I am interested in this home

Aunt Bea said:
According to Zillow it's assessed for $188,500.00.

The house is about 12 years old and will be needing some upgrades/maintenance in a few years.

I would also double-check the taxes on the home to see what they will be if you pay the increased price.

For the kind of money they are asking, I would check with a local builder and have a snug little house built to my specifications.

Good luck!
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Looking at the comp prices in the area, I'd say they are right in the middle, so, room for a cash negotiation.
Average price to build a new home in Mechanicsville is $388,612... plus you'd have to find and buy the land.
 
I like that style of porch, I think they call it a farmer's porch, I can picture it with a couple rocking chairs and some bright potted flowers.

There's a good sized kitchen, and the wood floors look to be in good shape. Everything seems neat, you can tell that it's been well tended to. It just looks comfortable, and being all on one floor is a major benefit.
 
A lot of the price is based on comps in the area. Upper NY state isn't that swanky. I would make a lower offer and with cash, the sellers won't have to worry if you'e been approved for any mortgage.

You will need
Upgraded a/c units. Those are old and too small. Make sure they remove them and take them.
I'm not sure that fireplace is real, or just a free standing decorative one. Check on that.
I'm betting the floors aren't hardwood, but laminate. They look good, anyway.
The lawn needs care, and a shrub or two would help the bare front.
They have a dog; check for pet stains or damage.

Otherwise, this is perfect for you! You'll save so much on heating. Please have it inspected and for termites, too.
 
Paying cash still leaves youa little over $400.00 a month in property taxes. You should be able to have the average cost of utilities per year given to you since this is not new construction. That should help you decide if you can afford to live there.

The two car garage hopefully would help you with storing the clutter of your "collectibles". Having a garage sale occasionally to reduce the amount plus give you some income as it is depleted a plus.

For me the rooms are narrow so TV viewing would be limnited to a smaller screen probably not wall mounted since looking up can cause neck strain.

The lot looks cleared so a riding mower should work better & make lawn care (mowing)easier.

Then there is the issue of laundry in the basement. Up & down stairs not enjoyable as you get older.

Last but not least cell towers & emergency services what could you expect as an ability to make an emergency cal & the response time?

Overall the house looks nice. But for your own peace of mind if you are really interested pay for a professional home inspector to look at this house thru unbiased eyes. Having any problems discovered before beats paying for what was wrong if anything later. The seller should be asked to split the cost since they should have nothing to hide & are making a profit on the sale.
 
debodun said:
I remember a relator years ago my folks dealt with. She'd pay the neighbors to "go away" while she was showing the house lest their noise scare off any potential buyers. Some things you don't realize intil you actually live in a house. It may be a peach of a building, but: How are the neighors? Is it near a stinky landfill? Does a train track run 100 yards away?
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Which is why you go to the area and check it out. It’s only 2 miles away . This should be a fun thing to do. Explore the area in all directions, smell the air, listen for noise ( parties etc ) Know everything there is to know before you make any decision. It looks like you only have two neighbours close enough for you to see through your windows and they have good size properties so you shouldn’t have any of the issues you are currently having.
 
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Don't forget your home insurance along with your taxes. You can get a realtor to help you with all this.

I would also have porch railings installed.
There is no chimney. That fireplace is just furniture.
 
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I'm suspicious about the "newer" designation. That sounds like realtor-speak. How old is the house?

The large lawn could be a problem, unless you are sure you could get someone to mow.

Otherwise, it looks nice. Radish, it might be a built-in "fireplace" like the one I have. It has a space heater in it, operated by a remote switch. Pleasant to look at in the winter and adds a little warmth, but truthfully I could have done without it. The previous owner had had it installed.
 
That’s my guess also. A gas fireplace . Our neighbours have one. The flooring looks like maple hardwood to me. We have maple hardwood here and the width is about the same. Laminate floor tiles are usually wider.
 
Don M. said:
That looks good. The price seems rather high, but then, for NY, that might be reasonable. I did a quick look on Google Maps, and it looks like it is a nice area...not crowded, and near a town where you should have everything close by.

Given all the issues you've posted about your current place, moving to this house would be a wise choice...the wood flooring seems to be in good shape, and even the basement looks good.

Get with the realtor and see what kind of deal you can make....far better to spend a bit of money to buy this place, than to pour 10's of thousands into your current "abode"....IMO.
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My friend in NY pays 6,000 a mo for a coop apt. 1,000 of it is for maintenance. That includes repairs and lawn. They won't paint or anything like that. I could never afford a $300,000 house. I don't think I'd want to.
 
For me, I don't like the way the kitchen is so open to the dining/living area. I would have to have at least a half wall between. I just can't abide the kitchen being right in the middle of the living area like that.

I also couldn't do the basement laundry situation. Lugging laundry up and down steep stairs is a no-no for me.
 
Well personally I wouldn't entertain a home where the heat is run on Propane Gas, and there's a septic sewer tank.. tbh! too much like hard work for toileting and heating..
 

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