# Buying a new home



## Bobw235 (Aug 12, 2017)

Wow, we finally did it. My wife and I are selling our new home (next year) and building a new home in a community down near Cape Cod. Between being in the "snow belt" of Massachusetts, the upkeep of the yard (lots of planting areas to tend to) and living in a split level ranch, it was time to find a place where we can hopefully "age in place" and live comfortably as we get older. We're moving to a planned community, but not one that is 55+. We bought something that is all on one level (with an unfinished basement). Because it's a home owner's association community, I won't have to do any snow shoveling or deal with the lawn. Everything will be new.

We've spent hours picking out options for the new home. It's amazing how many decisions we had to make, but now it's all coming to fruition and a big reward for all the long hours I put in during my career. It's exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. Spending more than I'd imagined going into this, but happy with the choices we've made. Going to be weird moving from a home we've been in since 1983. Probably a bit emotional too. This has been our only home since we were married. So many memories here.


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## HazyDavey (Aug 12, 2017)

Congratulations Bob it sounds really nice, especially the snow shoveling part..:encouragement: Having a new home built has got to be exciting. And I understand what you're saying about moving out of a house you've been in for a while. We've been in this house since 1984,  there's a memory everywhere I look.

Good for you and enjoy..


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## Bobw235 (Aug 12, 2017)

HazyDavey said:


> Congratulations Bob it sounds really nice, especially the snow shoveling part..:encouragement: Having a new home built has got to be exciting. And I understand what you're saying about moving out of a house you've been in for a while. We've been in this house since 1984,  there's a memory everywhere I look.
> 
> Good for you and enjoy..



You know what got us started? I came inside from a few hours of pulling snow off the roof and then shoveling it off the deck. I came inside and told my wife that I was getting too old for this. We started investigating places to live the next week and settled decided to stay here in MA, but moved to a brand new community where we're likely to meet lots of folks around our age and where there will be lots to do. It will offer me a new venue to shoot photos, give us better access to Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.


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## Jackie22 (Aug 12, 2017)

Congratulation and Best wishes on the new home, Bob, what an exciting adventure!  

I hope you and your wife have many happy years in the new home.


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## Bobw235 (Aug 12, 2017)

Jackie22 said:


> Congratulation and Best wishes on the new home, Bob, what an exciting adventure!
> 
> I hope you and your wife have many happy years in the new home.



Thanks Jackie. We're excited for sure. Probably moving next summer. We put in something that I'm really excited about, that being the capability of having music throughout the house (or separate channels in different rooms) and outside. I kept checking with our financial planner throughout. A huge change for us. Built in some safety features in the bathrooms, added a ton of lighting and home automation.


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 12, 2017)

Congratulation Bob, very happy for you and your wife!  You're smart for making these positive changes in your 'golden' years, enjoy the excitement and your new home! :coolthumb:


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## EdnDiana (Sep 13, 2017)

Hi Bob,   Getting ready to do the same move but from Maryland to Delaware.   How did your experience go? Is it all that you expected? Less?  I am probably asking too early but keep us posted.


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## Manatee (Sep 14, 2017)

One floor is a good move, you will never again be as young as you are right now.
We have owned 9 homes, but never had a basement.  At this point it would be a real novelty to us.


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## Lara (Sep 14, 2017)

Congratulations, Bob. Sounds like all your hard work will 
pay off for you and your wife now. Who wouldn't give 
anything to live in New England if someone is going to shovel 
your snow, plow your road, and take care of your lawn?!!

You'll make as many friends as you want and be as active as 
you feel like being. It's ideal. I'm so happy for you! 

:woohoo1:


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## applecruncher (Sep 14, 2017)

Sounds wonderful, Bob.


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## RadishRose (Sep 16, 2017)

Sounds so ideal. I have condo so I don't have to shovel snow which is so wonderful; you're going to love that. Some new plantings maybe? Very exciting! Good luck.


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## hearlady (Sep 17, 2017)

Congratulations!


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## Shalimar (Sep 17, 2017)

Congratulations Bob!


