GreenMonster

I'm single...If I was a DINK (dual income, no kids), I'd probably have a much bigger house...

Bought in 2001 with a 30 yr note, re-fin'd in 2003 to a 20 year note, and hoping to get it paid off before I hit 50...

fdl

If you're single, you need less of a house (condo, small town, etc). When you have a wife, kids ect, you need probably double the house, so in the end its all the same.

TSX 'R' US

Forgot to mention house was built in '99
single income

astro

where, Woodbridge?

fdl

Richmond Hill

astro

single income for the condo. single income for the house. I have 10yrs left on my mortgage ~70k to go.

astro

very nice

Yumcha

That's really good for Toronto area, fdl...

Yumcha

Single.

LuvMyTSX

To an extent...but for now I'm talking just a husband & wife team trying to buy a 2BR condo vs. a single person buying a 2BR condo. A second income makes all the difference.

fdl

At the time I felt like I was getting ass raped. But a slightly larger house on the street just sold for over $500K so I don't feel so bad.

goeers2001

Three bedroom 2.5 baths. Built in 1993.1400 squ feet up stairs. Down stairs one half is family room with gas log fireplace ,seating room and laundry room. The other half is 2 stall garage.Bought 4 years ago paid 145,000 Corner lot, would sell for about 180 today.

eve

Single income.

BustedJack

Purchased 2002, about 1600 SQFT, 92,000/2.5 bath, single income then.

CL Type Slim

Dual income, but now my wife and I live in Oregon, Therefore we have a single income.

keg1997

Try being a school teacher

My best friend from HS teaches at our old HS (Hunterdon Central) and can't find anything on his single income that is above slum status....

I keep telling him to come down to VA



Also...our first home was on two incomes...two smaller incomes though (teacher and teacher plus masters). We were amazed how we doubled our salaries in 3 years just by moving into administration

svtmike

First house: 1200 Sq. Ft duplex (side-by-side attached), 3 BR, 1.5 bath, 2 car garage, $83,000 in 1988. Sold for $92,000.

Second house: 2000 sq. ft single-family, 4 BR, 2.5 bath, basement, 2-car garage, fireplace, $172,000 in 1993. Sold for $193,000.

Current: 3600 sq. ft single-family, 4 BR, 4 bath, basement, 3-car garage, fireplace, $360,000 built in 1998. Still here, and it's appreciated...nicely.

First house was just my income because my wife was still in school. We're back to that right now except it's the kids in school.

LuvMyTSX

Same here, except I'm not a teacher, I just don't have a salary that affords me anything but a decrepit shed.

doopstr

1997

2Br Townhouse
$97k

Try and find that now.

GreenMonster

Werd... the family that sold me my house in 2001 were probably kicking themselves for selling before the peak. I on the other hand wish (in hindsight) I had a couple years sooner...

moeronn

1200 sq ft, 3 BR/2 BA condo bought in 2002 on single income. Still living there, but now with a wife. Hope to be in a house before the end of the year.

And I feel for those trying to get into their first house now. I know I couldn't do it t0day.

keg1997

Thought about moving?

My parents just sold their place in Flemington a year ago and moved down here....they really like it...especially come tax time

LuvMyTSX

Yes, I've thought about it, but I don't know where to go. I need somewhere that has a good selection of companies to work for (you never know when you'll lose your job), so I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere. I don't know where Hampton Roads is, but I'd probably need to be somewhere close to DC (I don't want a 1 hour commute again, been there done that). If I move to N. VA, I'm back in the same boat as NJ with expensive real estate. I don't want to go to the midwest - I like the ocean and the kind of life around here. I feel pretty stuck. I'd move if I could find a good job, but I don't know how to go about doing that long distance, and of course I can't move till I have a job, so...?

pmptx

1997, 1860 sqft, 3 BR,2BA,2GA, .25 acre $116,000 and it was 10 years old, the newest in the neighborhood by 10 years.
Sold in 2005 $164,000
Upgraded all flooring, countertops and kitchen appliances, new fencing

Now in 3800 sq ft custom built on 2 acres, significantly more than $164,000

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Well, I call it like 1.5 income b/c it wasn't dual at the time. My wife (girlfriend, then fiance at the time) was still in college, so we had been saving once we got serious... however, she was going to school full-time and working P/T 20-30 hours a week or so. She didn't get a full-time job/career salary until after we were in contract and the house was being built... but it was before we closed... so we timed everything pretty well.



