 stevek1949We're not in Kansas anymore
join:2002-11-13
Virginia Beach, VA | reply to Antonica
Re: Buying a Home. What's your Checklist? This was prime time for polybutylene piping. Ask if the home has that for water service, including the service line from the meter (if there is one). This should be a disclosure item for the seller. |
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 macsierraBaby NewfoundlandPremium
join:2003-11-30
Minden, NV
 ·Charter
| reply to Archivis
Good points in this thread BTW. At the top of my checklist would be, stay away from any HOA association. Of course that's my opinion but some might differ and that's OK.
As a contractor that's worked for HOA's many years and still do it's a big expense for any homeowner to belong to one. IMO, HOA's are like being married to 40 women and trying to keep them all happy. Just ain't gonna work.. |
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 Spork
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA | said by macsierra:Good points in this thread BTW. At the top of my checklist would be, stay away from any HOA association. Of course that's my opinion but some might differ and that's OK.
As a contractor that's worked for HOA's many years and still do it's a big expense for any homeowner to belong to one. IMO, HOA's are like being married to 40 women and trying to keep them all happy. Just ain't gonna work..
It depends on the HOA. In a deed restricted community of houses a HOA is terrible. For a condo if run properly it can be great. Our FL rental is a condo and the HOA is a god sent. If for nothing more then to handle all the outside maintenance, cable TV, water, & insurance it's worth it every month. Like any property knowledge is power. Research anything before you buy from zoning to HOA to schools. |
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Spork
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA | reply to stevek1949
said by stevek1949:This was prime time for polybutylene piping. Ask if the home has that for water service, including the service line from the meter (if there is one). This should be a disclosure item for the seller. The seller is only required to disclose stuff they know about. Typically the seller won't do anything that might negatively impact the sale so if they don't know off hand aka not in the disclosures then they won't find out if asked. You'd be surprised how much stuff isn't on the disclosure that should be. |
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 SnakeoilIgnore Button. The coward's feature.Premium
join:2000-08-05
Mentor, OH
kudos:1
·RoadRunner Cable
 ·magicjack.com
| reply to Archivis
After we got burned by this [as sellers], I'd request a mold inspector as a buyer.
We had out old house on the market for nearly a year. We only had 4 potential buyers. The last one asked for a mold inspection, and the results were that our house had black mold. The estimate to clean it up started at 20 thousand and could have possibly cost more by the time the job was finished.
We wrote a letter to the bank[intent to quit], and included our keys with the letter.
During the time we were selling the GA home, we had already moved into our OH home.
So have a mold inspection done.
**Edit**
Also wait for dry weather. Reason being is our current house has a mini swamp in the back yard. My wife didn't see it, because the weather was wet, so the lawn was soft. If she had looked when it was dry, she would have seen the thicker greener grass. The water table is high in my part of OH. So we have a sump pump in the basement that pumps out water about every 45 minutes. The former home owner ran a short drain pipe in the yard, so the water pools about 10-15 feet from the house. It's a fun spot for the lawn mower [slippery muddy driving].
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Is a person a failure for doing nothing? Or is he a failure for trying, and not succeeding at what he is attempting to do? What did you fail at today?. |
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 bionicRodFunkier than a mohair disco ball.Premium
join:2009-07-06
united state
kudos:1 | reply to Archivis
If you have a yard, even if it's fenced in, get a survey done on the property. I didn't, and it turns out that that half of my yard is actually someone else's property even though it has been fenced this way since the 80s. I regret not getting it done beforehand. |
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Reviews:
 ·Start Communicat..
| A family friend purchased a home back in the early 90's in a area of Fort Erie called Crescent Park, nice lots size. However they had huge backyard flooding problems, pretty much a bog for 8 months of the year.
Turns out there used to be a full sized cement in-ground pool, The old owners knocked the sides a bit, filled it with broken cement, the old pump/filter, lines and even the original fencing. Washed there hands and sold the place some years later with no disclosure. |
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| reply to bionicRod
said by bionicRod:If you have a yard, even if it's fenced in, get a survey done on the property. I didn't, and it turns out that that half of my yard is actually someone else's property even though it has been fenced this way since the 80s. I regret not getting it done beforehand.
