House Hunting

[t3knomanser]

Right now, there's two properties on our list, and they're pretty much opposites in many ways. Suburbs vs. City, all that. So, mostly for my reference, I'm slapping together a list of pro's and con's- feel free to weigh in. Later, I may do a friends-only post of the actual listings.

CondoHouse

ProsCons

• Great neighborhood
• Well laid out, no work needed.
• Common areas are cool.
• 2-car Garage in Pittsburgh (very rare)
• Right on the bus-line. 20 minute bus-ride to work.
• Instead of selling it when we're done, it could be a lucrative rental property

• Small - not "family raising" material (not an immediate concern)
• Expensive at $169K
• High taxes
• Bad schools (also, not an immediate concern)

ProsCons

• Priced to move- $129K
• Big, spacious. Huge basement. Small yard.
• Great school district
• Lower taxes
• 0.5 miles away from a shopping/restaurant district.

• Longer commute, but still not bad.
• Need to drive for many things.
• It would probably be hard to sell later.
• Grounds need some work- staircase in the yard needs to be replaced, the front-driveway needs to be leveled off (it's a >30º slant down when you drive in, and there's no room to turn around before going out onto a busy road)
• No garage

I'm sure Minna will have a few more to add on, but this is a good first list. I want the condo, but the house in the 'burbs might be a wiser purchase. The condo would definitely be good for a few years, but once there's a rugrat, it's not going to last much longer. But the option of renting it out after a few years means that, after a time, it can basically pay for itself (especially if we can get the mortgage payments down). The house will never be a burden to carry, and we can hold onto that for years- it could easily accommodate a family.