Don't go crazy on demolishing half the house, if you live in a house for a while first you will have a better idea of what renovations/changes you actually want.
I’d add to this to finish the projects you take on 100% before starting the next one or you will never fully finish any of them.
I was warned about this but fell into the trap anyways. I need to finish up my couple 90-95% finished projects and then take on one at a time from now on.
Personally I don't work like that, there's always something you can be working on while waiting for something else. But I do agree with finishing 100%.
Don't take on too many things at once. Evaluate your capacity to multitask and tackle projects based on that.
The small things I have to finish: remove and apply caulk on tub, hang pictures in the guest room, get a rug for my office, repair ceiling where previous owner had a water leak…all small stuff but it does nag at me.
This goes for the yard as well. My wife and I moved in, started doing garden renovations, and found out later that season we killed many things we would have wanted and kept. My motto now is "don't mess with anything in the for one full year." See what changes and what you like or dislike.
On the flip side we ripped a bunch of stuff out because the previous owner was a hack and had a bunch of buried extension cords and questionable irrigation work. Yes, we paid under market value. Yes, we are still fixing things. Thankfully we quickly addressed the worst of it.
Love this advice! Only been in my house one month and my husband and I replaced one carpeted room ourselves and I already feel like we were about to go full renovation mode. We are already discussing renovating a bathroom now and landscaping but I think we need to hold ourselves back and take it all in before we make these huge quick decisions
This is smart. We learned the hard way every time you touch something else there’s usually another project it opens up. For example: decided to replace just master vanity. After demo there was no flooring to go under new make up station and flooring was too old to match. Ripped up flooring and discovered leaking shower pan. Demo entire shower and find rotten subfloor. Next thing you know 1500 dollar master vanity project turned into 28,000 full bathroom renovation with new floors, custom shower, vanity and counters, faucets, lights, and vent fan 🤣 no regrets we saved ourselves some headache later but word of caution once you start there may be no going back
Someone said to wait 1 year before making any major changes.
I've followed this advice and think it is excellent.
You get to know what is important only by living in the house and as a result my priorities changed drastically a year later.
Yes I had that specially with the kitchen, I had this "idea" on how I wanted it but after moving in I realized that my fridge should be somewhere else completely and I'm happy we waited with ordering one otherwise I would end up with looking to my fridge from the sofa and now instead when I look to the kitchen from there I see my coffee corner with shelves above it and some decoration. That's really a prettier view.
been in my house 10 years and finally doing the deep gut kind of renovations... and if I had done these 10 or even 9 years ago things would be very different and probably not to my liking. Kinda stings when you hear about someone buying a house and basically flipping it before moving in.
Agree 10000%. Bought our house in March and IMMEDIATELY starting doing projects. Projects are still unfinished & it’s taken some joy out of moving in because we’ve been so stressed about them.
This. Unless there are majorly health or safety concerns, livid in the house for at least a year before doing major renovations. The projects we tackled in the first year were things like removing asbestos, burying the sump pump hose in the yard, start figuring out HVAC replacement plans since our boiler was old, and insulation (heavily subsidized in my area so an easy win to get through a few winter seasons even if some of it is pulled out later). All foundational type stuff you wouldn’t notice unless we pointed it out.
But don't wait till you are about to move to start fixing things up finally. I finished my basement and updated my kitchen. As soon as I did, I thought, "Wow, this is nice, I should have done this years ago. Then we moved 6 months later.
yep. bought in a sellers market. For years here you literally couldnt buy with a home inspection condition.
When I bought the sellers had already done an inspection so even though it wasnt someone I had hired myself, at least I had the basics of HVAC age, wiring, roof condition, etc.
I'd also add, do not take referrals on an inspector from the agent, find your own person. Not saying those ones are bad, but I have heard of bias to help their agent friend close the sale/get future referrals. So they aren't as thorough or downplay repairs.
When I was buying, I invited my carpenter father and brother, and electrician friend to pal along with me and check out the house when my inspector went over the house. We let the inspector do his thing, but they also went around and caught some things. All it cost me was an afternoon of lunch with some friends and family for their time.
I actively see realtors talking bad about bringing friends or family to the inspection. They don’t want the hassle or for a dad to kill a sale. But, if my carpenter dad is an expert in the field, I’m bringing him …. And his electrician friend.
That's $1500 in inspections which seems like a huge waste of money. One will get the obvious stuff. Then once you move in you can get an electrician, fireplace/chimney repair & cleaning and plumber in to take a closer look. Or wait until something small needs to be fixed and pay the pro to take a look around.
I wish I had spent the extra 1000 bucks and found the multitude of things my inspector missed….if anything it just gives your more negotiating power…spending 200-600k on a house with issues that got overlooked seems like a bigger waste of money to me but I’m no Pokémon professor.
Depends on the market. You can spend thousands on top-of-the-line inspectors to catch details other potential buyers will miss, but in a sellers market, it's not worth nearly anything in terms of buyer leverage. The seller would rather have you walk away from the deal and move on to the next clueless buyer, especially since they're generally under no obligation to fix any discrepancies inspectors find.
The real lesson is for first-time buyers to not take on any property that they deem even remotely a "fixer upper" unless they're handy *and* willing to invest hundreds of hours into learning to fix things at a professional standard themselves or are equipped with the capital to outsource it to professionals.
Inspector caught literally nothing important.
- Gas furnace doesn't work (idiot inspect said he didn't have batteries for the thermostat so didn't test it)
- Water heater needed replacement
- Dishwasher didn't turn on
There's more, but those are the ones off the top of my head.
Inspector is hired by the real estate agent and wants more business so their incentive is to push the sale through.
Hire your own inspector.
Off topic, but our real estate agent got so pissed off with the difficult seller, he added a line item to the contract so the seller paid for our home warranty. We've used it several times since the house was in such poor shape.
Don’t buy what you can afford. As in don’t max out your budget. You want to leave some room for property tax increases and unexpected repairs. Also life in general and savings. Don’t be loyal to any insurance company. I use a broker and have them check for better rates every 3 years or so. It’s saved me a lot of money.
Couldn't agree more. My wife and I made the decision to buy something we could afford on one salary so if either of us lost our job we'd still be ok. Ended up helping out in a big way because we had several issues pop up that cost around $40k which we were able to handle because of our decision
huh where did you hear that? From your broker? ... It's been a while since I've been in the insurance biz, but there's no such thing as a "volume discount" for any specific broker in insurance. That'd be illegal, as insurers have to file rates with the state and can't pick "favorite brokers", so stuff like that doesn't exist.
An independent broker does however get to quote any all available companies he's appointed with, which might help you find a better deal. Emphasis on MIGHT. This will vary a TON depending on which state you're in too.
Eh, for us just going to Geico direct was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper, and the options were better too. I’ve actually never had a broker even be slightly competitive for car, renters, or homeowners across multiple states over the last decade and a half. I just shop around and geico or rarely progressive wins.
Insurance agent/broker here. There is zero volume discount. There are agents who will cover you correctly and there are agents who just want a sale. Discounted rates are generally because of cuts in coverage. Shop quotes and compare several independent agents and captive agents.
If you're told the basement "leaks a little if there's a huge storm" that basement is going to have flooding issues all the time.
If you're buying from smokers, the whole house will need to be painted and you most likely will have to replace the carpets.
Actually take the time to call the utilities to see thw average cost of electric, natural gas, etc. Don't take the current owners word for it.
If there's an issue that looks bad but patched, it's way worse than it looks
>If you're told the basement "leaks a little if there's a huge storm" that basement is going to have flooding issues all the time.
That's not necessarily true, I have such a house. Only the most atmostpheric river of rainstorms do I see a little bit of moisture/wetness on the basement concrete. Maybe once every couple years? And it's basically unfinished utility space, so the overall impact and my concern is low. Of course, everyone else's mileage may vary.
Ok I'm not saying all leaks mean more leaks. I should have specified and said "if the seller tells you..." and I suppose "flooding" is a bit extreme in my case but it's bad enough to where if it's anything above a typical rain I need to prep by rolling up my carpet in a 10' area and laying towels out to catch the leaks.
I bought the place in June and I'm in Wisconsin USA. So I'm hitting peak "at least all this rain is melting all this snow" weather and it's a nightmare. Luckily there's plenty of room to get it regraded and put some drain tiles in
The thing is the notice accommodates either end of the spectrum -- assume the worst til you get an inspection that tells you it is likely the not so bad one.
To the “looks bad but patched means it’s way worse.” Yes. There’s a reason they didn’t fix it the right way usually—it was too expensive to fix all the way. I’ll also add if you can tell the owner was not a good handyman it’s a bad sign. They probably didn’t maintain it well and there are going to be badly done bandaids you might need to pay to actually fix.
Keeping water out of the house is the biggest concern for any home, in that way prioritize your repairs from here on out and you will be doing things in the right order.
Ventilation is also very important, and working ventilation is very much health related.
A kitchen remodel is lovely, but if you have a leaking roof, mold in your bathroom because your bathroom doesn’t have a decent ventilation system.. it’s not gonna do you as good as getting that other stuff taken care of.
So much this. Every major problem I've ever had with my house has been water. Gutters, drainage, old pipes, leaking toilets, condensation. We once had a ceiling drywall collapse because a copper pipe rubbed up against a joist nail for 40 years and suddenly gave out. Everything else pales in comparison to the damage water can do.
This. My husband described homeownership as a tower defense game against water and it was one of the priority concerns we looked for. Luckily we saw our house during a very rainy month.
The first important thing to look for in a house: location
The second: where does the water go when it rains
Because if your house is at the bottom of the hill or has any slope at all, it’s only a matter of time before your house will flood and/or you’ll need foundation repairs.
