The misalignment of interests is not so much that both agents stand to make more off a higher price. It’s that they are both motivated to bully the weaker party into a deal in the first place. Whichever party has the least information is going to be pressured by their agent into taking the deal offered by the other side. If the price is 5% higher or lower is immaterial compared to starting over and giving up on the time invested already.
Sadly, I can’t argue with that.
Which brings me back to … there’s much information asymmetry in real estate.
Do some homework 
Regarding all of this conversation about competing interests and types of representation, it sounds like in summary I would want to consider a broker or realtor (as opposed to agent, since I’m learning that there are a few different types: if I read correctly a broker has real estate law knowledge and realtor as some additional type of accreditation?) and one who will act as buyer’s agent? And that one way or the other I will pay for their services, whether it be a fixed fee or an invisible part of the sale. Am I tracking?
I’ve already queued up like three podcasts about different aspects of this whole enterprise. One of the most fascinating is two mortgage agents going step by step through the process, preapproval through handover, and also demystifying some of the after-offer-acceptance steps (of which there are numerous!).
Some of the process I believe varies by state; so check that you’re getting information applicable to the legalities in the state you’d be buying in.
Oh thank you, yes, these two are in California, so I’d better get local on that info STAT.
One thing I don’t think I saw mentioned is that in some places, it’s customary/required for the buyer to have an attorney. I don’t know if California is one of them, but you should check.
We were highly impressed at the job the home inspector did before the purchase of our most recent house (100+ years old). Not only did he go above and beyond what most inspectors do in our experience (including crawling through an extensive and low-ceilinged crawl space to examine supports and such), he issued a highly detailed report with accompanying photos, deployed a drone to check and photograph the roof, and was available long afterwards for followup questions.
I definitely wouldn’t depend on real estate agents to recommend a home inspector, since agents’ overriding concern is that the deal go through smoothly without delays. Take full advantage of online reviews and be careful about who you select.
This bit about conveniently locating a garden (especially an edible garden) is excellent advice. A kitchen garden that’s placed a few steps from the kitchen will get more attention and care (and be far more suitable for the cook(s) compared to one a hundred feet or more away.
Don’t place it right next to the house if the house is an old one, though: all the lead from the paint that used to be on the house is now in that soil. It doesn’t move much, though (which is why it’s still there); so you probably don’t need to be very far from the house for a kitchen garden.
However, available sunlight and possible situations with drainage and in some areas even soil type also need to be taken into account; as does the possible presence of black walnut or other plants that many garden plants won’t grow near (cutting the tree down won’t help, at least not for some years; the juglone’s already in the soil anywhere the tree roots were.) Sorting out what to plant where is part of the learning process in gardening.
We didn’t use one. The title company coordinated everything. When we bought in NJ, however, a lawyer ran the process.
Be sure to check out the soil. The house we had in NJ was on land that used to be a chicken ranch, and the soil was great. In California the soil was awful, full of clay. We improved it by getting composted horse manure from the barn where our daughter rode, and the soil is now great. So you might need to do some prep.
A good point. On a home garden scale, nearly anywhere can be planted, if only by making raised beds and filling with clean soil from elsewhere; but some places are a lot easier to work with than others. – I’d strongly recommend a soil test; not only for any contaminants likely to be in the area, but also for pH and soil nutrients.
But I’d recommend that before fertilizing or planting the garden – again, on a home garden scale I wouldn’t consider it a dealbreaker in whether or not to purchase because, as, as you say, bad soil can be amended.
Hello @xanthous, I’m a single female, now in my mid 70s, who has owned four properties in Northern California since I was 50. Here’s what I’ve learned:
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Condos, PUDs, and anything else with an HOA: Avoid like the plague, unless you like having even the most trivial aspects of your property micromanaged. They also tend to go broke suddenly and have to issue special assessments.
