Buy our house.

I've lived in this house since January 2005 (rented --> purchased). I absolutely love it and hate to sell it but we're moving to NY.
Great location - right off the highway, close to downtown Raleigh, Cary, Garner, NCSU and State Farmers market. Neighborhood is established, lots of families, young professionals. My neighbors are super nice and helpful.
3 bedrooms & 3 full baths - hard to find! right under 1600 square feet.

We've remodeled it inside and out and did all the work with family & friends. New siding & roof in Fall 2007. Energy efficient insulation. Tore out all carpet and installed hardwood laminate. new tile in downtairs bathroom. Gutted and remodeled bottom floor back in September. Huge laundry room with a dog door that leads into fenced and shaded back yard. landscaped. house & driveway recently powerwashed.
HUGE back deck that stretches the length of the house. We just restained it in the fall and built a covered section so you can grill year round.
Bedrooms are good size, nice stone wood burning fireplace, split level - living room is on its own floor but the upstairs level looks over it. Bonus room - great for office/playroom/man cave (would fit a pool table) or a 4th bedroom. Large crawl space, large shed. brand new brick patio under deck. ceiling fans, new blinds,
New fridge, stove, fixtures, etc... We've put A LOT of time & money into it since we purchased it.

Would make a great rental (bonus room could be 4th bedroom). We priced it lower than we could probably get just because we are moving soon (but not desperate to sell since we could rent it)

Only downfall - backyard is 100% natural area. We installed a brick patio and there are little paths that my dogs have made over the years but its mostly large trees (shade house = keep electric bill low) and shrubs. We took down two trees last summer and chipped them into the backyard so there is a good layer of mulch close to house. It's perfect for anyone with dogs.


http://www.coldwellbanker.com/property?propertyId=203617699&mode=detail&brandType=CB

6/20/2011 4:44:54 PM

Quote :

"Only downfall - backyard is 100% natural area. We installed a brick patio and there are little paths that my dogs have made over the years but its mostly large trees (shade house = keep electric bill low) and shrubs. We took down two trees last summer and chipped them into the backyard so there is a good layer of mulch close to house. It's perfect for anyone with dogs. "

I fail to see how this is a downside! Good luck, looks wonderful.

6/20/2011 5:19:56 PM

I love this house! I'll be moving back to raleigh in july and looking to buy soon. When are you leaving town?

6/20/2011 6:12:15 PM

it's a shame that:

1) I don't have better credit
2) This isn't available next August

I'd jump all over this sumbitch

6/20/2011 6:20:36 PM

what is the size of the lot?

6/20/2011 10:27:03 PM

would u consider a rent to own on it?

6/20/2011 10:59:37 PM

super cool deck

6/20/2011 11:03:52 PM

you've got a fantastic lawn, i'll give you that

6/20/2011 11:17:07 PM

only reason I call it a downfall is it's not very usable. Thats the only negative feedback we've received from showings. perfect for anyone who wants a good sized lot but not the maintenance of maintaining it. Even with the slope it will never flood. The city put a giant storm drain under out shed (its like 4 ft x 4 ft). I guess you could put retaining walls in and take down more trees. I've always liked the shade and privacy it provides.

Lot is .26 acres. front yard is decent. thanks for the compliment on the lawn - my husband does landscaping on the side. We were going to replace the boxwoods but never got around to it.
If you'd like to see it we have an open house this Saturday from 2 -4 pm. Our agent will be here to show it and answer any questions. She's a friend and has personally seen us work on it.

Right now we're taking offers. Will offer it as a rental if it doesn't sell in the time frame we want.
Husband is moving next month but I'm flexible as I have a job here and not yet in NY.

I'll answer PM's now

thanks!

[Edited on June 21, 2011 at 8:45 PM. Reason : d]

6/21/2011 8:40:00 PM

i remember you from a long time ago... but not details and its driving me nuts.

6/21/2011 10:00:25 PM

I'll start us off...$100

[Edited on June 22, 2011 at 7:58 AM. Reason : ]

6/22/2011 7:58:10 AM

^^ hmmmm

6/24/2011 8:39:54 PM

Did i mention the beautiful flower gardens?
1. mailbox has gorgeous iris's (yellow, blue and white), day lilies, phlox, and moonbeam. established since 2006
2. flowerbed by front entrance has giant stargazer lilies (about to open up right now), japanese ferns, hosta, some pretty groundcover plants that have little purple flowers, salsa purple salvia and something that resembles miniature coleous (pale purple & white)

6/24/2011 8:43:47 PM

low maintenance and yet you're mentioning all these flowers ive never heard of


If this is still available come Dec 2011 -Jan 2012 i'd be very interested.

6/24/2011 9:12:56 PM

Seriously. You're 6-9 months too early for me! I really love your house though.

6/26/2011 1:53:04 PM

^^ pretty much all perennials and drought resistant.

6/26/2011 5:01:38 PM

I'll go 20 grand

6/26/2011 7:03:15 PM

Man if this wasn't on Sierra Drive I'd be very interested.

6/26/2011 10:40:46 PM

^?