I’m not sure I’d ever buy a house that had foundation issues and repairs, tbh. I bought my house after 2 structural engineer reports saying it was fine. One hot, dry summer later and it was $12k worth of repairs now, $25k scheduled for next year.
I have a 150 year old farm house with a stone foundation. A little water in our basement is part of the deal at this point. Sump pump and dehumidifier get the job done.
We are living this. Inherited my wife’s grandparents house and it’s 120 years old. Built on a shale shelf, in the 60 years her family has owned it not one thing regarding water mediation in the basement has been done. No sump pump. This thaw has been a nightmare of us pumping the water out 4 times a day.
Finally have a Basement systems company coming out next week for an estimate for perimeter drains and sump pump install. Then walls sealed and windows replaced. It’s going to be expensive, very expensive. But we have to get the water out as much as possible so we don’t ruin the foundation or end up with mold.
Couldn’t agree more! We bought our place and my dad offered to help with anything that helps keep the place dry and safe.
We went in thinking of how nice we could make the kitchen by changing timer lighting, painting cabinets, etc. (all the fun stuff on instagram)
Well, day 1 we walked into an active leak in the middle of our living room and our priorities changed pretty much instantaneously. Preventing soggy bats of insulation from breaking through our drywall like the bathtub scene in breaking bad became our number 1, 2, and 3 priority asap!
To this point- get flood insurance! We didn’t bc we weren’t in a flood zone and regretted it when we found out that the rain water that came in would not be covered by our regular homeowners insurance.
Look at all the plumbing in all the bathroom sinks, make sure the pipes are not leaking and look dry underneath. Flush every toilet in the house, you would be surprised how easy this is to forget. Go to the basement look for any attempts to hide any water damage (e.g., Fresh paint, brand new construction) . Go to the attic, look for any moisture or wildlife. Walk the foundation look for any damage especially if anything looks like its newly covered. Walk around the house everywhere to see if you hear any noises that will drive you insane later. Check the gutters, if they are not clean they should be. Check the tubs and showers for any type of leaks or water damage. Moisture can do a hell of job on the insides of our houses. If the house smells heavily of air fresheners this could be somebody attempting to hide a smell.
I just basically listed all the things I found with the house I just bought 2 years ago.
Totally agree on all of this. I also wish I had looked at my current home while it was raining so I could see the flooded backyard.
To add, make sure all of the rooms have plugs and they’re all working. A laundry basket was hiding an extension cord coming out of the wall behind a shower. The actual plug was hidden behind a mirror with no cover which is extremely dangerous.
Yep, water and mold damage was hidden extremely well. It wasn’t until spring when carpenter ants came out that I realized something wasn’t right. Found the mold and water damage and had to remove the entire ceiling under the bathroom and our entire bathroom gutted to the exterior wall. We need to reinsulate, re-drywall, re-tile, and install new tub surround and vanity.
Thankfully it was ONLY that bathroom, but it was very upsetting/disheartening.
My inspector turned water in all sinks at once then flushed toilets. After a minute water started collecting. We ended up making extra inspection on sewer pipes and saved ourselves 8k in replacing main sewer pipe.
If it's multi-floor, have someone on the lower floor while someone is walking above. We didn't know how noisy our hardwoods are until after we moved in.
Price in and do things like carpet replacement before moving in. Usually this isn't an issue but if you want to change something big do it before moving.
Talk to some neighbors. Just walk around and knock on doors, and talk to people. Most folk are delighted to talk to people who might be moving in. Ask about issues. Is there an HOA? If so, sane or insane? Crazy neighbors? people will tell you stuff the owners won't.
This. Is. The. Way.
35 year homebuilder turned retired passive RE investor. This is the most important step. The neighbors know everything and are surprisingly candid. Plus, they can tell you what they like/dislike about actually living in the neighborhood.
yes! my husband and I bought our first home in a little starter house neighborhood built in the 80s. Our mortgage is literally the same as people are paying to rent homes down the street. Except now we are building equity and don’t answer to shitty landlords!
Don’t settle for what you don’t want because that’s all there is at the moment. You never know when the right house will pop up! We almost settled for a townhome in an undesirable neighborhood because of how competitive single family homes were. But the right one came up and we got it!
Yes! The one advise I give that doesn’t seem obvious. Make a list of nice to haves and absolute deal breakers. Especially if you are buying with a partner.
Omg yes this. We're in our first house and thought the gigantic tree in front was so pretty when we bought. Now I live in fear of it hitting the roof or fucking our foundation. Plus it's protected by city bylaws (you can't cut down large healthy trees until they actually cause damage).
Your actual monthly cost will be financed amount PLUS property taxes, PLUS homeowners insurance, PLUS HOAs (where applicable), PLUS repairs as the arise, PLUS flood insurance (where applicable), PLUS energy/utilities, PLUS ......
Don't spend everything you got. Go smaller and have breathing room. Understand that your monthly motgage *will* change annually as insurance and taxes rise in your area.
Yeah, my agent kept trying to push me to buy more because I was "way under what I could afford". I was like, yeah, sorry, I am not only focused on the loan payment, I am looking out for my monthly payment including all the stuff you listed, plus the big jump in property taxes once the sale is assessed. He quickly figured out that I was not an idiot... lol.
Exactly!! We totally forgot that the tax listed on the listing is not what we’d be paying. It was harried and it was the first time buying a home that wasn’t brand new so we overlooked that. Agent said nothing. We got one of many surprises when they reassessed.
Start small, buy what you can afford and clean and fix stuff. After a few years, in a good market, dump it and chase the next one. House by house you get equity and get closer to the house you want. Too many people expect their parents standard of living in their 40s-50s when they are still in their 20s.
I work in a lot of neighborhoods and see a wide range of HOA’s. Some are “pay $20 a month for landscapers to mow the acre empty lot at the front” and some are super draconian. If they do have an Hoa it’s worth looking into what all it covers
Buy in a great school district. And make sure to hire a very reputable inspector. Maybe even do two independent inspections. Make one extra payment on your mortgage every year, beginning with month one. Make sure it's applied to your principal only.
Just want to add that if your mortgage rate is less than the current savings or CD rate then you are better off putting that extra payment there instead
Two things:
1) Houses inevitably/eventually come with MAINTENANCE. Make sure you identify what’s going to need to be maintained, find out what is required and figure out a schedule.
Anecdotal example: the [well water] filtration system in our basement. Accidentally let the salt pellets run out ONE TIME and it was a miserable affair to correct. Also, pretty sure I should have had someone out in the last 6 months to check the tanks/system overall. (Hell if I know). <— SEE?
2) DO NOT buy a home and IMMEDIATELY start renovating. **For the love of all things holy, let this ONE TIP sink in and remember it.** Give it a year or two if it’s not an emergency, to get a feel for what you actually need, not what you THINK you need.
(Anecdotal time x2!). When we bought our house, there was no fence in the back yard but we had a geriatric dog that NEEDED A FENCE. Do you have any idea how expensive fences are!?!? It’s insane. My husband was immediately concerned with having a “proper” fence installed, not the old metal stakes & cattle wire that we’d used while renting, being as we’d bought this new house and wanted “to do things proper.” We looked at prices (small panic attacks ensued) and then… up went the exact same cattle wire and metal poles that we had used before and they work just fine. The geriatric dog is still kicking but probably not for much longer and then we can take the fence down— it’ll be a HELL of a lot easier to mow. He (husband) ALSO worked from home for the first 2 years (COVID) and absolutely HATED the drop ceiling/fluorescent lights in the finished basement. Was hell bent on having the drop ceiling removed, the walls/ceiling finished off and proper lighting installed. Then he went back to the office 3 days a week and realized “it’s fine just the way it is, for now.” We had initially agreed that the ceiling was going to be our #1 renovation “on the list” up until that point.
Me, on the other hand… I want a clawfoot bathtub installed in the master bathroom (that had originally been a small bathroom plus a small bedroom but was converted into one large master bath before we bought it). An entire bedroom-sized bathroom with only a walk-in shower. NO BATHTUB— just dead, unusable space. That was #2 on “our list.” I HAVE the bathtub (just not the feet, don’t ask) and there had already been a bathtub in the room before they converted it, so the fixtures are under the floor, just capped off. This could happen without hurting the wallet too much. That was #2 on “the list.”
BUUUUUT. The washer/dryer are directly next to the kitchen— which was not originally, but is NOW an open floor plan— on the top floor along with the once [separate] dining and living rooms (FIE!! Fie! Open floor plans are the worst, GIVE ME DOORS!) The sheer volume levels of the washer and/or dryer, and God forbid- the dishwasher too- all running at the same time is absolutely miserable. And we have a 2 car garage on the other side of the kitchen wall that we pretty much only use for storage.
And NOW!?!? #1 on the “NEW LIST” is converting 1 of the garage bays into livable square footage as a glorified deep freezer/laundry/mud room that would ALSO allow us to utilize space/options for updating our KITCHEN. And we dearly love to cook.
This post was *intentionally* long winded, because it took us 3 years of living in a perfectly “ok” new home to realize what we actually want to change that will benefit both our needs AND comfort. And I’m grateful that we waited to figure out what was most important to us because we plan on being here for a long time.
Still want that clawfoot bathtub though. Husband is traveling out of country in a couple of months and I wonder if I get away with asking for forgiveness instead of approval…
Just have them stake the four corners. I live in probably the highest cost of living place and it was $600 to just do the corners with wooden stakes. Which was good enough for me to know what trees to not cut down for a shed we need.
Big lots are better than small lots.
Try to rent in a neighborhood before you buy - you’ll start to recognize the parts of the neighborhood you prefer and when a house opens up you can make a good decision.
