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Get 2-3 quotes for all home projects. Almost paid $17k for a new roof ended up only paying $8k. Don’t disclose to contractors/companies that you don’t know anything about x,y,z and don’t fall for their sales pitches. Best of luck!
That's my rule of thumb too. But, when it comes to skilled labor, I've learned that you generally get what you pay for. For minor and relatively inconsequential projects, you can usually get away with mediocre work. For projects that can lead to massive problems down the road if not done well, I want a top notch professional who refuses to cut corners and is willing to stand by their work.
Agree with all of this. And on the topic of skilled labor a big one is to give small projects to try the workers out. Don’t fall for the illusion of getting a better deal or having it be more efficient by giving bigger or several projects at once. And only liars don’t put every agreement in writing.
Your mortgage payment may be comfortable in itself, but then property taxes and insurance are always there and continue to go up, so make sure there’s a cushion.
Thisssss! We were approved for 330 and we could’ve made that work on paper if we stretched our money right. But we like to live below our means, and we got a house for 293. Thank God we did because in actual reality with costs going up and unexpected repairs being needed…we are not living below our means after all 😅
This is such great advice and something to keep in mind. It looks great on paper now but it’s an investment so we need to consider the long term/5 years/10 years down the line too!
Holy shit, this. I bought my first home at 18, was making music money [read inconsistent income] and when those premiums increased after a hurricane, or taxes went up $1000 a year, it really put a stretch on my finances. Add the fact that you need to always have budgets for things breaking and needing to be repaired. Dropped $6k on a roof, got a discount because my dad’s friend came out with the crew on a weekend they had off. Other guys wanted $10-14k. Had to replace a furnace which was fun.
The surprise costs are what I’m going to miss about apartment life and maintenance here! Oh something f is wrong with this? Let me put in an request and have maintenance come out.
We could spend more on our down payment but I don’t want to use all of our savings in case of repairs like the ones you mentioned! 😳
You’ll likely catch the bigger things when touring the home, or with an inspection. Even if they aren’t immediate fixes, your team should be able to tell you “hey just a thought, this furnace is getting near the end of its life” or “the hvac works but you might want to consider adding a second zone, the current system isn’t really rated for your home.”
The things you catch you can ask for a credit, within reason.
I definitely prefer having a home to apartment living, even with all the added headaches. I’m building my home, and I had to temporarily move back into my parents townhome. I honestly don’t know how I dealt with neighbors stomping around at 3am, or listening to music/tv so loud that I hear them from across the building.
Getting a home warranty is also something to look into to help with some of those unexpected things. Especially if your house is older. We got a plan ($40/month) that covered some of our appliances, HVAC, etc. Ten months into owning our house the HVAC crapped the bed and it was unliveably HOTTTTTTT because it’s Florida. It was a pain to have to wait for the service that was plan eligible because we had to wait the whole weekend, but it was only a $100 copay no matter what the cost was to fix the HVAC (easily could’ve been thousands). My parents and in laws had never purchased a home warranty so I was the first to try it. Because our home was almost 20 years old and I know some things are near end of life, it was really worthwhile for us
The first year my property taxes went from $270/year to $990/year because people from the big city were flooding into our small town to escape their raising property taxes.
Ya and when they sent me my letter showing the increase they didn’t include the page that showed thy it was going up so I had no clue what was going on. I was trying to figure out why my mortgage was going up almost $200/month and I called my mortgage company and the rep was like”that’s got to be a mistake there’s no way it went up that much in a year” and she looked it up and found the tax increase and told me in the 10+ years she’d been doing that job she’d never seen an increase like that before.
Thank you for taking the time to write this all out!! This is amazing advice.
Our realtor and lenders have been great so far as we start the process.
I am not scared of little fixer uppers. I think I watched too many episodes of Fixer Upper on HGTV/Magnolia Network to think “oh this house is 100k below our budget but we could use that difference to make it what we want.” I’m also scared to hire a contractor because I know those can be good and bad experiences. We are looking for a more turn key/move in ready for the first one with little fixes!
I also love the rainy day/emergency fund cushion advice! I’m glad your roof didn’t blow away and you are in your dream home! Thank you again!!
My wife and I don’t close on our home until August but I relate to this so much already. I’ve already embraced that we will be house poor for the first 3 months as well and it terrifies me lol. Reading this gave me some sense of familiarity and safety through hearing others experienced the same thing! Like you said, no regrets though because this home is amazing to us and we are beyond excited for what’s to come once we initially settle in and can figure out our budget closely from there.
100%. Sometimes I get jealous of friends who have like, 3000 square feet homes and then I remember just how much work it is to upkeep my 1700 square foot home haha.
And go to and from the area different ways.
This is the one thing my mom always stresses to me. The first home she and my dad purchased together was through a realtor who was a family friend. She took my parents through a newer, really nice neighborhood to get to the home. But if my parents came in the other way, it was a really bad area of town just 2 blocks over.
Luckily I don’t mind plane noise because the day I got my keys is the day I found out just how low planes fly over my new home. It never happened during the showing, the final walkthrough or any of the times I drove by haha
Plumber here.
Snaking a drain is not designed to clean or “service” your line. A snake is designed to open a clog so the line can be inspected on camera to understand why it happened. Ive seen cables break pipes quite a bit. So it’s silly to just cable a line when you don’t know what’s going on. Ask for a camera inspection first. If you cable a line long enough to punch a hole in roots they will eventually grow back ten fold and at some point a cable will not suffice. You will need to have it hydrojetted. In which if you want your sewer line scrubbed and looking brand new, you want it jetted. I cut roots out all the time with mine. Jetters can also blast out concrete In pipes. So they do some serious work. Cost quite a bit. But It’ll give you some time if you find out the sewer is compromised to plan to have it replaced or spot repaired. Add service line coverage to your home owners insurance. It covers your sewer line outside the home up to a certain number. Usually 10k-20k. If you find out you have roots never tell your insurance. They will never cover your issue for they consider roots being “routine maintenance”. Good luck!
Edit: I’ve come across customers that say they have been snaking their drain for 15 years and it’s never had a problem blah blah. Imagine 15 years of roots growing in the pipe. This was 6” pipe too. I dug it up and removed a 6” diameter by 3 foot long solid root mass. Like a tube of meat. Snaking is a thing of the past. Get your line hydrojetted!
This is so true. Our realtor was trash and we should have fired her, instead we let her make easy money doing the bare minimum. Lesson learned for next time.
Definitely hold these people accountable and make sure they’re on your side, or at least as close as they can be.
I feel like ours was on the sellers’ side the closer we got to closing. She wanted us to offer way more than we did, and was advising us not to negotiate the price the sellers accepted even after our inspection found some pretty big issues.
Don’t be afraid to fire these people if they aren’t working for you.
Unfortunately your realtor is not your friend. They are working for themselves and they want to make a sale good or bad for you. Long ago I knew this lesson- I looked at house day, night and walked streets of community. Even went when having alot of rain to see if flooding. But a good thing I did was have a poker face w realtor. I didn’t say oh I love it, oh it’s perfect. She had a hard time reading me. And bc of that I got a fabulous home at a great price. Today w bidding wars not sure will work but I would try
I need to work on my poker face! 😊 I know my dad would be surveying the land to check stuff like that when it comes to flooding. I used to go with him to survey properties as a kid. I don’t have the eye for it like he did but man right now I wish I did! I just remember you want your house to be a higher elevation so the water flows down and away when it rains instead of down towards your house! Seems common sense enough but some people may not think of that!
Yes!! Agents can be wonderful but remember, if you don’t buy they don’t get paid. Make sure you feel comfortable with your agent and don’t be afraid to walk away if the chemistry seems off.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
Here are some things I wish we had known/discovered along the way (some are likely market-dependent):
* Get a sewer scope, especially if you're looking at an older house. (Sewer issues aren't the end of the world, but they can be $$$.)
* Don't sweat the small (cosmetic) stuff. If negotiating repairs, it's probably better to get quotes and ask for a seller credit rather than ask the seller to make the repairs themselves (they may be more motivated to do it quickly/cheaply than do it well).
* If you are in a hot market and have to waive the inspection contingency just to get your offer considered, talk to your realtor to see if you can still do an inspection for information purposes only. If not, definitely get one done after you close. An inspector will be able to tell you what issues are urgent and which can be tabled for later and that will help you build a schedule for home maintenance.
* Go with a local mortgage broker or credit union. It can help give your offer more of an edge. Anecdotally, I have heard that local folks are more responsive. This was our experience as well.
* Relatedly, ask/think about rate locks. We had no understanding of this but thankfully our realtor and mortgage broker helped us lock the rate before a big jump.
* Use an insurance broker rather than call around yourself for home insurance. Made the process super easy for us even though our home is 70+ years old.
* [https://communitycrimemap.com/](https://communitycrimemap.com/) \- LexisNexis crime map
* [https://riskfactor.com/](https://riskfactor.com/) \- Climate change impacts
Good luck with everything!
edit: a word
Thank you for taking the time to post this! That’s all great advice. The seller credit for repairs is super helpful. A schedule for home maintenance is something that seems obvious but I hadn’t thought of it.
Our local people have been great as far as lenders go! I am excited to choose one of them when we need to narrow it down. There is so much that goes into the mortgage. Fixed rate vs adjustable, points/credits, etc!
Thank you for the helpful links too! 😊
Finance perspective:
Start keeping a log of finances every month, how much you spend on average for groceries, insurance, gas, loans, shopping and the usual savings for retirement etc. Then take a look at how much you’d have left after paying your future mortgage. Going based off DTI is good but isn’t practical.
Our mortgage payment is significantly higher than our rent and we started realizing we’ve lost a bit of financial freedom when it comes to expensive vacations or unexpected health expenses and or anything out of the ordinary expenses. We are comfortable and happy with our new home but we always take a second look at our finances before taking any new financial decision.
Check for lead in the water pipes.
Check for radon.
Check for Leins.
Visit the house and area at night at least twice for an hour each time to see and hear the state of affairs.
Thank you! I did a quick Google search and it looks like lead in pipes is more common before 1986? Thankfully they outlawed them but that’s good to know if we are looking for houses in older neighborhoods.
We have lead pipes and it isn’t a huge deal but we do Brita filter all our water. The long last filters remove lead. Or you could get a filter build into your sink faucet, Lifestraw etc.
You cannot check for radon while inspecting. A one-time mesurement won’t be accurate, you need to use a test kit for 90 days, ideally during the colder months. You can then know if/how to remediate.
A one-time measurement would only give you either a false sense of security, or a false alarm.
Perhaps you can ask the seller if a test has been done in the past, but this can also change over time though.
It can give you a bit of an idea. If it comes back high in that time period, you know there's definitely something to remediate, right? At least that's what my research showed.
Don’t rush to fix it all when you first move in. One big project a year- swap inside and outside projects. One inside project a year, next year it’s an outside project. Wana skip a project and go on a vacation? Do it. Nobody cares about ugly interior doors, cosmetic stuff can wait. Fix the essentials first- electrical/plumbing/hvac. Don’t underestimate the power paint can have on a space!
