Farrar Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Get a better Realtor. Ours was really bad but I didn't switch for some reason. It worked out okay in the end, but still. It would have been a better process if we'd just gotten someone better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainbowSprinkles Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Do not buy the house unless you and your dh both love it. Guess how I know this? :tongue_smilie: When we bought our house, my dh was the one who really loved it and talked me into it. Me, I know we're only in it for three years, I just hope that it will sell when we are ready to move again. In my opinion the house really only attracts a small number of buyers, so we shall see. I will not agree to buy a house again that I don't really love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I would make sure our bedroom was at the other end of the house as the kids. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 The rules in our previous HOA were unexceptable. Many people who lived in our neighborhood were in construction. The HOA did not want any towing trailers or signs on cars or trucks in the driveway. You couldn't park them beside your house either. They wanted all that kind of stuff in the garage. This caused many people in our neighborhood problems as to where to park their truck or needed equipment for work. We also weren't allowed to park on the side of the streets which caused additional parking problems for families with teens with cars. If you had a boat or camper, you couldn't park it in the driveway or beside your house. The rules were causing the people to drive around the backs of their house to try and park/hide their work equipment and recreational vehicles. If this were an upscale neighborhood, I could understand. We were living on the main land before you reached Hilton Head Island and the neighborhoods were trying to mimic the rules for there upscale neighborhoods. But our neighborhood was more for the type of people who maintained the neighborhoods of Hilton Head. The HOA did maintain all the appropriate things, but the price went way up when the community closed and the builders left. The builders were hiding the real cost of how much was needed to maintain the community so people would have more incentive to buy a house. The dues were going up the max every time our covenant allowed because there wasn't enough money to pay the upkeep. The HOA was constantly sending us and our neighbors fines saying our house needed power washing even when it had been done in the past 6 months. I think our HOA was in such desperate need of money, they were on a constant 'fine' spree. When people started loosing their homes and not paying the dues, the 'fine' speed just got worse. I don't like HOA's! That all makes sense. Ours is pretty relaxed, maintain your property and be respectful of those around you lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Pay for your own independent inspection. Don't just use the guy recommended by your realtor. Have the roof inspected. If the regular guy doesn't do it, pay a roofer to do so. Have the septic inspected. Pay someone to do it. It is so worth the money! Check out the school system, even if you don't plan to use it. The quality does matter, even for homeschoolers. If the schools lose accreditation, your house value will drop 50% overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 If at all possible, save $2000 for the first-60-days-after-purchase fixes. Or as much as you can. These are the little things that you find in the 1st 60 days of living in a place that you just can't live with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcelmer Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Look for a house where you want to hang put... if all your friends, Homeschool buddies and church are in one city, look in that city, not 20-60 minutes away. Live where you PLAY, don't worry about living where you work, you will commute to work, but if you are tired and worn out, most likely you won't commute to PLAY. Yard.... MUST HAVE A YARD! we didn't think about it that much... stupid stupid us. We have 3 kids under 12, and a no place to play. At this point, I personally would like an open floor plan, so I can cook while homeschooling, but a new home isn't in our future right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 If you buy a new build home, budget in money for blinds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcelmer Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I would make sure our bedroom was at the other end of the house as the kids. :glare: :iagree::iagree::iagree: Yeah, and make sure you can use the living space at night (movies, games) without waking the kids... A 1 level house with kids room off the l/r isn't that great of a set up... My 11 year old sleeps with noise protection headphones on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Make sure you can handle the lot size . . . we are still in our first home and I wish our back yard was a bit smaller as it would be easier to care for. Also, we live in an older subdivision where power and phone lines are above ground. There is a utility pole in my back yard which means when Com Ed or Cable needs to get back there they do so. Next house I buy will not have a utility pole in the back yard. :glare: It is not a huge problem, but it is something I would like to avoid in the next house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappyhappymama Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Buy