Random talk thread: It just keeps happening

[Potato]

There is a bright side to this. You own your own home without a mortgage and you can make it into whatever you want.

Congrats and try to look on the positive side.

[Bebpo]

I kind of had set my expectations down to get a cheaper interim house for a few years until the market was better since it seemed better than paying rent. So I'm ok with the quality of the house I'm buying, but having all my cash locked up does make me kind of nervous in case I really don't like it.

This year my house buying offer attempts went from:

2,900 sq ft duplex in a community with a lake for fishing, horse trails, and nearby major park that you could walk to
2,500 sq ft super nice luxury house
2,150 sq ft great condition, very clean but sterile aesthetic looking flip house with a bad layout
1,700 sq ft 70 year old house that has an old house smell, blood red walls, the rain gutter drainage is terrible design and crawl space mildly flooded last three months and dirt under still wet but wood/concrete seem fine, roof is dead and needs full re-roofing, and can't even see the condition of the sewer pipes beyond the house front yet, so could be full of roots and needing to tear up the yard. The kitchen is also super ugly and not sure anything short of a full remodel can fix how it looks. But if it's functional, it's fine.

Things just kept getting smaller and worse lol, but at least the prices kept getting lower. Mostly because the stuff in the higher budget range just kept getting worse and worse and wasn't worth the kind of money people were asking at those ranges. For $1.5M you better get a nice fucking house, not some boring generic 2,100 sq ft track home with no yard and all your windows just look into your neighbor's windows.

My idea with an interim place was to aim for like 4-6 years and then move to actual legit nice house, but won't have enough saved in 4-6 years for a downpayment, so still will have to get money out of this house and that is going to be tricky but I'll deal with that later on.

But yeah, next time I get a house I will definitely get a mortgage.

[Bebpo]

On the plus side I got a gargoyle fountain out of it

[Potato]

On the plus side I got a gargoyle fountain out of it

(Image removed from quote.)

Totally worth it

[Nintex]

Congrats 

That's an Umbrella lab put 3 gems in their mouths

[MMaRsu]

Congrats on the new house Bepbo!!

[Uncle]

the feeling of total ownership over even a shitty house is awesome

"I can just remove this wall if I want and no one will stop me"

[Raist]

the feeling of total ownership over even a shitty house is awesome

"I can just remove this wall if I want and no one will stop me"

No one except gravity.

[HardcoreRetro]

If Bebpo's understanding of game mechanics translates to his real world understanding of mechanics I can imagine him getting crushed by his own house as he takes out a load bearing wall.

(Still laughing about him dropping the combat knife in the supply chest in RE4 Remake)

[Polident Hive]

Coming in with a hardline opinion. Heated toilet seats fucking suck. There’s a threshold with faux luxury products where heated surfaces come into play. Most aren’t for me but I see the appeal. A toilet seat? Really? feeling like some hefty bloke just stood up after a 40 minute struggle passing a gordita supreme.

[Bebpo]

Yeah, so I'm starting contractor work this week, which will last at least 2-4 weeks before moving walls.

My main issue at this point is balancing the money I sink in, vs money I'll get out, vs quality of place I want to live in since I didn't buy a nice fancy flipped/custom house and a bit of a fixer up er.

I'm getting in a $1M, and it needs about $50k repairs just to stabilize and not fall apart, so that puts me at $1.05M. It's probably worth about $1.1M today in repaired state, so I'm about $50k under. Because of the size (1,700 sq ft) + street noise in the yard/plane noise in the house, even if it was the fanciest custom house ever, it'd probably top out at about $1.25M or $1.3M max. It's in a good location.

My goal budget I think, is to stay under $150k in upgrades to be about $1.2M in, which I feel pretty comfortable will be safe for when I sell it to not eat big losses. At worst just break even with what I put in with repairs + upgrades.

My plan's to live at this house until the market stabilizes itself and stops being insane trying to find a nice 15-20 year settle down house. Whether that happens in 2 years and I sell this then and move, or whether it takes 5-10 years. And while I can live in an ugly house that whole time and just put up with it and have less risk of eating losses when selling, I think I'd rather make it a comfortable nice, albiet small, place to live for the time I'm here.

