The big house with a green lawn and white picket fence is the epitome of the American Dream. Now that might not sum up the kind of house you’re looking for, but regardless, buying a house of any kind is a HUGE deal. It takes years of saving, months of planning and endless hours searching. So if it’s your first home you’re in search of and you’re feeling a little lost, here are some things you really need to look for when you head out to find the house of your dreams.
The HOA: This first one has nothing to do with your actual house, but I led with it because if there is one piece of advice I could give to someone looking to buy a house, it’s check out the HOA {Home Owner’s Association}. How crazy are the CC&Rs in your neighborhood. Are the people in charge of your sub completely insane {been there, done that!}. Will you always be looking over your should or waiting for the next your-shrubs-are-one-millimeter-too-high letter in your mailbox?! Ask your potential neighbors to spill the beans. This could make or break your neighborhood experience!
The Roof: A new roof is crazy expensive, so a shabby looking roof should be a warning sign! A newer, sturdier roof could not only mean a lower homeowners insurance rate, but also better protection and insulation from the elements and crazy weather!
Room Size: If you know you want larger bedrooms, don’t settle for a house with smaller rooms. Thinking you can easily knock out a wall or make them a little bigger may be a project that breaks the bank. This goes beyond bedrooms though. If you love to cook, don’t settle for a small kitchen; if you love to entertain, don’t settle for a small living or dining room. Also, think about your furniture as you walk through a home. Will your bed fit in that bedroom? Will your entertainment center look nice in that living space? These are all things that need to be addressed because fixing them after the fact can be costly!
The Insulation: Good insulation not only sound-proofs you from the outside world, but it also helps keep you comfortable. And that’s the ultimate goal in a home, right? Checking wall and attic insulation is standard, but also check the heating ducts and pipes to make sure they’re properly insulated. This will help keep heating and cooling costs low when extreme weather hits!
Window Sizes: Sure those floor to ceiling windows are awe-inducing, but what happens if one breaks. Check into pricing on replacement windows. Inspect the window areas for rot and the windows themselves for damage. Also, can save you some money on utility bills in the future, so those are a bonus!
The Age of the House: Many people love older homes for their history, design and charm. I do, too. But beware of the costs associated with owning an older home! Foundation cracks, roof issues, undiscovered mold, lengthy repairs, lack of insulation, heating and cooling system repairs or replacements, inefficient older systems, appliances, etc. There’s a lot to consider when buying that aging home. If you are a lover of older homes, just make sure you build some repairs into your budget!
Plumbing: Don’t just do a surface tour. Dig a little deeper into what’s underneath. Examine those pipes and the area surrounding them for leaks, water damage and, again, mold.
Zoning and Animal Restrictions: If you want to own chickens and you’ve cleared it with your HOA, the city might have something else to say! There are often building restrictions and pet restrictions and a bunch of other restrictions depending on what town you live in and what their zoning limitations are. Check first if you want to have an exotic pet or even build onto your house!
The Land: It’s easy to just focus on the house itself sometimes, but you need to survey the land, too. Are the fences in disrepair? Are they shared? How’s the landscaping? Are their outbuildings that come with the property. Make sure you fully walk the land you are also purchasing!
Indoor Layout and Flow: If you hate when sound carries, you might want to avoid an open concept. If you want to be able to see your kids when you do the dishes, that might be the perfect way to go. Imagine your family in that space. Does the flow work for you? My aunt and uncle bought a house they thought they loved a few years back. They love to entertain. It was a ranch-style house and the kitchen was on the complete opposite end of the house from the back patio and grill. They never thought twice about it during the purchase, but hated it every week when they were hauling food from one side of the house, through the dining room, living room, den and laundry room just to get it on the grill. It’s the little things like that that can make all the difference.
The Grade: Obviously it’s important to see if your house is positioned on the lot in a way that would make it prone for flooding, but you also want to take the grade into account when landscaping. If your lot is really sloped, a deck you want might not be possible, or it might make mowing the lawn a nightmare. All things to consider before signing on the dotted line!
Driveway and Parking: If you have multiple vehicles, a boat, an RV and some ATVs, you need to be looking at driveway width and parking space. Can you easily drive you truck into your garage. Does you vehicle even fit in your garage? If you have no garage, is there ample space on the street? Also, look at the concrete condition of the driveway itself and check for large cracks and deterioration!
The Electrical: This is right up there with plumping! It’s taking a look behind the scenes. What is the outlet situation like? Can you even plug in your deep freezer in the garage or will the outlet not support it? Are fuses always blowing? And the number one thing to look for? How many outlets are in the bathroom!
The Toddler Approach: Touch everything. Approach the house like a 2-year-old {or bring over a few 2-year-olds to do it for you if you know any!}. Open every door and cabinet and closet. Turn on every faucet, flush every toilet, jump up and down on the floor looking for creaks. Discovering the nuts and bolts of your potential future house requires it. After you’ve given the house a thorough test, you’ll know just what you’re in for!
