Looking for a house, any good advice out there?

[dxkj]

Anything and everything from getting a house inspected, to trying to get the lowest rates. Any advice?


PS this will be in the Milwaukee area, WI.

 

[iamwiz82]

Get it inspected.

Check everywhere and everything. We didn't lift a throw rug until yesterday on the house we bought last week and there are 2 bleach stains on the carpet :|

 

[urname7698]

Figure out your budget and stick with it. Don't let the realtor push you into spending more than you want. Definately get inspected.. drive through the neighborhood at different times and see what its like.. even stop and talk to neighbors..

 

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.

 

[Jumpem]

Get something on a decent lot (3-5 acres) for pirvacy.

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: Jumpem
Get something on a decent lot (3-5 acres) for pirvacy.

Lol... right

 

[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.

 

[dxkj]

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.

Lol Right, means, its near a big city, I cant afford that, etc..

 

[tec699]

buy a mansion!

 

[vi edit]

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.

For most people, that just isn't an option. They'd either be looking at millions upon millions of dollars to do it, or an hour + commute, or some combination there of. Plus factor in the upkeep and the fact that you are typically going to be a long ways away from any sort of major civilization and the appeal of it drops even more for most people.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

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.

For most people, that just isn't an option. They'd either be looking at millions upon millions of dollars to do it, or an hour + commute, or some combination there of. Plus factor in the upkeep and the fact that you are typically going to be a long ways away from any sort of major civilization and the appeal of it drops even more for most people.

I think I went to Home Depot a dozen times this weekend. There is no way I could do that if I didn't live 5 minutes from one in the boonies of upstate New York.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Get it inspected.

Check everywhere and everything. We didn't lift a throw rug until yesterday on the house we bought last week and there are 2 bleach stains on the carpet :|

damn! you going to bitch at the seller?

 

If you have any more questions about this stuff feel free to PM me.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Get it inspected.

Check everywhere and everything. We didn't lift a throw rug until yesterday on the house we bought last week and there are 2 bleach stains on the carpet :|

damn! you going to bitch at the seller?

No, I blame myself for not looking, that and I would (and will) hide it if or when I sell it.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: dxkj
Lol Right, means, its near a big city, I cant afford that, etc..

Yeah, but I don't mind a bit of commuting.

 

[Jumpem]

I think I went to Home Depot a dozen times this weekend. There is no way I could do that if I didn't live 5 minutes from one in the boonies of upstate New York.

I live half an hour from Home Depot, but Lowes is only ten minutes.

 

[Lola]

make sure you educate yourself as much as you can even if you do have a good realtor and mortgage person. If possible, use referrals as well. don't be afraid to ask TONS of questions if you don't understand something.

If you have a "funny" feeling about someone, go with your gut. Don't settle. There are lots of houses so if your dream house is sold, keep looking!

 

[radioouman]

Set the goals four your house before you go looking.

Rather than explain what I mean, I'll give you an example:

I worked out what we could afford per month. (~$1100)
Then I worked that back to a total cost, which meant that I could buy a $150,000 house at the interest rates of two years ago.
Next, I set up some guidelines for the location. Good school district, quiet neighborhood, low-traffic street, sidewalks, etc.
This narrowed my search down to a few neighborhoods, at which point I contacted a realtor and started looking at the houses in the area.
My criteria for the house was to find one that needed some fixing up, so it was selling at the lower end of the price range for the neighborhood, but the repairs were relatively minor.

What I found: a house that is on a cul-de-sac in a quiet neighborhood with yellow siding but a completely remodeled kitchen and a bright green bedroom. The kitchen takes some money to remodel, so it was nice that it was already done. THe yellow siding is ugly but it can be painted (aluminum) so that is relatively minor to add some serious curb appeal. The green bedroom has already been painted white for about $30.

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: dxkj
Lol Right, means, its near a big city, I cant afford that, etc..

Yeah, but I don't mind a bit of commuting.

Living near milwaukee will be 100 mile commute to work.... but no where between work and milwaukee could i afford a full acre let alone a few

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: dxkj
Living near milwaukee will be 100 mile commute to work.... but no where between work and milwaukee could i afford a full acre let alone a few

Interesting. Here in upstate NY, as soon as you get 10+ miles from the metro area of a city land is plentiful.

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: dxkj
Living near milwaukee will be 100 mile commute to work.... but no where between work and milwaukee could i afford a full acre let alone a few

Interesting. Here in upstate NY, as soon as you get 10+ miles from the metro area of a city land is plentiful.

Cool but we are talking a stretch from Chicago up to Milwaukee, all land is way overpriced most of that way.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: dxkj
Cool but we are talking a stretch from Chicago up to Milwaukee, all land is way overpriced most of that way.

NY has high taxes, but at least housing is affordable.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Get it inspected.

Check everywhere and everything. We didn't lift a throw rug until yesterday on the house we bought last week and there are 2 bleach stains on the carpet :|

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:

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: Jumpem

Originally posted by: dxkj
Cool but we are talking a stretch from Chicago up to Milwaukee, all land is way overpriced most of that way.

NY has high taxes, but at least housing is affordable.

Yeah all of the stuff is way overpriced around here.

 

[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.