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We are planning on moving to BV in a couple months. Have struggled with the Buy/Rent question and at this point have decided to buy. I don't want to deal with the time constraints or hassles of building. I have been doing various area research and see that for most of the area, soils are not rated as very good for septic fields nor foundations/basements. OTOH they have been building that area with septic and basements since the 70's... at least.
In looking at various homes for sale, We find that the new construction seems sterile and we don't particularly care for the modern black-white-grey color scheme nor painted kitchen cabinets.
Although most of the houses we flag as 'maybe' have an open floor plan, wood, tile and granite, many also seem to have been built in the 80's ~ 2000 time period, and some of the lots are fairly steep.
This brings up several questions I haven't found answers to, and I'm hoping people here can offer some insight. So in no particular order...
o- Are septic systems problematic, needing frequent cleaning or repair... I worry that older homes may have leach field clogging from years of using the garbage disposal indiscriminately, and with tight lots and steep slopes that it is a tear-it-out and replace type of fix.
o- Although soils are well drained, considering the steep slopes, is foundation slippage, wall cracking, water seepage a common issue to deal with?
o- What versions of the building codes were in force during those periods and did the inspectors typically enforce it? Particularly the electrical code, amp service, wire type, and structural/roof/wind codes to ensure things don't blow apart. If it turns out I need to look at newer houses built after (for example) 2005 because of code updates, I would like to know that now before I waste time or put $ down.
o- I see a lot of houses listed with Heat Pumps, even with electric heat strips, I have always considered a HP as not worth using below 40 F as they tend to run all night and blow cold air. With longer Arkansas winters and periods in the 20's at night I wonder if the house will always feel cold. (We had a heat pump in our 2400 sf Arizona house and it always was cold in the winter).
o- Do the roads get icy and do they use salt/ solution to clear the roads- our vehicles are not undercoated and I would hate to see rusted body panels after a few years...
Well I guess i will stop an see if anyone responds, I'm sure I have more Q's to pick your brain with...
Thanks for all your help and we're looking forward to getting out of this purple place.
A
wow so many questions but I have a few answers: you may want to contact a reliable realtor for other answers.
1-heat pump: we have one and it now about 2 years old. The only disadvantage is, yes, they do, on occasion blow cold air for a few minutes, but no, they do not run all the time. We keep ours at 68 night in the winter and about 73 during the day. 99% of the time they work very well. We have no complaints.
2-slope versus flat lots: we are very lucky, we do have a flat lot, and there are many in the area, but there are more slopped ones. There are advantages to the slopped ones: they usually come with a wonderful view and great decks, for us, flat is much better. Our daughter has a slopped lot, level drive way and does have a finished basement. We have a lot of friends with similar types of lots.
3-Septic tanks: on the west side of town almost everyone has one: on the east the newer homes are on sewers. We have lived in our house 12 years and have yet to need the tank pumped. we just make sure we treat it every month of so with a cleaner. The down side: we do not and most other people do not use their garbage disposals, Our garbage does into the trash can for pick up. We have adjusted to this, but it did take awhile. You will find some who do use the garbage disposal. In our case, we would rather be safe than sorry. I will run it, maybe once or twice a week as things do go down it occasionally.
4-Icy roads: with all our hills and winding roads there are times when they are not too safe, but that is only about 2 or 3 times a year unless we have a really bad winter. This has not happened in about 5 years. Yes, they do prepare the roads for the weather, but if you live on or near a hill driving can be a challenge. We choose to just stay in on crappy days.
5-just one more thing: you mentioned long winters: I am not sure where you live now so long winters might be different to you than to us or others: We really do not, as a rule get much snow and ice. When we do, it lasts a day or so. Our first frost rarely comes before early to mid Nov and our last maybe March. But, sometimes the last will come in early April. That being said, we certainly do not get frost every day or even every week and if it is just frost it is usually gone by early to mid mornings. Super cold nights are not common. Right now we are going through the coldest weather we have had in a year, but by Sunday they are talking 60s and even close to 70.
6-BTW our house was built in 1993 and we still have the stained cabinets not painted. You can get lots of homes with light or dark stain, with only the very newest ones painted.
Hope this answers some of your questions.
Nita
ps; Like your comment about Sarah Huckabee
pss: I now see where you are coming from: I guess your idea of cold winters are different from ours, but I also see you lived in WV and I think VA. Hubby's family were originally from WV. A few are still there and we lived in Alexandria VA for 7 years in the 80s. Hubby worked in DC.
Thanks for your comments nmnita,I was starting to wonder if anyone had any dealings with the issues i listed.
There are a lot of attractive older homes for sale right now and many have been updated or totally renovated. I love the stone work on many but they all seem to be built in the 70's and 80's and I detest the T-111 I see used for siding (although it appears many were well maintained). Besides septic condition, the one thing I am most concerned about is the electrical... code requirements (lack thereof), amp service, wiring, outlets etc.
Yes, I have lived in some colder climates where once it snowed in Nov, it usually stayed around until March, thankfully those days are gone. For the last 15 years I have been in Az but at 4500' where once the sun goes down in the winter it would drop into the 20's and we would have a day or two of snow once in a while. When the sun came up the temp quickly rose into the 60's. I imagine NWA not too much different except for the winter humidity chilling to the bone. Once the temp gets down around 35 there isn't much heat left in the air to pump out so most HP have an electric heat strip that comes on- very inefficient cost wise so I would look to alternatives. I was surprised there isn't natural gas in BV but understand that the hilly terrain would have been expensive to run the pipes.
