Holy cow, the old Loeb School in Charlevoix, MI is on there for $259K, which is an utter steal for that part of Michigan. That's where the rich and famous hang out and play, including John and Patsy Ramsey, of JonBenet fame.

Just went and looked at it... soooo cool. I fall in love daily with different houses on this site!!

Ohhhh, wow. My cousin just messaged me on Facebook to tell me that our grandmother's fabulous old home is on the market. My grandmother died about 6 years ago, and hadn't lived in the house for about 10 years prior to that... but I have such incredible memories of spending time in this home as I was growing up...

*sigh*

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...3_M63918-21816

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...Key=1838005521

If you look passed the awful paneling in the kitchen (and I think that paneling actually looks kinda cool if you paint it), passed the industrial superthin shitty carpet, the lack of stove, and the fact that I'm pretty sure this house is a foreclosure...and this house has wicked potential.

It's cute. And the price is very good. I kind of reminds me of the ugly wallpaper house but probably just because they both have the same white siding on the outside and may have been built around the same time. Do all the houses in that area have the same white siding or just the one's you like? Or just the one's that Shana sells because her current listings all kinda looked the same?

The notice posted on the front window says "foreclosure" to me even though I can't read it.

Stoves can be easy to find for cheap. Pull that icky carpet out and lay down some laminate. Paint. Poof.

All of the houses in the neighborhood that I want to live in (called "the tree streets" - cherry, elm, pine...you get the picture) have that same siding. Except sometimes it is blue or yellow. :) That's actually the very specific style of house that I like, that size and from that era. Which is why I'm always posting houses that look almost exactly like that.

Yeah, the white notice in the window TOTALLY screams foreclosure.

When the listing first went up it was 7k more than what it's listed at now. Those fuckers want to sell and they want to sell badly.

I find out some time next week if I get to keep the full-time position that I'm in. If I get to keep it, I'll probably be starting the process cuz I really like the idea of that house. If I don't get to keep full-time then I'll stay in this stupid apartment with no outside space for the time being.

A few years ago, I was working hard to save money for a down payment on a place in Seattle. Got pre-qualified for a loan and even spent a few weekends with a realtor looking at condos. But the First Home Buyers loan I was expecting (it was a house key loan) fell through and I basically gave up. It's the primary reason I don't have a car right now--I was trying to save for the down payment and knew I wouldn't be able to afford the car after buying a place and paying for a mortgage. Anyway, my question is this and it really has nothing to do with everything I just said, but I'm random tonight and this is a special thread of real estate randomness so I'll ask anyway: my parents think it's crazy for a single person to want to own a house, but I don't want to live in a condo. I want land and a teeny tiny little house in the middle of nature. Do you think that's possible? Or just plain stupid.

:stillheart:

cara
who is way too hyped up on sugar and is queen of run-on sentences at the moment.

I don't think it's crazy or silly and I think it's very possible. I'll tell you the same thing I tell everyone else right now - with interest rates as low as they are, it's crazy and silly not to buy right now if you can.

As for the house vs condo thing, condo sales right now are hard and I don't see that changing any time soon, so it would be very easy to buy a condo but probably very difficult to resell a condo in the future. You have a much better chance of getting your money back out of a house than you do back out of a condo. Not to mention, with single family home prices as low as they are, why share walls if you don't have to!

We were talking about interest rates the other day (well, as we do most everyday because they are still freakishly low) and my lender sent me some info about how it can take as little as $44,000 of annual household income to qualify for a $250,000 mortgage. If you're even thinking about thinking about buying at some point in the future, it's a good time.

Thanks, Gayla! Just gotta get my confidence back under me and back on track savings-wise. This whole moving to Tacoma thing has really rattled me in a way I wasn't expecting.

:stillheart:

-its very interesting to me seems alot of us are looking for a home -even in this economy and because of it. i have been looking for a home for a year and a half. i have not found anything yet. i have about 3 or 4 areas im looking-cali and pacific northwest example. my experience with agents has been terrible. and i swear if i see one more house with purple carpet im gonna puke. its difficult when ur like me -somewhat hanicapped and have certain things are a must i guess. good luck to us all.

If the economy wasn't what it was I probably wouldn't be looking at all. Houses just are not selling at the moment (at least not where I live) and it's brought the prices down considerably. Even houses that would have gone for 130 this time last year are now listing at 110.

Hey Cara,

I've been a single mom most of my adult life, and I've owned my own little houses with a little yard kinda place for most of it as well. I say absolutely go for it if you want to and can. There's no reason why a single woman shouldn't own a house.

Heck, with the market what it is, I just closed on a short sale in Florida. The process was a total 7 month long nightmare, but the end result was great.

Good luck to you!

Plus I got nosey and looked at listings in Tacoma, and there's like a huge spread in terms of price. I bet you could find something adorable in the neighborhood you want that would be comparable in monthly cost to whatever it is you're paying in rent right now. :)

you rock! :) i don't like Tacoma. my lease is up in 1.5 years, but if i buy a place before then, i won't need to worry about a bad rental history from bailing on my lease. i will move back to Seattle or down to Portland or to my dream city of Port Townsend before buying a house or living in Tacoma again. even though i love my apartment and neighborhood. ;)

:stillheart:

Agreed! :)

For those on the go...
 

I think it's just the cutest! :D

http://lovelylisting.files.wordpress...g?w=500&h=2229

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile..._6468105_n.jpg

Could you imagine trying to sleep next door to theses guys? :|

I have to.