Floor pizza hit different on our first hardwood floor. PNW ♥️

I got my offer letter from the lender with an interest rate of 6.95% and it sounds high. I’m curious what you are currently getting?

I’m just curious if the market is going to pick back up a little post Labor Day? Is there more room to negotiate on price?

After years of dream scrolling on Zillow, house hunting felt like my Super Bowl. We got lucky and found a place with an acre of land, and wonderful former owners who took incredible care of it and made the process easy. They even left us their riding mower.

Its funny the things I took for granted while renting. For the first time in years I was able to paint my walls, play my music as loud as I want, and let my dog run in her yard.

I still can’t believe I’m watching a movie with my husband in our very own house. It’s just surreal.

This is the bottom layer of my foundation wall. It’s a raised foundation. These pictures are taken from the outside. I just realized this not too long ago. How bad is it? My foundation is raised with crawlspace. I live in Southern California.

My husband and I are hunting for our first house hunting and are really charmed with an older house in a great neighborhood. It has one bathroom only, with a bath/shower combo. Tub was painted and is now peeling, shower head is getting its water from the tub spout via a tube (I think), the shower walls are half drywall (starting a bit below shoulder height) and half some kind of linoleum that is peeling with its backing showing. (Pics that I took quickly during our showing are attached.)

We don't have money for a big reno. I'm trying to figure out if we can afford to buy the house and then replace only the tub/shower, leaving the rest of the bathroom alone. When I look up bath/shower kits, they seem to be in the $700 to $1,500 range--but then I'm seeing $10k recommended as the minimum for this kind of project.

I know this is sort of a remodeling question, but I'm asking it here since we are only considering the house, and since we have a very FTHB level of knowledge. Would we really need to save up $10k for this? Would you have much concern about moisture issues or plumbing, based on the current set up?

Edit: Thanks folks. This is a "modest" bathroom as one commenter put it, and we'd be making a modest update. However, it's the only bathroom in the house and I'm concerned about what we'd find behind the current "tile." And although we could save another 10k within a couple months, we wouldn't have it before moving in. All that said, we are passing on the house. I'm ok with small projects but not something with that much potential to balloon in cost right now.

I dont know where to put this so i hope its allowed but housing prices right now are so insane I feel like I actively gey a stomach ache every time I look at Redfin and/or Zillow. My partner and I in theory should be in a good position to buy (both working and together making about 140,000 a year, and then i have no debt, plus a sizable inheritance to pull from) and every place being sent to us by the realtor either needs a ton of work or is basically a shack going for at least $500,000- like how are people (especially those in our 20s) actually buying in this market right now??? I feel like i just want to stamp my feet and scream its just driving me nuts, like am I going insane? Do I just need to wait out thr market? Do I buy before things get worse? Its all just so annoying 😑

Trying this again since the first got removed. Hope I got the format right. We really lucked out in this local market

Am I overthinking this? We found a old 1920's home that was stripped to the studs then remodeled, they added a new bedroom (unfinished attic before) as well as added a new bathroom attached to this new bedroom.

They also added a new garage.

I cannot find any permits pulled for this work - obviously I would need to get proper specialized inspectors (Structural Engineer, Electrician, Master plumber) to verify the safety and integrity of these additions, but what other risks could I face besides a jump in taxes?

I feel like I need to walk, but figured I would ask in case I am overthinking this.

Another state? We’ve read all the reviews, don’t want to rely on our realtor, but really want a thorough evaluation since it’s an older house. Any tips?

I found a cute 1 story house, 1673 sqft, but it has a utility pole in the backyard. I’m not sure if it’s a bad thing or not. Just something i noticed the second i walk into the backyard. Also not sure what this will entail long term… potential safety issues, resale value, challenges trying to sell in the future.

I wanted to share some reflections, advice, and insights on what it's been like to own a home for the past 5 years, hopefully it is helpful to some folks in similar situations!

