Dream House or Nightmare?

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  • Posted By: echain @ 10/18/2007 2:44:05 PM

    Why was this even printed? Cry me a river you big baby... Who cares if your not going to make money on that beautiful house. You need your head examined and I am sure they wouldn't find much. This is for Newsweek "Daniel McGinn" you need to be fired, if you can't find anything better to write about. Do you remember how to go and research a real story??????

  • Posted By: summermac @ 10/18/2007 2:43:41 PM

    My understanding was that they built this house in hopes of a quick return on their investment, which obviously is not going to happen. It doesn't seem like they are wanting to wait. At least that was the general gist I got from my read through.

    I don't understand why so many homeowners/builders are building this gargantuan homes these days.

  • Posted By: NewsJunkie @ 10/18/2007 2:42:38 PM

    I unfortunately agree with most people's comments on Mr. Elliot..."Cry me a river" is right! Shame on you for thinking that you could build a dream home just to "Flip it" and make a killing overnight. Real Estate is traditionally a long term investment. So, don't worry, wait about 3-5 years and you will have made a asubstantial profit! However, if you want out now, I will give you fair market value (today's fair market value!) Furthermore, it is Greedy people like Mr. and Mrs. Elliot, that have gotten our R.E market the way it is. Shame on You!!

  • Posted By: ^^freethinker^^ @ 10/18/2007 1:52:17 PM

    Its sickening to see all these homeowners wanting to make a killing on properties. Then they complain when it is not working out. As a contractor myself I see it all the time these days. Leave the home building to the professionals. Its tough enough being in competition with so many illegal aliens these days....then we have to contend with so many amateur property investors destroying the lending and property market. If you
    arnot a

    • Posted By: Texxxxxxxxxx @ 10/18/2007 2:41:43 PM

      Same comment as above....you "professional general contractors" make a few phone calls and stand around at a job site and demand that the SUBS get the work out on time....thats just MGMT. and ANYBODY with half a brain can do that....you are just pissed that you are losing work.

      Take the 200k dollar house that this guy wants to sell you ....spend a little time reading and some due diligence and build it yourself for 150k....the when the market falls a little you still have equity in your home....don't let the "Professionals" sell you on the idea that the only way a house gets built is by them.

  • Posted By: opinion @ 10/18/2007 2:41:24 PM

    I agree that this story is not news worthy! Boo-hoo, I built a really expensive house, and I picked out all the expensive materials. The housing market has been bad for years, not a newsflash. So, if you have the money to build such a house, which looks beautiful, congratulations! But please don't feel bad because you might have to torture yourself and actually live in it for few extra years!

  • Posted By: laruedae @ 10/18/2007 2:40:28 PM

    I guess it really depends on each person's point of view. Dream house or nightmare?
    Dream house for the person who can appreciate the value of things and a home and family.
    Nightmare for the greedy... They'll never be satisfied.

  • Posted By: Rez_Chik585 @ 10/18/2007 2:38:36 PM

    Why do you care?!

  • Posted By: scaredandsad @ 10/18/2007 2:37:21 PM

    Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: scaredandsad @ 10/18/2007 2:36:10 PM

    I can't even imagine confronting the "problem" this guy is talking about. My husband and I lost our home nearly a year ago. It was only 1500 sq ft and worth $220K but it was ours. I imagined my 3 kids growing up there, having the grandchildren's stockings hanging by the fireplace. This guy is bummed because he can't flip his dream house? Get a grip dude!!!

  • Posted By: omill @ 10/18/2007 2:35:59 PM

    this comment is actually geared more toward newsweek - do you really have THAT little to talk about that you have to come up with a story like this? give me a break! does the average american really care about this guys situation?

  • Posted By: beachluvnblonde @ 10/18/2007 2:32:55 PM

    This is news worthy? Its "oh well" to me. If you lose your job like you should, please post a comment on what happens 5 years from now. We'll all be on pins and needles waiting to hear if this sad.... I mean..... tragic... I mean boring story about the poor......I mean the pretty well off Elliots....