A survey confirmed my 6.15 acre lot instead of the 5.861 the town had on their map. It was originally 5.861 but had to be adjusted due to setback requirements. The maps in the town records were just not updated... until I had my survey done.
Why is this important? Well, certain zoning requirements require a certain lot size. Where I might have been just scraping by before I am now fully in the clear. |
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macsierraBaby NewfoundlandPremium
join:2003-11-30
Minden, NV Reviews:
·Charter
| reply to Spork
said by Spork:It depends on the HOA. In a deed restricted community of houses a HOA is terrible. For a condo if run properly it can be great. Our FL rental is a condo and the HOA is a god sent. If for nothing more then to handle all the outside maintenance, cable TV, water, & insurance it's worth it every month. Like any property knowledge is power. Research anything before you buy from zoning to HOA to schools.
That a new one to me.. You should feel lucky.. Every condo association (including time share) we do work for in California & Nevada have deed restrictions and endless meetings with stupid rules and no exceptions I know of..
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Jimmy Hoffa’s dad was the last shovel-ready job..
Will Rodgers never met Harry Reid..
Why was I Anti-Obama before it was cool?
Saul Alinsky was also a community organizer & Marxist..
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Spork
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA | said by macsierra:said by Spork:It depends on the HOA. In a deed restricted community of houses a HOA is terrible. For a condo if run properly it can be great. Our FL rental is a condo and the HOA is a god sent. If for nothing more then to handle all the outside maintenance, cable TV, water, & insurance it's worth it every month. Like any property knowledge is power. Research anything before you buy from zoning to HOA to schools.
That a new one to me.. You should feel lucky.. Every condo association (including time share) we do work for in California & Nevada have deed restrictions and endless meetings with stupid rules and no exceptions I know of.. The real issue with HOA's is there's no requirements on how they are run or what's included in them. Our CT rental HOA is about the same price as the FL HOA yet it doesn't include cable or water. The only thing you can count on in an HOA is some kind of shared use item(s). In my parents case their HOA is just for lighting the division sign and maintenance on the private lake which all the house abut. In a condo/townhouse case they typically include insurance, outside maintenance, common item(s) like a small park, grill, dog run, gym, pool, spa, etc. plus sometimes they can form a large collective to get a better rate on services like water or cable. In the FL condo's case those "stupid rules" are what makes the rental a HOT item. They hold quarterly meetings but you can do everything via mail with a proxy so we never attend meetings. Our tenants *love* the rules as they keep the property impeccably clean & quiet. In the CT condo's case they have almost no rules. As a landlord or rental property we prefer HOA's highly. As a renter or owner we only like HOA's that are top notch. I'd guess about 80-85% of HOA's are trash but the ones that are done right are outstanding. |
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 alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | reply to bionicRod
said by bionicRod:If you have a yard, even if it's fenced in, get a survey done on the property. I didn't, and it turns out that that half of my yard is actually someone else's property even though it has been fenced this way since the 80s. I regret not getting it done beforehand.
I'm surprised the sellers didn't supply a previous survey (and should have been a recent one too).
Here in Canada, banks require a recent survey of the property, the notary takes care of that. |
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Spork
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA | reply to bionicRod
said by bionicRod:If you have a yard, even if it's fenced in, get a survey done on the property. I didn't, and it turns out that that half of my yard is actually someone else's property even though it has been fenced this way since the 80s. I regret not getting it done beforehand.
Actually if you have maintained that land for 7 years or more you can go to court and claim that land as yours. (adverse possession) |
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 Jack_in_VAPremium
join:2007-11-26
Mathews, VA
kudos:1 | reply to Spork
said by Spork: I'd guess about 80-85% of HOA's are trash but the ones that are done right are outstanding.
I say 100 percent of them are anti-American as they usurp your property rights by being able to dictate how and what you do with your property. I value my rights way more than allowing a HOA to control me. |
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| reply to Archivis
Re: Buying a Home. What's your Checklist? Don't forget this one from a realtor buddy of mine (ok, ex-realtor):
-Never buy a home that is located on a street with a double line!
