Have any of you "couples" purchased a home together?

[icebrat001]

Hello Family!

Dear SO and I are purchasing our very first home together. in fact if there are any left, we have one in mind and we may put the down payment on it next week, it's brand new so it wouldn't be completed until Nov or Dec.

But I'm curious, what have your experiences been like?

I'd also like your feedback on floor plans, I've created a thread about it over on the Community board, please check it out.

 

[Saxton]

Malaysia - that is very cool! Congratulations!! I can't speak for the couples part since I'm solo but I've owned my house for a long time. I've thought about building (well, having one built!) but I've redone everything - the kitchen was the latest project - so since it's basically "new" and will be paid off in a few years it makes sense to stay here. My long range plan is to move to Florida when I retire (hopefully very early). Where did you guys pick? You were looking in Florida weren't you? Did you pick a floorplan, builder, etc.?

PS: I bought 3 suits yesterday but no shoes!!

 

[icebrat001]

It's a place in Riverview, FL, near Brandon and Tampa. It's a townhouse, they will begin building our unit in April and it will be done around Nov or Dec. We haven't seen it in person yet, but there are only a few units left and they will not be building anymore, so since we trust dear so's step mom, she's going to take a look at it with our realtor on Tuesday and if she likes it, we will put down some money. Crazy isn't it. If they have more than 2 units available dear so or myself may fly down after the step mom sees it. We will see.

I've never even been to Florida, crazy isn't it. Yikes.

Anyway, here is a link to the floorplan and the thread I created http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1033321

ETA: 3 suits and no shoes, hope you go shopping soon. Dear SO bought me a $100 pair of jeans and no shirt or shoes to match, I felt like saying how am I supposed to wear trendy jeans without a trendy top and shoes guess I need to go shopping.

 

[nordkin]

We bought our first house together 17 years ago. The smartest thing we did was have a legal document drawn up that outlines what will happen with the house if we break up. An attorney friend of ours suggested this so we could come to agreements when we are not in the heat of a breakup and think things through when we are in a good space. We each had our own attorney that reveiwed things and advised us. The document has been locked in the safe deposit box for 17 years and to be honest I do not even remember what is in it, but I do know it was well thought out and negotiated when there was no anger or hurt to distort our judgement. The relationship is still going strong after 19 years and we now own two homes together.

The best advice I can give is to protect yourself as this is a huge financial investment for both of you, but it can be done in a loving caring way.

 

[True North]

Malaysia! That is so exciting! Congratulations! That should be my families next step, but we probably won't do it until next January. The floor plan looks lovely! Two walk in closets? Looks like it would suit you great! How did you decide to move to Florida?

 

[icebrat001]

The best advice I can give is to protect yourself as this is a huge financial investment for both of you, but it can be done in a loving caring way.

We've already been talking about this. Can we use any type of lawyer, how much does this generally run?

 

[icebrat001]

Malaysia! That is so exciting! Congratulations! That should be my families next step, but we probably won't do it until next January. The floor plan looks lovely! Two walk in closets? Looks like it would suit you great! How did you decide to move to Florida?

Valencia's (Dear SO) parents moved for Florida in September and Valencia and her step mother are VERY close and that's pretty much her only family and she wants to be near them. I don't have any family so California isn't really holding me down, although I will miss it.

We are having a bit of trouble deciding on which floor plan to choose though.

 

[True North]

Oh sorry! I just looked at the first picture. Yeah, that seems like a tough choice. I kind of like the openness of option two, but I don't know where the furniture would go. It seems like the first one has more flow. Also, the first one seems like it would feel bigger with the seperate living room / dining room. Ugh! I can tell when it becomes my turn to do this I am going to have no clue what I want! Good luck choosing!

 

[padalyn]

that is a pretty area - enjoy it!! Bradenton is a neat town and there is a really interesting musuem of Ringling Brothers Circus...check it out! I have a friend who lives on Santa Maria near by. The sea turtle watch group is also a great group of people who make sure all the little turtles get out to sea...Keep us posted as to how it works out!