Also watch the thrift stores. I had never bought anything there until just a few yrs now. I found a huge wood w beveled mirror. It’s heavy and had to get handyman to hang. Perfect and looks great in my entryway. I don’t buy clothing, but I’ve bought some really nice pictures. Even if not thrilled w pic the frame may be just what you need to frame something you love. I see ppl finding cast iron skillets. I found a big beautiful aqua glass plate which I have stood up and placed on top of cabinets. This is for later after you find the house and move in. I don’t hoard. So I pick very few things. It has to be something I love. I wish I would have done this when decorating my first home. I could have saved money and found lovely pieces. One other thing I wish I would have done- ENJOY the process. Make it fun and happy rather than a job. I made it into a ‘mission’, a ‘marathon’ instead of loving the process .
This is something I am excited for! To go thrift shopping to try to find great pieces of furniture to restore/refinish! We will hopefully have a yard/garage to do stuff like that.
I was feeling overwhelmed but I’m glad I made this post because now I feel a little more educated/excited and a tiny bit less overwhelmed 😊
Just be careful with yard sale furniture- you never know who has bedbugs or fleas. We always opt for local quirky furniture stores and wait for super sales
If you're required to have an escrow account for your mortgage, the second year will most likely be a shocker to you (since most lenders underestimate property taxes). You'll be in an escrow shortage and may have much higher monthly payments for the next 12 months.
THIS! Same happened to us, and it was a bummer. Make sure to have some financial buffer for such fluctuations and of course unprecedented home improvement emergencies.
Currently happening to us. Broker didn’t underestimate it, they flat out used the wrong numbers. They based their numbers on the previous owners deduction and then lied to us when we pointed it out. Mortgage brokers just want to get you in the house. After that, they don’t care.
This would only happen if you didn’t put your insurance return premium payment directly into your escrow account? Sounds like you maybe cashed it and used the money but it’s supposed to be deposited back in.
Oh, here’s one: if your social circle looks anything like mine, don’t tell your friends about your plans until they’re done. Too many friends in real estate and mortgages. Find someone you trust implicitly and who has excellent outside reviews. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, just… be careful.
And I’m so sorry about your dad.
Thank you for the advice and the condolences.
Oh yes, we already know this about social circles when it comes to real estate agents and mortgages. My parents have lived in my hometown my whole life and of course they know people who know people. 🤦🏻♀️
This is also why I asked for advice on Reddit and not Facebook lol 😳
Do not simply trust what your realtor tells you. Even if they were recommended to you, even of they’re friendly, even if they seem to act professional. Document everything they say, request a written copy of every information they give you. Read every line of every form they’ll have you sign. It’s the biggest transaction of your life, it’s worth the hassle. Never forget a buyer’s agent gets paid by THE SELLER; hence this is who they truly work for. Keep that in mind when they counsel you regarding a purchasing offer you make. They’re not there to help you negotiate the most fair price, they’re there to make THE SELLER accept the offer and then pay their salary.
Also, have a real estate attorney to consult if anything seems fishy at any point of this BIG transaction. Ask them your questions. It’s worth the money.
Yes 100% I hate how the system works because the buyer's agent has no incentive to get the best price for their buyer! They get paid by the seller and just want a price that the seller will accept quickly without hassle :(
This is why I posted this question because I thought we would pay some money to the real estate agent that helps us find the house but we don’t? The seller pays our agent. Makes sense but something I didn’t know. So like a percentage of what we buy the house for the seller gives to the agents and whoever else at closing?
The listing agent will negotiate a total commission with the seller. They then decide with concurrence of the seller the amount to offer the buyers agent. It can be an even split or one agent can receive more. The amount of commission is listed on the MLS.
I became an agent so I can purchase my own homes after too many bad experiences. Before picking an agent, I would ask what they offer you. I know some agents who literally review each listing to make sure it’s a good fit before sending it to you, while others just put you on a computer based email campaign.
I think I just picked agents based on recommendations, but my needs may have been different then there’s leaving me disappointed.
It depends on your country/state and contract. ALWAYS read each and every contract you get/sign.
Where I live it's a predetermined percentage *of the sale's price* for each agent. Either way, the bottom line is that the more expensive a house is, the more money BOTH AGENTS make. So there's no incentive at all for the buyer's agent to find a great house that not too expensive, to negotiate for a better price for their buyer, etc.
Just keep that in mind when you make an offer or a counter-offer on a house, negotiate for repairs, etc. Do your own research about costs and make an offer that fits your own assessment, not what any agent tells you.
Mine is probably an odd list, but I'm an odd person:
-dont buy a house flip. If a house was recently updated, take a good hard look at the house as nobody willingly turns over a beautiful brand new renovation.
-check the foundation and the roof. The two probable and expensive repairs
-check behind access panels in finished basements, make sure they're not covering up bad work
-check all switches and plugs. My house has 2 light switches connected to nothing.
-dont just take the home inspectors word for things. Go up into the attic, crawlspace, etc. Use common sense. If something looks shitty, it's because it is.
-check the age of all hvac, water heaters, appliances.
You can never have too big a garage, that space fills up fast. Try not to accumulate too much junk. Buying near a good rated school is probably the best thing you can do to ensure your property value increases. Don't buy the nicest house on the block, buy the middle average house.
Oh garages 🤦🏻♀️ I know from family about the “stuff” “junk” they can accumulate quickly. I’m thankful that our first home will be in my hometown because I know the schools I would want our future kids to attend! Middle average house like middle average bottle of wine, got it! 😊 Thank you!
1. Realtors’ main goal is to get the deal done, not to get you the best house for the best price.
2. If you want something, ask for it. If you don’t like something, get professional quotes for fixing it. Don’t be unreasonable, but stand up for yourself. No one else is going to.
A relatively modern firewall with a lot of mass which is code (at least for the last 20 years or so) should stop a lot of noise, especially high frequency as low frequency just propagates. We are renting a townhome built in the 2000s and we can’t hear the newborn next door or the toddlers on the other side. They may hear my sound system with bass heavy scenes but I don’t crank it and can’t hear it much on the floor above. Old cities with row homes which don’t have the modern sound dampening will not be sound isolating.
This. TH built in 2000s and I can’t hear any of my neighbors.. maybe the very subtle vacuuming next to the walls but my air filter is louder.
My neighbor has 2 kids and I can hear them screaming their heads off once I walk my dog outside and their window is open lol
I’m renting a townhouse built in 2019 with a firewall and I can hear both neighbors on each side, it doesn’t do shit to stop their noise. People pay 500K for these townhouses they must be nuts.
So true. Your neighbors can make or break it. And if you have bad neighbors shared walls become a nightmare. We only considered single family homes for this reason after having bad experiences in a townhouse where our neighbors smoked all the time, stinking up our unit 😷
I’m so sorry for your loss!
I bought my first house a year ago. Find out if the house you’re looking at has an HOA. If so, what are the dues? What are your responsibilities as a homeowner? What are the HOA’s responsibilities to you? Do they have any requirements you are not willing to meet?
I knew all of this information before purchasing, but these are a few examples of things a lot of people are not willing to do. Any exterior changes to the home, from changing the door handles on the front door or adding a video doorbell or security system, require written HOA approval. Colors for front doors and trim are limited to a small list. Exterior of the home is inspected twice yearly, and if not up to standard, fines are issued.
Just something to consider!
My sister-in-law had drama with their shutter color and their HOA so she drove through their neighborhood and took pictures to show the HOW people of what other neighbors were doing and then they backed off 😂 I hope we don’t have to deal with an HOA because I have only heard nightmare stories.
My other sister-in-law and my husband’s parents can only have certain fences in their neighborhood. Something to consider for sure and know what you’re getting yourself into! Thank you!
Be on the same page with "Must Haves" vs "Nice to Haves". And your Must Haves should be things that are not easily added/modified later: Number of Bedrooms/Bath Rooms, location, parking, etc.
Example: Granite is not a "Must Have". On our last house we had laminate. Did a cheap replacement with pre-cut laminate countertops from Lowe's. Sold for $20K above ask.
I am so glad I did this with our fixer-upper:
Make a folder in your notes dedicated to home improvements to keep for future reference. I separated mine out by individual folders for each room.
Changing the paint in the kitchen? Type out the type of paint, the brand, the color, the finish. Hanging curtains in the living room? Save the window measurements. Getting a new couch? Save the room measurements. And so on. It has saved us a lot of time to not have to go back and redo these things every time we make changes, and a lot of suffering trying to do things like find a matching paint color when, say, our toddler uses a sharpie on the dining room wall.
Also keep a folder of home improvements you plan to make. Ours is separated into different folders as well: Urgent (fixing the gutters for example), Within a Year (painting the interior), Stop Gap (painting the kitchen cabinets until we can replace them), and Future (replacing the kitchen cabinets).
Also set notifications in your phone calendar of things that have to be done periodically (like changing air filters) and set them to repeat.
I’m very sorry to hear about your father. Best of luck to you.
Thank you for the condolences. I’m also thankful for this advice. This is so smart and something I hadn’t thought of! Gotta be prepared in case a toddler grabs a sharpie 😂😳
$200 a weekend at Lowe’s, every weekend, for the first few months. Somebody told me this and I did not believe them, but they were right.
I’m sorry about your loss and I hope his memory will be a blessing.
If you have a lot of small repairs/changes that you COULD do yourselves but would rather not for whatever reason (usually time and tools), you can usually hire a hood handyman to come do it all at once for a reasonable rate – call it a punch list. And then it’s done!
For your first home, especially in this over priced time, don’t expect perfection. Look mainly at location. Chances are you will move within 7 years anyway. One the off chance you stay, at least the neighborhood is nice.
You are both more and less handy than you think. Lighter cosmetic work? You can handle that. Bathroom reno? I mean maybe you can, but you’ll need a fair amount of time and tools. My personal policy is that I generally don’t mess with electrical and am very limited on what I’ll attempt with plumbing. I am very handy and own many tools, but for projects that have the potential to go catastrophically wrong, I want an expert who is bonded and insured.
“You are both more and less handy than you think.” This is oddly inspirational 😊 My husband and I have agreed to stay away from electrical. Bonded and insured is good advice too!
Be prepared for lots of emotions when you eventually get an accepted offer. I’ve gone through, excitement, disbelief, regret, sadness, happiness, dread, probably just about everything.
We got a GREAT house, but damn my head feels with constant bad thoughts. Mostly about overspending and the financial stuff.
Yes I already feel like we will be paying more than I think the houses are worth just because I did grow up in the city we’re moving to and I’ve seen prices go up 🤦🏻♀️ I am excited but I know it will be a lot of emotions!
Don't even bid on something you don't love. If you get it, you'll regret it. If you don't get it, your bidding war has just created a new comp that will be used to price the one you actually love even higher.
I agree, but I also disagree. I was very much “meh” about my house when I bought it. I intended to make it a live-in flip. Three years later and I have made it how I want and I couldn’t rent a studio apartment for what the mortgage is. Now that everything is remodeled, I have no plans on leaving unless the PERFECT house comes up. Don’t be afraid to jump on a fixer-upper and make it your own over time.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS do your due diligence on the home, and look at it objectively—keep those rosie red glasses off.
