jmkraft
Essayons
Premium
join:2002-04-11
Paris, IL
 ·Packet8
| reply to bent
Re: Know when to run!
said by bent  : Well, if I'm paying full market value for a house, it better be in pretty damn near new condition. The thing is - the "full market value" or "appraised value" of the house is the value of the house in it's current condition, not the vallue of the house if it was like-new.
--
-----
Free men do not ask permission to bear arms. |
|
fcisler
Premium
join:2004-06-14
Riverhead, NY
| reply to nunya
Neighbor DOGS! I don't want to live next to someone who has a yippy dog that is barking all hours of the night next door to me. Both my neighbors have dogs and I have nothing against them. I just don't want an obnoxious attack dog or ankle biter staring me down every time I grab the mail.
If it has a dishwasher MAKE SURE IT RUNS A FULL CYCLE! Mine "ran"...it just never stopped!
Dryer - same deal. Mine "ran" - it just didn't DRY.
I'd also look at the heating system and see if it has a repair log/record on it. Mine hadn't been serviced in YEARS and required almost a full rebuild. Under $250 for me to do it, well over $600 for someone to come in and do it.
Outside/Buried oil tank. EPA will come down hard on you if there is ever a leak. Around here they require a disclosure statement that there was never one outside/buried.
AC. Central AC is nice but has it been maintained? Is it as old as the dinosaurs? Mine had a AC through to the garage (moisture problems!) and unfortunately there's no where else to put one through wall.
In ground pool. Maintenance and TAXES could kill you if you don't want one or want to maintain it. Also a b*tch to remove if in ground.
Filthy! My house was DISGUSTING! I happened to have several friends in damage restoration, though....but it was hell to clean. He said it was on his top 10 list of dirtiest carpets he's ever cleaned.
Not all deal breakers or "run away screaming" but a couple of issues I ran into/missed. |
|
netboy34
join:2001-08-29
Kennesaw, GA
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to Lazlow
said by Lazlow :The words floodplain. Even if there has been no water there in thirty years, it will require a extra insurance rider on the mortgage. Then there is always the once a century flood that shows up (see St. Louis 2008 and the 100 or so condemned houses). Or in north metro area of Atlanta. I work for a school system and we had an elementary school on a 500 year plain, water to the roof... as the water went down, you could see drop ceiling tiles float away. about 250 houses around it are ruined, one flooded to just above the first floor, and the second floor caught fire and burned to the water line. Where I live was on a 500 yr plain but fortunate for me the area has great drainage to a lake that was pretty low (not anymore though)
Things I've found since buying my house this past May as a first time buyer:
1) If you have an unfinished basement that is insulated, take some of it down and see if the foam board on the outside is continuous. Mine had major gaps that I had to fill allowing heat, moisture and bugs through.
2) Be prepared for connection fees. You may not have to put a deposit down, but they don't tell you about the 30, 60 etc. dollar connect fee.
3) Gift cards to Home depot, lowes, etc. are like gold. Use them wisely
4) Rustoleum Universal made a brass light oil bronsed 
5) If you are a techie like me (who isn't here right?) and the existing communication wiring is substandard. If you have to open walls, do it before you paint. If you have the funds (remember the gift cards?) use some sort of flex conduit to make sure you only have to open the walls once.
6) Get a good set of air filters for the first couple months. You will be kicking up dust and it can get bad fast. Filters will help you from sneezing when you are moving that couch up the stairs. |
|
habya
Premium
join:2003-05-29
Huntsville, AL
clubs: 
| reply to nunya
Great information guys . Won't be buying for about another 3-4 years but want to get a head start learning the stuff and what needs to be done.
We currently rent a house, and just from that I'm going to make the neighborhood priority number one. When we first moved in here it was nice, quiet, many retired older folks, and was a great neighborhood. This year it has gotten worse and worse. We've got the ghetto creep (spread of low-rent housing and welfare) coming up one of the streets. We also had the 2 houses across from us rented out by some young guys (all around 20). BOTH of them have bands and play the drums. It's literally drumming from about 9:00am until 2:00pm then a small break. Then again from 4:00pm - 10:30pm just about every single day....it's about to drive us nuts. If one group is playing, the other is.
I'm all for them practicing, but every day gets really annoying. Especially if you work a late shift, and try to get some sleep and start hearing *thud thud thud* at 9 in the morning.
Quick question about inspectors. How would you all recommend finding one? Nobody I know have bought a house in years. They all rent or live in an apartment. Do you rely on word of mouth recommendations, phone book, realtor recommendation (some seem to not want this)? Any good questions you should ask them before hiring them, specific licenses or knowledge etc?
