Last weekend dh's parents told us about a house that was going to be going on the market. It was a cute little house. But that's the point LITTLE. It had 3 bedrooms and a nice basement but the bedrooms weren't that great and the yard was small, plus it is o Main St, where we live now, in fact it is only a street down. The driveway was slanted a lot. So we decided it wasn't for us, we really aren't ready but thought we'd look anyway.
So we have been driving by houses we see online that might work and so far they suck. The yards are either too small or the houses are too expensive. Toyota is opening a plant in the town nearby so the prices have gone way up!
I am getting a little worried. We want to build but I am afraid that will cost too much but the houses around here are so expensive and they are not worth it! We've found some plans we really like but of course we have to figure out how much we can really afford. All the online calculators tell us we can afford way more than we know we can! I am so bad at budgeting. I try I do, and it is getting better, but I just don't know where the money all goes.
Sorry just needed to complain a little! Our hopes are for building, I would love my house to be exactly what I want, or what I can afford, but what I said!

I know what you mean about budgeting & money. Sometimes it feels like Monopoly money or that we're hemorrhaging money.
I think it's great that you're starting to look. It can be a bit discouraging at times, but I think you'll make a much better decision in the end. (I mean in finding exactly the right place for you.)
I hope you keep looking & learning. It'll happen for you, I just know it.
((((((hugs))))))
~Julie

It is a scary, daunting thing, buying your first house. I had late night anxiety attacks thinking about how we'd afford our current house. But don't get your self so worked up that you can't make the move! I think the first thing you may have to realize is that you're not gunna have the house of your dreams. You may have to compromise a little on some things. Figure out what is most important to you. A big yard? Bedrooms? Square footage? A family friendly neighborhood? I can tell you from another mother of three that a quiet, residential neighborhood is worth losing some square footage. My house is tiny but my street is the best. Figure out what things in a house mean the most to you and what some things are that you can live without.

As far as what you can afford, figure out how much you think you could swing for a monthly payment (and add a few hundred to that amount for taxes and house insurance). Now don't go on the lower end, think of the absolute max number. If that figure seems too high, I'm gunna give you the advice my dad gave me: you will eventually "grow" into your mortgage (as long as it's not ridiculously high). It could be an adjustmet at first, but in a few years your DH could potentially earn more and it won't be such a crunch.

It seems to me that your more nervous than anything right now. But I bet that as soon as you make that first step and you are a proud homeowner, it'll be all worth it.

HUGS to you!

Thanks, Julie. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with the money issue! Dh makes good money so that's why it is so hard. He probably makes as much as his brother and his wife together and they have a really nice house. Ok that isn't totally fair though because they owned a really old house then it burnt down(on Tyleigh's first birthday actually) then they rebuilt. They already owned the land, but they spent $240,000 on the house! It's nice but not THAT nice! And now they have a financial situation since he lost his job and is in a much lower paying job now. I just worry about that stuff

We are thinking we want to live in the country. I like some things about living in a town, we live in a village now actually. But I always imagined(since I lived in VA) living in the country. I LOVED Virginia. I would move back there in a heartbeat. I loved the quiet country where we lived when Hayley was born. We both want a nice piece of land that isn't too small. I don't know much about square footage so I am always asking dh. I don't need the best of everything. If we are able to build, which is what we are leaning to, then I don't need all the fancy faucets and fixtures. We can do that later on. Dh's brother builds houses now, dh used too and his dad also did, so we know we can get a hosue built. His brother would probably be the one to do it though, he did his whole house. There are certain things that I want and that's what would make me happy. We discussed buying something then selling in a few yrs but I don't want to do that. I want to have a place that is home when my kids are growing up. We've already lived here for 6 yrs and it will be sad to leave, I moved a lot as a kid and I won't do that to my children. The houses around here are just not what we want, unless when the time comes we get lucky.
I would love to have a house that is brand new, only us livign there. Dh's parents built 2 houses so he always had that. My family had no money, the only house they owned was when they were married and once they divorced everything went to hell.
I have that house in my head, the one I want, and I know dh will do everything he can to give it to me. I knwo we need to get our spending under control. That's our biggest thing.
Thanks for the advice, what your dad says is what I have been thinking too. Yeah at first it might be a bit but you get the hang of it and know where you spend your money. We just have to see what we can afford. Dh is going to go to the bank and talk with the manager. We are at a credit union and i love them, not to mention dh's dad is president of the board But they are so nice and helpful and we impressed with how much we've saved for a down payment last summer. Wait till he talks to her again!

Hopefully you guys will find something you like soon. Building is nice but I think it;s more expensive cause nothing much is included in the "base price".

GL

That's our biggest thing. Plus here you have to pay GST & PST on a new house, where one of those is all you pay on an older house. The taxes here are crazy.
But I know I would love to build because I could say pretty much what I want and get it, or within reason anyway, but we know all the extras that you don't think of when building. DH is going to have his brother(who builds houses) goe over the plans of a design we like and give us an estimate of what he thinks it would cost. Since he does this all the time he should come up with something pretty close. Then we will have to decide if that it something we can do.
We are going to continue to look but the prospects around here arent looking good!