A new house....

Big Dave · 06-27-2002, 03:06 PM

The wife and I are looking for a new house. We just started looking this week so we have a little time. Besides making sure there is a good place for the tank (and future tanks), what are some things to look for or ask about? I am looking for things besides the obvious like paint, roof, etc. Maybe things that you don't notice at first glance, wether it be a good or bad thing down the road. Does that make sense? Something that you love or hate about your place now that didn't come up when purchasing it. Thanks for the help everyone!

Here's to finding my first 'home'

-Big Dave

paulF · 06-27-2002, 04:32 PM

these are just some of the things id like to know before i buy a house: heating system, how old? what type? (esp the hot water heater,is it a coil?) make sure its got a basement, thats personal opinion onle cause i HATE "slab". it really limits you on what you can do. WINDOWS this is a big one, because they get expensive!! make sure they all open and close right etc... (trust me on this one) theres alot more but depending on your mechanical ability, it varies. you can always have someone come in and look at the house and they will tell you what they see. i live in ny and i think you have to have an engineer look at the house before you buy it. HTH

MontanaRocknReefer · 06-27-2002, 04:58 PM

I think I would make sure having a separate fuse box for your tank set-ups! Johnny

Rick O · 06-27-2002, 04:58 PM

There's an old saying that goes "buy the cheapest house in the most expensive neighborhood you can afford". I have found this to be good advice in past purchases. The thinking behind that statement is that the cheapest house will appreciate at the rate the neighborhood does so you'll be better off when you go to sell.

I would definartely recommend a professional inspection as a condition of the contract. That's pretty much standard around these parts and I imagine in your location too. If you can do some work you can get a good deal on a forclosure or a fixer upper. These house are usually deeply discounted.

I buy houses for rental so I'm always looking at houses and trying to keep up with the market in the area. When I look at a house I also look at the neighborhood. Are the other houses well maintained? Are most of them owner occupied? I've passed on a lot of otherwise good deals because the neighborhood seemed to be on a downhill slide. This will definately affect the quality of life while you're living in the house and have an affect when you go to sell.

Here's a link to a local real estate guru who I consider my real estate mentor: http://www.money99.com/ Click on the page "Buy A Home". Hopefully you can get some useful info there.

Good luck and have fun.

Alice · 06-27-2002, 10:38 PM

I manage properties and one of my owner's favorite sayings is "You can't rent a good house in a bad neighborhood." Very true.

Don't buy a house with fuses...if the electrical hasn't been upgraded to a circuit breaker box, make sure you get an estimate on how much it's going to cost to put one in. This can get mucho spendy if too much has to be ripped out, rerouted or permitted.

Termites aren't too big of a problem here, but carpenter ants are, they can make a real mess.

Check the water pressure, if it's too low everywhere in the house, you might be looking at a new water line or if it's just the hot water, the water heater may be clogged with gunk. Water heaters aren't a huge deal though.

Don't buy a house with a flat roof....you're from Portland, you know why, LOL

If the bathroom is all tiled, especially the shower surround and the tub is a mess, pulling the tub can be a major pain. I can give you the name of a good company that puts an insert into the tub rather than refinishing it. Saves you money, hassle and refinishing just doesn't last, especially if you have kids.

I'm sure I'll come up with some other stuff if I think about it. LOL
Oh, and I know a couple of good realtors if you need one. And no, I don't get a commision

Alice

karsco · 06-28-2002, 02:33 PM

BD,

I agree with all that has been said above. A couple other things I would look for are if the house has a basement does it have a sump pump, and has the basement ever flooded? Look for cracking in basement walls which will indicate movement of the structure. Check around the perimeter of the house to make you have positive flow away from house.(i.e. no low spots where water could collect and get into the basement) Also look at the windows to make sure the seals are still good between the panes of glass. If they are not you will notice condensation buiding up between the two panes of glass. I would also recommend getting an independent home inspector (independent meaning DO NOT let a real estate agent recommend somoene to you becuase usaully all a real estate agent is concerned with is closing the deal, you see where I am going with this) Anyway good luck and happy house hunting!

Big Dave · 06-28-2002, 03:29 PM

Well just an update....

We went out and looked at about 15 houses so far. There were 2 that stuck out. One had kind of a goofy floor plan and was real 'kid friendly' so I think we'll cross that one off the list. The other one is pretty huge(compared to our 900sf rental now anyways). It's 2100sf, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 story w/ a daylight basement, hardwoods throughout up stairs, huge 2 car garage, 2 wood stoves(up and down). Hardwoods need redone - can do that myself. Paint entire up stairs - can do that myself. Has single-pane windows - have a friend can get me vinyl windows at cost(plus beer and pizza). We did my mom's entire house. We could put some work into it and make $50,000 in 5 years on this house. Could be a good 'investment'.

Alice · 06-29-2002, 10:31 AM

With the addition of the windows, that house has all the biggies for good resale value here in the NW: 2 bathrooms, garage and hardwood floors. If it has gas heat, it sounds like a keeper. If it has oil heat, and you're thinking about converting, especially if it has an underground oil tank, you'll need to think about the cost of decommisioning the oil tank. If it looks like it's had oil heat in the past, make sure you ask about the oil tank and get them to fork over the $$ for decommision.