Im looking at a house this weekend...

TheyCallMeLiz · January 2012

I have been casually looking at houses over the past few months, getting ready to make "the jump" into homeownership again and I came across a listing yesterday that made me say... THIS ONE!

I saw it last night and was very pleased with the upgrades that have been done and it is pretty much exactly what I am looking for.

BF and I are going to look at it again tomorrow before I consider putting an offer in and I want to make sure I dont forget to check something out. Here are some things on my list. Please feel free to add your suggestions! Thanks!

1. Are all lights/fans in house on switches? Check electrical panel.
2. Test Faucets and Drains - any funky plumbing going on?
3. A/C is old. Test turning on/off.
4. Check windows for damage, cracks.
5. Verify that I have same amount of closet space.
6. Are neighbors noisy? Dirty? Is the road quiet?
7. Locate septic system (I think its somewhere in front yard).
8. Tabulate move-in costs (needs) and (wants). can I budget this?

mon.petit.chou · January 2012

My realtor told me not to run the water in any of the houses I was looking at until we were under contract, although my H's realtor encouraged him to test the plumbing, so who knows about that one.

The big things I look at when looking at a house are layout, neighborhood, yard, and how much work needs to be done. I found that looking at a lot of houses helped me narrow down what I was actually looking for, but not everyone works that way, some people might know right away.

Things like AC and plumbing would be checked in the inspection. And I'm not sure what benefit you get from locating the septic tank. You might want to ask how old it is though. When DH bought he was told the tank was in the front yard and it wasn't until years later we realized it was in the back.

Move in costs would apply to any house you buy. Have you worked out a budget of what you can afford? You should do that before you fall in love with something you can't afford!

TheyCallMeLiz · January 2012

mon.petit.chou:

My realtor told me not to run the water in any of the houses I was looking at until we were under contract, although my H's realtor encouraged him to test the plumbing, so who knows about that one. I just want to check and make sure there aren't major cracks in pipes that I can see. Things that would affect this getting past inspection.

Things like AC and plumbing would be checked in the inspection. And I'm not sure what benefit you get from locating the septic tank. You might want to ask how old it is though. When DH bought he was told the tank was in the front yard and it wasn't until years later we realized it was in the back. The A/C is old and will probably need tobe replaced soon, so that is an expense going into the transaction that i need to keep in mind. I want to make sure the rest of the electrical is ok and wont need to be replaced shortly after as well. As for the septic, its really because i want to make sure it is not located in the center of where i want to put a (future) pool.

Move in costs would apply to any house you buy. Have you worked out a budget of what you can afford? You should do that before you fall in love with something you can't afford! For move in costs, I was really referring to costs that I may incur soon after moving in that may not have been anticipated, like if the A/C has to be done. The wants is more things that I would want to do to the house down the road.

TheyCallMeLiz · January 2012

Oh and I forgot to mention. I already ran the budget with new anticipated costs (both with and without BF living with me) and I can afford this one on my own. Yes

I made sure to include property taxes and i got a quote for insurance, so i have those numbers too. Smile

jenhappy · January 2012

good luck!

mon.petit.chou · January 2012

I hope it works out!

Im looking at a house this weekend...

Re: Im looking at a house this weekend...

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