finished installing 200 ln sq ft of baseboards throughout 4 rooms. It sucked. Took way longer than I thought. Cutting inside and outside corners way harder than I thought.

 

[yogetoffmykickz]

Anyone have experience tinting house windows? I reached out to this local company and they quoted me $5,100 for 56 windows.. another company coming to give me an estimate on thursday

Honestly, that sounds like an awesome deal...
Too good to be true almost...

You might be getting a bulk discount based on the number of windows being done...

Obviously, get that second opinion.. but I'd be surprised if it come back for less...

 

[you go boy]

I got a closing date which is 9/30 so I'm that close to be an official homeowner... can't wait!

 

[jrp44]

Quick question guys. I know things are crazy right now so a lot of houses going for over asking. With that said, I'm still confused a little on how appraisal GAPs work. So for example....if a house is listed at $250k and I put an offer in for $255k and it gets accepted...then the appraisal comes in at $250k... everything I'm reading is I would have to pay the $5k if seller isn't willing to negotiate...BUT if I have a conventional loan and am putting 15% down ($38k in this example) and my actual loan amount from the bank is around $217k, does it even matter that the appraisal was less than the offer price that was accepted, since the loan is still way less than the appraisal price?

My understanding is that the appraisal is for the bank obviously to make sure they aren't loaning me an amount of money that is way more than the house is worth. So if I'm doing 15% down and the appraisal is just a few k less than selling price, do I have to worry about paying the difference?

Thanks

 

[deusavertat]

I got a closing date which is 9/30 so I'm that close to be an official homeowner... can't wait!

Congrats. I officially close on 10/30 but can't move in until end of November my unit in the community (second one sold) is still contracted as display unit until November. I have to stay in my current apartment either way until then cause they require 2 month notice then 2 month rent to break the lease.

 

[lovehateself]

my loan officer told me its always best to close at the end of the month.

with that said, i decided to move forward with the home im under contract with, asking for 10k in credit

 

[jewseejay]

The market in my area just wont stop. Builders cant make the homes quickly enough.... i have about 200k in equity all of a sudden. I wanna take the bag and run but then I hafta buy back into this mess... UGHHH

 

[balldontlie206]

Quick question guys. I know things are crazy right now so a lot of houses going for over asking. With that said, I'm still confused a little on how appraisal GAPs work. So for example....if a house is listed at $250k and I put an offer in for $255k and it gets accepted...then the appraisal comes in at $250k... everything I'm reading is I would have to pay the $5k if seller isn't willing to negotiate...BUT if I have a conventional loan and am putting 15% down ($38k in this example) and my actual loan amount from the bank is around $217k, does it even matter that the appraisal was less than the offer price that was accepted, since the loan is still way less than the appraisal price?

My understanding is that the appraisal is for the bank obviously to make sure they aren't loaning me an amount of money that is way more than the house is worth. So if I'm doing 15% down and the appraisal is just a few k less than selling price, do I have to worry about paying the difference?

Thanks

To be honest - chances are it will appraise. Its somewhat rare for houses to not appraise right now in this market (I live in Seattle area) unless the place has a lot of issues or if you just shot the moon on your offer. And yes you'd still have to worry about paying the difference. I might be wrong.. But yeah the way it was explained to me as well is you have a few options

- Pay it if you have enough to cover the gap of appraisal and offer acceptance
- Scrounge together what you can, in this scenario $5k, offer it to the seller and ask if they can meet you in the middle
- Flat out tell the seller they wildn out and tell them you won't pay a dime over appraisal

 

[you go boy]

Congrats. I officially close on 10/30 but can't move in until end of November my unit in the community (second one sold) is still contracted as display unit until November. I have to stay in my current apartment either way until then cause they require 2 month notice then 2 month rent to break the lease.

im happy i got my place but im not going to be moving in any time soon either...it might be a month or so but its all good... i have to renovate the place which is minor fixes like paint the condo 5 day project, put laminate floors in both bedrooms and last but not least replace the kitchen cabinet and put granite countertops... right now im just looking for someone to do the kitchen...and of course i still have to buy furniture... i want to see first how much money i have to spend renovating then the rest of the cash will go towards furniture... im thinking around after November i will be in my place and everything should be straight...then ill buy little things here and there over time... the bathrooms will be last to renovate but they are not as bad as i thought...

 

[deusavertat]

im happy i got my place but im not going to be moving in any time soon either...it might be a month or so but its all good... i have to renovate the place which is minor fixes like paint the condo 5 day project, put laminate floors in both bedrooms and last but not least replace the kitchen cabinet and put granite countertops... right now im just looking for someone to do the kitchen...and of course i still have to buy furniture... i want to see first how much money i have to spend renovating then the rest of the cash will go towards furniture... im thinking around after November i will be in my place and everything should be straight...then ill buy little things here and there over time... the bathrooms will be last to renovate but they are not as bad as i thought...

Another buyer was supposed to get my place but it didn't fall through. I would've had to wait for one of the new units to get built and would've had the option for choosing a lot of the interior paneling but I probably wouldn't have changed anything. The basement is going to be my project moving forward after I move in.

 

[fluid hips]

Anyone have experience tinting house windows? I reached out to this local company and they quoted me $5,100 for 56 windows.. another company coming to give me an estimate on thursday

Either DIY or find some day laborers for less

 

[freshpairs]

Anyone ever had to replace their gas water heater tank? How much did labor run you?

 

[yogetoffmykickz]

Anyone ever had to replace their gas water heater tank? How much did labor run you?

Mine went out about a year ago..
Went to Lowes and bought a new "open box" unit( it had no box, and a small scuff, but otherwise brand new with warranty) for about $250 less than retail. Basically a 50gal for less than a new 40gal. It was seriously a great deal.

Watched a couple you tube videos and did it myself...

Hiring a plumber can be expensive. They typically make money from both the labor and little bit more if they sell you the unit as well...

If you have basic gas safety knowledge and are comfortable working with your hands, you should consider doing it yourself. You can save a l ot of money.

 

[freshpairs]

Mine went out about a year ago..
Went to Lowes and bought a new "open box" unit( it had no box, and a small scuff, but otherwise brand new with warranty) for about $250 less than retail. Basically a 50gal for less than a new 40gal. It was seriously a great deal.

Watched a couple you tube videos and did it myself...

Hiring a plumber can be expensive. They typically make money from both the labor and little bit more if they sell you the unit as well...

If you have basic gas safety knowledge and are comfortable working with your hands, you should consider doing it yourself. You can save a l ot of money.

Yeah my boy spent $900 just for labor alone.

 

[kvsm23vs24]

Bought my first home a little over 2 weeks ago.
As much as i wanted to stay in la county, i was priced out.

I ended up in San Bernardino County, lot isnt too big, but the school district is great, house was built in 2016, everything upgraded from the solar panels to the house having surround sound.

the only drawback is my commute though, 45 mins to get to work and 1-1.5 hours to get back home

congrats bro. I had to move away too. To Palmdale. I work in LA. My drive is 60 miles each way.