Looking for a house, any good advice out there?

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: SampSon
I could go on for a long time about this.

Get a good realtor. Make sure you know what you want, and NEVER spend more than you can afford.
Take your time when making the decision, do not let anyone push you into making a decision, you are spending a LOT of money on this major investment.

Make sure you know the taxation rates for the town/city/county you live in and figure thoes costs into your mortgage.

When looking at a house the most important things are the MECHANICAL SYSTEMS. The color, flooring, wall coverings, amenities can easily be changed to suit your needs and you do not rely on them to live. Mechanical systems are what you need working to live everyday, and they are expensive to fix usually.

Good advice.

Absolutely make sure you know how much tax you need to pay. If the broker is unscrupulous or lazy, they will just tell you what the last recorded taxes were, not what they are expected to be.

My brother in law bought a new duplex in an area known for low taxes. The previously home, which was demolished, had taxes of about $10K. He bought the place thinking it was $10K when in actuality it was $26K since it was a new house. The broker never bothered to tell him what he thought the taxes would be or even warn him.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Good advice.

Absolutely make sure you know how much tax you need to pay. If the broker is unscrupulous or lazy, they will just tell you what the last recorded taxes were, not what they are expected to be.

My brother in law bought a new duplex in an area known for low taxes. The previously home, which was demolished, had taxes of about $10K. He bought the place thinking it was $10K when in actuality it was $26K since it was a new house. The broker never bothered to tell him what he thought the taxes would be or even warn him.

Can't you figure that out for yourself by looking at the tax rates, and what the home is appraised for.

 

[shimsham]

if possible, get a house with an extra room that you can make a "game room". somewhere to hang out when your friends come over instead of your main living area. that way when someone spills a drink/food, its not in the middle of your living room and the first thing people see when they walk through the door. it will happen.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I doubt the previous owner would have replaced the carpet because of this. Would you honestly have walked from the deal just because of a stain on the carpet? :roll:

I think he was just saying to check everything that you can before you buy. Stained carpet could have been used to bargain down a little bit.

Exactly, look at everything from the closets to the way the doors line up and everything in between. Many little things would add up for me.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Good advice.

Absolutely make sure you know how much tax you need to pay. If the broker is unscrupulous or lazy, they will just tell you what the last recorded taxes were, not what they are expected to be.

My brother in law bought a new duplex in an area known for low taxes. The previously home, which was demolished, had taxes of about $10K. He bought the place thinking it was $10K when in actuality it was $26K since it was a new house. The broker never bothered to tell him what he thought the taxes would be or even warn him.

Can't you figure that out for yourself by looking at the tax rates, and what the home is appraised for.

I guess you can. Unless I know the broker, I wouldn't take his word on it. You'd be better off calling the tax collector of your town and finding out.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
I guess you can. Unless I know the broker, I wouldn't take his word on it. You'd be better off calling the tax collector of your town and finding out.

I go to the local county website. It lists the tax rates for all the towns/cities/villages.

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: shimsham
if possible, get a house with an extra room that you can make a "game room". somewhere to hang out when your friends come over instead of your main living area. that way when someone spills a drink/food, its not in the middle of your living room and the first thing people see when they walk through the door. it will happen.

Ive been looking at a few places with

Master Bedroom
2nd bedroom
3rd bedroom
Living Room
Dining Room
Kitchen
1.5-2 baths
Family room



If they have a family room that would be perfect... if not the dining room could work for a game room, etc

 

[sao123]

Cardboard boxes make poor houses in areas which recieve more than 3-5 inches of rain per year.
better off to buy a coleman 3 person tent from a sporting goods shop.

 

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Good advice.

Absolutely make sure you know how much tax you need to pay. If the broker is unscrupulous or lazy, they will just tell you what the last recorded taxes were, not what they are expected to be.

My brother in law bought a new duplex in an area known for low taxes. The previously home, which was demolished, had taxes of about $10K. He bought the place thinking it was $10K when in actuality it was $26K since it was a new house. The broker never bothered to tell him what he thought the taxes would be or even warn him.

Can't you figure that out for yourself by looking at the tax rates, and what the home is appraised for.

I guess you can. Unless I know the broker, I wouldn't take his word on it. You'd be better off calling the tax collector of your town and finding out.