with the next buyer in mind.... Always think about selling the house when you buy, even if you don't think you will be selling it anytime soon. The last house we bought had a smaller kitchen and a stop sign in front of the house. It had an amazing back yard with a pool and was huge, but when it came time to sell it, no one wanted the smaller kitchen or the stop sign (even though they were no big deal to us). Our house was on the market for almost a year at a very competitive price when others around us were selling in days. We had tons of showings and those were the two things mentioned over and over. Also, look at the previous owner's utility bills, esp on older houses! Be SURE SURE SURE you are buying where you want to live for a long time. We bought a house because we'd achieved some financial goals and it was in the game plan. But in retrospect, we didn't do enough soul searching about whether the area and my husband's job were what we were willing to accept for years to come. Also, my husband was adamant about buying a house that was resellable. I was annoyed because there were so many "bargains" on foreclosures, and we even came close to buying a few. But again, in retrospect, I was very glad to have a completely remodeled home in a good neighborhood when my husband lost his job and we had to relocate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Put the house's address into Google maps and look at the satellite view. Be certain there are no undesirable things happening near the home that you haven't spotted previously. It also allows you to determine just how widely used your street will be. Understand that how the house is now (winter) will not be how it is in the summer. No shade could mean a hot house with higher electric bills. Too much shade could mean mosquitoes and trouble growing grass. We purchased our current home in December years ago, and in the spring we quickly realized that mosquitoes were a huge issue. If you purchase a home with a HOA, be sure you read the covenants thoroughly and believe that they mean them. If it says that you must request permission before you paint your door, don't assume that it isn't enforced. Chances are that it is. I learned this one while house hunting years ago. Check under area rugs, runners, and mats throughout the house. Often they are there to hide holes, stains, cracks, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 We were tempted by large lots. We like the yard space (2 acres), but at times it would be nice to have a smaller space to maintain. Good luck. See, I would have said the opposite. I've had 2 houses, both on small lots. One 1/4 acre, one 1/5 acre. I would advise a younger self to go for more land. If we had bought a bigger lot the second time around, we wouldn't have house envy now. (We moved out of the first neighborhood due to university apartments going up all around us.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Don't be house rich, but life poor.... meaning, don't spend so much on a house that you can't afford to do anything else. :iagree: Most people qualify for a much larger mortgage than they can comfortably afford. We live on a small lot and we love it. We love our neighbors and our convenient to everything neighborhood. My husband has an extremely short commute. We live in a house that is almost 100 years old, and we love that too, but it's not for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 (edited) Don't be house rich, but life poor.... meaning, don't spend so much on a house that you can't afford to do anything else. :iagree: By doing this, we've been able to travel & it has helped us weather 2 major layoffs over the years too.... Other things: Check the width of the garage if you plan to park your cars in there. (I never, ever would have thought to do this, lol.) Turns out that we have the narrowest width garage doors ever produced. We can fit our cars in, but since we have a 90-degree turn to get into them, it's a bit tricky. If we had a super-big vehicle, I'm not sure it would fit. I like having a big window by the eating area in the kitchen. We spend lots of time around that table & really enjoy our backyard view. I like that I can't see the house behind us. I don't like houses too close on either side. Some houses are built so closely together that you can almost touch one while in the other. :tongue_smilie: (This is also a safety issue if a neighbor's house -- or yours -- is ever on fire. It can melt your siding &/or damage your house if they are close together.) No HOA. Check the house at various times of day/night to see what the area is like. I say that because a new neighborhood went in next to a county park where lots of baseball games are played. One night, when driving by (and there were multiple late baseball games), I noticed that the ballpark lights were shining directly on the new houses on the street -- basically blinding light on the fronts of these houses. I would hate having an extremely bright spotlight shining in my front windows for hours on end.... Laundry room downstairs, so that if the washer ever floods, at least you aren't replacing ceilings on the lower floor. If you can, spend some time in the house you plan to buy. I say this because when visiting a friend once at her duplex, I began having serious breathing problems after I was there about 30 minutes. (I don't have allergies or breathing issues.) I think there must have been mold which I was allergic to in the walls or something (duplex was in a