# No houses on the market



## SarahFair (Jul 14, 2016)

Our house will be on the market next week, Lord willing.. 


We are moving so we can relocate into a better school district. 
I have put in a transfer for my son, but the only open schools were the one we are currently distracted for and one that is a little further than we want to be driving to and from everyday. We wont know if he will even get the transfer until 2 weeks before school starts. 

There is nothing on the market in the area we want, we like, and is with in our budget. 
We are working with a realtor and she said shes knocked on peoples doors to ask if  they'd be interested in selling before. 
I haven't discussed this in length with her but its not something I am apposed to doing, but Im wondering how successful this strategy could really be..

When this problem comes up what are some avenues of possibility?
Building is not an option for us


My son wanted to include this emoji


----------



## Milkman (Jul 14, 2016)

If the school thing is that important to the family why not rent a home there?


----------



## SarahFair (Jul 14, 2016)

Milkman said:


> If the school thing is that important to the family why not rent a home there?



We'll probably end up renting until we do find something, but we have 2 german shepherds, a medium sized dog, and a cat. Many places dont allow animals or do month to month


----------



## shakey gizzard (Jul 15, 2016)

Zillo and Trulia till your eyes bleed!


----------



## Horns (Jul 15, 2016)

What school district do you want the kids in?


----------



## SarahFair (Jul 15, 2016)

Walnut grove, but within Monroe. That gives us a tiny little space.
I do not want to leave Monroe. Its where both of us work from and close to everything we need. Heading back towards Loganville is too crowded and Walnut Grove area puts us back in the position we are in now, further away from everything we need to be closer to.

I zillow 3x a day for new houses
Once when I wake up
Once about mid day
Once before bed

Everything I adore is 100ft inside the wrong school district


----------



## GoldDot40 (Jul 15, 2016)

We went through this...for the exact same reasons. We sold our house a year ago. We had it on the market for so long, that when the right guy committed to buy, we really didn't have anywhere to go. We moved in with my wife's sister and waited it out until an apartment came available. 

We've looked and looked and just could not find anything in this area. Our choices were limited to something WAY out of our budget and very glamorous to run down dumps. There's zero to choose from out here that fits what we wanted both in size and price. We have decided to have a house built. Actually coming out ahead to go this route vs buying a house of comparable size that's several years old, as I said were slim pickins anyway.

We'll just hang out in this apartment until the house is finished...which SHOULD be (weather permitting) late September-early October.


----------



## SarahFair (Jul 15, 2016)

We looked into building a modular home, but what we are looking for + the lot would be out of our range. 
All house in our criteria seemed to sell back 4-5 months ago. 

It's frustrating


----------



## Jeff C. (Jul 15, 2016)

Yep, there's supposedly a shortage of existing homes across the nation right now. That's good for the seller, not so much for buyers obviously, especially with so few new home starts available also.


----------



## Horns (Jul 15, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> Walnut grove, but within Monroe. That gives us a tiny little space.
> I do not want to leave Monroe. Its where both of us work from and close to everything we need. Heading back towards Loganville is too crowded and Walnut Grove area puts us back in the position we are in now, further away from everything we need to be closer to.
> 
> I zillow 3x a day for new houses
> ...



I'm not sure how far up 138 is Monroe district and where WG starts but there are a pile of subdivisions up 138. Hard to believe that you can't find what you want. Hope it works out for you all.


----------



## GoldDot40 (Jul 15, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> We looked into building a modular home, but what we are looking for + the lot would be out of our range.
> All house in our criteria seemed to sell back 4-5 months ago.
> 
> It's frustrating


We shopped modular homes AND manufactured homes as options. You can have a stick built house for less. They think a lot of the modular homes these days...and mobile homes aren't too far behind. It was still less money for us to build.

About the only way you'd come out cheaper with a mobile home is to buy about an acre of land...in which some counties won't allow a mobile home on a lot less than 5 acres. But then the home insurance coverage on a mobile home is outrageous unless you're within 200ft of a hydrant and in a fire district with an ISO (protection class) of at least a 5.


----------



## SarahFair (Jul 16, 2016)

Interesting on the stick built houses, I'll have to ask around, but finding a lot in the area is another hurdle. 

