My House Quest (with brewing facilities) continues...

[Hwk-I-St8]

The Mrs. (no pics) and I are looking to move to a house that better suits our needs. One thing she's fully on board with is that it has some option to include a dedicated brewing area.

The first place we looked at (and put in an offer on) was really nice. It had a finished area in the basement that we were going to dedicate as a shop/brewery. It was probably 40' x 18', finished walls and ceiling and already plumbed with utilty sink. All it needed was 220 and I'd be set. That house fell through, but, as 5,000 square foot and extremely opulent house, it set a bar for my wife. We've seen nothing in our price range that comes close to that place. Unfortunately, it was a short sale and it looks like there was some sketchy stuff going on as the seller accepted another offer even though ours was higher and had no contingencies. "it was better for the estate" was all he'd tell our realtor.

We walked through a house last night that is very nice, and a significant upgrade from our current abode, but not nearly the "wow factor" as the other place. It's nicely in our price range and has an A+ brewing spot. The area under the entire 970 square foot garage is open. It's plumbed, has an easy way to vent, and it already has a dedicated panel with plenty of open slots to add 220. Put in a GFCI breaker and wire it to an outlet and I'd be in business.

Unfortunately, since it isn't the fancy house with a huge wall of windows, fancy columns and a massive living room with built in's, the wife isn't interested.

That's two places with great brewing options slipped through my fingers.

Wish me luck as the search continues...

 

[day_trippr]

It's been 31 years since my last house hunt. It lasted two years
I'd sooner down a bottle of Seconal than go through that again.

Have you considered building the perfect home for The Spousal Unit with your requisite goodies?

Cheers!

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm wishing you luck with your search!

See it this way, the longer you look the more opportunities will present themselves until the right place suddenly appears. Meanwhile you can keep saving up for a larger paydown, and getting your current house market ready.

Although sad to have the first and seemingly ideal place fall through, you do have a reference now, so keep looking for something that could be even better. I does sound as being a sketchy deal, there maybe problems attached? Keep a close eye on that place, though, it may not have really sold (yet). We bought our current house that way, it came back on the market 2-3 weeks later, same seller.

 

[snarf7]

I feel for you man...best advice I can give you is keep the Mrs happy, that way you have more time to brew

Running 220 or a vent or a water line is small potatoes, I'd just look for something that has the space in an unfinished basement or garage or attic. I still brew in my kitchen (granted, it's a huge ass kitchen but still), one day maybe I'll have the dedicated brew room but I can wait.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

It's been 31 years since my last house hunt. It lasted two years
I'd sooner down a bottle of Seconal than go through that again.

Have you considered building the perfect home for The Spousal Unit with your requisite goodies?

Cheers!

Oh yeah. We just met with a second building yesterday. Holy crap, they're talking $200/sq foot to build a nice house here. With lots pushing $100K, we'd be around $700K for a 3,000 sq foot house.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

The saga continues. We put in an offer on a place a week ago. It doesn't have a true brewing area per se, but there's an 11'x11' wing off the garage with a hose bib and window. The garage has a floor drain, but it's 30' from the wing. It's also heated. There's an electrical panel and one wall is adjacent to a bathroom, so I might be able to set up a sink tying into that drain.

The bad news is that we had an inspection done and there's an erosion issue on the back side which drops off into a rivine about 12' behind the house. One deck support is moving down the hill already. Unless the sellers agree to resolve it, I think we're backing off this place.

On the other hand, the first place with a massive brewing area/workshop might be back on the table. I emailed the local banks on the off chance they were holding the mortgage on the short sale house. I got an email back from one wanting more info. After talking on the phone and exchanging a bunch of emails, I think they're rejecting the offer from the other buyer (which was presumable lower than our offer). The bank is pissed.

Looks like that house is going into foreclosure, so if the current place falls through, we may take another stab at the first place.

Amazing amount of drama trying to buy a house.

 

[IslandLizard]

Told ya, sales aren't done until they're done. And even then...

I'd go after that first house like fruit flies on bananas. Time and timing are essential.

Short sales are a great opportunity! You buy as is, which is among the most important elements in your negotiation. So is having the money available. Definitely try to buy that house before it goes into foreclosure, which will undoubtedly add cost and possibly years while it's tied up in banking/legal antics. If you can make a deal that both you and the bank are satisfied with, it's a win-win.

 

[snarf7]

Amazing amount of drama trying to buy a house.

It's a massive pain in the ass. When we bought ours we couldn't get the seller to respond to our offers or communication half the time, it was so frustrating because we had a hard move date where we had to go so if we hadn't been able to close on it in time it would have meant renting a temp apt or something. I've never experienced something so childish from a grown ass man...it's like yes I know you think it's worth more than it is but the market says it's not, so at very least counter my offer so we can continue the negotiations...even if you hardly drop the price at all, at least respond with something so I know where we stand and can consider what I want to do next.