Now $150k in upgrades should get you a decent way with a 1,700 sq ft house. But one of the main issues is the kitchen, and just doing a complete remodel would probably be $50k+ of that. But man is the kitchen ugly. I think you can fix it by flipping the sink to the other side of the kitchen with a window that looks out in the yard and de-uglifying the cabinets and removing the wall next to it that separates it from the living room, but just depends on the costs. Also the tin steel looking XXXX backdrop needs to go. Maybe counters could stay at most.

And yeah I have a structural engineer lined up to brace a wall cause some of it is load-bearing.



Kitchen



Flip the sink to the other side so it looks out that way instead



Wall I want to remove to give more space



Other side of the wall in the living room.

[Nintex]

It looks like there's a lot of space to work with and everything looks clean and finished.

Maybe some paint will do the trick in the kitchen.
That's what a friend of mine did to save some money and the result was great.

[Bebpo]

It looks like there's a lot of space to work with and everything looks clean and finished.

Maybe some paint will do the trick in the kitchen.
That's what a friend of mine did to save some money and the result was great.

Yeah, I’m hoping that opening the wall and some paint may save it to keep costs down.

Most of the damage that needs repairs is the exterior/crawl space/yard/roof. The interior is in pretty clean finished condition. Other than the kitchen, the rest of the interior should be cheaper and easier to make looking nice.

Though the garage is kind of bleh and washer & dryer are there so going to have to think up some ways to clean up the main garage into a clean space.

[Potato]

That kitchen looks ok. As long as the cabinets are ok, just paint them and move on. Moving sinks around is going to cost more than it's worth and anyone you sell it to is likely to want to remodel it anyway.

[jorma]

i wish my kitchen looked that good 

[Polident Hive]

From my pov that kitchen has too much storage space. If the idea is a space for a family with over three kids and a dog? Sure. Maybe. But I bet if you check those cabinets right now, you’ll find a left behind Slap Chop and George Forman grill.

[james]

Yeah, so I'm starting contractor work this week, which will last at least 2-4 weeks before moving walls.

My main issue at this point is balancing the money I sink in, vs money I'll get out, vs quality of place I want to live in since I didn't buy a nice fancy flipped/custom house and a bit of a fixer up er.

I'm getting in a $1M, and it needs about $50k repairs just to stabilize and not fall apart, so that puts me at $1.05M. It's probably worth about $1.1M today in repaired state, so I'm about $50k under. Because of the size (1,700 sq ft) + street noise in the yard/plane noise in the house, even if it was the fanciest custom house ever, it'd probably top out at about $1.25M or $1.3M max. It's in a good location.

My goal budget I think, is to stay under $150k in upgrades to be about $1.2M in, which I feel pretty comfortable will be safe for when I sell it to not eat big losses. At worst just break even with what I put in with repairs + upgrades.

My plan's to live at this house until the market stabilizes itself and stops being insane trying to find a nice 15-20 year settle down house. Whether that happens in 2 years and I sell this then and move, or whether it takes 5-10 years. And while I can live in an ugly house that whole time and just put up with it and have less risk of eating losses when selling, I think I'd rather make it a comfortable nice, albiet small, place to live for the time I'm here.

Now $150k in upgrades should get you a decent way with a 1,700 sq ft house. But one of the main issues is the kitchen, and just doing a complete remodel would probably be $50k+ of that. But man is the kitchen ugly. I think you can fix it by flipping the sink to the other side of the kitchen with a window that looks out in the yard and de-uglifying the cabinets and removing the wall next to it that separates it from the living room, but just depends on the costs. Also the tin steel looking XXXX backdrop needs to go. Maybe counters could stay at most.

And yeah I have a structural engineer lined up to brace a wall cause some of it is load-bearing.

(Image removed from quote.)

Kitchen

(Image removed from quote.)

Flip the sink to the other side so it looks out that way instead

(Image removed from quote.)

Wall I want to remove to give more space

(Image removed from quote.)

