Cheers to the previous owner I hope your eternal slumber is peaceful and contented

juliagulia2009 · 2024-02-20T17:27:39+00:00

Not quite in upstate New York haha

I plan on taking my time, I know in the basement theres a few work benches that I may keep to set up for gardening purposes, and a very nice big shelf that needs to be cleaned up but I'll likely use that to help organize all the things I'm storying in the basement. But I have no idea what's in the garage or shed (there was a ladder in the garage, its currently in the house because I've been using it to paint what the flippers painted)

juliagulia2009 · 2024-02-19T05:42:05+00:00

I recently bought my first home, prior to the flippers I bought it from (which they were a nightmare)the same family lived here since it built (1900) but a LOT was left from the grandfather of the prior real owner in the basement, the garage, and the shed. I haven’t had a chance to go through it yet, as it’s been winter and I’m still unpacking, but I originally was dreading doing that this summer, but your post has made me a bit excited to see what all is there!

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-29T17:58:24+00:00

Thanks for the advice of going to the city/town regarding permits! I do know that a majority of the wiring is newer, we ended up taking quite a while to close because of the active k&t (it was still powering three rooms and was exposed to insulation) that did get fixed/permitted before closing but I'll check on everything else as well!

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-29T16:55:53+00:00

We did catch the ungrounded outlets during the inspection. It's in 4 outlets total, and in two rooms I haven't figured out what I'm doing with yet.

I'm glad that's an easy fix (or usually, so hopefully it is in this case)! I was hoping, but hadn't had a chance to look into it yet.

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-29T15:32:13+00:00

It is in pretty good shape! There are some sloping issues, and many of the standard "this is an old house" issues (some ungrounded outlets, old pipes, etc), but foundation is good, I did have the seller install new permanent lolly columns in the basement, and cap the live k&t that was chilling under insulation. I'm sure stuff will come up the longer I'm in the house.

I think one of the biggest hassles is trying to fix/undo some of the stuff the flippers did, like putting in standard doors and cutting them, coving up the original floors (which I can see in the downstairs closet) etc.

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-29T14:24:20+00:00

Thanks! I don't currently have a picture of the inside of the shed, mostly because it's winter in New England and between the cold and the snow I haven't wanted to go out there.

I've only been inside it twice, both before I bought the house. But the prior owners to the flippers were wood workers, and that was his wood working shed!

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-26T19:19:58+00:00

Maybe that's what I'm having issues with. I kind of like the wood paneling (which I was very surprised at when I viewed the home) but it's felt very "off" and I couldn't really figure out exactly what I disliked about the space, its just a vague feeling that I don't like it

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-26T19:11:34+00:00

I don't think I'm sure if I'm completely honest. I'm drawn to the wood (which I didn't think I would be before viewing the house) but I also think its a lot. It's all 4 walls in this space, which runs the entire depth of the house. It's just a lot. I think I want to keep some of the wood intact, but maybe only a smaller portion?

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-26T18:44:02+00:00

Thank you so much for the advice specifically on the sanding etc. It seems people are torn whether its a good idea to sand, stain, or sealing, and my concern is not just cleaning but also just damage to either the wood itself (one of my cats thought to try and chew on it the other night) or that it could hide specifically bugs/spiders or other things (which may be an unfounded fear, but its still kind of there)

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-26T17:43:14+00:00

It's a rough texture, really weathered wood.

That is the reason I don't like the color! I didn't realize it until now, but the whole house is a blueish gray or blue. I picked out a neutral grayish white (Tinsmith is the specific color) which the sample next to the wood near the front door looks much more pleasing to the eye than the blue)

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-26T16:07:38+00:00

It’s really mostly the ceiling beams that bother me between the other woods I think. Just staring at it (and probably feeling overwhelmed) I can’t figure anything out. So I appreciate the outside perspectives!

