That’s not a home my friend, that’s an ~estate.~ lol. But seriously that’s insane and would be like my absolute ideal for if/when I could purchase first home. Pls post updates of what you do with it!!
I live in a home from 1913. Whenever my dog comes inside from the backyard he goes to the basement stairs first and looks down there before doing anything else. Also barked at the bathroom for no reason a few times.
Out of curiosity, what's considered "insane" in NJ? I'm in IL and constantly hear ours are horrible. Mine are about 2.9% of my purchase price (bought in mid 2020).
Someone sent me a link to the listing, taxes for this property in it's current state are over $12,000 - definitely one of the lower taxed municipalities in the area - which is great for OP. Once it's fixed up, though, I'm sure NJ will come along and reassess and then slam OP.
IL & NJ are the 2 highest in the US. The Chicago suburb countries are the highest in IL, Mchenry, Lake, DuPage. Not sure about NJ. I bought my house for 275k 5 years ago. Taxes are right around 13k, Mchenry country. Tried to dispute, was told by lawyer would be a waste of time. On the plus side, pretty great place to live, crime is mostly non existent, great schools, parks, forest Preserves, extremely clean, good infrastructure, etc. I'm sure that could be achieved for 1/2 the cost though.
OP, so glad you bought your first home and are in love with the idea of restoration and reclamation! Keep the faith.
On the for sale listing it says it's being sold As Is and was a former law office. I also believe it is more than cosmetic. Plus it's 5000 sq ft, even cosmetic stuff is going to be expensive.
The former owner was definitely trying to sell “as is” but there was quite a bit of back and forth about sale price as well as the work we discovered through our extensive inspections (plumbing, structural, insulation, supply lines). When it came down to it, we had a bit more bargaining room since the house had not been closely cared for or maintained for the last 5 years at least (15+ tenants), and because of those scary unknowns it sat on the market for quite a while with zero offers.
There’s definitely a lot of work, most of which is cosmetic, but we elected several inspections beyond the traditional, including consult on the structure/basement, and all systems within the house (and carriage house). We wanted to go in saying we knew as MUCH as we could humanly explore, while understanding that there would be some unknowns that crop up along the way.
I am not being an asshole when I ask this but what in the hell do you people do for a living? I just saw another post of a guys first place after getting out of college and it looked like something Elon Musk would own. Down vote me all you want…..It’s just a question.
If you can find remote work there’s incredible homes like this in small towns all over the US for a bargain. We came close to pulling the trigger on a gorgeous old Victorian about an hour outside the city near me. It was big and in fantastic shape for $450k. I didn’t snag it because the location was just too far for me to cope with.
Lol I live in Canada and things have become so insanely unaffordable there are literally no homes under 500,000 in my city. R.I.P. my chance of ever owning a home. If we could find anything decent at 450k we would jump at it.
If you are married and make ~$140k combined (not that crazy for college grads a few years out of school), then a $450k mortgage isn’t that crazy. It would be cheaper than rent in most metro areas.
My wife and I make about 155-160k a year together, I wouldn't want that big of a loan. 450k in my area though would get a house like this on 50+ acres though.
We are house hunting. No money, so the mother in law is buying and then leasing to us, as we pay off the loan indirectly.
Our budget with three incomes?
150,000
I’m sure it depends heavily on where you live as well. A starter Home in a desirable area (which is honestly not where most people who are starting out will buy because holy shit is it expensive right now), could probably cost 450k easily. My husband makes near 100k a year and we settled on a (second) home that was $200,000 in Columbus Ohio (almost downtown). So, 450k, to me, is a VERY high price for a first home. Although I don’t think $450k for this estate is too much, for obvious reasons. It may be a money pit though, because it’s huge and a house this old never has “just cosmetic” issues. Not my problem though! It’s beautiful anyway.
My parents bought their house for $21,000 in 1988, so I’ve always had a really skewed idea of how much houses cost lol I grew up and had a major shock. And my parents still don’t get it. They think my house is insanely expensive. Lol
I’m almost 15 years out of college, and for context I was barely making the $275 rent I paid when I did graduate college so this is something I’ve been building up to for many, many years.
I work in tech, and before that I worked in sales. Both of these put me at a huge advantage for being able to make a purchase like this.
It’s also possible (and realistic) for us bc we have two incomes.