I bought my condo 15 years ago with no regrets at all. I have redone so much that the seller would not recognize it - a home/house is ALWAYS a work in progress and requires almost constant maintance but is well worth the time and energy.

good luck to you!

It's a place in Riverview, FL, near Brandon and Tampa. It's a townhouse, they will begin building our unit in April and it will be done around Nov or Dec. We haven't seen it in person yet, but there are only a few units left and they will not be building anymore, so since we trust dear so's step mom, she's going to take a look at it with our realtor on Tuesday and if she likes it, we will put down some money. Crazy isn't it. If they have more than 2 units available dear so or myself may fly down after the step mom sees it. We will see.

I've never even been to Florida, crazy isn't it. Yikes.

Anyway, here is a link to the floorplan and the thread I created http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1033321

ETA: 3 suits and no shoes, hope you go shopping soon. Dear SO bought me a $100 pair of jeans and no shirt or shoes to match, I felt like saying how am I supposed to wear trendy jeans without a trendy top and shoes guess I need to go shopping.

 

[mickeem]

Hey! Congratulations!! Buying the house isnt always the fun part, but usually owning it is!! We bought our first home 12 years ago, and just sold it a few months ago.
We are in the process of picking a place in florida to live. We are looking at Winter Park, and interestingly enough, web pages are saying how gay friendly it is, and there are some gay neighborhoods?? hmm, anyone down there heard this??
As of now, we are going to rent for a year, and look into these really cool townhouses that are being built there.
We may be down there in a few weeks, if all goes well with my SO's interview tomorrow...

Good Luck, it looks great!!



____________
Traci

 

[PennyW]

Congrats Malaysia! Very exciting! Linda and I bought our house together a couple of years ago.

As said before, be sure you get legal documents protecting both of you. The attorney that drew up our wills made sure we had a "Joint Tenancy" document: A joint tenancy is a form of shared ownership, with the key feature being the "right of survivorship". This means that while the joint tenants equally share ownership during their lifetimes, when one joint tenant dies, his or her interest is extinguished, leaving the surviving joint tenant(s) with sole ownership.

Good luck, and let us know which plan you choose!

 

[nordkin]

We've already been talking about this. Can we use any type of lawyer, how much does this generally run?

We used the same attorneys that drew up our wills. We paid about $250 each. My partner's attorney kept telling her she was being too generous to me, but she stood firm and had the document drawn up the way she wanted it. The big thing you have to decide is whether or not you want to hold title with rights of survivorship. If you do this, upon eithers death the sole ownership goes to the other and is not considered part of your estate. Since you will be in Florida and their laws do not favor our relationships it is very important to insure all the legal papers are in order so someone in either family can not come in a take anything away that you want the other to have. Just cover all your bases and have it double checked. You might want to find a gay friendly attorney with expertise in this area.

 

[T&KHayes]

Ohhh Malaysia I am so excited for you guys! Not only are you buying your first house, but in Florida! How awesome! We just bought our first home last June. We are having so much fun with it. As far as floor plans go....I liked the first one because the family room is by the lanai, but I like the master layout in the second one the closet space is better! Plus I really like the den, you could use it as an office, spare b-room, exercise room, any of those things you wouldn't necessarily want the rest of the house seeing all the time. But it all comes down to what works best for you. When we bought we thought about where everything would go, and how we could grow with the house. Are you still thinking about kids? If you ever do, and turn the second bedroom into a nursery you might want a den for a spare for family to come visit. Just a thought! Not that you wanted this much of an opinion, lol Good luck & God bless!

 

[icebrat001]

We are only planning to stay in the townhouse for 5 years, because at the point we plan on having children and the place isn't large enough to accomodate a kid.

OMG, I am so excited right now, I feel like bouncing off the walls, if I knew how to do a cartwheel I would be doing it. The realtor just called us about an hour ago and said that someones financing fell through on my of the places, one that will be complete in April as opposed to the one we were buying that wouldn't be complete until November. So we might (knock on wood) be getting a place a lot sooner than expected and we are guaranteed a better loan rate now as opposed to later. Only problem is we are here in California and they are in Florida and they need our checks in hand like tomorrow and it won't get there in time, we've so gotta talk about this. I guess I should get off of the DIS, you think?

