The big question is: If you decide/need to sell it in a year or 2 are you going to get berkeleyed? If you can get out of it relatively quickly/easily/painlessly - and you can afford the higher taxes/insurance/maintenance then go for it.
<-- Has 8800sq/ft and lower total taxes than anyone else here. 
I'm going to go the other way and say 'hold out'.
A house is a hugely non-liquid place to put a lot of money. If it is not exactly what you want don't do it.
Plus, nothing says 'american consumer' like buying a house that is too big for no reason then having to fill it with extra stuff (again for no reason). I don't think being 35% bigger than you want (800/2268) will cost you quite 35% more in taxes, insurance, utilities, etc, but I wouldn't be surprised if the number is close. Again, all that spending for something you already know you don't need.
I'd stay away. I know the pressure to get a house is big, and months feel like a long time, but I'd hold out something that fits better. If you can't find something after a year, maybe consider getting more flexible.
Finally, no one on this board would recommend getting a car any bigger than you wanted...
I wouldn't worry about it too much unless the tax/utility implications are huge. 2,300 is a reasonable size house, and may be easier to sell down the road than a smaller home.
We bought bigger than we were targeting and I'm glad we did. Four children have a way of filling up space 
Seems like the market everywhere is drifting towards newer, more modern looking Euro-Style interior, and I can understand how this place may not draw the younger crowd.
Also, what is an attractive neighborhood to you may not be an attractive neighborhood for others. I'd find some young professional and ask them where they want to live and if they'd rent this place for $1250 a month.
I know my in-laws in particular are thinking of buying a snow-bird home in Florida, and they really don't want a single family home. They want a newer-built condo community with a pool a nice view.
If you're this hesitant, you probably don't want to buy it.
To my eye, it's an awkward layout in that house. Outside, there is almost no back yard, and what little there is, is heavily shaded. If that tree doesn't fall on the house, one of the neighbors trees will.
I suspect this is why the house is still on the market and not going anywhere. A problem you will have with it in the future should you decide to sell.
Is this it? If so, shesh, I love trees, but even I have my limits.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/3316+San+Domingo+St,+Clearwater,+FL+33759/@27.97783,-82.698426,247m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x88c2ee5a6d7afe09:0x99149478f4c24765!6m1!1e1
Enyar wrote: Children are in the 3 year plan. I just don't know if it would be in this house or if we would move (and keep whatever we buy now as a rental). This house is 2300 sq feet. There is a room behind the kitchen (addition?) that's probably 22x18. If that room was missing and it had a pool the house would be perfect. That or if the rooms had a little bit of the sq ft from the living room areas that would be better too.
We have 2400 sq ft and it's only us and a few cats. Works well, and yes, there are a couple of rooms we don't use that often, but when we have family over it suddenly gets cramped.
Unless you're already planning on buying another house in only three years because you want to become landlords, I think with children already in the plan, I'd buy a little bigger than the two of you need right now and see how that goes.
It's much easier to have more space than you want and then use it later as the need arises than it is to have too little space and make more.
I prefer smaller homes myself, but I detest having only 1 living space. I've re-purposed an extra bedroom into a den. Add in kids...
That home has room for your family to grow.
Thanks everyone, this board is awesome.
Q&A time:
spitfirebill wrote: That's definitely not a bad house. And your big ass lot is only 0.32 acre. Ha, a flick a booger in your direction. I see room for a separate garage/shop.
Haha. It's a pretty decent size lot for the area. You have to remember this is Florida, land of suburbia where houses are on top of each other. HOA isn't very strict in this neighborhood but one of the restrictions is not detached sheds/garages.
rcutclif wrote: I'm going to go the other way and say 'hold out'. A house is a hugely non-liquid place to put a lot of money. If it is not exactly what you want don't do it. Plus, nothing says 'american consumer' like buying a house that is too big for no reason then having to fill it with extra stuff (again for no reason). I don't think being 35% bigger than you want (800/2268) will cost you quite 35% more in taxes, insurance, utilities, etc, but I wouldn't be surprised if the number is close. Again, all that spending for something you already know you don't need. I'd stay away. I know the pressure to get a house is big, and months feel like a long time, but I'd hold out something that fits better. If you can't find something after a year, maybe consider getting more flexible. Finally, no one on this board would recommend getting a car any bigger than you wanted...