Yep, old hillbilly here...grew up in Wheeling,left in 68... when I was in Va in the mid 70's, I lived in Falls Church (they were building a big store way out in the country at a place called Tysons Corner) then when I moved back in the late 80's I was out by Reston.
I consider myself a libertarian, but I tend to lean right. Any more, I don't trust any politician. Every once in a while a good one comes along that seems to want to be there in the public's interest, not their own. She seems like one of them. Time will tell.
Well, we're back...
Drove 18 hours only to find out someone else bought the one property I really wanted out from under me by hours- it had been on the market for months... turns out they are from Kalifornia- same scenario I endured in the 70's in Oregon... to top that off I offered cash but the sellers stupid realtor allowed the buyer to make a contingent based on their home selling with no escape clause for the seller... so our backup offer is in limbo...
meanwhile 3 other houses we put offers in on (at full price I might add) were outbid by other buyers... After 2 weeks I finally bought a house, not the one I wanted but something to get my feet planted for the next one...
Now if they will only agree to fix the inspection items we are good to go for a mid-april close.
Well, we're back...
Drove 18 hours only to find out someone else bought the one property I really wanted out from under me by hours- it had been on the market for months... turns out they are from Kalifornia- same scenario I endured in the 70's in Oregon... to top that off I offered cash but the sellers stupid realtor allowed the buyer to make a contingent based on their home selling with no escape clause for the seller... so our backup offer is in limbo...
meanwhile 3 other houses we put offers in on (at full price I might add) were outbid by other buyers... After 2 weeks I finally bought a house, not the one I wanted but something to get my feet planted for the next one...
Now if they will only agree to fix the inspection items we are good to go for a mid-april close.
glad you found something but sorry you are having trouble with the fixing of items that were said to be in need of fixing. I will say, some inspection companies do go over the top in what they think recommending repair or replacing. We have a friend who sold her house about 6 months ago and the first buyers inspector claimed the heating unit was not large enough for the house. She had lived there for 20 years never had a problem and the unit was almost new. The buyers wanted her to give them $11,000 to replace it. Of course the sale fell through. The next buyer's inspector never even mentioned the heating unit needing anything.
Now, just make the most of what you have to work with, relax and I hope everything works out for you. I am sure when this is all behind you life will be wonderful for you in BV.
It really wasn't a big deal, a couple broken window latches and the water pressure regulator is likely limed up... probably three or four hundred bucks max... But I had to ask for something!
RE Agent just emailed and said they agreed to the fix request- good thing as I already signed the loan papers and paid the interest-rate drop option up front- If I backed out now I'd loose that money...
plus... I got the bank down 1/4% from their first offer and they waived the loan app fee, the RE Agent discounted their fee by 2k for the seller and is also buying the 1yr Home Warranty for me... overall a great deal and it's right on one of the golf courses, so I should be able to resell pretty easy. Now I can take my time and find a couple wooded lots and have what I really want built.
Nope, used a different agent, about the time we were putting in the offer, there were two other offers coming in, so she helped us out by making the offer look better for the seller.
As far as the interest rate, it doesn't matter much what the fed rate is, at 0 point its what % the bank will loan you. If you want to buy points, you can reduce the rate but IMO that is not a good strategy unless you really need a lower monthly payment.
Mortgage rates do follow the 10yr treasury somewhat, in a round about way, but it takes them a delay to get there.
I played Wells Fargo rates against the local bank and got them to match it. WF was at 3.625% last week but is now 4.125% Rates fluctuate daily and also are affected by local demand- where did you see 0% ?
I did buy the one-time interest float option, where, if the rate drops before closing, I can opt for and lock-in the lower rate... it doesn't cost me anything, as I get the entire sum I paid up-front back (off) at closing, whether I use it or not. The way I look at it is that I have to pay X total dollars at closing, so why not put up a few hundred now and have the option of dropping my % rate if it works to my advantage. The only way I can lose the money is if I back out of the deal and don't take the loan... probably isn't gonna happen, so low risk.
Last edited by Achi WaWa; 03-15-2020 at 05:46 PM..
It really wasn't a big deal, a couple broken window latches and the water pressure regulator is likely limed up... probably three or four hundred bucks max... But I had to ask for something!
RE Agent just emailed and said they agreed to the fix request- good thing as I already signed the loan papers and paid the interest-rate drop option up front- If I backed out now I'd loose that money...
plus... I got the bank down 1/4% from their first offer and they waived the loan app fee, the RE Agent discounted their fee by 2k for the seller and is also buying the 1yr Home Warranty for me... overall a great deal and it's right on one of the golf courses, so I should be able to resell pretty easy. Now I can take my time and find a couple wooded lots and have what I really want built.
Nope, used a different agent, about the time we were putting in the offer, there were two other offers coming in, so she helped us out by making the offer look better for the seller.
Gotcha, I misunderstood the way you worded it, that it was a discount for the seller. Actually, your agent cut her commission to make your offer look better. Sometimes it's done if the need to get the sale done bad enough.
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