I'll admit I'm picky. 
I don't like the newer houses in the neighborhoods where there's only a few different kinds. 
I like older homes, pre 1979.
They come with so much personality


There is one we viewed previously that they just dropped the price another 10k today.  
They've come off 34k total from the original list price and have had 1 pending fall through.
Id still need them to come off another 12.5-15%.
I'm wondering if and when I should put in an offer at 85% of current asking.


----------



## gobbleinwoods (Jul 16, 2016)

Offers never hurt unless they accept and you really didn't want the house.


----------



## Miguel Cervantes (Jul 16, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> Walnut grove, but within Monroe. That gives us a tiny little space.
> I do not want to leave Monroe. Its where both of us work from and close to everything we need. Heading back towards Loganville is too crowded and Walnut Grove area puts us back in the position we are in now, further away from everything we need to be closer to.
> 
> I zillow 3x a day for new houses
> ...



You need to rethink that strategy for future purposes. In Walnut Grove you are 10 minutes from anything you need, Monroe, Loganville, Conyers, Covington, etc. Sooner or later, and I'm bettin sooner since I've already heard rumblings of it, the BOE will redistrict the WC schools again and closer to Monroe is the last place you want to be when that happens. 

Oh and in so much as calling 1979 houses old!  I graduated high school before they were built and they aren't anywhere close to old, and after doing a complete remod and flip on my dads 1970 Ranch I can tell you, how they were built in those days isn't near as good as some of the new construction due to lack of codes back then. Some scary stuff was done back in the late 60's and 70's on new home construction that would never pass the mustard today.

In so much as when to make an 85% offer on a home you are interested in? Now. Never wait, all that can happen is they'll turn you down, but you'll have your foot on the pulse of what's happening with the house via your agent once you do. 

If you don't have an agent, I have the best and she lives in Walnut Grove.


----------



## SarahFair (Jul 16, 2016)

I do have one 
Shes coming tomorrow to take pictures and list.
Both of us dont think the house will last long on the market so Id like to be ready to go somewhere instead of being caught with my pants down..

And when I say older home,  I _really_ want a 100+ year old home. 

I don't want to leave Monroe. I really don't. 
Walnut Grove is okay, but Monroe is my home. 
I don't see how they could fit any more kids at MAHS. They district the largest portion of Walton county, but a lot of it is country homes..

Every single house I want is 100ft inside the wrong district.  
It's a little irritating. 

If my son does get the transfer he will be good to go for the next 3 years. My other son won't be needing to move schools for another 3 years. 
I'm tempted to buy a house I like in the wrong district and live there for a few years while we remodle it and sell it, but my biggest fear is the market falling again.


----------



## westcobbdog (Jul 16, 2016)

get your agent to check out FMLS and GA MLS. Ask if she is using fmls, which is agent only and used by 30k+ agents in metro Atl. Houses listed with agents go here first, then trickle down to Zillow, ect. Ask your agent to put you on an auto notification search where you are notified when a new listing is loaded into system. When you do find the perfect home beware 4 other sets of buyers may be on the trail,too. Then it comes down to the agent. Consider an escalation clause I use for times like these. You agree to pay say 1k-2k higher than any other buyer provided you get to see a copy of competing contract.


----------



## Miguel Cervantes (Jul 16, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> I do have one
> Shes coming tomorrow to take pictures and list.
> Both of us dont think the house will last long on the market so Id like to be ready to go somewhere instead of being caught with my pants down..
> 
> ...



Redistricting doesn't fit "more" into an existing school, it moves the population of students from one school to another to balance the numbers (at least that's what they like to tell you) 

Walnut Grove High School, the new kid on the block, got screwed when it was built and the new districts were drawn with some of the richest communities in the county being literally a block away from the school, but staying in the Loganville district with a heavier draw from Monroe area students. Sooner or later that will have to shift. Walton County can't afford to have two schools that perform like MAHS does. 

For now WCHS is good. Dr. Callahan does a superb job keeping the kids and the school on track. That wasn't always the case prior to him showing up.


----------



## SarahFair (Jul 16, 2016)

Its honestly not the HSs Im worried about, its the middle.

Carver is notoriously rough and performs poorly. 

MAHS sports are subpar.
Not that I expect (but we can always hope) my kids will get scholarships, but a good sports program, imo, will help keep them engaged.


----------



## Kootie (Jul 16, 2016)

Hey Sarah - Have you considered Loganville Christian Academy? Great school and not to far from you...PM me if you would like more info. 
Good Luck with your move.