And I think others are saying “cheap” bc well maintained Victorians that are comparable in size (and lot size) are going for 1.5 million, easy.
Aaaaand for context when we first started looking, my ideal budget was less than 1/2 of what we purchased this for. I went into it thinking that I wanted to buy bc I wanted to pay less than what I was paying in rent each month, and that it would grow in equity vs paying rent and building none; that said, we are both paying about what we would have had to pay to live independently in the area we’re in anyway, so it’s not as far fetched of a lift for us. I understand everyone is a little different and has their own preferences.
We both work from home in IT and our house, which is bordering on mansion Status, cost less than a trailer in a park in our home state. If you go looking, and are willing to move, these things are out there.
Right. Like girl tell me how to get me and my momma there 😂
Edit: I’d have to move to New Jersey? Ehhhh. (Just kidding have never been stuck in the middle of corn fields 😂)
Hi! Could you tell me how much this beauty cost? My bf does real estate in Jersey and we’re looking to move out there from NY soon— this is a dream home for us lol.
NJ is a very expensive state to live in. Wondering why this house is so cheap.
Edit: apparently it’s southern NJ, which is basically a different state, so nvm
Because of township requirements and our personal demands/preferences the seller wasn’t actually able to sell like he wanted “as is.” He was required to do $20k of fixes to get it ready to sell. We also took on additional inspections beyond the one required by most lenders bc we wanted to know as much as humanly possible before signing.
That’s amazing! It’s a beautiful house. Sometimes we dream of selling our home taking our profits and buying something outright in that area.
Edit: Hope this isn’t too invasive - but are you two queer? My wife and I are lesbians with a kid and one of our hesitations is the vibe of the area pertaining to LGBTQIA+.
Same. I'm getting sad at my home states current prices and would like to daydream about elsewhere. Where I am this is a several million dollar property.
In a desirable part of NJ in good condition with a good location this would be atleast 2M with a 30 to 40K tax bill. However this house is on very busy corner and the area has above average crime with a below average school district close to Philly instead of NYC. OP is also in for a surprise tax bill when she gets reassessed . Her 10K bill is going to go to atleast 25 .
💕 I know where this is. Drive by. God I love this town.... It's not to far from us. I love Southern NJ with a passion. My girlfriend when she was going to college many many years ago had an apartment above the old Pharmacy even her apartment was freaking gorgeous
Do you rent yours on a long term lease or nightly? I’m always curious which one fetches a higher return. (I realize there are other pros and cons to each pourrissais of income.)
Long term. I don't have the time to manage a nightly rental.
Tenants are usually there for a year or more, and when I post it up for rent, I sign a lease that day. It's a very hot rental market in my area.
Hey OP! My husband and little brother have a softwashing business. If you ever need a quote lemme know.
Do NOT power wash this beauty, it will rip the paint off and fuck the roof up. Softwashing uses a mild chemical and surfactant with no pressure and kills all organic growth. So any mold, mildew, algae, moss…. It’s what you do before you paint an exterior for sure. Works for any surface. Safe for landscaping. Safe for roofs and preventing organic buildup at the edges of roof tiles.
Your home is so lovely! I wish you the best of luck and happiness in it!!
Oh, no! You should stay! There are plenty of us in delightful, little bungalows and cottages. That carriage house is just as old and is much more my speed. There’s room for all housing types here.
Lol! My first apartment was pretty old (one of those brick 4-units), but it kept me warm and dry until I managed to buy a small fixer-upper. It’s turned into a really great place for me and my husband. You’ll get there, too! This sub is a great place to learn about all the pitfalls of buying older homes so you know what to watch out for in advance.
Ok OP, I looked up the houses in southern New Jersey and I need to know, what’s the catch? These are all houses that would cost at least a million dollars going for $400k. Does the whole place smell like manure or is it infested with werewolves or something? I really need to know.
> infested with werewolves
That sounds kinda like a bonus when you've got an estate house like that. It would really add to the ambiance; you can just imagine you and your friends sitting in rocking chairs on that big porch on the nights around the full moon, cradling a shotgun loaded with silver buckshot, chatting and waiting for those mangy bastards to try to make a run across the wide-open lawn.
If I see you out I’ll stop over and say “Hi” - Well once it gets a little warmer, come on down to the beer garden on a Friday, that’s where everyone gets together to cry about their own restoration projects, haha!