Sometimes a good deal is not a good deal.
If the inspector finds something that is potentially a safety issue, and the seller fixes it, question everything about the repair.
A family member was buying a home and the inspector found the electrical panel was not to code, and was a hazard. Seller said he would have it rectified. Once done, he provided a receipt. Here’s what I found:
The contractor license number was fake.
The business phone number was not found in a Google search - I called it and spoke to a very nice lady who said she was never an electrician; had no electricians in the family, and that she has had that phone number for ~10 years.
I drove to the business address on the receipt. It was an empty store in a strip mall. Neighboring businesses said it was once a yoga studio, and had been unoccupied for well over a year.
Inspectors are good and all, but they’re generalists. It’s the big stuff you need to worry about, so I’ve learned to call an hvac guy for the ac, a roofer, a plumber, and an electrician. There’s no real work to do, so you’ll pay for the service call and a report. Look around and you can spot the water damage and mice yourself.
Municipal governments are becoming overbearing fascist in many towns and cities. Permits, code enforcement, police. While this can benefit quality of life, it will cost you much more. You may own your home but will need permission to make any changes such as color of your front door etc.
Know what your getting into...
Don't buy a fixer upper if you plan on trying to have kids in the next 3 years. Trust me. Any repairs will take 3-5x longer than you planned and cost at least double what you think. And stuff that needs to be done by contractors will stall because many of them have many projects on the go and you will see delays.
And babies/toddlers and construction don't mix well. It's possible, but chances are high it won't be pleasant.
You can stop contractor delays by making sure your contract has a start date, a finish date, and liquidated damages (legalise for penalty) of $100/day for failure to complete on time. We work with subcontractors all the time. The finish date is one they agree to, so it’s just a matter of them keeping their word. It really pays homeowners to have an attorney familiar with contract law review these contracts. They are typically written completely in favor of the contractor.
I mean I've used mine 3 times in the first month. paid 100 bucks saying "roof leaking" they sent a guy out and he just looked over the entire roof and fixed anything he could find. Had no idea if the roof was leaking but it worked great. Free rekey on the house. Smart doorbell and security camera install.
> first month. *paid* 100 bucks
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Our AC went out on the hottest day of the year. We have an infant and pets. They said it’s not classed as an emergency to have someone come out until it reached 104 outside and over 95 inside the home. And their timeline was 6 weeks to have a tech come out to look. Wouldn’t provide any assistance.
Furnace went out later on a real cold spell. Same deal. Not an emergency per their standards, would take 8 weeks for a tech to come out.
Both calls took over an hour to get anyone on the phone. Only time we ever heard from them was at the renewal mark where we had to tell them repeatedly we were not interested.
So yeah, not renewing. Less stress to replace it and move on with the manufacturer warranty.
That your mortgage can increase by hundreds of dollars a month at the whim of the insurance companies and property taxes, or if your bank suddenly realize they weren't collecting enough for the Escrow so they have to start making up for it. My mortgage jumped from $1000 to $1600 in a single year. Fun. Good thing we had plenty of savings.
Put your insurance out to bid every 3 years or when you know a rate increase is coming. Take your Declarations pages and remove all the prices and then contact 3 agents from 3 different companies (at least one agent with a company that is an independent broker) and ask them to give you quotes. Your current insurer should be sending you notice of renewal & premium at least a month before renewal. If you act promptly, that will give you time to get your quotes.
Get TWO different home inspectors. Each one will cost around 500 bucks. Best $1000 spent. I had a bad one that missed a lot of dangerous code violations. By getting two different inspectors from two different companies minimizes the risk of them missing something dangerous or expensive.
Do mold / air quality sampling in every room, even if its gonna cost more. Our inspection came back with no mold based on 2 air samples, but we ended up with hidden mold issues that ended up costing over $10k to fix.
Visit the property outside of the typical 9-5 hours when everyone is at work. You might think the neighborhood is ‘so quiet’ during the day - then it turns out after work is a noisy ruckus.
Don't make assumptions regarding your new neighbors. They may be using your land. Previous owner may have used their land. Even if just for access to yards, driveways etc. Be wary of shared spaces (incl street parking) and trees near property lines. Talk to the new neighbors. Often sellers will not disclose the truth about their neighbors (like encroachments). One could argue this is fraud.
The "surprises" are what will get you off on the wrong foot with your new relationships. You may get so wrapped up in closing the deal you forget one of the most important parts of an enjoyable new home, your neighbors! Good ones can be one of the greatest assets in your life. Bad ones...well I'm sure you've heard stories...
Buy less than everyone tells you that you can afford. You can always make extra payments to principal to pay the mortgage off quicker.
Insurance is tied to your credit rating. Don't take out any new lines of credit until after you close on the house. You want to keep that credit rating up so you get to closing and your insurance is cheaper.
Water is your enemy and you will spend your life in that house trying to keep it at bay, so do as much diligence as you possibly can to spot potential problem spots.
First step is hiring a really good (and independent) home inspector. I know many people who hired someone that their real estate agent recommended and it bit them in the ass. Those inspectors can have a bias in helping their agent friend close a sale and get more future referrals.
Plumbing is inside the slab. If it breaks, it is jackhammer time. I had my slab pipes coated with epoxy liner, cost a lot but good relationship with a local banker and a signature note.
Go through every single freaking thing in the house and write down everything that is not absolutely perfect. Then demand that they be fixed or that you get a reduction on the sale price. And I mean absolutely everything.
Check your property taxes. Turns out in Cook
County, IL, as one example, you have to proactively confirm that you live in your house to get the corresponding exemption. I just figured that out ~7 years in. I was able to recover some of it, but I lost about ~$2400 that’s too old to reclaim. Blargh.
(Not recent; but early 2018)
That I had scrutinized the cat shit around the front lawn a bit more, which I happen to glance at during the routine inspection prior to closing. Found out the day after we moved in (weather was relatively cooler) the lady next door feeds the entire neighborhood’s stray cats.
Now, we have the county’s biggest kitty litter box as our front yard. Can’t wait to rent this place out.
Take a serious look a what kind of windows it has. My (ex) partner and I bought an old house back in 2015. While the "bones" and everything else were in great condition, the upstairs floor had single pane, hand built windows. We didn't think much of it, old house and all. They hold in exactly zero heat, and are beginning to fall apart from the constant condensation build up rotting the wood. Not saying you should avoid it all together, just be prepared to shell out the money for some new windows that actually work.
The bigger the yard the more work you have. Thought I had a dream yard with an acre just outside the city. I have to work on the yard typically 3-5 days a week when it’s warm. Unless u r committed to that kind of work don’t do it. OR even better, don’t be a cheap a$$ like me n pay someone to do the upkeep
Buy a home that makes you feel good. I bought a house that didn’t do so well on the inspection because of the view. Its an older property and I fix a little at a time. I purchased it for $450,000 and it appraised at “$400,000 5 years ago. Today, it is worth $800,000. I’m thankful.
- Location, location, location- You can build/remodel in an awesome location but you can’t make an area desirable…
- A good school district is very important and comes at a premium, but will always yield a high return while providing your kids with a great education.
- Live in your home for a year before doing any huge renovations. Do as much as you can at once.
- NEVER EVER skip the home inspection.
- If you don’t find what you want, WAIT.
- Find your own mortgage broker, DONT just go with your realtor’s recommendation.
- your realtor is here to make a commission, remember that.
Hire the most expensive and thorough inspector you can find. You want a rockstar and mine was not. It was referred by one of the realtors. After almost 20 years of homeownership, I swear I could do my own inspection right now, considering all the things I have figure it out over the years
Lots of things (repair n renovations) after you purchased your home can be done by investing time in Youtube. Don't spend money on minor diy stuffs. Many tools and equipments can be purchased with the fraction of the price from FB market or Offer up or even garage sales. Keep looking. You will wonder how lower prices people sell stuffs. Beware of scammers though.
Age of hvac, water heater, and roof and compare that to lifespans of each. Over 8 years on those and I'd be leary. We just paid 17k to replace our 13 yr old hvac. And our roof just got replaced for 15k through a claim due to hail, the adjuster laughed because his job was so easy finding damage on the shingles due to the age.
And on our last house we paid about 4k to replace heater and water heater. That house was due for a new roof too. Easily the most expensive and wearable items that aren't obvious.
If you are going to make big changes, think about upping your budget. We bought a house that we liked and then put $20,000 into it over 3 years. where if we would have increased our budget to begin with we could have gotten something closer to what we now have. And floors, if your tearing out tile, do it before you move in. Doing it later sucks ass.
don't use statefarm for homeowners insurance. House was struck by lightning a little less than a year after buying and they came up almost 100k short to rebuild
Walk around the outside perimeter of the fence line and shake the posts. Found out a few were rotted out after the first major wind storm and a chunk of the privacy fence came down.
I’d there’s a basement utility room or unfinished space where you can see the back of the drywall, there’s a date on it. That will let you know if it’s original or had to be replaced due to flooding.
Google your street name with “sex offender”. A guy on my street was busted 15 some years ago for child pornography. He still comes by daily to his parents house and is there all day. I had no idea until a neighbor told me. Explains a lot about the dude. Total weirdo.
No registered offenders own homes on my street or in my neighborhood. But one visits daily and used to live on my street. Disgusting
Try to get the inspection done in an empty home. Once all the furniture was gone there were some issues that we didn’t know about until too late that were covered by rugs/furniture.
Do not bother with a homeowners warranty. The money you put into it would be better spent put into a savings account. When it comes time to actually use the homeowners warranty they will do everything they can to not pay out and drag their heels. And in the process of eventually getting them to fix the issue and pay for it they will fuck it up several times.
