Buying A House

[Mukik]

Yanno with the light rail opening up to west denver, have you looked in that direction as well? we live in saudi aurora til the aus migration but if I were going to go anywhere it would be closer to the mountains.

just a thought.

[Taxious]

I'm getting a little discouraged as the houses I've been interested in that are located in my ideal area are out of my price range. The ones that are less expensive are gobbled up the day they go on sale. I am still waiting on pre-approval from the bank for a loan so I can't make these immediate offers right now. I may need to suck it up and start looking at houses further away from the office. This really isn't ideal for me but everyone I work with has at least a 30 minute commute and it seems to be the norm.

Yanno with the light rail opening up to west denver, have you looked in that direction as well? we live in saudi aurora til the aus migration but if I were going to go anywhere it would be closer to the mountains.

I did notice a bunch of houses for sale along the light rail west line. It seems like there is a mass exodus to get away from the immediate area now though. I'm starting to expand my search into Lakewood and Wheat Ridge as I share your sentiments about getting closer to the mountains if anything.

[Arathena]

Some rappers build their own recording studios in their houses. Why can't the rock star scientists build their own labs? Obviously you wouldn't want weaponized viruses in your home lab, but for anything mundane, why not.

Oh, yeah. The lab/pilot plant I work in, the last line of safety is the fact that the building is built as a directed charge. If we explode, we do so nicely and neatly into a nearby hillside that's zoned as undevelopable, for the general safety of the community around us. Of course, if that happens, I'd give us about a one in three chance of unleashing a cloud of corrosive death, but quantities are small enough here that it would probably peter out after a few hundred yards. We're pretty "mundane".

[Taxious]

This is my next prospect. The location is amazing, it has more room than I need (perhaps I'll rent out a room later on) and everything on the inside looks modern and more aligned with what I'm looking for. It's also eligible for a "Homepath Fannie Mae" loan, which is one of the best loan types you can get, from what I understand.

The only issue is it faces a fairly busy street, Federal, which is a fine tradeoff for me (having lived in very noisy neighborhoods the last 7 or so years and not minding it). Along with this, the home is priced at well under value for the comparable around it that are off the main road a ways. I think I'll submit an offer for ~$270k this afternoon after looking at it again if I'm in love.

What do you awesome, well-experienced brellians think...?

http://www.recolorado.com/homes-for-sal ... d-85321813

[Alluveal]

I would avoid Federal like an ebola-ridden circus monkey. Unless you go SUPER far north or south--though I don't think you can go far enough south to get away from the gang infestation. I lived off Federal and Alameda for 2 years (had 3 experiences where we found bullet holes in our walls the next morning). And, I lived off Federal and Yale for a year. Lots of meth-heads (and cooks), gang-bangers, and general riff raff. I grew up in Wheat Ridge and even that's getting a bit shady in some parts. Lakewood is the same--hit or miss. Half of it's stuff that spills over from Federal, and the other half is decent but might not be that way in 5-10 years.

West Lakewood and West Wheat Ridge are the best. Golden can be solid. Northern Littleton is also decent. Where do you work? That might help. Please post here before you put any offer in the west. I know that area super well. I don't want you buying some "it looks nice" house next to Lou the drug-lord.

[Taxious]

West Lakewood and West Wheat Ridge are the best. Golden can be solid. Northern Littleton is also decent. Where do you work? That might help. Please post here before you put any offer in the west. I know that area super well. I don't want you buying some "it looks nice" house next to Lou the drug-lord.

Haha, thanks for the advice! I've looked into Lakewood a bit, but Wheat Ridge and Golden are a little farther out than I'm looking for. I work on 16th and Glenarm, right smack downtown.

I know south Federal is crazy crime ridden, all the way up to 25th or so. This house is on 35th and Federal though in the Highlands and the houses look super nice around here. I already looked at the public records and no murders have happened in the general area for the last 5 years or so.

Curiously enough, I have a coworker who also lived on Federal and Alameda and was telling me some horror stories about it.

*EDIT: Here is the street view of the property.. look at how nice (IMO) the houses around it are too!

[Ddrak]

Nicer looking house. How's the garage work? Run from the street behind?

Dd

[Taxious]

Nicer looking house. How's the garage work? Run from the street behind?

Yep - it's an alley entrance garage.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

I REALLY like that house.

[Taxious]

I like it a lot too! It definitely has some small upkeep work that needs done(floors in a few rooms, new paint, one of the bathtubs is broken, etc.) but I'm actually looking forward to working on stuff like that on my own. I love the hobbit-like arch in the main room as you walk in. The neighborhood feels safe and I could barely hear the traffic on Federal once inside.

I'm a little worried as to why its been on the market for so long (4+ months versus everything else I've looked at that gets snatched up in a day or two) but I think they overpriced it so much at the beginning that no one has been interested. Also, foreclosed homes apparently get less attention because they have not been lived in in a while.

I'm submitting a really low offer later today ($250k) just to see what happens with that. I think if I could even get this place for $270k with that special Homepath loan, it'd be a good deal. I'll definitely be getting an inspection and appraisal on my own, so that could change my mind on this all quickly.. we'll see what happens!

[Fallakin Kuvari]

I love the hobbit-like arch in the main room as you walk in.

That and WALL DESK. That desk is awesome and I hope it comes with the house.

[Ddrak]

I'd start at $220-230, but I'm just cheeky.

Dd

[Freecare Spiritwise]

Is it a short sale?

[Taxious]

I put in an offer last night! They were claiming multiple offers on the house so wanted "highest and best" so I just went with $275k. I think that number may go down some after the inspection but I think it'd be a good deal regardless. We'll see how this all plays out now.

Is it a short sale?

I'm not sure.. I know they originally listed it for $350k 4+ months ago and it's been steadily declining in price since. This is a foreclosed home so I figured the bank would just want to get it off their hands by now.

[Alluveal]

lol that any house on Federal would be 350k. WTF? Even in nice parts.

Does it have ghosts that give you oral sex in your sleep or something?

Ask if it's HAUNTED!

[Taxious]

It's well under the houses around it Lulu. Have you been to that area at all? (30th and north on Federal) All the sales are on public records, most of the neighboring houses last sold for $400k +

[Freecare Spiritwise]

Congrats, Tax! I hope they accept.

[Taxious]

Offer rejected! That was fast.. I'm curious if I got outbid or if they are planning to keep the house on the market longer.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

Didn't even counter?

[Alluveal]

It's well under the houses around it Lulu. Have you been to that area at all? (30th and north on Federal) All the sales are on public records, most of the neighboring houses last sold for $400k +

Wow! That just baffles me (in a good way). I'm glad, then. I hope they take your offer seriously! Sending you good vibes!

Update: Apparently they didn't take your offer! Asses!