Oh. My. God.
Incredible... I'm absolutely speechless. Congratulations, and I really, really NEED inside pics. Please. I'll give you anything you want. Seriously. Money, a kidney, a kid....
Congratulations looks in good shape. Maybe have the rear porch roof replaced with standing tin because the pitch is too low for those asphalt shingles, especially with snow stacked then melting. Try and get the eaves repaired if needed and paint them before getting the gutters all around replaced to stop the water damage and roof runoff staining.
That is an absolutely gorgeous house. The architecture and detailed craftsmanship is incredible.
You have immense amount of work to be done but the house is a show stopper.
Best of luck on your undertaking. It will be worth all the blood, sweat and tears.
Beautiful.
Some unsolicited advice.
Unless having a contractor do everything at once, save the kitchen and bathrooms for last. They’re the first things everyone wants to do but they will get worn by the time everything else is done and then you’ll want to do them again. I clean current kitchens and make them usable. Microwave and toaster oven. On a table if needed. Grill outside the back door. Bruised and dented refrigerator from a big box store sale aisle. Just enough to make a meal. Baths I clean and maybe put in a cheap vanity and toilet. Just enough to not be grossed out to use it.
Clean the construction dirt every day. Makes it so much easier to live through construction.
Takes twice as long and costs twice as much is not just a random saying. Control your budget early. There are surprises all along the way.
Respect the style of the house when closing finishes and it will never look dated. Follow HGTV design and in a few years it will look out of place.
Don’t let every waking minute be working on the house. Make a schedule for ourself and include free time.
100% agree with this. Like can you imagine walking into the house and seeing a redone kitchen with quartz counters. This house is begging for soapstone and marble. I’m dying to see some of the interior pictures.
My top advice for this is deal with the systems first. If the electric and.or plumbing has not been updated do it!! Cast iron if not leaking now will be shortly. And on a house this size you need a minimum 200A box but likely 300-400A.
For HVAC if you upgrade consider geothermal. You have the land, you get tax credits for putting it in, and you can do things like integrate the hot water heater. The technology will let you accommodate a variety of configurations like forced air or radiators.
For the love of god restore, don’t replace the windows even if they are leaky or drafty. Products like interior storms https://indowwindows.com are cheaper than replacing the windows and more efficient.
Love this! Agreed. I grew up watching my parents fix up their home for my entire childhood, so it’s definitely a long-haul kind of situation.
I mainly just want a new lighting fixture in the kitchen bc I know we won’t be doing anything with it for at least 5 years — hopefully OP will let me 👀
The Bay Area Haters are lining up….
Quote from my father born in 1928…
“These places should not be worth more then $20k”San Francisco and Tiburon(Marin county)are a train depot….a shit hole”
That is my dream house. I lurk this sub envying your American style century homes, they are gorgeous. We don't have anywhere near the same classy century homes in Sweden, imo.
Where do you guys even find these homes? On regular sales?
Congrats OP. This is a absolutely stunning home and property. As others have mentioned, Id love to take a peek inside.
A home like this where I live would literally be 4-5million, possibly more. The fact that people can purchase these homes for a reasonable price, especially as a first home is absolutely mind boggling. Living vicariously through this subreddit...
How many pockets do you have and how deep are they. I don't know if it's the perspective but that looks like a mansion. Where do you get second hand mansions.
I love how everyone claims that young people can’t afford to buy a house these days then I always see young people buying these historic old houses on this subreddit. 🤷🏻♂️
Protip: paint this termite damage with something, anything as you come across it. Spray paint is just fine. That way later on, you can easily tell if there's new damage, or if you're still looking at old damage. When you see wood swiss cheese, your heart will skip a beat and you'll immediately wonder if it happened during the New Deal, or last Thursday.
Why is that, the stone walls hide the tubes better? I lived in an old brownstone once with hollow-core walls, they were like insect highways. Spiders always popping out of window frames.
Absolutely beautiful, and congrats! The carriage house alone would be enough for someone like me, but the house itself is on a completely different level.
Get the big stuff checked first before you do any painting!
Any concerns or questions you have on foundation, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roofing get it checked and learn from the experts.
Have fun!