7/1/2011 7:38:47 AM

21k

7/1/2011 8:35:54 AM

^^^ nothing bad with Sierra Drive. Just too old to be living surrounded with a bunch of college rentals.

7/1/2011 10:04:38 AM

Very cute house... looks cosy and it would be great to either live in or rent. I like the deck and the fireplace.

7/1/2011 4:43:00 PM

there are few college rentals ON Sierra Dr. the people on either side of my house aren't. Granted, there are a few rental houses a few doors down towards Lineberry but I've honestly never heard them. Two of those houses sold last month and I believe are vacant.

7/5/2011 9:13:42 AM

Nice place. If you don't sell in your time frame, would love to look at renting / rent to own if you're willing, but the bank isn't too keen on lending us money for a house right now.

[Edited on July 5, 2011 at 2:16 PM. Reason : sdfg]

7/5/2011 2:15:17 PM

bttt. price reduced. $159,900. house is now vacant and can be shown any time.

We would love to consider a renter but are under contract until December. if for some reason it doesn't sell then we will consider a renter or rent to own deal.
However, days on market average in this neighborhood is 45 days - which means it won't last much longer (and would be easy to sell again in future)



[sitting in a coffee shop on Broadway in Saratoga - love this town ]

7/16/2011 3:40:45 PM

I went by your house with a client the other day....but she is moving away from Lineberry to live out in the country.

7/18/2011 10:01:19 PM

Can you describe more the layout of the house? It's a little difficult to tell from the pictures. Are all three bedrooms "upstairs" or is there one in the basement area? Is the "bonus room" you're talking about the room in the pictures with the futon? And I didn't see from the photos is a bathroom attached to the master, or all they all separate?

Thanks!

[Edited on July 18, 2011 at 11:29 PM. Reason : ]

7/18/2011 11:24:16 PM

I think the only downfall, is a covered place to park my convertible.

I absolutely love it.

I could see the one room turning into a movie room, with popcorn popper, drink dispenser...oh man.

7/19/2011 3:51:44 AM

Damn my horrible credit and inability to make a down payment! Your house looks badass though, so have a free thread bump.

7/20/2011 5:03:45 PM

$100k cash monies pick it up tonight

7/21/2011 7:13:30 PM

sorry for the delayed response (just got internet at new place)
the layout is split level. you walk in to the living room which is on it's on level, go up 6 steps and the upper level has the kitchen, back deck, bedroom #1 & #2 and two bathrooms. The hall bath is the largest (black & white shower curtain in pictures) and has a tub bath. The other bathroom is off the master bedroom and has a shower stall.
From the living room you can go down 6 steps (through a door which we added on just to break up the house) and you're in the large bonus room (room with futon), this level also has the third bedroom, newly remodeled full bath (only a shower stall but it's really nice) and the laundry room and back door. This bottom level would make a great space for a roommate.

We hired someone to go in and patch up all holes left by wall hangings and repaint, caulk baseboards so it should even better now. We've gotten excellent feedback from showings, just waiting for the right buyer. I know someone will love it as much as we did.

Now that I've moved away I realize how great it was (odd to be so attached to a house). I'd do anything to be back in my hammock on my back deck right now

7/23/2011 10:29:47 PM

you could easily add on a garage or carport

and thanks for the showing!!

7/23/2011 10:34:44 PM

updated pictures now that the house is vacant.
motivated sellers
http://search.jimallen.com/1-1787374/2601-Sierra-Drive-Raleigh

7/28/2011 2:38:24 PM

personally, I think the house is overpriced in this market. Noting that the backyard isn't even cleared and it doesnt have a garage also effects its potential. I don't know but I've been looking at a lot of foreclosures lately and I know that you can't compare your house to those houses but it seems to me with the amount of foreclosures on the market that buying a house that isn't one is just silly. Unless you desperately need to live in that location or are in love with the house.

also, $104/square foot seems kinda steep for this neighborhood.

you do have a cool house and I hope you sell it at the price you want.

[Edited on July 28, 2011 at 2:54 PM. Reason : x]

7/28/2011 2:53:22 PM

^thanks for the input. We're actually priced below the comps in the area. I know that there are nicer homes at this price but they're not as great a location.

7/28/2011 4:42:32 PM

The new pictures are a great change! Makes me want this house even more! I just wish we were in the market right now (instead of a year from now!!).

7/28/2011 5:54:23 PM

I went through this house with my realtor and decided to give it a pass. Here is an honest review of the place :no troll:

When you walk up to the front of the house, it is very well kept and the gardening is nice. Cute lawn, cute tree in the front. Exterior looks well maintained.

Living room: Felt very small for a 1600 sq ft house, enough space for a TV stand, couch and loveseat...maybe.

Lower level bedroom: Neat looking wood floors, but the color is off. The wood upstairs is darker and this stuff is much much lighter. Also, the ceiling of this room behind the beam that runs through the ceiling has evidence of a major water leak that destroyed the ceiling's drywall. Turns out a bathroom is right above this room.

Mudroom/Laundry room: Typical utility space, good spots for w/d. Old fridge in that area that smells absolutely god awful if you open it.