----------



## NE GA Pappy (Jul 16, 2016)

I don't understand not wanting to build a new home. You can build whatever character you want into it.  If you want 10ft vaulted ceilings, build them.  If you want 8in wide crown moulding, no problem. 

find some plans you like, and build the home of your dreams.


----------



## NE GA Pappy (Jul 16, 2016)

I don't understand not wanting to build a new home. You can build whatever character you want into it.  If you want 10ft vaulted ceilings, build them.  If you want 8in wide crown moulding, no problem. 

find some plans you like, and build the home of your dreams.


----------



## skiff23 (Jul 17, 2016)

Price is the determining factor. You may have you expectations to high for your budget . Lower your demands or raise your price. I am not being ugly but that is the biggest problem with buyers. Find the area you want then search inside the price you can afford.


----------



## NOYDB (Jul 17, 2016)

As an ex military brat, to me a house is just another stop along the way. I don't expect perfection as there will be another one.

I felt the same way about schools.


----------



## SarahFair (Jul 17, 2016)

I talked to my realtor today and she thinks the price is way too high as well. When I asked what she thought it should be at she was about right on target of what we thought as well.


They had another offer come in today but said it was too low so who knows.

We are going to talk to the bank tomorrow and run numbers to see what we can come up with for an offer. 
All they can do is say no.


----------



## Miguel Cervantes (Jul 17, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> I talked to my realtor today and she thinks the price is way too high as well. When I asked what she thought it should be at she was about right on target of what we thought as well.
> 
> 
> They had another offer come in today but said it was too low so who knows.
> ...


----------



## westcobbdog (Jul 18, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> I talked to my realtor today and she thinks the price is way too high as well. When I asked what she thought it should be at she was about right on target of what we thought as well.
> 
> 
> They had another offer come in today but said it was too low so who knows.
> ...



Be sure and write a nice "love letter" to the Seller about how much you will love their old home and care for it..this could be worth a few K alone.


----------



## SarahFair (Jul 18, 2016)

I sure did do that 

We just sent the offer off. Its been such a busy day!
Our house went on the market and after the first viewing we were offered well above asking. 
Im just hoping the other house works out and we can close on the same date and we dont end up homeless


----------



## skeeter24 (Jul 19, 2016)

I would go after off market properties.  Send letters to home owners in the zip codes that you are interested in and tell them you are interested in buying their home to live in for your primary residence and are not an investor.  Websites like "melissadata" can quickly download info from the courthouse retrieval system and pair it with other data.  You can apply almost any filter you want to the list (vacant owner, build year, etc).  You can get the list and send them yourself or have a direct mail company do that for you and never lift a finger.


----------



## SarahFair (Jul 19, 2016)

I think were going to have to start after off the market houses. 
The house we put an offer on supposedly has a full price offer coming in today, but if we go ahead and offer full price he'll take it


----------



## Miguel Cervantes (Jul 19, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> I think were going to have to start after off the market houses.
> The house we put an offer on supposedly has a full price offer coming in today, but if we go ahead and offer full price he'll take it



Sounds like they have a less than ethical idiot for an agent representing that house. I'd move on down the road.


----------



## SarahFair (Jul 20, 2016)

I'm beginning to wonder if he even submitted our offer. 
I looked the guy up and I don't like him. That's not nice but he just rubs me the wrong way, maybe it's because I already have ill feelings towards him. 
The house isn't pending sale yet, so....


Our house has had 4 viewings so far, 3 more today. 

The first offer was a USDA and since tax records show this is a manufactured home instead of modular it was going to have to be swapped to an FHA  (if I'm understanding that correctly).

The second offer was higher and they were supposed to submit it by 6 pm yesterday. 
They had been searching for months and absolutely loved the house and had their realtor call on the spot to make an offer. 
Haven't seen the offer yet though. 

One of them was having to work with my realtors lender, maybe that's the hold up?
The lender said they were prequalified and was sending the letter last night. 


She said the other two viewings gave positive feedback and she was expecting offers from them as well.

I don't know if the delays are normal or if I should just expect people to say they are sending an offer and it never show up?


----------



## westcobbdog (Jul 20, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> I'm beginning to wonder if he even submitted our offer.
> I looked the guy up and I don't like him. That's not nice but he just rubs me the wrong way, maybe it's because I already have ill feelings towards him.
> The house isn't pending sale yet, so....
> 
> ...



