When do you finally calm down after buying a house?
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I think after 18 months or so you will have a good feeling for what you bought. There will still be things to do. There will ALWAYS be things to do (some of which will be very expensive). But as far as coming to terms with exactly where everything is, what the quirks are, and whether you can live with them, you need all 4 seasons and a bit.
Didn't think about seeing how everything holds up during all the seasons. Windows and AC are only a few years old but the furnace is closer to end of life than new. Guess we will see how it goes this winter. I'm sure there will be a lot more to consider that I don't even know about yet.
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It's been about ten years in my house, the list of needed repairs is getting longer faster than I can fix them.
The house is probably at least a hundred years old, so you might not have that issue.
More frustrating: for every little thing you do manage to fix, three new jobs pop up!
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The first house our offer was accepted on had a large tree (the biggest tree I ever saw IRL besides some state parks) and had a credit to get it removed. 3 days after our offer was accepted a big storm came through and a branch fell, destroying the roof on the back half. We went through with the inspection because they told us insurance was replacing it, but we walked into a house with water going from the roof to the basement. There was even water pooling in the breaker box. We mentioned everything we found to them and they just said "well our neighbor is the contractor and he can do the roof and some of the walls. If you guys want to talk to insurance or find another contractor that's fine". We backed out after that.
Edit: There were multiple broken struts in the roof and they "didn't know about" and said the neighbor could fix them. We looked up the neighbor and he's just some guy with an LLC doing handy work. Nothing against that but when it comes to structural work, I would want an artitect or engineer to take a look, not some handyman who can "fix it" while missing a lot of the damage our inspector found.
Dodged that bullet, wow.
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Dodged that bullet, wow.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Dodged an artillery shell!
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My grandpa was a painter for 45 years and already was asking us what we want to do. Guess we need to figure that out faster
Paint it before you move in.
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eh you get used to it. for me the anxiety from first house went down within a few weeks/months after moving in.
It's still a shit process every time. so ya never get used to the shit process of selling and buying a house.
I hear some folk have sweet stories of fantasy where rainbows and birds bring them the keys but I didn't get those in my filtered reality bubble.
maybe it's them there rich folk I been hearin' bout.
Yeah was expecting it to suck ass. Two of my cousins bought houses around 2022 and I helped with some of the work at their places when they first moved in, so I knew nothing would be perfect and got an idea of what we could do ourselves/with a little help.
But yeah I happen to know a couple who had rainbows and birds deliver their keys. My SIL's SIL (there has to be a word for that) married a trust fund kid who's dad owns a car dealership. The dad was buying a house in a newly developed area, and decided to buy the house next to his and gift it. They have not been a good source for advice.
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The timeframe all depends on the house. Over the last 30 years, we've bought three homes. The first one was an absolute breeze and never caused us heartache. The second one, was a bit of a troublemaker but we just worked our way from room to room, rehabbing the entire house a little bit at a time.
This last one has been a nightmare for the 4 years we've owned it. We've blown through our savings and still don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Without going into needless detail, on top of a qualified home inspector, I would suggest going to the city/county permitting office to make sure permits were pulled for anything that's been recently done. In our case, the the biggest issue with this property was that apartment over garage was done illegally and we had to completely gut and start over. Unfortunately, the entire reason we picked this house was for that apartment as it was for our daughter to live in.
My intention isn't to scare you but just be sure to perform due diligence and don't be afraid to further investigate potential issues.
The thing that pisses me off about this, is how the previous owner who illegally modified the house isn't instantly on the hook for the amount it elevated the house price, and you would have to proactively litigate them in civil court (if that's even legal).
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More frustrating: for every little thing you do manage to fix, three new jobs pop up!
And if you're as talented as me, those three new things are a direct result of attempting to fix the first one!
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The thing that pisses me off about this, is how the previous owner who illegally modified the house isn't instantly on the hook for the amount it elevated the house price, and you would have to proactively litigate them in civil court (if that's even legal).
I agree, we had the option to sue the seller but the reality is, even if we spend a ton of money to take him to court, there's no guaranteed payment at the end. We decided to focus on fixing the problem rather than try to get compensation from them.