--
HABYA HABYA HABYA TEAR DOWN THE HEMP STALKS EAT UP THE OLD MAN AND WOMAN AND CARRY OFF THE LITTLE GIRL MAY YOU DIE ALONE |
|
netboy34
join:2001-08-29
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T U-Verse
| My realtor recommended a couple, went with the more expensive one because he could be out there that same weekend. (FHA changed from 30 day to 45 day period for their inspector, which moved our timeline up) Guy ended up spending close to three hours (hour per floor basement/attic = hour) best $400 I ever spent. |
|
i1me2ao
Premium
join:2001-03-03
TEXAS
 ·Comcast
| reply to nunya
i hate first time home buyers. they are getting smacked with reality and not realizing there first house is not going to look like mom and dad who have had there house for 40 years...
--
calling a illegal alien undocumented is like calling a drug dealer a undocumented pharmacist |
|
Killa200
Premium
join:2005-12-02
Spring City, TN | eh, not all are that way... but i know where you are coming from there. |
|
netboy34
join:2001-08-29
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T U-Verse
| I know I wasn't... I actually got more room than my parents  this market is great for those that have been saving and used this oppotunity to get a good deal. Got my house close to 60K cheaper than when it first went on the market two years ago, and I also got a killer interest rate. |
|
Bobcat
Premium
join:2001-02-04
Bedminster, NJ
 ·Verizon Online DSL
2 edits | reply to nunya
If the bathroom looks like this (and the asking price is $125k!), run.
More here - »lovelylisting.com |
|
aeblank
join:2004-09-07
Cadillac, MI
| reply to tschmidt
said by tschmidt :Being an engineer I've designed some purpose gear for our home. Like what?! |
|
i1me2ao
Premium
join:2001-03-03
TEXAS
·Comcast
| reply to Bobcat
i know you are joking but the house down the street looked liked that. it was 70k cheaper and we were thinking upsize but after looking at we realized it cost twice that to redo it. it was coated in paint in tile but house had not been maintained hence the cheaper cost..
--
calling a illegal alien undocumented is like calling a drug dealer a undocumented pharmacist |
|
Bobcat
Premium
join:2001-02-04
Bedminster, NJ | It's no joke, it's a genuine real estate listing. Although maybe it's standard for a hunting cabin in Alaska. |
|
Warzau
Premium
join:2000-10-26
Naperville, IL
clubs:
| reply to PhoenixDown
said by PhoenixDown :Zombies... definitely zombies! In the basement particularly. |
|
avd706
insert annoying animated gif here
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Union, NJ
| reply to tschmidt
Careful with a home inspection, better than nothing, but just not foolproof.
School districts affect future selling price so always check the schools even if you don't have kids (yet.)
Make sure you are above the 100 year flood, and you won't be cut off from the rest of civilization even if you stay dry during the flood.
--
standard disclaimers apply. |
|
Loco
Premium
join:2002-11-09
So Cal | reply to nunya
RUN |
|
i1me2ao
Premium
join:2001-03-03
TEXAS
·Comcast
| reply to avd706
that is a good point i recall daddy laying down in street gauging elevation. sure enough that one in a million flood came and 20 or so houses around did not flood as the rest of street did.
--
calling a illegal alien undocumented is like calling a drug dealer a undocumented pharmacist |
|
Zen6
@rr.com | reply to tschmidt
Then there is also the nuke plant in my back yard(seabrook), but I knew that when I bought the place. |
|
Daarken
Rara Avises
join:2005-01-12
Cajun Countr
·Cox HSI
·Suddenlink
| reply to nunya
Make sure you do not have large trees that have grown near the house. Sure they offer shade, but if they are susceptible to termites and other insects that can weaken the tree it could end up on your home and cause massive damage.
Also tree roots can cause damage to your foundation.
--
Getting it Done. |
|
tschmidt
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
 ·Hollis Hosting
·Verizon Online DSL
·Fairpoint Communic..
| reply to aeblank
said by aeblank :Like what?! Wood stove controller
TV/FM antenna
Weather station
Bathroom fan control/timer
Dialup modem phone line adapter (no longer being used)
Remote control shed lights
Telephone/Alarm/Network wiring and cross-connect
I've documented some of this stuff on my site:
»www.tschmidt.com/writings.htm
/tom |
|
KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| reply to nunya
Good tips. I got semi-burned on this deal by the sellers. Not burned too badly but they definitely knew about problems and issues, covered them up, didn't disclose them and sold it as-is. Still I like the place and have no plans to move in the future unless situations change.
If I do it again, I'll ask a lot more questions, make sure the answers are documented, and if they lie, I'll burn them with their own deceit.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
|
|