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## Bobw235 (Sep 22, 2017)

Thought I'd update this thread since a few things have changed in the past six weeks. We've been down to the house, which is now under construction. We visited two days before my wife's knee replacement. Each week now the builder (Toll Brothers) calls us with an update. The windows and doors are in, the fireplace is in and the roof is nearly shingled at this point. This week they were starting the rough plumbing and HVAC work. In a few weeks we'll have the pre-drywall walk through, which I'm sure will take some time. 

We've signed off on all the extras and sent them deposit for those. Decided to get all new appliances, so the only one we'll take with us is our stand alone freezer. Everything else will stay with our current home.

The builder gave us the impression we'll be one of the first families in new development (Pine Hills, Vista Point). Ultimately there will be 121 homes there. Nice location which won't be too far from Cape Cod. I envision being able to take the ferry over to Martha's Vineyard with our bikes and ride for the day this time next year, once it gets quiet on the island. One thing we're really looking forward to after all these years is a garage! No more clearing snow off the car!!! 

So glad the decisions about what to include in the house are now finished. Next have to focus on getting rid of things we don't want to take with us when we move.


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## Shalimar (Sep 22, 2017)

Sounds lovely Bob!


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## Bobw235 (Sep 22, 2017)

Shalimar said:


> Sounds lovely Bob!



I think it will be, Shalimar. It's strange to be making this kind of move at this point in our lives, but we know it will benefit us as we age. Just today, I was outside working on my back hill planting area, stretched too far and now I've strained something. No more of that in the new home. I think just having everything on one floor will be wonderful. No more going downstairs to do laundry or get something from the freezer, or moving clothes from one season to the next due to our lack of adequate closet space upstairs.


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## EdnDiana (Sep 22, 2017)

Sounds fantastic Bob.  Toll Brothers builds a good solid home. Downsizing what to take and what to toss. I don't envy you.  Keep us posted.


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## RadishRose (Sep 23, 2017)

I want this one-


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## RadishRose (Sep 23, 2017)

EdnDiana said:


> Sounds fantastic Bob.  Toll Brothers builds a good solid home. Downsizing what to take and what to toss. I don't envy you.  Keep us posted.



Good luck to you too, EdnDiana!


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## SeaBreeze (Sep 23, 2017)

Things sound good Bob, I'm happy for you and your wife, nice homes there!


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## Bobw235 (Sep 23, 2017)

RadishRose said:


> I want this one-
> 
> View attachment 42461



The Bayhills were nice, but we went with a Bowan model (Cohasset) because we liked the floor plan and closet space better. Would have loved to have more exterior stone, but it just added so much more to the cost. Instead we spent that on interior items.


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## RadishRose (Sep 23, 2017)

Oh, I didn't look inside or at closets, etc. I just liked the exterior the best. I like yours, too! I like yours for having a larger window and more divided panes around the door. Yours also has a louvered vent window on the left attic over the main window, as well as on the right over the garage.

Mine must have the garage around back, which I prefer. If there IS a garage! 

Let me guess....granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors. I don't see a chimney though...


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## Bobw235 (Sep 23, 2017)

RadishRose said:


> Oh, I didn't look inside or at closets, etc. I just liked the exterior the best. I like yours, too! I like yours for having a larger window and more divided panes around the door. Yours also has a louvered vent window on the left attic over the main window, as well as on the right over the garage.
> 
> Mine must have the garage around back, which I prefer. If there IS a garage!
> 
> Let me guess....granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors. I don't see a chimney though...



Definitely granite counter tops, new stainless steel appliances and hardwood floors in all but the bedrooms. Has a gas fireplace with stone to the ceiling in the great room and a covered porch out back. We upgraded quite a bit, especially on lighting.