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Inspectors: The length of a home inspector’s report is meaningless. They’ll give you a fancy book filled with boilerplate and glossy photos of every cracked switchplate to prove they were worth the $500 you spent on them. You have to ferret out what in the report is meaningful. The best way is to ask the inspector “If you were buying this place what would worry you most/be the most expensive repair?” The inspectors I’ve had (recommended by my agents) were all, as far as I could tell, honest, professional and overly thorough.
You need an inspector or agent or friend that will also point out things that aren’t going to appear in a home inspection but will be valuable to know, such as:
o It looks like the ground slopes toward your garage on the north side. You may need a french drain to keep it from flooding.
o Back in the 50s when the utility companies were begging people to buy more energy, insulation in the walls and ceiling was pretty hit and miss. You need your experienced friend to point out that there is no insulation in your walls and that your house has a full western exposure, meaning it will be blisteringly hot on summer afternoons and expensive to heat in winter.
o You need to be knowledgeable about the plants, especially trees, that are located close to the house or the sewer lines. Even if they are small and cute now, they may damage the lines or your foundation as they grow.
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Agents: Get recommendations, IMO it’s best not to go for the ones who advertise the most (often with phrases like “top producer!” which may mean you’ll have a tough time getting hold of them or they farm most of the details out to assistants. And the details mean a lot! I once put in the high offer on a small parcel (about 2 acres) that was being sold by the estate of the former owner. On impulse, I stopped at the county assessor’s office to get the offical plat map of the property only to discover that a full 20% of it was covered by an easement that stipulated I couldn’t build anything on it, even a fence, but I would have to keep the weeds mowed. I was in shock – the heirs to the estate I’m sure were unaware of the easement, and the listing agent hadn’t checked to make sure the property description was adequate. I withdrew my offer, and the lesson I learned was: Always visit the county records office and check the details on the property before you make an offer.
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Home warranties: IMO, these are usually worthless. You are better off putting the cost of the warranty into a money market account earmarked for repairs. There are many horror stories of delays (if the warranty company is paying, you’ll get the repair on their schedule), shoddy workmanship, or finding that whatever broke isn’t covered by the warranty.
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Country properties: At 60 years old, I was finally able to buy the place in the country that I wanted, thanks to the real estate crash in 2008. It wasn’t too big, only about 5 acres with a 1500 sq ft house and a small barn. Damn, it was beautiful out there! But holy cow, what a lot of work and expense! First I had to have it fenced, then a bunch of repairs to the house, which the former owners had lost in foreclosure, including a new HVAC system. Then about 6 years later the well casing developed a crack and it had to be redrilled. The septic alarm system and pump head went out and had to be replaced. The irrigation system unfailingly died each winter and needed to be resurrected by the well expert; the pump had to be replaced twice – I later found out it was because the tank hadn’t been pumped in over 10 years and was filling with sediment that tore up the pump. You’ll find out that even though you aren’t paying monthly for water or sewage disposal, you will easily pay an equivalent amount in big chunks as parts of the systems die or need maintenance. It’s a good thing you have “handywoman” skills because it is incredibly expensive to hire people to do the regular maintenance.
Ten years after buying my place, I admitted to myself that what was doable at age 60 was becoming increasingly difficult and unpleasant at 70, and I sold it. Even made a little bit of money on it. Those 10 years were the best adventure of my life!
Anyhow, @xanthous : Go for it! Having your own place beats renting hands down.
Agreed. I meant to add that I suspect most barns would be happy for you to take compost from their rather large pile, since they might have to pay to get it carted away. I don’t know for sure since we stabled a horse at ours and we were just taking some of our contribution.
Cheaper than buying at the nursery or garden store.
That’s liable to depend on where you are. Most people around here are spreading it on their own fields; in some areas where there are lots of barns and not a lot of land to spread on the manure is sold to organic fertilizer manufacturers; and even in other areas some find that demand exceeds the supply, and they can sell for any excess.
But there are indeed places that pay to have it carted away, and there may be areas where it’s common.