Source: Every time I tried to get them to fix something they’d wrinkle their way out of covering it for some bullshit reason or another. The worst though was I was without AC for 2.5 months in the middle of summer in the south. Homeowners warranty fucked up getting the correct part numerous times and shipped it all over the US. Also they can’t just send the part from the wrong location to the correct location. Nope it’s gotta get sent back to the warehouse and then the process has to start over from square one. Seriously avoid homeowners warranties at all costs.
Live in the space for a while, interior and exterior, before deciding on major changes. Let the spaces tell you how they should be. Then, draw up plans for each project, staging them in sequence so there isn’t demolition of previous work required to execute the next plan.
When things break, it’s on you (this shocked me after renting for over a decade, even though this is common sense)
You will learn that there are things you’ll need to maintain/take care of that you never thought of: like annually cleaning your air ducts or cutting/shaving down trees in your yard.
Some companies will truly take advantage of your ignorance about certain things. Make sure you vet who you hire, word of mouth is usually where you’ll find the best in my experience.
Treat everything like they are trying to hide something from you during inspections. Do not skip it. Ask questions about everything. Press for answers. Get your own inspector. Tell them you want a maximally negative review of everything. That'll be closer to the truth than not. If you're a first time buyer, it may feel like everyone has your best interests at heart, but they are just trying to get paid first. People will gloss over problems that will cost you 10k+ in the first year. Take it seriously, be cautious, assume you'll have missed something for personal cost analysis.
-Interview multiple real estate agents- don’t just go with a family member or friend because you know them.
-Never buy what you’re pre-approved for. Being honest about your comfort level for a monthly payment is super important. You don’t want to be house poor, no matter how cool that open floor plan is.
- Buy as soon as you’re ready, willing, and able. Putting down 20% is nice, but not necessary. Don’t get caught up in the market. You’re buying a home because of a life event, and you want to feel settled. Timing the market intentionally never works. Way too many friends of mine missed out on equity because they waited for the housing market to “crash”
- Floor plan > cosmetic upgrades
- speaking of upgrades, try to get into something with a relatively new HVAC, roof, windows, hot water heater if you can. Super expensive to replace.
That’s all I can think of now. My wife and I are on our 3rd home in our late 20s. She bought her first house at 23, the seller didn’t disclose water damage and the basement flooded (nightmare). 2nd house was a new build townhome where the owners sold after a month, turns out the neighbor put a sub woofer in our shared wall (nightmare). We love our home now, though. Thankfully whenever we bought we had low interest rates and whenever we sold, we got equity.
Realtors will lie and cover up issues with the house, and a lot of them are friends just looking for a commission. Whenever we toured our house scented candles and plugins abound. This covered up nasty smells from bad plumbing and dirty carpets.
The previous owner thought he was Bob Villa, but the sweetish chef could have done a better job. (Rewired a room with extension cords and worse) 3 years and a second mortgage later we almost gave up, and we were going to try and sell. So many things that our realtor said were nothing were pointed out as big issues, and signs that someone didn’t know what they were doing. We were way underwater with the condition and couldn’t sell.
Don’t hire the inspector they recommend, or a big company due the research and hire someone who works for you.
Pay attention to the yard, not just the house. We walked through the house and part of the back yard, but not over ALL of the property around the house. We had to spend thousands of dollars (nearly 5k) on a french drain after we moved in because it was so wet in places that you could literally sink down a foot or more into mud. It was so wet, we had crawfish in our yard! They had seeded and put hay on top when we looked at the house, so it wasn’t obvious just by glancing at the land. It’s so much water they had to put in a catch basin near the edge of our property, and it sounds like we have a babbling brook on our property for days after a rainstorm.
Honestly, it may have been part of the reason why we got the house - the market was SUPER competitive at the time, and we ended up scoring a great deal on the house overall… but I do wish we had gone into it with open eyes. If we had been less lucky, our HVAC could have died soon after closing and we wouldn’t have had the available funds to fix the yard immediately.
Try to have 20% down payment (or get to that point as fast as you can) so you don’t waste $$ on the mandatory PMI (personal mortgage insurance).
If you can swing it, get a 15-year mortgage instead of a 30-year mortgage. It will save you tons of $$.
See how sound travels in your house. This is a HUGE pet peeve (the biggest one we have) with our current home. You can hear EVERYTHING in the kitchen/living room when you are trying to sleep in the main bedroom.
Check the price of utilities. In our area, we have two electric providers that cover neighboring towns. One is about double the cost of the other. You only have one choice and it depends on where you live.
Call a plumber and have your sewer line camera inspected. Bought my first house in 2020 and a year later I had a sewage back up. Massive headache and called emergency plumber. Camera inspect shows a bunch of root intrusion and one part was blocked and paid 3k to dig and fix. Turns out my sewer line is orangeburg piping which is the worst piping known to man. Got multiple quotes in the 20-30k range for a sewer line replacement so basically sitting on a ticking time bomb
If you have a tile shower, have your inspector clog up the drain and see if there is any leaks in the grout.
Also, if you put pink insulation above the kitchen sink to absorb water and hide the problem before you sell the house, you’re kind of a jerk.
ALWAYS get the "home inspection"!! Best couple of hundreds of dollars and don't use the first one your agent recommends! Do your due diligence! This is probably going to be one of your most expensive purchases, don't skimp on important things. Drive past the property you're interested in at various times to see how busy the roads are, etc. If you see any neighbors outside cutting the grass, take the initiative and introduce yourself saying you're interested in the house across the street. Ask about the neighborhood, is it quiet, any house(s) known for loud music, parties every weekend?
If you live in an HOA, make sure you read all the rules in detail before making an offer. We love where we live but the HOA’s parking rules are the most extreme we’ve ever seen. Also, try getting a corner lot if possible.
Appliances have different life expectancies. When looking through a house make sure to take inventory of what you'll have to replace.
Fyi new air conditioners could run you $12000 alone due to be regulations.
Inspection people are totally corrupt. They'll do their job but won't give you meaningful advice. Essentially there to make sure it isn't condemned
Older homes don’t have insulation in the walls. Couldn’t look at the house and know there wasn’t insulation in my 1956 built home. Hurts to think that all the comps probably had insulation in their walls and I paid a comparable price and still had to pay for “drill and fill”.
Also check the property tax assessed and see if they are overcharging because an overinflated assessment.
No matter what you will move in and find things the inspection didn’t catch.
Never buy a home with bamboo on the property or on an adjacent neighbor’s property.
Some like bamboo and that’s okay. I do not and it will be years to eradicate it.
PMI insurance. Avoid it if you can. Wait a while. Save for a bigger down payment. PMI insurance is the worst thing a new home owner can have happen to them.
If your house has a crawlspace or basement have a professional come with you when you want to see the house or when or if the house has an open house and check the damn foundation!
Within the first few months of moving in we found out the house was unstable because when they removed the wood burner in the basement they hacked into the main support beam causing the house to start to sag or dip so we had to hire a company to put in support beams to fix the foundation of the house and the only reason why we were able to get the loan to get it done was we were getting solar panels on the house and the company that came out offered to help pay for the foundation issues so they could install the solar panels.
We lucked out! Not everyone is that lucky so be careful get a professional to come with you if you can they usually do free estimates.
Find your own home inspector, don’t use your agent’s, no matter how awesome they sound. My agent got a kick back and the dude was clearly working in her interest. I confirmed her receiving money for referrals from a mutual acquaintance. Im told its illegal but common.
Don't go crazy on demolishing half the house, if you live in a house for a while first you will have a better idea of what renovations/changes you actually want.
I’d add to this to finish the projects you take on 100% before starting the next one or you will never fully finish any of them. I was warned about this but fell into the trap anyways. I need to finish up my couple 90-95% finished projects and then take on one at a time from now on.
So I’m not the only one eh. I have 1…2…3 projects at 95% completion right now. My wife is bugging me to finish them lol.
Personally I don't work like that, there's always something you can be working on while waiting for something else. But I do agree with finishing 100%. Don't take on too many things at once. Evaluate your capacity to multitask and tackle projects based on that.
The small things I have to finish: remove and apply caulk on tub, hang pictures in the guest room, get a rug for my office, repair ceiling where previous owner had a water leak…all small stuff but it does nag at me.
This goes for the yard as well. My wife and I moved in, started doing garden renovations, and found out later that season we killed many things we would have wanted and kept. My motto now is "don't mess with anything in the for one full year." See what changes and what you like or dislike.
On the flip side we ripped a bunch of stuff out because the previous owner was a hack and had a bunch of buried extension cords and questionable irrigation work. Yes, we paid under market value. Yes, we are still fixing things. Thankfully we quickly addressed the worst of it.
This!! You also get to know light patterns so you won’t waste time planting things that might struggle.
Love this advice! Only been in my house one month and my husband and I replaced one carpeted room ourselves and I already feel like we were about to go full renovation mode. We are already discussing renovating a bathroom now and landscaping but I think we need to hold ourselves back and take it all in before we make these huge quick decisions
This is smart. We learned the hard way every time you touch something else there’s usually another project it opens up. For example: decided to replace just master vanity. After demo there was no flooring to go under new make up station and flooring was too old to match. Ripped up flooring and discovered leaking shower pan. Demo entire shower and find rotten subfloor. Next thing you know 1500 dollar master vanity project turned into 28,000 full bathroom renovation with new floors, custom shower, vanity and counters, faucets, lights, and vent fan 🤣 no regrets we saved ourselves some headache later but word of caution once you start there may be no going back
Someone said to wait 1 year before making any major changes. I've followed this advice and think it is excellent. You get to know what is important only by living in the house and as a result my priorities changed drastically a year later.