2nd Lower level bedroom: Typical bedroom, some weird holes cut in the walls for cable, some big enough you can see light through.

Kitchen: The peel and stick flooring has shifted exposing gaps between the sink and the island. A small amount of counter space that is exacerbated by the fact that the fridge is oversized. The skylights in this area are awesome though.

Master bedroom: The only window looks like it used to be a doorway to the deck that got remodeled over. No overhead light in this room, we had to illuminate using the bathroom. Master bathroom was tiny, shower toilet and sink.

Second bathroom: typical bathroom, nothing special, nothing great.

Second bedroom: Seemingly bigger than the master bedroom because it has two windows and an overhead light.

Deck: The deck is huge, but there are no stairs down to the backyard. Makes me worried for fire safety having no exits on the upper level.

Back yard: pretty severe slope, but nicely wooded and fenced.

HVAC: The AC unit on the outside looks original and ready to kick the bucket any day.



I'm sorry if you feel I'm overly negative here, but I view the particulars of a house as things that would drive me crazy later in the ownership period of the house.

My realtor and I both felt that $159K was out of sight for this house and its condition. Most properties in that area are going for $140-$150.

I would suggest revaluing the sale price to something a buyer might actually bite on. As it stands right now, I don't think you'll see an offer any time soon with the way its priced.

My two cents.

7/28/2011 9:13:35 PM

I see that you purchased it in 2007 for $129,000 it is gonna be really tough to make a profit on a house that was purchased in 2007, but it looks like you may have some room to make a few bucks, good luck with the sale.

I have purchased 3 houses just up the street in the past 4 years and they are bigger and newer one has a 2 car garage and I got them for less than your asking price. If you drop your asking price to $144,900 or so, I bet you will get an offer. Don't miss out on the summer sales market, if you wait to long to drop the price all the buyers will be gone until next spring...

7/28/2011 9:30:43 PM

thanks for the input. we did purchase in 2007 but have done a lot of work (~30K). new roof, new siding, new floors, completely remodeled the bottom level. Thats not water damage, that shitty popcorn ceiling that was falling off as I painted it. It looks like crap, I know. We had it inspected when we bought it. no water damage seen. never had a leak in the time I lived there from 2005-2011. looking into hiring someone to redo the ceiling professionally (any suggestions?)

the downstairs floor is lighter in order to brighten up the area.

old stinky fridge will be removed. it was unplugged. (note: will have realtor place note on it asking not to open it.)

Deck: it's safer for children not to have stairs so we never bothered adding them.

still at husband for the holes downstairs. it's so he could play ps3 online.


I really do appreciate the input, it's our first house that we're selling. We're not realtors (obviously) and any advice or criticism is welcome.

7/29/2011 7:29:47 AM

^

For the ceiling, find someone that has a membership to Angie's list for a good recommendation (especially since you're out of state) if you can't find someone, let me know, my mom has a membership.

I very much agree with you that the siding and roof looked great.

Best of luck in selling your place.

7/29/2011 5:42:56 PM

^^ the part that sucks about the remodeling and replacing of most of the inside is that you don't get a lot of return from the value =/

7/29/2011 5:55:38 PM

What is Angie's list?? ^^

^ I know we weren't planning on moving. otherwise we wouldn't have put so much into it...

7/29/2011 7:22:58 PM

http://www.angieslist.com/

7/29/2011 9:54:36 PM

man, if this had a garage I'd consider planting a temporary root while I finish my degree/grad school... I like the house and location but a garage is a must for me

[Edited on August 1, 2011 at 6:15 AM. Reason : good luck though!]

8/1/2011 6:14:39 AM

thanks.
we lowered the price to $149,900

should sell quick now [crossing fingers]

8/1/2011 8:57:53 AM

I drove by yesterday and i gotta say that's a cookie-cutter neighborhood if I've ever seen one. I'm pretty sure I saw this model at least 4 times, though this was definitely the nicest.

8/7/2011 4:28:44 PM

love the house

8/7/2011 4:48:34 PM

^^ yea most homes were built in the 80's & there are a few split level houses similiar or identical to ours. Ours is probably in the best shape though (judging from the outside at least).

If you are interested in renting or a rent to own please pm me.

8/8/2011 8:17:44 PM

i lived in a house in that neighborhood on mariner circle with my siblings when we went to college. Not a bad neighborhood from what I recall. Right along the Avent Ferry CAT bus route too. If I only I worked in Raleigh...

8/8/2011 9:01:51 PM

Man my parents sold the twin on Mariner Circle last year. I lived in the neighborhood for 3 years. My parent redid the whole inside and put on the energy windows before selling. The yard was worked on big time; however, last time I drove by the house the college kid that bought it has let it go to shit. They sold it for 160k. Is there anyway you can wait until the market rebounds at all?

We couldn't sell our house in Cary and ended up renting it out. We actually just manage it ourselves and there is a contractor friend we call for repairs. We were not willing to drop our price to what we paid.

Good luck!


[Edited on August 9, 2011 at 8:23 AM. Reason : ^my brother....didn't notice he posted.]

8/9/2011 8:18:09 AM