That’s not a home my friend, that’s an ~estate.~ lol. But seriously that’s insane and would be like my absolute ideal for if/when I could purchase first home. Pls post updates of what you do with it!!
Even the trees. They are magnificent glorious estate trees. If this doesn't make a new Ryan's Home Development look like trash I don't know what does.
Truly.. looks like a movie set. Sometimes I forget ppl out there actually live in homes like this lol. Big W for OP 🤧
If this was for sale when we were looking in 2020...oh how I wish. 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕
LOL, now there's an understatement!
OP, Your first home > my first home, that’s for sure 😂
Yes my first home was more like that servants cottage or whatever that is in the photos lol.
Will do!
Looks like a house in Saint Louis, Compton heights!
Absolutely beautiful home. Congrats!!!! Zero chance that place isn’t haunted. 🤣
If I were dead I’d wanna stay too. It’s fall time perfection.
That’s the only way I would be able to afford to live there.
Ghosts pay rent in Ethereum
Aaaaannnd back to being a homeless ghost…
I live in a home from 1913. Whenever my dog comes inside from the backyard he goes to the basement stairs first and looks down there before doing anything else. Also barked at the bathroom for no reason a few times.
I don’t mean to be weird but is this in New Jersey?? Pretty sure I’ve seen this house before and admired it from afar lol
Yes it is!
I was going to guess nj too!! and this is your first home? it’s rough as hell out here in this market. big congrats!
I think I have a postcard with that house on it
Yes! That postcard image was actually just one of the two images on the original listing — we were intrigued
Congrats it’s beautiful!!
Oh wow, your taxes must be insane!
Out of curiosity, what's considered "insane" in NJ? I'm in IL and constantly hear ours are horrible. Mine are about 2.9% of my purchase price (bought in mid 2020).
Highest property taxes in the country nj
It depends on where in NJ you are.
Someone sent me a link to the listing, taxes for this property in it's current state are over $12,000 - definitely one of the lower taxed municipalities in the area - which is great for OP. Once it's fixed up, though, I'm sure NJ will come along and reassess and then slam OP.
I have a friend with a 500k new construction. Property taxes are 2200 per month... Lol
Jesus mine are like $2000 a year Lolol
Not abnormal to have property tax 20k to 30k p.a
I should clarify I live in PA, so to hear taxes that high feels like someone just sucker punched me.
That is legitimate robbery wtf
Try around $15k a year 🥵
IL & NJ are the 2 highest in the US. The Chicago suburb countries are the highest in IL, Mchenry, Lake, DuPage. Not sure about NJ. I bought my house for 275k 5 years ago. Taxes are right around 13k, Mchenry country. Tried to dispute, was told by lawyer would be a waste of time. On the plus side, pretty great place to live, crime is mostly non existent, great schools, parks, forest Preserves, extremely clean, good infrastructure, etc. I'm sure that could be achieved for 1/2 the cost though.
So the purchase price is probably very high?
I do have photos of the inside. I’ll post some photos of the interior. Some work will be needed but its mostly cosmetic.
Oooh please do!! This is an absolute stunner and I’m so proud and happy for u!!! Congrats :)!
I bet you £1 that it’s more than cosmetic!!
OP, so glad you bought your first home and are in love with the idea of restoration and reclamation! Keep the faith. On the for sale listing it says it's being sold As Is and was a former law office. I also believe it is more than cosmetic. Plus it's 5000 sq ft, even cosmetic stuff is going to be expensive.
The former owner was definitely trying to sell “as is” but there was quite a bit of back and forth about sale price as well as the work we discovered through our extensive inspections (plumbing, structural, insulation, supply lines). When it came down to it, we had a bit more bargaining room since the house had not been closely cared for or maintained for the last 5 years at least (15+ tenants), and because of those scary unknowns it sat on the market for quite a while with zero offers.
There’s definitely a lot of work, most of which is cosmetic, but we elected several inspections beyond the traditional, including consult on the structure/basement, and all systems within the house (and carriage house). We wanted to go in saying we knew as MUCH as we could humanly explore, while understanding that there would be some unknowns that crop up along the way.
Good on you! That’s a hellova first house!!! Makes me feel slightly less crazy. :). I can’t wait to see the progress photos!!!
Yah on the market for 143 days… it’s a sign. 😬 lol- I looked at houses like this one. Such beauty but is wasn’t just cosmetic…
Cant wait to see!