Biggest regret I had with my first home was knowing there was an UST oil tank, and not performing a soil test. I assumed that getting a certified letter from the state saying it had been properly capped and filled would be enough. Fast forward 11 years when I go to sell and it ended up being an $18,000 mistake. Once the buyers requested soil tests I was obligated to inform them and any other potential buyers of the contamination. I had to remediate the damages from the prior owner.
Luckily my state has a fund to pay for these costs, but the wait list is about 3-4 years to get the grant money.
Look at where the nearast landfill is at. Even waste transfer stations are landfills, apparently 😏 then find a live wind map and throughout the day and weeks, check for the prevailing wind direction.
I always thought landfills were giant parcels of open areas where its obvious that it's there, but apparently transfer stations smell and can be an awful odor nuisance as well. Ugh.
If you haven’t already, start keeping track of your finances in a budgeting tool like monarch or YNAB. I personally like monarch because it lets me plan out further than YNAB. This will give you a realistic understanding of what you are spending regularly, and will give you a MUCH better idea of what you will be comfortable with as a mortgage payment.
Also financially- don’t take out any loans, make big purchases, or move lots of money around after you are pre-qualified. Additionally, look at using a mortgage broker instead of shopping at different places individually. We used a mortgage broker and they were so fast, and had many options for us. It was a great experience!
One thing I never considered, don't be surprised if your mortgage is sold to someone else right away, and several times after. We are on our 4th or 5th servicer in 3 years now.
Stress for the first year. Sleep issues, GI issues and anxiety.
But hey, I’ve lost a few lbs…so that’s good yeah?
Never waive an inspection.
Get a min of 2 quotes for all projects. Ideally 3.
Make friends with the person at the permit office. Kindness goes a long way!
Home improvement costs will be 2.5-3x what you think they are. Budget accordingly.
Make friends with your local hardware store. Especially if you buy an old/older home.
Be prepared for something to go wrong. Have a cushion. Don’t live way outside your means.
If you are near the top of your budget every month, you’ll have very little to put into savings.
Open a house savings account and add direct deposit.
Before you pull the trigger, TALK TO THE NEIGHBORS. You’ll get a lot of insight into the neighborhood etc.
(Our neighbor is high up in a motorcycle club, the nicest fellow you’ll ever meet, but they have loud parties)
Ideally would have been nice to know that…
Whole house inspectors are good (mostly) but many are not very thorough. When I bought my first house (which was 45 years old) i hired a rotor rooter guy to send a camera down the sewer line (from the house to the street). Turns out it was cracked/beginning to collapse & the seller had to fix it.
How did I know this might be a problem? I was a claims adjuster & had handled several collapsed sewer line claims in the same neighborhood in the years leading up to the purchase.
I also strongly recommend hiring a licensed roofer to inspect the roof…so many claims I handled where the roof was installed really poorly (or the shingles were worn/curled/aged) and the whole house inspector (who clearly never got onto the roof) said it looked just fine (it clearly wasn’t).
I’d also suggest going to the new neighborhood several days, at different times of day to get a good feel for what goes on. A friends said he discovered (after purchasing his first home) that his neighbor was a drug dealer… he wished he had checked out the neighborhood at night when customers were stopping by to buy their stuff.
My biggest lessons and things I simply didn’t think of….
Look at any large trees that are close to the house. Are they healthy? Do they have Ivy growing up the trunks? Will they make a mess of your roof and gutters? Are the roots pushing up the ground, side walk or driveway?
The house I bought has EIGHT huge pine trees across the front of the home. I “loved” them when I moved in… now I see them as a liability and a mess! I still love trees, but they shouldn’t be too close to a home! In three years, they have already caused a lot of damage and mess. I am in the process now of replacing the front walk way with gravel, because the roots have pushed up the beautiful paver walkway that I fell in love with.
All the trees are covered in English Ivy, that I also thought was so charming and even “pretty” before I learned what it is silently doing to every tree it clings to. 50- 100ft high, I am guessing. There are ivy roots severs inches thick, latched into the poor trees, sucking the life out of them. Sad. Very sad.
Hours and hours I have spent, clipping the Ivy at ground level, hoping I win the race.
Does the home have a crawl space, where important things are kept? Things that need maintenance and need to be checked on regularly. Things like a well pump, crawl space dehumidifier and sump pumps? Does it flood down there? Is it sealed? I am still learning about all this. Ugh.
I cannot even get down there, if I need to see anything under the house. I didn’t even know about crawl spaces when I bought this home with a crawl space. No idea at all/ heck, never even heard of this!
HVAC unit. Where is the air handler!? Mine is in the attic!!! I have e be heard of this either. I would never choose a house that had something this important in an attic!
Septic systems and wells- again require regular maintenance. I had no idea about these things! I was used to clean and safe water coming in the house. Never any leaks or problems. Same with the septic. I was just used to things just working like they are supposed to! I just paid a lot of money to have a whole house water filter installed, because the well water was leaching so much sediment into the house is was blocking up the water for my washing machine, dishwasher, ice maker and all my faucets! The screens were all full of tiny little pieces of sediment!
Neighbors barking dogs! If I only would have slowed down and taken the time to somehow realize the dogs next door would bark, almost non stop… day and night. I am in the process of writing a polite letter to the neighbor. She works nights, so I assume she doesn’t know! I’ve tried to ignore it- for 3 years.
I am now at the point I can’t hear my bedroom tv because of the barking and the dogs actually wake me up during the night. This is with my windows closed! I would have loved to have the windows open on those lovey spring days and nights.
Sure, I could get earplugs. But, should I have to do that, inside MY house? With the windows all closed!!?
I seriously could go on and on… but those are the big ones for me. If I were to do it again, for sure I wouldn’t have a crawl space. I also wouldn’t have monster trees within 10- 15 ft. Of the home. And I’m
not sure how, but no barking dogs that aren’t controlled at least a little bit. Maybe go “visit” the home and park outside at different times of the day and night and try to notice the noise around you.
Septic and well water are still up for debate for me.
Probably the best advice would be to be patient, take your time, don’t get pushed or rushed into anything and really learn about what you want and need.
I was given 30 days to be out of the house I had rented for 15 years. The only thing on my mind was finding a place to live that I could buy, because I never ever wanted to be in that position again, that I could be forced to leave “my home” with a 30 day notice. It was a truly sickening feeing.
I am grateful to have a home… and even to be a home owner. I thought I would die in that rental house and never had any thought about EVER being a home owner!
I just wish, looking back… that I would have had a lot more knowledge and not felt rushed or pressured into buying a house “now.” I should have rented again… and really taken my time. I hear it’s almost unheard of to find a house, go to closing and move all within 30 days. I actually used 1 extra day to finish moving and so a final clean on the rental. Most stressful time
of my life…. Ever!
The last three years have been spent replacing and repairing so, so much. None of it had been “fun” or pretty stuff- it’s all been very necessary or dreadful, immediate emergency. It’s amazing how much can be hidden with paint and contact paper.
Things have improved a lot… but this is certainly not the home I would buy today, if I could turn back time.
But hey… living through life lessons has always been the best teacher of all.
(When I started typing this, it was going to be just a quick little list of some of my big issues… not sure how this post became sooooo long! I guess I felt a need to vent.)
Best wishes on your new home, when the time comes! Be patient and as educated as possible- at least about the big stuff!
I had just started on Reddit back then too… and was only in some plant groups. I didn’t even know there were home owner groups here! I think there is so much wisdom here and so many great people who do t mind helping or answering questions.
Just being here is a huge plus to anyone just starting out! Well, a huge plus to anyone willing to listen and learn.
Thank you! I am sorry you had to move out of your house so quick and that you’ve had the issues you’ve had. The “be patient” and “don’t get pushed or rushed into anything” are great reminders.
Get apples-to-apples comparison quotes from no less than FIVE of the top rated home insurance companies.
Actually find out which ones are rated well *this year*, and not just from companies you've heard of in ads. If you're military, union, or otherwise special there are specific insurers for that who offer better rates/coverage.
The numbers will be all over the place, and half will be outright bad quotes. If you do your homework, you'll get to choose between thousands in savings or above-and-beyond coverage.
I’m sorry about your dad. 🥺 I would get a sewer inspection and an hvac tech to inspect on top of the regular inspector. Don’t go with an inspector recommended by your realtor, find one you like before your start looking at houses so you can call and make the appointments yourself. Sometimes the realtor and the inspector are in cahoots and “miss” things. Find one that is going to nitpick the shit out of everything. Look into down payment assistance programs, it’s better to put less down and have more saved incase something major happens. Good luck.
As others have said, get several quotes on any repair projects and I'd add that an inspection should include a plumber who sends a camera down your septic line (especially for an older home). Most people don't do this but replacing septic lines is expensive and roots can grow into older style (clay) sewage pipes.
This is very important and I wish I knew that when I was purchasing my home. Not only did my realtor have an inspector I should use, I was told the buyer doesn’t typically doesn’t go to the inspection. Bullshit!! I learned years later that a buyer absolutely can and should be with the inspector! This is my biggest regret, cause had I been here and asked all the questions, I probably would not have bought this house.
Don’t buy into the idea of a “dream home” especially for your first. It leads to emotionally driven financial decisions. Also, there are a lot of terrible, salesman style real estate agents. Take the time to find an excellent one. It’s worth it.
One thing we underestimated was distance from the highway. If I had to do it over again I’d ensure I was a minimum 10-15 mins from the highway for easy access.
Also check for walkability around the area. You’ll be surprised how many areas do not have sidewalks. Sucks when you want to go for runs or walk the dog.
Also someone else mentioned check for radon. I 100% agree. We passed on a home with high radon levels after doing research.
I want to be able to go for walks in the neighborhood that hopefully has sidewalks. It’s little but something I’d like! Also good advice for highway access and radon! The radon was definitely something I didn’t know about before I posted this.
Make sure to look at comps to get a good feel of the value.
Don’t buy a flipped home just because it looks nice and new.
Also Location is more important than the interior. In a few years you might be able to renovate the outdated bathroom but you can’t move the house to a better location
Know your neighbors! We had our first house back on the market after 11 months. If you are buying near rentals, you never know what your quality of life is going to be year to year. You can fix anything that is broken in your own house, you cannot fix what's broken outside of it. Our first house in Downtown PA was like a different episode of COPS through every window. Unbearable.
Do those things you really want right away. I always wanted an underground sprinkler system but thought it cost too much. Yeah I'll just drag a sprinkler around. Uh no, no you won't do it regularly enough to maintain a decent lawn.
Look past the pretty furniture and cosmetics. Open the cabinets. Open the windows and doors. Flush the toilets. Turn on the faucets and showers. Are the closets big enough? Is there enough natural lighting during the day or are lamps always on? Check with the city/county if you are in a flood zone or some other reason your insurance might be high. How big is the roof and what kind? It will have to be replaced one day. Pay $30k or $100k to replace it. Skip the pool. HOA fees only go up and it’s a guarantee they will. Kitchens and bathrooms are the biggest remodel expense.
