myhousekey Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Don't this this as a huge deal but disagree 100% and don't see how it would make the back bigger (although you do lose a little side yard). With a side-loader you aren't "exposed" to everyone walking/driving by when it's open, plus it just plain looks nicer. My driveway comes directly into the garage from the back alley. The backyard would be almost 1/3 bigger if that was all fenced in grass instead of a driveway outside the fence. I will agree though that a side loader would be nice as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Wiegie- The good- We love the house we're in now. The neighborhood makes it for us. You've seen it, so you know it's a bit Pleasantville. The two houses across the street from us and the two houses next to us have children our son's age. When it's warmer out, we are always outside with them. There aren't any fences between our backyards, so our kids run through the yards and play all spring, summer, and fall. I also like being in a small town. A two car garage is a must. There's nothing worse than trying to scrape windows in the winter while having a family in tow... except maybe trying to cool off the car in the summer with a family in tow. It also gives us a spot to keep all of our outdoors stuff. We have three good sized bedrooms. That gives me a place to sleep when the snoring bugs Mrs. Egret. It also gives us a good amount of closet space. We have plenty of cupboards in the kitchen. It's nothing fancy, but it's more than enough space for me when cooking. It connects to a smallish casual dining area. Ideally, I'd like it separated, but it keeps the house open. You can walk from there to the living room. Once we had our son, we realized we wanted to finish our basement. We wanted to keep our living free of most kid toys. I love the basement. Half of it is finished, and half of it is left unfinished for storage. You'll need places to keep Christmas decorations, board games, luggage, tools, and all the other stuff that comes with home ownership. Like Savage, I tried to wire the basement for surround and all the extra cables. It worked great until we got a flat panel tv and we rearranged the basement. Instead of tearing into the walls, I just installed some false molding to run all of the wires. It's paintable and barely noticeable. The bad- Our backyard runs into a road. We have a privacy fence that runs along the road, but I still don't like it. There's also a "modular home community" across the street. It's actually a pretty nice one, or as nice as they get. It's just not much of a scenic vista from the kitchen window. Our first house had a huge yard with mature trees. It was like a wooded oasis. We miss that. If we ever move, we'll want a better view. Moving into a new home is more work than you realize. Everything needs to be painted. Landscaping needs to be done. I planted the grass myself after tilling and fertilizing the soil. It took awhile for our lawn to look halfway decent. I gave up two years ago and hired a lawn service to fertilize it. They did better than me. Now that it looks good, I think I can keep it up now. Hmm... I think those are the only things we don't like. We don't really want anything bigger ever. Some of our neighbors have two kids, some have one. Kids stuff takes up space no matter how big the house is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Also, are you certain of a location yet in terms of state / region? That will factor in to what aspects become more important. by the way, this is freaking awesome, I post my question and by the time I finish eating dinner there were already 13 responses. I REALLY appreciate all of them. So, are you buying in Grand Rapids or not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 My wife just walked into the room and I showed her all of your responses and she was flabbergasted. I think she might almost think that me coming to these forums is a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 So, are you buying in Grand Rapids or not? yep--the Grand Rapids area it is (sorry about not saying this earlier) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 yep--the Grand Rapids area it is (sorry about not saying this earlier) In town or out in the 'burbs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Oh, and whatever you do... do NOT buy a home that has been built on an old Indian burial mound. You have been warned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 In town or out in the 'burbs? almost certainly in the burbs (looking to be on the east to northeast side--most likely Forest Hills, Northview, or Rockford school districts) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 Oh, and whatever you do... do NOT buy a home that has been built on an old Indian burial mound. You have been warned! what about an old cemetary in which they only moved the headstones but didn't move the caskets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeeman Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I like that I can mow my lawn without having to ride a lawnmower. Along that line, watch what happened the last time darin3 had to mow his lawn at his new house in TX. (He tries to use the alias 'Steve' in the video, but it doesn't change the result): Open container laws are new to some... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 (edited) almost certainly in the burbs (looking to be on the east to northeast side--most likely Forest Hills, Northview, or Rockford school districts) Rockford and Forest Hills are very nice. One of my college roommates teaches in Rockford. One of my friends just moved here. He loves it. Of course, that's in the city. I'll ask some of my friends what they think of the 'burbs. Edited January 18, 2008 by Egret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 what about an old cemetary in which they only moved the headstones but didn't move the caskets? That's not so bad... then you just get infested with "tv people"... but those Indian's will force you to bury dead relatives in a circle so that they can come back with evil spirits inside of them looking for Wiegie meat. It ain't pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I like that I can mow my lawn without having to ride a lawnmower. Along that line, watch what happened the last time darin3 had to mow his lawn at his new house in TX. (He tries to use the alias 'Steve' in the video, but it doesn't change the result): Open container laws are new to some... