Buying a house is the scariest thing that I have ever EVER ever EVER ever had to do

[jales]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHH. This will be a rant!!
I really just want to scream. I don't know what is going on in the world today and I never even knew that I was the type of person that I apparently am.

I'm upset with this site. Really upset. This website and the people here have gotten me through more problems in my life than I can even explain. The first person I met at this site we had a somewhat similar story, and we both found so much comfort in this site. It was a new website then.

I guess I am still attached to this place, cause every problem I have had in the past 4 years; this website has somehow solved it.

ARRRRRRRGHH. Who knew buying a house would be this stressful not? Not me!!! We just bought a house. My husband and I just bought a house. It was very cheap as it is very old and has a lot of problems. We didnt take out a mortgage or anything. We just bought it with savings. So is is not really a financial stress; its a stress brought on by what people are saying, and what people are thinking.

It's like the world doesnt make sense anymore.

EVERYONE AND I MEAN EVERYONE... is telling us 'You all are crazy to have bought that house. It will be so expensive to fix. Sell it now!!!!!'

It just ..it simply is too much, I am tired of hearing we are crazy. TIRED SO TIRED. I aaaaaah. I can not understand. Why is it that all of a sudden its a terrible thing to buy a house? Is it not normal? I mean, I don't understand. I grew up with lots of the people who are chanting 'YOU MADE A MISTAKE, SELL IT' and they have always thought homeownership is great but as soon as someone actually does it.. it's wrong?

I'm upset. I need to rant. I'm furthermore upset with this site for blocking me in chat. I never even knew I cared what people think so much. But it's just become too much.

I need support somehow. I need someone besides my husband to say I'm not insane. ANNNYONE. I need someone to say that we are not crazy. You know?

 

[csmswhs]

you are not crazy! i bought an old house too. hang on, i need to go have a cigarrette and then i'll be back to add onto this post you are not crazy.

brb

 

[jales]

lol, thaaaannkkks oy gosh, you just made my day somewhat. I'm still stressed. But none the less thanks.

 

[csmswhs]

no problem. one of the benefits to an older house is that in general, they are built better. just one example being, a few summers ago there was a tornado in some suburb not too far from where i live and the majority of the damage was done to the newer larger homes. they were flattened. the older homes withstood most of it.

i am not the only one who feels this way. knowledgeable and honest contractors often say this too. so does my dad

he paid big money for his new house, and it looks very nice!!! but made very cheap!!!!

and i guess its all about what you want and what you don't mind doing. some people enjoy renovating older homes, and appreciate and enjoy its 'oldness', its history, and the original architecture etc that comes with the house. mine has an old staircase, and the upstairs bathroom has one of those old 'antique' chickenfoot tubs. lol, i forgot the name. alot of people really like those tubs.

i should take a pic of it and post it for you lol. its huge!!! (i usually use the bathroom downstairs tho, because i always worry that heavy thing might fall through the floor!! ((and the downstairs has a shower)) but the big strong timber and the concientiousness used to build the house probably will hold it up for many many more years and i am just worrying for nothing) i like to use it when i really want to relax! its deep!

i thought it would be neat to go and learn about the history of my house too.

obviously its up to the owner and what they want to do and are able to do. alot of old houses need things redone. a newer house generally costs more doesn't it? so you would've spent it anyway?

when this is paid off, i am going to get a smaller, newer place. just because my oldest son will be moving out and i won't need a place this big. but i do like it, and it sure is working well for us and our needs right now

to me i'd rather have something more simple and efficient as a home base and spend my time travelling anyway. i am not necessariy too worried about the construction. although, i appreciate the construction of the house i'm in right now.

and good construction is obviously a plus, because you don't want to be doing everything over down the road.

and could all of these newer homes withstand a hundred years or more like the older ones do?

i like my house! it is interesting, and strong!

(just make sure you are safe)

good luck!

 

[jales]

Yea older houses are interesting. I wish there was also some sort of chat for people dealing with renovating older homes.

Your house sounds nice, and the fear of the tub falling through reminds me of the movie
'The money pit'

I should not care what other people think, but somehow it is affecting me. It's a big decision to buy a house, and somehow you just dont want to screw it up.

Yea I think we would have spent the money in any case, and at least this way wont dont need a mortgage....well for now.