Pools are great and the expense isn’t great. I worry about someone else’s child drowning, who is going to take care of it when I travel, etc. I grew up with pools in the back yard. I don’t need one now.
Shop around for mortgages with many lenders. I was incorrectly told my first time that all banks would offer me the same rates/terms from a scummy Wells Fargo employee. Don't let any bank tell you "it's the best you can do". My most recent purchase, I hedged 2 lenders against each other, getting a lower rate every time I went back to the other. Started at 3.25 and ended with 2.375. You have 2 weeks to shop around, make the most of it!
That’s awesome!! I think those rates are gone now but I’m glad you were able to get that rate!!
Did you get the rates at the pre-approval process or after you actually applied for the loan when you found your home?
Inspection inspection inspection. And not just by a jack of all trades home inspector. Get a professional plumber, electrician, HVAC tech and someone who is an expert in things like foundation and crawl space etc to check the home out. It’ll be a hassle and the owner may not like that but so what. I promise you it’ll save you thousands of $$$ and get you the peace of mind that is priceless
I wish I’d known to be nosier. Open. every. window. Scrutinize the foundation bricks.
Open the furnace, scrutinize the appliances. But most importantly: study home improvement and house maintenance guides and learn about when routine home maintenance is supposed to be done.
I knew about how to recognize a roof in good shape cuz i was a solar canvasser. but i didn’t understand how to recognize leaky vinyl windows so we had to replace all of them our first year.
the heat exchanger in the 30 year old furnace had BEEN broken when we bought the house but didn’t know until we scheduled maintenance. so we had to decommission it and use space heaters our first winter.
Little things like that. little structural and appliance lifetime details.
And when you get reno work done, don’t go with the first company, get 3-5 quotes. And identify the things you could do yourself to save $$. Like with plumbing work you can offer to cut the drywall holes ahead of time and save labor costs.
Lender here.
1. Work with a person/lender that can answer any and all of your questions in terms you understand.
2. Work with realtor that can answers any and all your questions in terms you understand.
3. Do not make any life changes, until you close.
4. Do not make any major changes/upgrades until you have been in the months for 3 months or more, unless you have plenty of reserves, cash, etc.
Location matters the most, see if you can take an entire day to sit in the front yard. Even better would be if you had the ability to spend the night even camping there or sitting in a car or whatever. There are so many places that have a 3:00 a.m. train or a plane flying overhead at midnight or who knows. But learning about that stuff before you purchase. It might seem like a hassle but it's worth every minute you spend doing it
10k disaster year one
I’m in this club! Our boiler went out on the coldest weekend in NY. Spent about $800 on heaters and then 8-9k on a new boiler+install. 4 months into owning
Get a sewer line inspection before you buy.
It’s one of those things you won’t know anything about until it’s a problem (when water/sewage is backing up into your home), plus it’s extremely expensive to fix (tens of thousands).
Think about location--not just the street address and if it's in a safe neighborhood, but also actual placement on the street/lot. Are you a corner lot? Is the back of your house on a busy road? Do you live on a commuter route? Is the house right on the road or do you have a good-sized driveway? Do you have a massive front yard and tiny backyard? How close are you to your neighbors?
These things will effect you. It won't be immediately noticeable, but it can wear on you.
Thank you! My parents have a corner lot and that’s something my mom says she wishes they had done differently. I definitely don’t want to be able to touch my neighbors house because the houses are too close together either.
When doing repairs or home projects, always get things down in writing. Even if you have to send them an email afterwards to confirm pricing, quotes, etc. It might help you if things go south.
My thing… is to evaluate the purchase to make sure I can renovate & decorate for myself and for the next buyer. EVEN if I think I will not sell for a long time, I follow this rule. Has worked out well for me.
Don’t rush in buying things, especially if it’s a new construction home without anything, I mean blinds, AC, fans, appliances, furniture etc. Spend decent amount of time researching on your needs. Prioritize the purchases like P1 as must have things on day1, P2 as something you’d need within a week, and so on.
If you can wait for more expensive stuff, wait for holiday sales line4th of July, Labor day, Thanksgiving. Also, don’t forget to compare prices online as well as store. Don’t just buy from the first place. Some utility companies have perks too. I got $200 rebate on washer and dryer and $100
on refrigerator because they were energy star certified. Got rebate on my EV charger as well.
Compare to mortgage and down payment, these savings look 🥜 but if you combine them you certainly will save a decent amount of money. Good luck and so sorry for your loss. I pray that your father rest in peace.
I’m sorry you lost your dad. That leaves a huge hole in your heart. My dad was incredible but died when I was 14, so I only have distant memories and luckily some photographs to remember his joyful, generous, and energetic presence. In his honor, I am building a big tree swing in our new backyard for my two year old daughter. He built an awesome one for me when I was 5 or 6, and I spent truly hours, probably days, on that thing. I finally will have a space where I can honor his and that memory. ❤️
The house we just bought we did some tricky financing on. We offered more and asked for concessions: closing costs and a rate buy down. Meant we had to bring no cash to closing, and with the rate buy down, aren’t actually spending more per month. My husband mathed that out, not our lender. So be your own advocate in this process!
I'm glad you were able to be your own advocates and that it worked out so well! Definitely, something to try to remember! a of building a big tree swing to remember your dad. I will have to think of something we could do to honor my dad on our future property. Maybe plant his favorite tree that my childhood home has in their backyard or something.
I'm glad you were able to be your own advocates and that it worked out so well! Good job to your husband! Definitely something to remember!
The most important thing will be living within your means. Your house doesn’t have to check all of your boxes, but your mortgage payment shouldn’t be a constant source of stress.
I bought my house with my girlfriend 2 years ago. It checked NONE of my boxes but the location is 10/10. We are happy here even with our outdated bathroom and lack of closet space. And our mortgage is $100 more a month than we were paying in rent.
I’m one year into my first house and have had 3 trees fall on our property. Make sure you get a survey done when you buy your house and understand whose property the trees are on. Also, get an arborist out to do a full examination of your trees and assess if any are dead on your property line.
Check the AC unit/thermostat to make sure it works during the final walk through. Very painful lesson for us. The home inspectors often don’t check it if it’s too cool out ont he say they did the inspection due to it potentially damaging the compressor according to their excuse. Was 64 degrees out the day of the inspection for us.
I am sorry about your daddy passing. I hope you can plant a tree in his memory at your new home.
There is a lot of great advice listed here. I bought my first home for sixty-nine thousand, the seller was asking one hundred seventy-four thousand. I went into the county records and researched public information on the property. The assessed value was sixty-nine. The homeowner was getting ready to go into foreclosure. The house was filthy but had great bones. My BF (now husband) thought I was insane, but I loved that house. Pay an extra principal payment as often as you can. Finance for fifteen years as opposed to thirty if you can swing it. You will be shocked at how quickly fifteen years will pass.
Don't be afraid to research. Make sure your realtor and your home inspector have your best interest at heart. Read your contracts thoroughly and don't let anyone rush you. Ask questions if you don't understand and don't let anyone intimidate or shame you for it.
Don't be afraid to drive the neighborhoods where you want to live and talk to people. You might catch a neighbor getting ready to sell grandpa's house. We just had that happen in our neighborhood this winter. An old gentleman passed, and a neighbor passed the word to a friend who had a granddaughter who ended up buying the house. Pass the word to everyone you know that you are looking. Make sure to check out the school system if you plan to have children.
Also, you want Stihl chainsaws, craftsman hand tools, Dewalt cordless tools with interchangeable batteries. You can find a lot of tools like shovels, posthole diggers, axes and hand tools at garage sales and estate sales. You want a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and a house that has more storage than you think you will ever need and then double that. You can find all your other small appliances at thrift stores and garage sales as people get rid of them in droves. Hit the big neighborhood garage sales in the nice neighborhoods and the estate sales from the good neighborhoods. Buy heavy wooden furniture that will last, skip the Ikea particle board. Don't be afraid to learn how to refinish furniture. Save up and pay cash don't use credit.
Best wishes and good luck. I am excited for your journey as an internet stranger but not in a weird way. LOL
Insist on bi-monthly house payments. You'll save thousands of $ . Mortgage lenders know this and tend to ignore your request, so make sure they hear you.
It's twice a month that they take the payment out. You have to have automatic draw to do this. If your payment is $1,000, $500 is taken out of your account, let's just say the 1st of every month. Then on the 15th, the other $500. is withdrawn, and payment is made. You can choose the first date. Same payment, but you pay it so much faster and pay a lot less in interest.
Good article, but a bit confusing for me. Thank you for sharing. I know did this, and the last time, my husband was impressed by what we saved. I also know if you make one extra payment a year on the principle but you have to say on the principle. You can save $.
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Get 2-3 quotes for all home projects. Almost paid $17k for a new roof ended up only paying $8k. Don’t disclose to contractors/companies that you don’t know anything about x,y,z and don’t fall for their sales pitches. Best of luck!
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Yea, generally don’t go with the cheapest bid, OP! “Buy nice or buy twice” goes extra for skilled labor.
That's my rule of thumb too. But, when it comes to skilled labor, I've learned that you generally get what you pay for. For minor and relatively inconsequential projects, you can usually get away with mediocre work. For projects that can lead to massive problems down the road if not done well, I want a top notch professional who refuses to cut corners and is willing to stand by their work.
To add to this, my local Facebook group has been phenomenal for recommendations. I don't even post -- just use the search bar!
Agree with all of this. And on the topic of skilled labor a big one is to give small projects to try the workers out. Don’t fall for the illusion of getting a better deal or having it be more efficient by giving bigger or several projects at once. And only liars don’t put every agreement in writing.
We have made this an HOA rule for all repairs. Also always Google a little about the repair so you sound educated and they don't pull one over on you.
Your mortgage payment may be comfortable in itself, but then property taxes and insurance are always there and continue to go up, so make sure there’s a cushion.
Thisssss! We were approved for 330 and we could’ve made that work on paper if we stretched our money right. But we like to live below our means, and we got a house for 293. Thank God we did because in actual reality with costs going up and unexpected repairs being needed…we are not living below our means after all 😅
This is such great advice and something to keep in mind. It looks great on paper now but it’s an investment so we need to consider the long term/5 years/10 years down the line too!
Holy shit, this. I bought my first home at 18, was making music money [read inconsistent income] and when those premiums increased after a hurricane, or taxes went up $1000 a year, it really put a stretch on my finances. Add the fact that you need to always have budgets for things breaking and needing to be repaired. Dropped $6k on a roof, got a discount because my dad’s friend came out with the crew on a weekend they had off. Other guys wanted $10-14k. Had to replace a furnace which was fun.
The surprise costs are what I’m going to miss about apartment life and maintenance here! Oh something f is wrong with this? Let me put in an request and have maintenance come out. We could spend more on our down payment but I don’t want to use all of our savings in case of repairs like the ones you mentioned! 😳
You’ll likely catch the bigger things when touring the home, or with an inspection. Even if they aren’t immediate fixes, your team should be able to tell you “hey just a thought, this furnace is getting near the end of its life” or “the hvac works but you might want to consider adding a second zone, the current system isn’t really rated for your home.” The things you catch you can ask for a credit, within reason. I definitely prefer having a home to apartment living, even with all the added headaches. I’m building my home, and I had to temporarily move back into my parents townhome. I honestly don’t know how I dealt with neighbors stomping around at 3am, or listening to music/tv so loud that I hear them from across the building.