flood-prone area); there is no way I could have lived in that place because I wouldn't have been able to breathe. It didn't bother my friend (who lived there) or other people who visited, but it was bad for me. So, just spend time there, moving around the house, sitting, etc... for some time to see if you physically respond in any way. Buy in the best school district you can afford. Edited November 23, 2011 by Stacia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingnlearning Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Put the house's address into Google maps and look at the satellite view. Be certain there are no undesirable things happening near the home that you haven't spotted previously. It also allows you to determine just how widely used your street will be. Understand that how the house is now (winter) will not be how it is in the summer. No shade could mean a hot house with higher electric bills. Too much shade could mean mosquitoes and trouble growing grass. We purchased our current home in December years ago, and in the spring we quickly realized that mosquitoes were a huge issue. If you purchase a home with a HOA, be sure you read the covenants thoroughly and believe that they mean them. If it says that you must request permission before you paint your door, don't assume that it isn't enforced. Chances are that it is. I learned this one while house hunting years ago. Check under area rugs, runners, and mats throughout the house. Often they are there to hide holes, stains, cracks, etc. This is all good info but especially Google Earth! I look up every listing on Google Earth and it's been a big eye-opener! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 This is all good info but especially Google Earth! I look up every listing on Google Earth and it's been a big eye-opener! I'm house-hunting myself - long distance (in Florida but looking at Ohio). Google Earth is great. I'll find a house on the realtor site, which I will think is great, but when I do the satellite or street view (if available) it completely isn't what I want. I've seen lovely homes that fit my criteria only to find out that they are next to an industrial park, near a huge fill-dirt company (huge dirt hole), on a heavily traveled road, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Look at the layout of the home more than anything else. Forget carpet colors or wall colors, even kitchen cabinets, those can all be changed. The layout of the home is far more difficult to change. Location is also key. We wanted privacy, so if we had bought in a neighborhood with lots of houses, we would have wanted the end of a cul-de-sac or a lot that didn't back up to another house, etc..... :iagree: And my additional advice is: 1) Make sure there is plenty of storage space. There's no such thing as too much storage space. 2) Make sure there is plenty of wall space for bookshelves. There's also no such thing as too many bookshelves, because there's no such thing as too many books. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Don't over-buy. Buy well within your means allowing for downturns. Then you can afford to pay more on your mortgage than the actual payment and, if things do go downward, you're not stuck with a payment you can't afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I'll second trusting your instinct. It has always worked for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Get a Realtor. Listen to her. She told us not to close on our house (one that was built for us) until things were fixed. We didn't listen. They were never fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 We bought our first home earlier this year. For the inspections, we hired not only a local inspector reputed to be obsessively thorough, but also (at my FILs suggestion) a structural engineer AND (DH's idea) a tree guy to look at the trees. They were worth every last penny. The inspector and engineer concluded that there were major structural problems at the back of the the house, and the tree guy diagnosed the trees in various stages of health/decline. The seller agreed to knock a big chunk off the price, we bought the house, and then we fixed everything. The structural problems turned out to be even more extensive than initially diagnosed, but because what turned up during the inspection we were not surprised and had money in the budget to fix them. Our realtor (who was awesome, and so, so helpful) said that she had never before heard of anyone having a tree inspection done before, but that she was now going to recommend it for people looking at places with a lot of trees. As for what we should have done differently, part of me wishes that we had waited on buying a house entirely until we could have found a place closer to the park, but realistically, that probably wouldn't have been a good idea overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 DH and I are in the market seriously for the first time. I think we kinda know what we are looking for, but I thought I'd ask.... If you could go back and give your first time home purchasing self advice, what would you say? :001_smile: Only buy what you can actually afford on one paycheck. We did actually follow this advice back as first time buyers. It was part of what let me stay home with the kids instead of feeling like I had to work. If the contract is contingent on repairs being made, require proof of the repairs. We chased a roof leak around for over a decade that was supposedly fixed before transfer. Be willing to walk away from buying if it's not really in your interests to buy. We had to make this call last winter when we moved. We really expected to buy and just couldn't make the costs work (especially when high property taxes were added in). I don't regret being renters. We're in something just as big as what we were looking at buying. It costs much less. And it removes a lot of uncertainty related to then needing to rent out or sell something if we get transferred again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Shot Academy Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Knock on every door and make sure no children live nearby.