The Home Inspector Approach: While that toddler approach is helpful, calling in an expert to inspect the entire home is a MUST!
And there you have some suggestions that have been helpful for our family when buying a house. Anything I missed? Leave your tips in the comments!
Good luck, home buyers!
~Mavis
Ashley C. says
This is awesome! Hubby and I just got serious about looking for our first home. The whole thing can be pretty scary getting started but the more I read, the better I feel.
Carrie says
Compromise – with yourself and coborrower if applicable. I really wanted a brick house for easy maintenance but everything I looked at in my desired neighborhood was terrible for me inside. I bought a house with a great layout, well maintained and good bones but it has wood siding that needs to be painted every 10 years.
Continue to save money for future house projects. I’ve owned my home for two years now and had to replace the roof (I knew buying the house that it needed to be done), built a privacy fence and exterior paint job is the next thing on the list. My house was built in 1928 so there is constantly something to be done. From what I hear, my friends with newer homes still have issues (leaky roofs, AC goes out, etc. or even customizing your house takes money) so be prepared to spend more after you sign and keep saving!
Martha says
Go talk to the city/county planning department about the short term and long term changes you can expect. No fun buying a nice, private house only to find the city is allowing an apt. building looking over your backyard, or an upgrade of that quiet street to a thu-way, or that sweet acreage is going to have a new gravel pit 1/4 mile away. Also look at where it sits on Google Earth and see what surrounds you, Are you going to be in a potential waterway or slide area? Do your due diligence!
Rebecca in MD says
Excellent and thorough advice! I would add to try to get to know something about the neighbors by walking (or driving) around the neighborhood at different times of day and night. You don’t want to move in and discover that your neighbor likes to throw lots of wild parties in the backyard. Also look at the other houses and yards in the neighborhood to get a sense of whether people are keeping up their properties.
CAT says
Always, double check the fine print on your offer, what they say to your face isn’t always the same as the non disclosure when you go to buy. Also if at all possible, ask about insurance coverage ahead of time, in my area, they won’t always insure basements anymore, if you’re in an area that has flooded or if there was a previous claim. That’s been a nasty surprise for a few people.
KC says
Sewer inspection! On top of the regular home inspection, get a sewer inspection. Replacing a sewer line can be pricey.
Also, turn on all the lights and check each outlet (a nightlight works pretty well for that, if you don’t have a professional tool – but even better if you have the professional tool that will tell you when a three-prong outlet *isn’t* grounded). Get into the attic or crawlspaces and look for water damage or animal damage or suspicious covered-up parts.
KC says
Also, buy a house for the life you actually live, not the life you think you probably ought to want to live or that Pinterest or media tells you you should want. If the thought of throwing parties makes you want to hide in the closet, then don’t bother with the giant entertaining spaces; if you loathe gardening/landscaping, then veer towards easy-care rather than something that will need a weekly manicure; if you don’t have a DIY bone in your body and don’t particularly want to grow one, then don’t go for a place that “just needs a little TLC” in the form of hundreds of tiling/caulking/painting projects.
Breaking things down into “normal life” and “occasionally we will need…” (such as when you have visitors or tackle a major canning project or are without power in a snowstorm) and “occasionally we might enjoy…” can help with prioritization. If you might use a hot tub once a year, it’s not worth the maintenance; but if you’ll be in there weekly, then it’s an asset.
Also think about layout and stairs and bathrooms – if someone in your family breaks an ankle or has foot surgery or whatever, is there a room they can sleep in that has no stairs to a bathroom? If elderly family members will be visiting, is the house accessible for their needs?
When we were home-buying, we made a paper form with things to check off for various items in our “must” and “must not” and “would be nice” categories, plus spaces for the address and for notes – it made remembering the different things about the different houses visited a lot easier, and helped with reducing in-person sales-pitch sway – yes, that is a lovely deck, but no, the water damage is more important than the deck.
Michele says
This is all great advice IF you are given the time! As soon as “decent” or better homes go up for sale in my area of Oregon, the Willamette Valley, there is a price war!! You don’t have time to check everything out–nice for the seller, but taking a real chance for the buyer!
Patty P says
I agree! When we bought our house nearly 15 years ago we had a short amount of time to make up our minds. There were others that had made offers on the house, but luckily we got it. We did do the walk through and did have a home inspection, but the older widowed lady that was moving out left tons of stuff when she left. We were so grateful to have a house (as a newly married couple) that we finished cleaning out! Luckily, nothing major was wrong with the house!
Jen says
How timely–we are in escrow on a place in the Willamette Valley, and boy are you ever right about the market! That said, it’s easy to write in 10-15 business days for an inspection period to get all your analyses done, even if it’s just scoping out the ‘hood at night or meeting the neighbors. You can back out during the inspection period for any reason you want.
Debbie says
Taste the water. Also ask about the mineral rights if they don’t come with the property who owns them?
Happy home hunting
Mimi says
Ditto on checking out the neighbors. And if you can, check out the neighbors. Also, be sure to ask around about the neighbors.
I could tell you some stories about bad neighbors.