And if you’re good friends with a neighbor who ordinarily spreads on their own fields, and you only want enough for a little garden plot, they may indeed give you a load.
Yes, I’m actually in Ohio. The commenter above had recommended I make sure I’m getting my information relative to my state, which is Ohio, and I realized I was listening to a podcast about the purchasing process in California. But it was fascinating anyway and at the least I learned that it’s a complex process.
I’m sure there are all kinds of liabilities with regard to managing something like this for someone else, so it would probably be so expensive that I could never afford it, but if one could have a real estate research and purchasing project manager (kind of like a wedding planner) I would just think there would be such a huge market for that if it were made remotely affordable. I realize a real estate agent is already this type of person (but maybe a bit more biased and motivated by the incentive to make a sale) but dang I really feel like I’m going to school in this and if I was rich, I would have a well-trusted assistant handle a lot of this for me like they do in those richy-rich real estate reality TV shows! 
Keeping up with this thread is going to be largely a weekend endeavor because I am in the busiest season of all the busiest seasons at my job right now—but I try to check in every morning. I have a question at the bottom but I have another few thoughts below.
I was coming in here to thank a few people by name who had little pieces of information that I find really valuable for my specific needs and desires, but really all of you have added such a wealth of information and considerations that I truly thank all of you.
I think I have listened to 20 podcasts (right now mostly around the financial aspects, which is really one of the scariest areas for me, even though from the sounds of that, I am in a lot better position than a lot of people who buy houses every day), and I already understand so much more about things like earnest money and escrow and different ways to negotiate a sale and how to use my nest egg in the best possible way (i.e. there is a lot more than a down payment I might be using it for so it’s not about blowing the lot on a down payment, and a good lender is going to work with me to put it to its best use including potentially not using it all, but rather saving some for closing, earnest, inspections, up-front costs, and the inevitable future)
I’ve been learning a lot about inspections, and what to expect from that whole process, because I feel like next to being anxious about financials, the idea of buying a house that then becomes a nightmare really scratches at my risk-adverse nature. And I understand that I am not limited on options within the period of time allotted for inspections, so that’s great (and I also don’t want to just blow all my money on inspecting one house when something may fall through and I find that I have to inspect another house!).
One thing I wonder, and maybe this is a question for an inspector, but how does one know how well insulated a house is? Aside from checking windows and attics and whatnot, in most cases all of the walls are covered with drywall and trim and paint. How would I know if the northern exposure is not insulated? How would an inspector know?
They have (or SHOULD have) heat sensing cameras. They should provide images of most of the walls and ceilings showing hot or cold spots depending on the season.
Another thing to look at–electrical service. In this day and age you really want a minimum of 200A service especially if you plan on an EV any time soon. 400A is becoming the new norm as appliances go electric, but that is very unlikely in an older house. 100A really limits your options and can be quite expensive (WAG $25k) to upgrade.
EnergyStar also has some recommendations for how to verify type/amount of insulation:
I really liked this one:
Check if your exterior walls have insulation by using an electrical outlet
It isn’t invasive or destructive. An inspector may well be willing to do this. If not, you shouldn’t get all too much pushback if you ask a seller to cooperate with this bit.
Mrs. ZonexandScout just reminded me that I have a list of personal showstoppers re houses. They are issues that have made me walk away from looking at a house.
The house can’t be at a T-intersection or on a corner where car headlights can sweep through the windows. In fact, no corner lots at all. First floor bedroom windows cannot face the neighbor’s garage. Minimum 36" door width, though I’ll accept a couple 32" interior doors…definitely no 30" doors. No adjacent houses with decks, terraces, or balconies significantly higher than my own, unless screened or at a reasonable distance. No creeks or drainage ditches on the property. No split-levels. No outside steps to doors or porches more than four treads.
I know some of these sound stupid, but every single one of these has been a source of irritation to me in a past house. And at 70 years of age, I’m cranky enough to stick with them.