Double post

[anniet]

???

I'm stumped.

Sorry, I forget what they refer to them as in FL--I remember it was different P&S "Purchase and Sale" agreement.

 

[anniet]

On new construction--they should not have had those problems. Wind-driven rain is a fact of hurricanes.

I agree...however while some are better than others I don't think there is a house that is ever "indestructible" when Mother Nature is concerned.

Our house is a Mercedes Home and we thought for sure we were going to have the opportunity to rethink the agreement when the hurricanes hit.

(FL law says if a home is under agreement and damaged more than 1.5% of the agreed price by a hurricane the buyer can choose to back out of the contract and get their money back)

But that wasn't the case. We got NO damage whatsoever and we had it re-inspected after both Frances and Jeanne.

Talk about try before you buy!!!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I agree...however while some are better than others I don't think there is a house that is ever "indestructible" when Mother Nature is concerned.

Our house is a Mercedes Home and we thought for sure we were going to have the opportunity to rethink the agreement when the hurricanes hit.

(FL law says if a home is under agreement and damaged more than 1.5% of the agreed price by a hurricane the buyer can choose to back out of the contract and get their money back)

But that wasn't the case. We got NO damage whatsoever and we had it re-inspected after both Frances and Jeanne.

Talk about try before you buy!!!

cool--which neighborhood are you in?

 

[anniet]

cool--which neighborhood are you in?

Fern Meadows in Cocoa....I wanted to be able to choose between Melbourne and Orlando for jobs.

 

[floridafam]

We've seen new homes and older homes damaged.

Our house was built in 1981. The thing stood up so well in the storms. I couldn't believe the roof when I saw it. It looked brand new while homes down the street had their roofs almost completely torn off.

Who knows? I guess we were lucky.

 

[chrissyk]

I'd already ruled Grand Haven out because I just didn't like it...it's good to know about the class action lawsuit too, though.

We haven't tried searching for all tile, but we may start doing that. We don't mind buying a house that has some carpeting, but it has to be priced a little more reasonably than what we're seeing. I'm trying to find recent sales in the area that we're taking a 2nd look at today...needless to say, the house that we're looking at is WAY over what I'm finding. If we make an offer at all, it's going to be easily 30K less than what they're asking. Then again, maybe they'll get what they're asking from someone else...who knows.

I agree about the "water view"/retention pond thing. You CAN see all of your neighbors from the "water view" houses, LOL!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'd already ruled Grand Haven out because I just didn't like it...it's good to know about the class action lawsuit too, though.

We haven't tried searching for all tile, but we may start doing that. We don't mind buying a house that has some carpeting, but it has to be priced a little more reasonably than what we're seeing. I'm trying to find recent sales in the area that we're taking a 2nd look at today...needless to say, the house that we're looking at is WAY over what I'm finding. If we make an offer at all, it's going to be easily 30K less than what they're asking. Then again, maybe they'll get what they're asking from someone else...who knows.

I agree about the "water view"/retention pond thing. You CAN see all of your neighbors from the "water view" houses, LOL!

Friends of mine just bought a beachside canal home b/c it was on the grand canal...it needs updating--has a wonderful pool area and a nice layout. They paid of $600K for it. I'm seeing Grand Canal homes listing in the $400s-500s. I am sure they'll see appreciation...but probably slower than the surrounding homes.

Chrissy--if you e-mail me some homes you are interested in--I can look around or perhaps say if it sounds about right.

You will get some bozo's who overprice when the market is hot. They're the ones with the real estate ads that soon say REDUCED.

 

[chrissyk]

Lisa, I tried to PM you the realtor.com link for the house we're so-so on, but your PM box is full

I'm going to try to find that new construction this morning also.

 

[chrissyk]

There is a new community going up on Eau Gallie Boulevard West of Wickham. You won't have a home in 7 months--but sometimes when building a home..you can control the price a little better.