Yep, taxation rates and assessment values are public record.

Right not towns/cities/counties are currently in a assessment frenzy due to the very hot RE market. So the values have been changing nearly quarterly in some areas. This is causing major legal headaches.

DoggieDog: No offense, but your brother made a clearly uneducated decision about the taxation rates. I wouldn't really rely heavily on the realtor for tax information and definatly not the broker. The only people to deal with are the assessors and dept of real property.

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: sao123
Cardboard boxes make poor houses in areas which recieve more than 3-5 inches of rain per year.
better off to buy a coleman 3 person tent from a sporting goods shop.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Quasmo]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: dxkj
Lol... right

I'm serious. A house would have to be absolutely perfect, have great neighbors, and be a very good deal for me to consider a normal acres or less lot size.

I'd get more than a few acres if I could afford it. Plenty of people around where I live now own hundreds of acres.

do you live in Alaska?

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: Quasmo
do you live in Alaska?

Ontario County NY. South of Rochester, west of Syracuse.

 

[DrPizza]

Do ***NOT*** use lendingtree.com

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Do ***NOT*** use lendingtree.com

Why do you say that? I've never even had a mortgage, but heard of people that used them.

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Do ***NOT*** use lendingtree.com

Why do you say that? I've never even had a mortgage, but heard of people that used them.

I tried using it just to get some ideas on rates, and i got harrassed for 6 months... 8 months later im mostly harrassment free.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: SampSon

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Good advice.

Absolutely make sure you know how much tax you need to pay. If the broker is unscrupulous or lazy, they will just tell you what the last recorded taxes were, not what they are expected to be.

My brother in law bought a new duplex in an area known for low taxes. The previously home, which was demolished, had taxes of about $10K. He bought the place thinking it was $10K when in actuality it was $26K since it was a new house. The broker never bothered to tell him what he thought the taxes would be or even warn him.

Can't you figure that out for yourself by looking at the tax rates, and what the home is appraised for.

I guess you can. Unless I know the broker, I wouldn't take his word on it. You'd be better off calling the tax collector of your town and finding out.

Yep, taxation rates and assessment values are public record.

Right not towns/cities/counties are currently in a assessment frenzy due to the very hot RE market. So the values have been changing nearly quarterly in some areas. This is causing major legal headaches.

DoggieDog: No offense, but your brother made a clearly uneducated decision about the taxation rates. I wouldn't really rely heavily on the realtor for tax information and definatly not the broker. The only people to deal with are the assessors and dept of real property.

I think they mislead him into believing a brand new house was taxed the same as an older house of the same cost. Apparently, the town taxes brand new developments at a higher level than existing homes even if their assessed values are the same. That information was not given to him. If he had known, he would never have bought it.

 

I think they mislead him into believing a brand new house was taxed the same as an older house of the same cost. Apparently, the town taxes brand new developments at a higher level than existing homes even if their assessed values are the same. That information was not given to him. If he had known, he would never have bought it.

Ouch, sounds like major bonage there.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
I think they mislead him into believing a brand new house was taxed the same as an older house of the same cost. Apparently, the town taxes brand new developments at a higher level than existing homes even if their assessed values are the same. That information was not given to him. If he had known, he would never have bought it.

I've never heard of a municipality pulling that scam.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
I think they mislead him into believing a brand new house was taxed the same as an older house of the same cost. Apparently, the town taxes brand new developments at a higher level than existing homes even if their assessed values are the same. That information was not given to him. If he had known, he would never have bought it.

I've never heard of a municipality pulling that scam.

I meant the broker not the town. But yes, its a messed up double standard. He's going to sell the place soon at a profit so I guess he still made out.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
I meant the broker not the town. But yes, its a messed up double standard. He's going to sell the place soon at a profit so I guess he still made out.

I meant the town too. It's pretty retarded that they charge different rates for houses of the same value because one is "new".

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
I meant the broker not the town. But yes, its a messed up double standard. He's going to sell the place soon at a profit so I guess he still made out.

I meant the town too. It's pretty retarded that they charge different rates for houses of the same value because one is "new".

That woudl suck, i will make sure to keep an eye out for set rates.