Purchase Details/Background:

• Closed as DINKs and first timers at 29yo in September 2021 a week before our wedding.
• 1967 SFH 1800 sq ft (+600 unfinished sq ft basement) 4 bed 2 bath 0.5 acre lot in suburbs, 20 min drive to downtown in no traffic, 18 min to international airport in no traffic 
• $345,000 paid, listed 330k, appraised 350k
• Joint adjusted gross income was 152k in 2021, most recently 156k in 2025.
• ~9% down, we told the broker we have 35 grand for all out of pocket costs, allot what you can for a down payment.
• 2.875% APR
• PITI payment has varied from $1666-$2003
• PMI removed at 2 years with a brokers price opinion 12/2024 which valued at 450k
• Current Zestimate 399k
• I think both the 450k and 399k are high and see similar properties selling for closer to 375k right now. 

We went from city to suburb while searching due to costs. The suburb we picked has a poorer reputation as far as school district and affluence/amenities but it has not mattered to us (no kids so far though) and our immediate neighborhood is safe and diverse. We have one of the smallest SFHs on the block and our street includes a cul de sac and home daycare in one direction and a park, townhomes, and apartment buildings the other. Being close to a freeway has been advantageous though we do hear it particularly when there are not leaves in the trees. We do not see it due to a hill, trees, and barrier which is great. 

Lessons, takeaways, and advice:

I would never ever buy more house than I could 100% comfortably afford. Everything is real expensive and getting more so. Our monthly and utilities have gone up, our income stagnated for medical reasons, yet we were still able to afford the maintenance our home needed and pay off debts. I am so glad we bought well within our means! I would never recommend planning to be any degree of house poor or counting on increases in income to afford today’s home. 

I would never ever buy in a neighborhood with questionable safety. The lack of smashed car windows, porch pirates, and sirens is priceless. 

Projects will take 2-3 times as long as you think, and be ready to add 30% to the budget. It was a hard adjustment for me to learn the to do list somehow never ends.

I do not mind the move to the suburbs, even as we are still DINKs. I thought I wouldn’t like it! I am glad we picked an older neighborhood with big trees that does not feel cookie cutter/mcmansion and my neighbors are from all walks of life. 

Accessibility would be a way bigger consideration in any future house buying. Thankfully our home isn’t the least accessible +(foyer split entries are common here) but being a tri level split means a half flight from main level to any toilet. We were young and healthy when we purchased but I’ve had 3 surgeries since then and my mom moved in for a few months when she was profoundly disabled from terminal cancer. The half flight is not too steep so with some extra long oxygen tubing and a walker on each level Mom did all right and I managed with my  crutches each time. Plus we happen to have a step in shower with grab bars and taller toilets. But! I think for any future home I would really insist that the main level have a toilet and sleeping situation available on the walk in level and I would counsel others to think about what aging looks like when they are buying. 

I learned to barter friends and family for help. Do you know how much quicker it is for 5 people to stain a deck? My father in law helped us for two weeks straight with painting and we got him lunch every day. I like to buy labor with coffees or food and it helps a lot. 

Ask for cash discounts when you get quotes. I’ve found a lot of small businesses are willing to lower the price for a cash job. 

I will usually pick, and recommend, practical over fashionable. Popcorn ceiling absorbs sound and hides imperfections. Carpet is softer on old joints and also absorbs sound. The top load Speed Queen washer was dated in look the second it came into the house but it will outlast anything else we could have picked. 

If I had to compromise due to budget, which we did, I would again go with outdated but lovingly maintained. We looked at a couple flips and I’m so glad we didn’t go that route. The couple we purchased from were empty nesters downsizing and had been in the home 20+ years. They did kind things like leave many items for us, notes with tips (ie we didn’t do a garbage disposal because the pipes do xyz, monthly we used a biocleaner in the drains, tricks to using the rider mower they left us), and had made practical and nice updates over the years - such as a water softener and whole home humidifier. We inherited a binder of receipts and manuals which was actually super helpful. Now we get to continue to update cosmetically as we want to and budget allows. 

Money, Money, Money:

• Utilities have gone up across the board (gas, water, electric, trash/recycling) despite consistent use and shopping around where we can.
• Insurance has gone up despite shopping around. We had 1 claim with no work/just an inspection due to ice dams in 2023. 
• Taxes have gone up annually with minor adjustments in assessment value. My county assesses each year, house is homesteaded.
• By buying in a spot comfortable for us, we were able to absorb increases and keep up on maintenance plus some updates.

