So... I've been looking for my first house since the beginning of the year... and not having very good luck with it... I've had 2 houses under contract, both of which I walked away from because they ended up having major issues that didn't show up until inspection... and then the most recent one I absolutely loved and made an offer on, knowing that needed a good amount of work, but once I put in the offer I found out that the HVAC unit had been stolen that week, which was another major repair that I couldn't afford with everything else that needed fixing, so I withdrew my offer.

I've seen a few houses in the last few weeks that are nice and move in ready for the most part... but I'm not absolutely in love with any of them... and I'm just kind of stuck... I really really want out of my apartment... but this is the biggest purchase I will ever make... so I don't want to settle just because.

So... my question for you homeowners... did you settle for your house? Did you grow to love it? Or did you hold out for the perfect place?

definitely do not settle. you're right. this is the biggest purchase you are ever likely ever going to make. be sure about the quality of the house and that you like it.

i settled. ten years ago. i bought my house for all the wrong reasons. now, it's practically worthless and i'm hoping that the builders who are developing the property adjacent to mine will eventually want to buy my property. with the market the way it is, i think i'm going to have to wait it out for a couple of years.

don't settle. don't get stuck. it's a buyer's market, so you should have no problem getting what you want.

Don't settle. Just wait.

It's worth to wait until you find 'your' house. You know when you'r in the house, the house will call you. Untill then, just wait, investigate, see a lot of houses, so you know what the important features in a house are for you.

Inspection before you buy it is very wise, also, check with the locals or local government whether there are any future plans for projects near you house. You don't want to pay for a house with a beautiful view in the fields, only to have a flat build in it a year later.

And really, don't give up hope. Your house will call you. You will know.

I agree with everyone else. This IS the biggest purchase you’ll make and it’s your market – there’s plenty out there and all for good prices. When I went through the process I looked at all KINDS of houses and condos before I started to even know what I wanted. And once I found the few I was really interested in, I knew.

As for me - I didn’t settle on my house, but I did kinda settle on my neighborhood. I sorta did the opposite of what you’re supposed to do in that I bought a nicer place in a not-as-nice neighborhood (instead of the smallest house in the best neighborhood). I simply couldn’t afford anything decent in the neighborhood I wanted to live in.

BUT - I absolutely LOVE my condo and when you look at my building, many of the units in the building are bigger than mine. So I kinda compromised on that principle. I wouldn’t have purchased in that neighborhood even 5 years before I did, but the neighborhood is up and coming, in large part due to the redevelopment of the historic building I live in and lots of small businesses starting to crop up everywhere. Now, if I’d have hated the neighborhood it would have been a deal breaker, but there are plenty of good points as well.

Thanks for all your great advice, as usual! One of the best reasons to hang around the org

I think I'm just frustrated with everything after having such bad luck with the houses that I really liked. And, I had a good friend who found a perfect house in about 2 weeks at the end of last year... so I'm also jealous! Patience is clearly not my best virtue.

Yes and no.

I bought my house 7 years ago and my house has everything I want except a garage and a basement (it's a dirt floor cellar with pretty much no hope of being a living space). Since my house has 2 bonus rooms on the main floor, I figured doing without the basement would be fine. And I thought I could add a garage later down the road. My house is a livable fixer upper. For the most part, I'm happy with my decision however if I had to do it over again I would have bought for what my lifestyle was at the time rather than what I wanted my lifestyle to be. I was a single girl and I bought a 4 bedroom home with 2 bonus rooms and a laundry room that is the size of a bedroom. In my mind, I was going to meet someone, they would move in and we would start making babies. 7 years later, that still hasn't happened. A 2 bedroom ranch with a basement family room probably would suit me better.

So when you look at a house, you have to ask yourself "what are my goals in life 5-10 years from now?" and then ask yourself "will this house suit me if that shit doesn't work out?" Good luck!

JuliePurplehead said:

Yes and no.

I bought my house 7 years ago and my house has everything I want except a garage and a basement (it's a dirt floor cellar with pretty much no hope of being a living space). Since my house has 2 bonus rooms on the main floor, I figured doing without the basement would be fine. And I thought I could add a garage later down the road. My house is a livable fixer upper. For the most part, I'm happy with my decision however if I had to do it over again I would have bought for what my lifestyle was at the time rather than what I wanted my lifestyle to be. I was a single girl and I bought a 4 bedroom home with 2 bonus rooms and a laundry room that is the size of a bedroom. In my mind, I was going to meet someone, they would move in and we would start making babies. 7 years later, that still hasn't happened. A 2 bedroom ranch with a basement family room probably would suit me better.

So when you look at a house, you have to ask yourself "what are my goals in life 5-10 years from now?" and then ask yourself "will this house suit me if that shit doesn't work out?" Good luck!

Yeah... this is a bit of my problem too... my boyfriend has yet to decide if he actually wants to move in with me once I find a place... although I think he'll finally make up his mind and he will... but I have to make sure I can handle it all on my own if anything happens with him.

JuliePurplehead said:

Yes and no.

I bought my house 7 years ago and my house has everything I want except a garage and a basement (it's a dirt floor cellar with pretty much no hope of being a living space). Since my house has 2 bonus rooms on the main floor, I figured doing without the basement would be fine. And I thought I could add a garage later down the road. My house is a livable fixer upper. For the most part, I'm happy with my decision however if I had to do it over again I would have bought for what my lifestyle was at the time rather than what I wanted my lifestyle to be. I was a single girl and I bought a 4 bedroom home with 2 bonus rooms and a laundry room that is the size of a bedroom. In my mind, I was going to meet someone, they would move in and we would start making babies. 7 years later, that still hasn't happened. A 2 bedroom ranch with a basement family room probably would suit me better.

So when you look at a house, you have to ask yourself "what are my goals in life 5-10 years from now?" and then ask yourself "will this house suit me if that shit doesn't work out?" Good luck!

I’m at the opposite end. I bought a one bedroom condo with no doors - the bathroom door is even kind of strange as it slides along the hallway on the outside of the room, there’s a frosted window in the middle and there’s no lock on it. It’s actually a huge place for me, but it’s perfect for only one person. There’s nowhere to go to get away from someone else and no way to really make that being it’s a big industrial loft.

I thought I’d be single for years and now I’ve got a boyfriend and it’s time to start thinking about living together and it’s totally not the time to sell yet.

I shouldn’t complain about having a bf but I never thought it would happen this way. We both should have looked for the modest 2 bedroom.

Everyone's given great advice, so far. But I would add this - make sure that, whatever you buy, you can still see yourself living there 5, 10 or even 15 years down the road. Because honestly, the housing market is crap right now - and nobody knows that values have fallen to their lowest level yet. You need to be sure that you can stick if the house loses value and you end up underwater in the mortgage, even temporarily.

I live in a 2 BR, 2-1/2 BA condo I bought in 2002. I thank my lucky stars every day that I a) bought this place in 2002, before values skyrocketed only to crash, b) got in on the ground floor of this development, when the pricing was still relatively promotional and c) have been here long enough and made enough payments that the property is still worth more than I owe. There are people who bought units here at the height of the housing boom - and lost their shirts when they had to sell due to job transfer or loss.

If you have any doubts about the place you're thinking of buying - or whether your employment or general living situation are stable - don't buy.