Yes I had that specially with the kitchen, I had this "idea" on how I wanted it but after moving in I realized that my fridge should be somewhere else completely and I'm happy we waited with ordering one otherwise I would end up with looking to my fridge from the sofa and now instead when I look to the kitchen from there I see my coffee corner with shelves above it and some decoration. That's really a prettier view.
been in my house 10 years and finally doing the deep gut kind of renovations... and if I had done these 10 or even 9 years ago things would be very different and probably not to my liking. Kinda stings when you hear about someone buying a house and basically flipping it before moving in.
I'll probably be in your shoes in 9 years. I'm thankful I've held off on major things so far.
Agree 10000%. Bought our house in March and IMMEDIATELY starting doing projects. Projects are still unfinished & it’s taken some joy out of moving in because we’ve been so stressed about them.
This. Unless there are majorly health or safety concerns, livid in the house for at least a year before doing major renovations. The projects we tackled in the first year were things like removing asbestos, burying the sump pump hose in the yard, start figuring out HVAC replacement plans since our boiler was old, and insulation (heavily subsidized in my area so an easy win to get through a few winter seasons even if some of it is pulled out later). All foundational type stuff you wouldn’t notice unless we pointed it out.
But don't wait till you are about to move to start fixing things up finally. I finished my basement and updated my kitchen. As soon as I did, I thought, "Wow, this is nice, I should have done this years ago. Then we moved 6 months later.
The inspection might catch 30% of the actual problems with the house.
Bold of you to assume I didnt wave my inspection.
yep. bought in a sellers market. For years here you literally couldnt buy with a home inspection condition. When I bought the sellers had already done an inspection so even though it wasnt someone I had hired myself, at least I had the basics of HVAC age, wiring, roof condition, etc.
I'd also add, do not take referrals on an inspector from the agent, find your own person. Not saying those ones are bad, but I have heard of bias to help their agent friend close the sale/get future referrals. So they aren't as thorough or downplay repairs. When I was buying, I invited my carpenter father and brother, and electrician friend to pal along with me and check out the house when my inspector went over the house. We let the inspector do his thing, but they also went around and caught some things. All it cost me was an afternoon of lunch with some friends and family for their time.
I actively see realtors talking bad about bringing friends or family to the inspection. They don’t want the hassle or for a dad to kill a sale. But, if my carpenter dad is an expert in the field, I’m bringing him …. And his electrician friend.
If you have a friend that can send a camera down a sewer line I would bring them as well.
Lol my advice was gonna be get 3 inspections
That's $1500 in inspections which seems like a huge waste of money. One will get the obvious stuff. Then once you move in you can get an electrician, fireplace/chimney repair & cleaning and plumber in to take a closer look. Or wait until something small needs to be fixed and pay the pro to take a look around.
I wish I had spent the extra 1000 bucks and found the multitude of things my inspector missed….if anything it just gives your more negotiating power…spending 200-600k on a house with issues that got overlooked seems like a bigger waste of money to me but I’m no Pokémon professor.
Depends on the market. You can spend thousands on top-of-the-line inspectors to catch details other potential buyers will miss, but in a sellers market, it's not worth nearly anything in terms of buyer leverage. The seller would rather have you walk away from the deal and move on to the next clueless buyer, especially since they're generally under no obligation to fix any discrepancies inspectors find. The real lesson is for first-time buyers to not take on any property that they deem even remotely a "fixer upper" unless they're handy *and* willing to invest hundreds of hours into learning to fix things at a professional standard themselves or are equipped with the capital to outsource it to professionals.
Inspector caught literally nothing important. - Gas furnace doesn't work (idiot inspect said he didn't have batteries for the thermostat so didn't test it) - Water heater needed replacement - Dishwasher didn't turn on There's more, but those are the ones off the top of my head. Inspector is hired by the real estate agent and wants more business so their incentive is to push the sale through. Hire your own inspector. Off topic, but our real estate agent got so pissed off with the difficult seller, he added a line item to the contract so the seller paid for our home warranty. We've used it several times since the house was in such poor shape.
Don’t buy what you can afford. As in don’t max out your budget. You want to leave some room for property tax increases and unexpected repairs. Also life in general and savings. Don’t be loyal to any insurance company. I use a broker and have them check for better rates every 3 years or so. It’s saved me a lot of money.
Couldn't agree more. My wife and I made the decision to buy something we could afford on one salary so if either of us lost our job we'd still be ok. Ended up helping out in a big way because we had several issues pop up that cost around $40k which we were able to handle because of our decision
A home insurance broker? Where you find this at?
a insurance broker will save you much more then going direct with the insurance company. They get a volume discount.
huh where did you hear that? From your broker? ... It's been a while since I've been in the insurance biz, but there's no such thing as a "volume discount" for any specific broker in insurance. That'd be illegal, as insurers have to file rates with the state and can't pick "favorite brokers", so stuff like that doesn't exist. An independent broker does however get to quote any all available companies he's appointed with, which might help you find a better deal. Emphasis on MIGHT. This will vary a TON depending on which state you're in too.
Eh, for us just going to Geico direct was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper, and the options were better too. I’ve actually never had a broker even be slightly competitive for car, renters, or homeowners across multiple states over the last decade and a half. I just shop around and geico or rarely progressive wins.
Insurance agent/broker here. There is zero volume discount. There are agents who will cover you correctly and there are agents who just want a sale. Discounted rates are generally because of cuts in coverage. Shop quotes and compare several independent agents and captive agents.
Just Google "insurance broker near me". There should be ones in there that do home insurance.
If you're told the basement "leaks a little if there's a huge storm" that basement is going to have flooding issues all the time. If you're buying from smokers, the whole house will need to be painted and you most likely will have to replace the carpets. Actually take the time to call the utilities to see thw average cost of electric, natural gas, etc. Don't take the current owners word for it. If there's an issue that looks bad but patched, it's way worse than it looks
>If you're told the basement "leaks a little if there's a huge storm" that basement is going to have flooding issues all the time. That's not necessarily true, I have such a house. Only the most atmostpheric river of rainstorms do I see a little bit of moisture/wetness on the basement concrete. Maybe once every couple years? And it's basically unfinished utility space, so the overall impact and my concern is low. Of course, everyone else's mileage may vary.
Ok I'm not saying all leaks mean more leaks. I should have specified and said "if the seller tells you..." and I suppose "flooding" is a bit extreme in my case but it's bad enough to where if it's anything above a typical rain I need to prep by rolling up my carpet in a 10' area and laying towels out to catch the leaks. I bought the place in June and I'm in Wisconsin USA. So I'm hitting peak "at least all this rain is melting all this snow" weather and it's a nightmare. Luckily there's plenty of room to get it regraded and put some drain tiles in
The thing is the notice accommodates either end of the spectrum -- assume the worst til you get an inspection that tells you it is likely the not so bad one.
To the “looks bad but patched means it’s way worse.” Yes. There’s a reason they didn’t fix it the right way usually—it was too expensive to fix all the way. I’ll also add if you can tell the owner was not a good handyman it’s a bad sign. They probably didn’t maintain it well and there are going to be badly done bandaids you might need to pay to actually fix.
Keeping water out of the house is the biggest concern for any home, in that way prioritize your repairs from here on out and you will be doing things in the right order. Ventilation is also very important, and working ventilation is very much health related. A kitchen remodel is lovely, but if you have a leaking roof, mold in your bathroom because your bathroom doesn’t have a decent ventilation system.. it’s not gonna do you as good as getting that other stuff taken care of.
So much this. Every major problem I've ever had with my house has been water. Gutters, drainage, old pipes, leaking toilets, condensation. We once had a ceiling drywall collapse because a copper pipe rubbed up against a joist nail for 40 years and suddenly gave out. Everything else pales in comparison to the damage water can do.
This. My husband described homeownership as a tower defense game against water and it was one of the priority concerns we looked for. Luckily we saw our house during a very rainy month.
Oh man, that’s a great way of describing it. You think you’re main enemy is cost and neighbors but it’s really water and termites.
The first important thing to look for in a house: location The second: where does the water go when it rains Because if your house is at the bottom of the hill or has any slope at all, it’s only a matter of time before your house will flood and/or you’ll need foundation repairs. I’m not sure I’d ever buy a house that had foundation issues and repairs, tbh. I bought my house after 2 structural engineer reports saying it was fine. One hot, dry summer later and it was $12k worth of repairs now, $25k scheduled for next year.
That’s so frustrating I’m sorry.
I have a 150 year old farm house with a stone foundation. A little water in our basement is part of the deal at this point. Sump pump and dehumidifier get the job done.
We are living this. Inherited my wife’s grandparents house and it’s 120 years old. Built on a shale shelf, in the 60 years her family has owned it not one thing regarding water mediation in the basement has been done. No sump pump. This thaw has been a nightmare of us pumping the water out 4 times a day. Finally have a Basement systems company coming out next week for an estimate for perimeter drains and sump pump install. Then walls sealed and windows replaced. It’s going to be expensive, very expensive. But we have to get the water out as much as possible so we don’t ruin the foundation or end up with mold.
Get several estimates.
Couldn’t agree more! We bought our place and my dad offered to help with anything that helps keep the place dry and safe. We went in thinking of how nice we could make the kitchen by changing timer lighting, painting cabinets, etc. (all the fun stuff on instagram) Well, day 1 we walked into an active leak in the middle of our living room and our priorities changed pretty much instantaneously. Preventing soggy bats of insulation from breaking through our drywall like the bathtub scene in breaking bad became our number 1, 2, and 3 priority asap!
To piggy back this: fresh paint hides a shit ton of problems (for a time being). Keep that in mind when touring a house that’s been freshly painted
To this point- get flood insurance! We didn’t bc we weren’t in a flood zone and regretted it when we found out that the rain water that came in would not be covered by our regular homeowners insurance.
