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    homebuying fun (caution: stupidly wide .jpg)

    Hey y'all. Haven't checked in here in a while. Been busy with a work and my latest obsession: buying a house (instead of working on my mess of an e30).

    I'm looking for anecdotal accounts of the homebuying experience. I've seen a lot of shitholes and actually walked away from a property already due to the sewer being a mess (1900s construction in the city = weird stuff).

    Currently under contract on a decent place. Inspection's this saturday.


    Any tips/advice/etc?
    Last edited by evandael; 06-05-2016, 09:54 AM.

    #2
    personally, i am a huge fan of the character that comes along with a turn of the century home. however, those homes generally need thousands and thousands of dollars worth of work. hopefully, the new home you picked is more....maintenance free.

    post some pics. i can give you what advice i have.....
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      #3
      Look at all of us growing up and shit.


      Looks like you are further ahead than me. I'm not working with a real estate agent, so it's a little more leg work. Have a purchase agreement, found a closing agency. Now waiting to hear back from my bank for the next step. Part of me wishes I had an agent to take care of the shit, but I'm saving 15k on the price of the home this way.

      Good luck to you, keep us updated!
      No E30 Club
      Originally posted by MrBurgundy
      Anyways, mustangs are gay and mini vans are faster than your car, you just have to deal with that.

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        #4
        Update: the inspection went well, the sewer camera came up clean (as clean as a poo-filled pipe could be at least), now I just need confirmation from the bank.

        Here's to hoping.

        I took some pics but my phone just died. Later I'll upload the money shot: the view from the rooftop yields an excellent vantage point of downtown pittsburgh.


        Closing date is 7/21. The waiting is the hardest part.

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          #5
          Ha! You're closing on my birthday! Auspicious! Congrats!
          Parts Collector and Former Houndstooth interior junkie.

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            #6
            view from the roof, whereupon i will be building a deck

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              #7
              Nice. Congrats again!
              Parts Collector and Former Houndstooth interior junkie.

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                #8
                That's pretty cool.
                No E30 Club
                Originally posted by MrBurgundy
                Anyways, mustangs are gay and mini vans are faster than your car, you just have to deal with that.

                Comment


                  #9
                  that's an awesome view!
                  If it's got tits or tires, it's gonna cost ya!

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                    #10
                    Congrats. I decided to do an early century house too (1926) 3 years ago and while I have spent right around $30k in home renovation over the past 3 years, it's been very rewarding and very worth it. Older houses definitely have way more character than anything 1950 and onward.

                    If you can afford it, rip out all the plaster/drywall, replace all the wiring, and put up new drywall before you move in. I didn't do this and I regret it. Doing it one room at a time while you live there is painful and slow. Just be careful of scope creep, because you're going to want to replace the windows while you're doing that too.
                    AWD > RWD

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by Kershaw View Post
                      Congrats. I decided to do an early century house too (1926) 3 years ago and while I have spent right around $30k in home renovation over the past 3 years, it's been very rewarding and very worth it. Older houses definitely have way more character than anything 1950 and onward.

                      If you can afford it, rip out all the plaster/drywall, replace all the wiring, and put up new drywall before you move in. I didn't do this and I regret it. Doing it one room at a time while you live there is painful and slow. Just be careful of scope creep, because you're going to want to replace the windows while you're doing that too.
                      Also, insulate the hell out of it.
                      sigpic
                      Gigitty Gigitty!!!!

                      88 cabrio becoming alpina b6 3.5s transplanted s62
                      92 Mtech 2 cabrio alpinweiss 770 code
                      88 325ix coupe manual lachsilber/cardinal
                      88 325ix coupe manual diamondschwartz/natur
                      87 e30 m3 for parts lachsilber/cardinal(serial number 7)
                      12 135i M sport cabrio grey/black

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                        #12
                        Our place was built in 1912 and needed a TON of work (no kitchen, poorly done wiring in the 80s/90s, etc....) but we love it. I'm from Lancaster originally, where in PA are you?

                        I can second or third on scope creep. I call them the "while we're at it's." I would question the drywall thing. We left a lot of the original plaster in our house because it was in fine shape, and it's not been an issue over the past 8 years we've owned it. Also, if it has knob and tube wiring that's in good shape, leave it. IMO, the only wiring that should be replaced no matter what is aluminum.
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                        2014 GTI | 2002 Land Cruiser | 1991 Volvo 745t

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                          #13
                          Are you in wash park or cherry creek?



                          The problem with knob and tube is the insulation on the conductors. For some reason, rodents like to chew on it and it has a tendency to disintegrate over time. If it isn't a safety hazard today, it will be one day. Also, that system has no ground. That can be a safety hazard in itself. Especially in areas where gfci's are required. For, my peace of mind and the extra sleep I'll get not staying awake worrying about the house catching fire with my family in it is easily worth the cost of replacement.
                          sigpic
                          Gigitty Gigitty!!!!

