Buying a house - checklist for big and little things?

[Truth NJ]

Watch out for Junk fees...Stay with a reputable company

[lolamom]

About the furniture....

If you have the time, consider making a road trip to North Carolina to go furniture shopping. There is an area called High Point where many manufacturers showcase their furniture and you can get really nice quality stuff for rock bottom prices. This is how DH and I filled our first home. We bought from several vendors (everything:dining room, family room, and bedroom) and then negotiated a single shipment on one truck. We saved about 60% off retail.

[Roselvr]

Originally Posted by SweepTheLeg

4) Is it normal to ask to throw a piece of furniture into the deal? The home has a table that my wife and I loved and it's perfect.

No, it is not normal and you may **** the seller off depending on how you ask and what your offer on the house is. We were selling for $220k, offer was for $207k, I threw in the washer & dryer thinking if I gave it then they wouldn't nickle & dime on the inspection...

If you do ask for the furniture, say something to the effect of, we really loved the table, it looks so good in the home, would you consider throwing it in or selling it? If they say no, ask where they bought it.

Originally Posted by SweepTheLeg

5) Continuing on the furniture kick, the majority of our furniture is cobbled together from IKEA, handmedowns from our parents, etc. Can anyone recommend a decent furniture store that isn't insanely expensive? I've heard bad things about Bob's but good things about Raymour and Flanigan.

We go to Raymour. We've bought a sofa, table, end table & recently my daughters bedroom furniture. If you look online, the colors aren't correct. I ended up looking her set up before it came so I could print it out and add to her file but didn't even recognize it. The color was lighter online then it really is. Raymour seems to be a mid priced place.

[IntheBurbs]

1) Comparison shop for rates – ask friends for recommendations of people they’ve used recently.

2) If your offer is accepted, start looking into inspectors right away so you can line one up. You have a certain amount of time to get this done – speak with your agent about this.

3) Someone else mentioned asking about the roof – that’s a good idea. Anything else that looks like it might be in disrepair, ask about it. Other than that, your inspector should be able to give you a good idea of what you’re dealing with

4) As others stated, don’t necessarily expect furniture to be thrown in. But you can certainly ask to purchase it

5) You can try Ashley Furniture - I think it's called Factory Direct in some areas. There are several locations. They are generally reasonable and do run promotions around holidays – furniture is pretty good quality. Bob’s has a range of items. Not the highest quality, but their prices are pretty unbelievable, so you get what you pay for. I also know people who have rented a truck and driven down to NC as others have mentioned… it’s a thought. They bought a whole house full of furniture for great prices.

Good luck!