Delays are normal but I never tell my Seller we have an offer coming because its painful when it doesn't happen. 

I still did not catch what happened with the offer you wrote on the old home?


----------



## 95g atl (Aug 2, 2016)

sounds like your agent is blowing some smoke up a rear end.

I never tell my sellers that I expect an offer, blah blah blah.  

Don't want to give false hopes and lose credibility......


----------



## SarahFair (Aug 2, 2016)

We had a total of 8 or so showings in about 3 or 4 days, its all a blur now. 
We had around 6 or 7 offers. 
We accepted the 2nd offer. The 1st one couldnt get the right loan, the 2nd was the 2nd viewing and also the highest bidder. 

Our due diligence is up August 10th and if everything goes as planned we close September 6th. 


The house we put an offer on had a full price offer come in a day after ours. 
There was something with that ones financing and it was pending an inspection. 
The status never changed online so I had my realtor text the guy because their due diligence was up after 10 days. 
He said hed just submitted the paperwork to his office and they would be the ones changing the status, still hasnt changed though. 


It turns out we actually know some of the family that owns the house. The son is the attorney for the estate, we know his cousins. 
The mans wife was a hoarder and they said you couldnt barely walk in the house before it was remodeled. 
My MIL asked the family friends to call the cousin and try to persuade him into accepting our offer, but really, would you take a $20k hit because your family asked you to?
Long shot, but why not....



The really old house we looked at had an inspection done and a buyer backed out. 
I requested to look at the home inspection. 
Its definitely got some issues. The roof is about 18 years old, the AC units are about 17 years old, the foundation has some supports that arent safe under the kitchen, some are held by some questionable pieces of wood, some water issues under the house, theres rot all over the eaves, rot all over the detached garage, something with a leaking cast iron pipe on the outside, some wiring issues, probably plumbing, none of the windows open, dry rot on them, most all are cracked, some rotting sub floor...

Their asking price is 145k
Zillow says its been on the market for almost 500 days with no price change, my realtor says you cant trust Zillow and she says its only been on the market since about January (yet all the pictures are taken during summer with no furniture, I remember it being on the market since at least October, and I remember when a family moved in because I thought it sold, but they are just renting it)
I asked my realtor what she thought about an offer and she said offer $132,000
I said there is no way. NO WAY. 
There is at least $80-90k worth of work that would need to be done to bring it up to a move in ready house that would sell in a decent amount of time in the upper $100 to very low $200 range, and even that is a pushing it price.

But the son of the woman who owns the house (whos wife is also the realtor) is renting from her while their house is being built, which is probably why the price hasnt changed. 

I cant tell if my realtor really thinks that is a fair asking price or if shes just protecting her commission/dignity/reputation


----------



## 95g atl (Aug 2, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> I cant tell if my realtor really thinks that is a fair asking price or if shes just protecting her commission/dignity/reputation




yikes.  u may have the WRONG real estate agent?


----------



## westcobbdog (Aug 2, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> We had a total of 8 or so showings in about 3 or 4 days, its all a blur now.
> We had around 6 or 7 offers.
> We accepted the 2nd offer. The 1st one couldnt get the right loan, the 2nd was the 2nd viewing and also the highest bidder.
> 
> ...



If this agent is your friend tell her to write up an offer EXACTLY as you wish, with you directing all the terms.
I have been fooled / surprised many times by offers that worked when i gave them little hope. 

Keep in mind depending on your loan type, your lender may or may not let you buy something with a lot of issues. Old HVAC is one thing, but scary structure, wood rot, termites, critters, mold, it is all probably there. 
So if getting an FHA or VA loan, make sure the $$ amount Seller is obligated for repairs is high enough to cover all the stuff you are seeing. This is not related to the home inspection, either, but to the appraiser's conditions he or she may demand.


----------



## skeeter24 (Aug 3, 2016)

95g atl said:


> yikes.  u may have the WRONG real estate agent?



I agree.  There are some good agents out there but many more horrible ones.

I am a member of a local REIA (Real Estate Investment Association) and some of the most uninformed people there are agents/brokers.

If I was looking for an agent I would ask them what their personal real estate portfolio looks like and how are they involved in real estate outside of being an agent.  Good agents, in my opinion, have realized that there are much easier ways to profit from real estate than chasing commissions.  Most of them that know this only remain an agent because they love dealing with people and no other reason.