Other side of the wall in the living room.

The fuck is wrong with you that kitchen looks great.

[Bebpo]

Yeah, it's way too many cabinets. I wouldn't use half of that. Maybe just removing a few in select spots would free it up.

That kitchen looks ok. As long as the cabinets are ok, just paint them and move on. Moving sinks around is going to cost more than it's worth and anyone you sell it to is likely to want to remodel it anyway.

Can you paint textured wood though? It's not like plain color where you can paint them white or blue or any color. Pretty sure the texture would show through. Maybe black would work, idk.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

https://papermoonpainting.com/grain-on-painted-cabinets/

yeah, just need different prep.

[james]

Yeah, it's way too many cabinets. I wouldn't use half of that. Maybe just removing a few in select spots would free it up.

I am begging you to discuss these theories with a woman before spending money to make your house worse.

There is literally no such thing as too much cabinet space

[archnemesis]

I second that. Cabinet space and storage in general is really important. Don't remove anything without a really good reason. You want items out of sight so that you can have them out of your mind and be more relaxed.

[james]

I would also suggest researching was improvements actually have a positive ROI.

Pools are famous for being popular but not raising the value of your home anywhere near what they cost to build.

I believe on the other hand, a bathroom reno can raise value by significantly more than it costs just because people associate new with clean and thats important in a bathroom.

Maintenance stuff like a roof is obviously important/required but buyers dont really value it up front.

People are weird about paint/walls. On one hand, its like the easiest thing to change (You can DIY on a weekend!), and yet when people view homes they can consider it a dealbreaker if they find the colors ugly. Folks aren't logical.

So dont let your personal feelings dictate what you do IF your plan is to resell. If you really want to move the sink because you cook a bunch and you personally plan on using it heavily for 5 years and the sink position will affect your personal happiness- great, do it! But dont do it for profit.

[Potato]

Yeah, it's way too many cabinets. I wouldn't use half of that. Maybe just removing a few in select spots would free it up.

I am begging you to discuss these theories with a woman before spending money to make your house worse.

There is literally no such thing as too much cabinet space

I hate to admit it, but James is right

[team filler]

sex dungeon

[Potato]

The fuck is wrong with you that kitchen looks great.

It's that weird American thing with mixing contrasting textures. The wood grain on the cabinets and the texture of the bench tops just turns into a massive sensory overload.

Only thing I would suggest is installing a dishwasher. Who has time to wash dishes by hand?

[Potato]

sex dungeon

Is it really a dungeon if it's actually in your living room?

[james]

It's that weird American thing with mixing contrasting textures. The wood grain on the cabinets and the texture of the bench tops just turns into a massive sensory overload.

I dont love it either, but rich people seem to enjoy it

Look at this 4.5 million dollar house, that has a fucking kitchen inside the kitchen.

Pretty similar visual overload...but why the fuck is the island countertop different lol

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/211-Pine-Dr-Southlake-TX-76092/83794341_zpid/

Only thing I would suggest is installing a dishwasher. Who has time to wash dishes by hand?

There has to be on behind one of the cabinets. No way a kitchen like that doesnt already have one

Bonus pic:

[Bebpo]

Yeah, it's way too many cabinets. I wouldn't use half of that. Maybe just removing a few in select spots would free it up.

I am begging you to discuss these theories with a woman before spending money to make your house worse.

There is literally no such thing as too much cabinet space

I hate to admit it, but James is right

Yeah, I’m working with an interior designer who yes is a woman.

[Potato]

It's that weird American thing with mixing contrasting textures. The wood grain on the cabinets and the texture of the bench tops just turns into a massive sensory overload.

I dont love it either, but rich people seem to enjoy it

Look at this 4.5 million dollar house, that has a fucking kitchen inside the kitchen.

Pretty similar visual overload...but why the fuck is the island countertop different lol

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/211-Pine-Dr-Southlake-TX-76092/83794341_zpid/

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

Only thing I would suggest is installing a dishwasher. Who has time to wash dishes by hand?

There has to be on behind one of the cabinets. No way a kitchen like that doesnt already have one

Bonus pic:

(Image removed from quote.)

