Still looking for a berkeleying house

gearheadmb wrote: 1) It has everything i want. 2) It doesnt need any significant repairs 3) Its within my budget. Pick two.

Most days I feel like I got exactly 2/3 of each of those. It needs some work to make it everything I want, which in turn is costing large % of the mortgage. 2/3 + 2/3 + 2/3 = 2

Consider your theory now peer-reviewed.

A few years back just after my particularly unpleasant divorce, I rented for a year and was spending myself into poverty. I found slightly run-down duplex for $105,000 with two basement garages and good off street parking in a "transitional" neighborhood. For a time renting the other side worked well to pay most of the mortgage and when my life changed again am Tiger Mom moved in with me with the girls I tore down a couple of walls and have way more house than I could have afforded otherwise.

Curtis, I may have a lead for you. A coworker's FIL died last week and it sounds like his house will be going on the market in a month or so. I know the place a little bit, as it's just up the street and around the corner from me, but don't really have full details.

It's a small cape cod, has a car port, some kind of workshop in the back yard (no idea if you could get cars in and out or not), and an acre or two of yard. It's on 11 a little ways west of Carlisle, probably 2 miles past the Plainfield Sheetz. From what he was saying the other day, they're talking $140k or so asking price. Just thought I'd throw that out there, in case you have any interest.

I have no doubt Curtis is looking for a berkeleying house. Brown chicken brown cow indeed!

Have you considered a mobile home?

When I lived in PA, I NEVER would have considered one. They were crap, and I had no interest.

30 years later, I sure wish I lived in one. The entry price is so low, and the quality (for a fairly new one) is really a lot better than people think.

EVERYONE I know who lives in a double wide (some of which are very nice) is debt free, and lives on a piece of property I would enjoy. Meanwhile, I am upside down in a house that I don't want, living in Suburbia, wondering when Code Enforcement is gonna gripe.

If I could do it again, there is no question what I'd do. I'd buy a small piece of dirt that I enjoyed, build a decent barn or shop, plunk down a mobile home, enjoy debt-free living, and not give a damn about the opinions of snobby people who look down their noses at mobile homes.

(And I'm a builder!)

In reply to SVreX:

He mentioned earlier mobile home depreciation.

I want a 800~ft 2 bath single wide, but my wife finds that "below her". Single wide, a steel car port, and a pole barn on enough land for that is my realistic dream.

In reply to curtis73:

I'm surprised it's that long of a drive. I'm sure we are talking about the same one.

I'm not sure exactly where you are - is west of Carlisle an option? 35 shepherd rd Newville at 116K? Could it be bought for less?

6853 Wertzville Road, Enola?

I dunno what the loan issues on such a thing would be but buying a piece of property and building a pole barn on it with some sort of finished apartment in it is also pretty nice.

My sister did just that and lived in it for several years before building the "big house". It's enough barn for probably 8-10 cars and the apartment was very comfortable for a couple. I want to say she had an Amish crew but up the shell in two or three days.

I always wanted to buy a chunk of land and put up a 60x100 or so shop with a lean-to on one side that I could back a mobile home under. Pour a slab for under the mobile home enough below grade that the mobile home sits down like a regular house and fill in any gap around the edges with a nice deck/sidewalk. Since mobile home back doors are always on the side opposite the front door it would open up right to the shop, and utilities and such would be easy to have in both the house and the shop.

Best part is that you don't have to worry about roof leaks in the mobile home and with concrete underneath the floor would be as solid as it could be. Also, if the trailer gets ratty at some point, you can just pull it out and back in another.

In reply to klb67:

There's no way that's an hour drive.

In reply to SVreX:

A friend and her previous husband (deceased) had that: a double-wide on a block foundation and a huge 80 x 40 garage/shop in a rural area of PA (Tamaqua). She sold it last year when she remarried and moved closer to Philly. Not sure what the final result was financially.

mtn wrote: Oh, 2 years ago you were looking for a new place to live--and it needed to not have winter. What happened to that? Clearly you reevaluated; something gave. Keep going with that to find what you need.