There is absolutely no system in place to protect people from something like this. The inspector didn't find it, the realty attorneys didn't find it, the realtors didn't find it. We only found out about it when pulling a permit for a deck.
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My wife and I are about 3 weeks from closing on our first house and I am losing my god damn mind. All of our finances/budget work out while still having savings for emergency repairs, our inspection went well after having to back out on the first we offered on (tree fell on the house after offer was accepted, thought we could fix but it was a wash) and we really like the area and first impressions of our neighbors.
I know buying a house is a top "most stressful thing" an average person can go through, but this is a lot harder than I thought and I didn't downplay it in my head. I am guessing I will feel like this for the first year or two and progressively it will become normal right? We have a lot of support from our families (financially, emotionally and labor/handypeople) so I am still optimistic about the whole thing, but my appetite is non existent and insomnia seems to be working in overdrive.
After you close, you’re going to start doing projects on the place. Some you’ll plan, others you’ll discover along the way. One day you’ll be out of time and/or money for more of them - that’s when you’ll calm down. Enjoy the ride!
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My wife and I are about 3 weeks from closing on our first house and I am losing my god damn mind. All of our finances/budget work out while still having savings for emergency repairs, our inspection went well after having to back out on the first we offered on (tree fell on the house after offer was accepted, thought we could fix but it was a wash) and we really like the area and first impressions of our neighbors.
I know buying a house is a top "most stressful thing" an average person can go through, but this is a lot harder than I thought and I didn't downplay it in my head. I am guessing I will feel like this for the first year or two and progressively it will become normal right? We have a lot of support from our families (financially, emotionally and labor/handypeople) so I am still optimistic about the whole thing, but my appetite is non existent and insomnia seems to be working in overdrive.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]If it ever does calm down and stabilize, beware. That means something expensive is about to break. It's always something!
But really, it does get a lot less hectic after you close, get utilities and address records sorted, finish any big upfront renovations you want to do, and get most of your stuff unpacked.
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My wife and I are about 3 weeks from closing on our first house and I am losing my god damn mind. All of our finances/budget work out while still having savings for emergency repairs, our inspection went well after having to back out on the first we offered on (tree fell on the house after offer was accepted, thought we could fix but it was a wash) and we really like the area and first impressions of our neighbors.
I know buying a house is a top "most stressful thing" an average person can go through, but this is a lot harder than I thought and I didn't downplay it in my head. I am guessing I will feel like this for the first year or two and progressively it will become normal right? We have a lot of support from our families (financially, emotionally and labor/handypeople) so I am still optimistic about the whole thing, but my appetite is non existent and insomnia seems to be working in overdrive.
If your first house is anything like mine was, it'll be a lot of "What's that sound!? God dammit..." followed by either a day's worth of work fixing something, or a bill for several hundred dollars. It took a few major problems before my wife and I started getting confident that we knew what we were doing. You get used to it, and eventually problems that arise are no longer a "will we get through this?" and instead become an "ugh, I can't wait until we're through this." After a few years I was able to sell it to someone else as their starter home, and use the equity I built to buy a much nicer house with far fewer problems, though you'll never be totally free from the occasional sudden panic of a major issue.
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My wife and I are about 3 weeks from closing on our first house and I am losing my god damn mind. All of our finances/budget work out while still having savings for emergency repairs, our inspection went well after having to back out on the first we offered on (tree fell on the house after offer was accepted, thought we could fix but it was a wash) and we really like the area and first impressions of our neighbors.
I know buying a house is a top "most stressful thing" an average person can go through, but this is a lot harder than I thought and I didn't downplay it in my head. I am guessing I will feel like this for the first year or two and progressively it will become normal right? We have a lot of support from our families (financially, emotionally and labor/handypeople) so I am still optimistic about the whole thing, but my appetite is non existent and insomnia seems to be working in overdrive.
When you're tired from work but you've still got to clean the whole thing to 'protect your investment'.
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My wife and I are about 3 weeks from closing on our first house and I am losing my god damn mind. All of our finances/budget work out while still having savings for emergency repairs, our inspection went well after having to back out on the first we offered on (tree fell on the house after offer was accepted, thought we could fix but it was a wash) and we really like the area and first impressions of our neighbors.