Kitchen inside a kitchen is called a Butler's pantry. It's where the rich American folk hide their slaves domestic housekeepers from the Philippines who don't have access to their own passports when their cuntry club friends are over for drinks.

[james]

Yeah, I’m working with an interior designer who yes is a woman.

Not good enough, make sure shes straight and conservative and older than 38

[Madrun Badrun]

Bebs, if you touch those oak cabinets you are a monster.  Sure they look way too busy and too much, but only in the same way heaven looks like too much when you look at it straight on.   

[Bebpo]

Some more fun photos from my visit at night:









Previous owner was definitely the "weird" guy on the block.

[Bebpo]

Also I walked through the place with my brother whose remodeled two houses and kind of got some ideas before I do my walk through with my interior designer.

The place is salvageable, but the scope of it is pretty overwhelming. I'm probably going to need to change all the flooring, move walls, paint all the walls, create a new small exterior room and join it in, put in new windows that let in more light, maybe add skylights, change windows to french doors, etc..

I can probably afford the renovation, but I've had like zero free time for the past 4 months and this stuff will take all of it for like the next 6 months. Not too mention good luck living and working from home there with major construction constantly going on.

Even the backyard is full of gnat swarms so you can't even just put out a chair and relax with a beer. Probably because all the dead bamboo since the previous owner didn't do a great job with maintaining the place, especially on the exterior.

Just feels tiring. I'm tempted to just give up and rent a place for myself and work on this project from afar and if it turns out nice, great I move in, if not, fuck it I sell it and try to break as even as possible and try the housing purchase market again when my lease expires. I wasn't planning on buying anything that wasn't pretty turn-key for exactly this reason, don't have time for this shit and need to move soon. Every time I walk in this new house it's just depressing, not because it was a horrible mistake (though I think it was a mistake just because it needs a lot of work and I don't have time for that), but just because the place needs way too much work and every time I walk in I find a couple of new things wrong with it.

Like I got it at a very good price, but it's pretty clear it's because the owner (who was not the person living in it, that was their son) was like ok, I need to get rid of my son's weird place as quickly as I can in a bargain sale.

Maybe all home sales are like this where it goes from "this looks great and fairly turn key" on initial impressions, but the more and more you visit the more and more it seems like a trainwreck and so much you need to fix and it's just overwhelming and sadness.

[Transhuman]

Can't you just replace that lightbulb and keep the rest the same?

[Bebpo]

Can't you just replace that lightbulb and keep the rest the same?

Yeah, that was just showing the house is weird. None of that is an actual issue. Like I'm replacing the black toilet tomorrow and a white toilet is like $130 at home depot.
I am keeping the tub and the knight TP though.

Black Toilets are the dumbest thing ever made if you actually want to see your body health from what you discharge from your system. Both toilets in this place are black wtf.

[Raist]

Some more fun photos from my visit at night:

(Image removed from quote.)

[Nintex]

Just do one room at a time. It takes time but it's worth it. I wish I had my own house with a Dark Souls boss holding the toilet paper.

Worst mistake you can make is trashing it all at once. A friend of mine did that and he ended up staying at his parents for another decade and selling an unfinished house for pennies. Now he's stuck renting again and pretty much broke.

[Bebpo]

Just do one room at a time. It takes time but it's worth it. I wish I had my own house with a Dark Souls boss holding the toilet paper.

Worst mistake you can make is trashing it all at once. A friend of mine did that and he ended up staying at his parents for another decade and selling an unfinished house for pennies. Now he's stuck renting again and pretty much broke.

Good advice. Yeah, might be a room by room remodel.

[Potato]

If you change that toilet roll holder you are the devil. That's the best thing I've ever seen. If you don't want it, please send it to me.

[Snoopycat_]

Bought myself a watch

[HardcoreRetro]

Just keep the place the same and start a D&D group. Start wearing medieval reenactment gear and roam the place as a king.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

this stuff will take all of it for like the next 6 months.

I've got some news for you.

All that stuff you want to do will not be done in 6 months.