(LOL, try backing out of your driveway... good luck!)
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Splat |
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macsierraBaby NewfoundlandPremium
join:2003-11-30
Minden, NV Reviews:
·Charter
| reply to Spork
said by Spork:As a renter or owner we only like HOA's that are top notch. I'd guess about 80-85% of HOA's are trash but the ones that are done right are outstanding.
I agree, with good property management HOA's can work well. The trouble with some is the folks on the HOA board ALWAYS think they know more than the professionals who do the work. They always take the lowest bid and sometimes fail to check if the contractor even has a valid license. I could go on... But their lawyer$ love it.. 
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Jimmy Hoffa’s dad was the last shovel-ready job..
Will Rodgers never met Harry Reid..
Why was I Anti-Obama before it was cool?
Saul Alinsky was also a community organizer & Marxist..
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 nunyaWho is John Galt?Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
kudos:8
·Charter
 ·surpasshosting
·voip.ms
| reply to Jack_in_VA
I think it's a lifestyle decision. Some people like bland "cookie cutter" neighbourhoods where everything is the same and strictly marshaled. I know for a fact that there are people who enjoy living in these type of areas. I have several relatives in Florida who all live in these types of communities. God bless them.
I, for one, would go absolutely insane. I don't want anybody making aesthetic decisions for me. I certainly wouldn't want to pay for this "benefit".
I do believe that many HOA's are illegal because they try to usurp constitutional rights in lieu of their micro-government bylaws. IMO, a HOA is a governing body, and should be held to strict accountability when it comes to peoples rights (like any other form of gubbamin).
But, many people buy into these places knowing full well what they are getting into, and then bitch and moan when things don't go their way.
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...because I care. |
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 dogmaXYZPremium
join:2002-08-15
Boulder City, NV
kudos:1 | said by nunya:I think it's a lifestyle decision. Some people like bland "cookie cutter" neighbourhoods where everything is the same and strictly marshaled. ...
But, many people buy into these places knowing full well what they are getting into, and then bitch and moan when things don't go their way.
...continuing on with more HOA discussion for your buck night, We have a place here that's in not one, but 2 HOA's. One within the other. One is the "Master Planned Community", and the one within that is the development. 2 different HOA bills.
We have another place here that's a non-HOA property.
The HOA(s) are strict; Lawn cut, no weeds, no debris, no change of original exterior paint color, minimum 2 trees (from a list of "approved" trees) in the front, exterior facing internal window coverings must be white, RV's can only park on the street for 24hours, no oil spots...of any diameter.. on the driveways, etc. But it's nice and quiet and and boring and consistent, which attracts a certain set of neighbors.
The other place is a 5 acre spread in which the surrounding "environment" is best described as the Wild Wild West. The 2 immediate neighbors to our North built beautiful custom homes. The neighbors to our South live in a 70's style DIY Geodesic dome type of affair, and the folks next to them live in an old semi-converted Continental Trailways bus interconnected with a trailer home leveled on railroad ties as well as 4 "sheds" (some used as housing, one used to store ammo. A lot of ammo.). The property behind them has a outdoor regulation basketball court complete with lights. Bright lights. Very bright lights. Evidently for the Midnight B-Ball league. Many neighbors have ATV's...and long gravel driveways which cause massive mini dust storms. Lotsa' horses around here, but the "unwritten rule" is: If it's in the street in front of your property, you gotta clean it up. This "freedom" also attracts a certain set of neighbors.
...and I love it! But my wife doesn't. Thus we live in the HOA. |
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Spork
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA | reply to cableties
said by cableties:Don't forget this one from a realtor buddy of mine (ok, ex-realtor):
-Never buy a home that is located on a street with a double line!
(LOL, try backing out of your driveway... good luck!)
You don't back out of your driveway in that case. LOL |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | I'd hate being on such a street not for backing out of the driveway, but well... busy fast car street.
Double line usually = 25mph speed limit and being a main street for local traffic.
I love my near-dead-end street where I never hear teenagers with broken mufflers speed through, or cars stop and go every 30 seconds. |
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