Help requested

[wordwitch]

You've done it, now help me do it.

I need to know what useful things you know about looking for and purchasing a house.

ETA: Thanks for all the helpful commentary. This is my first time as a home-buyer, this late in my life, and the whole thing has always frightened me.

Comments

[etumukutenyak.livejournal.com]

Looking for a house? Get a real estate agent you are comfortable with and who listens to you. Each time you go through a house, explain what you liked and what you didn't; a great agent will listen and narrow down the selection based on your feedback.

Decide ahead of time what you think you need in a house. Agree on what is negotiable and what is not. If you don't see all of the items you agreed on, then move on to the next house.

Get your mortgage rate ahead of time. It's called pre-qualification or pre-approval.

Once you find the house and have a bid in, get the home inspector to go through it. They are supposed to go through houses with the proverbial fine-toothed comb and can point out things you would miss. After the inspection, you can decide whether this house really is the Right One.

Always look under the wall-to-wall carpet. Some people seem to think that carpet is better than hardwood floors. Silly people. Carpet is good for allergies! Real people have floors. ;-)

If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me or just reply here. ;-)

Good luck and good hunting!

[newjerseybadger.livejournal.com]

1) Home Inspectors aren't perfect. No two home inspectors will have an identical list of things to be considered. Go through the house with an experienced friend as well, if possible.
2) Stains on the floor or wall of the basement are indicators of potential floods.
3) The older the house, the older the electrical system. The newer the house, the cheaper the construction (but the attic joists will be better in newer homes. Our '40s-era house has, I kid you not, 1x6 joists over the oldest part of the house
4) There are books on this subject (AMAZON: Search on "How to buy a house":
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764553313/sr=1-1/qid=1137421028/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9941965-8863127?%5Fencoding=UTF8 and others at:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br_ss_hs/104-9941965-8863127?search-alias=aps&keywords=how%20to%20buy%20a%20house

--NJB

Buy and read at least one before you see your first house. Home Depot and Lowe's, if I recall correctly, both sell books about buying houses.

[outtamyskull.livejournal.com]

What NJB said.

Also ask about lead paint, asbestos, and raydon. Even if you don't see signs of water in the basement specifically ask if there has ever been a fire, if the answer to either is yes ask if the place was checked for mold. Also if there had been a fire there may be some damage to beams that was termed 'marginal' at the time.

As with anything don't buy unless you actually trust the people you're doing business with.

Ask the owners specifically what will and will not be left, some people leave large appliances: dishwasher, refrigarator etc.

Check the action on all the doors, if a door is not moving properly the walls around it may have shifted.

Good Luck.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

No personal experience here, but from watching other people's mistakes:

New ceiling tiles MIGHT mean a leaky roof. If you're feeling particularly concerned about this, try and go looking when there's a good steady rain going that's been going for a couple of days: this will tell you about roof and basement leaks, drainage for driveways and such, and might possibly let you know about septic or plumbing problems.

Speaking of plumbing, which is one of my worry-spots for househunting: check the ages of the water heater, heating/ac units, water softener if any, that sort of thing. Permanently-installed things that you NEED, but get ignored until they break.

For Steve and I at least, "location location location" actually is three different things.

1)What shape is the neighborhood in? Is it heading upward, downward, or stable for sociologic patterns? Is it someplace you feel safe about being after dark? Is it someplace you feel safe about being OUTSIDE after dark? Are the people who already live there people you could be at worst neutral about having for neighbors? Are the houses spaced widely enough that you're not going to be claustrophobic? Are you going to look out your bedroom window into your neighbor's bathroom window?

2)What is the geography of the neighborhood? Are there sewer-eating trees? Is it near a busy street, snow route, park, library, other amenities? Is it difficult to get into or out of? Are you going to be able to sleep if there's a traintrack behind your house? Are you going to be able to get out of your driveway (and your neighborhood) without breaking your neck on icy days? Are you in danger of flooding? Is any nearby body of water going to provide drowning hazards, icy winds in winter, an abundance of mosquitos, a pocketful of frogs, etc?

3)What's it going to do to your commutes to work? Are you going to need to change doctors, banks, schools, grocery stores vets (ISTR that you have pets, but not sure)? How will it change the effort required for people to get to you (I'm thinking mainly your beloved mother-in-law)?

