BG Homeowner and DIY Thread - Out of the Basement Edition

[Boyiee]

I have a dewalt drill and driver, best tools I own. Always get a separate driver. I'd be just as happy with a milwaukee or maybe a mikita whatever the blue are.

[Boyiee]

Also I second rigid for a cheap durable tool. I bought a plumber tool for a sink I planned to loosen one or two bolts with and return. Thing is a tank and I love it, kept it cause I know I'll use it for 20 years. It even doubled as a hammer and a pry bar when I couldn't get the nuts off.

[Jaybar]

Rigid. I'd take them over anyone else, mainly for the skill saw.

Milwaukees are fantastic for precision if you're doing trim, but if you drop it even once they won't cut straight for shit.

Rigid you can beat the shit out of. Best for commercial use, but I recommend for DIY because you can drop em, forget about them for 2 years, whatever, amd they'll come out working like a champ.

Lifetime warranty. About the same, maybe cheaper than dewault etc, but higher quality.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Gotta get on that Festool train. Germans just know how to do things proper.

[Ksandra]

Guys halp!

So we put our house up for sale Thursday and accepted an offer today under a contingency plan. Basically that we will find our new home within 17 days and both escrows will end with a three day overlap for us to move.

So we looked at 4 homes today, and have two showings scheduled tomorrow. Homes (like mine) sell insanely fast because the inventory is so low. (Interests are also insanely low, which is why we did this. We’re able to afford way more than we would if/when the market bounces back.)

With that being said, we really REALLY want 4 bedrooms. I expect us to take in my mom one day, once she can no longer take care of herself. And I’d love to have a guest room before that happens.

However, for some dumb reason, bigger homes here tend to have 3 bedrooms, and smaller homes tend to have 4 bedrooms. (The fuck CA). I wanted to get some ideas about 4 options since we don’t get to have a lot of time before they are taken. Like maybe something we didn’t think of.

1. 3 bedroom that is low enough in price that we could afford to add walls to create a 4th bedroom. There is big enough space for it, but I feel like the space would look a little weird once done. With that being said, it’s the home closest to our kids’ school. It’s 1700 sq. ft. on a 7000 sq ft lot. We have until tomorrow to submit an offer on this home or it’s gone.

2. Large 3 bedroom home. 2000 sq. ft. on 5500 sq. ft. lot. About 60k more than number 1. Definitely room to add a 4th, but due to cost of home we may not be able to afford to right away. Monthly payments will increase about $500, doable, but meh...Absolutely gorgeous home, though. Seller’s agent seems eager to sell and they have no bidders despite it being a good price for the size.


3. (Seeing tomorrow, but has lots of photos) 4 bedroom home. Similar in price to number 1, but 1500 sq. ft. on 5000 sq. ft. lot. Home backyard faces a busy street, but our current home does, too, and we are used to it.

4. (Seeing tomorrow) 4 bedroom 2000 sq. ft. Unsure lot size, I estimate 5000-6000 based on photos. We will be the first to see this, and it’s currently 20k lower than number 2, BUT our agent predicts it will have multiple bids and likely will cost just as much. Waiting on whether we would get acceptance would be longer than number 1 would be willing to wait.


Keep in mind the larger the house the smaller the yard will be. I really want space for the kids to play in, and be able to put like a small above ground pool in. So far, 1 seems to have the biggest yard.

I know it might be hard since you aren’t seeing it, but I also know some people have been through this, so maybe you can think of something I should think about.


Inb4, damn CA homes are tiny. I know, I know...

[Buffy]

#4. You’ll want the space and won’t have to add the bedroom yourself.

[Boyiee]

I can't imagine a 4 bedroom at 2000sqft or less, a 1500sqft 3bedroom is tiny as fuck. Eliminate those right away. Don't go sub 2000sqft.

Start with 4 then fall back on 2, but if there's no offers on it there is a reason and you can come in lower.

Also look at more homes. We just went and saw 10+, only one of them we liked enough to put an offer in on. You shouldn't be considering so many houses. You need to walk in and say I love this or I don't. Don't buy emotionally because of the market and don't settle, you have time.

[Kirin]

Yeah, don't buy a home just because you're on an artificial 17 day time limit. If that contingency falls through then it falls through; no use in you buying something that doesn't suit your needs.

[Julian]

Wow those are tiny. And I'm sitting here looking at 2000-3000 sqft homes (don't even have use for more than 2 rooms... yet), looking for .3-.5 acre lots, complaining about the beautiful new homes in tiny .15 or less acre lots... >.>

Sorry I know it's not helpful. In a similar situation here. House hunting is stressful as fuck. Everything gets gobbled up the day it goes up.