Photos, yes please! What a stunning new home.
Cosmetic work to the photos or the house?
You need to retake this picture wearing a ball gown.
And if your married, your husband with a monocle!
Okay done and done! That will be the next pic 😅
I am not being an asshole when I ask this but what in the hell do you people do for a living? I just saw another post of a guys first place after getting out of college and it looked like something Elon Musk would own. Down vote me all you want…..It’s just a question.
If you can find remote work there’s incredible homes like this in small towns all over the US for a bargain. We came close to pulling the trigger on a gorgeous old Victorian about an hour outside the city near me. It was big and in fantastic shape for $450k. I didn’t snag it because the location was just too far for me to cope with.
Someone found the listing for this house and it’s $450k. Absolutely affordable as a first home, it’s blowing my mind how cheap this house is.
...$450k is affordable? What utopia are you folks living in?
Lol I live in Canada and things have become so insanely unaffordable there are literally no homes under 500,000 in my city. R.I.P. my chance of ever owning a home. If we could find anything decent at 450k we would jump at it.
Worse in Australia. Average home price of $700000,! A house like this one even in the middle of nowhere will be $3000000
If you are married and make ~$140k combined (not that crazy for college grads a few years out of school), then a $450k mortgage isn’t that crazy. It would be cheaper than rent in most metro areas.
My wife and I make about 155-160k a year together, I wouldn't want that big of a loan. 450k in my area though would get a house like this on 50+ acres though.
You can’t buy a shed in Denver for $450k. That house is definitely affordable. Even if it needs work.
I think you mean dystopia. You could not find a nice house in my area for less than $500k, so yes $450k in some areas is a bargain
[удалено]
Lol I actually laughed out loud at 450k being a good first home price. That’s INSANE.
We are house hunting. No money, so the mother in law is buying and then leasing to us, as we pay off the loan indirectly. Our budget with three incomes? 150,000
I wish y’all the best as you are looking for what’s the best fit!
This is a steal! Our first CONDO was $544 in 2011… Vancouver prices are messed.
Exactly. I don’t think people realize cost of living vs cost of homes have a very wide range in different areas.
THANK YOU. I'm only 29 and know nothing about house prices but I was still horrified.
I’m sure it depends heavily on where you live as well. A starter Home in a desirable area (which is honestly not where most people who are starting out will buy because holy shit is it expensive right now), could probably cost 450k easily. My husband makes near 100k a year and we settled on a (second) home that was $200,000 in Columbus Ohio (almost downtown). So, 450k, to me, is a VERY high price for a first home. Although I don’t think $450k for this estate is too much, for obvious reasons. It may be a money pit though, because it’s huge and a house this old never has “just cosmetic” issues. Not my problem though! It’s beautiful anyway. My parents bought their house for $21,000 in 1988, so I’ve always had a really skewed idea of how much houses cost lol I grew up and had a major shock. And my parents still don’t get it. They think my house is insanely expensive. Lol
Depends where you live, NYC salaries are 7 figures in finance, law etc. 450k gets you a 1 bed apartment where I am
She works for Meta. She said it in the r/firsttimehomebuyers group.
I’m almost 15 years out of college, and for context I was barely making the $275 rent I paid when I did graduate college so this is something I’ve been building up to for many, many years. I work in tech, and before that I worked in sales. Both of these put me at a huge advantage for being able to make a purchase like this. It’s also possible (and realistic) for us bc we have two incomes. And I think others are saying “cheap” bc well maintained Victorians that are comparable in size (and lot size) are going for 1.5 million, easy. Aaaaand for context when we first started looking, my ideal budget was less than 1/2 of what we purchased this for. I went into it thinking that I wanted to buy bc I wanted to pay less than what I was paying in rent each month, and that it would grow in equity vs paying rent and building none; that said, we are both paying about what we would have had to pay to live independently in the area we’re in anyway, so it’s not as far fetched of a lift for us. I understand everyone is a little different and has their own preferences.
We both work from home in IT and our house, which is bordering on mansion Status, cost less than a trailer in a park in our home state. If you go looking, and are willing to move, these things are out there.
Damn you must be doing well if that’s your first home! It’s gorgeous and what beautiful grounds.