                          88 cabrio becoming alpina b6 3.5s transplanted s62
                          92 Mtech 2 cabrio alpinweiss 770 code
                          88 325ix coupe manual lachsilber/cardinal
                          88 325ix coupe manual diamondschwartz/natur
                          87 e30 m3 for parts lachsilber/cardinal(serial number 7)
                          12 135i M sport cabrio grey/black

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by Kershaw View Post
                            Older houses definitely have way more character than anything 1950 and onward.
                            I would say anything past 1930, with a few exceptions.

                            If you can afford it, rip out all the plaster/drywall, replace all the wiring, and put up new drywall before you move in. I didn't do this and I regret it. Doing it one room at a time while you live there is painful and slow. Just be careful of scope creep, because you're going to want to replace the windows while you're doing that too.
                            Disagree. The things that contribute to an older homes value and character and all the original features - plaster walls, floors, doors, windows, light fixtures, you name it. If you remove all these elements and replace them with modern equivalents because they are "better" then ultimately you will have destroyed everything that made it special, and it will just be another new home, but with old walls. If there is something wrong with the plaster, or it HAD to be torn out to access something, then it is what it is, but otherwise, I'd leave it. Plaster can be repaired, also, if the work isn't invasive. For the record though, I have no problem updating all the behind the scenes stuff - plumbing, electric, HVAC, etc. when needed.

                            As for windows, no, you don't need to replace them. Old windows are very simple, and are easily repaired. They can also be supplemented with storm windows to make them perform about as well as new windows, provided there are no leaks. By keeping the old windows, you've kept part of the home's character, and saved a ton of money. And because they are simple to fix, if one window breaks, or has rot issues, it can be repaired pretty cheaply. New windows however, can't really be repaired as easily. If something breaks you're more likely looking at replacement, and hopefully they still make the model you bought. If they don't, then you're looking at either custom windows, mismatched windows, or a whole new set. I would never recommend replacing the windows in a home with any historic value.

                            Insulating the building could be difficult since it looks like it's probably brick. If it's anything like the c. 1833 building my family had until recently, it probably has plaster directly over the brick. Not much you can do with that.

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by rturbo 930 View Post
                              I would say anything past 1930, with a few exceptions.

                              Disagree. The things that contribute to an older homes value and character and all the original features - plaster walls, floors, doors, windows, light fixtures, you name it. If you remove all these elements and replace them with modern equivalents because they are "better" then ultimately you will have destroyed everything that made it special, and it will just be another new home, but with old walls. If there is something wrong with the plaster, or it HAD to be torn out to access something, then it is what it is, but otherwise, I'd leave it. Plaster can be repaired, also, if the work isn't invasive. For the record though, I have no problem updating all the behind the scenes stuff - plumbing, electric, HVAC, etc. when needed.

                              As for windows, no, you don't need to replace them. Old windows are very simple, and are easily repaired. They can also be supplemented with storm windows to make them perform about as well as new windows, provided there are no leaks. By keeping the old windows, you've kept part of the home's character, and saved a ton of money. And because they are simple to fix, if one window breaks, or has rot issues, it can be repaired pretty cheaply. New windows however, can't really be repaired as easily. If something breaks you're more likely looking at replacement, and hopefully they still make the model you bought. If they don't, then you're looking at either custom windows, mismatched windows, or a whole new set. I would never recommend replacing the windows in a home with any historic value.

                              Insulating the building could be difficult since it looks like it's probably brick. If it's anything like the c. 1833 building my family had until recently, it probably has plaster directly over the brick. Not much you can do with that.
                              You make a lot of excellent points above. Old trim and fixtures can be saved and replaced at the end of a reno. There is generally nothing much from an old kitchen that is saved. When it comes to this room people want new and modern but with the look of the period when the house was built.

                              Plaster itself really doesnt add character to a house unless you plan on leaving cracks or uneveness. Well done plaster and well done sheetrock should look about the same.

                              It really boils down to the quality of reno done and budget available. If the budget is huge you can buy modern windows that look like old windows. They will far exceede the performance of what they replace.

                              With that said, im not necessarily in favor of a complete gut job unless the house is in bad enough condition to warrant doing so. Also the cost of the finished product needs to be in line with the value of the neighborhood.
                              sigpic
                              Gigitty Gigitty!!!!

                              88 cabrio becoming alpina b6 3.5s transplanted s62
                              92 Mtech 2 cabrio alpinweiss 770 code
                              88 325ix coupe manual lachsilber/cardinal
                              88 325ix coupe manual diamondschwartz/natur
                              87 e30 m3 for parts lachsilber/cardinal(serial number 7)
                              12 135i M sport cabrio grey/black

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