[Ksandra]

I can't imagine a 4 bedroom at 2000sqft or less, a 1500sqft 3bedroom is tiny as fuck. Eliminate those right away. Don't go sub 2000sqft.

Start with 4 then fall back on 2, but if there's no offers on it there is a reason and you can come in lower.

Also look at more homes. We just went and saw 10+, only one of them we liked enough to put an offer in on. You shouldn't be considering so many houses. You need to walk in and say I love this or I don't. Don't buy emotionally because of the market and don't settle, you have time.

Only looking at 2000 severely limits us. Again, CA homes are overall tiny as fuck. I actually don’t think I know anyone with a house that big out there.

To put in perspective, our current home is 1250 sq. ft., and has basically been fine. Our issues that prompted us to move were: 1. We have no driveway 2. We only have a patio for a “backyard” 3. Our HOA is $340 a month 4. Stupid one but our pool has been closed all summer and who knows when they’d open it for Covid, so we really want our own even if it’s an above ground just for the kids. And as a note, which might make it a little less stupid, my daughter was going to join a swim team this summer, so letting her not get too rusty helps. 4. Already mentioned but we want a 4th bedroom.


Thanks for everyone’s responses so far though, it does help me calm down a bit as I am panicking over making the right decision.

I will let you guys know how 3 and 4 turn out.


So I do have a question though, is it really smart to go $500 a month over your initial plan right now? Those 2000 homes are going to be amazing, but I worry about the costs. Because we are using some of our net proceeds to wipe out all debt (goodbye student loans)! This will put us back to what we were paying on home+bills when we initially bought our current home. We definitely managed, but we’ve done a couple refis and got that extra $500, which is nice. I don’t know if we would ever refi whatever we get now because the rates will probably go up by the time 6 months roles around.

Also keep in mind a bigger
Home usually means bigger utility bills so those homes are going to cost us more than $500 a month.

[archibaldcrane]

Don't listen to these morons saying you need 2000 sq ft.

This will be your home, think first about whether this is the place you want to come home to every day.

I wouldn't let your far-future desire for a 4th bedroom hamstring your search. If you buy a house you can add onto later, great. But a lot can happen between now and whenever your mom is feeble enough to need to move in.

[archibaldcrane]

Ksan if you want to link me some listings I can look them over. Are they all in your kid's elementary school district?

[Obiron]

I just want to throw in another option that our realtor helped us navigate. When we sold our home 4 years ago, it sold a lot faster than we expected. We thought we'd have a few weeks to house hunt, but it sold in 3 days and we were panicking that we would have to find our new home so fast. What we did, that our realtor suggested and it worked out beautifully, is we baked in a rent-back agreement into the sell. We agreed with our buyer that they would let us rent our house back for a month or two while we closed on a new home. That extra month helped us get into exactly the house we wanted.

Obviously that will depend on your buyer's situation. But our buyers were a young couple living in their parents basement, so they had no problem agreeing to that.

[archibaldcrane]

My neighbors up the street did a rent-back in their recent sale too. But yeah depends on the buyer's situation.

[Jaybar]

Going from 1250 - 2000 is a good jump for you, no need to buy into a 3k+ house just because people think you need 14 different rooms.

Without knowing what these houses are only based on the square footages, I cannot comment on what will be a good choice for you. Are the streets and sidewalks safe? Are there parks nearby? Public swimming pools? Don't hamstring your search on a sizeable lot for kids to play in - they will get older very fast and start to venture away from the yard. Giving them alternatives like skate parks, safe streets, and other parks is a good idea. Don't forget that you need to actually start caring for a bigger lot.

Like Archi said, a lot can change, so planning for the future is great, but you don't know what exactly is in store. In general it's going to be easier to build inward than outward just from a permitting and allowable lot-size perspective. I'm no California architect though.

[Ksandra]

Sorry, lots of responding since it helps me think things through.

Don't listen to these morons saying you need 2000 sq ft.

This will be your home, think first about whether this is the place you want to come home to every day.

I wouldn't let your far-future desire for a 4th bedroom hamstring your search. If you buy a house you can add onto later, great. But a lot can happen between now and whenever your mom is feeble enough to need to move in.

My mom is the primary reason, but there's plenty of other reasons for the 4th, and I really can't see us not having one with an upgrade. 1. She still comes out and stays the whole summer (preCovid/postCovid eventually), and has been sleeping on the pullout couch normally. 2. We often have friends come over to spend the night. 3. Right now we use our third bedroom as an office space while the whole house works from home, but that means the kids share a room. 4. I want to avoid putting the kids' computers in their bedrooms for a variety of reasons (that's what they get for having a mom as a teacher).

