Post by Tumbleweed on Feb 15, 2010 23:39:19 GMT -6
House Hunting
When you finally decide it is time to go shopping for a new home there are usually good reasons for your decision. Your job may have transfered you, you may need more space for your growing family or you are tired of paying rent. Whatever your reasons, you likely will sit down and make a list of what your "must haves" are and what you can sacrifice, you figure the price range and often target certain areas to start looking.
And once you are actually touring homes you may or may not realize your first impression is usually based on curb appeal. If you think the home looks cute or even beautiful you just gave the thumbs up on curb appeal.
But the question is, did you look closely? Are there things you didn't notice because you were too busy looking at the cute flower garden surrounding the house or the great decorative gables. Were you too busy appreciating the curb appeal?
There are some things you must note, when home searching, that can affect the purchase price and the price you get someday when you go to sell, especially if you purchased during a sellers market (which isn't now, January of 2010) and are selling in a soft or buyers market.
Ten Things To Look For When House Hunting
Fire Hydrant
1. Is there a fire hydrant on the property? If there is, keep in mind you cannot camouflage it. It must be easily accessible by your firemen and women. It may not bother you now but as you "pretty-up" your landscaping you may regret having that fire hydrant. On the other hand, if you have a fire, you may be grateful it is there.
Dead End Street
2. Is the home located on a dead end street? There are just some things that happen when you live on a dead end street. A drunk may be too drunk to realize the road ends and you may end up with a car in your front lawn or worse yet, entering your home. Or if the roads are icy, someone may not be able to stop before bouncing up on your lawn often times tearing it up and causing damage.
So take note on how far back the home and sidewalk are from the street. The further back the better.
Snowy Country, Snow Plows and Dead End Streets
3. If the home is on a dead end street and you live in snowy country you may always end up with more snow from the road graters then your neighbors and often times the snow will overflow on your freshly shoveled sidewalk.
One would wish they would make a right turn when coming up the dead end street but I have yet to see them do so, perhaps because those graters don't turn on a dime.
The example below shows how you get double whammied.
Sewer Grates
4. If the home is on a dead end street often times there will be a sewer grate that the city has to open up when covered with snow. The picture below is the aftermath of them opening up the sewer grate area just a few days ago in front of my house. This may be a concern for you if you hate shoveling, are elderly or physically limited and/or can't afford to hire someone to shovel for you if the home is located where snow accumulates in significant amounts. (And if your wondering, yes, I shoveled a path through that mountain although I went as far to the edge as I could without going on the hill that leads up to my house.)
Clicky for larger view
Even if you don't live in snowy country having a sewer opening in front of a home can cause concern. Sometimes the smell isn't exactly pleasant.
Electrical Boxes
5. Does your potential home have an electrical box on the property. You may come to hate how ugly it looks in time so don't be so busy looking at the pretty flowers surrounding the home and not notice the big atrocity.
Power Lines
6. Are there main power lines near the home? I'm not going to get into whether power lines cause health concerns but I would like to point out there is a lot of controversy regarding this issue and only you can do your own research and decide for yourself.
Here are some reliable links to help you get started.
2005- National Cancer Institute & U.S. National Institutes of Health
2003-Arizona Association of Realtors
1995-American Physical Society
2006-World Health Organization
Electric and Magnetic Fields- National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences
2008- Health Physics Society
2008- Connecticut Department of Public Health
2006 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
And you may want to read up on how it can affect the sale of a home.
The Entrepreneur Network
Busy Roads and Other Negatives
7. Is the home near a busy road or backed up to an interstate, railroad tracks or a smelly refinery or cattle/pig/chicken farm. Granted, most people will notice the busy road and interstate but you may not get a whiff of the stinky refinery or farm when touring the home or on subsequent visits or you may not have the opportunity to hear just how loud the train can be as it whizzes past.
All of these things should be noted and considered when purchasing a home. Some may not be a huge issue and others may put off many potential buyers. With the housing market so soft right now (January, 2010), and if you are considering purchasing a home with some of these problems then this is the time to do so while the purchase price will probably be pretty low. However, if you wait until it becomes a sellers market again then you best be sure you don't mind if you lose some of that hard cash you paid if you happen to have to sell when the market becomes soft again.
Trees
8. Take note of the trees and shrubs on the property. Are there trees that would soon need to come down? Are there dead branches that could cause a hazard for walking pedestrians or for your family? Are they hanging near a neighbor's roof, the roof of the home you are touring or any out buildings? Removing a large old tree can cost around $500.00 so keep that in mind.
A side note: Typically, if the tree is on the side of the sidewalk toward your house it is your responsibility to care for it. If it is on the side between the sidewalk and the curb the city may be responsible. Check with your cities ordnances.
Are there overgrown shrubs that you know eventually will have to be taken out? Is this something you will do yourself, realistically, or something you will hire someone to do and will it be in your budget?
