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Hi So my wife and I are actively looking for a house in the south central part of the state. Wondering if you folks could chime in on some questions to ask or info to get along with an inspection before signing on the dotted line. A few that come to mind are--- last survey of the property (it will hopefully be over 5 acres), water quality and flow rate based on it being on a well. When was the septic pumped. We have moved from the west coast suburbia so there have to be a few dozen more I am unaware of.
Property taxes immediately come to mind @Move on.. I live in MA, and well aware of the variance in these taxes from
town to town. Some property taxes there are outrages, when you consider the fact the you have a septic system and a well.
I realize this is partly based on NO revenue from 0 sales tax, but these taxes can vary GREATLY from town to town..
Depending on where your moving in NH, another question is the most common..location, location..Many NH towns are very
rural to the point where the closet shopping areas are 30 miles away..
Being known as the granite state..well water in NH is very good....Make sure the well is functional and operating correctly.
As i mentioned, being the granite state, the install of a new well can be Very pricey....drilling through granite isn't cheap.
Are the exterior walls 2x4 or 2x6 ... Not sure if it's code now, but many builders used 2x6 walls to increase the heating
efficiency in NH..A house built with 2x6 is usually a tip off that the builder spent the extra $$ for a better quality home..
How old is the roof is important also..NH has harsh winters, and the roof is your first layer of defense against the snow, sleet
and rain. It it's over 25 years old, your probably due for new one soon...
Lastly, the heating system..Is it somewhat current and up to date? And what fuel fires it. Natural gas is dirt cheap compared
to oil, and finding a home you like heated with natural gas (not propane) should be one strongly considered, even it it means
some trade off's in other areas..
Ask about Internet connectivity. Check how many bars your cell phones get in and around the house.
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Hi So my wife and I are actively looking for a house in the south central part of the state. Wondering if you folks could chime in on some questions to ask or info to get along with an inspection before signing on the dotted line. A few that come to mind are--- last survey of the property (it will hopefully be over 5 acres), water quality and flow rate based on it being on a well. When was the septic pumped.
If you can get 10 or more acres of contiguous empty unproductive land, you can benefit from the "Current Use" property tax break.
Definitely get an inspection by a good inspector, and water and radon tests. While most homes in NH are on wells and most wells have good water, there is always the risk of radon, or worse, arsenic. Mitigation systems are available but not cheap. If you get a septic inspection, they'll often pump the tank at that time. Sometimes you can get current owner to pay for the septic inspection and pumping.
You can pull up the tax maps for many towns, and this along with the public deed information (Check the county website) will give you an idea of the property lines and who/where the neighbors are. You will want drive around the area, make sure you're not moving in next to a pig farm, and get a feel for how difficult it is to get to groceries and other stores, and what roads are likely to be impassable during flooding or in a harsh winter.
Speaking of flooding, check the FEMA flood plain maps for the area, and also look in the basement for signs of flooding or water damage. Is the basement damp and musty?
You can sometimes tell from looking at maps and satellite imagery (Bing "Birds Eye View" has the best images) whether you're near a working quarry or shooting range. Even if you're nowhere near a range, expect to hear sporadic gunfire on summer weekend morning and during hunting season.
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Originally Posted by brienzi
Lastly, the heating system..Is it somewhat current and up to date? And what fuel fires it. Natural gas is dirt cheap compared to oil, and finding a home you like heated with natural gas (not propane) should be one strongly considered, even it it means some trade off's in other areas..
Yes, "city gas" is half the cost of oil, but outside of parts of a few large towns, you aren't going to find very many houses on 5 acres in NH with a hookup.
Is there a fuel tank on the property? where is it, who owns it, what company currently fills it, and when was the tank installed? Some insurance companies will not issue a policy if there's an old oil tank.
Ask to see tax, electric and fuel bills for last year.
Definitly get the water tested, we ended up having to get a systems for radon and arsenic for our house as well as a system for iron, a new pressure tank and the list goes on, fortunatly the sellers paid for it at closing. about a year later the well pump died on us.. that one was on us.
Like others stated, property taxes vary from town to town, typically higher property taxes usually mean better schools, but there are some towns with high property taxes with not so great schools and other towns with low property taxes that have the option to bus their students to GOOD schools (for example dunbarton will be soon going to Bow schools)
one mistake we made buying our first house was moving to an area that didnt have good access (was only 8 miles from the highway but it was 8 miles of low speed limits and moderate - heavy traffic) so it was painful and there was no alternate routes.
My husband and I just had our offer accepted yesterday, and my brother advised seeking out a record of permits for the property. It's easy enough to call the town to ask, and it's a great idea if it appears the previous owner has done any work on the property. It will validate that everything was done properly and up to code.
another thing you might do if you're particularly interested in a specific town: make a list of all the places you routinely go (groceries, pharmacy, vet, school, church......) and then drive around the area and see if you can find where you'd likely go for these things. If it's a long way away, and you don't want to have to drive that far for it, then make a note. if things are easy to find and right near by, make a note of that too! it helps when trying to decide between different choices.
I would start with "Where are the Title and Deed recorded?" Then check if the seller actually owns the property. There was so much funny money mortgages bought and sold that ownership can be a problem. The rest of the suggestions make sense.
IMHO - Radon is not a problem unless the basement florescent lights glow with the power off.
[font=Verdana]I would start with "Where are the Title and Deed recorded?" Then check if the seller actually owns the property.
that gets taken care of during the title search. and make sure to get title insurance!
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