I know buying a house is a top "most stressful thing" an average person can go through, but this is a lot harder than I thought and I didn't downplay it in my head. I am guessing I will feel like this for the first year or two and progressively it will become normal right? We have a lot of support from our families (financially, emotionally and labor/handypeople) so I am still optimistic about the whole thing, but my appetite is non existent and insomnia seems to be working in overdrive.
After closing it starts to reduce. Doesn't hit zero until one has fixed the major systems (by doing or paying) and inflation makes your old apartment Bella expensive. (Locked in rent is nice.)
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My wife and I are about 3 weeks from closing on our first house and I am losing my god damn mind. All of our finances/budget work out while still having savings for emergency repairs, our inspection went well after having to back out on the first we offered on (tree fell on the house after offer was accepted, thought we could fix but it was a wash) and we really like the area and first impressions of our neighbors.
I know buying a house is a top "most stressful thing" an average person can go through, but this is a lot harder than I thought and I didn't downplay it in my head. I am guessing I will feel like this for the first year or two and progressively it will become normal right? We have a lot of support from our families (financially, emotionally and labor/handypeople) so I am still optimistic about the whole thing, but my appetite is non existent and insomnia seems to be working in overdrive.
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What's that sound? Is it supposed to make it? Did it make it before? Is that wet? Why is it wet? That bug is new, haven't seen one like that. Electric bill is higher this month. Got the escrow statement; it went up again. That crack... Seems longer. Door squeaks again. Was the drain recessed like that? Are you sure? That's loose, should probably do something about it. Gotta run to the hardware store. They're backordered on that thing that melted in the fire. The AC is dripping again. Is the water pressure lower than usual? What's that smell? Is it coming from under there? Why is the milk spoiled? Is the fridge warm to you? Grass is long again. Sprinkler got run over by a neighbor. We need to do something about the dead tree.
Literally things said at my house IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS. Holy shit why.
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If it ever does calm down and stabilize, beware. That means something expensive is about to break. It's always something!
But really, it does get a lot less hectic after you close, get utilities and address records sorted, finish any big upfront renovations you want to do, and get most of your stuff unpacked.
Never relax... The universe can sense when you're content and will balance itself.
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My wife and I are about 3 weeks from closing on our first house and I am losing my god damn mind. All of our finances/budget work out while still having savings for emergency repairs, our inspection went well after having to back out on the first we offered on (tree fell on the house after offer was accepted, thought we could fix but it was a wash) and we really like the area and first impressions of our neighbors.
I know buying a house is a top "most stressful thing" an average person can go through, but this is a lot harder than I thought and I didn't downplay it in my head. I am guessing I will feel like this for the first year or two and progressively it will become normal right? We have a lot of support from our families (financially, emotionally and labor/handypeople) so I am still optimistic about the whole thing, but my appetite is non existent and insomnia seems to be working in overdrive.
About 2 year mark things start to fall in place at year 4 it will truly feel like home. It's
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My wife and I are about 3 weeks from closing on our first house and I am losing my god damn mind. All of our finances/budget work out while still having savings for emergency repairs, our inspection went well after having to back out on the first we offered on (tree fell on the house after offer was accepted, thought we could fix but it was a wash) and we really like the area and first impressions of our neighbors.
I know buying a house is a top "most stressful thing" an average person can go through, but this is a lot harder than I thought and I didn't downplay it in my head. I am guessing I will feel like this for the first year or two and progressively it will become normal right? We have a lot of support from our families (financially, emotionally and labor/handypeople) so I am still optimistic about the whole thing, but my appetite is non existent and insomnia seems to be working in overdrive.
I fixed most of the rainwater drainage issues 2 years ago and I STILL check the basement for leaks every time it rains. Homeownership is a constant battle against water and water is one sneaky bastard.
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I agree, we had the option to sue the seller but the reality is, even if we spend a ton of money to take him to court, there's no guaranteed payment at the end. We decided to focus on fixing the problem rather than try to get compensation from them.
There is absolutely no system in place to protect people from something like this. The inspector didn't find it, the realty attorneys didn't find it, the realtors didn't find it. We only found out about it when pulling a permit for a deck.
Yep. Just another example of how the system is designed to protect the existing capital and landowners over what is fair or just.
