Things you wish you knew before buying your home

[bjl584]

Found this question posed on Reddit
Here are the most common answers

Consider the surroundings. The neighborhood, parking, commute times. Research crime rates, schools, developments, and the geography of the land (does the wind blow on the house or does bad weather hit a certain side of the home?)

Visit a prospective house at different times of the day and spend a few hours there observing the neighborhood. A neighborhood can be quite different at night than it is in the middle of the day. An extended time period at the home could reveal a flight path for a nearby airport, a regular passing train, heavy evening traffic, or neighborhood noises and issues such as barking dogs, loud music, domestic disturbances.

Consider the layout especially if you plan to grow your family. Is there adequate storage? Is the home laid out logically? Are there lots of steps to climb?

When buying a fixer upper or when considering renovations, don't underestimate the costs

If there is an HSA, what rules and restrictions might they have?

Don't underestimate ongoing maintenance costs

Don't trust the relator or current owners as sources of information about the property. Hire independent inspectors and contractors

While hard to tell during the viewing process, many wish they knew who the neighbors really were before buying

[anhtuvp]

One thing I wish I’d really thought about before buying my first place was the amount of work and extra costs you keep discovering, even after a good inspection. Stuff like fixing old gutters or replacing hot water systems adds up. I also learned pretty quickly that visiting the house at different times of day is huge for getting a real feel for the area, my street was so peaceful at 3 pm but completely different come evening, with cars filling up every parking spot. Also, I found a lot of Melbourne-specific advice helpful, like what kind of building permits you need and what’s normal for certain suburbs. When I had questions about renovation rules and extra costs, I found some really detailed property guides at https://fletcherslocal.au, especially for the local regulations and what different areas are like. That kind of info makes it easier to avoid nasty surprises.

[Drake3287]

To pay attention to which direction your front and backyard faces. On our first house the backyard faced west (live in CA) and we had sun nearly all day long including evenings for barbecuing and hanging out. On our current house I didn't even think about it until it was too late. Complete opposite, backyard faces east and the front faces west, we no longer have enjoyable evenings in the backyard because of the shade. I guess people living in snow regions have this same issue but with snow melting or not. I'll know better next time.

[myrdale]

if there is an hsa, what rules and restrictions might they have?

hoa?

[myrdale]

Not really any. Honestly it was very straight forward for me.

From the time I started in 2005 till when I purchased in 2006, I spent that time driving the county over learning as much as I could about the general layout.

Around the half way mark, I started preparing to purchase a house.

I think my actual house purchase process was <1 month.

[ua_guy]

To pay attention to which direction your front and backyard faces. On our first house the backyard faced west (live in CA) and we had sun nearly all day long including evenings for barbecuing and hanging out. On our current house I didn't even think about it until it was too late. Complete opposite, backyard faces east and the front faces west, we no longer have enjoyable evenings in the backyard because of the shade. I guess people living in snow regions have this same issue but with snow melting or not. I'll know better next time.

Absolutely!

In Palm Springs where the winters are like nice summers, we've been advised to consider the home's orientation to sun for how we plan to use the backyard/pool and at what times of day.

That's also an important consideration for solar installations.

In the midwest, the criteria can be different. When we bought a home in the midwest, the realtor told us we were really going to love how this house was situated. Why? Direct sun exposure to the asphalt driveway in the wintertime. He said it really helps with clearing snow and dealing with light snow, and he was exactly right.

In the Northwest, your sun exposure determines what side of your roof doesn't grow moss and what part of your yard will be most difficult to grow any grass.


It's the little things...


We recently looked at a home for sale with a stunning backyard view. Weekend open house! Good price!

Be sure to look at satellite images/ Google Maps to see what abuts the property and what kind of area the house is located in. The house backed up to an elementary school. At the open house on Saturday, the realtor was talking about the amazing backyard, how quiet and serene it is, and how any buyer would want to spend all their time out there. Oh, really? I asked how the homeowners put up with the noise from the school and that set him back. It does back up to a school, he said, but recess only lasts a short while. I nodded.

"Recess" spans most of the day, depending on which group of kids turn it is to be outside at the time, and school hours are book-ended by parents driving like maniacs through the neighborhood and blocking driveways while waiting to pick up kids. Hard pass. But it was a really nice house.


One of the other things I thought of was wishing I knew how much things really cost before buying my first house. What replacing a kitchen costs, or a roof. Yeah one can pull general numbers but until you've done it yourself or have enough experience you never truly know. Not that it would have dissuaded us from home ownership, but we may have chosen a first house with different needs within our budget.

[riverwed070707]

I've moved a lot. My 3rd house was at the bottom of a hill in both directions buried deep in a residential neighborhood with woods behind us. LOVED it 3 seasons of the year but in the winter we couldn't get out and were always the last street plowed because it was low traffic. The city used to drop 50 gallon drums of sand on the corners and leave us to our own devices That first winter there was the year I got a 4wd SUV.

Trees are beautiful but expensive to maintain and they grow shockingly fast. In our current home, we spend about $1000/yr on tree maintenance, just for the ones that grow out over our house and deck because they're always losing limbs and the maple tree drips so much sap it makes the back deck and furniture unusable.

I have some other gripes like the criminal property tax and assessment values we're going through right now, but that wasn't really foreseeable. Between that and unplanned maintenance, I guess just buying well under your budget because things will inevitably cost more than you expect.

[Fishindude77]

I'd say the biggest thing that could really ruin it for you is bad neighbors, particularly if the lots are small and they are close by.
We purchased and demolished the house next door to us just to get rid of the hillbilly neighbors and give ourselves a bigger buffer. Planted a triple row of evergreens around most of the borders and installed some fence to improve privacy.

Something that is darned tough and sometimes impossible to correctly fix is drainage problems. If you are anyplace that gets significant rainfall pay close attention to the drainage:
* Is house or other outbuildings floor levels elevated high above the surrounding terrain?
* Does the terrain slope away from the house and buildings?
* Any signs of basement or crawl space leaks or moisture? Sump pits and sump pumps?
* Is basement newly painted or remodeled to conceal issues?

In my experience most of the so called home inspectors the banks require aren't good for much, plus you can't hold them liable if they overlook something.
If you have a relationship with a competent contractor, you'd be much better off having them look things over beforehand.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Go visit it during the rain. That way you can see the drainage of the backyard or driveway.

Try to walk around and see if you "bump" into neighbors and feel the vibe of the people.

[pacerob]

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