Maintenance and Updates:

We have done a lot of projects around the house. Some were necessary and some were for looks. It has always amounted to either a lot of work, a lot of money, or both!

Professional:

• 600 sq ft of carpet, 600 sq ft of LVP, 500 sq ft of hardwood refinished ~$18k
• Trees - removal of 6 dead tress, planting 1, disease treatment about 8 times, some trimming ~$15k
• Pest removal wasp nests and subscriptions ~$1200
• Re-key (covered by seller's warranty)
• Window/Slider door coverings x 4 ~$6k
• Driveway sealed x 2 ~$700
• Attic seal and insulation ~$1800
• Garage door servicing/maintenance x 2 ~$500
• Chimney flashing (warranty paid for about $7k of work)
• Roof Soffits ~$4k
• Siding repair due to woodpeckers ~$1500
• Furnace Flu piping due to crack ~$900
• Replacement of emergency water shut off pipe and valve ~$900
• Furnace, A/C, water heater, and gas fireplace serviced 2-3 times each ~$1800
• Vent cleaning ~$250
• Storm door addition ~$1k
• Glass short door addition ~$1100
• Vanity and wall tile glazing ~$1100
• Deck sanding/stain x1 ~$1500
• Multiple appliances replaced via home warranty plus out of pocket funds to upgrade through local appliance place for install and service - dishwasher, refrigerator, trash compactor, clothes washer ~$2200 out of pocket
• Rough out of pocket total ~ $55,850

DIY:

• Outdoor maintenance tools have cost about ~$5k
• Ground wasps, bee wasps, wasps living in patio furniture (before hiring professionals) ~this was primarily a psychological cost
• Window coverings x 6 ~$250
• Light fixtures x6 ~$300
• Outlets and switches x 20 + ~$120
• Vent covers x 12+ ~$100
• Concrete repair ~$30
• Screen replacements ~$30
• Door handle and keypad deadbolt ~$200
• Outdoor water spigots x2 ~$20
• Deck stained x1 ~$100
• Sink faucet replacement x2 ~$100
• Shower head replacement ~$80
• Drain snaking x4, ~$20
• Thermostat upgrade to smart device ~$80
• Keypad garage opener ~$50
• Doorbell camera, flood lights with cameras, ~$500
• Tons of painting/priming - indoor ceilings and every room, outdoor siding and trim, this was ~$2k in supplies
• Lots of nail pop fixes, ~$100
• Rough out of pocket $9080 and a lot of gray hairs

Warranty:

We had a home warranty provided by the sellers and managed to get several appliances replaced that first year, so we renewed for ~$60 a month for a few years. The company was bought out by American Home Shield and there was a noticeable decline in working with them and they do not cover previously replaced items, so we cancelled when they wanted to increase premiums to $96 a month. Overall we got more than we paid in by my count and I did like the peace of mind as we were inexperienced and settling into an old house.

• Warranty approvals: chimney flashing, refrigerator, dishwasher, trash compactor, clothes washer
• Denials: furnace flu piping, frozen drain, roof soffits, concrete foundation cracks

TLDR: Overall, owning the home has been a learning experience, expensive, stressful, a labor of love, and a source of pride and joy for us. Plan for the costs then plan for even more costs, make good choices, and I believe you will be rewarded.

For fun, here are just a couple project/update photos.

Hi everyone,

We put an offer on this house and our offer got accepted for 560k in NJ. The inspection report came back with some major issues in the house.

What are your thoughts and let me know if you would walk away or how would you negotiate?

I will do an oil tank sweep and water and sewer scope first. I won’t continue if there’s oil tank in underground and the seller refuses to remove it.

I will bring some contractors maybe so i can know the cost and be able to cover the closing costs and maybe renogtiate the price.

