Home buying thread

  • Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!



    Go here and give us your nominations!
    Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
C

Creslin

Trakanon Raider
2,505
1,151
Burns said:
I rented a Townhome for a year, there was 4 to 6 foot between the houses at some spots, but never heard the neighbors at all. Of course it was a quiet area, and no one was having parties with loud music, so that would probably make a difference.

Do they call the buildings that share walls, Townhomes in other parts? We always called them duplexes or row houses (not that I have seen row houses in Texas).
Click to expand...
Here in MA they call it a townhome if it is one verticle section for one family and then another for another family. It's a duplex if its like you living on the bottom floor and someone else on the top. We do have row houses in Boston but they are pretty uncommon everywhere else and I don't think many have been built since like the 1890s. Rowhouse to me is more like a whole block being just one connected row but technically it is all separate lots just with walls touching. Really common in like England.

Townhomes are really popular for builders here, they sell for maybe 75% -80% as much as the single family houses of the same square footage and they can cram two on a lot, which is important when even a .25 acre lot with no improvements is worth 400k+. Everyone I know prefers single family but the only single families that get built are 3k+ sqft and going to 1.2-1.5M min or you buy a 60s ranch, probably as much per sqft as the townhome, and deal with an older home.
 
Lanx

Lanx

<Prior Amod>
65,950
150,254
Creslin said:
Townhomes are really popular for builders here, they sell for maybe 75% -80% as much as the single family houses of the same square footage and they can cram two on a lot, which is important when even a .25 acre lot with no improvements is worth 400k+. Everyone I know prefers single family but the only single families that get built are 3k+ sqft and going to 1.2-1.5M min or you buy a 60s ranch, probably as much per sqft as the townhome, and deal with an older home.
Click to expand...
also guarantee'd HOA profit

to me, theres no different between an apt complex vs a townhouse, you just pay more (townhouse) so that you have the luxury of not having to bang the broom on the noisey neighbor upstairs.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
C

Creslin

Trakanon Raider
2,505
1,151
Lanx said:
also guarantee'd HOA profit

to me, theres no different between an apt complex vs a townhouse, you just pay more (townhouse) so that you have the luxury of not having to bang the broom on the noisey neighbor upstairs.
Click to expand...
HOA is still really rare here in MA. Most townhomes are a knockdown of one of the old houses that someone trashed too much to be salvageable so are just on stand alone lots in otherwise older neighborhoods.

I hope HOA never catches on here tbh they sound terrible.
 
Kriptini

Kriptini

Vyemm Raider
3,682
3,574
My HOA recently dropped earthquake insurance because the deductible was so high that there was no conceivable way to pay it out if we ever actually needed to use our coverage. I've been sent a letter with a recommendation on where to get my own earthquake coverage through a company that has created a plan "specifically for my HOA" and the annual payment would be over $2,400. Is earthquake insurance the biggest scam, the fattest racket in the US? I'm in southern California so earthquakes are a danger here but not even my homeowner's insurance and my auto insurance combined reaches anywhere near that. Anyone have experience with earthquake insurance? Phazael Phazael maybe?
 
C

Captain Suave

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
5,316
9,020
Kriptini said:
My HOA recently dropped earthquake insurance because the deductible was so high that there was no conceivable way to pay it out if we ever actually needed to use our coverage. I've been sent a letter with a recommendation on where to get my own earthquake coverage through a company that has created a plan "specifically for my HOA" and the annual payment would be over $2,400. Is earthquake insurance the biggest scam, the fattest racket in the US? I'm in southern California so earthquakes are a danger here but not even my homeowner's insurance and my auto insurance combined reaches anywhere near that. Anyone have experience with earthquake insurance? Phazael Phazael maybe?
Click to expand...

I'm in SoCal and don't carry earthquake insurance. I live in a pretty nice neighborhood and the online quote I just got from Geico was for ~$1300/yr with a 15% deductible (~$75k). IMO this is an insurance product looking for customers. If the risks were high enough that the policy works in your favor, the mortgage issuers would force you to carry it like they do for wildfires. While I absolutely understand hedging against catastrophies, I don't see how this is worth it when you need to experience a once-a-century or rarer event to exceed the deductible (unless your house is somewhere stupid or badly engineered).
 
Last edited:
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Kriptini

Kriptini

Vyemm Raider
3,682
3,574
Yeah, Mercury is offering to give me $100,000 of dwelling coverage with a 15% deductible for a much more reasonable annual price (I believe this is CEA). I'm considering that just so I have something in case a once-in-a-couple-of-decades earthquake occurs that damages part of my house.
 
ToeMissile

ToeMissile

Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
<Gold Donor>
3,256
2,127
We don't carry any either. There was a decent sized quake a few miles from us 7 or so years ago; neghbor next to us just barely hit his deductable of 80k. I can't remember if they decided to go through insurance or not due to what it would have done to their premiums or whatever going forward. Most of the chimney of the neghbor on the other side fell into our yard. There were a few small marks from bricks on the wall. One missed a window by 3 to 4 inches.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Gravel

Gravel

Mr. Poopybutthole
40,060
132,163
Kriptini said:
My HOA recently dropped earthquake insurance because the deductible was so high that there was no conceivable way to pay it out if we ever actually needed to use our coverage. I've been sent a letter with a recommendation on where to get my own earthquake coverage through a company that has created a plan "specifically for my HOA" and the annual payment would be over $2,400. Is earthquake insurance the biggest scam, the fattest racket in the US? I'm in southern California so earthquakes are a danger here but not even my homeowner's insurance and my auto insurance combined reaches anywhere near that. Anyone have experience with earthquake insurance? Phazael Phazael maybe?
Click to expand...
We had earthquake insurance, with a $50k deductible. Think we paid about $500 a year for it, but it's been a long time.