Are these the townhouses that are going in? I remember driving by some land being readied for new construction there yesterday...it looked like all townhouses, though.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Chrissy, I am going to warn you, lately when new developments open up you have to get into a lottery for a lot. That means getting in line at some ungodly hour and there is no guarantee. New home construction is out of control as well.

 

[chimera]

We became frustrated at times because new home prices were going up and up faster than we could handle.

It's like that on this side of the state, too. We built our house for $183000 back in 2001...we just did a HELOC...appraised at $273000 and we DON'T have a pool (but now we have a HELOC )

What's depressing is that we now have all this equity, but we can't afford to buy a house that we would normally consider to move up to. Those homes are now in the $400,000 range

And the new subdivisions sell out before the model homes are even built. Most of our subdivisions are working on a lottery system now...especially if lots are larger than a quarter acre.

I'm thinking we're all just gonna have to live at WDW

Anyway...I love Brevard County...DH proposed on Melbourne Beach...DD12 was born in Cape Canaveral Hospital...learned to play disc golf at Wickham Park...[sigh]

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Chimera, if I were to buy my home today, I wouldn't be able to afford it.

 

[chrissyk]

double post

 

[Miss Jasmine]

If it's still around for you to look at today, unless there is some major problem with it, chances are it IS overpriced. I bet you can get them down. How long has it been on the market?

And yes people are getting into new home construction on speculation, like I said in our case by the time we closed on our home we were already seeing a profit. So these people build then turn right around and sell it after the house has been completed.

 

[chrissyk]

If it's still around for you to look at today, unless there is some major problem with it, chances are it IS overpriced. I bet you can get them down. How long has it been on the market?

And yes people are getting into new home construction on speculation, like I said in our case by the time we closed on our home we were already seeing a profit. So these people build then turn right around and sell it after the house has been completed.

I saw a few of those never-lived-in speculation homes yesterday. They were LOUSY, though...poorly built, crummy lots, etc. I ruled out an entire area based upon these houses. ICK!

I am unsure as to how long this home has been on the market. I'm going to check that on the MLS right now. There was a house up the street from this one with one more bedroom and MUCH more curb appeal for less $$. It sold yesterday morning, though

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Lisa, I tried to PM you the realtor.com link for the house we're so-so on, but your PM box is full

I'm going to try to find that new construction this morning also.

Fixed--too popular I guess

Send again if you like

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I saw a few of those never-lived-in speculation homes yesterday. They were LOUSY, though...poorly built, crummy lots, etc. I ruled out an entire area based upon these houses. ICK!

I am unsure as to how long this home has been on the market. I'm going to check that on the MLS right now. There was a house up the street from this one with one more bedroom and MUCH more curb appeal for less $$. It sold yesterday morning, though

I am very curious with where you are looking....hmmmmmm.....

This home does sound overpriced--did they upgrade something and are trying to recoup the investment...that sometimes leads to properties being overpriced.

 

[anniet]

I saw a few of those never-lived-in speculation homes yesterday. They were LOUSY, though...poorly built, crummy lots, etc. I ruled out an entire area based upon these houses. ICK!

It's my understanding that spec houses aren't "built" to be any different than any other homes. If you didn't like them, it's probably the builders work you don't like.

Our neighborhood is full of spec houses. It's the first new development in Cocoa within the last 12 years, so people saw an investment opportunity. We bought because it's where we want to live, but if you drive through our neighborhood there are quite a few finished houses with nobody living in them and for sale signs on the front lawns.

My advice would be to find a home you love and want to live in and then offer what you feel is a fair price for it. We were told not to offer a penny less than the asking price for our house since it was the lowest priced house in the neighborhood and the people who lived in it (for 7 months) had spent a lot of money on "upstarts" like blinds and painting. It was beautiful and showed just as well as the model home. But dh said "I believe buying a house is about negotiating" so he asked me if I was okay with that and I said yes. So he offered 4,000 less than the asking price and in 5 hours they accepted our offer. (it could have helped us a little that Frances was on her way! )

Really though, I hope you find one you love and feel good about buying!