OT: Size of new homes

[fatheadX]

I grew up in a 3 bedroom 1500 square foot house and I remember that all I wanted was a house of approximately the same size because I couldn't envision ever needing more space than that. What the hell happened?

[pk500]

Hey, I have one of the biggest yards in my complex, it is an end unit, so I have a front AND side patch of grass! Plus TWO decks!

I always have to remind myself of my age. A townhome ain't too bad if I can keep it in perspective.

Dave:

You're doing fine, man. Remember, a residence is not a measure of a man. It's a place to live.

Take care,
PK

[skidmark]

Wow, BK seven figures is nuts. I can't imagine being able to afford a house that expensive.

Housing in CA is insane especially near SD, LA, SF, and pretty much any coastal town. I live a couple of hours north of LA, and our market here has been going nuts in the past 5 years because of all the LA'ers willing to make the daily commute to own a home snagging them up. Houses that were $150k 4 years ago are now going for $350k. Builders are releasing new houses 8 at a time and cranking up the price on each release. Waiting lists for new homes are in the triple digits, and they are all being shoved into blocks so tight that you'll be able to hear your neighbor grunting one out, because his bathroom window is about 6ft from your wall. Why all the push... that same $350k house in SD would punch 7 digits in the face as well.

[HipE]

I don't mean to get off topic, but since we're talking about homes, I could use some advice.

I've been thinking about putting vinyl siding up on my house. I've gotten a few estimates from reputable companies here in town, and it looks like it is going to cost right around $6000. I don't know how long I am going to be staying in my current house, but probably not any longer than another 5-10 years. I can afford to pay to have the siding put up now, but that would really put a dent in our savings. Plus, my wife wants to start trying to have a baby soon, so that could potentially be a new burden on our finances in the not so distant future. The siding people keep telling me that I should recover 70-75% of my investment in the siding whenever we sell our house, which would put the net cost in the long run around $1500. If I don't put siding up this spring, I will have to paint the house, and I have no idea how much that will cost.

Have any of you put vinyl siding up recently? Do you think it is a worthwhile investment, or would you just paint the house yourself? The wood siding we have up is in need of painting, but it is in very good condition, if not the prettiest of siding.

[dbdynsty25]

I am renting a 1222 sq. foot home in North Hollywood, CA. Anyone care to guess how much the house is worth?

Well I'll give you a hint...the land, by itself, is worth $250,000. Total value..$770,000. Unless you make $200,000 a year, you cannot afford to buy a house where I live right now. Absolutely ridiculous.

[Jackdog]

Our current home is a 4 Bdr 3200 sq footer with a two car garage and a finished basement. Corner lot. We got it for 165,000. My brother is going to rent it when we move to Halifax. We are going to rent there.

I own a waterfront parcel in N.Rustico PEI. We are going to build a 3 BDR A frame on it and move there when our son goes to college. At least that's the plan.

Wow the price of homes in soCal is nuts man!!

BK when you recruit my son for USC,be sure to throw in a free apt with the offer.

sf_z,what's the prices like in The Sucker Free?

[bkrich83]

BK when you recruit my son for USC,be sure to throw in a free apt with the offer.

JD if he plays at USC, he's got it!!

The median house price in SD is currently over $500,000. I live in a coastal town in SD's North County. The cheapest house I have seen in my general area is about $750,000 and that is for a 1400 sq ft place.

Housing prices here are ridiculous, and luckily my wife makes an income that pretty much matches mine, or we would struggle. I'd find a cheaper place to live, but ultimately I am unwilling to give up surfing and the weather we have here.

[Jackdog]

BK when you recruit my son for USC,be sure to throw in a free apt with the offer.

JD if he plays at USC, he's got it!!

The median house price in SD is currently over $500,000. I live in a coastal town in SD's North County. The cheapest house I have seen in my general area is about $750,000 and that is for a 1400 sq ft place.

Housing prices here are ridiculous, and luckily my wife makes an income that pretty much matches mine, or we would struggle. I'd find a cheaper place to live, but ultimately I am unwilling to give up surfing and the weather we have here.

WOW!!. Man we would only be able to build a sears double doored tool shed out there. I would trick that b*tch out though. That is if you let us rent some space in your backyard.

[dbdynsty25]

WOW!!. Man we would only be able to build a sears double doored tool shed out there. I would trick that b*tch out though. That is if you let us rent some space in your backyard.

Yeah, but BK fails to mention that you get a postage stamp size yard for that 750 grand. You can spit from your window to the house next door. When I say the land is worth 250 grand that my house is on, I mean the driveway and the sidewalk...that's about all there is around the house, it's pathetic.

[fsquid]

MAybe I should post pictures of my quarter acre lot with the 1800 sq. ft. home I got for 130k.

[Jackdog]

WOW!!. Man we would only be able to build a sears double doored tool shed out there. I would trick that b*tch out though. That is if you let us rent some space in your backyard.

Yeah, but BK fails to mention that you get a postage stamp size yard for that 750 grand. You can spit from your window to the house next door. When I say the land is worth 250 grand that my house is on, I mean the driveway and the sidewalk...that's about all there is around the house, it's pathetic.