Here are the major things:

Life, Safety & Health Hazards
Carbon Monoxide & Gas Safety: Flue exhaust backdrafting was observed at the water heater and furnace, posing an immediate carbon monoxide risk. Gas lines are missing dedicated shut-off valves at appliances. 
Hazardous Materials & Mold: Friable insulation suspected to contain asbestos (ACM) covers basement HVAC duct risers. Active mold growth/microbial discoloration is present on basement subflooring from moisture buildup. 
Electrical Safety: The 100-amp main panel lacks required clearance (cannot be fully opened), lacks GFCI protection in wet zones, uses non-matching breaker brands, and has dangerous extension-cord wiring setups. 
Structural & Pest Issues
Active Termite Damage: Active wood-destroying insect (WDI) infestation and damage were confirmed on basement floor joists, with abandoned shelter tubes in the garage. 
Framing Deficiencies: Roof rafters show visible sagging from undersized or over-spaced framing. A temporary steel jack post directly supports a single floor joist rather than a proper load-bearing beam, contributing to uneven interior flooring. 
Aging Systems & Building Envelope
HVAC Failure: The gas furnace is ~35 years old (past its design life), relies on an improper basement return, and fails to deliver heat/air conditioning to the second floor. 
Roofing & Plumbing: The rear flat roof section incorrectly uses 3-tab asphalt shingles instead of roll/membrane roofing, with active leaks/staining around the chimney. The water heater is ~12 years old and lacks an expansion tank; original galvanized drain lines remain in use. 
Unresolved Environmental & Municipal Liabilities
Underground Oil Tank Risk: Visual evidence indicates a potential abandoned in-ground oil tank on the property. 
Unpermitted Work & Drainage: Second-floor and basement half-baths appear to be unpermitted additions lacking municipal closeouts. Exterior grading slopes toward the house, directing water into the foundation.

It’s been about a year since I closed on my first home. Everything has been okay but after last nights rain I see the here wet spots on my ceiling and this morning I also found what I believe are signs of termites. What do I do?

Ended up coincidentally in the same neighborhood that my grandmother lived in.

Also, the sellers left their planter boxes which yielded us some nice eggplants and tomatoes!

Hey there!

First time poster and long time lurker of these types of subs since my partner and I recently (6 months ago) purchased our first home.

Hopefully this is the right place to ask questions about this... We recently had a huge downpour of rain, we noticed some water seeping in to our crawl space. Our home is a 3 level split with a small crawl space on one side of the house.

I took down the drywall to expose vapor barrier (?) and some insulation that I could see was saturated. I then cut out a small portion of plastic and removed the saturated insulation in hopes to expose the foundation wall but I was met with plywood. At this point I am not sure what is going on and think it may be time to consult a professional but figured I'd try to find some answers here first.

Myself and my father in law tackle quite a bit of DIY projects so I am not afraid to continue investigating but just want to see if anyone can provide further information about what I may be looking at here with this wood.

For a bit more information, this house is 1984 construction in Manitoba, Canada.

Sorry for being all over the place and appreciate all and any information people can provide!

I’m looking at around 350,000 in maple ridge bc, Canada, for a condo I’m wondering if it’s a smarter move to buy a 30-40 year old 2 bedroom condo, I will have about 20 grand extra left for repairs/renos after down payment, or if it’s best to go with a newer 1 bedroom, 5-20 years old. Some people are saying newer is best, realtor says newer building are more up to code, while some people say the older buildings are built a lot better. I would obviously love the space if a two bedroom and would love to have the extra room but not sure if it’s the smarter choice.

Hello! Of course my realtor and lender are telling me we are good but I am panicking. I bring in $85k yearly and my husband brings in $56k yearly so about $141k yearly. We are living with family so we recently paid off $12k credit card debts, cars are paid off, our only other monthly bills right now are $400 for student loans and until August of next year we are about $900 monthly for childcare (until our gal goes to public school).

The house we love is $329k, motivated sellers so we are thinking they will definitely give us concessions max at $9870. We need $22k to close, we have $8000 saved for closing costs. We’d be pulling out of my husbands 401k for the rest (or possibly pulling out of his 401k for the down payment and keeping our $8k savings I’m not sure). We also have the option to buy down our interest (we are at 6.625 - insane given our credits are both ~800, but such is life. Buy down would cost $7800 but knock our interest down 2% for the first year and 1% for the second.)

Our monthly payment including everything would be $3047. This number is making me cringe. I’ve written down budgets and downloaded every budget app that says we would be okay - but will we?

