Shopping for a new house - if you knew then what you know now

In My Humble Opinion
1

My husband and I are about to start shopping for a new house for the first time (we rent now). We have done our research and have many good ideas of things to ask and look for while viewing houses. We also know that once we offer on a place the inspection will bring any structural issues to light.

I do wonder though - and am turning to the SDMB for enlightement about - what else I should be keeping in mind. For example, do you wish that you had turned on the water in the master bathroom shower in your house because there the pressure sucks, though in the kitchen (where you did check) it’s great? Did you think that having the washer and dryer in the basement wouldn’t be a problem but it has turned out to be a weekly hassle? Is the picture window in your guest bedroom beautiful but headlights from the cars outside keep your guests awake all night long? What is something I might never think of checking out but could save us a twinge (or more) of regret a few months into owning the home?

Basically I’m looking for more touchy-feely things to keep in mind, not just that I should find out if the roof is shake or tiled, or if the plumbing is copper or not…

Thanks for any pointers,

Twiddle

2

Try and get some information about your neighbours, it’s handy if you know somone else on the block.

I love my house, but I hate my neighbours, somedays I wish I hadn’t moved here because of them.

And in your offer, make sure you add that the previous home owners must remove all their garbage from the property (I am still finding crap they left out in the woods)

3

Figure out how much you can afford, * then buy a more expensive house!!*

Sounds goofy, and its not for everyone, but I made the mistake of buying what I could afford * when I bought it!* Now, I can easily afford a nicer, bigger, better house, but I’m kinda stuck where I am. I guess what I’m trying to say is forcast for future earnings, skimping a bit now but in the long run, having a better place. Probably not good advice, really.

Get a place with mature trees. Nothing worse than the anticipation of shade 4 years from now.

If it looks about the right size, go bigger! If it seems too big, it might be okay. If its ludacris in size, its perfect!

You can never have too big a garage. Thats where everything you will own will end up sooner or later.

Swamp cooler suck ass. So do homeowner associations, but more of it.

Any help?

4

Do you want a multi story or a rambler? I had a 3 story townhouse and what a pain! The laundry room on the bottom, bedrooms on top. Lugging laundry up/downstairs was too much. Stuff was always sitting on the stairs to go up/down to another room. Bringing groceries in and up a flight to the kitchen.

When they designed it, they forgot to make room for the forced air heater, so the upstairs linen closet became the heater room and the fan was too noisy for anyone trying to sleep - so I wish I had checked on that!

Magayuk has a very good point - is there a real jerk in the neighborhood? Does someone throw loud rowdy parties that go on all night? Do they blast their stereo all the time?

Are there lots of children with no discipline? Would it bother you?

As for water pressure - sometimes it’s the faucet or showerhead. I have a favorite showerhead that I’ve taken with me from one apt. to the next - it affects how well the water comes out. If there are lots of minerals that will leave deposits, it will affect how well the water flows. Definitely check plumbing, electrical - are there plenty of electrical outlets in each room - the kitchen. Will your computer put too much strain on the breakers and throw them?

That’s about all I’ve come up with off the top of my head. I can say, it was quite exciting while shopping, and probably, you’ll get a feel for the right one. Enjoy yourselves and don’t be in any hurry - make sure it fits what you want now, but also what you may want 5-10 years in the future and perhaps longer.

Good luck!

5

Stealing from my message in FairyChatMom’s house thread:

When I bought my house a few years ago, one thing I didn’t check was the nearby noise level. Turns out there were some train tracks four blocks away, and the trains would blow their whistles really loudly when they drove by – about once an hour. This was no fun at 11:00pm, let me tell you.

Fortunately, the freight lines have a new corridor to use now, so the trains only run two or three times a day, but I almost wish I had known about them when I was shopping.

6

Drive to and from your prospective new house and work at the early morning and 5pm hour. Also drive to the future neighborhood at night and see what kind of activity is going on…might be nice by day, but who knows what is going on at night.

Most neighbors are pretty good about ratting on the other neighbors…get up the courage and go ring a bell a few doors down and say, “I was thinking of buying a house on this street…what’s it like?” Trust me, they will be glad to tell you about that obnoxios Conner boy, and the drunk Mr. Anderson coming in late, and the time the police were called.

You can also get a police report about crime in your neighborhood…costs about $10 and will let you know if there have been a lot of break ins, or if it is a nice quiet neighborhood.

We moved into a brand new house, on a brand new street and were the first people there. Since then, we have been very lucky with the neighbors and the neighborhood. If you were to knock on my door, I’d say welcome and hurry up and put your bid in.

