House for sale in my childhood neighborhood

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I saw this house for sale and looked it up on a local real estate Web site. It's just about what I was looking for, although I do have some issues just looking at the photos:

1) the front lawn is on a slope that may be too steep for me to mow
2) a LOT of steps to get from the garage to the front door (with my weak left leg and arthritic right knee)
3) toilet wedged in between shower and sink - so close to sink I'm afraid I'd keep hitting my hip on the sink counter edge
4) concerned about why all the lawn looks dug up in the back yard. I might suspect there might have been a problem with the septic system if it didn't say the house had public water and sewer

I am trying to get an appt to see it, but a realtor I usually do business (not the one it's listed with) with has put me off several times now. Do they want to sell homes or not?


http://www.capitaldistrictrealestat.../201609373-51-West-St-Mechanicville-NY-12118/

What do you think of this house?
 

The front lawn all but drops off, like level then a bump and down, eeeeep no fun to mow even if you were in tip top shape. And you have to consider all them steps...with bags, groceries, in rain and snow...I would look for fewer steps. Another big warning flag is if there's even a chance of septic system issues. That's something that can be more expensive than the house if it gets bad enough.
 
Debodun, I hate to rain on your parade but there is a lot wrong with that house besides what has been mentioned already. Are you sure you are just not being sentimental as it is your childhood neighborhood?

Just a few things I see wrong is the basement support, the baseboard heating system, window replacement in the sunroom, basement kitchen repair or removal. I won't go on but if it was me I would run, not walk to another listing.
 
Redd said:
Just a few things I see wrong is the basement support, the baseboard heating system, window replacement in the sunroom, basement kitchen repair or removal. I won't go on but if it was me I would run, not walk to another listing.
Click to expand...

Could you be more specific (details) about the problems you see?
 
I've lived in two places with baseboard heating, one in cold N Ohio, and it was great. But the basement supports look like temporary jack posts. I would be concerned about why that.
 
debodun said:
Could you be more specific (details) about the problems you see?
Click to expand...

I don't know about the USA but here in Canada electric heat is about 4 times the cost of gas heat. And baseboard heating is not as comfortable as forced air heat. The support poles in the basement are generally a temporary thing, perhaps sagging and the need to brace up. Jalousie windows are outdated for good reason, just not as effecient as the windows today.

Perhaps at a good price the house can be improved giving you an advantage of buying at t great price with money left for these things plus the bathroom re-do. Go through the house personally and you will have a better idea.

As a realtor myself for many years I can honestly say that pictures can be deceiving and you may find more room in that barhroom than the picture shows.And a home inspection will tell of any problems down the road.
 
I don't think I'd want to live in my old neighborhood. I mean we had a good family life and lived comfortably. But so much of my family is gone now. The neighborhood has been renovated completely. Too many ghosts and too much past there.
 
Maybe the fact that the realtor isn't responding means someone is trying to tell you something. I don't mean the realtor. For all I know, I could mean your better judgement! :)

That house looks awkward and uncomfortable. I would not be able to carry groceries up the garage steps (assuming there are some inside), and the lot would be a pain too.

I agree with those who have said it may be sentiment attracting you to that house. If you can't get a decent price for the one you live in now, why spend money on another that's no better?

ETA: It is encouraging to see that a house can be put on the market without the kitchen being brought into the 21st century! I don't really like seeing 2016 kitchens on 1950s-60s houses because the huge appliances look out of place. This house has a very atmospheric kitchen. (I also like radiant baseboard heating over forced-air gas, and I'd rather have floor heating than vents up in the wall or ceiling, because hot air rises, but hey -- I live deep in the South!)
 
P.S. -- Where is the downspout for that gutter that extends out from the sunroom roof and then just stops? Does the water pour down on those steps? Do I hear "moss and mildew"?
 
Guitarist, kind of puzzled about something you mention. About the heating vents in the wall or ceiling for forced air gas heating, most homes I have seen have the heating ducts come up through the floor. The only time I have seen ducting through the attic is with homes on a slab with no basement or crawl space and here they are few and far between.
 
WAAY too many steps for me and my iffy knees. I don't want to damage them any further by struggling up steps every day. And like others above, I wonder about those crazy looking supports in the basement.

I'd have to pass on this one.
 
Redd said:
Guitarist, kind of puzzled about something you mention. About the heating vents in the wall or ceiling for forced air gas heating, most homes I have seen have the heating ducts come up through the floor. The only time I have seen ducting through the attic is with homes on a slab with no basement or crawl space and here they are few and far between.
Click to expand...


:)
Houses with no basement or crawl space, built on concrete slabs, are quite common in the Southeast of the US. I've seen a good many.

I think it's mostly apartments I've seen that have the vents high up in the wall or in the ceiling. May be efficient from a construction standpoint but not for a heating-billing one!

My choice for heating would be a central furnace and a boiler, and radiators in every room. True, I'd have to have a separate AC system, but there's nothing like good old radiant steam heat in the wintertime.
 
Guitarist, I guess it depends on the climate you live in if concrete slabs come into play. Canada can get cold brrrr so that's the difference.

There was a case here where I live where the mayor got in dutch for issuing permits to the builder (a relative) to build a small pocket of homes on a slab. They were cute little homes, with the ducting going through the attic. They were cheap to buy but unfortunately resale was a problem after the fact. One has been on the market for over 4 years now.
 
Here in the desert we don't have basements, but houses have a crawl space under them so pipes, etc. can be accessed. Most homes have floor vents for gas heating. Electric heat here costs a fortune.
 

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