Our timber was also very strong, but it has dry rot and no one has lived in the house for about 5 years and before that an old couple lived there. We think that because the house was not heated or ventilated for so long, the dryrot grew.

The dry rot has caused the collapse of parts of the second floor. I dont really mind though, cause as far as I'm concerned we have a really long time to fix it. The state ended up with the house after the previous owner died, then they forced a company to buy it in an auction, basically the company wanted some other properties in the area and the state said they will sonly sell the properties together. The company did not want the old house so they sold it to us.

But yea the foundation of the house looks so nice. It's huges stones like.. very hard to describe really, the attic is also nice. This is the style of the house
http://www.google.nl/images?q=germa...&source=og&sa=N&hl=nl&tab=wi&biw=1138&bih=526

It is traditional here in Germany. I would love to see a picture of the tub. Did people also tell you it was not a good idea when you got your current place?

I guess maybe people think its a bad idea because of how bad the economy is now... not really sure.

no problem. one of the benefits to an older house is that in general, they are built better. just one example being, a few summers ago there was a tornado in some suburb not too far from where i live and the majority of the damage was done to the newer larger homes. they were flattened. the older homes withstood most of it.

i am not the only one who feels this way. knowledgeable and honest contractors often say this too. so does my dad

he paid big money for his new house, and it looks very nice!!! but made very cheap!!!!

and i guess its all about what you want and what you don't mind doing. some people enjoy renovating older homes, and appreciate and enjoy its 'oldness', its history, and the original architecture etc that comes with the house. mine has an old staircase, and the upstairs bathroom has one of those old 'antique' chickenfoot tubs. lol, i forgot the name. alot of people really like those tubs.

i should take a pic of it and post it for you lol. its huge!!! (i usually use the bathroom downstairs tho, because i always worry that heavy thing might fall through the floor!! ((and the downstairs has a shower)) but the big strong timber used to build the house probably will hold it up for many many more years and i am just worrying for nothing) i like to use it when i really want to relax! its deep!

i thought it would be neat to go and learn about the history of my house too.

obviously its up to the owner and what they want to do and are able to do. alot of old houses need things redone. a newer house generally costs more doesn't it? so you would've spent it anyway?

when this is paid off, i am going to get a smaller, newer place. just because my oldest son will be moving out and i won't need a place this big. but i do like it, and it sure is working well for us and our needs right now

to me i'd rather have something more simple and efficient as a home base and spend my time travelling anyway. i am not necessariy too worried about the construction. although, i appreciate the construction of the house i'm in right now.

and good construction is obviously a plus, because you don't want to be doing everything over down the road.

and could all of these newer homes withstand a hundred years or more like the older ones do

i like my house! it is proud, interesting, and strong!

(just make sure you are safe)

good luck!

 

[csmswhs]

there are alot of places on the web related to fixing houses. and there's alot of info about doing it safely and cheaply. alot of options i know.. going through all of it kind of drove me nuts at first, but the information is out there.

and then who do you trust to do it? if your not going to do it yourself...

i used to have alot of links saved with all this info that i could pass onto you, but it was saved on my old computer which crashed and i lost it all... darn it! i would've been able to send you so many links.

i understand what your saying about caring what other people think. i think most people do it because they care, so that's good. my mom was giving me so much grief and creating so much worry within me, while my dad and brothers were telling me i made a smart decision.

it was only 60,000 with a brand new big garage. and as you said, you have time to fix certain things.

i am thinking that the things that i need to redo would only amount to 10,000 if i'm smart about it. maybe less.

my only problem is, by the time i do this, i won't really need a house this big anymore. (its actually not that big, but big to me).

but if i was someone who really wants to stay in the house for a long time, and make it a permanent home, and would need and use the space, i would keep it.

i am not sure what your permanent wants and needs are.

even as a temporary home, it is still working out great. and like you, i appreciate the fact that it is inexpensive and will be paid off in a couple of years instead of having a 10 or 20 year mortgage etc.

a few little fixings and it seems to me anyway, i'll be free. yours is allready paid for and you don't even have to worry about interest etc.. and all that.

it sounds to me (i could be wrong) but your thinking smart and efficient. and with forethought. as long as your safe.

i liked the pics in your link, your house must be pretty cool. mine is German too, but more in farmhouse style. although in town. i am guessing it started out as a farmhouse and the town grew up around it.