This is actually our nickname where we live. No joke, most people call us the DINKs

cM3go

I'm trying to buy a condo on 1 income, 2 bed (so I can resell in the future) and I'm finding nothing decent for less than $250-$300. Even then the rooms and/or space is small, usually less than 1000 sq ft. I'm looking in the Chicago Metro area, not even downtown and its really hard for me to find something I can afford. I'm taking my time, but it seems like there aren't many options for a first time home buyer and getting 20% (40K+) is hard to come up with. I'm still trying though!

brianlin87

iTrader: (1)

i bought mine on a single income.

dom

Why did you presume fdl bought in Woodbridge Robb?

pmptx

Both purchased on Dual income, 1.5 kids currently

GreenMonster

keg1997

Hampton Roads is the metro area from Williamsburg to VA Beach (think SE Virginia)...used to be called Tidewater. 2.25 hrs to DC...do it every once in a while to see a good college friend of mine We're the largest metro area w/out a major league sports team depressing to me. Plenty of good jobs around here...2nd largest port on east coast and a large military area that largely escaped the cuts two years ago. Lots of tech jobs to support the higher level military jobs that are around. Our friends range from other educators to Bank of America exec to mortgage broker to Target exec to military officers to CEO of a non-profit....diversified, at least to me

Richmond is another great metro area that is affordable with several large companies (Capital One, several pharmaceuticals, etc.).....75 mins to DC.

JB can talk about Charlotte, but another area that I've liked...Raleigh-Durham too.

I'm an ex-Jersey boy who really likes the south...not the deep south but the "northernized" south

bl^5

Bought 2005 (Built in 2001) and currently living in
1643sqft 1 story, 3 bed/2 bath
right outside of Austin

It's a decent size home, that is serving a purpose. The wife is in school in Austin for 3.5 years and when we moved here, wanted to get a house instead of renting, since I knew we would be here for a little bit. No regrets in the purchase.

Our next house will be more of an investment. This house will not make us to much money because there is a lot of new development going up around us. The next house will be in a older established neighborhood and more of a fixer-uper.

astro

the lack of information i know about him, and the price he paid, just figured it was a decent guess

bl^5

Single income.
Wife in grad school FULL TIME, and a 7 month old. Needless to say, when the wife graduates we will be UPGRADING!

MikeCLS6

Im walking through a condo im looking at buying tomorrow. It has 2 master suites, 2bathrooms, kitchen and living room have cathedral ceilings. Its around 1,350sq.ft. with a price tag of 239,000 with a 200/month condo fee. And im on single income in Northern Virginia

GreenMonster

GINge!

#1. Bought in 1995 for $114, sold in 2001 for $105, 1000 sq ft side split
#2. Bought in 2001 for $130, sold in 2002 for $135, 1100 sq ft raised bungalow
#3. Bought in 2002 for $161, sold in 2003 for $185, 1200 sq ft bungalow
#4. Bought in 2003 for $248, sold in 2006 for $260, 2700 sq ft 2 storey
#5. Bought in 2006 for $370, 1500 sq ft 2 storey

The number of times I came within 5 years of paying off a house

cM3go

this thread makes me more depressed

cM3go

Shit I'm moving to VA

Black CL-S 4-Life

bought in 2006
year built 2006
1700 sq ft 2 story 3bd 2.5baths townhouse with 2 car garage
120K in a master planned community. www.eaglespringsonline.com