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Not sure if it was mentioned but under location obviously you should research the school district..Also , under Megans law, you have the right to know if there are any predators in the neighborhood and you shoulkd ask your realtor about it if you find a place you are serious about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cunning Runt Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Without reading all the other responses, the things I would definitely make priorities in my next home are: Walk-in closets - his/hers preferably Two sinks in the master bath Extra storage in the garage for lawmower, snowblower, tools, etc.. Pull-down attic (I've got to get a ladder for mine every time I want in it). Deck Decent windows Fenced yard Finished basement (I'm from IN so these are pretty common) Neighborhood - like my kids to have playmates Read the neighborhood restrictions to see what you can/can't do. They do matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I like that I can mow my lawn without having to ride a lawnmower. Along that line, watch what happened the last time darin3 had to mow his lawn at his new house in TX. (He tries to use the alias 'Steve' in the video, but it doesn't change the result): Open container laws are new to some... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Not too much more I would add. In your climate, 2 car garage would be a must, IMO. In general, I prefer older homes. Better built with better materials. I'm not a big fan of vaulted ceilings or loft areas: they are terrible for heating and cooling your house. Lots of wasted utilities there. Also, realize that you will not get EVERYTHING you want: you will have to compromise on some things. Make a list of the things you absolutely MUST have, then search for those houses. Anything else is gravy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Not sure if it was mentioned but under location obviously you should research the school district..Also , under Megans law, you have the right to know if there are any predators in the neighborhood and you shoulkd ask your realtor about it if you find a place you are serious about. I touched on this in my pros of our current house. One thing I will reiterate that other's have mentioned, have the home inspection, and make sure you get an independent inspector that you have received references for. My wife and I, not knowing any better, just went with the guy our realtor suggested and in retrospect, he did a very poor job missing several blatant things that should have been found, most notably a leak with some of the pipes from the water heater and under the shower. We ended up having to replace a lot of the wood floors and subflooring that had been damaged, as well as replacing the shower pan and retiling that area. We were able to get our realtor to cover some of the cost after we expressed our extreme displeasure, but there is little to no recourse against the inspector. All is good now, but hindsight being 20/20, I would research and get reccomendations for a home inspector in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Oh yes, something that was the single largest requirement of my search: NO HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION!!!!! I missed out on a couple of nice houses but I'll be damned if I'm gonna have some out of work hausfrau who wants to be in everybody's business telling me what color I can paint my house or that I didn't plant the right kind of bushes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 A couple things I may consider is location to work. Being convenient for one of you to return for a quick emergency is helpful. Another is a neighborhood that fits your lifestyle. Quiet/secluded, more dense with neighbors getting together alot........ Then being with a family, you need to consider being close to a school you like for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Sorry if this was posted but Central air is great if you can buy a house that has it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 (edited) Sorry if this was posted but Central air is great if you can buy a house that has it. Yes, but also be aware of the pricetag to fix it should something go wrong. Mine died two years after I bought the place and it was $5k+ to replace. I knew about it because of the home inspection and was able to put aside the $$$ to fix when it happened. (Another vote for a good home inspection) Edited January 18, 2008 by Kid Cid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Yes, but also be aware of the pricetag to fix it should something go wrong. Mine died two years after I bought the place and it was $5k+ to replace. I knew about it because of the home inspection and was able to put aside the $$$ to fix when it happened. (Another vote for a good home inspection) Ahh... home warranty covered ours.... I think we paid something like $50 for the initial visit and then another $50 or $100 I think to have it replaced. So, another vote for a home warranty. We renew ours each year as it is just a couple hundred bucks or so for a year, but it already has paid itself several times over with just the above repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I'm not a big fan of vaulted ceilings or loft areas: they are terrible for heating and cooling your house. Lots of wasted utilities there.I was all fired up about having 9' ceilings in my house. What a waste of money that turned out to be. It's one of those things that sounds/looks good on paper but isn't worth it. Course if it comes with a house, fine, and IMO the extra $ to heat/cool your house is minimal, but if you decide to build, don't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 yep--the Grand Rapids area it is (sorry about not saying this earlier) Might want to consider a concrete / cement driveway in good condition to make it easier to clear the snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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