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My home has soaring ceilings with windows all the way up.Beautiful view of the lake and lots of light... but they face the west so it sometimes gets hotter than you know what. The AC bill also soars. we found to get the cobwebs off those high ceilings or to get those tall windows washed we practically have to take out a second mortgage. Didn't see that extra expense coming til too late.
The same protection that's in place for an AirBnB would apply here. Surely people don't worry about THOSE guests "squatting" forever and never leaving! I don't expect this to ever happen, but I don't think it's unreasonable to wish it could.
AirBnB are doing it as a business or at least extra income and have made the choice to accept all the risks that go with it. They have insurance. They have bought supplies and arranged cleaning services. And they are furnished. Not every homeowner wants to be a landlord especially for a one-time short period. Next will you want people selling their car to let you drive it for a few weeks?
Do you think such a rental would make a buyer more or less likely to buy? I see very little benefit to the owner and a lot of risk.
Watch out for living on the side of the street that has sidewalks. Unfortunately, some people do not pick up their dog poop and will even allow the dog off the sidewalk area to venture up into your front yard.
Make sure the house has enough bathrooms. No really. Have at least 3 and a half if you have kids or plan on them in the future. And make sure that the shower area is a good size. Not too cramped. I have never ever used my big bathtub with the jets. Would much rather not have a tub (or have a claw foot tub) and have a great big ole rainfall shower!
What if they're tin roofs? It's just added insulation!
I hate to see people buy a property with a lot of beautiful trees, and then the first thing they do is chop them all down, mostly because that was the fate of my childhood home when we (unwisely) sold it.
Not really great on tin, tile or membrane roofs either.
Firs can drop A LOT of needles. They will mound up several inches high, and after a year or so in a rainforest environment that turns into soil.
Then, everything seeds. Firs, alders, maples, weeds, grasses, etc. All those things have roots, and those roots start looking for roots very small gap to settle into. This will pry apart almost anything in time, and if you leave it too long, it is really hard to get off your roof.
The solution is getting on the roof a couple of times a year with a leaf blower, and applying moss killer when you get all the debris off.
Or cutting down all the trees, but most people don’t do that.
Really none for me either...I covered all the bases.
1 imp thing people forget...ask the neighbors what they know about the house...always.
They love spilling the beans on all the gossip of the neighborhood, too.
I didn't buy 2 houses after asking around.
Great idea for a topic.
All houses have issues. The question is whether you can deal with them.
Roof. Probably the number one item on a house. Asphalt shingle roofs have a lifespan of about 20 years, and you will have to replace it. If you have a minor leak, it will lead to additional cost if not addressed promptly. If you are purchasing a house and the roof is 15 years old or more, have a replacement plan in mind.
Foundation is another big one. If the house you are looking at has foundation problems, look at another house.
Less important, because they are less costly:
Appliances, including HVAC/furnace. Typically another 20 year set of items. With HVAC (heat pumps and/or air conditioners), watch out for anything that runs on R-22 refrigerant (freon). It is no longer manufactured in the US as of 2020, and you can only get reclaimed R-22 now, which is rare and costly. Because R-22 is incompatible with newer refrigerants, replacing a heat pump or air conditioner also requires replacement of refrigerant lines. Basically, anything that runs on R-22 is basically waiting for replacement fairly soon.
House systems are tricky. I mean plumbing, both potable water and sewer, as well as electric. Typically nothing goes wrong with this stuff for 30-50 years or more, but if it does, it can be pricy. If you are a bit paranoid, have your sewer line scoped with a camera to check for roots or bowing in the line. Unlikely, but it will need to be addressed eventually. Electrical and potable water is typically solid. You may need a bit of work here and there, but complete systems replacements are usually reserved for major remodels.
Finishes. Flooring, walls, ceilings. Mostly this is pretty evident. You like it or you don't, and it is rarely an urgent need. Painting solves a lot, and if you hate your flooring, tackle it a room or two at a time.
Pretty much after that, who cares? Your bannisters may be loose, any home inspector is going to call out pickets on stairways and decks as being too far apart and warn you children are going to get their heads stuck. Sooner or later a door knob or two are going to fail, and every house has a mystery switch and an electrical outlet that does not work. Will your driveway need to be replaced one day? Maybe, but it can wait years. Draughty windows? Pricy to replace, costs a bit more in energy, but you can live with it. Slow draining sink? Get a plunger. Closet door doesn't close tightly? Doesn't worry most people.
Home inspectors are always going to point out something that "isn't up to code". Take a look at those things, but don't worry too much. Building codes changes periodically, and there is no requirement for houses to bring anything up to current code, nor does construction done to outdated codes prevent sales. It just means that if you do work on that part of the house, you will need to bring it up to current code, whatever that may be.
Any house is going to have personal irritations that you only discover years later. Some people hate sloped driveways (justifiable IMHO). Other people dislike the streetlight that shines into the bedroom. I am at war with the blackberry briars I did not notice when I purhased the house. This stuff also falls into the live with it category, then do not repeat that mistake when you move.
Don't you get blackberries from those bushes? That would be a positive.
That, too. We had three very mature trees. Two were oak trees, the largest in the neighborhood. One was so large it took three people to stretch their arms around the trunk. The amount of leaves they shed was simply stupendous.
But that biggest had been struck by lightning a couple of years before we bought the house. It was so huge though, that even though half dead, it was still mighty. But we had to take it down last year...that cost $4,000. We had a big, old cedar in the back yard that just decided it was done...it fell down (and crushed our shed). That cost $2,000 to remove.
We have another big, old oak that covers our yard and both our neighbors' yards with leaves. It's got three big branches each the size of a medium tree that need to be removed...those will cost us $1,000 each.
If you ever watched the people who climb those big old trees to cut them down, without any branch falling on the house, you will not begrudge them one penny. They are brave souls.
Have you ever had a leak in the plumbing below a slab?
I did. Plumber routed the new pipes (actually PEX) overhead.
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