If they don't have their own portfolio then move along...it means they don't understand the market or even worse....they know it and can't find the drive to take advantage of it.


----------



## 95g atl (Aug 3, 2016)

skeeter24 said:


> I agree.  There are some good agents out there but many more horrible ones.
> 
> I am a member of a local REIA (Real Estate Investment Association) and some of the most uninformed people there are agents/brokers.
> 
> ...



X10000000.....
I have several properties, buildings, etc.
I keep up w/the market conditions in my local area, and are familiar with most of north metro.  If I am unsure of a particular spot, I ask someone that is.

Some of my "colleagues" (can't really even call them colleagues) live in apartments are have never even owned a home.  How can you sell what you have never used/owned???      Unbelievable.

When I show a home, I can walk through it and point out defects, reasons for high/low resale in the future, approximate cost of needed repairs, mechanic lifespan of equipment, etc.  Heck, I work on ALL of my own properties, unless it involves something very major.  Other agents can't even figure out a defect if it was staring them in the face.  

Sarah, I wish you luck with this.  And don't be afraid of firing an agent if they aren't performing satisfactory.  You should be able to find another one in your local area.  There are some ones that have been doing this 20+ years over there.


----------



## Milkman (Aug 3, 2016)

I still think renting in the desired location will be a good step.  I know rent is peed away, but its better to wait for the right house than to buy the wrong one and have to sell it too.  You could loose much more than a years rent. 

The perfect house is going to become available at some point. Also continue to buy at least one mega millions ticket per week.


----------



## skeeter24 (Aug 3, 2016)

95g atl said:


> X10000000.....
> I have several properties, buildings, etc.
> I keep up w/the market conditions in my local area, and are familiar with most of north metro.  If I am unsure of a particular spot, I ask someone that is.
> 
> When I show a home, I can walk through it and point out defects, reasons for high/low resale in the future, approximate cost of needed repairs, mechanic lifespan of equipment, etc.  Heck, I work on ALL of my own properties, unless it involves something very major.  Other agents can't even figure out a defect if it was staring them in the face.



This is refreshing to hear.  I moved recently and asked an agent in the area about where to invest.  I asked about what the planning and zoning commission hot topics were and about what was going on with the job market.  I thought her eyes were going to glaze over.  She asked how and why such knowledge would be obtained or useful.  I told her data was power and the key to her success in real estate. Her follow-up was that she only cared about being a buying and selling rep.  Oh well, you can lead a horse to water.........


----------



## SarahFair (Aug 3, 2016)

I agree with renting, the problem is finding an affordable place that allows 3 dogs. 
Rent is double + our mortgage and still can't have dogs. 

The SOs brother offered us to stay with him, which is super nice, but I'd never be comfortable and its all the way in Conyers.

I think the SO is starting to panic and is going to attempt to jump the gun on anything. I'm going to have to talk him off the ledge, I cant live in sticktopia.


----------



## Trigabby (Aug 3, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> We had a total of 8 or so showings in about 3 or 4 days, its all a blur now.
> We had around 6 or 7 offers.
> We accepted the 2nd offer. The 1st one couldnt get the right loan, the 2nd was the 2nd viewing and also the highest bidder.



I'm no agent, but I've sold/bought/flipped a lot of homes.. It sounds like you may have priced your house too low to start with.. I'd be questioning your agent about a lot of things..


----------



## SarahFair (Aug 4, 2016)

Trigabby said:


> I'm no agent, but I've sold/bought/flipped a lot of homes.. It sounds like you may have priced your house too low to start with.. I'd be questioning your agent about a lot of things..



I dont think so. We told her that we didnt want to sit on the market because we had to move and she also said she didnt want to accept anything much higher than our highest offer due to appraisal estimates, does that make sense? 
Something about a loan company wont loan more than what a house appraises for.. 
She also told us houses under 100k are getting snatched up very quickly. 
Ours has a new roof, carpet, back porches, fresh gravel on the driveway, air unit is 6ish years old, fencednin yard, detached garage, decent landscaping, and a pretty private location. 
It definitely stands out against other comparables..

The one a fews doors fown sold for 68k and another one around us, slightly larger, sold for a little over 100 I believe. 
We are satisfied with the price and really were surprised that it went so high.. that one a few doors down, while slightly larger, an extra bedroom, but a trailer in not such a desirable state had us a little worried


----------



## shakey gizzard (Aug 4, 2016)

Folks instantly selling their houses and not being able to find what they want and being forced to rent is definitely trending! I'd. be expanding my search! And just say"n!