i feel bad for you having the wood rot and the floor trouble. but like you said that can be fixed in time and shouldn't be all that expensive. its worth it if you want to stay there. and even worth it if you don't stay there, considering the other expensive alternatives.

i've been scared too because this is the first house i've ever bought and i bought it last November.

i've been going through all of the questions, doubts and worries you've been going through, but so far i seem to have made the right decision. and it will be paid off soon and there's not that much more i should need to put into it.

i think, as long as your safe, saving money, and like the house and it is working out for you, everything should be fine.

i wish i had more specific information i could give you about wood rot, and other costs. but from my research about alot of this stuff, there are many ways to do things safely and inexpensively.

i could be wrong, that is for sure. i know how you feel. but just letting you know, i'm in the same situation and doing ok. and i've been feeling better and better about my decision the more i think about it. as long as your safe and saving money, it should be ok?

well anyways good luck (i'm bummed i lost all those links or could've sent them to you)

 

[EveWasFramed]

I'm furthermore upset with this site for blocking me in chat.

The site isn't blocking you from chat. The room changed about a month ago, for reasons I won't go into here.
Look up in the upper right hand corner of this page. You will see, Open Buddy List, SHoutbox and Chat links. CLick the chat link one. If you had an old bookmarked link, that's why you cant get in. If you're using the new one, then it's a XAT issue, not a forum issue.

Good luck with the house thing by the way...I'm wondering if your family is just concerned about it being a "money pit" maybe?

 

[VanillaCreme]

Thing is with an old house, is usually it takes a lot more money and effort to fix it up than the actual house is worth. So many things must be fixed and up-to-date, or the house fails inspection to live in. I'm not saying that buying a mortgage is any easier, but at least with a mortgage, you don't have to worry about the inspection, because the people selling it usually have to be responsible for it. But, maybe that's what your family is so concerned over. The fact of the age of the house and the amount of work. You certainly don't want to be fixing up a house for years to come. Even renovations for an older house can cause problems by bring up deeper problems within the house. You'll want the kitchen or bathroom renovated, but then you'll discover there's mold lining one side of the house. Digging up important issues is just as important as fixing surface ones.

 

[SophiaGrace]

just by typing the words Renovation and House I've come up with this forum:

http://www.houserepairtalk.com/

 

[Brian]

You know who else is crazy?

Those people on that show where they buy crap houses for dirt cheap and fix them up.

If you get those kinds of results from being crazy, then fresia yeah, be a looney.



You have two paths you can go here. I actually rented a floor in a house that was 50/50. You can half-ass the repairs and have a mediocre abode that you'll have a hard time living in or selling. Or you can do it the right way: make a plan, learn how to do what needs to be done, and dedicate yourself to it. The results of the latter are outstanding; the results of the former are depressing at best.

What you can't do, hire a contractor for. But avoid that wherever possible to maximize your returns.

 

[Badjedidude]

Congrats on the hoiuse!

It's a BIG investment, but ultimately worth it, if you're planning on sticking around the area for a while.

 

[jales]

Hi sorry I did not reply yesterday. Your house is a German farmhouse. Is it made with big timber beams as well, or out of brick?

Yes I know, there are a lot of renovation forums, I guess I just have not found the right one as yet. Also it feels like it would be useful to actually live chat about fixing a house.

Are you finished fixing your house? Well yes being safe is important. We dont live there and whenever we go, we go together. Also I've been wearing mask inside to house each time I go, and we have hard hats lol. But it's a bit of a scary place yea. It smells, because of the dry rot fungus and possibly due to other fungi as well.

I see what you mean about wanting to move to a smaller place after, but well you never know. Actually I always thought I would want to retire in a large house with lots of land. That way family can always visit.

But this house is very small.. so much so that everyone refers to it as the 'tiny house' well.. also because all the other houses in the neighborhood are huge. Lol Germans like big houses. But I like that this house is small now. Even though it is small it is so much to clean, imagine if it were big; that would be horrible.

Thanks for the luck though, thanks for replying; it means a lot to me. Yea I slept and today should be a better day than yesterday. Actually today we are going to the house, and we will be working on it this weekend..till around Tuesday.

