Buying A Home
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
What questions to ask for first time buyer
DH and I are going to look at our first home on Thursday. (!!) We're just beginning this whole process and neither of us have ever bought a home before. The one we're going to see seems perfect on paper and I have to admit, I'm already kind of in love.
I don't want to jump into the first home we see right away and I usually get excited about these things and DO tend to jump into them too quickly.
I also have a tendency to forget my questions in the heat of the moment, so I want a list before hand! What are your 'must ask' questions you ask while looking at a house? Any other quick advice for a (nervous) first time buyer?
Re: What questions to ask for first time buyer
Do you have your own realtor and have you talked to a mortgage broker to get preapproved or prequalified?
As far as the house goes, you'll want to ask how old the major appliances are - HVAC, water heater, roof, windows, etc. these are usually listed in the MLS or for the realtor. If not, often you can find a date on the unit (obviously not on the roof!). I'd ask my realtor how long it's been on the market if I forgot to look it up. I know it's exciting but try to picture living there. Does the flow work for you? Are the room sizes appropriate for your furniture and what you want to do? Are there renovations or update that need done and are you able to do those yourself or pay people?
As long as you aren't in a hot competitive market, you'll want to come back an see the house another time or two. Are either of your parents nearby or do you have relatives or friends who own? I'd ask them to come during your 2nd visit to point out anything you might be overlooking in the excitement.
Take your camera and snap pics of every room and every wall. Trust me, if you put an offer in, it's neat to look at the house and visualize where your hand vac can plug in...
Look at the neighbors' houses and yards. Are they well-kept? Nasty cars parked outside? How much kid junk is in the backyard?
Drive by the home at night, on weekends, and various times of day.
Ditto PP about ages of all mechanicals, decking material, roof, windows, all kitchen appliances, washer and dryer, garage door openers, etc.
Check the county's zoning map. Where is the home in relation to industrial and commerial use? What are the city's long-term 30 year building plans? You can find this data by loking up the city or county websites and searching for zoning maps.
Lastly, some people on this board care about the sex offender registry, others do not. You can look it up and find out where the nearest ones have registered addresses. You again, typically do a search by county for registered sex offenders.