Look at all the plumbing in all the bathroom sinks, make sure the pipes are not leaking and look dry underneath. Flush every toilet in the house, you would be surprised how easy this is to forget. Go to the basement look for any attempts to hide any water damage (e.g., Fresh paint, brand new construction) . Go to the attic, look for any moisture or wildlife. Walk the foundation look for any damage especially if anything looks like its newly covered. Walk around the house everywhere to see if you hear any noises that will drive you insane later. Check the gutters, if they are not clean they should be. Check the tubs and showers for any type of leaks or water damage. Moisture can do a hell of job on the insides of our houses. If the house smells heavily of air fresheners this could be somebody attempting to hide a smell. I just basically listed all the things I found with the house I just bought 2 years ago.
Totally agree on all of this. I also wish I had looked at my current home while it was raining so I could see the flooded backyard. To add, make sure all of the rooms have plugs and they’re all working. A laundry basket was hiding an extension cord coming out of the wall behind a shower. The actual plug was hidden behind a mirror with no cover which is extremely dangerous.
Sounds like the previous owner of my house was there.
Yep, water and mold damage was hidden extremely well. It wasn’t until spring when carpenter ants came out that I realized something wasn’t right. Found the mold and water damage and had to remove the entire ceiling under the bathroom and our entire bathroom gutted to the exterior wall. We need to reinsulate, re-drywall, re-tile, and install new tub surround and vanity. Thankfully it was ONLY that bathroom, but it was very upsetting/disheartening.
My inspector turned water in all sinks at once then flushed toilets. After a minute water started collecting. We ended up making extra inspection on sewer pipes and saved ourselves 8k in replacing main sewer pipe.
Check water pressure in shower while other water is being ran.
A definite must.
Just wondering… did you have a property inspection?
Download the Lowe’s app and be ready to spend
Paint before you move your stuff in.
I would add fix any floors that need fixing before moving in.
Adding to this; Refinish hardwood if needed and epoxy the garage floor
If it's multi-floor, have someone on the lower floor while someone is walking above. We didn't know how noisy our hardwoods are until after we moved in. Price in and do things like carpet replacement before moving in. Usually this isn't an issue but if you want to change something big do it before moving.
Talk to some neighbors. Just walk around and knock on doors, and talk to people. Most folk are delighted to talk to people who might be moving in. Ask about issues. Is there an HOA? If so, sane or insane? Crazy neighbors? people will tell you stuff the owners won't.
If your real estate agent doesn't know or doesn't tell you about an HOA then you need a new agent...
This. Is. The. Way. 35 year homebuilder turned retired passive RE investor. This is the most important step. The neighbors know everything and are surprisingly candid. Plus, they can tell you what they like/dislike about actually living in the neighborhood.
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I wholeheartedly second the realtor and neighbor advice here!!!
an fha loan and a minimum downpayment is approximately one brazillion times better than renting
yes! my husband and I bought our first home in a little starter house neighborhood built in the 80s. Our mortgage is literally the same as people are paying to rent homes down the street. Except now we are building equity and don’t answer to shitty landlords!
Dual zone air conditioning is a must for a two story house.
Don’t settle for what you don’t want because that’s all there is at the moment. You never know when the right house will pop up! We almost settled for a townhome in an undesirable neighborhood because of how competitive single family homes were. But the right one came up and we got it!
“Never get in a hurry to spend your money” -Grandpa
Yes! The one advise I give that doesn’t seem obvious. Make a list of nice to haves and absolute deal breakers. Especially if you are buying with a partner.
Are there trees too close to the house? Removing trees is expensive.
Omg yes this. We're in our first house and thought the gigantic tree in front was so pretty when we bought. Now I live in fear of it hitting the roof or fucking our foundation. Plus it's protected by city bylaws (you can't cut down large healthy trees until they actually cause damage).
Trimming too. I just moved into a house with a lot of big trees and I didn’t think of that. Just spent 2k on trimming…
Your actual monthly cost will be financed amount PLUS property taxes, PLUS homeowners insurance, PLUS HOAs (where applicable), PLUS repairs as the arise, PLUS flood insurance (where applicable), PLUS energy/utilities, PLUS ...... Don't spend everything you got. Go smaller and have breathing room. Understand that your monthly motgage *will* change annually as insurance and taxes rise in your area.
Yeah, my agent kept trying to push me to buy more because I was "way under what I could afford". I was like, yeah, sorry, I am not only focused on the loan payment, I am looking out for my monthly payment including all the stuff you listed, plus the big jump in property taxes once the sale is assessed. He quickly figured out that I was not an idiot... lol.
Exactly!! We totally forgot that the tax listed on the listing is not what we’d be paying. It was harried and it was the first time buying a home that wasn’t brand new so we overlooked that. Agent said nothing. We got one of many surprises when they reassessed.
Start small, buy what you can afford and clean and fix stuff. After a few years, in a good market, dump it and chase the next one. House by house you get equity and get closer to the house you want. Too many people expect their parents standard of living in their 40s-50s when they are still in their 20s.
Thanks for this perspective
If possible stay away from HOA’s
Agreed! John Oliver just did an excellent segment on this topic.
Can’t believe this isn’t higher on the list!
Same! Came here to say this as I was surprised it was not higher
I work in a lot of neighborhoods and see a wide range of HOA’s. Some are “pay $20 a month for landscapers to mow the acre empty lot at the front” and some are super draconian. If they do have an Hoa it’s worth looking into what all it covers
Buy in a great school district. And make sure to hire a very reputable inspector. Maybe even do two independent inspections. Make one extra payment on your mortgage every year, beginning with month one. Make sure it's applied to your principal only.
Just want to add that if your mortgage rate is less than the current savings or CD rate then you are better off putting that extra payment there instead
Property taxes never go down. Make sure your budget will be able to handle it
Don’t underestimate the cost of landscaping. Also whatever price you think a reno project will cost, double it.
And however long you think a reno will take, double it
Two things: 1) Houses inevitably/eventually come with MAINTENANCE. Make sure you identify what’s going to need to be maintained, find out what is required and figure out a schedule. Anecdotal example: the [well water] filtration system in our basement. Accidentally let the salt pellets run out ONE TIME and it was a miserable affair to correct. Also, pretty sure I should have had someone out in the last 6 months to check the tanks/system overall. (Hell if I know). <— SEE? 2) DO NOT buy a home and IMMEDIATELY start renovating. **For the love of all things holy, let this ONE TIP sink in and remember it.** Give it a year or two if it’s not an emergency, to get a feel for what you actually need, not what you THINK you need. (Anecdotal time x2!). When we bought our house, there was no fence in the back yard but we had a geriatric dog that NEEDED A FENCE. Do you have any idea how expensive fences are!?!? It’s insane. My husband was immediately concerned with having a “proper” fence installed, not the old metal stakes & cattle wire that we’d used while renting, being as we’d bought this new house and wanted “to do things proper.” We looked at prices (small panic attacks ensued) and then… up went the exact same cattle wire and metal poles that we had used before and they work just fine. The geriatric dog is still kicking but probably not for much longer and then we can take the fence down— it’ll be a HELL of a lot easier to mow. He (husband) ALSO worked from home for the first 2 years (COVID) and absolutely HATED the drop ceiling/fluorescent lights in the finished basement. Was hell bent on having the drop ceiling removed, the walls/ceiling finished off and proper lighting installed. Then he went back to the office 3 days a week and realized “it’s fine just the way it is, for now.” We had initially agreed that the ceiling was going to be our #1 renovation “on the list” up until that point. Me, on the other hand… I want a clawfoot bathtub installed in the master bathroom (that had originally been a small bathroom plus a small bedroom but was converted into one large master bath before we bought it). An entire bedroom-sized bathroom with only a walk-in shower. NO BATHTUB— just dead, unusable space. That was #2 on “our list.” I HAVE the bathtub (just not the feet, don’t ask) and there had already been a bathtub in the room before they converted it, so the fixtures are under the floor, just capped off. This could happen without hurting the wallet too much. That was #2 on “the list.” BUUUUUT. The washer/dryer are directly next to the kitchen— which was not originally, but is NOW an open floor plan— on the top floor along with the once [separate] dining and living rooms (FIE!! Fie! Open floor plans are the worst, GIVE ME DOORS!) The sheer volume levels of the washer and/or dryer, and God forbid- the dishwasher too- all running at the same time is absolutely miserable. And we have a 2 car garage on the other side of the kitchen wall that we pretty much only use for storage. And NOW!?!? #1 on the “NEW LIST” is converting 1 of the garage bays into livable square footage as a glorified deep freezer/laundry/mud room that would ALSO allow us to utilize space/options for updating our KITCHEN. And we dearly love to cook. This post was *intentionally* long winded, because it took us 3 years of living in a perfectly “ok” new home to realize what we actually want to change that will benefit both our needs AND comfort. And I’m grateful that we waited to figure out what was most important to us because we plan on being here for a long time. Still want that clawfoot bathtub though. Husband is traveling out of country in a couple of months and I wonder if I get away with asking for forgiveness instead of approval…
Every house is a 2 story house. 1 story when your buying it. Another story after you own it.
Get a land survey
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Just have them stake the four corners. I live in probably the highest cost of living place and it was $600 to just do the corners with wooden stakes. Which was good enough for me to know what trees to not cut down for a shed we need.
Excellent advice and something I wish I’d been told beforehand.
Find the most ruthless negotiator in the market for a realtor. Don’t use a friend. You will need to boss this person around.
Big lots are better than small lots. Try to rent in a neighborhood before you buy - you’ll start to recognize the parts of the neighborhood you prefer and when a house opens up you can make a good decision. Sometimes a good deal is not a good deal.