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 If you think that you probably won't enjoy the neighbourhood, it is likely true, and that will probably not make up for more room in the house/a nicer house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Knock on every door and make sure no children live nearby.:glare: Neighbor issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Bathrooms. Our first house had a bathroom right off the kitchen :tongue_smilie:. You don't want that. You'll have to help me along here.... Why not? Thanks, Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 You'll have to help me along here.... Why not?Thanks, Susan Good question!? We have a bathroom right off our kitchen, and if we didn't have it we'd have no bathroom on our main level. Not a problem for us at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Shot Academy Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Neighbor issues? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I agree with Dawn and Kristine (haven't read all the posts). A good layout inside, that doesn't waste space, gives you the most for your dollar. Good closet storage (or other storage), ample outlets in the rooms, cable connections where you want them, the types of rooms you'll use, good windows if you like lots of light, etc. are all important. A good kitchen layout if you cook a lot is also important. Outdoors, choosing a good location will help keep your resale value high. It also may make life more convenient for you if it brings shopping, library, etc. closer to you so that you don't have to drive so much on a daily basis. What are the types of things you do daily? Are those things near by? I would also add that in our neighborhood (and many here) the houses are way too close to each other (side to side). Just a little more room would go a long way toward facilitating more privacy for everyone. Unfortunately, you may not be able to change this if you live in an area like ours, where builders seek to maximize the number of houses they can squeeze into a given space, but it is something to look for.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 You'll have to help me along here.... Why not?Thanks, Susan We did in a house we rented and I maintained that no one was allowed to poo in it....no one except dd who was a toddler at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Drive by at different times of the day. It might a nice place until Johnny comes home from work and blast music in his garage all night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 You'll have to help me along here.... Why not?Thanks, Susan It's not the most pleasant cooking, or eating, environment to have a bathroom that opens onto your kitchen, given the activities that typically occur in the bathroom. It wasn't something I gave much thought to either, but after living with it in our first house for 11 years, I said never again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 We did in a house we rented and I maintained that no one was allowed to poo in it....no one except dd who was a toddler at the time. :lol: It was our *only* bathroom. My husband's 6'8" cousin stayed with us for a weekend and I thought we may have to rent a Porta-John for his next visit :tongue_smilie:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 You've gotten great advice.... Inspection time is key...in addition to your structural engineer assessment (essential if you live anywhere with expansive clay soil, imo), your radon testing (anywhere where radon issues are and you are buying a home with a basement), mold testing (worth the $200 if you have allergies), make sure you have a super diligent home inspector. Open EVERY single window to look for wood rot inside the frame. Test EVERY single outlet and every single light fixture. Buy at a time of year where you can test both the furnace and the air conditioner. If you're thinking of changing flooring, do it before you move in, even if you have to live in a hotel for a week and store your belongings in a unit. Paint before you change the flooring if you can help it. If you can get the trim pieces pulled up, paint, and then do flooring, it's awesome. Measure the garage and check widths. Layout your furniture in a plan before you move in. Plan on your homeowner's insurance and taxes adding 1/3 to your base mortgage amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 What advice would I give my former self? BUY SOMETHING ELSE. Both times. Sigh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Ah. I should have guessed! bleck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 You've gotten great advice.... :iagree: This thread has been very informative! Open EVERY single window to look for wood rot inside the frame. Test EVERY single outlet and every single light fixture. Buy at a time of year where you can test both the furnace and the air conditioner. I never would have thought to be so thorough. