I’m retired and I’ve finally decided to buy a house of my own.
The problem is I’m completely overwhelmed by the process. All advice would be welcome.
Any tips on what I should be looking at when I look at a house? Any easy ways to tell if a house is structurally sound or a disaster waiting to happen? (I’ll get an inspection if I decide to make a bid but I’m looking for advice on houses I can eliminate right away. Something like “Check the X. If you see this, don’t buy this house.”)
The first thing I would say is beware of houses that have been vacant for an extended period of time. The issue here however finding that out. I suspect that most real estate agents might be less than forthcoming with the truth about this but with the huge shadow inventory of houses (foreclosed properties that banks have not put on the market), this might be a real issue. As a homeowner, I can tell you that all houses have a suicidal streak that comes out if someone isn’t there to constantly dote on them.
Aside from that, I would be biased toward newer construction simply because there is less chance that you will have any big repair bills in the immediate future. However many older homes are made better than new construction. Even so, I would probably be biased toward newer homes.
Other things that would be a plus are a new roof (especially if its low maintenance like steel, tile, slate, etc), upgraded electrical system, copper plumbing, etc. Focus on the structural aspects rather than curb appeal. You can always hire a landscaper to make things pretty if you’re so inclined.
Personally, I would favor homes with a basement and attached garage. A basement will usually mean the ground floor will be slightly elevated. An attached garage can provide built-in insulation as well as convenience.
All-in-all, I love owning my own home but it’s not without it’s worries. Once you do find something and move in, consider getting an alarm system. Not necessarily for break-ins or anything like that but simply so that you know the house will constantly be monitored in the case of fire or flood.
The best of luck to you.
This is the kind of thing I’m looking for but I have no idea how to look for it. I don’t know what a new roof looks like (and unless it has visible holes in it, I have no idea what a bad roof that needs to be replaced looks like). I don’t know what to look for in an electrical system to tell if it’s good or bad. I don’t know how to tell a good heating system from a bad heating system or good plumbing from bad plumbing.
I don’t know that there are going to be any simple rules of thumb. For an asphalt shingle roof there are a few things you can look for, but I don’t remember what they are off the top of my head.
Not to be disrespectful, but considering the importance of the decisions you will be making, perhaps you would be better of with recommendations for books you could read on the topic. As much as I respect the people here, it might well be a more reliable source of information and would certainly be more in depth. However that presumes certain reasons for your OP that may not be justified, in which case I apologize.
It’s the weekend - start by going to all the open houses you can find tomorrow. That’s the first step in educating yourself about buying a house - learn what’s available in your area and what price they want for them.
The first place I always go when I’m looking at a house is the basement - I want to see the electrical box, the furnace, the water heater, and any plumbing and foundation that is available to look at. Most home sellers doll up the main living areas of a house; not everyone remembers to get into the basement utility room and clean the skeletons out of that closet.
When you find a house that you like, when you get a good company in to do your inspection, you can go with them and have them go through everything with you. When they find problems with the house, they can explain to you why it’s a problem and what needs to be done to fix it.
One of the other preliminary things you need to do is figure out what area you want to buy in, and what your list of “must haves” are for the house - bedrooms, bathrooms, style of house, garage, etc.
ETA: Oh yeah, there are also classes on first time home buying - maybe look for one in your local area.
Depending on where you live and your life stile.
Questions want to ask yourself.
How important is having AC.
What kind of kitchen do you want, large or small
How many bedrooms. I see you are retired, how is your health. do your knees work properly. If you have any knee problems advoid houses with stairs.
Look at noth the front and back yards. How much work will it take to keep them up. A big front yard may nean a little back yard, do you care. What will the sun light load be? I would not want the houses acccross the street from mine, too much evening sun.
Where are the lights in the house? Any ceiing lights. Ceiling Fans. Whole house fan.
Back to bedrooms. Do you have a king size bed? If you do large master bedroom.
With an empty house the rooms will seam larger.
Things to check out.
What is the age of the furnace and AC unit.
Do the electrical outlets have grounds. Are there any GFIs? Look at the main electrical panel what size is the main breaker. If you do not use much electrical equipment the it should be 100 amps or larger. If the house is big the the main should be larger.
Check where all meters, electrical, gas, and water. It is better if the meter readers do not have to get into your back yard.
Go to open houses to get an idea about what is out there and what it looks like.
Remember that it is ok to take your time and keep looking, you do not have to buy now. Save the sheets about house that your realter sends you. When you look at a house take them with you and make notes about the houses that you look at. What you like and what you do not like about each.
One last thing is location. What is around you. We looked at some houses that were near The 101 highway. The highway noise was not too bad, but we went back to relook at one house on a rainy day. The highway noise really went up with wet roads.
It is OK to go back and take a second look at any house.
[sub]Minor housekeeping note: reported for forum change.[/sub]
Best wishes for a successful house-hunt!
Opinions and advice are better solicited in IMHO rather than General Questions. Moved.
samclem, Moderator
Turn on the water in the bathtub upstairs and see what the pressure’s like. Look carefully on the floor and in the kitchen cabinets and on counters for bugs/mice/etc.
Also, read the crime reports in the newspaper to see how safe the neighborhood is. Maybe drive by a house you’re interested in on a weekend night to see if any loud parties are going on.
The dryer–is it vented to the outside? It should be.
