By Ricki Morell, Globe Correspondent, 4/4/2004
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Keith Servant, 31, and fiance Christine Hunt, 25, recently closed on the sale of this new $309,900 Colonial in Rutland - after they did a complete walk-through of the property.
FRAMINGHAM -- These days, Eric Gibson and Tammy Avery don't laze around on Sunday afternoons. They're too busy enjoying that great American pastime, open house hopping.
Recently, they traipsed through three houses in north Framingham, their neighborhood of choice. "The inside is great," Gibson said as he looked around an immaculate ranch at 130 Brook St., listed at $379,900. "It didn't look that nice from the outside." Avery wasn't so sure. "I'd give it a 'B'," she said. "It seems a little overpriced." A Sunday afternoon with Gibson and Avery offers a glimpse into the mindset of a hopeful yet often frustrated species: the first-time home buyer. In the Boston area, one of the nation's hottest housing markets, people can spend months, or even years, looking for an affordable home. Gibson, 29, and Avery, 31, have a deadline. They plan to be married in November and hope to have purchased their first house by then. The lease on their $1,515-a-month Waltham apartment will expire in December. Still, they feel like they're in a good enough position to be choosy. They have signed on with a buyer's agent to represent their interests. They are preapproved for a $500,000 mortgage, though they say they really want to spend in the low $300s, with a maximum of $400,000. And they're ready to shoulder monthly payments of up to $2,000. Gibson is a sales engineer for a company that sells trucking scales. Avery is a pharmaceutical sales representative. Both have home offices but spend time on the road. They chose Framingham because it's affordable, has a suburban feel, and has good access to the highways. "We don't have to pay premium prices just for accessibility to the city of Boston," Gibson said. "But we're young, and we want to be able to get in to see a Red Sox game once in a while." They want three bedrooms, so that they can have a guest room and enough space for a large home office. They also want a basement where Gibson can set up what Avery calls his "mantown," where he and his friends can watch sports and relax. They're planning to have children someday, but expect to move in about three years, so they're not yet worried about schools. They know the first house won't be perfect. It's just a stop on the way to attaining their dream: four bedrooms, new construction, with a big piece of land in a nice neighborhood in Natick, Ashland or Wellesley. Gibson, who grew up in Waltham, wasn't surprised by how much he would need to spend to get what he wants. Still, in four months of looking, he and Avery have been surprised by how few houses they have liked. "If I look at 20 houses, I'll see maybe three that I think are worth it," Gibson said. They bid on one house, an attractive three-bedroom ranch listed at $315,000. But, by the time they decided to act, the owners had accepted another offer. After four months of looking, Gibson and Avery have Sundays down to a science. First, they scan the open house listings in the newspaper. Then, they choose a few promising prospects and map out their route, using the online service MapQuest. They also have a system to gauge how much they like a house. After a thorough walk-through, they go back to their car to read the listing sheet and discuss what they liked and didn't like. Finally, they give the house a grade. "This one's a 'C,' " Avery as they left a tatty three-bedroom ranch priced at $342,000. "We'd definitely need to take up the shag rugs." They also happened upon an "A," after following an open house sign to a house that wasn't on their list. It was a beige split-level at 11 Salvi Drive, with a two-car garage, two fireplaces, a deck, three nicely sized bedrooms, and a lower-level family room. They liked that it was on a quiet side street, and they especially liked the price, $374,900, which they thought was on the low side for the size and condition of the house. "The sellers are in a hurry," said Lisa Zemack, the real estate agent marketing the house. "They want it sold by this weekend." Avery and Gibson were charmed. "This bathroom is great," Avery said. "There's enough mirror for both of us, and there's a Jacuzzi tub!" "This is so much nicer than the other house," Gibson added. "I'd give them $375,000 for this." Later that day, Gibson called their buyer's agent, Marcy Quill. She told them the sellers had received two offers. With that kind of interest, the house could go for more than the asking price. Gibson and Avery decided to sit this one out. They didn't want a bidding war that they would probably lose. And since they have until November, they don't feel quite ready to make a commitment. They want to see what spring will bring. "It's like hunting, the feeling of expectation and opportunity," Gibson said. "You get to walk into all these homes and envision what your life would be like there."