do you own?

[Administrator]

we did this poll a while back but we had way less members, so we'll try it again.

[JuliaSannar]

Yup - just bought a house that we are re-doing in Rincon Valley. It is a lot of work and I can't wait to move in. John and I have been moving about evry 2 years, so it will be nice to finally have a place that we can set our roots.

[Kellie_MO5]

I picked "other"... We own a townhome that we rent out, and we are renting-to-own the house we're in right now.... but it's basically our house.. matts parents bought it for us, and we pay the mortgage and stuff, it's just not in our names yet.

[Sara]

We own. Our first house was an 'owner finance' home that we sold when the market was good, thank goodness. We didn't sell in the height, but if we sold now, we would probably get about $30-$40K less. We bought this house last year because our mortgage was too big with our last home, so we downsized. We also moved because we HATED our old neighbors. I love my home here...it feels like a big warm hug when I walk in the door :) Poor little house was abused for a long time and is so happy now that we put some love into it.

[Lynette]

We own. Brian's parents bought a townhouse which we rented from them and then bought at their cost 2 years later. Then we sold that after 4 years and bought our current house a couple of months before Alaina was born.

[khanson]

Currently we rent, but we are in escrow on our first home!

[Sara]

Currently we rent, but we are in escrow on our first home!

Woo Hoo! Congrats! Now is a great time to buy, lots of deals to be had :)

[jellybeanmichelle]

My Creative Memories lady is a loan agent.
I want to buy a home, hubby thinks we can't afford one.
I'm going to find out how much we can afford, and go from there.
Tired of the crap from our property manager, and I want our money to do something, instead of going to waste to pay someone else's retirement.

[Brookepanda]

We bought our townhome about 3 years ago...We bought during the major buying boom! It was madness to get any place...we had bid on 3 homes and were constantly outbid by people paying with cash!
With this home we decided to attach a hand written letter along with our offer....just saying who we were...why we wanted the home...and things of that nature....and even though we weren't the highest offer (we did offer 20K over because that's what you had to do during 'those days') we got the home and we were told we were chosen because of our letter...that the owner felt it was a way to 'get to know us' with out knowing us...and he chose us based on that!
We had to jump on each place litterally the day they were listed to even have a chance because real estate was flying off the "shelves" so we bid on the home we ended up getting the same night it was listed....
Interest rates were pretty low then too....we hesitate to sell this place and 'upgrade' because of our low interest rate of 4.25 fixed for 30 years....that's pretty low......
We're not sure what we're going to do with this place when we leave to go to the state hubby gets accepted to do his PhD in....we're not sure if we are going to sell it...or rent it out...we'll have to wait and see on that one.....

[colleen_22205]

we are monving in juen to rent a home by the JC and i am soooo excited!

[Lynette]

We bought our townhome about 3 years ago...We bought during the major buying boom! It was madness to get any place...we had bid on 3 homes and were constantly outbid by people paying with cash!
With this home we decided to attach a hand written letter along with our offer....just saying who we were...why we wanted the home...and things of that nature....and even though we weren't the highest offer (we did offer 20K over because that's what you had to do during 'those days') we got the home and we were told we were chosen because of our letter.

:yeah We offered the day ours came on the market at $10k over the asking price with a letter about how we had lost out on 3 houses already, I was 7 mo prego and it was our last chance before giving up and staying in our townhouse. There were 3 other bids and we weren't the highest either ;)

[lmfike]

My dad and his wife just sold her mobile home as soon as it went on the market. It is a nice single wide in good condition in a senior park which apparently are hard to come by up in Ukiah.

[Administrator]

we rent a house b/c we see no point in buying something here when we have no intention in staying in CA much longer.

[Administrator]

that's cool about sending the letter - and it's a REALLY good idea. So many people get very attached to their houses... they watch their kids grow up in them... and they want to see another family be able to enjoy it.

[lmfike]

Sending the letter or personal notes works to bump you in a line for so many things. I responded to a freecycle post for a camp stove last year. According to the lady she had lots of reponse and I got it because I mentioned I would use it for Cub Scout Camp trips.

[Shanta]

Just wondering. How many people bought there homes and/or moved while pregnant?

[Sara]

We bought our first home when I was about 6 weeks pregnant. In the horrible sleepy stage (at least no morning sickness). This house, Mia was only 5-mo old when we bought it and moved.

[Administrator]

I technically moved while pregnant. I found out I was pregnant 6 days after packing everything we owned into a truck and going cross country on a whim - if that counts ;)

[lmfike]

I got pregnant with oldest during our transition from N CA to S CA. Not sure when I got pregnant(may have been visiting dh at our new place in S CA, might have still been up here in N CA). Moved again when she was 10 wks old. Moved again when she was 10 months old. Again when she was 18 months old. Kids were 8 and 4 when we moved from S CA to N CA. Got pregnant with youngest weekend we moved back to N CA(she was conceived Christmas morning 2002).

[My3sonsplus1]

We toasted being approved for this place this last time with a last hurrah that resulted in Elias.

[Lorah]

Own? Are you joking??? NO WAY could we ever afford to own here! Unless the market crashes! I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but not holding my breath!

We rent. But we rent a great place! I would love to own someday, but unless we win the lotto, or move out of state, we probably will never be able to afford to own here.