Ksan if you want to link me some listings I can look them over. Are they all in your kid's elementary school district?

Yes! I need other opinions, I will send them over. SCV has (for some dumb reason) 4 school districts, but you are allowed to transfer your kid to any school in the city as long as the school has space (actually my current kids' school is not their default school as is). If we move we fill out the form again, but I am not worried. Their school isn't even close to the cap, and I have a close friend who is on really good terms with their principal. I definitely don't want them moving schools over this.

I just want to throw in another option that our realtor helped us navigate. When we sold our home 4 years ago, it sold a lot faster than we expected. We thought we'd have a few weeks to house hunt, but it sold in 3 days and we were panicking that we would have to find our new home so fast. What we did, that our realtor suggested and it worked out beautifully, is we baked in a rent-back agreement into the sell. We agreed with our buyer that they would let us rent our house back for a month or two while we closed on a new home. That extra month helped us get into exactly the house we wanted.

Obviously that will depend on your buyer's situation. But our buyers were a young couple living in their parents basement, so they had no problem agreeing to that.

I didn't think of this, thanks!

Going from 1250 - 2000 is a good jump for you, no need to buy into a 3k+ house just because people think you need 14 different rooms.

Without knowing what these houses are only based on the square footages, I cannot comment on what will be a good choice for you. Are the streets and sidewalks safe? Are there parks nearby? Public swimming pools? Don't hamstring your search on a sizeable lot for kids to play in - they will get older very fast and start to venture away from the yard. Giving them alternatives like skate parks, safe streets, and other parks is a good idea. Don't forget that you need to actually start caring for a bigger lot.

Like Archi said, a lot can change, so planning for the future is great, but you don't know what exactly is in store. In general it's going to be easier to build inward than outward just from a permitting and allowable lot-size perspective. I'm no California architect though.

So, we live in like perfect suburbia. No matter where you live here, you are not far from a park, public pool, playground etc. All the houses we look at are in like cul-de-sacs and/or dead end streets. SCV is always in a contest with Simi Valley to be the safest area in LA. There is one street that is known for being the "bad street" in all of the city, and we aren't buying there. [edit] I should also mention the city has the Paseos. There are bike/walking trails all across the city. You can pretty much bike from one location to another and never on a street. As a driver, I rarely ever see bicyclists, but there are a ton of them...hiding...in the shadows of the trails...

I don't mind having a yard after our kids grow up. I want this to be our forever home and someday we may be entertaining grandkids. Also, because it's CA, landscapers come cheap. I grew up on an acre of land, so maintaining any of these is going to be a non-issue.

For sure the inward was the thought process. I wouldn't want to build outward due to 1.cost 2. losing yard space.

And again thank you all for the feedback. It really really does help.

[mallister]

reading this just made me realize we'll probably be putting our house up in less than 3 years. i am not ready.

[synistar]

If you have seen Weeds or Santa Clarita Diet, that is p much the suburbia Ksan lives in.

Also what the hell is the "bad street" in SCV? sounds like something closer to Canyon Country or north end near the CA-126 junction.

[Ksandra]

If you have seen Weeds or Santa Clarita Diet, that is p much the suburbia Ksan lives in.

Also what the hell is the "bad street" in SCV? sounds like something closer to Canyon Country or north end near the CA-126 junction.

Yeah I know for a fact SCD was filmed on location, and I actually think Weeds was filmed here, too.

The bad street is Jake's Way.

I don't think it's even that bad, there's a lot of apartments on that street, so more people =more crimes. But yeah, whenever something bad happens in the city the usually response is "Must be Jake's Way."

[Ksandra]

reading this just made me realize we'll probably be putting our house up in less than 3 years. i am not ready.

The funny (not funny) thing is, so many people warned me. Warning me didn't make it any better. GL young man.

[Jaybar]

Oh wow that is straight up suburbia. Perfectly designed from 35,000 feet high. Also looks like no such thing as a coach house allowed based on satellite footage. Would have been a nice place for your mom to retire into and still be close.

Also get that really bad notion density = crime. A lot more goes into it than big number equal big bad. These suburbs are pretty densely packed compared to others in my region.

At least you got sidewalks. I think I remember looking at Archie's hood and seeing nothing in the way of pedestrian pathways (or another person's hood from Cali, can't remember).

Also if you are going to save for an additional 4th room then make sure it doesn't need immediate maintenance now (water heater/furnace, A/C, electrical, roofing, etc). That's gonna be a huge bummer.