We got white carpeting in the house. Really isn’t any more work than grey or brown - these days they are all just as easy to clean but after a period of time, you see the tracks of wear and tear no matter what color it is. But now I wish I had hardwood or tile floors (Pergo or similar brand). A little more money in the beginning, but it would be a lot easier to keep and look better for much longer.

Happy hunting!

7

We built a house in Wyoming and before we lived there a year, the siding blew off! They came and nailed more on and it also wound up somewhere in Montana the first time the wind blew over 20 mph. I know that there are some people out there who love vinyl siding. We’ll never go near anything that isn’t wood, brick or stucco. Ever again.

The other things I’d do are jump up and down to see if the floors creak (if our dog trotted from one room to the other you could feel it in every room on that floor), listen for traffic and go knock on the door of the house next door and ask the neighbor if he or she likes the neighborhood. Amazing what you can find out by doing that.

Good luck!

8

We did just that with our first house and wound up selling it in 2 years at a loss because we couldn’t afford to live there. We were barely making the mortgage and when things needed to be repaired, we were in a major bind. To my mind, there is nothing worse than being house-poor. Since then, all of our houses have been very much within our budget so when the unexpected came up, we weren’t tossed into a panic.

Flick every light switch and know what they do and that they work. In our last house, there was a switch in the hall that was wired, hot, and we never did figure out what it did. For all I know every time I flipped it, the mayor’s garage door opened! :eek:

Don’t forget to check any trees growing within damaging distance of the house. We had a big branch fall off a tree that looked OK. Crushed the corner of our garage. A week later, every leaf on that tree was brown and dead.

If the property is on a septic system, make sure you know where the tank is and where it drains. My folks had their yard dug up when the septic tank backed up and no one knew exactly where it was buried. It’s marked now.

9

Little nitpicky things:

If you like to garden, make sure the house/yard faces the “right” direction for optimal sunlight exposure. Nothing like trying to grow sunflowers in shade! Drainage is important, too. Check for wet spots.

Make sure that you have a mature tree or something like that to provide shade on the east side of the house. This will save you SO much on air conditioning (my house is perpetually cool because of this fact). Story: I once lived in a second-story apartment. The carport extended out right underneath me. Well, the carport roof was black tarp and did a bang-up job reflecting light and heat into my apartment. During the summer the place was frequently 90+ at 10PM. Property Management decided to cut down a nice tall shady tree rather than maintain it. :mad:

For the kitchen, make sure you’re comfortable with the space and applicance arrangement. It looks stupid, but stand there and go through the motions of cooking. Go from the stove to fridge to sink… make sure everyone fits! (important in galley kitchens)

If you are sensitive to light, make sure there is no light post outside your bedroom window. Not fun.

For things like water pressure, your home inspection guy should be checking for proper or standard pressure. If you can accompany him/her on the inspection, you should or at least your agent should be there. Check the water faucets for leaks, handle (though you can always swap these out), pull on drawers and door hingers. You’re allowed to do this!

Sure, it’s nice to buy a bigger house and grow into it, but no one tells you that you’re probably going to have to spend money to furnish it and clean it!

If the house has hardwood or something like that, lift up the rug and check the space underneath/around the furniture. Sometimes people put a rug over flooring that is scratched up and don’t tell you. This is a beef I had with the previous owner (among many).

Oh yeah, before taking possession, make sure the owners run you through the house and tell you where the main water shut-off and electrical boxes are.

Check out things like flight paths if your house is ANYWHERE near an airport. In addition to unwanted noise, it will kill your resale value. For resale value, you also want to consider school district.

When selecting an inspector, go for someone who is good – s/he will often not be the cheapest guy. Make sure s/he crawls underneath the house if that is feasible and check the foundation. Don’t necessarily go w/ the one your realtor suggests as s/he has an interest that the house sells and may pick one who is not as stringent. I’d ask for the inspector my realtor would use if s/he were buying a house.

I found “Home Buying for Dummies” to be a very good source of information and check lists.

10

Along the same lines, if you’re a late sleeper don’t get a house where the bedroom faces East.

This is a personal thing, but I’m a frequent redecorator and I was just screaming to my husband while I painted last month that our next house will have NO ORANGEPEEL TEXTURED WALLS. I don’t care if the whole place has to be skimcoated before we move in at an outrageous expense. Such a hassle to paint and a nightmare to do edgework. A pox on it!

11

Check out the outlets, especially in older houses. In every single room. It’s not such a big deal to get some 3-to-2 adapters if you need them, but it’s a huge pain in the ass to go to plug something in at 11pm and realize your plug won’t fit the outlet. Likewise, look around for outlet placement in relation to doorways, windows, and likely spots to place furniture.