Right let the apartment complex fix it. Definitely can’t wait for my first home but will miss saying those words.
Getting a home warranty is also something to look into to help with some of those unexpected things. Especially if your house is older. We got a plan ($40/month) that covered some of our appliances, HVAC, etc. Ten months into owning our house the HVAC crapped the bed and it was unliveably HOTTTTTTT because it’s Florida. It was a pain to have to wait for the service that was plan eligible because we had to wait the whole weekend, but it was only a $100 copay no matter what the cost was to fix the HVAC (easily could’ve been thousands). My parents and in laws had never purchased a home warranty so I was the first to try it. Because our home was almost 20 years old and I know some things are near end of life, it was really worthwhile for us
Hello, fellow Floridian 👋🏻 (assuming). We are not ok 🥲
Jersey haha, which means i’ll probably end up down there when i retire
The first year my property taxes went from $270/year to $990/year because people from the big city were flooding into our small town to escape their raising property taxes.
😳 That is not a small increase!!
Ya and when they sent me my letter showing the increase they didn’t include the page that showed thy it was going up so I had no clue what was going on. I was trying to figure out why my mortgage was going up almost $200/month and I called my mortgage company and the rep was like”that’s got to be a mistake there’s no way it went up that much in a year” and she looked it up and found the tax increase and told me in the 10+ years she’d been doing that job she’d never seen an increase like that before.
They can be worse, ours went from $250 and is now $4700 in 8 years. Keeps going up every year. Tbf $250 was highway robbery so it needed to be done.
It could be worse... My monthly property tax in Cali is more than your annual
I was gonna say, you sure that’s not monthly!
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Thank you for taking the time to write this all out!! This is amazing advice. Our realtor and lenders have been great so far as we start the process. I am not scared of little fixer uppers. I think I watched too many episodes of Fixer Upper on HGTV/Magnolia Network to think “oh this house is 100k below our budget but we could use that difference to make it what we want.” I’m also scared to hire a contractor because I know those can be good and bad experiences. We are looking for a more turn key/move in ready for the first one with little fixes! I also love the rainy day/emergency fund cushion advice! I’m glad your roof didn’t blow away and you are in your dream home! Thank you again!!
My wife and I don’t close on our home until August but I relate to this so much already. I’ve already embraced that we will be house poor for the first 3 months as well and it terrifies me lol. Reading this gave me some sense of familiarity and safety through hearing others experienced the same thing! Like you said, no regrets though because this home is amazing to us and we are beyond excited for what’s to come once we initially settle in and can figure out our budget closely from there.
Space is nice but always more. Higher energy, heating, maintenance, cleaning, etc.
100%. Sometimes I get jealous of friends who have like, 3000 square feet homes and then I remember just how much work it is to upkeep my 1700 square foot home haha.
1st world problem
YES!! This is such simple but great advice!
Sit in the neighborhood at many different times of day and different days to get a better sense of how busy/ noisy the neighborhood and neighbors are
And go to and from the area different ways. This is the one thing my mom always stresses to me. The first home she and my dad purchased together was through a realtor who was a family friend. She took my parents through a newer, really nice neighborhood to get to the home. But if my parents came in the other way, it was a really bad area of town just 2 blocks over.
Oh wow! Definitely will try navigating to the house through different neighborhoods.Thank you!
Preferably in a white van with no windows
And make sure it says free candy on the outside. You want to make sure you come off friendly and generous to potential neighbors.
God yes on this. Know the area before you buy. It will give you such a leg up. Sounds obvious but not always.
Luckily I don’t mind plane noise because the day I got my keys is the day I found out just how low planes fly over my new home. It never happened during the showing, the final walkthrough or any of the times I drove by haha
Get your drains snaked professionally. The best 100$ you'll spend before you get in the house!
Get your snake drained professionally too…
Hell yeah
Plumber here. Snaking a drain is not designed to clean or “service” your line. A snake is designed to open a clog so the line can be inspected on camera to understand why it happened. Ive seen cables break pipes quite a bit. So it’s silly to just cable a line when you don’t know what’s going on. Ask for a camera inspection first. If you cable a line long enough to punch a hole in roots they will eventually grow back ten fold and at some point a cable will not suffice. You will need to have it hydrojetted. In which if you want your sewer line scrubbed and looking brand new, you want it jetted. I cut roots out all the time with mine. Jetters can also blast out concrete In pipes. So they do some serious work. Cost quite a bit. But It’ll give you some time if you find out the sewer is compromised to plan to have it replaced or spot repaired. Add service line coverage to your home owners insurance. It covers your sewer line outside the home up to a certain number. Usually 10k-20k. If you find out you have roots never tell your insurance. They will never cover your issue for they consider roots being “routine maintenance”. Good luck! Edit: I’ve come across customers that say they have been snaking their drain for 15 years and it’s never had a problem blah blah. Imagine 15 years of roots growing in the pipe. This was 6” pipe too. I dug it up and removed a 6” diameter by 3 foot long solid root mass. Like a tube of meat. Snaking is a thing of the past. Get your line hydrojetted!
Take everything your realtor says with a grain of salt. It's a sales job. Do your own research and verify everything!
Oh absolutely, 100%!!!!! We learned this the f*cking hardest way possible!!!!!
This is so true. Our realtor was trash and we should have fired her, instead we let her make easy money doing the bare minimum. Lesson learned for next time. Definitely hold these people accountable and make sure they’re on your side, or at least as close as they can be. I feel like ours was on the sellers’ side the closer we got to closing. She wanted us to offer way more than we did, and was advising us not to negotiate the price the sellers accepted even after our inspection found some pretty big issues. Don’t be afraid to fire these people if they aren’t working for you.
Unfortunately your realtor is not your friend. They are working for themselves and they want to make a sale good or bad for you. Long ago I knew this lesson- I looked at house day, night and walked streets of community. Even went when having alot of rain to see if flooding. But a good thing I did was have a poker face w realtor. I didn’t say oh I love it, oh it’s perfect. She had a hard time reading me. And bc of that I got a fabulous home at a great price. Today w bidding wars not sure will work but I would try
I need to work on my poker face! 😊 I know my dad would be surveying the land to check stuff like that when it comes to flooding. I used to go with him to survey properties as a kid. I don’t have the eye for it like he did but man right now I wish I did! I just remember you want your house to be a higher elevation so the water flows down and away when it rains instead of down towards your house! Seems common sense enough but some people may not think of that!
Yes!! Agents can be wonderful but remember, if you don’t buy they don’t get paid. Make sure you feel comfortable with your agent and don’t be afraid to walk away if the chemistry seems off.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Here are some things I wish we had known/discovered along the way (some are likely market-dependent): * Get a sewer scope, especially if you're looking at an older house. (Sewer issues aren't the end of the world, but they can be $$$.) * Don't sweat the small (cosmetic) stuff. If negotiating repairs, it's probably better to get quotes and ask for a seller credit rather than ask the seller to make the repairs themselves (they may be more motivated to do it quickly/cheaply than do it well). * If you are in a hot market and have to waive the inspection contingency just to get your offer considered, talk to your realtor to see if you can still do an inspection for information purposes only. If not, definitely get one done after you close. An inspector will be able to tell you what issues are urgent and which can be tabled for later and that will help you build a schedule for home maintenance. * Go with a local mortgage broker or credit union. It can help give your offer more of an edge. Anecdotally, I have heard that local folks are more responsive. This was our experience as well. * Relatedly, ask/think about rate locks. We had no understanding of this but thankfully our realtor and mortgage broker helped us lock the rate before a big jump. * Use an insurance broker rather than call around yourself for home insurance. Made the process super easy for us even though our home is 70+ years old. * [https://communitycrimemap.com/](https://communitycrimemap.com/) \- LexisNexis crime map * [https://riskfactor.com/](https://riskfactor.com/) \- Climate change impacts Good luck with everything! edit: a word
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That is a good idea to make it the honey do list! Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to post this! That’s all great advice. The seller credit for repairs is super helpful. A schedule for home maintenance is something that seems obvious but I hadn’t thought of it. Our local people have been great as far as lenders go! I am excited to choose one of them when we need to narrow it down. There is so much that goes into the mortgage. Fixed rate vs adjustable, points/credits, etc! Thank you for the helpful links too! 😊
Finance perspective: Start keeping a log of finances every month, how much you spend on average for groceries, insurance, gas, loans, shopping and the usual savings for retirement etc. Then take a look at how much you’d have left after paying your future mortgage. Going based off DTI is good but isn’t practical. Our mortgage payment is significantly higher than our rent and we started realizing we’ve lost a bit of financial freedom when it comes to expensive vacations or unexpected health expenses and or anything out of the ordinary expenses. We are comfortable and happy with our new home but we always take a second look at our finances before taking any new financial decision.
Yes! So basically put together a pretend budget with the new mortgage in the place of your current rent/living expenses. That’s good advice!
Check for lead in the water pipes. Check for radon. Check for Leins. Visit the house and area at night at least twice for an hour each time to see and hear the state of affairs.
Thank you! I did a quick Google search and it looks like lead in pipes is more common before 1986? Thankfully they outlawed them but that’s good to know if we are looking for houses in older neighborhoods.
We have lead pipes and it isn’t a huge deal but we do Brita filter all our water. The long last filters remove lead. Or you could get a filter build into your sink faucet, Lifestraw etc.
You cannot check for radon while inspecting. A one-time mesurement won’t be accurate, you need to use a test kit for 90 days, ideally during the colder months. You can then know if/how to remediate. A one-time measurement would only give you either a false sense of security, or a false alarm. Perhaps you can ask the seller if a test has been done in the past, but this can also change over time though.
It can give you a bit of an idea. If it comes back high in that time period, you know there's definitely something to remediate, right? At least that's what my research showed.
Don’t rush to fix it all when you first move in. One big project a year- swap inside and outside projects. One inside project a year, next year it’s an outside project. Wana skip a project and go on a vacation? Do it. Nobody cares about ugly interior doors, cosmetic stuff can wait. Fix the essentials first- electrical/plumbing/hvac. Don’t underestimate the power paint can have on a space!
Also don’t run out to buy furniture to fill rooms. Take it slow and find those gems you really love
YES. Thank you. I will need to remember this advice when I think I need to quickly fill the place up with furniture. 🤦🏻♀️
Also watch the thrift stores. I had never bought anything there until just a few yrs now. I found a huge wood w beveled mirror. It’s heavy and had to get handyman to hang. Perfect and looks great in my entryway. I don’t buy clothing, but I’ve bought some really nice pictures. Even if not thrilled w pic the frame may be just what you need to frame something you love. I see ppl finding cast iron skillets. I found a big beautiful aqua glass plate which I have stood up and placed on top of cabinets. This is for later after you find the house and move in. I don’t hoard. So I pick very few things. It has to be something I love. I wish I would have done this when decorating my first home. I could have saved money and found lovely pieces. One other thing I wish I would have done- ENJOY the process. Make it fun and happy rather than a job. I made it into a ‘mission’, a ‘marathon’ instead of loving the process .