----------



## SarahFair (Aug 4, 2016)

We had an inspector come out a day early, unannounced, during one of the worst rainstorms weve had all year.
Ugh.

Weve had problems with our crawlspace due to plumbing issues and had it fixed this weekend, but with all the rain it hadnt had a good chance to dry out yet.

Id just come home from home depot with everything i needed to fix the crack in the skirting, which allows water in, to fix the sweating ac pipe, which pools water, a new gfci for the bathroom, etc etc.
Plus we hadnt put the downspout pipes on that lead the water away from the foundation. 
Written up for all of it.

Both realtors and the buyers were supposed to be here at the time of the inspection so everyone was pretty teed off.
The buyers agent told the inspection company if anything major came back on the report we were going to have a chance to fix it and they were coming back out to redo the report.

Water in a crawlspace, pictures included, doesnt look good in anyway..
It was slight pooling around a couple pillers.

I just hope we get another chance and the damage isnt done with the buyers..


----------



## GoldDot40 (Aug 4, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> I agree with renting, the problem is finding an affordable place that allows 3 dogs.
> Rent is double + our mortgage and still can't have dogs.
> 
> The SOs brother offered us to stay with him, which is super nice, but I'd never be comfortable and its all the way in Conyers.
> ...


You may very well find yourself inconvenienced for a little while before you find what you're looking for. Like I said, we're going through the exact same right now. We got extremely lucky in finding this apartment in this area. However, it IS an apartment...and I hate it. In a few months after we've settled in our new place, I'll look back at all this and likely say it was all worth it.

Don't make hasty decisions just because of inconvenience. Take your time and get what you want.


----------



## Milkman (Aug 4, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> I agree with renting, the problem is finding an affordable place that allows 3 dogs.
> Rent is double + our mortgage and still can't have dogs.
> .



Think about it this way. If you become accustomed to paying a higher price for rent you may end up deciding you can buy a higher price home.


----------



## SarahFair (Aug 4, 2016)

We just don't want to live _for_ a mortgage. 

Im not rushing, a few months is a blip on the radar in comparison to a lifetime.


----------



## westcobbdog (Aug 5, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> We had an inspector come out a day early, unannounced, during one of the worst rainstorms weve had all year.
> Ugh.
> 
> Weve had problems with our crawlspace due to plumbing issues and had it fixed this weekend, but with all the rain it hadnt had a good chance to dry out yet.
> ...



Ooh, good luck with the needed repairs.
Hopefully Buyer will hang in there and also not ask that Aqua Guard make the repair.  Sounds like you need to change the grading possibly,too?


----------



## Luke0927 (Aug 5, 2016)

Good luck it's the same all over, here in Forsyth co our friends sold a their house and a couple acres of $350k+ (quicker than expected), then they were working on getting a house built in a subdivision and basically some shading things going on looks like the builder tried to sale it out from under them for a higher price or someone offered more.  They have 3 kids and have had to do the apartment thing because they cant get a house in the style (ranch) or where they needed it.

Like you said I would try and talk your SO off from jumping the gun you don't want to get in on the wrong deal just because you think you have too.


----------



## centerpin fan (Aug 5, 2016)

None of these are in the Monroe area, but they're a steal at $100 million.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-04/the-world-s-most-expensive-homes-on-the-market-now


----------



## DatacomGuy (Aug 8, 2016)

Unsure on your budget.. But i have a friend who is building a home for us in loganville area. He builds in WG and does an extremely good job and works with most budgets.

I know you said you didnt want new.. But he might be able to get you in your desired area and he'll build you whatever you want. 

We searched for almost two years and couldn't find ANYTHING to match us. We ended up building through him and couldnt be happier.. And its ours top to bottom. Came in less than we planned on paying for an existing older home with more land.


----------



## westcobbdog (Aug 8, 2016)

DatacomGuy said:


> Unsure on your budget.. But i have a friend who is building a home for us in loganville area. He builds in WG and does an extremely good job and works with most budgets.
> 
> I know you said you didnt want new.. But he might be able to get you in your desired area and he'll build you whatever you want.
> 
> We searched for almost two years and couldn't find ANYTHING to match us. We ended up building through him and couldnt be happier.. And its ours top to bottom. Came in less than we planned on paying for an existing older home with more land.