Our house at the time was built in 1989. ~10 miles from the 7.1 and 6.4 (although they say the energy went more NE and we were SW), and we had some light cracking in the stucco. That was pretty much it. Oh, and some cans and shit fell in the pantry on the bigger one.

What we learned is that FEMA will typically cover shit like that if it's actually catastrophic. Now, whether you want to deal with FEMA or not is another question. But, my experience is that our house had no issues with the earthquake. Certainly not enough to meet the deductible.

Untitled.png
 
Last edited:
  • 4Like
Reactions: 3 users
Sanrith Descartes

Sanrith Descartes

You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
<Gold Donor>
45,084
122,671
Captain Suave said:
I'm in SoCal and don't carry earthquake insurance. I live in a pretty nice neighborhood and the online quote I just got from Geico was for ~$1300/yr with a 15% deductible (~$75k). IMO this is an insurance product looking for customers. If the risks were high enough that the policy works in your favor, the mortgage issuers would force you to carry it like they do for wildfires. While I absolutely understand hedging against catastrophies, I don't see how this is worth it when you need to experience a once-a-century or rarer event to exceed the deductible (unless your house is somewhere stupid or badly engineered).
Click to expand...
You are forced by the bank to carry wildfire insurance?
 
Sanrith Descartes

Sanrith Descartes

You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
<Gold Donor>
45,084
122,671
Gravel said:
We had earthquake insurance, with a $50k deductible. Think we paid about $500 a year for it, but it's been a long time.

Our house at the time was built in 1989. ~10 miles from the 7.1 and 6.4 (although they say the energy went more NE and we were SW), and we had some light cracking in the stucco. That was pretty much it. Oh, and some cans and shit fell in the pantry on the bigger one.

What we learned is that FEMA will typically cover shit like that if it's actually catastrophic. Now, whether you want to deal with FEMA or not is another question. But, my experience is that our house had no issues with the earthquake. Certainly not enough to meet the deductible.

View attachment 477047
Click to expand...
A moving truck to Florida is a whole lot cheaper than earthquake insurance.
 
  • 5Like
  • 4Worf
  • 1Solidarity
Reactions: 9 users
Gravel

Gravel

Mr. Poopybutthole
40,060
132,163
Sanrith Descartes said:
A moving truck to Florida is a whole lot cheaper than earthquake insurance.
Click to expand...
Not sure we could've gotten a moving truck, but they were expensive as fuck.

Went with a Pod and just sold almost everything. Which in retrospect was a mistake, because we timed it with the supply chain shortages (stuff like furniture was 16 weeks delayed).
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
TomServo

TomServo

<Bronze Donator>
7,152
10,429
Gravel said:
Not sure we could've gotten a moving truck, but they were expensive as fuck.

Went with a Pod and just sold almost everything. Which in retrospect was a mistake, because we timed it with the supply chain shortages (stuff like furniture was 16 weeks delayed).
Click to expand...
Had to use boxes or something to sit on?
 
C

Captain Suave

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
5,316
9,020
Sanrith Descartes said:
Jeebus.
Click to expand...

It's a few hundred bucks a year for the value of the structure, not that onerous. I did buy a house within a half mile of some wilderness, so if a little extra insurance is what it takes to get a tree-filled mountain neighborhood in LA, that's fine with me.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Kiroy

Kiroy

Marine Biologist
<Bronze Donator>
35,431
102,537
Captain Suave said:
I'm in SoCal and don't carry earthquake insurance. I live in a pretty nice neighborhood and the online quote I just got from Geico was for ~$1300/yr with a 15% deductible (~$75k). IMO this is an insurance product looking for customers. If the risks were high enough that the policy works in your favor, the mortgage issuers would force you to carry it like they do for wildfires. While I absolutely understand hedging against catastrophies, I don't see how this is worth it when you need to experience a once-a-century or rarer event to exceed the deductible (unless your house is somewhere stupid or badly engineered).
Click to expand...

at this point I wouldn't carry it just cause the fed will step in and just make up insurance for everyone who weren't covered out of thin air

seriously
 
Kiroy

Kiroy

Marine Biologist
<Bronze Donator>
35,431
102,537
Sanrith Descartes said:
You are forced by the bank to carry wildfire insurance?
Click to expand...

Pretty sure fire is automatically covered (probably some regulation) which is why major carriers like all state are pulling out of the CA home insurance market in general. Glad i'm grandfathered in with them cause they have great prices.
 
OU Ariakas

OU Ariakas

Diet Dr. Pepper Enjoyer
<Silver Donator>
7,427
20,967
Kiroy said:
Pretty sure fire is automatically covered (probably some regulation) which is why major carriers like all state are pulling out of the CA home insurance market in general. Glad i'm grandfathered in with them cause they have great prices.
Click to expand...


Fire, wind, and rain are all covered by every policy that I have ever seen. That means if a tornado (wind) blew off your roof and there was water damage than you are 100% covered. HOWEVER, if it is flood water rising up...well buddy, you are SOL. That is a separate policy that is only available in certain areas and that coverage is not great. How do I know? I live in Houston, home of the floods, and have Flood insurance that is ACV and only covers like 1/2 of the cost of the purchase price of the house. That is the max possible coverage.
 
C

Captain Suave

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
5,316
9,020
Kiroy said:
Pretty sure fire is automatically covered (probably some regulation) which is why major carriers like all state are pulling out of the CA home insurance market in general. Glad i'm grandfathered in with them cause they have great prices.
Click to expand...

It's a separate policy for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.