Look for phone jacks. We went to plug the phone up in our bedroom, and realized there was no jack in that room. Not such a big deal, but kind of a pain.

Check and see if the walls are made of plaster (or plasterboard) or drywall. Plaster is a huge pain to deal with, whether hanging something new, taking out something old, or moving something around.

12

Get a “condition statement”, it locks the previous owner into anything you may “discover” after that they deliberately hid.

Also, make sure (if you are a couple) that ONE of you can afford the house if need be, that way if one of you gets laid off or something, you won’t be too strapped.

13

Also, drive through the neighborhood (without the real estate agent) a few times, at differing times of the day.

What’s the ‘rush hour’ like?
Who’s out on the streets at those times of day?
Does the feeling of the area change, depending on the time of day?

How is the access to the area (look for ‘choke points’, and how busy the main roads nearby are): are you going to have to fight traffic all the time to get home or do errands?

Is there easy access to shopping, gas stations, and the like?
What kinds of feelings do you get from those shopping areas? It’s no use if you’ve got a grocery store a block away, but when you go in it you feel like you’ve stepped into Scum-R-Us.

Check the windows. See if they open, how well they open, and if they have screens on them. Getting painted-shut windows open is a pain in the ()#, and getting new screens is yet another pain.

When you’re looking… bring a notepad to write things down on. After the first house or so, everything will start running together. Bring a digital camera as well, and ask if it’s all right for you to take pictures. (This is a potentially touchy subject.) Also have in the notebook the measurements for your major peices of furniture. Will you be able to get your bed through the door, for instance?

Remember, cosmetic things can always be changed. But if you find yourself thinking: “Hey, this would be great if only it had X added on!”, then sit down and figure out how much $$$ it would take for you to actually do that, and how long it would take as well. No point in moving in, then five years later still be grumbling about how the house should have X added to it! :wink:

<< A king’s castle is his home. >>

14

The single most important thing I could tell you is to ** write into the contract that you have approval over any repairs. ** Remember, if you don’t like something about the contract, cross it out. If the real estate agent protests, get another. If the homeowner protests, move on to another house. The contract is not unchangeable.

Remember, YOU are in control. Change the contract to suit you. For example, you can put it in there that you can refuse to buy if the inspection reveals major problems, rather than agreeing to buy it beforehand and then negotiating what repairs the homeowner is responsible for after the inspection. If the homeowner will not allow an inspection without a contract, you know off the bat that there are problems. Back away from that one.

Also, **DO NOT ** go the dual agency route. My attorney told us later that the “disclosure form” we signed isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. The agency works for the seller.

Hubby and I were buying a house. The inspection came back with moderately serious problems. The homeowners agreed to repair it, but we * insisted * on having it written into the contract that we had final approval over all repairs.

The homeowners tried to skimp on the repairs, and we refused to close unless things were fixed properly. They threatened to sue. (Our dual agent also threatened to sue unless we bought the house, but that’s another story.) We said we had a contractual right to refuse. The sale was dropped, and sue they did. We won, because we had the clause in there, and they couldn’t prove damages. Too late to prevent all of the headaches, our attorney explained to us what rights we had, and how we had been duped into thinking we *couldn’t * do things that the agent simply *didn’t want * us to do.

I STRONGLY suggest going through an attorney. They will make sure everything’s on the up-and-up and that your butt is covered. Our agent flat-out lied to us about many things, including the condition of the home and the changeability of the contract. Our attorney did not. I just wish to God we had hired him before we signed anything.

15

Along with the excellent advice given already, I’ll throw in my 2 Canadian cents.

Major Regrets:

Kitchens with little counterspace, or simply poorly laid out, so that it’s near impossible for two people to cook together without bodily harm.

Trying to do renovations as you go. The dirt, dust and mess never end…and as soon as you figure you’re done, it’s time to start all over again.

When buying your house…budget in how much it’s going to cost to change flooring, (I put laminate hardwood flooring throughout, and can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to be done with carpetting) re-paint, etc… and do it BEFORE you move in.

Daizy

16

Sadly, the inspection may not bring everything to light.

My house passed 4 different inspections, one for the city, one the sellers had gotten as a selling point, one by the FHA folks, and another that I paid for. 2 years later, the wiring fried on the entire second story. The dormer that was added years before the sellers bought it was all kinds of wrong, but short of hacking into the walls to actually visualize the mess, everyone missed it. We found out one evening when the house went “BUZZZZ” for a moment, then flames began to shoot out of the outlets at us. Over a year later, I’m still living thru the renovation from hell and I’ve almost equalled my purchase price in what I’ve paid out. Naturally, when the nefarious nogoodniks that added the dormer messed up the upstairs, they did a bang-up job of messing up the rest. It’s been a nightmare of uncovering scary thing after scary thing and I’m now the proud (and poor) owner of a home with not one piece of original wiring or drywall.