FarmGirl says
Drive around the neighborhood at night and on weekends. My cousin (single girl in her 20’s) bought an adorable small older home on a corner lot in what appeared to be a good neighborhood. Shortly after moving in, she found that the neighbors across the street like to throw crazy loud parties on weekends, on their front lawn. And at night lots of strange cars sit idling at the curb by the stop sign waiting on other cars to drive by for what appears to be drug exchanges. When she got a chance to talk to the neighbors beside her, they said that three different families had moved into the neighborhood the last couple of years and brought trouble with them. She has been trying to sell her house for a year b/c she doesn’t feel safe.
Toni says
Ask your insurer to find out if there have been any claims with the property in the past – all insurance companies have access to claims information – fire, flood, burglary, etc.
Flush the toilet while running water from the tap – does the flow from the tap turn into a thin stream or stop?
Notice any cans or packages of insecticide or rodenticide and ask if there has been infestation in the last five years.
Open the oven drawer and ask to look behind the stove and fridge – you are looking for rodent poop.
Ask at the police station about crime in the area – is this a safer neighbourhood?
Check out the area at different times of the day. Is the street a short cut during rush hour?
Find out who services the furnace/AC and ask what kind of shape it’s in
Mavis Butterfield says
Excellent tips Toni!!
Erin says
Drive through the area at night with your windows down and listen for barking dogs. Nothing worse than trying to sleep with a dog barking all night long! Why the owners cannot hear their own dogs barking continues to befuddle me!
Athena says
I’d add look at the flooring and paint as well. Pay attention to how worn the carpet is, if you will want to replace it and whether it can last for a few years or if it needs to be done right away, hopefully before moving in. It is a PAIN to do after you move in if the house needs it. For the paint, though it is easy to change and relatively inexpensive, if you need to paint every single surface it may take a while and that means lots of things left in boxes until the painting can be done and things can be hung! These are 2 things I REALLY wish we had paid attention to with our current home. Every. Single. Surface. Needs painted! Literally, all ceilings, trim, walls etc… needed redone. It wasn’t just a matter of we don’t like that color or would prefer this color. The previous paint jobs were so bad they had to be fixed. A .5 inch strip of white paint a different color than the ceiling paint along all ceiling edges. Shiny white trim that is scratched up and brush stokes EVERYWHERE! It’s taking us a LONG time to fix with my husband working, me working part of the time, serious illness etc… We have 2 rooms left to paint at this point (almost 3 years later) but still all of the doors to do and the kitchen cabinet paint is just BAD! Ugh, the cabinets still need done. It’s a lot. The carpets look gross but have looked this way since we moved in and we’ve cleaned them ourselves several times. Oh and the paint splatters on the carpet in most of the rooms! We still would have bought this house but would have done so with a more realistic idea of what we needed to do.
Gina says
If have kids, or plan on having kids in the future, know the quality of the zoned schools for each grade level.
Linda Sand says
Don’t guess about neighborhood schools. We bought a house one block away from the local elementary school. Which closed the next year when our daughter started so she was bused to one several miles away. With unruly kids from another neighborhood. Gum in your hair, anyone?
Jean says
How big is the water heater? When we moved in, we realized that we didn’t have enough hot water to take a bath in our jacuzzi bath with the jets on. That was kind of a bummer.
Jean says
Oh! And internet!! A friend of mine built a house in a rural area that has sketchy internet service so her work-at-home husband often works from his car outside local businesses with internet service.
Heidi says
Oh Jean that happened to us. Dial up! Luckily the cell service is good so we got a tower from our cell provider to run our pc’s. Expensive!
Check your phone bars!
Jen says
So many good suggestions. I’ll add cell phone service–make sure your phone has cell service at the house you want to buy, especially if you don’t plan to have a landline.
And I second the sewer scope. We’re in escrow now and our realtor was able to give us inspection reports from the previous sale of the house two years ago, as well as documents showing what repairs were done at that time. The sewer was repaired and at the time, their scope showed a previous repair. So we had it scoped last week just to check. It hadn’t been fully repaired 2 years ago. We got $6000 off the sales price so we can have THE ENTIRE SEWER LINE REPLACED all the way to the city connection, since the sewer had such a history of problems.
Also, once your general inspection is done, call the inspector directly for any questions (or have your realtor do it). Our inspector was super nice! He even went back to the house for free to check a possible water intrusion issue I noticed but he hadn’t. He was able to explain other issues too, in more detail than what the report could cover.
Jill says
A lot of great suggestions. I’ll just add – do your research on the property taxes. So many people find a home they love but don’t factor into their monthly cost the taxes. Most people only pay attention to what the mortgage company tells them they can afford (which of course is always way higher than most people should do). When we were looking for a house, my husband created a spreadsheet of the property taxes in all the areas we were looking into.
Also count in the cost of transportation expenses you will have for getting to work or the kids’ school activities. When we bought our current house, we didn’t think we could afford it until we realized how much money we were going to save in gas from not having such a long commute and the taxes being lower.