That is crazy db. I lived in Chandler Az in the mid 80's and I got one hell of a deal on a home there. The same house is going for 4 times the price today. I think the Phoenix area is trying to catch up with you all in SoCal.

Great weather costs $$$

[thejake]

My wife and I are looking to buying a house in the Houston area in the first half of next year. We are saving like mad to try to get a 20% down payment. From what I hear housing prices are relatively cheap in the houston area. We will probably be able to get something very nice in the suburbs for $200,000 or get a decent town house in the city for a little more.

[MUTTS]

I live in the town that many consider to be a very upscale community here in central NY--as PK said just 6 miles for him. By the way--did you hear he has an inground pool??

When we moved here 6 yrs ago every real estate person we talked to said youre a 2 doctor family we can get you an 800,000 mortgage easy.

We said no thanks. Found 3 acres of old farm land dirt cheap--the owner had died recently. Built a 2900 sq foot home (which I think is a beautiful home by the way) for under 350K land included.

We arent "house poor" and I was able to quit my job 2-3 months ago. We planned things in the event that only 1 of us was working.

I love looking at big houses but truth be told its just more for me to clean. Heck- half of the rooms in our house are still empty- no joke.

Well I'm off to clean this house. Pool party at PKs !!!!!!

Tony

[fsquid]

so PK can use his pool what? 2 months out of the year?

[Jackdog]

so PK can use his pool what? 2 months out of the year?

Hell no!! We play hockey on it for the other 10.

[Brando70]

For starters, I think the houses are getting bigger because our asses our expanding.

I actually owned a condo in Chicago, up near Lincoln Square, a 2BR 2 BTH place that went up 30% in price in the 18 months I owned it. Now Mrs. Brando and I just bought our first house, a nice 3 BR, 1 BTh place with a garage and great woodwork inside, for less than what I sold the condo for.

I remember those Cali lots well. When my dad first got stationed in San Diego, we rented a very small house with our neighbors right on top of us. The first week we were there, we heard one of them belch from inside his house.

[matthewk]

so PK can use his pool what? 2 months out of the year?

Hell no!! We play hockey on it for the other 10.

Hehe, that's what we can do on mine Only problem is our pools not heated.

[fsquid]

oh yea, that hockey sport that you all play.

[bkrich83]

I live in the town that many consider to be a very upscale community here in central NY--as PK said just 6 miles for him. By the way--did you hear he has an inground pool??

When we moved here 6 yrs ago every real estate person we talked to said youre a 2 doctor family we can get you an 800,000 mortgage easy.

We said no thanks. Found 3 acres of old farm land dirt cheap--the owner had died recently. Built a 2900 sq foot home (which I think is a beautiful home by the way) for under 350K land included.

We arent "house poor" and I was able to quit my job 2-3 months ago. We planned things in the event that only 1 of us was working.

I love looking at big houses but truth be told its just more for me to clean. Heck- half of the rooms in our house are still empty- no joke.

Well I'm off to clean this house. Pool party at PKs !!!!!!

Tony

I would kill for 3 acres.

My 2800 sq ft house, sits on a 1/4 acre. For SD county I actually have a decent sized backyard. No pool, just a jacuzzi. One cool thing about this house, on top of a 2 car garage, we have a detached 1 car garage, complete with electricity and everything. I Am busy converting that in to a game room. Going to have a pool table, a nice TV, and am trying to get some old school arcade games in there. Flooring gets installed next month.

[Jackdog]

I would kill for 3 acres.

My 2800 sq ft house, sits on a 1/4 acre. For SD county I actually have a decent sized backyard. No pool, just a jacuzzi. One cool thing about this house, on top of a 2 car garage, we have a detached 1 car garage, complete with electricity and everything. I Am busy converting that in to a game room. Going to have a pool table, a nice TV, and am trying to get some old school arcade games in there. Flooring gets installed next month.

Killer idea BK. What type of flooring are you putting in?

[Jackdog]

so PK can use his pool what? 2 months out of the year?

Hell no!! We play hockey on it for the other 10.

Hehe, that's what we can do on mine Only problem is our pools not heated.

[pk500]

so PK can use his pool what? 2 months out of the year?

Memorial Day through Labor Day. Short season, and that's why I'd never build one up here. But hey, it came with the house ...

P.S.: My pool isn't heated, either. But my house isn't air-conditioned, either. Don't need either up here. Pool warms up in a couple of days, and you'd need AC for less than 10 days up here. Total waste of money.

Take care,
PK

[bkrich83]

I would kill for 3 acres.

My 2800 sq ft house, sits on a 1/4 acre. For SD county I actually have a decent sized backyard. No pool, just a jacuzzi. One cool thing about this house, on top of a 2 car garage, we have a detached 1 car garage, complete with electricity and everything. I Am busy converting that in to a game room. Going to have a pool table, a nice TV, and am trying to get some old school arcade games in there. Flooring gets installed next month.

Killer idea BK. What type of flooring are you putting in?

Some sort of ceramic tile my wife picked out. It's pretty durable, looks good and is actually cost effective. I figure with all the beer drinking and gaming and such out there,some thing that's easy to get spills off of is the way to go.

My kegorator will be going out there also.

[fsquid]

no A/C?? What's that like?