 

[Kevin&Randall]

I've never even been to Florida, crazy isn't it. Yikes.

Anyway, here is a link to the floorplan and the thread I created http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1033321

Kevin and I have bought two homes together. The one we are in now we both love. While you may not want to get a "pre-nuptual" agreement to state what happens if you break up, you do want to get to a lawyer. You need to draw up wills and powers of attorney. Kevin and I have established as much legal documents to make us "married" as we legally can.

Regarding your home choices, see advantages and dis-advantages to both. But ultimately I would go with Floor Plan #1. It seems more flexible and doesn't put the airconditioning unit in someones bedroom.

If you want more ideas, please send me an IM.

Randall

 

[exDS vet]

My partner (Joseph) and I have owned homes in Arizona and Colorado. We never thought we'd ever buy a home, but now we love being homeowners. I had a friend in AZ who called us HOMOwners. I thought it was kinda cute.

Anyway, we went the "joint tenancy" way, so we both own the house equaly and if one should pass away, the other retains sole ownership. Joseph and I have built our entire relationship on trust and mutual respect. The idea of "til death do us part" is the only thing that we believe will ever break us up. So we did not go with lawyers into the purchasing of either home.

Later this year, we plan to sell our home and move back home to California. We've been away from there for 4 years and we want to be near both of our families. Since we plan to start a business when we return to the Bay Area, we will probably do the apartment thing for a year or two before buying again. Hopefully by that time, the market will have cooled signifigantly.

Best of luck with your new townhome. Your and your SO are going to love it.

 

[ChrizJen]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Jen and I have been working on improving our credit...
But probably within the next year or so, we will look into buying a house together. I'm so happy for you!!

As for the floorplans, I prefer #2. There is some compromise for the upstairs, but I think that the downstairs is AWESOME!!! When it comes to the "common" living areas of a home, I prefer a more open plan. I think that a "great room" idea provides more warmth and openness, and feels more welcoming. Plus, (and I said this on the other thread too) with both LR and DR together, it's a bit more flexible. You can use more space for LR if you need to and less for DR, or vice-versa.

Here's an example of what I mean:
Jen and I live in an old 2-family, and we have a LR/DR almost all in one, but they are seperated by a "built-in" archway sort of thing with shelves on each side. It makes the 2 rooms almost identical in size. Although we love the architectural element of the archway, it is a definite "divider" of the 2 spaces. We wish we could move it and make the DR much smaller and the LR much bigger. We just don't need such a large DR. Anyway, so what I'm saying in this RANT is that if you have one big space, you can manipulate how much of it you designate for each "room"...whereas if they are 2 seperate rooms, you get what you get...
SHEESH!!! I really wish I could say something without writing a novel!

Anyway, congratulations, and GOOD LUCK!!!
-Christal

 

[Tony-NJ]

Hey Malaysia that is so exciting! Chris and I bought our house together 4 years ago. No problems at all. We didn't have any papers drawn up or anything. Didn't really think about that. He owned the condo prior to this.

Just know that buying a home and getting the mortgage can be a bit stressful as you are shelling out a lot of money. But all will be fine!

All the best to you two!

 

[StormTigger]

Congrats!! Actually we are just in the process of doing this ... still looking at the moment. I do have to say it's a big scary step.

I have to admit I'm jealous!! Not only buying a home, but in FL, and in Bradenton! My company just opened a division of my department in that area, and unfortunately it was instantly filled, but I've got my fingers crossed for the next openning. Who knows, maybe we'll be neighbors some day.

Any good luck on the move and purchase hope everything turns out the best.

 

[mickeem]

Well, congrats on the house decision.. And It's official for me too!! I'm moving to Florida!! My SO got the job offer, we have a place in Ocoee, and will be driving the big rental truck in three weeks.

Then, we will be looking for something to buy. Thanks for all the tips here, espescially about getting a lawyer for whatever state you are in. We will have to find out all about the laws there, versus what they are here in NY.

Lots to do!!

Love the Floor plan number1 by the way...
____________________
Traci