Can't argue with that. I'm definitely more of the Euro mindset and prefer small houses and small cars. Taxes for this house were $3k last year compared to around $1700 for the other house we tried to buy which was 1600 sq ft. But it will be quite a bit more when it comes to cleaning/ fixing up.
PHeller wrote: Seems like the market everywhere is drifting towards newer, more modern looking Euro-Style interior, and I can understand how this place may not draw the younger crowd. Also, what is an attractive neighborhood to you may not be an attractive neighborhood for others. I'd find some young professional and ask them where they want to live and if they'd rent this place for $1250 a month. I know my in-laws in particular are thinking of buying a snow-bird home in Florida, and they really don't want a single family home. They want a newer-built condo community with a pool a nice view.
We're both young professionals and this neighborhood is in transition. Lots of old people but it's near a small downtown area and young people that dont want to be stuck in suburbia are moving back in. Unfortunately due to where I work I'm very limited in areas to live.
Fixed up this place would rent for 1600+ i would think.
foxtrapper wrote: If you're this hesitant, you probably don't want to buy it. To my eye, it's an awkward layout in that house. Outside, there is almost no back yard, and what little there is, is heavily shaded. If that tree doesn't fall on the house, one of the neighbors trees will. I suspect this is why the house is still on the market and not going anywhere. A problem you will have with it in the future should you decide to sell. Is this it? If so, shesh, I love trees, but even I have my limits. https://www.google.com/maps/place/3316+San+Domingo+St,+Clearwater,+FL+33759/@27.97783,-82.698426,247m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x88c2ee5a6d7afe09:0x99149478f4c24765!6m1!1e1
I'm the same. Love trees until I have to worry about limbs falling or roots cracking foundations (which would happen with this place). To de awkwarditize the house I would want to open up the kitchen and make all those living areas one big space. The dining area could potentially be an office/used to enlarge the master.
That's the house.
Wait 4 days and it will be 239 judging by the history.
Yeah last time we did that we were outbid by an investor who bid 15k over asking!
Here is what it boils down to:
The house is 85% of what we want. Options include wait for what we want which could be a 8 month ordeal or we can try to buy this now. IMO the house has potential and with $35k in renovations it could be a $300k house. So if we can put up with putting less in our 401k and more into property taxes etc, it could pay off in the end.
So you were ready to buy the smaller house that needed enough work to make it livable, that it would have ended up costing more than what you can probably get this larger place for? I also highly doubt that utilities at that place w/ a pool would have been less than the larger place sans pool.
I live in a 1300sf condo. (DC). It works OK for us, other than me needing a garage, so I get wanting a smaller space. That said, the larger place may seem big relatively, but isn't in absolute terms. IMHO, I definitely would NOT put that size into the over-spacious category for someone who may stay there w/ kids in the medium future.
bluej wrote: So you were ready to buy the smaller house that needed enough work to make it livable, that it would have ended up costing more than what you can probably get this larger place for? I also highly doubt that utilities at that place w/ a pool would have been less than the larger place sans pool. I live in a 1300sf condo. (DC). It works OK for us, other than me needing a garage, so I get wanting a smaller space. That said, the larger place may seem big relatively, but isn't in absolute terms. IMHO, I definitely would NOT put that size into the over-spacious category for someone who may stay there w/ kids in the medium future.
That's why I keep saying this place is priced right. That being said the other place had a newer AC/Roof and really just needed drywall, a kitchen and new carpet in the bedrooms. Another one of those houses that looked worse that it actually was. It had a better layout too.
Between the folks here and the folks in my office I've decided that this place is at least worth a lowball offer.