Also, when you make an offer, be clear on what comes with the house. Do the drapes/curtains? Light fixtures? Appliances? Anything in the backyard? Bushes/trees? You’d be surprised what some people will take with them.
I always like to look in the counters under all the sinks - that’s where you’ll see any mold or mildew or bugs or mice droppings or whatever. Also, seeing how clean it is under there can give you an idea about the cleanliness of the people who are selling the house - this is another place where people overlook cleaning.
Walk around the outside and look for any rotting, bulging, and cracks. Those are obvious signs that the house has Issues. Rotting is less dire than bulging and cracks, but repairing it and preventing it from happening again can be extremely expensive.
Do the same in the basement or crawlspace (wait till your second look at the house to go in the crawlspace, I guess). Bring a small flashlight and a tape measure.
When you are inside, look up for water damage on the ceilings.
Looking at a house in extremely cold weather can clue you in to insulation and air flow imbalances. Better get cracking!
Edited to add: check out what kind of windows the house has. I’ll never buy a house that doesn’t have modern insulated windows.
This is western New York. I still have a couple of months left to check on cold weather conditions.
In the worst case, most things in a house can be fixed, if needed. If the location is bad, you are more stuck. When you find a house you like, make several drive by visits. Get out of your car and listen. What is rush hour traffic like? What does Friday evening sound like. At midnight, will you be able to hear the freeway, or the truckstop, if your windows are open?
That being said, I prefer older houses. Sure, I may have to replace the waterheater, but most of the new construction kinks will have been worked out. I also would press for having the seller offer buyers insurance. That should give you a years worth of coverage, after closing, in case appliances break, or the roof suddenly leaks.
As for sign to watch for: look at the corners of doors and windows. If there are lots of them with cracks, there may be settling problems. Look for newly painted wall sections. That can be a sign of damage being covered up. In a basement, discolored walls or floors may be water damage.
That’s correct on both counts. If you find a house you love and it needs some fixing, that isn’t a problem, as long as it’s reflected in the price (and you’re willing to put the time, money, and effort into the fixes). Location is extremely difficult to change; the reason we sold our first house and bought this house was because we were on a lot with a big ol’ power pole in our back yard, eliminating the possibility of putting up a garage. If we were people who didn’t want a garage, we could have stayed there forever, but unfortunately we wanted a garage. It was a great purchase at a great price, and we sold it for a great profit, but the lack of garage building ability ended up causing us to leave.
Definitely an issue I’m facing. I really like the town I now live in (I rent) but the reality is prices here are high. If I travel about fifteen miles away there are towns where the prices are literally half what they are here. But I don’t like the communities as much. So I’m trying to strike a balance between having a better house in a worse town vs having a worse house in a better town.
I would suggest a worse house in a better part of town. You can always fix it up but you can’t change the area it’s in. Some books say to buy the cheapest/smallest house on a good street. Whatever you put into it you’d definitely get back.
Don’t buy on a street with a yellow line. That means it could eventually be widened, taking up a lot of your yard and placing you right on the edge of the road.
I’d look for a house with no stairs or even hard-to-negotiate steps outside. You never know what’s going to happen. If we had a two-storey I’d be banished to the livingroom, and that happened when I was 45.
Try not to buy a house on the corner. You get all the wind and elements, which will affect your heating and cooling bills.
I could be wrong but I think they have to tell you when a roof was last put on. Probably other things, too, like the water heater. And you can contact the police department to find out about crime; it’s public record.
When you have a corner lot, you have double the shovelling to do, too. It’s worth it to me, though, because I have only one neighbour, and I like it like that. 
When I was shopping for condos, I was looking at foreclosures. I found a real estate agent who was certified in distressed properties, and he was amazing. He pointed out water damage to floors I would not have recognized, problems with wood floors “cupping” from moisture I would not have guessed at, windows with broken seals (moisture between the panes) I wouldn’t have realized were a problem, bowed lintels on newly installed windows indicating structural problems and badly done rehab work, DIY flooring that was poorly done and would be a problem within a year, the list goes on. He was also able to point out minor things that would be more easily fixable, and about how much - like a tub that needed to be re-enameled ($300-$500) but was otherwise a fine vintage tub that didn’t have to be totally replaced in an otherwise OK bathroom, for instance. Or walls that really needed just cosmetic work and didn’t indicate a structural problem.
All of those things would have been found upon inspection, I have no doubt, but him seeing the problems in the first viewing took them off the list in the first place, preventing me from even bothering making an offer.
I highly recommend seeing if you can find a real estate guy like that. Especially if you think you might be looking at foreclosures. He was immeasurably helpful.
What would you be looking at if you were seeking rentals? Remember to check those same things when you’re looking to buy, too.
Whenever I’ve looked at a house and the electricity was on, I’ve checked the plugs. Nowadays the easiest way is to bring your cellphone’s charger. If you see plugs with only two holes… how long has it been since those stopped being used in the US? Plugs which don’t work or ancient ones are indicators that the electrical setup needs to be refurbished. That’s not necessarily a “hell, no” (I just refurbished the wiring in my house last year), but it’s something to be taken into account. If they tell you the house has been renovated but you can clearly see that essential items like that haven’t been touched, they’ll be lying about other things too.
Bring a tape measure. That way you know how big rooms are, not just how big they seem. Measure your current house so you have a good mental reference.
Could your agent have been what’s called a buyer’s agent? It’s been many years since we bought, but they were becoming the “new” thing in our area and what you’re describing sounds right.