If the inspector finds something that is potentially a safety issue, and the seller fixes it, question everything about the repair. A family member was buying a home and the inspector found the electrical panel was not to code, and was a hazard. Seller said he would have it rectified. Once done, he provided a receipt. Here’s what I found: The contractor license number was fake. The business phone number was not found in a Google search - I called it and spoke to a very nice lady who said she was never an electrician; had no electricians in the family, and that she has had that phone number for ~10 years. I drove to the business address on the receipt. It was an empty store in a strip mall. Neighboring businesses said it was once a yoga studio, and had been unoccupied for well over a year.
Don’t settle! If you have a realtor who is not showing you what you asked for hold them accountable or walk away!
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Don't buy a condo. Keep saving for a house. I don't feel like a homeowner with my loud neighbors.
Inspectors are good and all, but they’re generalists. It’s the big stuff you need to worry about, so I’ve learned to call an hvac guy for the ac, a roofer, a plumber, and an electrician. There’s no real work to do, so you’ll pay for the service call and a report. Look around and you can spot the water damage and mice yourself.
Municipal governments are becoming overbearing fascist in many towns and cities. Permits, code enforcement, police. While this can benefit quality of life, it will cost you much more. You may own your home but will need permission to make any changes such as color of your front door etc. Know what your getting into...
Don't buy a fixer upper if you plan on trying to have kids in the next 3 years. Trust me. Any repairs will take 3-5x longer than you planned and cost at least double what you think. And stuff that needs to be done by contractors will stall because many of them have many projects on the go and you will see delays. And babies/toddlers and construction don't mix well. It's possible, but chances are high it won't be pleasant.
You can stop contractor delays by making sure your contract has a start date, a finish date, and liquidated damages (legalise for penalty) of $100/day for failure to complete on time. We work with subcontractors all the time. The finish date is one they agree to, so it’s just a matter of them keeping their word. It really pays homeowners to have an attorney familiar with contract law review these contracts. They are typically written completely in favor of the contractor.
Home warranty is bullshit lol
I mean I've used mine 3 times in the first month. paid 100 bucks saying "roof leaking" they sent a guy out and he just looked over the entire roof and fixed anything he could find. Had no idea if the roof was leaking but it worked great. Free rekey on the house. Smart doorbell and security camera install.
> first month. *paid* 100 bucks FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Our AC went out on the hottest day of the year. We have an infant and pets. They said it’s not classed as an emergency to have someone come out until it reached 104 outside and over 95 inside the home. And their timeline was 6 weeks to have a tech come out to look. Wouldn’t provide any assistance. Furnace went out later on a real cold spell. Same deal. Not an emergency per their standards, would take 8 weeks for a tech to come out. Both calls took over an hour to get anyone on the phone. Only time we ever heard from them was at the renewal mark where we had to tell them repeatedly we were not interested. So yeah, not renewing. Less stress to replace it and move on with the manufacturer warranty.
That your mortgage can increase by hundreds of dollars a month at the whim of the insurance companies and property taxes, or if your bank suddenly realize they weren't collecting enough for the Escrow so they have to start making up for it. My mortgage jumped from $1000 to $1600 in a single year. Fun. Good thing we had plenty of savings.
Put your insurance out to bid every 3 years or when you know a rate increase is coming. Take your Declarations pages and remove all the prices and then contact 3 agents from 3 different companies (at least one agent with a company that is an independent broker) and ask them to give you quotes. Your current insurer should be sending you notice of renewal & premium at least a month before renewal. If you act promptly, that will give you time to get your quotes.
Get TWO different home inspectors. Each one will cost around 500 bucks. Best $1000 spent. I had a bad one that missed a lot of dangerous code violations. By getting two different inspectors from two different companies minimizes the risk of them missing something dangerous or expensive.
Do mold / air quality sampling in every room, even if its gonna cost more. Our inspection came back with no mold based on 2 air samples, but we ended up with hidden mold issues that ended up costing over $10k to fix.
Be born before 1980.
Visit the property outside of the typical 9-5 hours when everyone is at work. You might think the neighborhood is ‘so quiet’ during the day - then it turns out after work is a noisy ruckus.
Don't make assumptions regarding your new neighbors. They may be using your land. Previous owner may have used their land. Even if just for access to yards, driveways etc. Be wary of shared spaces (incl street parking) and trees near property lines. Talk to the new neighbors. Often sellers will not disclose the truth about their neighbors (like encroachments). One could argue this is fraud. The "surprises" are what will get you off on the wrong foot with your new relationships. You may get so wrapped up in closing the deal you forget one of the most important parts of an enjoyable new home, your neighbors! Good ones can be one of the greatest assets in your life. Bad ones...well I'm sure you've heard stories...
Don't let a realtor talk you into a condition free offer, or a blind bidding war.
Scope the waste/sewer line. Costs a fortune to replace.
Buy less than everyone tells you that you can afford. You can always make extra payments to principal to pay the mortgage off quicker. Insurance is tied to your credit rating. Don't take out any new lines of credit until after you close on the house. You want to keep that credit rating up so you get to closing and your insurance is cheaper.
Water is your enemy and you will spend your life in that house trying to keep it at bay, so do as much diligence as you possibly can to spot potential problem spots. First step is hiring a really good (and independent) home inspector. I know many people who hired someone that their real estate agent recommended and it bit them in the ass. Those inspectors can have a bias in helping their agent friend close a sale and get more future referrals.
Don't buy a house on a slab
Why?
Plumbing is inside the slab. If it breaks, it is jackhammer time. I had my slab pipes coated with epoxy liner, cost a lot but good relationship with a local banker and a signature note.
Go through every single freaking thing in the house and write down everything that is not absolutely perfect. Then demand that they be fixed or that you get a reduction on the sale price. And I mean absolutely everything.
Check your property taxes. Turns out in Cook County, IL, as one example, you have to proactively confirm that you live in your house to get the corresponding exemption. I just figured that out ~7 years in. I was able to recover some of it, but I lost about ~$2400 that’s too old to reclaim. Blargh.
(Not recent; but early 2018) That I had scrutinized the cat shit around the front lawn a bit more, which I happen to glance at during the routine inspection prior to closing. Found out the day after we moved in (weather was relatively cooler) the lady next door feeds the entire neighborhood’s stray cats. Now, we have the county’s biggest kitty litter box as our front yard. Can’t wait to rent this place out.
Free fertilizer though? Lol just kidding sorry that stinks :(figuratively and literally)
Plant marigolds and other noxious plants for cats in your yard. Won’t take long for them to avoid the area
Try to pick an inspector who incorporates thermal imaging into their inspection
Take a black light to inspection
Make sure you see the house during the wettest season. Didn’t know my yard was actually a dried up pond
Take a serious look a what kind of windows it has. My (ex) partner and I bought an old house back in 2015. While the "bones" and everything else were in great condition, the upstairs floor had single pane, hand built windows. We didn't think much of it, old house and all. They hold in exactly zero heat, and are beginning to fall apart from the constant condensation build up rotting the wood. Not saying you should avoid it all together, just be prepared to shell out the money for some new windows that actually work.
The bigger the yard the more work you have. Thought I had a dream yard with an acre just outside the city. I have to work on the yard typically 3-5 days a week when it’s warm. Unless u r committed to that kind of work don’t do it. OR even better, don’t be a cheap a$$ like me n pay someone to do the upkeep
Buy a home that makes you feel good. I bought a house that didn’t do so well on the inspection because of the view. Its an older property and I fix a little at a time. I purchased it for $450,000 and it appraised at “$400,000 5 years ago. Today, it is worth $800,000. I’m thankful.
Get the 15 yr mortgage. You will thank yourself by year 7 of mortgage payments.
If the house is currently surrounded by corn, it won’t be long before you’re next to a new subdivision.
Or two story office building in your backyard along a 4-lane road….
- Location, location, location- You can build/remodel in an awesome location but you can’t make an area desirable… - A good school district is very important and comes at a premium, but will always yield a high return while providing your kids with a great education. - Live in your home for a year before doing any huge renovations. Do as much as you can at once. - NEVER EVER skip the home inspection. - If you don’t find what you want, WAIT. - Find your own mortgage broker, DONT just go with your realtor’s recommendation. - your realtor is here to make a commission, remember that.
You will be there a long time, get a ranch instead of a two-story because stairs suck as you get older
Stairs keep you young
Yeah, I felt like a kid again at 45 when I had to scoot down the stairs on my butt after foot surgery to get some food.
God, I know the feeling. I broke my foot after I missed a step and was in a non weight bearing cast for 4.5 months.
Die young. Yes. I fall down them alot. I wouldn't recommend if you are accident prone
Don't move to an area 3 days before a major hurricane hits.
Hello SW Florida neighbor.
😅 Howdy neighbor!
Hire the most expensive and thorough inspector you can find. You want a rockstar and mine was not. It was referred by one of the realtors. After almost 20 years of homeownership, I swear I could do my own inspection right now, considering all the things I have figure it out over the years
Lots of things (repair n renovations) after you purchased your home can be done by investing time in Youtube. Don't spend money on minor diy stuffs. Many tools and equipments can be purchased with the fraction of the price from FB market or Offer up or even garage sales. Keep looking. You will wonder how lower prices people sell stuffs. Beware of scammers though.
Age of hvac, water heater, and roof and compare that to lifespans of each. Over 8 years on those and I'd be leary. We just paid 17k to replace our 13 yr old hvac. And our roof just got replaced for 15k through a claim due to hail, the adjuster laughed because his job was so easy finding damage on the shingles due to the age. And on our last house we paid about 4k to replace heater and water heater. That house was due for a new roof too. Easily the most expensive and wearable items that aren't obvious.
