Something wonderful happened this week. I can't talk about it just yet, but soon. If all goes as planned, I will begin house-hunting by the end of summer. I've already started packing.
~
Questions:
- If you own a home, what's your best piece of home-buying advice?
- If you don't own a home, what one feature must your dream home have?
9 Comments:
Nancy had problems commenting, so I'm posting this for her:
Congratulations! My best pieces of advice are …
1. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you! Sometimes you see a house, fall in love with it, and think “I don’t care that the roof is falling in and it is full of termites because it is sooo cute and I love it and all it needs is TLC.”
2. Take someone with you who can look at the house differently than you will – again, it helps with the emotion thing. (Can you tell I tend to be a bit emotional about things?)
3. Try not to see someone else’s stuff when you look. You can always paint (which is super cheap) or rip up the carpet and you will never have to look at their bad decorating once the place is yours.
4. Look at a house at LEAST twice before you put in a bid. Spend a lot of time looking at it, because the first time you will likely miss all the little things like the crack in the bedroom window or that the tile is lose in that one corner of the bathroom. (Not that those things can't be fixed, but it is just nice if you can notice as much as possible so you know how much you'll need to budget for fixing things.)
5. Don’t settle. Unless you are in a rush and just need shelter, the right house is out there for you. Just take your time and find it.
Nancy's advice is good (I especially concur with the idea of seeing a place several times). I would add these ideas to the list:
1. Make a list of features you're looking for in a house, and note what's a must-have and what's negotiable.
2. Spend some time with your budget before you start looking. Be honest about what you can really afford as it may save headaches later.
Congrats, and good luck with the house hunt!
Okay, since I work with utilities, I'll throw this little bit in there....
Call your local municipality and ask them to run the address of your proposed house. Is it hooked to sewer? If so, any problems? Hooked to water? Problems with it either? Any easements?
These can save you lots of $$ and headache later.
YAY!!! :)
Check whether it's in a flood plain, or near a flood plain.
Wow, thanks, everyone, for the good advice.
Nancy: As I wrote in my email, your advice about not falling in love with a place is extremely applicable to me!
Jennifer: I've already got No. 1 in progress; No. 2 needs work. But getting my finances in order are my top priority this summer.
Maggie: Thanks so much for the "insider" info. But please answer me a dumb question: Where do I find my "local municipality" in the phonebook? I presume this is a county department of something-or-other?
Mike: Good point. Will a home inspection tell me this?
IS! Getting my finances in order IS a top priority!
A home inspection is always worth the money. An inspector can look at the drainage in an area and warn you of problems. For instance, my inspector noted that the floor of my garage was pitched correctly so that water would drain out.
If the inspector doesn't know if the house is in a flood plain, you can check the FEMA flood maps (http://msc.fema.gov/). You can search by address online, or I know the UM library has a relatively new set of these in print for the area.
I know I'm posting late and what I'll write will probably betray the humble homes I've inhabited my entire life, but I have always dreamed of living somewhere with ... a washer and dryer - what luxury!
Good luck to you, I know you'll be so smart about this and find something great.
Thanks much, J. Good to know. I will definitely be getting a home inspection.
Anna, no kidding -- I want a washer and dryer so bad I can hardly stand it. I have spent much of my life hauling my laundry to the laundromat, and I am SO over it!
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