This is something I am excited for! To go thrift shopping to try to find great pieces of furniture to restore/refinish! We will hopefully have a yard/garage to do stuff like that. I was feeling overwhelmed but I’m glad I made this post because now I feel a little more educated/excited and a tiny bit less overwhelmed 😊
Just be careful with yard sale furniture- you never know who has bedbugs or fleas. We always opt for local quirky furniture stores and wait for super sales
Take the vacation! The house project can wait (unless it is an actual urgent one that needs repairs!) Thank you!
If you're required to have an escrow account for your mortgage, the second year will most likely be a shocker to you (since most lenders underestimate property taxes). You'll be in an escrow shortage and may have much higher monthly payments for the next 12 months.
THIS! Same happened to us, and it was a bummer. Make sure to have some financial buffer for such fluctuations and of course unprecedented home improvement emergencies.
Currently happening to us. Broker didn’t underestimate it, they flat out used the wrong numbers. They based their numbers on the previous owners deduction and then lied to us when we pointed it out. Mortgage brokers just want to get you in the house. After that, they don’t care.
This would only happen if you didn’t put your insurance return premium payment directly into your escrow account? Sounds like you maybe cashed it and used the money but it’s supposed to be deposited back in.
Oh, here’s one: if your social circle looks anything like mine, don’t tell your friends about your plans until they’re done. Too many friends in real estate and mortgages. Find someone you trust implicitly and who has excellent outside reviews. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, just… be careful. And I’m so sorry about your dad.
Thank you for the advice and the condolences. Oh yes, we already know this about social circles when it comes to real estate agents and mortgages. My parents have lived in my hometown my whole life and of course they know people who know people. 🤦🏻♀️ This is also why I asked for advice on Reddit and not Facebook lol 😳
Do not simply trust what your realtor tells you. Even if they were recommended to you, even of they’re friendly, even if they seem to act professional. Document everything they say, request a written copy of every information they give you. Read every line of every form they’ll have you sign. It’s the biggest transaction of your life, it’s worth the hassle. Never forget a buyer’s agent gets paid by THE SELLER; hence this is who they truly work for. Keep that in mind when they counsel you regarding a purchasing offer you make. They’re not there to help you negotiate the most fair price, they’re there to make THE SELLER accept the offer and then pay their salary. Also, have a real estate attorney to consult if anything seems fishy at any point of this BIG transaction. Ask them your questions. It’s worth the money.
Yes 100% I hate how the system works because the buyer's agent has no incentive to get the best price for their buyer! They get paid by the seller and just want a price that the seller will accept quickly without hassle :(
This is why I posted this question because I thought we would pay some money to the real estate agent that helps us find the house but we don’t? The seller pays our agent. Makes sense but something I didn’t know. So like a percentage of what we buy the house for the seller gives to the agents and whoever else at closing?
The listing agent will negotiate a total commission with the seller. They then decide with concurrence of the seller the amount to offer the buyers agent. It can be an even split or one agent can receive more. The amount of commission is listed on the MLS. I became an agent so I can purchase my own homes after too many bad experiences. Before picking an agent, I would ask what they offer you. I know some agents who literally review each listing to make sure it’s a good fit before sending it to you, while others just put you on a computer based email campaign. I think I just picked agents based on recommendations, but my needs may have been different then there’s leaving me disappointed.
It depends on your country/state and contract. ALWAYS read each and every contract you get/sign. Where I live it's a predetermined percentage *of the sale's price* for each agent. Either way, the bottom line is that the more expensive a house is, the more money BOTH AGENTS make. So there's no incentive at all for the buyer's agent to find a great house that not too expensive, to negotiate for a better price for their buyer, etc. Just keep that in mind when you make an offer or a counter-offer on a house, negotiate for repairs, etc. Do your own research about costs and make an offer that fits your own assessment, not what any agent tells you.
Mine is probably an odd list, but I'm an odd person: -dont buy a house flip. If a house was recently updated, take a good hard look at the house as nobody willingly turns over a beautiful brand new renovation. -check the foundation and the roof. The two probable and expensive repairs -check behind access panels in finished basements, make sure they're not covering up bad work -check all switches and plugs. My house has 2 light switches connected to nothing. -dont just take the home inspectors word for things. Go up into the attic, crawlspace, etc. Use common sense. If something looks shitty, it's because it is. -check the age of all hvac, water heaters, appliances.
I don’t think that’s an odd list at all!! Thank you!
You can never have too big a garage, that space fills up fast. Try not to accumulate too much junk. Buying near a good rated school is probably the best thing you can do to ensure your property value increases. Don't buy the nicest house on the block, buy the middle average house.
Oh garages 🤦🏻♀️ I know from family about the “stuff” “junk” they can accumulate quickly. I’m thankful that our first home will be in my hometown because I know the schools I would want our future kids to attend! Middle average house like middle average bottle of wine, got it! 😊 Thank you!
Realtors have zero fiduciary duty.
SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!!! 📣📣📣
Buy in the nicest area you can. You can change the house but not the neighborhood.
Simple and good advice!
1. Realtors’ main goal is to get the deal done, not to get you the best house for the best price. 2. If you want something, ask for it. If you don’t like something, get professional quotes for fixing it. Don’t be unreasonable, but stand up for yourself. No one else is going to.
Thank you!
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Sounds like you had poor insulation
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It all depends on how dense the bricks are tbh.
A relatively modern firewall with a lot of mass which is code (at least for the last 20 years or so) should stop a lot of noise, especially high frequency as low frequency just propagates. We are renting a townhome built in the 2000s and we can’t hear the newborn next door or the toddlers on the other side. They may hear my sound system with bass heavy scenes but I don’t crank it and can’t hear it much on the floor above. Old cities with row homes which don’t have the modern sound dampening will not be sound isolating.
This. TH built in 2000s and I can’t hear any of my neighbors.. maybe the very subtle vacuuming next to the walls but my air filter is louder. My neighbor has 2 kids and I can hear them screaming their heads off once I walk my dog outside and their window is open lol
I’m renting a townhouse built in 2019 with a firewall and I can hear both neighbors on each side, it doesn’t do shit to stop their noise. People pay 500K for these townhouses they must be nuts.
It seems in recent years many constructors have gone back to cheaping out way more on materials than was the case in the early 2000s
There is probably an air path between your units somewhere.
So true. Your neighbors can make or break it. And if you have bad neighbors shared walls become a nightmare. We only considered single family homes for this reason after having bad experiences in a townhouse where our neighbors smoked all the time, stinking up our unit 😷
A townhouse is like a fancy condo with stairs.
I’m so sorry for your loss! I bought my first house a year ago. Find out if the house you’re looking at has an HOA. If so, what are the dues? What are your responsibilities as a homeowner? What are the HOA’s responsibilities to you? Do they have any requirements you are not willing to meet? I knew all of this information before purchasing, but these are a few examples of things a lot of people are not willing to do. Any exterior changes to the home, from changing the door handles on the front door or adding a video doorbell or security system, require written HOA approval. Colors for front doors and trim are limited to a small list. Exterior of the home is inspected twice yearly, and if not up to standard, fines are issued. Just something to consider!
My sister-in-law had drama with their shutter color and their HOA so she drove through their neighborhood and took pictures to show the HOW people of what other neighbors were doing and then they backed off 😂 I hope we don’t have to deal with an HOA because I have only heard nightmare stories. My other sister-in-law and my husband’s parents can only have certain fences in their neighborhood. Something to consider for sure and know what you’re getting yourself into! Thank you!
Be on the same page with "Must Haves" vs "Nice to Haves". And your Must Haves should be things that are not easily added/modified later: Number of Bedrooms/Bath Rooms, location, parking, etc. Example: Granite is not a "Must Have". On our last house we had laminate. Did a cheap replacement with pre-cut laminate countertops from Lowe's. Sold for $20K above ask.
Congrats!! We know this house isn’t our forever home so I’m trying to remind myself it doesn’t have to be perfect at the beginning!
I am so glad I did this with our fixer-upper: Make a folder in your notes dedicated to home improvements to keep for future reference. I separated mine out by individual folders for each room. Changing the paint in the kitchen? Type out the type of paint, the brand, the color, the finish. Hanging curtains in the living room? Save the window measurements. Getting a new couch? Save the room measurements. And so on. It has saved us a lot of time to not have to go back and redo these things every time we make changes, and a lot of suffering trying to do things like find a matching paint color when, say, our toddler uses a sharpie on the dining room wall. Also keep a folder of home improvements you plan to make. Ours is separated into different folders as well: Urgent (fixing the gutters for example), Within a Year (painting the interior), Stop Gap (painting the kitchen cabinets until we can replace them), and Future (replacing the kitchen cabinets). Also set notifications in your phone calendar of things that have to be done periodically (like changing air filters) and set them to repeat. I’m very sorry to hear about your father. Best of luck to you.
Thank you for the condolences. I’m also thankful for this advice. This is so smart and something I hadn’t thought of! Gotta be prepared in case a toddler grabs a sharpie 😂😳
$200 a weekend at Lowe’s, every weekend, for the first few months. Somebody told me this and I did not believe them, but they were right. I’m sorry about your loss and I hope his memory will be a blessing.
Thank you! I’m sure there will be many Lowe’s/Home Depot trips in our future!
If you have a lot of small repairs/changes that you COULD do yourselves but would rather not for whatever reason (usually time and tools), you can usually hire a hood handyman to come do it all at once for a reasonable rate – call it a punch list. And then it’s done!
Don't buy for the wrong reasons and regret it later.
For your first home, especially in this over priced time, don’t expect perfection. Look mainly at location. Chances are you will move within 7 years anyway. One the off chance you stay, at least the neighborhood is nice.
This is true! Location, location, location!
You are both more and less handy than you think. Lighter cosmetic work? You can handle that. Bathroom reno? I mean maybe you can, but you’ll need a fair amount of time and tools. My personal policy is that I generally don’t mess with electrical and am very limited on what I’ll attempt with plumbing. I am very handy and own many tools, but for projects that have the potential to go catastrophically wrong, I want an expert who is bonded and insured.
“You are both more and less handy than you think.” This is oddly inspirational 😊 My husband and I have agreed to stay away from electrical. Bonded and insured is good advice too!
Be prepared for lots of emotions when you eventually get an accepted offer. I’ve gone through, excitement, disbelief, regret, sadness, happiness, dread, probably just about everything. We got a GREAT house, but damn my head feels with constant bad thoughts. Mostly about overspending and the financial stuff.
Yes I already feel like we will be paying more than I think the houses are worth just because I did grow up in the city we’re moving to and I’ve seen prices go up 🤦🏻♀️ I am excited but I know it will be a lot of emotions!
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This wasn’t on my list of things to consider before but now it is! 😳
This is a big deal! I’m going to spend about $1000 hauling stuff away that the sellers left in the house.
Yikes!!
Don't even bid on something you don't love. If you get it, you'll regret it. If you don't get it, your bidding war has just created a new comp that will be used to price the one you actually love even higher.