If you're interested, there's a 3D walkthrough on the page for a generic Bowan model and I assume others in the development too. What's exciting for us is that we'll be meeting all kinds of new people. And with The Pinehills being a planned community, there's tons to do and lots of social activity clubs centered around a club house.

https://www.tollbrothers.com/luxury...ts/Toll-Brothers-at-The-Pinehills-Vista-Point


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## Shalimar (Sep 23, 2017)

Bobw235 said:


> I think it will be, Shalimar. It's strange to be making this kind of move at this point in our lives, but we know it will benefit us as we age. Just today, I was outside working on my back hill planting area, stretched too far and now I've strained something. No more of that in the new home. I think just having everything on one floor will be wonderful. No more going downstairs to do laundry or get something from the freezer, or moving clothes from one season to the next due to our lack of adequate closet space upstairs.


I think it is a wise move on your part. Love the design you posted.


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## RadishRose (Sep 23, 2017)

Wow Bob, these are really nice. TBH, houses are a bit too close together for the money, but they're beautiful!  I agree, it's going to be so exciting to meet new people have have all these activities. I understand these kinds of places let you reserve the Clubhouse for your own parties, too. If I could, I'd buy there.


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## Bobw235 (Sep 23, 2017)

Agree that it's a tradeoff with how close the houses are, but one benefit is that the folks near us are unlikely to have young children or noisy pets (two downsides to where we are now in terms of noise). The HOA rules make it very clear, pet ownership is not a right. You have a noisy dog, you either do something about it or the dog won't be allowed. We've already met one couple at the Design Studio who are close in age to us, but still working.


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## nvtribefan (Sep 23, 2017)

Toll Brothers builds lovely luxury homes.


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## Myquest55 (Sep 23, 2017)

Congratulations Bob!  Sounds very exciting and you will have lots to do!  

I am flying to Maine tomorrow to close on our retirement home in Maine.  After dozens of phone calls, scanned financial statements, checking and re-checking the totals.  It is finally happening.  Cannot wait - although the temps there are forecast to be as warm as Tennessee this week!  ...and we're trying to get away from the heat.  

Anyway, we hope to put the Tennessee house on the market in another 2 weeks and move - sold or not - in November.  In the meantime I need to have a tooth pulled and we need to drive to Charleston, SC to see the new grandbaby!  We're still trying to find a listing agent - will interview 3 when I get home - find a mover, finish small repairs, pack what we can and sell off most of the furniture.  Yikes!  I hope to sleep for a week once we get there!  We too, are looking forward to being part of a small village community and are just outside of Portland - with all the big (okay, small) city things to do as well.  Best of luck!


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## Bobw235 (Sep 23, 2017)

Congrats to you as well, Myquest55. You'll love it up there. We'll probably be putting our house on the market in March next year. Portland is a great city and you have wonderful access to the Maine seacoast.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Sep 23, 2017)

What a beautiful new home Bob and such a nice area. Love the idea of all hardwood floors. Just push a mop around and you're done. The fireplace with all that stone work must be beautiful. I wish you much happiness in your new home.


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## Bobw235 (Sep 24, 2017)

Ruth n Jersey said:


> What a beautiful new home Bob and such a nice area. Love the idea of all hardwood floors. Just push a mop around and you're done. The fireplace with all that stone work must be beautiful. I wish you much happiness in your new home.



Thanks Ruth. If we could have stayed in this home, I'd have been fine with it, but there were too many limitations. The fact that we'll be in a new area and meeting new people is very appealing to us. As a photographer, I'm looking forward to a new area to capture with my camera. 

As things progress, I'll update this thread.


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## Ken N Tx (Sep 24, 2017)

...one tip for you, check to see where they are putting the water heater!!! I caught my builder in time, they planned on putting it in the attic?!!!!!!!! I changed that fast!!!!


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## Bobw235 (Sep 24, 2017)

Ken N Tx said:


> View attachment 42494...one tip for you, check to see where they are putting the water heater!!! I caught my builder in time, they planned on putting it in the attic?!!!!!!!! I changed that fast!!!!



Good tip, but already had that discussion a few weeks ago. It goes in the basement!
This will the first time that my wife and I will be dealing with natural gas for heating, cooking, water heater, clothes dryer, etc. We've been an all electric home all these years, with high bills to boot! We also are building in an alarm that will alert us if we have a water issue in the basement say from a burst pipe or water heater.


