We're going to look at a house on Saturday!

[Courtney]

Adam and I have started looking at what the city has to offer in terms of houses, even though we're not really looking to buy until later this year or early next year. It never hurts to know what the market has, and the city offers some pretty decent incentives for first time home buyers. His sister just got a mortgage for $200K with $0 down and no credit. We're hoping we could get a higher mortgage due to the fact we have no debt aside from student loans, our credit is good and we could put at least $20,000 down.

On Saturday, his company is showing a home that they built. Adam worked on the plans, and figured it would be a perfect house to show me. He knows what kind of house I would like, and he pretty much hit the money with this one.

- 3 bedrooms
- 2.5 bathrooms
- 1470 square feet
- island kitchen with an eating bar type thing
- semi open concept main floor
- 2nd floor laundry room
- undeveloped basement, but roughed in for a 3rd bathroom

http://www.reidbuilthomes.com.ds498.alentus.com/default.aspx?page=Sheffield&ID=95
There's floor plans, and additional details on this page.

The only really wonky thing about the house is the 2nd bathroom that is only accessible through bedrooms 2 and 3. Bedroom 2 has a normal door entry, and bedroom 3 has a sliding door. I've never seen that before, but it would be SO convenient for washing hedgehog wheels.

From what Adam tells me, this model would cost about $300,000 for everything we want. The price includes the lot in a new area, the house, paint, windows, new roofing, appliances, hardwood floor, wooden cabinetry and tile floors in the kitchen and bathroom. I wanted granite counter tops, but that's easy enough to add later. It also includes a decent sized yard for dogs, although we'd have to fence it ourselves. Basically, we choose everything about the house, they do it and all we have to do is move our stuff in.

I'm SO excited.

 

[Chinniechantel]

Looks awesome! How exciting.

 

[Snickers]

Sounds exciting. It doesn't hurt to look.

 

[Courtney]

Exactly. We did some window shopping and right now, it costs just as much to buy an older 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house as it will to build a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house. It's really weird. I like older communities, but the thought of having a brand new house that won't need a new roof, or foundation repairs within a few years is very appealing.

 

[Tiatrack]

Exactly. We did some window shopping and right now, it costs just as much to buy an older 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house as it will to build a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house. It's really weird. I like older communities, but the thought of having a brand new house that won't need a new roof, or foundation repairs within a few years is very appealing.

Here in the states we call that bedroom set-up "two master suites" since they both have their own bathroom. That layout looks fantastic! I love the den on the main floor.

Just FYI though, new houses frequently need just as much repairs as older homes, but the bonus is most of the work is guaranteed for the first year at least. A friend of mine bought a new build, and for the first 6 month he had sewage bubbling up in his bathtubs :vomit: They finally had to tear up the entire front yard and redo all of the pipes. Another friend bought a new build that started sinking and the entire foundation had to be redone. At least where I live the newer builds tend to have very shoddy construction since they just wanted things done fast, so make sure you do lots of research into your builders/contractors and talk to other people that own their homes.

 

[Courtney]

Good advice. I'm actually speaking to one girl who has a house by the same builder. It was built in 2002, and so far, she's had no issues. It was bought from the original owner, and her big gripe is the cupboards - she doesn't like light colored wood. I'm pretty sure Reid Built guarantees their houses. All the appliances are new from the manufacturer, so they come with warranties. I did find that Reid Built doesn't guarantee against wind damages exceeding 60 MPH, but home owner's insurance does.

I've been doing a bit of reading on the company, and I haven't really seen any bad reviews. Like I said, Adam works for them and they all seem very honest and trustworthy. Many of the people have worked in the company for 25 years, which says a lot about it. When we're actually to the point where we're ready to start the process, I plan to speak to people who have dealt with the company and who actually live in the homes, and do some research.

The way Reid Built works is that a fair deal of the work is done by Reid Built employees - they're a very large company. They have their own employed construction people, design team, and other people they employ.

 

[Nancy]

How exciting.

One thing that I personally don't like about the floorplan is that you come into the house almost into the kitchen. To get to the great room, you have to go through the kitchen. I know a few people who had similar floor plans and found it annoying that people had to go through the kitchen to sit in the living room.

 

[Courtney]

It does seem a bit odd, doesn't it? It's not a huge issue for Adam and I because we do the majority of our visiting in the kitchen, around a nice table. I can definitely see how it would be awkward. The house has a very different layout than most of the other houses we've ever seen.

 

[banany]

Here in the states we call that bedroom set-up "two master suites" since they both have their own bathroom. That layout looks fantastic! I love the den on the main floor.

It's not two master suites; a master suite has its own private bathroom. The bathroom shared by bedrooms 2 and 3 is called a Jack and Jill bathroom

 

[Tiatrack]

It's not two master suites; a master suite has its own private bathroom. The bathroom shared by bedrooms 2 and 3 is called a Jack and Jill bathroom

You're right, thanks I didn't notice that extra door in the layout.

 

[addictedtochins]

I agree, very exciting! I would get a fireplace though.

 

[Courtney]

I don't like fireplaces.. I prefer outdoor fire pits.

 

[addictedtochins]

Every once in awhile, about once a year the power goes out here. Always during the worst of snowstorms. While the furnace is gas forced air it requires electricity to run it as well, and I always wish I had some way to heat the house.

 

[Courtney]

That would definitely be convenient then. If I was going to have a fireplace, I'd rather a wood stove. I love how those look.