Buying A Home
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
When looking for a new (but used) home, what do you look for?
Besides your requirements (certain # of beds/bath, etc) What other things do you notice during your search?
We are about to list our home so I want as many pointers as I can! Our home is an OLD home, built in 1925. We've done a lot of updates but it's not perfect. I am wondering what might attract people to our place, or what might make people want to walk away....
List all things you notice when looking at homes! TYIA
Re: When looking for a new (but used) home, what do you look for?
With a house that old, you need to convince buyers that there aren't hidden pitfalls. List every modernization there is. Tell me I'm not going to have to spend $15k just to move in.
Hire a handyman (or DIY if you can do it right) and spend a little money to fix all the little things you've been meaning to get around to but haven't: that drywall crack, the baseboards that need caulking, the light fixture that needs replacing... All those things that can add up to the impression that the house needs work.
Set your DVR for Sell This House on A&E on Saturday mornings and The Unsellables on HGTV (random schedule).
My Pinterest
The Googlesites Paint Bio
Thinking of doing cosmetic updates to a dated home? These were our costs.
The first thing I look at is the kitchen. If I like the kitchen, I will consider the house. A kitchen is a big and expensive project that i am not willing to compromise on. I like to see painted walls, wallpaper is a dealbreaker. If I don't like the paint color, it's easily changeable. When you have to rip wallpaper down, you never know what condition the walls are like underneath and can get expensive. Carpets should be cleaned. I hate seeing houses that have dirty rugs, something about it just grosses me out. And try to limit the clutter. I hate going into houses and seeing so much clutter. It's distracting and you don't want potential buyers focusing on that.
Make a list showing when the systems were last updated.
DH and I wouldn't run from a 1925 home, but we'd want to know that the roof was x years old, the electrical was updated in xxxx, the plumbing was updated in xxxx, septic (if applicable) was done in xxxx, etc. These might be things you don't know, but whatever info you have about the age of systems would be good to share.
Also, many older homes have lots of charm (usually) that makes them set apart from newer properties. Highlight the charming spots like moulding, neat windows, columns, etc. with fresh paint, really clean, and maybe even some accent lighting.
Also, I know older homes tend to have tiny closets. Clean out all stuff that you will be moving anyway to open them up. For closets that you use a lot, pair down clothing to only the current season's stuff.
Another thing re: storage is that many older homes don't have a lot of it. Find some usable space like behind stairs or in unused corners, and maybe put in some $ and make a new closet or built-in shelving or built-in drawers/cabinets.
Freshen up landscaping and exterior. Fix chipping paint. Replace outdoor lights if they are worn and faded looking.
GL.
I agree with PP that stated to keep a list of when everything was updated. That would be my biggest concern with an older home.
I also look very hard at kitchens and bathrooms. Those are the most expensive to update. Things like paint I don't care that much about because that is an easy and inexpensive fix.
For me though, the biggest thing truly is the flow of the house. That isn't really something you can change, but it does help to declutter. For example, a house we looked at recently had a living room which was probably a pretty good size, but the owners had so much stuff in there it seemed cramped.
I'm not looking now, but next time, in additional to numbers of beds/baths, some of the things I will look at are:
- Landscaping around the house (is it landscaped properly to avoid basement water issues).
- Kitchen and bath size and how up to date they are (don't want to spend $30,000 to remodel).
- How old the "majors" are (roof, furnace, central air system, etc).
- School district
- Taxes
Of course there are cosmetic preferences but those are pretty personal. More generically - and certainly important when trying to sell an older home - is the structural integrity of the home. We look at windows, the roof, the basic structural elements of the home. How's the driveway, are the walkways in good shape? Does the house need to be repainted soon? Is it in good shape or are there obvious signs of weather damage? Do there appear to be major issues we'd be stuck paying for in the near future?
we focused on structual soundness. We looked at foundation movement/settlement. Therefore, we scanned all walls and ceilings for cracks and open and closed all doors to make sure they didn't stick. There was too much structual issues in our old area that would equate to major repairs. When we bought our new home, we purposely looked for a home that wasn't remodeled so we could see if there was any cracking or damage first hand without it being covered up.
Then we focused on layout.
Then we focused on neighborhood feel and safety. Walked around the 'hood at different times to get a good feel of how it would be. Chatted with a few neighbors briefly.
I love an old house (we have a contract to buy a 1890 house) and I realize I am in the minority, but I don't want to see a lot of updates in a kitchen or bathroom, especially a bathroom. I would prefer an intact bathroom rather than one that has been "modernized" with cheap, new product. I am looking for signs that the house has been flipped or other bad DIY work.
I am also looking for original built-ins and millwork.If you have built-ins I'd really accentual those.
I'm looking under rugs to see the condition of the hardwood flooring.
I'm looking to see if your woodwork was originally stained but has been painted at some point. I don't want to live through another stripping process!
I'm looking at your foundation and the condition of your furnace/water heater.
I'm looking at the ceiling height in your basement to see if I could legally convert it to living space.
I'm looking to see if you have original wood sash windows or if they have unfortunately been switched out with something "better" like, metal/vinyl/wood w/o muntins.
I'm looking at the exterior for telltale holes that insulation has been blown at some point. (this isn't a deal breaker, but it is nice to know the walls already have some insulation)
I'm looking to see if rooms have been remuddled and if so would it be possible to "fix" them back to the original if I don't like the "improved" lay out.
If your kitchen is new, I'm looking to see if you have full height cabinets or if you have a dust collector above your upper cabinets. Are the appliances positioned such that all the cabinet doors/drawers can be opened properly. Are there enough drawers?
This - definitely! If you've done big ticket items or know when they were done, I think it's a huge selling point. One of the houses we're looking at is listed $20K higher than those around it (it's a $400K neighborhood for the most part, so not too much higher) but it has a new roof, windows, siding and HVAC. The kitchen is fugly, but all of those big ticket improvements are appealing enough to outweigh it.
#1 is location. If you are marketing the home yourself then stress location. Is it close to city center, shopping, etc.?
I would want to know when the roof and other major systems were replaced.
Does it have wood floors or granite counters?
Does it have new carpet?
What energy efficient features have been added/updated (insulation, SEER rating of a/c unit, windows, fans, etc.)?