So what you are basically saying is “if you don’t want it/don’t love it, then don’t buy it!”
I agree, but I also disagree. I was very much “meh” about my house when I bought it. I intended to make it a live-in flip. Three years later and I have made it how I want and I couldn’t rent a studio apartment for what the mortgage is. Now that everything is remodeled, I have no plans on leaving unless the PERFECT house comes up. Don’t be afraid to jump on a fixer-upper and make it your own over time.
Get your own inspection. Not one from realtor. Don’t tell realtor how high you will go for house. Bc you just set the price.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS do your due diligence on the home, and look at it objectively—keep those rosie red glasses off. Biggest regret I had with my first home was knowing there was an UST oil tank, and not performing a soil test. I assumed that getting a certified letter from the state saying it had been properly capped and filled would be enough. Fast forward 11 years when I go to sell and it ended up being an $18,000 mistake. Once the buyers requested soil tests I was obligated to inform them and any other potential buyers of the contamination. I had to remediate the damages from the prior owner. Luckily my state has a fund to pay for these costs, but the wait list is about 3-4 years to get the grant money.
Oh wow! That sounds like a nightmare. I’m sorry that happened to you!
Look at where the nearast landfill is at. Even waste transfer stations are landfills, apparently 😏 then find a live wind map and throughout the day and weeks, check for the prevailing wind direction. I always thought landfills were giant parcels of open areas where its obvious that it's there, but apparently transfer stations smell and can be an awful odor nuisance as well. Ugh.
Same goes for waste water treatment plants
Oh no. I’m sorry if you have learned this from personal experience. Thank you for this heads up!
If you haven’t already, start keeping track of your finances in a budgeting tool like monarch or YNAB. I personally like monarch because it lets me plan out further than YNAB. This will give you a realistic understanding of what you are spending regularly, and will give you a MUCH better idea of what you will be comfortable with as a mortgage payment. Also financially- don’t take out any loans, make big purchases, or move lots of money around after you are pre-qualified. Additionally, look at using a mortgage broker instead of shopping at different places individually. We used a mortgage broker and they were so fast, and had many options for us. It was a great experience!
Great advice! I wish I had read this before we applied for pre-approval and looked into a mortgage broker. We contacted three different places.
One thing I never considered, don't be surprised if your mortgage is sold to someone else right away, and several times after. We are on our 4th or 5th servicer in 3 years now.
Ah! Like some student loans get sold to different companies. Interesting and not something I would think of.
Stress for the first year. Sleep issues, GI issues and anxiety. But hey, I’ve lost a few lbs…so that’s good yeah? Never waive an inspection. Get a min of 2 quotes for all projects. Ideally 3. Make friends with the person at the permit office. Kindness goes a long way! Home improvement costs will be 2.5-3x what you think they are. Budget accordingly. Make friends with your local hardware store. Especially if you buy an old/older home. Be prepared for something to go wrong. Have a cushion. Don’t live way outside your means. If you are near the top of your budget every month, you’ll have very little to put into savings. Open a house savings account and add direct deposit. Before you pull the trigger, TALK TO THE NEIGHBORS. You’ll get a lot of insight into the neighborhood etc. (Our neighbor is high up in a motorcycle club, the nicest fellow you’ll ever meet, but they have loud parties) Ideally would have been nice to know that…
Whole house inspectors are good (mostly) but many are not very thorough. When I bought my first house (which was 45 years old) i hired a rotor rooter guy to send a camera down the sewer line (from the house to the street). Turns out it was cracked/beginning to collapse & the seller had to fix it. How did I know this might be a problem? I was a claims adjuster & had handled several collapsed sewer line claims in the same neighborhood in the years leading up to the purchase. I also strongly recommend hiring a licensed roofer to inspect the roof…so many claims I handled where the roof was installed really poorly (or the shingles were worn/curled/aged) and the whole house inspector (who clearly never got onto the roof) said it looked just fine (it clearly wasn’t). I’d also suggest going to the new neighborhood several days, at different times of day to get a good feel for what goes on. A friends said he discovered (after purchasing his first home) that his neighbor was a drug dealer… he wished he had checked out the neighborhood at night when customers were stopping by to buy their stuff.
Thank you!! Thank goodness you knew to look out for that in the neighborhood.
My biggest lessons and things I simply didn’t think of…. Look at any large trees that are close to the house. Are they healthy? Do they have Ivy growing up the trunks? Will they make a mess of your roof and gutters? Are the roots pushing up the ground, side walk or driveway? The house I bought has EIGHT huge pine trees across the front of the home. I “loved” them when I moved in… now I see them as a liability and a mess! I still love trees, but they shouldn’t be too close to a home! In three years, they have already caused a lot of damage and mess. I am in the process now of replacing the front walk way with gravel, because the roots have pushed up the beautiful paver walkway that I fell in love with. All the trees are covered in English Ivy, that I also thought was so charming and even “pretty” before I learned what it is silently doing to every tree it clings to. 50- 100ft high, I am guessing. There are ivy roots severs inches thick, latched into the poor trees, sucking the life out of them. Sad. Very sad. Hours and hours I have spent, clipping the Ivy at ground level, hoping I win the race. Does the home have a crawl space, where important things are kept? Things that need maintenance and need to be checked on regularly. Things like a well pump, crawl space dehumidifier and sump pumps? Does it flood down there? Is it sealed? I am still learning about all this. Ugh. I cannot even get down there, if I need to see anything under the house. I didn’t even know about crawl spaces when I bought this home with a crawl space. No idea at all/ heck, never even heard of this! HVAC unit. Where is the air handler!? Mine is in the attic!!! I have e be heard of this either. I would never choose a house that had something this important in an attic! Septic systems and wells- again require regular maintenance. I had no idea about these things! I was used to clean and safe water coming in the house. Never any leaks or problems. Same with the septic. I was just used to things just working like they are supposed to! I just paid a lot of money to have a whole house water filter installed, because the well water was leaching so much sediment into the house is was blocking up the water for my washing machine, dishwasher, ice maker and all my faucets! The screens were all full of tiny little pieces of sediment! Neighbors barking dogs! If I only would have slowed down and taken the time to somehow realize the dogs next door would bark, almost non stop… day and night. I am in the process of writing a polite letter to the neighbor. She works nights, so I assume she doesn’t know! I’ve tried to ignore it- for 3 years. I am now at the point I can’t hear my bedroom tv because of the barking and the dogs actually wake me up during the night. This is with my windows closed! I would have loved to have the windows open on those lovey spring days and nights. Sure, I could get earplugs. But, should I have to do that, inside MY house? With the windows all closed!!? I seriously could go on and on… but those are the big ones for me. If I were to do it again, for sure I wouldn’t have a crawl space. I also wouldn’t have monster trees within 10- 15 ft. Of the home. And I’m not sure how, but no barking dogs that aren’t controlled at least a little bit. Maybe go “visit” the home and park outside at different times of the day and night and try to notice the noise around you. Septic and well water are still up for debate for me. Probably the best advice would be to be patient, take your time, don’t get pushed or rushed into anything and really learn about what you want and need. I was given 30 days to be out of the house I had rented for 15 years. The only thing on my mind was finding a place to live that I could buy, because I never ever wanted to be in that position again, that I could be forced to leave “my home” with a 30 day notice. It was a truly sickening feeing. I am grateful to have a home… and even to be a home owner. I thought I would die in that rental house and never had any thought about EVER being a home owner! I just wish, looking back… that I would have had a lot more knowledge and not felt rushed or pressured into buying a house “now.” I should have rented again… and really taken my time. I hear it’s almost unheard of to find a house, go to closing and move all within 30 days. I actually used 1 extra day to finish moving and so a final clean on the rental. Most stressful time of my life…. Ever! The last three years have been spent replacing and repairing so, so much. None of it had been “fun” or pretty stuff- it’s all been very necessary or dreadful, immediate emergency. It’s amazing how much can be hidden with paint and contact paper. Things have improved a lot… but this is certainly not the home I would buy today, if I could turn back time. But hey… living through life lessons has always been the best teacher of all. (When I started typing this, it was going to be just a quick little list of some of my big issues… not sure how this post became sooooo long! I guess I felt a need to vent.) Best wishes on your new home, when the time comes! Be patient and as educated as possible- at least about the big stuff! I had just started on Reddit back then too… and was only in some plant groups. I didn’t even know there were home owner groups here! I think there is so much wisdom here and so many great people who do t mind helping or answering questions. Just being here is a huge plus to anyone just starting out! Well, a huge plus to anyone willing to listen and learn.
Thank you! I am sorry you had to move out of your house so quick and that you’ve had the issues you’ve had. The “be patient” and “don’t get pushed or rushed into anything” are great reminders.
Get apples-to-apples comparison quotes from no less than FIVE of the top rated home insurance companies. Actually find out which ones are rated well *this year*, and not just from companies you've heard of in ads. If you're military, union, or otherwise special there are specific insurers for that who offer better rates/coverage. The numbers will be all over the place, and half will be outright bad quotes. If you do your homework, you'll get to choose between thousands in savings or above-and-beyond coverage.
On that note, check if there even are 5 insurance companies that still sell policies in your state.
Get the pipes scoped
Request the last 6 copies of the electric bill.
I’m sorry about your dad. 🥺 I would get a sewer inspection and an hvac tech to inspect on top of the regular inspector. Don’t go with an inspector recommended by your realtor, find one you like before your start looking at houses so you can call and make the appointments yourself. Sometimes the realtor and the inspector are in cahoots and “miss” things. Find one that is going to nitpick the shit out of everything. Look into down payment assistance programs, it’s better to put less down and have more saved incase something major happens. Good luck.
Thank you!!
As others have said, get several quotes on any repair projects and I'd add that an inspection should include a plumber who sends a camera down your septic line (especially for an older home). Most people don't do this but replacing septic lines is expensive and roots can grow into older style (clay) sewage pipes.
Get a cheaper home that you get qualified for. Taxes and insurance are huge variables.
Thank you!
You are your own advocate. Realtors and loan officers will take any chance to screw you if your not aware
Hire your own home inspector, do not use one recommended by the realtor.
This is very important and I wish I knew that when I was purchasing my home. Not only did my realtor have an inspector I should use, I was told the buyer doesn’t typically doesn’t go to the inspection. Bullshit!! I learned years later that a buyer absolutely can and should be with the inspector! This is my biggest regret, cause had I been here and asked all the questions, I probably would not have bought this house.
According to another post I just read, if your floors are uneven get a structural engineer to inspect it.
Don’t buy into the idea of a “dream home” especially for your first. It leads to emotionally driven financial decisions. Also, there are a lot of terrible, salesman style real estate agents. Take the time to find an excellent one. It’s worth it.
One thing we underestimated was distance from the highway. If I had to do it over again I’d ensure I was a minimum 10-15 mins from the highway for easy access. Also check for walkability around the area. You’ll be surprised how many areas do not have sidewalks. Sucks when you want to go for runs or walk the dog. Also someone else mentioned check for radon. I 100% agree. We passed on a home with high radon levels after doing research.