The town it is in is the best part though, its the nicest town in the world. I just hope it remains as nice as it is now for a really long time.
Well I hope you are well csmswhs, and hopefully we will speak again.

there are alot of places on the web related to fixing houses. and there's alot of info about doing it safely and cheaply. alot of options i know.. going through all of it kind of drove me nuts at first, but the information is out there.

and then who do you trust to do it? if your not going to do it yourself...

i used to have alot of links saved with all this info that i could pass onto you, but it was saved on my old computer which crashed and i lost it all... darn it! i would've been able to send you so many links.

i understand what your saying about caring what other people think. i think most people do it because they care, so that's good. my mom was giving me so much grief and creating so much worry within me, while my dad and brothers were telling me i made a smart decision.

it was only 60,000 with a brand new big garage. and as you said, you have time to fix certain things.

i am thinking that the things that i need to redo would only amount to 10,000 if i'm smart about it. maybe less.

my only problem is, by the time i do this, i won't really need a house this big anymore. (its actually not that big, but big to me).

but if i was someone who really wants to stay in the house for a long time, and make it a permanent home, and would need and use the space, i would keep it.

i am not sure what your permanent wants and needs are.

even as a temporary home, it is still working out great. and like you, i appreciate the fact that it is inexpensive and will be paid off in a couple of years instead of having a 10 or 20 year mortgage etc.

a few little fixings and it seems to me anyway, i'll be free. yours is allready paid for and you don't even have to worry about interest etc.. and all that.

it sounds to me (i could be wrong) but your thinking smart and efficient. and with forethought. as long as your safe.

i liked the pics in your link, your house must be pretty cool. mine is German too, but more in farmhouse style. although in town. i am guessing it started out as a farmhouse and the town grew up around it.

i feel bad for you having the wood rot and the floor trouble. but like you said that can be fixed in time and shouldn't be all that expensive. its worth it if you want to stay there. and even worth it if you don't stay there, considering the other expensive alternatives.

i've been scared too because this is the first house i've ever bought and i bought it last November.

i've been going through all of the questions, doubts and worries you've been going through, but so far i seem to have made the right decision. and it will be paid off soon and there's not that much more i should need to put into it.

i think, as long as your safe, saving money, and like the house and it is working out for you, everything should be fine.

i wish i had more specific information i could give you about wood rot, and other costs. but from my research about alot of this stuff, there are many ways to do things safely and inexpensively.

i could be wrong, that is for sure. i know how you feel. but just letting you know, i'm in the same situation and doing ok. and i've been feeling better and better about my decision the more i think about it. as long as your safe and saving money, it should be ok?

well anyways good luck (i'm bummed i lost all those links or could've sent them to you)

---

Ohhh thanks a lot for that info. I will try the new chat then.
I think yes, it will be a money pit, and they know that and we know that.. but .. is that always a bad thing? Yea they are concerned about a whole lot of things. I think they worry too much, and they will send me mad with their worrying.

I'm furthermore upset with this site for blocking me in chat.

The site isn't blocking you from chat. The room changed about a month ago, for reasons I won't go into here.
Look up in the upper right hand corner of this page. You will see, Open Buddy List, SHoutbox and Chat links. CLick the chat link one. If you had an old bookmarked link, that's why you cant get in. If you're using the new one, then it's a XAT issue, not a forum issue.

Good luck with the house thing by the way...I'm wondering if your family is just concerned about it being a "money pit" maybe?

---

Thanks Brian, yea we will try to do things the right way. And no contractors we would have to hire him/her for years if that were the case, cause we are kind of determine not to go in to debt for this. So everything will be done at our own pace.

I was just under stress yesterday but today i should be fine.

You know who else is crazy?

Those people on that show where they buy crap houses for dirt cheap and fix them up.

If you get those kinds of results from being crazy, then fresia yeah, be a looney.



You have two paths you can go here. I actually rented a floor in a house that was 50/50. You can half-ass the repairs and have a mediocre abode that you'll have a hard time living in or selling. Or you can do it the right way: make a plan, learn how to do what needs to be done, and dedicate yourself to it. The results of the latter are outstanding; the results of the former are depressing at best.

What you can't do, hire a contractor for. But avoid that wherever possible to maximize your returns.

---

thanks SG

just by typing the words Renovation and House I've come up with this forum:

http://www.houserepairtalk.com/

---

Yea, let's hope it turns out well yes
thanks.

Congrats on the hoiuse!

It's a BIG investment, but ultimately worth it, if you're planning on sticking around the area for a while.