I can has house??

[kay_gmd]

Most of you read Groblek's journal, but in case you don't we're looking for a house. Criteria are in Davis, $375k or less and:

Needs
2 bathrooms
3 bedrooms
garage
yard
move in ready

Wants
dance space
large kitchen
workshop space
food producing plants
in good condition
gas stove
energy saving features


don't wants
ceiling popcorn
pool

wont accept
attached

Is there anything we're missing?
Squeeeeeeee!

Comments

[elhoff.livejournal.com]

Ceiling popcorn is going to be hard to avoid, but easy to fix. Do not try to remove it...just add another layer of sheetrock over it!

[kay-gmd.livejournal.com]

Does it lower the ceiling too much? The mother in law just removed it on their place. It sounds like it was a pain, but doable.

[elhoff.livejournal.com]

If you use 1/2" sheetrock and just screw it straight to the old sheetrock with no spacers you'll never notice the ceiling height difference.

Removing the popcorn requires first getting it tested for asbestos. If there is no asbestos, you can scrape it off, sand, texture, and paint the ceiling. Not too bad of a job and may be cheaper/easier than the sheetrock option. If there is asbestos, then the removal is a job for professionals only and is fairly expensive. Plus you will still have to texture and paint the ceiling. Adding a layer of sheetrock seals the asbestos in. It still requires taping, sanding, texturing and painting.

[elhoff.livejournal.com]

Also, you may want to watch solar orientation as it may have an impact on cooling bills and solar potential. You want maximum windows facing south, minimum windows facing east/west. I wish I had paid attention to this when we bought our house.

[emilia-romagna.livejournal.com]

Nothing to add, just WOOHOO! Good luck!

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

OK, I just squeed your hubby.

Y'all get hugs at the party!

[lyahdan.livejournal.com]

ooo, exciting. I have no leads...but that's what real estate agents are good for anyway.

Seconded on the window orientation though.

Avoid palm trees. They're not cheap to have those dead fronds properly taken off before they fly off in a wind and land on a car, ding the roof, etc. The short ones aren't so bad, but the tall ones require professonial work.

[serendipity17.livejournal.com]

Do you know about zillow.com ? It is eminently useful for these sorts of searches. Running those qualifiers (3/2 single-family under $375K) through their database yielded not so many (six) options in Davis.

For workshop + plantable space, you may have to look for outskirts-type things and older homes. Or Woodland. Like 76 1st St, which should be here: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/76-1st-St-Woodland-CA-95695/16510560_zpid/

[serendipity17.livejournal.com]

http://www.naarealestateauctions.com/consumer/auction/view/98917

It turns out the house I mentioned is actually heading to the auction block as a foreclosure.

[groblek.livejournal.com]

Didn't know about Zillow, but we've seen all of the six in Davis on the web pages of the local realtors. We're more likely to compromise on some of the things we'd like than get somewhere out of Davis, as we'd eventually like to have kids, and hear vry good things about the Davis schools. Unless one of the teachers reading here knows something we don't about some of the schools in the surrounding areas?