[james]

I'm probably going to need to change all the flooring, move walls, paint all the walls, create a new small exterior room and join it in, put in new windows that let in more light, maybe add skylights, change windows to french doors, etc..

No actually, you dont

Even the backyard is full of gnat swarms so you can't even just put out a chair and relax with a beer. Probably because all the dead bamboo since the previous owner didn't do a great job with maintaining the place, especially on the exterior.

This I would fix

[Bebpo]

Even the backyard is full of gnat swarms so you can't even just put out a chair and relax with a beer. Probably because all the dead bamboo since the previous owner didn't do a great job with maintaining the place, especially on the exterior.

This I would fix

Yeah, I don't even know how to fix this. The gnats are coming from the bamboo that's dead which is also the only privacy wall from a commercial office building looking down on you. You cut the bamboo out and property value plummets because of your backyard without the privacy. You can plant new bamboo and redo the landscape and sprinkler irrigation to avoid gnats everywhere but they won't be that tall to start and it will take years to get your privacy and home value back.

This is kind of a doctored photo as it looks a lot shittier in person. 1 full set is dead and 1/2 or 1/3rd of the one to the left of it is dead. The wall behind it is pretty low too so if you remove the bamboo people could jump the wall from the commercial lot behind it. May need to build a higher wall if I do that.



I think the real solution is if I'm staying for a few years to cut that all out and plant some new healthy trees with a good sprinkler irrigation system and let them grow to give privacy (and yeah, maybe put a higher wall in for the meantime). The gnats come from the bamboo and swarm all over the artificial grass there and the whole yard in mass.

[Uncle]

I don't know a lot about bamboo, does only that specific type of bamboo grow that high and to that density? because there are varieties that reach their maximum height in like 3 months

[Bebpo]

I don't know a lot about bamboo, does only that specific type of bamboo grow that high and to that density? because there are varieties that reach their maximum height in like 3 months

I asked my landscape guy how long the new bamboo will take to grow and he's basically like it's a crapshoot, could be months, could be years. Which, I have to admit, is kind of a weird answer for a guy whose entire job is doing this stuff. Like it shouldn't be that random? I think he said it depends on the soil, lighting, weather, etc...

[Uncle]

I don't know a lot about bamboo, does only that specific type of bamboo grow that high and to that density? because there are varieties that reach their maximum height in like 3 months

I asked my landscape guy how long the new bamboo will take to grow and he's basically like it's a crapshoot, could be months, could be years. Which, I have to admit, is kind of a weird answer for a guy whose entire job is doing this stuff. Like it shouldn't be that random? I think he said it depends on the soil, lighting, weather, etc...

I suppose it wouldn't be unrealistic to assume the previous homeowner had the exact same problem, a multi-year wait to get some privacy, and that's why he was hesitant to deal with it too

[james]

Even the backyard is full of gnat swarms so you can't even just put out a chair and relax with a beer. Probably because all the dead bamboo since the previous owner didn't do a great job with maintaining the place, especially on the exterior.

This I would fix

Yeah, I don't even know how to fix this. The gnats are coming from the bamboo that's dead which is also the only privacy wall from a commercial office building looking down on you. You cut the bamboo out and property value plummets because of your backyard without the privacy. You can plant new bamboo and redo the landscape and sprinkler irrigation to avoid gnats everywhere but they won't be that tall to start and it will take years to get your privacy and home value back.

This is kind of a doctored photo as it looks a lot shittier in person. 1 full set is dead and 1/2 or 1/3rd of the one to the left of it is dead. The wall behind it is pretty low too so if you remove the bamboo people could jump the wall from the commercial lot behind it. May need to build a higher wall if I do that.

(Image removed from quote.)

I think the real solution is if I'm staying for a few years to cut that all out and plant some new healthy trees with a good sprinkler irrigation system and let them grow to give privacy (and yeah, maybe put a higher wall in for the meantime). The gnats come from the bamboo and swarm all over the artificial grass there and the whole yard in mass.

Check to see what local regulations are on fence height. Some are 6-foot max, but with a commercial abutter may they allow 8 feet.