  • Posted By: scaredandsad @ 10/18/2007 2:32:42 PM

    Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: ^^freethinker^^ @ 10/18/2007 2:01:39 PM

    This should be illegal to do anyway. I live in Atlanta where there are amateur contractors everywhere. They are destroying the market for the professional builders. Its bad enough being an all american business among so many illegal aliens. Then we must compete with amateurs looking to 'get rich' in the building trade. Stick to medical equipment sales and stop the masquerade as a builder and you will be performing a service for yourself as well as the rest of us

    • Posted By: Texxxxxxxxxx @ 10/18/2007 2:32:25 PM

      What a chump...the whole reason that you are allowed to act as your own contractor is because of the "liberties" that general contractors take with homebuyers $$$$....Hell I can call a sub....when was the last time you got down in the dirt for your 25%. The very fact that it is allowed doesn't have a thing to do with themess there is right now in the market.

    • Posted By: jgaynor @ 10/18/2007 2:13:38 PM

      The wife sales medical equipment. The husband is the contractor.

  • Posted By: ADChavez @ 10/18/2007 2:31:02 PM

    To the Roger Elliott family, Stay in your house. You had this house built and you say it's your dream house so, Why do you need to move? You say you can afford to make the mortgage payments so , your not in financial distress or at risk of foreclosure. stay there then you don't have to worry yourselves to death about how much your house is going to sell for. This is the problem with American people. They are never satified. You have been blessed with being able to build a nice home and now your full of complaints. Do you all know that people would kill you all in order to be in your place. So many families are seeing their homes go into foreclosure that worth less than yours. Low income families that do nothing but dream and wish to have a house like yours. I really don't understand my fellow Americans. Everybody who reads this, stop buying million dollar plus houses. The money that you spend in mortgages to look like big shots could be going into retirement savings, vacation funds, college tuition for your children. You could retire earlier you know. Everybody wants these big fancy homes and you end up with rooms and space that you either never use or hardly use. Rooms just set empty or you put furniture in them for show and never use the furniture. Believe me people I have been house shopping and the houses that cost $300,000 to $400,000 look better alot of the times than these huge multi-million dollar houses. It cost alot of money to live like big shots folks and you can't take nothing with you when you die so, buy and build more modest houses and put that $8,000 plus mortgage payment in IRA's and invest a little bit in stocks, retire early and travel. Stop giving all of your income to the banks and invest in your selves. Wouldn't feel better to pay for say $1,500 to $2,000 a month for mortage opposed to $8,000 plus a month? ! will be finishing college soon and like I said, I have already been looking at houses for sale and design plans to have one built. Right out of school I have been offered $65,000 plus bonus and raises. I sure won't be buying wasting all of my money on a house that cost a fortune so that I look like a big shot to the rest of the neighborhood. Shoot, it cost to much money and if something happens to me financially none of these neighbors will be helping me to save my house. I will live modestly and invest my money in IRA's ans just a little in stock. I want to retire as early as I can, and travel, and have a lot of relaxing time. When Arthritis sets in, I don't want to have to be struggling at work in pain and dealing with traffic and commuting in heavy traffic. If I can get some good financial advisment I and put my money in all of the right places, I may retire before a lot of you who are in debt to banks for your multi-million dollar houses. I don't want to be working until I am 70 or 80 years old trying to pay off a multi-million dollar house and needing to worry about if I am going to be laid off or not and

  • Posted By: fredj7499 @ 10/18/2007 2:17:34 PM

    It looks like no one remembers the bust of 1984-85 in Texas when the oil market went to-- and home prices fell as much as 30 to 50 percent and took 7-9 years to recover, my parents always said their will be peaks and valleys in real estate market
    fredj10

    • Posted By: whirichardson @ 10/18/2007 2:30:45 PM

      i remember it very well.. living in Houston during those years. We have a nice but fairly modest home in Indiana now and are okay. There are plenty fingers to point but to me the sum total of the "housing boom" is again if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

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