# I'm going househunting Wednesday; what questions should I ask? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-househunting-wednesday-what-questions-should-i-ask/360512 "2006-06-13T00:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-househunting-wednesday-what-questions-should-i-ask/360512/21 "2006-06-15T16:17:40Z")
> [@Marlitharn](#): > > …snip… > > Wow, this post is long. I’m just so excited! Good Luck on the whole thing. Sounds like I will pass on your area for potential future retirements areas. High Heat and Humidity and still all the wonders of snow. At least the West Virginia mountains never get really hot and cool off almost every night. Of course my wife will probably convince me to retire near Orlando anyway. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-househunting-wednesday-what-questions-should-i-ask/360512/22 "2006-06-15T16:46:24Z")
One thing I recommend - go to visit after a rainstorm and check the basement. Our rental house had a basement that flooded. We did this for the house we wanted to buy, and discovered that the owner had tons of electronics equipment sitting on the floor. We figured the basement was dry, and we were right. Also, check fit and finish. How are the doors hung? Are all the sockets straight? I second the run the water experiment - you might check how fast the water heats up, and how much the pressure drops with lots of taps on. Look for water marks. As for the price - heh - I live in the Bay Area now, and my garage would cost more than that. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-househunting-wednesday-what-questions-should-i-ask/360512/23 "2006-06-15T16:48:56Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > WRT repairs, I would suggest that the safest way to do it is ask for a cash refund from the seller and do the repairs yourself. We took a reduced price on the house and paid for the repairs out of pocket, but in hindsight, getting a check for $5,000 would have been better, and should make no difference to the seller. Except for the $300 extra the seller would pay in commission, you mean. ---
**Author:** ![Cemetery\_Savior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Cemetery\_Savior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cemetery_Savior)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-househunting-wednesday-what-questions-should-i-ask/360512/24 "2006-06-15T17:34:24Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > We have a living room, dining room, small kitchen, 3 good-sized bedrooms, plus a den, full basement, about a third of an acre, and a garage in the Baltimore suburbs and paid about twice that. I hate you. 😉 Mental note…move to Baltimore once retired. I’m not even going to tell you what people pay in a nice suburb of Chicago for 3br2ba. I think your head would explode. Must investigate MO and MD. Mental note…incliude other “M” states as well. -Cem ---
**Author:** ![Cemetery\_Savior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Cemetery\_Savior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cemetery_Savior)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-househunting-wednesday-what-questions-should-i-ask/360512/25 "2006-06-15T17:36:35Z")
> [@Marlitharn](#): > > “DO NOT TOUCH MY GARAGE DO NOT TOUCH MY THINGS STAY OFF MY YARD AND I’M NOT TAKING ANYTHING OFF MY GARAGE”. Real neighborly-like. Famous Pit Thread pre-statement. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-househunting-wednesday-what-questions-should-i-ask/360512/26 "2006-06-15T20:03:04Z")
> [@Cemetery Savior](#): > > Mental note…move to Baltimore once retired. > Must investigate MO and MD. Mental note…incliude other “M” states as well. > -Cem Maybe modify mention of moving to Maryland, **Cemetery** (my main man!). Market is a mite bit maniacal, minus means of said market making itself more modest or manageable. 😉 My $235k steal is, as I mentioned, partway between Baltimore and DC, and quite firmly within Baltimore’s influence when it comes to jobs and social activities. The obvious question is when **BiblioCat** purchased her little slice of suburbia. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-househunting-wednesday-what-questions-should-i-ask/360512/27 "2006-06-15T23:43:25Z")
> [@Only Mostly Dead](#): > > The obvious question is when **BiblioCat** purchased her little slice of suburbia. It was twelve years ago, and was what is politely referred to as a “Handyman’s Special” or “A Real Fixer-Upper!” or “In Need of a Little TLC!” Yeah, you get the idea. The place hadn’t had anything done to it for 20 years and had been inhabited by heavy smokers with incontinent dogs. The smell was …interesting. It needed new _everything._ We could sell it today for maybe $250,000 or so. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-househunting-wednesday-what-questions-should-i-ask/360512/28 "2006-06-16T00:15:45Z")
Just to emphasize what others have said: 1. Take notes. 2. Do not trust real estate agents. They’ll lie like rugs to get sales through. 3. Get an inspection, but follow the inspector around. Hire one yourself. 4. Inspect EVERYTHING. The inspector will look for major issues like structural damage, water damage, stuff that could cause serious problems. They don’t tend to look for things like “does the bedroom cloor latch right” and stuff. 5. Get a lawyer who is local and who has experience helping buyers. 6. Do the fit and finish thing. 7. Make sure it is very clear what appliances you are getting. Make sure you know how old they are. 8. Go by the place at 10 PM on a Friday and a Saturday, if you can, to see if the area’s noisy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-househunting-wednesday-what-questions-should-i-ask/360512.md?page=1)