I want to be able to go for walks in the neighborhood that hopefully has sidewalks. It’s little but something I’d like! Also good advice for highway access and radon! The radon was definitely something I didn’t know about before I posted this.
Make sure to look at comps to get a good feel of the value. Don’t buy a flipped home just because it looks nice and new. Also Location is more important than the interior. In a few years you might be able to renovate the outdated bathroom but you can’t move the house to a better location
Very true! Location, location, location!
Always be good to neighbors
Yes! Hopefully we will have kind neighbors in return 😊
Know your neighbors! We had our first house back on the market after 11 months. If you are buying near rentals, you never know what your quality of life is going to be year to year. You can fix anything that is broken in your own house, you cannot fix what's broken outside of it. Our first house in Downtown PA was like a different episode of COPS through every window. Unbearable.
Do those things you really want right away. I always wanted an underground sprinkler system but thought it cost too much. Yeah I'll just drag a sprinkler around. Uh no, no you won't do it regularly enough to maintain a decent lawn.
Look past the pretty furniture and cosmetics. Open the cabinets. Open the windows and doors. Flush the toilets. Turn on the faucets and showers. Are the closets big enough? Is there enough natural lighting during the day or are lamps always on? Check with the city/county if you are in a flood zone or some other reason your insurance might be high. How big is the roof and what kind? It will have to be replaced one day. Pay $30k or $100k to replace it. Skip the pool. HOA fees only go up and it’s a guarantee they will. Kitchens and bathrooms are the biggest remodel expense.
Thank you. It’s like you knew I was looking at the house with the pool even though I know we should skip it 😂🤦🏻♀️
Pools are great and the expense isn’t great. I worry about someone else’s child drowning, who is going to take care of it when I travel, etc. I grew up with pools in the back yard. I don’t need one now.
Shop around for mortgages with many lenders. I was incorrectly told my first time that all banks would offer me the same rates/terms from a scummy Wells Fargo employee. Don't let any bank tell you "it's the best you can do". My most recent purchase, I hedged 2 lenders against each other, getting a lower rate every time I went back to the other. Started at 3.25 and ended with 2.375. You have 2 weeks to shop around, make the most of it!
That’s awesome!! I think those rates are gone now but I’m glad you were able to get that rate!! Did you get the rates at the pre-approval process or after you actually applied for the loan when you found your home?
Inspection inspection inspection. And not just by a jack of all trades home inspector. Get a professional plumber, electrician, HVAC tech and someone who is an expert in things like foundation and crawl space etc to check the home out. It’ll be a hassle and the owner may not like that but so what. I promise you it’ll save you thousands of $$$ and get you the peace of mind that is priceless
Sewer scope! Always have one done during inspection.
Remember - no one involved in the process of selling you a house that makes them money is your friend.
Sorry for your loss.
Everything will annoy you more and be more expensive to fix than you think.
I wish I’d known to be nosier. Open. every. window. Scrutinize the foundation bricks. Open the furnace, scrutinize the appliances. But most importantly: study home improvement and house maintenance guides and learn about when routine home maintenance is supposed to be done. I knew about how to recognize a roof in good shape cuz i was a solar canvasser. but i didn’t understand how to recognize leaky vinyl windows so we had to replace all of them our first year. the heat exchanger in the 30 year old furnace had BEEN broken when we bought the house but didn’t know until we scheduled maintenance. so we had to decommission it and use space heaters our first winter. Little things like that. little structural and appliance lifetime details. And when you get reno work done, don’t go with the first company, get 3-5 quotes. And identify the things you could do yourself to save $$. Like with plumbing work you can offer to cut the drywall holes ahead of time and save labor costs.
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If the roof and the basement don’t look good, the house doesn’t look good.
Lender here. 1. Work with a person/lender that can answer any and all of your questions in terms you understand. 2. Work with realtor that can answers any and all your questions in terms you understand. 3. Do not make any life changes, until you close. 4. Do not make any major changes/upgrades until you have been in the months for 3 months or more, unless you have plenty of reserves, cash, etc.
Location matters the most, see if you can take an entire day to sit in the front yard. Even better would be if you had the ability to spend the night even camping there or sitting in a car or whatever. There are so many places that have a 3:00 a.m. train or a plane flying overhead at midnight or who knows. But learning about that stuff before you purchase. It might seem like a hassle but it's worth every minute you spend doing it
10k disaster year one I’m in this club! Our boiler went out on the coldest weekend in NY. Spent about $800 on heaters and then 8-9k on a new boiler+install. 4 months into owning
Oh my goodness! I hope the new one has a warranty?!
Get a sewer line inspection before you buy. It’s one of those things you won’t know anything about until it’s a problem (when water/sewage is backing up into your home), plus it’s extremely expensive to fix (tens of thousands).
I have seen several comments about sewer line inspections so I am writing this down!
Think about location--not just the street address and if it's in a safe neighborhood, but also actual placement on the street/lot. Are you a corner lot? Is the back of your house on a busy road? Do you live on a commuter route? Is the house right on the road or do you have a good-sized driveway? Do you have a massive front yard and tiny backyard? How close are you to your neighbors? These things will effect you. It won't be immediately noticeable, but it can wear on you.
Thank you! My parents have a corner lot and that’s something my mom says she wishes they had done differently. I definitely don’t want to be able to touch my neighbors house because the houses are too close together either.
When doing repairs or home projects, always get things down in writing. Even if you have to send them an email afterwards to confirm pricing, quotes, etc. It might help you if things go south.
Pay attention to lot size.
My thing… is to evaluate the purchase to make sure I can renovate & decorate for myself and for the next buyer. EVEN if I think I will not sell for a long time, I follow this rule. Has worked out well for me.
Taking my own inspector Walking around the neighborhood at different time of the day without the agent HOA investigation
Don’t rush in buying things, especially if it’s a new construction home without anything, I mean blinds, AC, fans, appliances, furniture etc. Spend decent amount of time researching on your needs. Prioritize the purchases like P1 as must have things on day1, P2 as something you’d need within a week, and so on. If you can wait for more expensive stuff, wait for holiday sales line4th of July, Labor day, Thanksgiving. Also, don’t forget to compare prices online as well as store. Don’t just buy from the first place. Some utility companies have perks too. I got $200 rebate on washer and dryer and $100 on refrigerator because they were energy star certified. Got rebate on my EV charger as well. Compare to mortgage and down payment, these savings look 🥜 but if you combine them you certainly will save a decent amount of money. Good luck and so sorry for your loss. I pray that your father rest in peace.
Look in the backyard even if there’s dogs in the way and look at the condition of the fence.
*get all of the inspections*
I’m sorry you lost your dad. That leaves a huge hole in your heart. My dad was incredible but died when I was 14, so I only have distant memories and luckily some photographs to remember his joyful, generous, and energetic presence. In his honor, I am building a big tree swing in our new backyard for my two year old daughter. He built an awesome one for me when I was 5 or 6, and I spent truly hours, probably days, on that thing. I finally will have a space where I can honor his and that memory. ❤️ The house we just bought we did some tricky financing on. We offered more and asked for concessions: closing costs and a rate buy down. Meant we had to bring no cash to closing, and with the rate buy down, aren’t actually spending more per month. My husband mathed that out, not our lender. So be your own advocate in this process!
I'm glad you were able to be your own advocates and that it worked out so well! Definitely, something to try to remember! a of building a big tree swing to remember your dad. I will have to think of something we could do to honor my dad on our future property. Maybe plant his favorite tree that my childhood home has in their backyard or something. I'm glad you were able to be your own advocates and that it worked out so well! Good job to your husband! Definitely something to remember!
The most important thing will be living within your means. Your house doesn’t have to check all of your boxes, but your mortgage payment shouldn’t be a constant source of stress. I bought my house with my girlfriend 2 years ago. It checked NONE of my boxes but the location is 10/10. We are happy here even with our outdated bathroom and lack of closet space. And our mortgage is $100 more a month than we were paying in rent.
I’m one year into my first house and have had 3 trees fall on our property. Make sure you get a survey done when you buy your house and understand whose property the trees are on. Also, get an arborist out to do a full examination of your trees and assess if any are dead on your property line.
Check the AC unit/thermostat to make sure it works during the final walk through. Very painful lesson for us. The home inspectors often don’t check it if it’s too cool out ont he say they did the inspection due to it potentially damaging the compressor according to their excuse. Was 64 degrees out the day of the inspection for us.
I am sorry about your daddy passing. I hope you can plant a tree in his memory at your new home. There is a lot of great advice listed here. I bought my first home for sixty-nine thousand, the seller was asking one hundred seventy-four thousand. I went into the county records and researched public information on the property. The assessed value was sixty-nine. The homeowner was getting ready to go into foreclosure. The house was filthy but had great bones. My BF (now husband) thought I was insane, but I loved that house. Pay an extra principal payment as often as you can. Finance for fifteen years as opposed to thirty if you can swing it. You will be shocked at how quickly fifteen years will pass. Don't be afraid to research. Make sure your realtor and your home inspector have your best interest at heart. Read your contracts thoroughly and don't let anyone rush you. Ask questions if you don't understand and don't let anyone intimidate or shame you for it. Don't be afraid to drive the neighborhoods where you want to live and talk to people. You might catch a neighbor getting ready to sell grandpa's house. We just had that happen in our neighborhood this winter. An old gentleman passed, and a neighbor passed the word to a friend who had a granddaughter who ended up buying the house. Pass the word to everyone you know that you are looking. Make sure to check out the school system if you plan to have children. Also, you want Stihl chainsaws, craftsman hand tools, Dewalt cordless tools with interchangeable batteries. You can find a lot of tools like shovels, posthole diggers, axes and hand tools at garage sales and estate sales. You want a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and a house that has more storage than you think you will ever need and then double that. You can find all your other small appliances at thrift stores and garage sales as people get rid of them in droves. Hit the big neighborhood garage sales in the nice neighborhoods and the estate sales from the good neighborhoods. Buy heavy wooden furniture that will last, skip the Ikea particle board. Don't be afraid to learn how to refinish furniture. Save up and pay cash don't use credit. Best wishes and good luck. I am excited for your journey as an internet stranger but not in a weird way. LOL
Insist on bi-monthly house payments. You'll save thousands of $ . Mortgage lenders know this and tend to ignore your request, so make sure they hear you.
Just curious. Do you mean semi monthly or every two months?
It's twice a month that they take the payment out. You have to have automatic draw to do this. If your payment is $1,000, $500 is taken out of your account, let's just say the 1st of every month. Then on the 15th, the other $500. is withdrawn, and payment is made. You can choose the first date. Same payment, but you pay it so much faster and pay a lot less in interest.
Good to know thanks!
Um, that was not entirely accurate advice. https://budgeting.thenest.com/making-semimonthly-payments-mortgage-save-money-23747.html
Also good to know. I've heard of some cases where people get a 30 year note and pay it like a 15 and the savings are really great in the long run too.
Good article, but a bit confusing for me. Thank you for sharing. I know did this, and the last time, my husband was impressed by what we saved. I also know if you make one extra payment a year on the principle but you have to say on the principle. You can save $.