Need some advice

[oldestof11]

I have a baby on the way and while our 2 bedroom apartment is ok, it will not be big enough. So we narrowed it down to 2 houses... About 30miles apart.

House #1~ 6 miles from my work. I plan on being there long term (ie, at least the next 10 years). The town is were I volunteer for FF/EMT. I do not live in town currently but I work in the district.

House is 1800sq ft, big 2 car garage, corner lot of town, 1.2 acres with 1 acre outside of city limits. House is solid and liveable for the next 10 years with nothing needed to be done. New furnace, roof, water heater, walls, kitchen, all white. 3 bedroom, 2 bath. $129k but my boss is his neighbor and knows he will accept quite a bit less as its been on and off the market for 4 years.

House #2~ 30 miles from work. 2100 sq ft, smaller 2 car, middle of town. .5 acre lot. Beautiful in that the Victorian woodwork is original, newer furnace, water heater, roof. Living here puts us closer to church, most of our friends, some extracurricular activity we participate in, closer to my father in-law which I and my wife do a lot of work for and get paid nicely for. $98k and willing to negotiate. I can get on this fire department and also be on my current one as both boards and chiefs like each other.

Both towns have "big" town celebrations (like, statewide recognition), around 2000 residents, quiet, very similar. Both houses are pretty much equal and taking mine and her parents along pointed out neither house needs any work in the next decade unless something catastrophic happens. Also, the closest shopping centers is equal in that we need to go 15 mins for groceries.

We plan on putting 50% down and live their very long term.

What are the pro's and con's you guys see from a topical aspect?

[ellis93]

Sounds kinda tit for tat Jon. The wife being closer to her folks will more than likely be your biggest deciding factor. Happy wife,happy life.

[Mark Nixon]

I would go with number 1.
Being that it's on a perimeter area of the town also means that it's somewhat likely you can keep things around that you normally wouldn't be able to keep in the middle of town.
For instance, a larger RV, a boat, extra truck or 2, etc.

I'm not saying that you'll have those things, but from a privacy standpoint, you likely only have to deal with 3 neighbors in direct contact, rather than 4 or 5, but, of course I don't know the exact layout of this property.

I'm on the south edge of the town I live in, I have just about anything I want sitting here.
Yeah people complain, but they usually go dead quite when I offer them money to clean the place up for me.

Anyhow, number one also would be more practical in that the living and work space (garage ) seems adequate for the family's needs in location-to-work, condition, cost of upkeep.
In my mind, victorian is decorative and old, which = costly upkeep and potential hidden deterioration.

That having been said, I'm not a family-type of person and Church isn't something I do, so living a few miles removed from them is no concern.

Mark.

[PToombs]

Both have pros and cons. Do you want to live next to your boss? So he can see how you really are at home? Sometimes it's good to keep work and home seperate. He may decide he doesn't like how you mow the lawn and cause aggrevation at work. On the other hand, it has a nice large lot for the kids to play on, maybe a pet.
The other one, small lot, ugh! I like room, and would be happier out of town more. Like Mark said, less neighbors = less trouble sometimes. You can't always get along with the neighbors, no matter how hard you try. See above!
A larger garage is better too, the wife is going to want to get her car in in the winter, and with toys and your truck torn apart in the other bay it will be close in a small garage.

[oldestof11]

I should also note:

Boss is also my fire chief. He got me this job and it is cushy with great pay.
House #2 has an attached garage.

[dazedandconfused]

Ill tell you from first hand experience be prepared for complaints if you live in town and really work on a truck or such. Property #2 is like my setup and i hear bitching because i work on trucks all the time. Another big thing is property taxes are a killer in my town and a 1/3rd the cost just down the road a bit on the town border.

[bmoeller]

I don't like living in town. Need room to breathe, and I like my privacy!! But, having about 1 ac outside of the town limits should be in your favor. Does either town have home associations? I HATE 'em! They can kiss off!!

I generally like my boss, but wouldn't want to be "that available" either.

[oldestof11]

Brian, I don't think either town is big enough for an HOA. LOL!

[ellis93]

Brian, I don't think either town is big enough for an HOA. LOL!

Thought those were mostly neighborhood oriented,not town associated. I live in the sticks on 26 acres,neighbors are still a problem.

[dazedandconfused]

Brian, I don't think either town is big enough for an HOA. LOL!

Thought those were mostly neighborhood oriented,not town associated. I live in the sticks on 26 acres,neighbors are still a problem.

I dont have a neighborhood hoa but the town has a million rules/laws and have no problem making new ones whenever they want.

[Mark Nixon]

Thought those were mostly neighborhood oriented,not town associated. I live in the sticks on 26 acres,neighbors are still a problem.

Unfortunately, there are small towns dedicated to the HOA lifestyle.
It's kinda' sad that you pay a quarter MIL for a home and you can't even have a basketball hoop, a different colored house, or a stray weed in your yard.
Some even tell you that you can't have a flag pole, talk about restricting your freedoms.

Mark.

[bmoeller]

Brian, I don't think either town is big enough for an HOA. LOL!

Trust me, size does NOT matter! The people running this town now are a bunch of pricks. Plenty have moved in from Chicago, and they are f-in idiots! Bunch of new town rules that are SO stupid!

Example #1, they were so bored, they even added a new requirement. Any building that is to be lived in, MUST have a door to allow one to enter and exit to the outdoors. WTF? How else is one gonna get in to begin with? They are just nosy busy bodies. Not like a ship that is so big, the engine is placed and the ship built around it.

#2-I bought a 6x24' triaxle stock trailer and parked it at the house because I was going to move some stuff out of the garage to the storage unit. And also need to move some stuff out of the basement to make cleaning the walls and painting them so we can sell the house. A couple of days after, my wife had some medical bills pop up, and didn't have the money to get it plated. So, it sat in MY OWN DAMN DRIVEWAY for 3 weeks. Either my next door neighbor said something to the cops (and I thought we were on good terms, and he could've asked me and not pissed me off), or they just happened to see it wasn't plated from the street to the west of the house, and stuffed paperwork in my back door of the house to move it immediately, or it was getting moved because "it was an abandoned vehicle". BS! What was I going to do about it if I was on the road for 2 weeks and never saw it? I f-in blew a gasket when I saw that! Plenty of neighbors with trailers or campers on their place , out in the open. And, I was parking in front of it, so they didn't have to see it as much either. Granted, it ain't pretty, but it is MINE, on my OWN property! This farm boy HATES living in town!

[PToombs]

One of the local towns (not village, the township) was going to pass a law that you couldn't have a camper in your driveway. I can't remember exactly how it turned out, but IIRC the people were in an uproar and it died a quick death.
That's what needs to happen, when one of these stupid laws comes up, people need to get organized and squash it before it comes to a vote. Only way this crap will stop.

[Mark Nixon]

Pete, that works okay, but the problem is, these laws are brought up by "The People" against "The People", in other words, "The friends of my friends are my enemies".

It's usually the "Haves" trying to get one over on the "Have Nots", while the top dogs (1 percenters) look at it all as cheap entertainment.

A line from The Terminator rings in my ears sometimes:

"It is in you to destroy yourselves...."

If we don't put down the partisan BS and get rid of the incumbents and O_Hussein, America will cease to be as we know it.

Mark.

[bmoeller]

Much of it happens when no one is looking either.