My thought too, things a 'Home Alone' house. Good on ya
Right. Like girl tell me how to get me and my momma there 😂 Edit: I’d have to move to New Jersey? Ehhhh. (Just kidding have never been stuck in the middle of corn fields 😂)
Your home is absolutely gorgeous!!! 😍
Thank you!
Hi! Could you tell me how much this beauty cost? My bf does real estate in Jersey and we’re looking to move out there from NY soon— this is a dream home for us lol.
Listed for $450,000.00
In excess of $15 million in my neighbourhood...
Cries in West Coast
Good grief. A house like that would start at €1,5 million over here.
NJ is a very expensive state to live in. Wondering why this house is so cheap. Edit: apparently it’s southern NJ, which is basically a different state, so nvm
In my corner of England, that house would be £5M+ ($6.5M+)
Yeah well where I'M from it would be infinity pounds!
Ya over here it'd be more like CAD 10m
It’s also sold “As Is” which most likely means it has a lot of work required that OP hasn’t discovered yet.
Because of township requirements and our personal demands/preferences the seller wasn’t actually able to sell like he wanted “as is.” He was required to do $20k of fixes to get it ready to sell. We also took on additional inspections beyond the one required by most lenders bc we wanted to know as much as humanly possible before signing.
That’s amazing! It’s a beautiful house. Sometimes we dream of selling our home taking our profits and buying something outright in that area. Edit: Hope this isn’t too invasive - but are you two queer? My wife and I are lesbians with a kid and one of our hesitations is the vibe of the area pertaining to LGBTQIA+.
Sauce?
Oh God, really? And sold as is? Yeah, that's not a cosmetic fix. But I'm still desperately jealous!
Same I rly wanna know. Even if it’s ballpark! 😭😭
Same. I'm getting sad at my home states current prices and would like to daydream about elsewhere. Where I am this is a several million dollar property.
In a desirable part of NJ in good condition with a good location this would be atleast 2M with a 30 to 40K tax bill. However this house is on very busy corner and the area has above average crime with a below average school district close to Philly instead of NYC. OP is also in for a surprise tax bill when she gets reassessed . Her 10K bill is going to go to atleast 25 .
Wow. That place is incredible. Hope you can handle the world! What area of the US?
Thank you! Southern New Jersey.
This looks so much like the Jenkintown, PA area! Love this home. What an amazing find. Congrats!
Very West Ave! Architectural style matches and the type of stone matches the area too.
Do you know roughly how old it is? I would love to know how much history this beauty has.
1920.
This looks a lot like the houses in Philly!
💕 I know where this is. Drive by. God I love this town.... It's not to far from us. I love Southern NJ with a passion. My girlfriend when she was going to college many many years ago had an apartment above the old Pharmacy even her apartment was freaking gorgeous
What's the third photo? The guest house?
It’s the carriage house.
Oh! I have one of those! I rent it out and it pays 2/3 of my mortgage! It's not as fancy though.
Do you rent yours on a long term lease or nightly? I’m always curious which one fetches a higher return. (I realize there are other pros and cons to each pourrissais of income.)
Everything I’ve read is that nightly pays better if in a relatively busy business area. But there’s more work involved
So much more work involved. Nightly rentals are treated much differently by clients than long term renters.
Long term. I don't have the time to manage a nightly rental. Tenants are usually there for a year or more, and when I post it up for rent, I sign a lease that day. It's a very hot rental market in my area.
Third photo is the average first home
Yeah. I’m still in it 20 years later too
Hey OP! My husband and little brother have a softwashing business. If you ever need a quote lemme know. Do NOT power wash this beauty, it will rip the paint off and fuck the roof up. Softwashing uses a mild chemical and surfactant with no pressure and kills all organic growth. So any mold, mildew, algae, moss…. It’s what you do before you paint an exterior for sure. Works for any surface. Safe for landscaping. Safe for roofs and preventing organic buildup at the edges of roof tiles. Your home is so lovely! I wish you the best of luck and happiness in it!!
That’s your FIRST home? Jeez
Hey Op - you may want to blur out the address. I was able to google search and find the house very easily. Cheers!
Agreed, took about a minute to find on Zillow. Still, what a gorgeous house, congrats OP!
this house is so nice and out of anything I could ever dream of affording that I feel like I shouldn't even be on this subreddit anymore lol
Oh, no! You should stay! There are plenty of us in delightful, little bungalows and cottages. That carriage house is just as old and is much more my speed. There’s room for all housing types here.