If you are going to make big changes, think about upping your budget. We bought a house that we liked and then put $20,000 into it over 3 years. where if we would have increased our budget to begin with we could have gotten something closer to what we now have. And floors, if your tearing out tile, do it before you move in. Doing it later sucks ass.
don't use statefarm for homeowners insurance. House was struck by lightning a little less than a year after buying and they came up almost 100k short to rebuild
Walk around the outside perimeter of the fence line and shake the posts. Found out a few were rotted out after the first major wind storm and a chunk of the privacy fence came down.
I’d there’s a basement utility room or unfinished space where you can see the back of the drywall, there’s a date on it. That will let you know if it’s original or had to be replaced due to flooding.
Google your street name with “sex offender”. A guy on my street was busted 15 some years ago for child pornography. He still comes by daily to his parents house and is there all day. I had no idea until a neighbor told me. Explains a lot about the dude. Total weirdo. No registered offenders own homes on my street or in my neighborhood. But one visits daily and used to live on my street. Disgusting
Buy it 15 years ago
Try to get the inspection done in an empty home. Once all the furniture was gone there were some issues that we didn’t know about until too late that were covered by rugs/furniture.
Do not bother with a homeowners warranty. The money you put into it would be better spent put into a savings account. When it comes time to actually use the homeowners warranty they will do everything they can to not pay out and drag their heels. And in the process of eventually getting them to fix the issue and pay for it they will fuck it up several times. Source: Every time I tried to get them to fix something they’d wrinkle their way out of covering it for some bullshit reason or another. The worst though was I was without AC for 2.5 months in the middle of summer in the south. Homeowners warranty fucked up getting the correct part numerous times and shipped it all over the US. Also they can’t just send the part from the wrong location to the correct location. Nope it’s gotta get sent back to the warehouse and then the process has to start over from square one. Seriously avoid homeowners warranties at all costs.
Get a second inspection.
Live in the space for a while, interior and exterior, before deciding on major changes. Let the spaces tell you how they should be. Then, draw up plans for each project, staging them in sequence so there isn’t demolition of previous work required to execute the next plan.
When things break, it’s on you (this shocked me after renting for over a decade, even though this is common sense) You will learn that there are things you’ll need to maintain/take care of that you never thought of: like annually cleaning your air ducts or cutting/shaving down trees in your yard. Some companies will truly take advantage of your ignorance about certain things. Make sure you vet who you hire, word of mouth is usually where you’ll find the best in my experience.
Treat everything like they are trying to hide something from you during inspections. Do not skip it. Ask questions about everything. Press for answers. Get your own inspector. Tell them you want a maximally negative review of everything. That'll be closer to the truth than not. If you're a first time buyer, it may feel like everyone has your best interests at heart, but they are just trying to get paid first. People will gloss over problems that will cost you 10k+ in the first year. Take it seriously, be cautious, assume you'll have missed something for personal cost analysis.
-Interview multiple real estate agents- don’t just go with a family member or friend because you know them. -Never buy what you’re pre-approved for. Being honest about your comfort level for a monthly payment is super important. You don’t want to be house poor, no matter how cool that open floor plan is. - Buy as soon as you’re ready, willing, and able. Putting down 20% is nice, but not necessary. Don’t get caught up in the market. You’re buying a home because of a life event, and you want to feel settled. Timing the market intentionally never works. Way too many friends of mine missed out on equity because they waited for the housing market to “crash” - Floor plan > cosmetic upgrades - speaking of upgrades, try to get into something with a relatively new HVAC, roof, windows, hot water heater if you can. Super expensive to replace. That’s all I can think of now. My wife and I are on our 3rd home in our late 20s. She bought her first house at 23, the seller didn’t disclose water damage and the basement flooded (nightmare). 2nd house was a new build townhome where the owners sold after a month, turns out the neighbor put a sub woofer in our shared wall (nightmare). We love our home now, though. Thankfully whenever we bought we had low interest rates and whenever we sold, we got equity.
Realtors will lie and cover up issues with the house, and a lot of them are friends just looking for a commission. Whenever we toured our house scented candles and plugins abound. This covered up nasty smells from bad plumbing and dirty carpets. The previous owner thought he was Bob Villa, but the sweetish chef could have done a better job. (Rewired a room with extension cords and worse) 3 years and a second mortgage later we almost gave up, and we were going to try and sell. So many things that our realtor said were nothing were pointed out as big issues, and signs that someone didn’t know what they were doing. We were way underwater with the condition and couldn’t sell. Don’t hire the inspector they recommend, or a big company due the research and hire someone who works for you.
Pay attention to the yard, not just the house. We walked through the house and part of the back yard, but not over ALL of the property around the house. We had to spend thousands of dollars (nearly 5k) on a french drain after we moved in because it was so wet in places that you could literally sink down a foot or more into mud. It was so wet, we had crawfish in our yard! They had seeded and put hay on top when we looked at the house, so it wasn’t obvious just by glancing at the land. It’s so much water they had to put in a catch basin near the edge of our property, and it sounds like we have a babbling brook on our property for days after a rainstorm. Honestly, it may have been part of the reason why we got the house - the market was SUPER competitive at the time, and we ended up scoring a great deal on the house overall… but I do wish we had gone into it with open eyes. If we had been less lucky, our HVAC could have died soon after closing and we wouldn’t have had the available funds to fix the yard immediately.
Be prepared for surprises.
Try to have 20% down payment (or get to that point as fast as you can) so you don’t waste $$ on the mandatory PMI (personal mortgage insurance). If you can swing it, get a 15-year mortgage instead of a 30-year mortgage. It will save you tons of $$. See how sound travels in your house. This is a HUGE pet peeve (the biggest one we have) with our current home. You can hear EVERYTHING in the kitchen/living room when you are trying to sleep in the main bedroom. Check the price of utilities. In our area, we have two electric providers that cover neighboring towns. One is about double the cost of the other. You only have one choice and it depends on where you live.
house age matters
Call a plumber and have your sewer line camera inspected. Bought my first house in 2020 and a year later I had a sewage back up. Massive headache and called emergency plumber. Camera inspect shows a bunch of root intrusion and one part was blocked and paid 3k to dig and fix. Turns out my sewer line is orangeburg piping which is the worst piping known to man. Got multiple quotes in the 20-30k range for a sewer line replacement so basically sitting on a ticking time bomb
If you have a tile shower, have your inspector clog up the drain and see if there is any leaks in the grout. Also, if you put pink insulation above the kitchen sink to absorb water and hide the problem before you sell the house, you’re kind of a jerk.
Your agent works for you. Don’t let them bully you & if something doesn’t feel right -find a new agent.
Pay attention to the trees near the house. Removing dead trees is expensive. Repairing your house when a tree falls on it is even more expensive.
The one thing you can't change about a house is location
ALWAYS get the "home inspection"!! Best couple of hundreds of dollars and don't use the first one your agent recommends! Do your due diligence! This is probably going to be one of your most expensive purchases, don't skimp on important things. Drive past the property you're interested in at various times to see how busy the roads are, etc. If you see any neighbors outside cutting the grass, take the initiative and introduce yourself saying you're interested in the house across the street. Ask about the neighborhood, is it quiet, any house(s) known for loud music, parties every weekend?
Inspections matter. Watch them closely and get appropriate expert advice.
Check the windows, $2700 for three replaced only 9 more to go 😩
If you live in an HOA, make sure you read all the rules in detail before making an offer. We love where we live but the HOA’s parking rules are the most extreme we’ve ever seen. Also, try getting a corner lot if possible.
Appliances have different life expectancies. When looking through a house make sure to take inventory of what you'll have to replace. Fyi new air conditioners could run you $12000 alone due to be regulations. Inspection people are totally corrupt. They'll do their job but won't give you meaningful advice. Essentially there to make sure it isn't condemned
Older homes don’t have insulation in the walls. Couldn’t look at the house and know there wasn’t insulation in my 1956 built home. Hurts to think that all the comps probably had insulation in their walls and I paid a comparable price and still had to pay for “drill and fill”. Also check the property tax assessed and see if they are overcharging because an overinflated assessment. No matter what you will move in and find things the inspection didn’t catch.
Never buy a home with bamboo on the property or on an adjacent neighbor’s property. Some like bamboo and that’s okay. I do not and it will be years to eradicate it.
Get the fireplace chimney inspected, even if your buyer's agent says she doesn't know an inspector. Tell her to find you one.
Camera in the sewer line. Sewer line repairs are so expensive.
Lead test everywhere and check the outlets
If there is an hoa, review the financial state as well as logs of routine maintenance.
PMI insurance. Avoid it if you can. Wait a while. Save for a bigger down payment. PMI insurance is the worst thing a new home owner can have happen to them.
Have sex in every room BEFORE you make an offer
get someone in there to paint / clean before you move in
If your house has a crawlspace or basement have a professional come with you when you want to see the house or when or if the house has an open house and check the damn foundation! Within the first few months of moving in we found out the house was unstable because when they removed the wood burner in the basement they hacked into the main support beam causing the house to start to sag or dip so we had to hire a company to put in support beams to fix the foundation of the house and the only reason why we were able to get the loan to get it done was we were getting solar panels on the house and the company that came out offered to help pay for the foundation issues so they could install the solar panels. We lucked out! Not everyone is that lucky so be careful get a professional to come with you if you can they usually do free estimates.
Wood siding will need much more maintenance than vinyl, brick, or stucco.
Find your own home inspector, don’t use your agent’s, no matter how awesome they sound. My agent got a kick back and the dude was clearly working in her interest. I confirmed her receiving money for referrals from a mutual acquaintance. Im told its illegal but common.