IIKNWIKN~ I’d have bought a condo. :frowning:
Or at least hired a professional electrician to do a fine-toothed comb type inspection. I found out much later than home inspectors in my area don’t need to be licensed or even particularly qualified, they simply have to cough up a few hundred bucks for a training course to get ‘certified.’ I sincerely hope YMMV!

17

Assume that the sellers are covering up things and lying to you. Assume that you will not close on the original closing date.
Assume that your “home warranty insurance” will find an excuse not to cover anything that breaks.

I bought my first house about 3 years ago. The inspector was great; he checked every outlet, every faucet, and every appliance. He found some serious problems which were then fixed by the sellers. He alerted me to things that might be trouble in the near future. He discussed the life expentancy of various components of the house (roof, water heater, etc).

In the 3 years I’ve been here:

  • had to replace the central furnance/air conditioner. The inspector said there was no way to tell when this would go bad, but if it had been more closely inspected, it probably would have been obvious that it had internal rust holes.
  • the automatic garage door opened jammed within a week
  • the carpet is cheap crap and needs to be replaced
  • the roof leaks around the chimneys
  • there was major rot under some of the soffet
  • the pool pump died

I love my house and don’t regret buying it, but an older house is going to require constant maintenance. Unless you are a competent do-it-yourselfer, you will pay big bucks to get things fixed.

Make sure there are enough convenient outlets. My downstairs bathroom has NO outlets.

One reason I moved to a somewhat rural location is because I like to look at the stars. It turns out I can’t see them well due to the 24-hour Walmart about a mile away.

18

If you don’t trust your real estate agent, run the other way. Try out several until you find one you’re comfortable with. Then follow that person’s advice - it is in their best interest to do what is in your best interest, if they want to be your first call when you’re ready to sell and buy a bigger house.

Get a full-time agent that’s been in business, in your area, for several years. Just as you wouldn’t want your surgeon or defense attorney to be someone who performs this work on the side, your real estate agent will be better informed, have more contacts, and will have a greater stake in your satisfaction if this is the sole thing s/he does for a living. (I know the new kids’ve got to learn somehow, but I don’t want 'em learning on my bod or with my $125,000/30 year investment. Let 'em learn on some other sucker.)

If the first property you like falls through, there will be another - and it will probably be better. If that one falls through - perhaps the third time will be the charm. (That was a tough one for me to get through my head.)

Good luck!

19

Do a little homework. Your county probably has a website that has all its addresses listed in it, and the estimated values of all residences. Your realty agent will tell you that the price he came up with is based on similar houses close to that area. With your county’s website, you’ll see how close to the mark he is. My shrink told me about that website, and I found out that a house in my neighborhood sold for about 14 grand less than what the realty agent said to offer. After confronting him with it, he got a little pissed, but after we ironed it out, I got 3K knocked off my previous offer.

Find out if your neighborhood is either going to be annexed or subject to further development. You don’t want to find yourself next door to a future shopping mall. Plus, if you’re in an area that will wind up in the city limits, you’re going to be hit up later for water & sewage hookup, property taxes, etc.

Home inspectors usually don’t examine the wiring system that closely. They don’t take apart the walls in other words. If it’s an old house, you might want to look in to hiring an electrician to look at the wiring system.

Ask about the plumbing. If it’s an old house, it might have copper tubing which could possibly rot away depending on the acidity of the water. There’s another material for piping that’s got a 15-syllable name which I can’t remember but can possibly taint your water.

Remember one more thing: IT’S A BUYER’S MARKET OUT THERE!!! Make your agent jump through hoops. He’s not making nearly as much money as he was 3-4 years ago and he’s desperate to sell something.

20

Some good advice here. We’ve been lucky, but here are some things to look for.

Visit the house in bad weather. If it has a basement, visit after a big rain if possible. Note if there is valuable stuff on the floor. We did this, and found the owner had valuable electronic equipment on the floor of the basement. That was a good sign - the basement never flooded.

Turn on all the faucets, a few together, to check for noise and flow.

Check fit and finish. Are the cabinets put in cleanly, are the closet doors hung well? If not, there might be other problems not so easy to see.

Check for water marks in the attic, and anywhere.

Check the seller’s contingencies. If the seller has a problem buying a new house, he may be able to keep you from moving into your new house. You can sometimes profit from this if you are flexible, but it is tricky, since you do not want to become his landlord. He have had more problems with the deal than we ever did with the house. In most cases it worked out because we had a good relationship with the seller, but it could have been bad.