Friday, September 29, 2017

House Hunting in the Fort Collins Area.....UPDATED

Well, as of today we've looked at 12 houses, and are down to TWO definite candidates.

There's an open house on Saturday for one that just popped up last night, and we'll be driving over to see that one as well as one that went on the market this morning.

The one I was hoping for, and the one our contractor in-law looked over for us the other evening, has officially been "scratched" by the wife. She just flat out will NOT buy a property that needs major work.

PERIOD.

It wouldn't bother me too much, but while she doesn't want a 100% turn-key ready place, so wants one that's, oh....maybe 95% turn-key ready.

And another one we both loved, and the wife wanted to make an offer on, got scratched after we realized:

1) We don't need a THIRTY-SIX HUNDRED square foot house for the two of us

and

2) It has an HOA that specifically states NO "Communications Antennas" unless they can't be seen, and are approved by "The Committee".

So we're down to to two. One is out off CO-14, Mulberry Street, just past I-25, and is drop-dead beautiful, and the asking price is $420k. Since this is rapidly turning into the "off season" for real estate, sellers are anxious, and buyers are few and far between. Our agent is pretty confident we could get that particular house for well under $400k.

The other one we looked at today is also quite nice, in a quiet, well-established neighborhood, but has a few glitches.

#1, it has three layers of shingles on it, and some are starting to "lift". This means a complete tear-off and re-roof in the Spring.

#2, some of the rework wasn't done to a very high standard, and while it's just some goofs in the drywall, they kind of jump out at me.

#3, the owner won't close before 27 November due to capital gains issues, so we won't be into it before Christmas.

We're going to look at another house in about an hour that also looks promising. This one is a 4br, 4ba,  2540sqft house on a 12,200 sqft lot.

I'd really like the "#1 house" to be our home, but the "#2 house" has a bigger lot (15,500 sqft), and is further West.

None of these have HOA's, and as far as we can tell, the also don't have any restrictive "CC&R's" that would prohibit a tower.

Hey, if I can't have my separate garage, than I'm damn sure going to get a 40~50' tower with a KT34M2 on it, and a new radio!

UPDATE 

We just got back from looking at two more. The first one looked real good "on paper", BUT.....it's going to need ALL new siding in a year or two ($$$!!!), and had a couple of other issues, so we scratched it.

The second one we looked at just became the wife's new "#1 house", and it's a stunner.

3390 sqft, 5br, 3 full baths and a "half bath", fireplace, fully finished basement, on an 11,000 sqft lot. Quiet neighborhood, located on a cul-de-sac, mature trees, fresh paint inside and out, new carpet, etc, etc, etc. The HUGE insulated (but not heated) two car garage with separate, NEW insulated doors and a large work area are a big plus, and there's enough room with good access to build another "car-and-a-half" garage if I decide I need it.

No apparent HOA's or CC&R's, and I saw some TV antennas on homes in the neighborhood.

I posted a question on the NCARC email reflector asking local Hams about it, and I'm stating to get some replies.

19 comments:

  1. Been following along but not commenting much. Good luck with the house hunting. Good call on no HOAs. I live in a community with one and it is a pain in a lot of ways in addition to the antenna issues. You might also check on zoning ordinances and permit requirements for the tower. Nice looking antenna.

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  2. The HOA was $30/year, and the listing agent said it was for "maintenance of the signage for the neighborhood", but I insisted he read through it for anything regarding antennas.

    BOOM! He found the section, highlighted it, and emailed it to me.

    ABSOLUTE deal breaker!

    Plus it was way too much house for two people....

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  3. "She just flat out will NOT buy a property that needs major work."

    Your both retired. Sweat equity not required.

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  4. Careful going too far west, Chinook winds can get pretty strong. Folks in Golden, near Denver, would have their pilot lights get blown out. Houses also had interlocked shingles.

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    Replies
    1. We're not "in the foothills", and our in-laws have advised us where NOT to buy.

      Delete
  5. I don't know that I'd buy a house that had been lived in by dirtbags and had been "flipped". Bugs inside the walls and all that. New construction has its advantages.

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    Replies
    1. That particular house is now off the short list, and we're back "in the city" over on the West side of Fort Collins.

      Delete
  6. If it's the one on Snowbrush, it is indeed a beauty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In Fort Collins? What's the address?

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    2. 3209 Snowbrush Pl, Fort Collins, CO 80521

      Delete
    3. That's a nice house, but it's in one of those "planned communities", and would most likely have severe restrictions on what you can do with "your" property.

      Delete
    4. You are most likely right. Thought it might be one you were interested in.
      Hope your doing well, and find what you are looking for.

      Delete
  7. The "stunner" sounds promising - keeping fingers crossed, so to speak.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rev! One is pretty far East, but I love it. One has an insane closing date NET 11/27/17 because otherwise the owner/broker will get eaten alive by capital gains taxes, so it looks like the one we looked at today is pulling into the lead.....

      Delete
  8. Woo hoo! Sounds like a great possibility!

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, I have a feeling that if the seller accepts our offer, that's the one we'll be in, regardless of what I'd like.....sigh

      Delete
  9. Avoid HOA's like the plague. It is exactly like adding another layer of government. Plus, the people attracted to running them generally are control freaks.
    Even if they don't already have a ban on towers or antennas, that would happen very quickly. Work on your car in the driveway? Nope. They don't like people that are not identical to them. Those kinds of people don't do anything, except look for ways to restrict activities.

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    Replies
    1. We are. Even before we moved here we both hated HOA's. That's why were being very careful and always having our agent check for HOA and CC&R's.

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Keep it civil, please....

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