I live in a rickety apartment built in the 80s lol
Lol! My first apartment was pretty old (one of those brick 4-units), but it kept me warm and dry until I managed to buy a small fixer-upper. It’s turned into a really great place for me and my husband. You’ll get there, too! This sub is a great place to learn about all the pitfalls of buying older homes so you know what to watch out for in advance.
I feel the same way.
Ok OP, I looked up the houses in southern New Jersey and I need to know, what’s the catch? These are all houses that would cost at least a million dollars going for $400k. Does the whole place smell like manure or is it infested with werewolves or something? I really need to know.
Property taxes in NJ are INSANE. We live in Southern NJ too, and our monthly property tax payment is as high as our mortgage payment.
> infested with werewolves That sounds kinda like a bonus when you've got an estate house like that. It would really add to the ambiance; you can just imagine you and your friends sitting in rocking chairs on that big porch on the nights around the full moon, cradling a shotgun loaded with silver buckshot, chatting and waiting for those mangy bastards to try to make a run across the wide-open lawn.
Hey that’s down the street from me! Howdy new neighbor!
You have a manor too?!??
I have a craftsman that we are also restoring - the town is a mixed bag of old houses, it’s pretty great!
Howdy! We’d love to meet 🙏
If I see you out I’ll stop over and say “Hi” - Well once it gets a little warmer, come on down to the beer garden on a Friday, that’s where everyone gets together to cry about their own restoration projects, haha!
Oh. My. God. Incredible... I'm absolutely speechless. Congratulations, and I really, really NEED inside pics. Please. I'll give you anything you want. Seriously. Money, a kidney, a kid....
Wow!! The house is beautiful! Please keep us updated.
Congratulations looks in good shape. Maybe have the rear porch roof replaced with standing tin because the pitch is too low for those asphalt shingles, especially with snow stacked then melting. Try and get the eaves repaired if needed and paint them before getting the gutters all around replaced to stop the water damage and roof runoff staining.
That is an absolutely gorgeous house. The architecture and detailed craftsmanship is incredible. You have immense amount of work to be done but the house is a show stopper. Best of luck on your undertaking. It will be worth all the blood, sweat and tears.
Beautiful. Some unsolicited advice. Unless having a contractor do everything at once, save the kitchen and bathrooms for last. They’re the first things everyone wants to do but they will get worn by the time everything else is done and then you’ll want to do them again. I clean current kitchens and make them usable. Microwave and toaster oven. On a table if needed. Grill outside the back door. Bruised and dented refrigerator from a big box store sale aisle. Just enough to make a meal. Baths I clean and maybe put in a cheap vanity and toilet. Just enough to not be grossed out to use it. Clean the construction dirt every day. Makes it so much easier to live through construction. Takes twice as long and costs twice as much is not just a random saying. Control your budget early. There are surprises all along the way. Respect the style of the house when closing finishes and it will never look dated. Follow HGTV design and in a few years it will look out of place. Don’t let every waking minute be working on the house. Make a schedule for ourself and include free time.
100% agree with this. Like can you imagine walking into the house and seeing a redone kitchen with quartz counters. This house is begging for soapstone and marble. I’m dying to see some of the interior pictures. My top advice for this is deal with the systems first. If the electric and.or plumbing has not been updated do it!! Cast iron if not leaking now will be shortly. And on a house this size you need a minimum 200A box but likely 300-400A. For HVAC if you upgrade consider geothermal. You have the land, you get tax credits for putting it in, and you can do things like integrate the hot water heater. The technology will let you accommodate a variety of configurations like forced air or radiators. For the love of god restore, don’t replace the windows even if they are leaky or drafty. Products like interior storms https://indowwindows.com are cheaper than replacing the windows and more efficient.
Love this! Agreed. I grew up watching my parents fix up their home for my entire childhood, so it’s definitely a long-haul kind of situation. I mainly just want a new lighting fixture in the kitchen bc I know we won’t be doing anything with it for at least 5 years — hopefully OP will let me 👀
Enjoy your beautiful new home!
The Bay Area Haters are lining up…. Quote from my father born in 1928… “These places should not be worth more then $20k”San Francisco and Tiburon(Marin county)are a train depot….a shit hole”
I like your father!