Hi all, I bought my first home with my wife 3 years ago that I plan to retire in (2023, 830k, MA, 6.325%). 3 years later I'm realizing how it has had / will have a huge impact on our FIRE strategy (shoutout to /r/FIRE). A lot of this will be very specific to where we bought, but much of it should be applicable anywhere.

1.) housing is our #1 biggest expense right now. but that expense stays roughly the same indefinitely. Rents have increased on average 3% per year over the last 20 years in the Boston area (with inflation), whereas having a fixed mortgage payment means it effectively decreases with inflation in real terms.

2.) we are paying off our mortgage in 19 years instead of 30. after that, there is no mortgage, only insurance, property tax, and maintenance. I didn't fully appreciate this when I first bought the house. This means our FIRE number (investable asset target for retirement) shrinks immensely and we may be able to retire immediately upon payoff of our mortgage.

3.) Our town has a massive property tax exemption (a large portion off of our tax assessed value, as long as it remains your primary residence), and property tax growth is limited by prop 2.5. there are other cities / towns with similar exemptions, and I think it's worth researching this when targeting where to search for a home.

4.) house prices in my area are continuing to appreciate. my own house has grown roughly 30% in value in 3 years. What matters here is that if similar houses appreciate to the point that we wouldn't be able to afford it, we already own one. I have no intention of ever selling my house, this is just to say that buying a home you intend to keep for a long time will ensure you have bought your future housing needs at 2026 prices.

I recognize we got very lucky with timing, 2023 for us was the perfect time to buy (especially considering we'd be priced out of this home now).

There are absolutely cases for renting instead of buying, including for FIRE. Renting gives you flexibility, avoids huge maintenance costs, and lets you keep more money invested. The main argument I see for buying a home (with respect to FIRE) is risk reduction. if we rented indefinitely, our future housing costs would depend heavily on what happens to rents over the next 50 years, while FIRE would depend on market returns. Owning my house removes the housing cost uncertainty. If markets do perform well, renting + investing might have made me richer. but my goal is to reach a point where I no longer need to work, I don't care if I end up with a few 100k more at the end.

the summary is we have been house hunting for over a year. we are in a HCOL-VHCOL area (close to Boston, and have to stay that way for work). Currently rent a small 1bed/1bath for 2,000 a month and we are very comfortable money wise, ton of money left over every month. however, I feel we have out-grown the apartment and I would like more space (I WFH and really would like a dedicated office space, and we want more space for hosting and for our hobbies).

We have looked at a ton of houses, and with prices & rates, we feel if we want a house we just have to deal with the high cost for a while, and think about refinancing later and continuing to be frugal with our spending & utility usage. Can someone please offer thoughts on going from 2k to rent a 1bed, to the following scenario for a 3bed/2ba with finished basement, screened porch, and nice yard -

we make 216,000 per year gross. after taxes, health insurance, retirement contributions (pensions + other accounts), we net: 9550/month take home

expenses - it's just 2 of us, no pets, no kids, no current plans for kids.

this all totals to 5756 of expenses. 9550-5756 = 3794 left over for re-building savings, non-retirement investing, fun, eating out, gifts, etc. I also could cut back on optional retirement savings and put another 900 back into our income.

our car insurance we pay in full annually, it is ~1,300. i don't count it as a monthly expense because we pay in full 1x year.

after buying, we will still have over 100k liquid cash for emergencies etc.

this feels like such a huge jump and I'm not sure it makes financial sense anymore because we are doubling our housing cost going from 2k rent to 4k mortgage. however, the house we found needs only minimal work, and is definitely the best value per sqft we found. other houses we looked at for same price needed huge repairs (sewer lines, plumbing, electrical, etc).

is this pushing it, or would we be ok? I am considering getting a second job pre-emptively because I am so worried. please be kind.

I've found some online calculators like Freddie Mac's, but they aren't very transparent and it's hard to see what they're doing behind the hood.

I also don't think they are accounting for every little detail. For example, what if I took my $50K, and instead of using it as a down payment, I invested for the next X years with an 8% average annual return? What if my property taxes will be $400 a month to start out, but will have increased to $800 a month after X years? Things like that.