Very true. The awesome job happened, then the awesome gal happened. I would still re-re-evaluate that when the time comes, but yes... I still hate winter.

I never stay permanent, but buying a house doesn't mean permanent, its just another "thing" that would be jettisoned if I moved. At least with a house, its an investment which will return most of its value.

maschinenbau wrote:

gearheadmb wrote: 1) It has everything i want. 2) It doesnt need any significant repairs 3) Its within my budget. Pick two.

Most days I feel like I got exactly 2/3 of each of those. It needs some work to make it everything I want, which in turn is costing large % of the mortgage. 2/3 + 2/3 + 2/3 = 2 Consider your theory now peer-reviewed.

The last several months, it has been 1/3 at best, but most of it is 0/3. Like the one I looked at on Saturday. It didn't have really anything I wanted, it needed significant repairs, and it was still out of my budget at $89k

Furious_E wrote: Curtis, I may have a lead for you. A coworker's FIL died last week and it sounds like his house will be going on the market in a month or so. I know the place a little bit, as it's just up the street and around the corner from me, but don't really have full details. It's a small cape cod, has a car port, some kind of workshop in the back yard (no idea if you could get cars in and out or not), and an acre or two of yard. It's on 11 a little ways west of Carlisle, probably 2 miles past the Plainfield Sheetz. From what he was saying the other day, they're talking $140k or so asking price. Just thought I'd throw that out there, in case you have any interest.

Much appreciated. I'd like to get closer to Harrisburg if possible, and the $140k is a bit scary, but we'll keep in touch about it. Thank you!

SVreX wrote: Have you considered a mobile home? When I lived in PA, I NEVER would have considered one. They were crap, and I had no interest. 30 years later, I sure wish I lived in one. The entry price is so low, and the quality (for a fairly new one) is really a lot better than people think. EVERYONE I know who lives in a double wide (some of which are very nice) is debt free, and lives on a piece of property I would enjoy. Meanwhile, I am upside down in a house that I don't want, living in Suburbia, wondering when Code Enforcement is gonna gripe. If I could do it again, there is no question what I'd do. I'd buy a small piece of dirt that I enjoyed, build a decent barn or shop, plunk down a mobile home, enjoy debt-free living, and not give a damn about the opinions of snobby people who look down their noses at mobile homes. (And I'm a builder!)

I did give it some thought. My biggest concern is that buying land isn't cheap around here, and attaching to/excavating for utilities isn't cheap either.

Even if I'm drilling a well (upwards of $18k) and burying septic ($30k or more), the chances of good water and land that will perk are slim.

I can buy a nice little log cabin for $20k and have some buddies stack it up, but the real expense is in the land and utilities.

But I'd love to hear thoughts on it.

klb67 wrote: 6853 Wertzville Road, Enola?

Looked at it. Its worse than awful. On the door is an 11x17" piece of paper that starts with "things not listed on MLS" and goes on to describe things like "don't touch the electrical panel or you'll get shocked, roof collapsed, septic inop, must connect to city sewer, flooded basement, mold, foundation problems... its a mess.

oldopelguy wrote: I always wanted to buy a chunk of land and put up a 60x100 or so shop with a lean-to on one side that I could back a mobile home under. Pour a slab for under the mobile home enough below grade that the mobile home sits down like a regular house and fill in any gap around the edges with a nice deck/sidewalk. Since mobile home back doors are always on the side opposite the front door it would open up right to the shop, and utilities and such would be easy to have in both the house and the shop. Best part is that you don't have to worry about roof leaks in the mobile home and with concrete underneath the floor would be as solid as it could be. Also, if the trailer gets ratty at some point, you can just pull it out and back in another.

This is my exact dream, but I would just put a 35' trailer inside the shop and/or build a little apartment in one end. Two problems: 1) zoning around here is tough and I can't really do that, and 2) resale. I would be limiting my market big time and it might be tough to sell.