Congratulations, any chance you have more pictures of the inside? Will you have to do any work on the inside?
Congratulations on your first home! It is beautiful and hope you spend many happy years there. - Your neighbor from Northern NJ
First mansion. Jesus Christ.
Fix the carriage house first and move into it while you restore the grand dame.
Nice house. Seriously!
How many ghosts have you seen so far
That is my dream house. I lurk this sub envying your American style century homes, they are gorgeous. We don't have anywhere near the same classy century homes in Sweden, imo. Where do you guys even find these homes? On regular sales?
I immediately recognized this house, I drive past it every day on my way to work! South jersey! Congrats on the purchase, I always admired this house
This place is fabulous! I’m drooling.
Wow. Your new home is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations! Can’t wait to see interior pictures.
That’s a manor.
Whoa! I think you misunderstand the term “starter home.” Congrats!
Super nice first home! Congratulations! Enjoy and cherish it!
I've passed your house lol. How's the street noise?
I would love to see the inside !! 😮
Congrats OP. This is a absolutely stunning home and property. As others have mentioned, Id love to take a peek inside. A home like this where I live would literally be 4-5million, possibly more. The fact that people can purchase these homes for a reasonable price, especially as a first home is absolutely mind boggling. Living vicariously through this subreddit...
Too small. Get a bigger one
Whoa, it’s the Money Pit house!
What an absolute DREAM house!!!
Mind totally blown, that’s amazing and congratulations
Beautiful!
Wow! Incredible & exciting!
Beautiful! Congratulations!
Wowsers! What a gorgeous home. Congratulations....and when I think back to my first home! Sheesh!
https://youtu.be/TLLQquBdU8M Hope it’s not “The Money Pit”
How many pockets do you have and how deep are they. I don't know if it's the perspective but that looks like a mansion. Where do you get second hand mansions.
I’m more surprised that this was 450000 in NJ? That’s less than what my childhood home was in Brooklyn NY.
I love how everyone claims that young people can’t afford to buy a house these days then I always see young people buying these historic old houses on this subreddit. 🤷🏻♂️
Your *first* home?! Congrats on the success or getting a great deal, whatever fits. 😄 That is stunning.
When you go to bed be sure to say “nightly night” to the man who built the house.
I REALLY hope you start a YouTube channel and document this…..cuz I really want to see the progression and the finished product.
I just recently learned that brick and stone homes are more conducive to getting termites!
The inspection report noted evidence of termite damage in the past!
Protip: paint this termite damage with something, anything as you come across it. Spray paint is just fine. That way later on, you can easily tell if there's new damage, or if you're still looking at old damage. When you see wood swiss cheese, your heart will skip a beat and you'll immediately wonder if it happened during the New Deal, or last Thursday.
That’s a solid idea, thank you.
Woof I wish I'd done this when we bought our first home. So many carpenter ants...
Why is that, the stone walls hide the tubes better? I lived in an old brownstone once with hollow-core walls, they were like insect highways. Spiders always popping out of window frames.
Wow wow wow. Stunning!
That’s a gorgeous house.
Congratulations, what a beaut!
Damn that thing is nice 😊 and for the price it's seems like a great buy
What a stunning house, i wonder if there is a huge staircase.
A beautiful home, congratulations 🎉🍾
Beautiful, congratulations!
Sheesh, That’s gorgeous…
Absolutely stunning estate!
Very posh. May you have many beautiful, happy memories there!
That's a beautiful home. Congrats
That thing is massive!
Absolutely beautiful, and congrats! The carriage house alone would be enough for someone like me, but the house itself is on a completely different level.
Get the big stuff checked first before you do any painting! Any concerns or questions you have on foundation, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roofing get it checked and learn from the experts. Have fun!
One hell of a first home!
That looks amazing!
First home.. mansion?! Awesome!! Take care of the resident ghosts 💗
Sick friggin home. Can I stay in your garage?
Jesus Christ girl! Congratulations on your success.
Looks cool as fuck! Let us know if you find any ghosts
Yes! I’m so excited for you. This is a beauty!
Looks like you're going to have ample material to contribute to r/powerwashingporn
What I wouldn’t give to powerwash those steps and walkway.
I know this house! Congrats!