NWR: Housing stress

kamedio

i just need to vent, my DH and i are starting to look for a new place to live aka cash in on the tax benefit. the place that we finally decided we wanted to go back and see just went under contract. i'm kind of bummed about it since out of about 30 places thats the one i kept going back to. boo to someone else wanting the same the house as me!

jquirke9881

Sorry!  It happened to us to.  It took us 4 months to finally take the plunge and put an offer on a house and by the time we did it was gone.  But it all worked out for the best because we ended up getting an even better house that was perfect for us.  Keep your head up and keep looking!  Buying a house was more stressful than getting married. 

amybw

I totally understand.  We have been looking for over a year.  We have made a few offers, and one of the times, someone took the house from us, for a slightly better offer.  It's beyond frustrating. There have been houses that we haven't even gotten to see because they go under contract so fast.  This is definitely the most frustrating thing i have ever done.  I still feel that the prices are too high on houses!!

kamedio

thanks for the stories girls! amy-that sucks! my mum keeps telling me that something else is going to come around but i'm just sick of looking. i'm ready to be out of our place and on to better things. and i agree, everything is SO highly priced that it makes it even more frustrating

Eamm4884

I can totally relate too. We looked at over 60 houses and had a few heart breaks along the way, but it all worked out for the best in the end. We bought our house in May and it is by far the best house we saw. Everyone kept telling me everything was going to work out for the best, but I really didn't want to hear that because it was so stressful and frustrating. I'm sure you don't want to hear that either, but believe me it is true and you will find the house of your dreams, I promise.

amybw

That's so great that you found a house you love!!! My mom keeps telling me we will find the right house too!  The problem is, the right houses are unaffordable!!  I'm also not willing to change the location i want.  So that means its basically impossible to find a great house for the right price!!!! I could go on and on, but i'll stop complaining now...

Eamm4884

I know exactly how you feel. The house is out there though, you just haven't found it yet. Finding a house is way more stressful than planning a wedding, don't you agree?

amybw

I totally agree!  Although wedding planning is a bit stressful, its much more fun than house hunting!!!! Right now, we have an offer in a house, and the people are not willing to lower their price enough for us.  We are trying to decide if we love the house enough to pay an extra 10k for it.  It's such a hard decision, because we also need to think about whether we think we can stay in that house when we have kids, or if we will be able to sell it and not lose any money. i just get frustrated because i wish there was a better way to figure out a good price for a house.  it seems like its all opinion, and what each person thinks its worth.  I like to have more concrete answers!

LyssaBella

What area are you looking in? Though I have come to find that no matter where you look in Mass its EXPENSIVE. We are looking in the Reading/Wakefield/North Reading area we currently live in North Reading. And like you I wont budge on the towns Im interested in. I also agree with everyone else. The right house will come along just keep looking :)GOOD LUCK!!

amybw

We are looking in the Sharon/Canton/Mansfield area.  I just saw that they might extend the tax credit, which would be nice, although its not a deal breaker for us.I grew up in Sharon and like the area, so i figured it would be nice to stay in that area.  FI wants to look all over the place, but that starts to get too complicated.

Eamm4884

We were looking predominantly in Wakefield, but it was too expensive. We ended up buying in Peabody, and I love the area and my house. I'm from the South Shore so it was a huge shock seeing how much more expensive the North Shore is.

amybw

Yeah, south shore to north shore is a big shock...but i didn't think it was more expensive up there?

LyssaBella

I think like anything it depends on the area in North/South Shore. Wakefield can be kinda pricey cuz its a really nice area like for instance Hingham I know is pricey. Peabody use to be WICKED expensive though nice to see the prices on homes have come down. I lived in Wakefield for 2 years and loved it. They have a great school system as well. I am hoping when the time comes we will find the home we want there.  

Eamm4884

I'm from Brockton, homes are really cheap there. So for what I was used to it was a huge shock. It doesn't seem like the economy affected home prices or sales in the North Shore at all. A few houses came on the market that we loved and before we could even go see them they were under agreement. I'm only talking a couple of days. When our house came on the market we saw it the next day and put an offer in immediately. The nice houses are still going quickly, so you just have to move fast sometimes.

kamedio

you girls are too funny! i should have mentioned we are looking in the DC area which is overly expensive and its just ridiculous. i keep trying to bribe DH to moving back home with things like : we can get more for our money (but seems like from your posts that may not be the case), your company is opening up an office in Cambridge you can spear head it, or your sister is going to have a baby soon don't you want to be there for all that fun?? sadly, it looks like that battle will not be won anytime soon. thanks for letting me know that i'm not the only one having a tough time and i know something will come around, i'm just frustrated/tired of looking