Good suggestion because he could prolly build a nice new home that looked old or whatever front elevation Buyer wished.  
Also, dirt is fairly cheap compared to a nice house with a fat retail price sitting on it that is in higher demand. Also, plenty of land, developed lots and tear downs on the market..the three ways i look for land.
Plus, do a construction to perm loan and wrap land acquisition into loan.


----------



## DatacomGuy (Aug 10, 2016)

westcobbdog said:


> Good suggestion because he could prolly build a nice new home that looked old or whatever front elevation Buyer wished.
> Also, dirt is fairly cheap compared to a nice house with a fat retail price sitting on it that is in higher demand. Also, plenty of land, developed lots and tear downs on the market..the three ways i look for land.
> Plus, do a construction to perm loan and wrap land acquisition into loan.



Yep, and to take it one step further - he owns land all over Walton County and floats the construction loan. So you only close once, once the house is complete with no construction loans or land loans. It's just like buying an inventory home.

Really helped us make our dream come true. We most likely would have just kept renting if we hadn't found him a year or so ago.


----------



## SarahFair (Aug 18, 2016)

So to the ones that stick built, how much did it cost yall per sqft?

I really like Foresquare Homes. 
Sears Roebuck used to make "kit homes" and I really really like a lot of those plans. 


Is it cheaper to have a General Contractor but also know people in different industries (ex. electrical, plumbing, drywall) come in as "weekend warriors"?
Can you do things on your own such as flooring?



Ive looked around the internet for modulars that are similar and there just arent any that I have seen.


----------



## cr00241 (Aug 18, 2016)

I am in the process of looking at building a home in the next couple of years.

If you don't have cash but know someone that has a contractor license, that could help get a construction loan. You could pay them a fee and sub out all the work your self.

My buddy did that and he had the contractor dry the house in and he subbed out all the rest himself. He has hardwood floors, granite counter tops, crown molding etc. His final price was $65 sqft.

That's house only not including if you have to buy the land.


----------



## Horns (Aug 18, 2016)

cr00241 said:


> I am in the process of looking at building a home in the next couple of years.
> 
> If you don't have cash but know someone that has a contractor license, that could help get a construction loan. You could pay them a fee and sub out all the work your self.
> 
> My buddy did that and he had the contractor dry the house in and he subbed out all the rest himself. He has hardwood floors, granite counter tops, crown molding etc. His final price was $65 sqft.



$65 sq ft is a dang good price


----------



## 95g atl (Aug 19, 2016)

So I had a house I listed for sale in Buford this past Friday.  Had five offers by Tuesday.  Accepted Wednesday, under contract Thursday.  Right at $100 per sq ft for this one.  North metro is BOOMING.


----------



## srb (Aug 19, 2016)

New builds are wide open 175/225 Range Can't get them up fast enough:::Southhall/Buford Area


----------



## westcobbdog (Aug 20, 2016)

srb said:


> New builds are wide open 175/225 Range Can't get them up fast enough:::Southhall/Buford Area



Add most of the northern arc in there. I just helped a Buyer close on a very sweet 2k sf 4/3 ranch in formerly remote Pendergrass. Told builder the same product would be double or tripled in value in Buckhead.


----------



## 95g atl (Aug 20, 2016)

srb said:


> New builds are wide open 175/225 Range Can't get them up fast enough:::Southhall/Buford Area



Indeed....that's my area.  
Where are all these people coming from??? LOL
the north and west.
ATL metro is growing much faster than the infrastructure can support.  And we wonder why traffic is insane. It will only get worse.  



westcobbdog said:


> Add most of the northern arc in there. I just helped a Buyer close on a very sweet 2k sf 4/3 ranch in formerly remote Pendergrass. Told builder the same product would be double or tripled in value in Buckhead.



LOL.  I still think Pendergrass is far out.  10 years ago, the Reunion Subd by Chateau Elan was REMOTE.  Now there are retail centers EVERYWHERE.  Large 6 lane divided highways, red lights, and more traffic than ever.

If they ever built the "northern perimeter" like they had in the works 15 years ago, that would expand north metro even further.


----------



## 95g atl (Aug 20, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> So to the ones that stick built, how much did it cost yall per sqft?
> 
> I really like Foresquare Homes.
> Sears Roebuck used to make "kit homes" and I really really like a lot of those plans.
> ...