Oh well, we are happy being poor. we have each other, and that makes us TOTALLY RICH! :)

[Lynette]

We bought this house and moved when I was 7 mo prego with Alaina and I actually moved to AZ when I was 3mo prego with Salina now that I think about it.

[Theresa]

My house has been in my family for about 15yrs and now I own it. It was built in 1906--was even a brothel--and needs major work. But it's in the trees overlooking the town and the river is 2min away.

[karen-clark]

Wow I am surprised so many people own. I guess that blows the theory that 'no one' in this generation can own in Sonoma County!

We own but only because Greg had bought a house about 15 years ago and another 10 years ago and built a lot of equity so when I married him and insisted on getting our 'own place' I got to 'buy' my first house.

Even still, it's a huge mortgage! I can't imagine what it would be like if half hadn't been paid for by his last house. The good thing is the value has gone up quite a bit in the 4 years we've lived here. Then again so has everywhere else.

We are hoping to move to Sebastopol before Fallon (6th grade) starts high school. Oh and we did move in here while pregnant. I thought I was the only one crazy enough to do that!! Never again! :)

[barb]

I'm an "other". I live in Military Housing.

[Luckylove]

We own a townhouse in RP. We bought in 2003 while the market was still good. We didn't have the trouble some of you did. We bid asking price and they took it! It was our first bid. I guess we were lucky!

[Kellie_MO5]

Well, we're waiting for the market to soar again so we can sell that damn townhouse (which has become the bane of my exhistance) and eventually we want to move out of state where we can own some land.. the options for us are Navada, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska... and maybe a few others...lol.. we want to own at least 20 acres and be mostly self sustainable... but that won't happen for quite a few more years

[justamom]

We live in an apartment provided by my husband's employer.

[Lynette]

eventually we want to move out of state where we can own some land.. the options for us are Navada, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska... and maybe a few others...lol.. we want to own at least 20 acres and be mostly self sustainable

I have thought about that myself but my other "mom" is up near Redding on land and tells me stories about how she can't wait to butcher the steer because he keeps rushing the fence to run amok and she has to run in front of him with a bucket of grain to get him back on the property or she had to get a shotgun because of the time the bear came too close and freaked out the horses. Stories like that make me think a Starbucks on every corner is not so bad :D

[Administrator]

I have thought about that myself but my other "mom" is up near Redding on land and tells me stories about how she can't wait to butcher the steer because he keeps rushing the fence to run amok and she has to run in front of him with a bucket of grain to get him back on the property or she had to get a shotgun because of the time the bear came too close and freaked out the horses. Stories like that make me think a Starbucks on every corner is not so bad :D

LOL, I see the benefits to both sides. When I lived in PA I was way out in the country. We had several acres and my grandfather and uncle owned a large majority of the county as farm land. I loved being out in the middle of nowhere... no noise from neighbors. no loud parties (except for our own, lol)
But when I went to college I moved into the city and loved that too. The "city" was still small, but much larger than wattsburg (in the country) where i'd lived before with it's whopping 300 residents.
When we moved to texas it was even bigger... more choices, more restaurants, more things for kids to do etc. i LOVED that.
Then here was just a small step down "size wise" from dallas area.

[Kellie_MO5]

see, what I want is country, but a nice sized city within maybe 1-2 hours drive. I want to be able to go to the library, a movie, a park to meet up with other kids/moms, but I don't want all the hustle/bustle right around home. I want our own land, no hoa or neighborhood comittee or anyone trying to tell me what I can and cannot do or build on my land. I am so tired of everyone (meaning family and strangers/government) trying to tell us how we have to live and raise a family... sometimes I wish I were just another resident of Walnut Grove...lol

[Administrator]

kellie: Wattsburg is a lot like what you are looking for. Obviously anywhere you go you have to comply with zoning for if you build something onto your house, etc, but there are no HOAs or anything like that that is picky about how tall the grass can be, where your cars can park and what color paint you can use on your house. We were about a 10 min drive from Union City, Corry and Downtown Wattsburg. You could get good mom & pop restaurant style food in those towns, go to movies, hit a bank, go to the grocery store etc. Then big shopping was in Erie - about 45 min away. it was *perfect*. Close enough that you could easily go for whatever you want, but far enough away that you didn't feel like you were in the middle of it all.

[karen-clark]

You can get that here too, there's plenty of country around! I've been surprised at how cheap some of the houses on land are if you don't mind something that needs work.

[meeg124]

I am so tired of everyone (meaning family and strangers/government) trying to tell us how we have to live and raise a family... sometimes I wish I were just another resident of Walnut Grove...lol


Even in Walnut Grove, Mrs. Oleson would have been telling you how to live :lol

[karen-clark]

OMG Fallon was on the phone yesterday with her biodad who lives in West Virginia. She has been doing this career thing at school where they pick a job and budget for rent and expenses based on their pay etc so she was asking him how much his house was. he has a huge 5 bedroom with finished basement on 36 ACRES for only $250k and he said it was overpriced! Ha! But you have to live in West Virginia for that. No thanks!

[becky]

i heard about that too Karen. Victor has a friend that lives out there who loves it. As great as it sounds we both say no thanks. Every couple of years we call when they are getting hit by hurricanes. I will take earthquakes any day.

[Mom of 2]

And all the snow , black ice, blizzards and Noreasters on the East coast, no thanks, once was enough.

Kate
Mom to Patty and Tyler