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I have a friend who is a "safety inspector" for a construction company. There are now laws that are coming into effect that make it very expensive to do work on houses older than 1978. They now have to hire companies to do lead safety measures to replace windows (you cannot do it yourself) or paint (indoors and out). I would think it will be harder to sell and maintain an older home in the future and the value of the neighborhood could be in question. I am currently worried about my 1976 house. Do some research and see if this is correct (my source is reliable, but there could be some loopholes), but I would think twice before buying a house built before 1980. Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 We bought a property that was too big for us. It really isn't big at all, but given how hot it is in the summer months, we could do without the bother of watering. I'd go for a small, really well-designed yard, if I did it again. I wish we were within easy walking distance of a small shop and a playground / park. We had both in our previous rentals, and I didn't fully appreciate how much I relied on, them, not so much from a practical point of view, but more for developing a sense of place, of community. I'd watch carefully for bad neighbours. We've been lucky, but we should have been careful - driving around on weekend nights etc. I'd look more carefully at how it was going to be affected by sun in the summer months - a well-placed large tree would have made all the difference. I should have held out for a house with trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaz Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I'll echo what others wrote. I agree with #1 being budget. We started to move up in budget when we were looking. One of the best decisions we made was to pull back to our original numbers. #2 is location, location, location! We started looking farther away from our target area to get more square footage but realized we would be moving too far from family, friends and the library. #3 is the floorplan. You have to be able to live in the space. Extra square footage isn't helpful if it isn't functional for your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon H in IL Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 And don't try to follow all these rules or you'll never ever buy a house. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I think neighborhood is of utmost importance. We have bought three houses, and rented three other houses. The only one that was a problem was the first one we bought or rented (we bought). The house was fine, the yard was fine, the distance to things was fine, but the neighborhood was a constant stress for me. Illegal car shop put in back yard of our neighbor across the street, neighbor in the back of us had nasty dog they mistreated and had police called all the time, etc, etc. From then on, we always chose neighborhoods and then houses. We haven't had anymore unpleasant surprises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 \ and FYI if you live in an area where it gets very hot, walls of windows will heat your house. My grandma deals with this in her house, she is in the Houston, TX area and her living room has walls of windows that face the west so she gets the beating afternoon sun. Also check which way the house faces. If you've got little ones (babies/toddlers/preschoolers) or light sleepers you don't want them getting morning sun. Why don't you like HOAs? We love ours, they maintain the pool and the playground in our neighborhood. Also they treat the lakes/ponds and homes that are vacant they maintain the lawns of. ETA: and find out about homestead tax. We can file for a 4% tax instead of 6% for example I really love light. I forgot about that when we bought this house. Holy Smokes--it is so, so dark in my main living spaces. What was I thinking??? And the front door gets so hot that you literally cannot touch the handle on a summer day. The house is 4000 sq ft. Our last house was 1600. The last house had a much better living room for entertaining. Why was I so blind to this house's issues??? (OK, it was the only house available on my sister's street. I do get to live next to my sister. Maybe that is why.) But really, be sure to see the house at different times of day and consider the lighting. Also, we too totally love having an HOA. We've been without and with. Without our neighbors' kids grew up to be nightmares - parties, 20 cars parked all over the yard... Our house value plummeted. Such a bummer. Now the HOA basically protects us from that and the entry to our neighborhood is always pretty. I like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I'd look more carefully at how it was going to be affected by sun in the summer months - a well-placed large tree would have made all the difference. I should have held out for a house with trees. I could actually do with fewer trees. My house has enormous windows, but is always dark and two months ago a huge (healthy) tree uprooted due to ground saturation and demolished my two upstairs bathrooms. It broke floor joists into the kitchen. Yes, they block sun and wind, but I am so over the trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamonaQ Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Don't be tempted by super cute older homes! (Although, if you really love them as I do, remind yourself of that often when you see teeny plaster cracks, and dinged up woodwork, and the super teeny kitchen!) Go for something super functional now....12 years later many of our renov. plans are still on hold! Make sure it works for you now, and will later (which was our plan...I am just feeling jealous of big, beautiful kitchens this Thanksgiving day!) Go for location!!!! We have never regretted our choice about being in a practical location! