What do you wish you had known before you bought your house? (floors, roof)
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Somewhat nervous first-time buyers here. Are there things you don't like about your house that you wish you had known before you purchased it? Given what you know now, would you have made the same decision? What are some things we should look for/pitfalls to avoid when looking at houses and making a purchase decision? Thanks for any advice!
I bought my first house 9 years ago. With many things in life, the "reality" isn't as good as what you had imagine it might be (I think this is particularly true of romantic relationships, lol!). For me, the reality of buying and owning my own house was absolutely as good as I had imagined (actually better).
I loved not paying someone else's mortgage with my rent every month. I loved that, for awhile anyway, my house was increasing in value. (Obviously not so true any more in many areas, but since I didn't look on my house as an "investment," this has not really affected me.) I loved that I had my own space in which I could play my music loud without having to worry about bothering my neigbors (AND not being able to hear my neighbors unless they are being totally obnoxious, e.g. blasting their music with all their windows/doors open, which virtually never happens in my neighborhood).
I think the biggest reason NOT to buy a house is if you need to be mobile for your job or whatever. For me, since my job is very stable, it's a no-brainer to own a house rather than renting.
Oh, I have a few things - I wish I knew the basement window leaked. When it rains, it's like a damn waterfall because the window well is getting filled with water. But I think I finally fixed the issue.
The walls appear to have no insulation at all, they all seem so hollow -not sure how I would even check that -
Oh and I wished I knew that my neighbors were nuts and yelled at their kids all dang day
Somewhat nervous first-time buyers here. Are there things you don't like about your house that you wish you had known before you purchased it? Given what you know now, would you have made the same decision? What are some things we should look for/pitfalls to avoid when looking at houses and making a purchase decision? Thanks for any advice!
When we bought our first house there are a few things I wish i had known before buying.
1. the traffic/distance from the highway. we were 8 miles from the highway, but it was a Traffic nightmare with a speed limit of 35 and a ton of cops and slow drivers. so just getting from the house to the highway always aggravated me. there were no alternate routes that were better (trust me)
(our current house is also 8 miles from the highway but its an easy traffic less 8 miles with many different routes to get to it)
2. Land or lack of it. Do to a very small budget and a high market we coudlnt really afford a house with alot of land, our first house was on a quarter acre, which to some is alot, but in NH it is VERY little. if your a people person this may sound great, but if you want your home and your yard to be your little private piece of paradis, this wasnt so great.
(our new house has 3.5 acres of land with Lots of woods around it)
3. A garage, or at least a mud room. Again due to a small budget our first house did not have a garage ( i built a shed) it also did not have a mudroom (you entered either into the living room or into the kitchen) this was a bigger issue then you would think ( no where to put muddy shoes, jackets, wet gear, etc etc etc)
(new house has a 3.5 car garage and a huge mudroom directly off the attached garage )
I wish I would have known how many inconsiderate neighbors there were that leave their dogs out and bark all day and night.
I also learned to not buy a house anywhere near a house with a basket ball hoop.
I wish I had known our first house was between two sets of empty-nesters who frowned on almost everything we newlyweds did.
Since then, I always check property assessor records to see who owns houses around me so I can know who I'm moving next to.
I wish I had known my second house was partially in a flood plain and that we couldn't expand the building footprint in any way. Also that our mortgage would require expensive flood insurance (this was WAY back before Katrina-related FEMA changes).
Now I check plat maps at the city planning office to see just who owns any easements on or near my property and what nearby lots are zoned for (commercial, residential etc.)
My sister-in-law wished she hadn't bought a house with a basement playroom for her toddler children. They never wanted to play all the way downstairs and STILL kept all their toys in the tiny den next to the kitchen.
I wish I hadn't bought our third house with plans to "add on." Life moves on and things gets expensive and people get busy and before you know it, you've lived somewhere 5 years and you can't afford the $80K quote for that addition you wanted.
Since then, I've ALWAYS bought move-in ready homes (they might need minor cosmetic changes like paint or a new banister) and never another house that needed walls removed or an extra bathroom etc unless I could afford it before I moved in.
You can never make a perfect decision though. Some things will always disappoint you, and you just have to move on. Choose a house that checks off MOST of the important boxes on your list.
1) When you're looking at houses, do not get caught up in another house's decor or furnishings. You are not buying them.
2) First consider things you cannot change, or cannot change easily or inexpensively: the neighborhood (do you like it?), the size of the yard (is it too big or too small?), windows (do they let in enough light and air to suit you? Any sign of leaks?), the foundation (any sign of leaks? Are the floors level? Do the doors open and close easily?), the basic heating and cooling system (forced air vs. hot water), the floor plan, room sizes, the number of bedrooms or bathrooms. Check the roof, and look for signs of roof leaks inside.
3) Look at the house's basic systems: electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling. Make sure they function wll, but do not dismiss a house simply because any of these are "old". Open doors and windows, turn on the faucets, turn on the stove (but remember to turn it off!!).
4) Then you look at the rest of the house and decide if it feels right, if you can live in it. Putter around for awhile. A lot of times you'll find no fault with the house, but it just doesn't feel right. Other times you'll see a house and you think you could live there, but you hate the color of the kitchen floor. That's what's known as an "easy fix," and one that doesn't have to be made right away.
I found it helpful to take someone with me aside from my agent and anyone else who would be living in the house with me -- a friend or family member.
Find a good inspector.
Good luck.
Last edited by Ohiogirl81; 04-20-2012 at 10:05 AM..
Are there things you don't like about your house that you wish you had known before you purchased it?
I wish I have paid more attention to what was in the house inspectors report and be better educated on the cost of things. The inspection report pointed out the heating system was old and should be checked out. I was thinking it cost 7 or 8 thousand at the most to replace it, it was double ($15,000) that amount. The inspector pointed out the wooden garage door was rotted, I didn't think much of it, but at the replacement cost of $3,000 a door, I should have taken more notice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tle990
Given what you know now, would you have made the same decision?
I would have bid lower, to cover some of these repair costs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tle990
What are some things we should look for/pitfalls to avoid when looking at houses and making a purchase decision?
Take a look look at the HVAC system, roof, building structure, etc. These things usually are not high on people's list like granite counter tops are, but they can be very expensive to fix/replace. Have a better idea what it will to replace/repair these things if they do need to be fixed.
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