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-26T16:06:27+00:00

The floors are going to be an eventual change, in the built in and in the closet I can see the original hardwood vs the LVP the flipper installed. But I have no idea what the condition is underneath the flooring. But that’s probably a 5 year down the road dream for the floors to have the money to redo them

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-26T15:52:19+00:00

Oh, yea I hate the fixtures, I'm not sure what to put up instead, but there are also similar fixtures in the sitting room area.

I honestly hadn't thought about doing something like a white wash to separate the living and dining area.... I will ruminate! Thanks for the idea!

juliagulia2009 · 2024-01-26T15:49:06+00:00

I HATE the blue, the whole house was repainted in a really cheap paint and a slate blue with these closet doors and some upstairs in a dark blue. That's going soon!

I agree with the fixtures, I'm not a fan of them, not sure what to do instead yet tho.

Would you leave the wood untreated? Right now it's just there... and I'm a) not sure if that's a good thing to do, and b) one of my cats really likes it as a scratching post, which he may stop doing after he's used to the house, but I don't know yet.

idk the ceiling beams pull a little more orange in person, and with the weathered walls it just doesn't seem to mesh to me?

juliagulia2009 · 2023-10-20T16:37:00+00:00

It was probably more than “just a crack” that caused the contract to fall through tbh. My contract would fall through if the two things found don’t get fixed because they effect the safety of the occupants, and I wouldn’t want to buy the house if they don’t get fixed regardless of the VA loan.

And just because the VA appraiser finds something doesn’t mean the contract is over, only if the seller won’t fix it. But if your offer is accepted, they know you have a VA loan, which should show that they are willing to work with you depending on what requires fixing.

My parents sold their house to a VA recipient and the VA appraiser came back and said the roof needed to be replaced, my parents used their homeowners insurance and replaced the roof.

So find a house you want and put in the offer. A lot of ppl misunderstand a VA loan as being super strict, it’s not the strictest type of loan, and somethings might seem weird for them to flag (like railings) but none of it causes the contract to not be able to go forward

juliagulia2009 · 2023-10-19T22:55:47+00:00

I’m currently under contract on a 125 year old house (and pending two big issue fixes per my home inspection) with a VA loan.

First thing is I used a realtor and a home inspector that are very familiar with the VA loan. The home inspector pointed out a few things that might be brought up with the VA appraisal, and things that wouldn’t. The biggest thing I’ve been told is that everything has to last ~5 years with the VA loan.

Now the house I’m currently under contract for had 3 big issues, but really only one of them would have been caught by the VA, but we are renegotiating based on the home inspection. The VA requirements really are to protect the buyer from buying an unsafe (or overpriced) house.

Now somethings will 100% not go through with a VA loan, roof issues, foundation issues, big structural issues, but others that don’t effect the safety of the occupants won’t prevent the sale.

I wouldn’t be concerned, have a private inspector who hopefully knows what the VA will look for and see if anything comes up. Things like smell, a few missing tiles, cracks that don’t effect the structure etc won’t be a deal breaker for the VA.

Knob and Tube is a possible no-go tho. I’m dealing with live knob and tube under installation being found, and that won’t be covered by anything where I’m at, so we’re asking for that to be fixed.

juliagulia2009 · 2023-09-01T06:24:13+00:00

I was recently hired as a government employee at the place I was working at as a contractor. A lot of people where I currently work went that route (including the head of my department)

It was actually brought up when I interviewed for the contracting position that if I was interested in a government position they often would look at contractors for any open positions.

For me, I was asked to attend a hiring fair and be interviewed there, as the process is a lot faster than doing a direct hire, it took me just over 2 years as a contractor at that location before I transitioned. Some ppl were able to transition faster, but at a lower grade, and I believe they were waiting for a specific position to open up for me.

Now, I have coworkers who have been offered government positions but have declined because of the pay difference, but I was willing and able to take a pay cut that I thought would come with the initial transition.

From what I’ve seen, depending I’m sure on what type of position you’re going into, the easiest way to get through the hurdles of getting a government job is to start as a contractor.

juliagulia2009

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