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## dpwspringer (Sep 25, 2017)

Bobw235 said:


> Good tip, but already had that discussion a few weeks ago. It goes in the basement!
> This will the first time that my wife and I will be dealing with natural gas for heating, cooking, water heater, clothes dryer, etc. We've been an all electric home all these years, with high bills to boot! We also are building in an alarm that will alert us if we have a water issue in the basement say from a burst pipe or water heater.



About having gas... I was without power for a few days earlier this month when the remnants of a hurricane passed through. We had nice weather so heating/ac wasn't an issue but having hot water and a stove that still worked was much appreciated. I had to light the burners on the stove with a lighter/long candle but my 20 year old gas hot water heater didn't skip a beat since it uses a pilot light.


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## Bobw235 (Sep 25, 2017)

dpwspringer said:


> About having gas... I was without power for a few days earlier this month when the remnants of a hurricane passed through. We had nice weather so heating/ac wasn't an issue but having hot water and a stove that still worked was much appreciated. I had to light the burners on the stove with a lighter/long candle but my 20 year old gas hot water heater didn't skip a beat since it uses a pilot light.



Having lost power a handful of times here in our home, a few times in the dead of winter, I can imagine I'll appreciate the convenience/safety that gas provides. Even though our house is well-insulated, the temperature drops pretty quickly when it's bitter cold outside. 

When our current home was built back in the 80s, the gas company never ran the lines down to our street because they had no assurances that folks would become customers. Oil was sky high at the time, so our builder opted for electric.

I also think I'm going to appreciate the nuances of cooking with gas as opposed to electric heat. I do most of the cooking.


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## OneEyedDiva (Sep 28, 2017)

How exciting! Congratulations.


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## Bobw235 (Sep 29, 2017)

OneEyedDiva said:


> How exciting! Congratulations.



Thanks. It was a big decision and one my wife and I spent many hours discussing. We are fortunate that after many years of saving diligently that we're in a position to do this. Still months away, but it's more real by the week as we get updates from the builder. Can't wait to see it up close in a few weeks.


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## RadishRose (Sep 29, 2017)

I've only had a gas stove for a fw years in my life and I loved it! You will, too.

As you said, if you lose power and it's winter with snow you can at least cook the food, eat some, seal it up and put it into a snow bank, to freeze- don't lose it. (Actually you can bury safely-packed frozen food in the snow, too)


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## Vinny (Jun 15, 2018)

We are living in our 9th home in 46 years. We are never attached to our material things no matter what the memories. Our memories are in our mind so they are portable.  8 years ago we decided to prepare for retirement so we sold our big 4 bedroom Colonial house and bought a small ranch house in a 55+ community where we are very happy. Plus no snow where we live and that is great. We feel like we are on vacation every day. We lived like gypsies moving every time we got bored of where we lived. It has been a lot of fun and we have friends all over the country. The funny part is that we still have unopened boxes that have moved from home to home and never opened yet.


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## Manatee (Jun 21, 2018)

Some years ago we bought a house that was being constructed.  Before they started the drywall, I went through and took pictures that showed where the plumbing, HVAC and wiring ran.  These photos were very useful a few years later when modifications were made.  They helped my neighbor who had an identical house.

In my experience, we have owned 9 homes in 4 states, there is as much work with a new house as an old one, but the nature of the work is just different.

I have put ceiling fans in the last 5 places we have lived in.  Other changes have been rocker type light switches, lever handle door locks and single handle water faucets.


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## Vinny (Jun 21, 2018)

We are living in our 9th home in 46 years. This one we both on the internet sight unseen. The first house we bought was when I got transferred to Houston, TX. I had never been there before and on my way from the Airport to my hotel, I stopped at a housing development to get an idea of housing costs and put a down payment on a house, called my wife and told her we will have a new house to move into after she moves down to join me. I was 21 at the time. I do not think we ever spent more than a half a day finding a new house. One house my wife bought without me. To us, houses are just places to store our stuff. We look for a good neighborhood, convenient to work and has the few things we require in a house. For us houses are just things to store our stuff.

We have lived in a house as long as 11 years and as short as a month. We are living in our second last house we will even buy.  Enjoy your new house.


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