I can get a steel building kit for 60x100 for around 20-25k, but again: utilities, concrete slab, cost of land, additional walls, etc take that to really expensive numbers fast.

But trust me.... this is my exact dream.

curtis73 wrote:

Furious_E wrote: Curtis, I may have a lead for you. A coworker's FIL died last week and it sounds like his house will be going on the market in a month or so. I know the place a little bit, as it's just up the street and around the corner from me, but don't really have full details. It's a small cape cod, has a car port, some kind of workshop in the back yard (no idea if you could get cars in and out or not), and an acre or two of yard. It's on 11 a little ways west of Carlisle, probably 2 miles past the Plainfield Sheetz. From what he was saying the other day, they're talking $140k or so asking price. Just thought I'd throw that out there, in case you have any interest.

Much appreciated. I'd like to get closer to Harrisburg if possible, and the $140k is a bit scary, but we'll keep in touch about it. Thank you!

Figured it might be a bit of a stretch, but thought I'd throw it out there. I'll keep my eyes and ears on it for ya!

I think broadening your search radius from Harrisburg might open some possibilities up, though. Getting out towards the Newville/Shippensburg area or up into Perry county your dollar seems to go a lot further.

For reference, Minimum wage in PA is about $15K a year before taxes, and the average rent is $12K a year. Ugh, something needs to change.

When I was looking for houses as an investment (to flip or rent) I wanted smaller places that would offer an alternative to an apartment. Be patient, ask about empty houses that you see, check Craigslist, put the word out to friends and family. Since you have some cash, look into Sheriff's Sales. They offer great deals but you need cash on the spot, so that keeps a lot of people out.

At your price point, you are going to have to accept doing some work. Look for houses with severe cosmetic needs, avoid flooded basements and collapsing roofs. You can renovate the kitchen, then the bathroom a year later, and after a few years the place will be looking pretty good. In my first house, I lived for weeks without a kitchen, weeks without a shower, etc. It's over before you know it.

Out of the box thinking: watch the obituaries. Old people who die often have no relatives close by, and their estate does not want to deal with a house that needs serious updates. You can get a free tour at estate sales, just ask the auctioneer about the status of the house, you might be able to get it without a listing.

Also look at small rental properties, some percentage are rentals because the people couldn't sell them and needed to make the mortgage. A cash offer might be enough to get them to sell it at a loss just to get rid of it.

I think it's a weird concept that a minimum wage worker should be able to support a house unassisted.

My first minimum wage job was $2.30 per hour. I had no expectation at all that I could support a house. All I expected was to buy a little gas to put in the tank.

It motivated me to make sure I did better than minimum wage. I don't think that was a bad thing.

Finding exactly what you are looking for is always hard.

...but for the low low price of $399.99/month you can live with me(have a room) and share my work garage with me.

I think I have said this before, but around here $100k buys you a 25 foot lot and a pup tent.

Since you have access to a decent cash pile via the parent loan, and given what sounds like are low wages in the area, have you looked at county tax foreclosure auctions and the like?

I've never participated, so I'm not speaking from any experience, but I know a lot of time the barrier to entry is that it takes someone with cash to participate, so it holds out a lot of renters and people requiring a mortgage, so it's a lot of investors or contractor types.

I know where I grew up they hold them at least annually, and publish the parcel info before the auction. I got on a mailing list to get listing info notification, but never followed through. I guess I'm trying to think of a GRM type option to buy like a project car or CL listing, as opposed to traditional MLS realtor posted properties.

Good luck! Things have moved up substantially in my neck of the woods in MI. I also dream of the property with the apartment/barn concept.

In reply to Andy Neuman:

I'm packing my bags.

Actually you could likely do $399.99 for a 2 week long Neuman challenge build overnight camp and book 12 weeks a year.

$100k near me buys you nothing. Even $200k gets you a squalid hole. Anything priced under a jumbo mortgage gets snapped up instantly.

Even stuff in the $750k range sells in a day...