Things I've learned from watching Alan and April's mishaps with the rattletrap they bought: Windows are a lot of the heat retention of a house, and replacing them may actually make things worse if the frames aren't sound. Foundation leaks hide behind basement paneling. Dehumidifiers are handy things if your basement isn't completely finished, and you can get one at Ace Hardware. I hate narrow stairways, and steep stairways, and carpeted stairways, and all three in one is REALLY bad. I likewise hate kitchens without a pantry, buying an appliance that EXACTLY (and I mean no wiggle room, grease it to fit it in) fit the space provided, and light-switch controlled electrical sockets.

Most of the things in the previous paragraph can be worked around, but just because something can be adapted to doesn't mean it's something you should have to settle for adapting to.

Best of luck finding a place that suits you and your family comfortably and well for as long as you care to stay there. And how are you set for moving help? If nothing else, I may be able to bring you up a bunch of boxes.

[aukestrel.livejournal.com]

Wow. I had to stop and think. We've actually bought like three houses. I feel old!

1. Electrical wiring (in some states, if you have knob & tube wiring, you have to get it replaced before you can get homeowner's insurance. In some states... you don't. Ohio is one where you do. *g*)
2. Plumbing - lead pipes? MUST BE REPLACED. Copper is okay, not ideal if lead solder was used. My dad, the plumber, believes that PVC is underrated and replaces our pipes with PVC whenever he gets a chance.
3. Age of furnace, water heater, a/c
4. Appliances - if they stay, do they WORK? Are they CLEAN? If the seller offers to replace the stove, for instance, tell him or her thanks, but no thanks, b/c they will buy the cheapest stove they can. Agree on an amount and buy your own stove.
5. Get the insurance thing - you can buy it yourself if the buyer doesn't offer it. It's about $350 and covers most major things, like the furnace or the appliances (washer/dryer), water heater, a/c, etc. It's a good peace of mind thign to have for the first year or so.
6. Lead paint. You probably will have some in an older house. Seal it in and paint over it. It's not the end of the world. People have made it into a bigger deal than it is. My dad says that it's more dangerous to remove it, or try to, than to just seal it in and paint over it.

How will you get the groceries into the house? No, seriously - this is one of my dad's big things.

Off street parking? I dont' know where you are looking, but this is a big deal in parts of our city. *g*

ROOF! And if the roof is "newer" was it put on right?

A home inspector really is a great investment because he or she will think of things that you won't.

Older houses = sturdier construction. So if you live in a noisy neighbourhood, an older house will be somewhat quieter. Our first house was a condo that shared a wall. We could hear the other people sneeze. It was VERY not fun. And even stand-alone houses that were built in the past 10-20 years have thinner walls and less noise shielding.

What's the house made of? Are you going to have to paint it? Powerwash it? Is it stucco? Brick?

Yard! Can the yard be fenced? What are the easements? Do you want to fence it? Do you have time to keep it up? How much of a lawn is there, and who is going to mow it? If you have a dog, is a fenced yard a deal breaker?

Is there a gas station/convenience store within a reasonable distance? Where will you grocery shop? If your kids will ride the bus, is the neighbourhood safe enough for them to walk to and from your house? What about parks? Sidewalks? How close are you to the interstate? Are there other kids in the neighbourhood?

Take all or none of this - I am just throwing out things that have occurred to us before or after house purchases.

[etumukutenyak.livejournal.com]

Be not afraid, Grasshopper! Trust in the Force!

As long as you do some basic research, get a decent agent, pay attention to your instincts, don't get too attached to any place, and "trust but verify"...you'll do fine. Oh, and ask questions -- of the agent, the homeowners, the neighbors, the newspaper delivery guy..anybody you can see.

It's really not that difficult, and with common sense you won't go terribly wrong.

You'll see. You'll walk into the houses and see things you like, and things you don't. You'll go "I wish I'd thought of that!" and "YUCK!!". Once you find the place that gives you more :-) and fewer >:-(, then you know you're home. ;-)

And yes, there are books. I have a few down in the basement that I don't need anymore. If you want them, I'll be happy to mail them to you -- if they are of any use, consider them a small housewarming gift in advance. If you don't want them, I'll just donate them somewhere else eventually. ;-)