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterflymommy Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Even if you're certain you'll homeschool, consider the quality of the zoned school for your home and let it be a deciding factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Really soul search who you and Dh are as people. If you love nature, don't choose a location with few trees. I know this sounds simple, but we built new with our goal being on a cul-de-sac. The builder razed the land, and we have no privacy and only the tiny trees we have planted. Just across the street is a gorgeous wooded lot that we should have chosen. Know what things in life make you happy so you can incorporate those things into a lot (close community vs. privacy) and the house's location. Listen to your gut even if you think you are in love with the house. Research, research, research. Do not settle no matter what because years down the road that will haunt you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 about opening every window....we opened most windows but not all this last go around; we had to pay $2900 to have a triple window replaced this summer......it was an expensive mistake... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 (edited) :iagree::iagree::iagree:THE BEST suggestions I have ever read!!!!! These people know their business! DH and I are getting ready to purchase our 7th house and it will be my 15th house -- ALL the best suggestions are here. And, I will add this one as far as negotiating a price -- you are never going to see the sellers again after settlement unless they are going to ove next door or something odd like that. DO NOT BE CONCERNED about pi**ing them off with a lowball offer. Even in a seller's market, dh and I could have probably saved some $$$ but we were afraid to make the sellers angry so we offered asking price. DO NOT MAKE THAT MISTAKE. oh, and trust your instincts. You don't have to settle -- you may have to compromise, but don't settle.;) Heed that HOA advice -- really -- when you buy into a difficult/stringent HOA you also will probably one day have to sell in that same HOA. SPEND LESS THAN THE BANK SAYS YOU CAN! Don't put yourself in a situation where you find yourself down the road saying: Wow, we could do that if our mortgage was less. :iagree: We're on our fourth real estate purchase. Don't worry about a low ball offer. Even if it pisses them off. They might get mad for a smidge, but the fact is that they have an offer and from there you can negotiate. Take your emotions OUT of it. When it all comes down to it, it's a business deal. You are making a purchase and when you get emotional about it, you can't think clearly. So be ready to LEAVE the offer and walk away from the house at all costs. It's hard, especially when you look at it as a place to raise your family and such, but really, none of that will matter if you're kicking yourself in the keister five years later because you got all attached and made a mistake. You never negotiate from a position of strength unless you're willing to give it all up and walk away. If you cannot afford upkeep, you can't afford it, so never ever spend as much as the bank is willing to give you. Because carp will happen, and you will need that $ to fix something. So think about how much your bills will increase, in summer and winter (AC and heat) will you pay for water? Sewer? All of that has to go into account. As far as the house goes only YOU can make the best decision for your family because you know how your family lives. Start thinking about how your day flows, where you congregate, how you entertain. IE-'great rooms' don't work for us. At all. We have a big family and people need privacy, so different rooms with many functions within the rooms works for us. It made me crazy to see a 'great mess', too. I like being able to have rooms that can stay messy and rooms that need to stay neat and not have the mess flow everywhere. We don't spend a lot of time in our bedrooms, so we didn't spend square footage there. Don't block your kitchen in at the end of the house. Your kitchen needs to have flow through it. Location is still ace. Finding the best location in a new town is hard, so you'll need to research. Even if you buy the worst house on the best street, it's still better than buying the best house on the worst street-think resale. In NJ, you cannot buy a house (financed) without an inspection. Get a good inspector. Even if you live in a state where you don't need one? Get one anyway. They'll save you headaches. Use a real estate attny-even if your state says you don't need one. They'll save you headaches. (the people that I've seen make the biggest mistakes live in unregulated states that don't need either) If you have an underground oil take, either the buyer takes it up or walk away. Don't care about the 'test', they're bupkis, just walk away. And they will leak, it's just a matter of time. Don't let it be on YOUR time. I would never buy a house with a HOA. Edited November 25, 2011 by justamouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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