I dont know anything about gnats, but is it possible to get rid of them while keeping the bamboo?

My understanding with bamboo is that it grows like weeds and is impossible to get rid of, so most people have the reverse problem you have.

I would def plant a couple of nice shade trees regardless of what happens to the bamboo. Theyre super slow to grow, but with a little more $$ up front you can buy a tree with a few years head start in growth (make sure it comes with warranty).

The fountain looks sweet.

[HardcoreRetro]

The bamboo might be rotting from overwatering. Dude probably drowned that thing. I'd get rid of it. I imagine the gnats are coming from the murky water at the bottom of the dead bamboo. They're attracted to the fungus that grows around it.

Shouldn't actually be too hard to get rid of the bamboo. Trim them down, dig out the roots. Get rid of the top feet of soil to get rid of the rhizomes. It'll take some work.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

drig out the dirt, and replace it with rocks.

[Bebpo]

The bamboo might be rotting from overwatering. Dude probably drowned that thing. I'd get rid of it. I imagine the gnats are coming from the murky water at the bottom of the dead bamboo. They're attracted to the fungus that grows around it.

Shouldn't actually be too hard to get rid of the bamboo. Trim them down, dig out the roots. Get rid of the top feet of soil to get rid of the rhizomes. It'll take some work.

Nah, wasn't overwatering. We checked and the sprinkler that went to the dead set of bamboo was broken. They died from lack of water.

[Potato]

Saw Helmet play tonight. Bit of a blast from the past. They were very good.

[Bebpo]

So it turns out I'm going to flip the house I got. Working on redesigning it to modern flip standards. If anyone wants that knight toilet paper holder I can ship that to you instead of throwing it in the trash if you want to pay for shipping.

Pretty nervous because it's my first time doing a flip, I'm not a flipper, and I have minimal experience with contractors in general.

Also if I make any profit from this, that profit will be taxed at 51% wooo because I can't afford to do it as a 1031 exchange and put the money into another investment property, because uh I need that money to buy a different house.

But yeah, next few months between repairs and updating the house, listing it (I've never listed/sold a house before), and all the way through close is going to be pretty nerve wracking, time taking and incredible stressful on a gamble of gaining or losing money.

Also, at the same time trying to do some mold remediation issues at my condo to fix my AC issues so I can have AC this summer and stay at my condo until I get this house flipped and my money back so maybe I can look for houses again in the fall.

2023 continues to be the worst year ever for me.

[Nintex]

Why flip it, looks like a decent place to live.

Just get a big beautiful fence

[Bebpo]

Why flip it, looks like a decent place to live.

Just get a big beautiful fence

Some things with it came up that were unexpected and it doesn't make financial sense for me to stay.
I need to list it for about $200k more than I bought it for, so doing a lot of upgrades to make it a sleek modern looking house like every other sleek modern looking flip house and hoping for the best.

I looked a nice rental property today, but since I'm basically going to be broke making these upgrades to get my money out of the new house, I should just stay in my condo and fix the mold issue and replace the AC (the mold is really minor, but it's at a spot that's very difficult for professionals to fix and unfortunately it gets sucked into the AC intake and spreads in the AC unit and around the house if I use the AC, and not using the AC is very, very bad in So Cal heat).

[BIONIC]

Thank you for contributing to the housing crisis.

[HardcoreRetro]

At least the thought of a one million dollar impulse buy is making me laugh.

Thanks for the laughs, Bebpo.

[who is ted danson?]

are ppl that share porn on the internet cumfluencers?

[Bebpo]

I don't even want to get into the details, but I'd file a lawsuit if I thought I could collect. Even if end up breaking even (which is very questionable, I still may end up losing $100k+), I'm losing the next 2-3 months of my life because I got scammed by the seller.

[james]

I don't even want to get into the details, but I'd file a lawsuit if I thought I could collect. Even if end up breaking even (which is very questionable, I still may end up losing $100k+), I'm losing the next 2-3 months of my life because I got scammed by the seller.

Isn't there deed insurance and inspection insurance and stuff if you discover things that weren't said to you?