Building a house blues:
Financing the land usually requires a substantial down payment.  When one is ready to build, a construction loan (or construction to perm loan) is utilized.  In my humble opinion, it is a lot more work to do this.  Sure the reward can be better than purchasing one from a builder in a sub/d.  

IMO, the hardest part about this is: 1) the down payments AND 2). finding the perfect "buildable" lot.

I would try and avoid mobiles or manufactured homes.  They tend to DECREASE in value over time and many consider only the "land" to be valuable.  Modulars can go either way depending on build quality.  Some are plain jane and look like a manufactured, so when it is time to sell, people may not want them.

There is no easy way.

But you have options.  If you have to "get into the area" you want and settle for less of a home, sometimes that makes sense.  Just keep in mind the features of the home for future resale.  Out west, i've seen many families get into "shacks" that are barely the size of the garage, just to get into the area.


----------



## GoldDot40 (Aug 20, 2016)

There are 'some' builders that will agree to buy the land, build the house you want on it...then you buy it from them in an all-in-one deal. You will need to get a pre-approval letter from a bank 1st to show you are good for a loan in the amount needed. He'll have you then sign a contract that binds you to the deal so he won't be stuck with the house. I know Southfork Homes in Statham will do it. He was going to build one for us on secluded land. We went a slightly different route, but they are building the one we're getting anyway.


----------



## SarahFair (Aug 20, 2016)

We are done with "mobile" homes (which the modular homes built off site are considered because they moved down the road and require a title for every "piece").
They are a pain in the neck to buy and sell. 


Wed want to build a house house. The down payment we arent really worried about. 
My MIL is pushing us to buy "just anything", but like I said, its not happening. Im not going to be miserable for years because we werent patient. 

I saw a lot in the neighborhood I want. An acre in a 50-70 year old established neighborhood. I havent gone to look look at it yet though. Ive driven past it, but getting out to walk it can be another story.

If we bought it outright and still had the down payment for the construction loan its not so difficult, right?


----------



## cr00241 (Aug 21, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> We are done with "mobile" homes (which the modular homes built off site are considered because they moved down the road and require a title for every "piece").
> They are a pain in the neck to buy and sell.
> 
> 
> ...



If you own the land outright, it will be used as collateral for building the home. You shouldn't run into a problem getting a construction loan with the land paid for. Plus you said you will still have cash for a down payment. I would think you would get approved easy at the bank. Good luck.


----------



## 95g atl (Aug 21, 2016)

SarahFair said:


> If we bought it outright and still had the down payment for the construction loan its not so difficult, right?



CORRECT.  If you own the land, the bank has less risk.  MUCH easier to get a construction loan.

For a vacant lot in a neighborhood, BEFORE CLOSING ON IT, I would ABSOLUTELY get a survey.  I would also make sure that the city/county/hoa/community/etc., will allow you to build WHAT YOU WANT on it.  Make sure you can have septic or tie into sewer, make sure water is available, make sure electric can be brought to the property....etc  etc  etc.  All of this stuff can add up to a bit of $$$$$$$$$$

If you have a good real estate agent, they can put the purchase offer in with a "contingency" of everything you require:  IE: the survey, the regulations of allowing it to be built, water perk test, county/city water, electric, builder opinion on the lot, etc.  All that stuff you need to be able to have a house built on it.

One last thing, if you happen to know a builder (if not, contact a local builder)....ask them to meet you at the lot and get their opinion on it.  Very important.  I have a builder buddy and he did this for me 10 years ago, he gave his opinion on what kind of basement, garage, yard, etc.

Keep us posted with what you decide.



cr00241 said:


> If you own the land outright, it will be used as collateral for building the home. You shouldn't run into a problem getting a construction loan with the land paid for. Plus you said you will still have cash for a down payment. I would think you would get approved easy at the bank. Good luck.


x2


----------



## calibob1 (Aug 21, 2016)

A word of caution, it's not always easy to convert from a construction loan to a conventional loan. If your credit isn't stellar a conventional loan might scare you with the interest rate.After the home is built you have to convert fast.


----------



## SarahFair (Aug 21, 2016)

If we have the land paid for and build a 1800 sqft 3br/2ba house at about $75-$80/ sqft what kind of home could we expect?


----------