I've found that house purchase is a huge investment for years so that can get scary which leads to hesitation. 2300 sq-ft isn't huge and maybe more than you want/need right now but add kids in the future you'll be glad for the extra space. Yard of .32 acres huge? Not by a long shot. Might take you an extra 30 minutes of yard maintenace at the most. Besides think of it as more neighbor seperation. And again will come in handy when kids enter the scene. Two living rooms will come in handy with kids also. Their space and your space. In the meantime, you could just build an engine in the extra living space. 
So if you're in it for the long haul and can afford it, not a bad deal. Room for growth. And don't fall in the immediate remodel/upgrade trap. Doesn't have to be done overnight. Do it as you can afford it. SWMBO and I do one major upgrade/repair to the house/property a year. Last year was 2 because of necessity. Put a roof on and then the stove broke so we got new quartz countertops to replace the old chipped formica at the same time.
I have an 1900sq-ft 3/2 house on .92 Acre lot. Was the best I could afford at the time. The kids were teen and preteen when I bought it. They are grown and gone and it's just SWMBO and I but sometimes we wish for more room. Lawn takes some time but have accumulated equipment that makes it easier and I like the neighbor seperation. So do my neighbors with similar size lots. That's why we moved to that neighborhood. I have great neighbors, we all get along and look after each other.
SVreX wrote: BTW, your property taxes and your energy costs will be directly related to your square footage.
Interesting, I guess it's different everywhere. In OK, they base your property taxes on the "value" of the house. Which means they typically base it off the most recent selling price.
You must be used to not having a basement. The pictures totally show that extra room being used as a basement.
It is an odd layout, but theoretically, it would not be massively hard to change one of the BR's into a basement type shop, and convert the second living area into a BR (so that the shop is next to the garage).
Funny that you say it needs work- it looks very 90's to me. Like the inside of my house.... Do we need to remodel from our remodel 20 years ago (this summer's it's 20th anniversary of renno)?
But, to ME (and my humble opinion), the layout of the house is enough of a detraction that put together with the "too big"- I would pass.
Clearly they have an insect problem, Terminix was out front!
No, you should buy a house with a garage that's way bigger than you need. Bigger house is also more money burned on heating and cooling the thing.
About last years taxes, see how it was taxed, as an owner occupied residence or as a rental property. Great big difference here.
Turn that extra room into another garage. Job done!
I've got 3,600sq-ft for the missus and myself. We keep half the rooms shut.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: No, you should buy a house with a garage that's way bigger than you need. Bigger house is also more money burned on heating and cooling the thing.
There's no such thing as a garage that is way bigger than you need.
Projects increase up like Rabbits.
I had a 4 car garage built when I had just 4 cars. At my peak, we had 7. Now, after some scaling back, we have 5, and really need to get back to 4 AND get rid of a bunch of spares.
Seriously, for this group, getting car stuff is a LOT worse (aka easier) than house stuff.
If you like the neighborhood, buy it. Just under 2300sf is not really a big house by most peoples' standards. In fact, it may be easier to sell down the line than the 1500sf house you want.
Datsun1500 wrote: You'd be surprised what moving a few walls would do for the flow. See if you can visualize this. Expand the existing master into the existing dining room. Use that area for a master suite with a large bathroom, and laundry room. Get rid of the existing laundry room. Split the rear room into a smaller dining room, and a home office. If you do it right, it will make more sense to you, and a future buyer.
This. For the most part, layout can "easily" be changed.
Datsun1500 wrote: You'd be surprised what moving a few walls would do for the flow. See if you can visualize this. Expand the existing master into the existing dining room. Use that area for a master suite with a large bathroom, and laundry room. Get rid of the existing laundry room. Split the rear room into a smaller dining room, and a home office. If you do it right, it will make more sense to you, and a future buyer.
Can't argue with that. I was thinking of either converting that dining room into an office or splitting it in half and making it a walk in closet for the master. The existing master closet could be used to expand the master bath (which is much needed). That or do the same by expanding into living room one. Open up the kitchen so that the kitchen and all living areas are one big living space.
We shall see....I'll definitely keep everyone updated.
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