choice of 3 cottages to buy, which do i choose?

[flanum]

oh lordy, just been viewing a cottage this morning, it is a cottage from my childhood, me and me dad used to leave our oars for the boat in this guys cottage on the way to going fishing, its been done up lately down to a tee, but i have two other cottages to look at in the next week, these other two are well less than half of what i would have to pay for the favourite, which means tons of money to spare for doing them up which i would relish the thought of!!

what to do?


and another that i dont have a pic for.

all begging to have ya sittin by the fire on a rainy night practising the pipes!!

[Joseph E. Smith]

This one gets my vote...

... I can see myself sitting next to the hearth with my pipes in my lap and a hot cuppa at my elbow. Pretty home.

[dwinterfield]

I actually had a similar experience. 16 yrs ago we came to look at houses in the town in which I was born. I was only here for six months the first time around - 40 yrs earlier. Following my parents directions, I found the house they'd had long before. It was empty and for sale. Peeking in the windows (of course) I saw many features my father had built in. He was a builder and built the house in which I grew up, so his work was recognizable. Very weird! It was more than we could rationally afford, but we would only have had to be a little crazy to stretch to buy it. We ended up buying a house a few miles away, more in our price range. Since then we've done lots of renovation. We made the right choice. It's nice to be able to drive by the old house and it makes a good story. As it happens, the value of both houses has appreciated significantly. So, while money seemed the biggest consideration 16 yrs ago, in the long run, it would not have mattered. Get the cottage that best suits your needs today and that offers you the best future. Good Luck.

[missy]

my advice is to take the "emotional" element out of the equation and look at the cottages as you would any other investment. What are the plus and minuses. All the usual things.

Then, if you can't ignore the emotional, you at least know what you are getting into with your eyes open.

My mom wanted to sell us the house I grew up in (and that my dad built, and I helped rebuild). While I would have loved to raise my kids there, I knew it wouldn't be the same (the area has moved to rural / residential to high priced bedroom community). I would have had a much longer commute for work, most of our friends, doctors, etc. are built around our current home. In the long run, it just didn't make sense to move.

In the long run, that was the best option for us. I sometimes drive by the old house and wonder why the current owners have done some of the things they have (I still wonder how they put the in ground pool where the tiles for the leach beds are).

[lixnaw]

I'd go for one of these



You can't beat the price, and you'll get a different view every day.

[fel bautista]

And if things got tight, the whole trailer park will be behind you

[jim stone]

This one gets my vote...

... I can see myself sitting next to the hearth with my pipes in my lap and a hot cuppa at my elbow. Pretty home.

Great photo, at the least.

[Innocent Bystander]

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I'd cast my vote for number one. It has adequate eaves. This one does not. Also the second one is on a slope. Number one looks to have more parking.

I know cottages like number two. It may be very cosy inside, but I'll lay you 12 to 7 it is damp. The people looking to sell will have done everything possible to disguise the fact. It will have a nice calming atmosphere caused by the negative ions (caused in turn by falling water). Avoid it!

Probably number three is absolutely perfect, but personally I don't care for the colour.

[djm]

It really depends on your intentions. Is this just an investment, or are you planning to live here permanently? You say you would like to do some of the fix-up work yourself. How qualified are you? Do you have the tools and experience? For my money, if this is to be your permanent home, I'd get the largest house with the most land. I would check for the soundness of the foundation and roof. Don't get sucked in by surface appearances. You say you will do that sort of fix-up thing yourself anyway. A house at the bottom of a slope will always be wetter than a house on the top. Does it have a well? Have you had the water tested? Does it have a septic tank? How old is it? When was it last serviced?

djm

[BigDavy]

Hi Flanum

Buy one of the fixer uppers, but get a good survey done first.
That way you get the house to how you like it at the least cost.

David

[Lambchop]

Would you tell us more about the cottages? What's inside? How many rooms, etc. What's the kitchen like, the baths, etc.?

I see a chimbley. Where is that, exactly? In the kitchen? In the sitting room?

(Sorry, chimneys and fireplaces fascinate me, since I don't have one.)

[brianormond]

-While you should be realistic with huge purchases like real estate, I counsel no putting aside of the emotional element-just weighing it in perspective with your other needs. I was one of the first owners in my condo building and had pick of the "units". I chose the one which seemed like a home instead of a "unit"-regardless of its limited view and lack of an outdoor deck. (of limited appeal until rainy season ends)

-Similar in many ways to other units, the emotional element tipped the scale for this one, and five years later its been a good choice. I still like coming home here for the same reasons I liked it then- a welcoming layout, a little but nice view and great privacy in the midst of a very busy location. A gas-log fireplace set at an angle into the outside wall makes the place cozy, and most of the time its quieter than parents' and sweetheart's suburban homes. It also permits practice of trad instruments without vexing neighbors- so its home!

[cowtime]

Houses are one of my passions. We live in an old house that was built by my husband's grandparents. When we sold the farm surrounding the house a couple of years ago, we debated selling the house. I'd still have to have an old Craftsman and all most all of them are in towns or cities. We eventually decided to keep the old house we have, continue to restore,not renovate, and enjoy the 15 acres of privacy surrounding it as opposed to having a more stylized Craftsman in town. The fact that my husband was born in this one, grew up here, was also a big factor.
Working on an existing house is much harder than building from scratch, so a fixer-upper, or one needing restoring or renovation, is not for the faint of heart. But it's fun, very rewarding, and you can eventually have most of exactly what you want.

So, after you weigh the structural pros and cons of the three, take in to account the surroundings, you can't ignore the "feel" of the houses. Go for the one that feels like home and welcomes you there. (even if it doesn't look like it immediately)

[flanum]

Would you tell us more about the cottages? What's inside? How many rooms, etc. What's the kitchen like, the baths, etc.?

I see a chimbley. Where is that, exactly? In the kitchen? In the sitting room?

(Sorry, chimneys and fireplaces fascinate me, since I don't have one.)

ok. so heres more on the first one..!





Fully fitted kitchen
Pleasant Rural location
Wooden floors throughout
Feature Wood/Cast Iron Fireplace
Master Bedroom with Ensuite

Accommodation:
3 Beds, 1 Rec, 1 Bath, 1 Util
Price :
Asking Price: €257,750

..

Incidentally ive found about another 3 or 4 that have caught my eye in the last week, so ill let yiz know in the new year what im going to go for!

[Whistlin'Dixie]

At USD $340,000 and change?
ONE bathroom?

Hmmmmm

I'd have to give that some serious thought....

M