I’m looking at becoming a first time home buyer. Tomorrow morning I’m hooking up with my real estate agent to go look at five places I’ve selected from the 40 or so internet MLS listings he’s sent me.
Frankly, I don’t expect to buy anything I see on Friday. This will be more like a house shopping training cruise for me.
He knows this.
So, tonight I was cleaning the bathroom in my little apartment, and it occurred to me that the toilet is very difficult to clean around. Note #197 on the list I’ve been building of stuff to look out for.
What can y’all tell me about the things I, as a first-timer, am likely to forget to think about?
I’m in the same boat. Welcome to the fun carnival that is home buying.
One thing I did while I was in “shopping around” mode was to keep track of features I liked / didn’t like about the various places. Hardwood floors: nice. Narrow entry “tunnel” (about 8 feet long, 5 feet wide between house wall and attached garage coming into the front door): bad. But if you’re up to item #197, you probably already have this in mind.
On the other hand, I doubt you’ll be able to find something that’s “perfect” in absolutely every respect. If you’ve got a list, mark things as “must have”, “nice to have”, “shouldn’t have”, and “absolutely must not have”. If you’re willing to put some work into particular areas of improvement on the house (painting walls, landscaping, redoing fixtures) let your realtor know.
And here’s something that I ran into, although I’m not sure how common it’d actually be. I found a very nice house, but the sellers are “upside down” on their loan; they owe their lender more than the house is worth. It goes without saying that this is a very bad situation for them. But it also means that I’m in a holding pattern right now while their bank does some red tape to determine whether it’s more cost effective for them to sell me the house or foreclose. I’ve been assured that the chance of foreclosure is slim given my offer, but it’s been frustrating waiting for a few weeks to get that straightened out. Plus I’ve had to push back my move out date for my current apartment (at month-to-month rates, which sucks). Try to cover yourself against delays, you don’t want to be out on your butt without a place to live.
Bring a digital camera and take pictures of each house. Otherwise you’ll forget details or get confused as to which house had which features. Pay particular attention to the kitchens and bathrooms – those are the tough rooms to remodel.
Alond with that digital camera, take something of known length like a yardstick to put in the pictures of the rooms. This will give you a perspective reference.
look for tubes of mud around the foundation. If you find them, run, don’t walk, from the house. It’s an indication of termite activity.
bring along some dixie cups, and taste the tapwater. Funny tastes are tough to get rid of.
Look hard at the furnace and water heater, See if you can find an installation date.
Look for water spots (large brown edged patches) on the ceiling, which indicate roof leaks.
Play with the appliances if the listing includes them.
Those are the biggies. If you find one you like, pay for a pro inspection if you’re a newbie. I won’t pay for an inspection on my next house, but then I’m experienced and know what to look for (the hard way, unfortunately)
Ignore things like “hard to clean around the toilet”. If you’re pooh-pooh’ing houses on that level, you’ll never find something.
Concentrate on the bigger stuff, like others said. Some of those things, the inspector would find (termites, water damage, etc.).
Look for things that would bug you that you can’t change. . .if you like to cook, can you work in that kitchen? Is there a place to put your barbeque grill? A place for your workbench or your bicycles? Do you like the “flow” of the house?
Do you like the neighborhood? Is the house the most or least fancy one on the block? Do you think you can take care of the yard, given the size? Is there parking sufficient for your needs? Is it within easy commuting distance for your job?
