It has come to my attention that my roommate is planning on moving out in July.
To save you all from a KK novel, Il cut to the chase.
I’m interested in buying a cheap starter house and am looking for counsel from people who have gone through this.
I know the basics…
-check the roof
-check the furnace
-make sure theres no water problems
I’m just wondering if anyone has any tips or just general discussion about buying a house.
Also interested in this…
Talk to Jammer for a home inspection.
Jammer considers me a liberal, see quote in your sig
check out the neighbors #1 even if house is baller shit neighbors would kill it. atleast for me
foundation is a good one too
carbon monoxide. you dont want to live in a place that will kill you. mold etc
water leaks, air leaks, toilet, water system, list goes on and on. electric is a hard one to spot. check attic and basement multiple times
check the venting too. esp if it has a fire place
most of the time its best to hire a professional inspector to look over everything. try to hire someone you know to look out for your best intrests.
its good to learn too.
also look for recipts. just like a car a house requires mantance. the more the better. a owner with full documention usually has the better home/car.
but you never know good luck with your home.
Taxes. Understand what you’ll be paying in fucking taxes each and every month.
Also, zoning laws and town ordinances, ie no unlicensed vehicles on property, no toilets in the yard, etc.
A neighborhood where young women go jogging is a plus. Also proximity to good takeout.
I live in watervliet right now and thats where Il be looking to buy. Not a lot of people want to live here, but its perfect for me because Im single with no kids. The quality of people is ok at best, but I’m really just looking for a starter home to invest in.
Get a home inspection, you’ll need one for the bank anyways so it’s unavoidable
Also I agree with pitman for once (mark down the date). Talk to the neighbors before you buy anything. It sounds so simple but no one ever does and then hates their neighbors. I met my neighbors before I bought and they were all really nice and it was a nice deciding factor and now I have cool neighbors
Taxes kill a deal sometimes. I was looking at a house that was dirt cheap (needed work) and in 5 years I wouldve paid more in taxes than the house cost and it was borderline in the 'hood.
I don’t see why he wouldn’t do it based on political views.
Only liberals deny work/money based on views like that!
Kidding aside:
Hire a professional to do a thorough inspection. No matter how much you think you know, they still usually know more and can look for the tiniest things.
You looking for single family or multi?
My only advice to add is to buy something well within your financial comfort zone. Mainly, because you don’t realize how expensive basic maintainence can be until you own the house. The first week I owned one of my rentals the water heater failed and that alone was 500 bucks. Not that repairs like that are super common, but they do happen.
Buy my house.
Jammer used to do home inspections as a business if I remember correctly, I think he still does unless I’m thinking of someone else entirely.
Or just buy Wayne’s house.
As other have said, hire a pro to get the inspection done. Also, go WITH the inspector. Have him explain what he is seeing. I really learned a lot about the house I bought that way.
Prior to buying: Get a good realtor. S/He should should be willing to work with your schedule to set up walk throughs, should be well educated on the houses you are looking at, and should be explaining different problems/good things as you find them. If you like a house, go for a 2nd walk through. I thought I had ‘found the one’ 3 times, but on the 2nd walk through found issues I did not want to deal with.
If you don’t have much to put down, and FHA loan is what you will need. You are only required to put down 3.5%, but there is a more involves process in getting the loan, and the house has to pass a tougher inspection.
Exercise your signing hand, or you’ll cramp.
BoostCreep is a realitor.
Shift518. What can’t you find here?
Don’t buy one in NY
But seriously, look at and figure out what your monthly expenses are and then you can see what your budget will be for a house.
Write it all down; car payment, food, gas, etc. Then factor in roughly what you’ll spend on power, if the water is metered find out by asking what the monthly water bill is and so on.
A new house won’t necessarily be built better than an old house, if an old house was renovated properly it can be better. That’s why if youre not sure what you’re looking at a home inspector can guide you better - how much and what type of insulation can save you quite a bit of money on heating costs in the long run. Find out how often the boiler or heating system was cleaned or maintained or even when it was last replaced or repaired. If its cleaned on a regular basis then you’re better off.
Still does, best by far I’ve ever used… I’ve learned a lot from just being side by side with him and clients during a inspection.
I love when my clients use him.
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Even if you are single and plan on being childless for many more years, buy within a GOOD school district and that 9 times out of 10 will help you resell the house later down the road. Nothing worse than feeling stuck/not being able to sell the house because the area/school district isn’t marketable.