Particular Construction Issues to Look for in Houses (Tampa, Orlando: sales, foreclosure)

[aa66bb]

So we're looking at a move to PVB this summer, and what are the issues we need to consider when buying a house that are particular to this area. So far I've heard

1. Block construction. Can someone explain the general advantages/disadvantages, like insurance costs are 9% less but the houses are 5% more. And how exactly would I know if it is that construction from a site like Zillow listings? Should I assume if it's not listed it isn't block?

2. Roof hinges. These are critical, right? Are there really houses that don't include them? Or how do I find out if they are included?

3. Any HOA's that I want to avoid, that are in dire financial shape?

4. Is there a way to determine insurance costs for houses? Or is it relatively standard, e.g. .3% per value? And same with flood insurance, is it just $500 across the board, even for larger beachfront houses?

5. When it comes to property taxes it sounds like it ends up being 80%ish of what you pay for the house, regardless of what it was assessed at before the purchase.

What are other things that I'll want to be on the lookout for in this area? Like areas with higher risks for foreclosure?

[ShakenStirred]

Originally Posted by aa66bb

So we're looking at a move to PVB this summer, and what are the issues we need to consider when buying a house that are particular to this area. So far I've heard

1. Block construction. Can someone explain the general advantages/disadvantages, like insurance costs are 9% less but the houses are 5% more. And how exactly would I know if it is that construction from a site like Zillow listings? Should I assume if it's not listed it isn't block?

2. Roof hinges. These are critical, right? Are there really houses that don't include them? Or how do I find out if they are included?

3. Any HOA's that I want to avoid, that are in dire financial shape?

4. Is there a way to determine insurance costs for houses? Or is it relatively standard, e.g. .3% per value? And same with flood insurance, is it just $500 across the board, even for larger beachfront houses?

5. When it comes to property taxes it sounds like it ends up being 80%ish of what you pay for the house, regardless of what it was assessed at before the purchase.

What are other things that I'll want to be on the lookout for in this area? Like areas with higher risks for foreclosure?

Most of your questions are not construction related. The one that is, asks about hinges on roofs. We have no idea what you are talking about. Roofs don't open, unless you're playing with a Barbie house or Legos or something.


Doors. Doors have hinges, not our roofs.


SS

[Thundarr457]

I see you are looking in Orlando and Tampa Bay as well. The further south the more concrete block homes you will encounter. As for all your questions I recommend you get a good Realtor.

[aa66bb]

We're not really considering Orlando and Tampa anymore. The schools didn't seem particularly strong and the summers seemed much hotter.

As for roof hinges, I meant hurricane clips. Sorry and not sure how to edit the title. I intended to initially ask particular house construction questions germane to the area.

For example, in my neck of the woods there are lots of slate roofs and stone houses from the turn of the century. Installing a slate roof, which looks great, can cost upwards of $2000 a square and maintenance seems to run around $50 a square per year. Building a stone house is astronomically expensive, and so if you were inclined to stone and slate you'd need to buy an older house in XYZ neighborhood. This is particular to my neck of the woods. Figured there were PVB issues that are unique to that area as well, like using 2x6's for walls or 2x8 or stucco vs. siding, etc... Surely some construction issues yield better values and some worse. Which ones?

[Thundarr457]

You are asking questions we have no answers for. I recommend you call a Realtor that actually knows something about construction (good luck with that one). I believe newer homes after the mid 2000's may have hurricane clips but I am no expert.

[ShakenStirred]

Originally Posted by aa66bb

We're not really considering Orlando and Tampa anymore. The schools didn't seem particularly strong and the summers seemed much hotter.

As for roof hinges, I meant hurricane clips. Sorry and not sure how to edit the title. I intended to initially ask particular house construction questions germane to the area.

For example, in my neck of the woods there are lots of slate roofs and stone houses from the turn of the century. Installing a slate roof, which looks great, can cost upwards of $2000 a square and maintenance seems to run around $50 a square per year. Building a stone house is astronomically expensive, and so if you were inclined to stone and slate you'd need to buy an older house in XYZ neighborhood. This is particular to my neck of the woods. Figured there were PVB issues that are unique to that area as well, like using 2x6's for walls or 2x8 or stucco vs. siding, etc... Surely some construction issues yield better values and some worse. Which ones?

Ok, got it, sorry for the misundertanding. Yes, all homes have hurricane clips dating back to at least 2002. The newer codes from 2008 and newer are far more stringent though, and houses are basically tied to the slab using rods that pass from the top plate and are embedded into the concrete at the bottom.

If you look at a house under construction now, you will see these threaded rods in between the wood framing throughout the house.

In Florida, I will tell you that lap siding, the fiber cement kind (Nichiha or Hardie) are FAR superior finishes to stucco. Stucco is full of microscopic cracks, and all stucco will leak. Not if, but when. With lap siding, you get a cementitious product that is installed in a manner that naturally drains water away from the home, unlike stucco which is flat, absorbs the moisture, and can channel it into your wall system. Like anything, it has to be done right, but there is so much less chance of a failure on a siding wall than on a stucco wall, I honestly don't know why anyone even considers stucco anymore. Especially in our hot humid climate that deteriorates the stucco system rather rapidly in some cases.

I personally like the Nichiha product much better than the Hardie product because of the cancer causing silica product contained in the Hardie lap siding. Nichiha uses fly ash which is a by product from power plants and even though it is a Japanese company, the product you see on the wall here in Florida is manufactured in Georgia, so you are actually buying American when you use it.

I also like the Zip Panels as well, because they are stronger structurally than the regular OSB you see most builders use.

Also, for anyone building a house at the beach, one important detail to check...if you are using siding, always make sure that they are using stainless steel nails for the trim boards. Hot dipped galvanized is fine for the siding panels themselves, because they get blind nailed and covered up, but unless you want streaks of rust running down your window & door trim, it needs to be stainless steel nails. Some builders will cut corners, or simply not check their subcontractors work in this area, and 5 years later you'll see the results running down the house.

Hope some of this helps.

SS

[bellhead]

1.) Concrete blocks

A.) Block houses are more structurally sound than wood framed houses due to being made out of concrete blocks.
B.) Less issues with humidity effecting them compared to OSB..
C.) Less worries from termites & other insects eating your framing.
D.) Cooler during hot weather.

2.) Roof Hinges

A.) By this you mean tiedowns.. Basically insures your roof doesn't come off in a Category 2 hurricane winds... The further inland you are, the less chance you have to see Cat 3 or higher winds.

3.) HOA's vary by neighborhood..

4.) You are going to have to call around for rates on insurance. Something to note, East of 95 will be more expensive than west of 95 on the Atlantic side.

5.) Property Taxes, you can do this research by looking at some 1 year old recent sales & then looking up their taxes on the county web site....

[aa66bb]

Thank you all for your replies. I have another question. Is there a county website that lists information on the actual house and lot size? I'd prefer to not rely on zillow as those numbers can be changed by the owner.

Also, what other county websites provide data on things like the yearly property tax bill, or if the house might be under foreclosure?

Thanks!

[mav286]

You can search the Saint Johns County Property Appraiser Site for sq footage, sales, taxes etc., by address here: https://qpublic.schneidercorp.com/Ap...ageType=Search