Sidewalk
9. Walk down the sidewalk and note any cracked or uneven sections. If there is a part that could cause a tripping hazard the city may demand you fix it. Yes, it is your responsibility in most cities I have ever lived/been in.
Driveway
10. Just as you need to check the sidewalks you need to take a good look at the driveway. If it looks as if it is going to need redone in the near future expect to pay at least $7 or $8 dollars a square foot to have it dug out, graded , poured and finished. This of course depends on the current economy and your state.
If the driveway looks as if a fresh layer of gravel has been put down check with your city as most cities do not allow gravel and if you purchase the home you may have the city knocking on your door informing you that you need to remove it. (Hopefully, your home inspector would inform you of such things.)
If the home does have a legal gravel driveway or a blacktop driveway and you would like to eventually replace it with cement, please know that your property taxes will probably go up.
Other things that can affect the price of your home.
A Corner Lot
Some people love having a corner lot and some don't. Some people don't like having traffic on two sides of their property. Usually a corner lot means a bit more yard and some people don't like mowing so much.
Just take into consideration any of these things when searching for a home. If you know you won't be in your new home forever, try to purchase a home that will appeal to the most buyers possible. Some people may just drive on by if they see that fire hydrant or that the home is on a corner lot.
Poor Floor Plans
•Adjoining bedrooms
•Bedrooms located on separate levels
•Dining room in center of home
•Narrow doorways and halls
•Interior stairs facing an entrance
•Hallway facing an entrance
•Bedrooms accessed from living or family rooms
•Bathroom in an unappealing location (often times, off the kitchen in older homes or the only bathroom located in private spaces)
•Choppy placement of rooms without flow
•Upper-floor bedrooms with stairs in the center
Home is near, across from or next to:
Commercial properties, apartment buildings or industrial properties, government housing or government buildings.
•An airport, landfills, schools or a sports arena
•Utility structures such as waste, electrical or nuclear power plants.
•Cemeteries or funeral homes.
And just a few more things to consider.
Is there a swimming pool in the yard. If you live in a state where the summer season is very short then having a pool will turn a lot of people off. The upkeep if often not worth it to potential home buyers. The same is true for ponds or water features. Some people will love this and others will see it as more work for them.
However, if you live in a very warm climate it is almost expected there be a pool.
Happy house hunting!
When you finally decide it is time to go shopping for a new home there are usually good reasons for your decision. Your job may have transfered you, you may need more space for your growing family or you are tired of paying rent. Whatever your reasons, you likely will sit down and make a list of what your "must haves" are and what you can sacrifice, you figure the price range and often target certain areas to start looking.
And once you are actually touring homes you may or may not realize your first impression is usually based on curb appeal. If you think the home looks cute or even beautiful you just gave the thumbs up on curb appeal.
But the question is, did you look closely? Are there things you didn't notice because you were too busy looking at the cute flower garden surrounding the house or the great decorative gables. Were you too busy appreciating the curb appeal?
There are some things you must note, when home searching, that can affect the purchase price and the price you get someday when you go to sell, especially if you purchased during a sellers market (which isn't now, January of 2010) and are selling in a soft or buyers market.
Ten Things To Look For When House Hunting
Fire Hydrant
1. Is there a fire hydrant on the property? If there is, keep in mind you cannot camouflage it. It must be easily accessible by your firemen and women. It may not bother you now but as you "pretty-up" your landscaping you may regret having that fire hydrant. On the other hand, if you have a fire, you may be grateful it is there.
Dead End Street
2. Is the home located on a dead end street? There are just some things that happen when you live on a dead end street. A drunk may be too drunk to realize the road ends and you may end up with a car in your front lawn or worse yet, entering your home. Or if the roads are icy, someone may not be able to stop before bouncing up on your lawn often times tearing it up and causing damage.
So take note on how far back the home and sidewalk are from the street. The further back the better.
Snowy Country, Snow Plows and Dead End Streets
3. If the home is on a dead end street and you live in snowy country you may always end up with more snow from the road graters then your neighbors and often times the snow will overflow on your freshly shoveled sidewalk.
One would wish they would make a right turn when coming up the dead end street but I have yet to see them do so, perhaps because those graters don't turn on a dime.
The example below shows how you get double whammied.
Sewer Grates
4. If the home is on a dead end street often times there will be a sewer grate that the city has to open up when covered with snow. The picture below is the aftermath of them opening up the sewer grate area just a few days ago in front of my house. This may be a concern for you if you hate shoveling, are elderly or physically limited and/or can't afford to hire someone to shovel for you if the home is located where snow accumulates in significant amounts. (And if your wondering, yes, I shoveled a path through that mountain although I went as far to the edge as I could without going on the hill that leads up to my house.)
Clicky for larger view
Even if you don't live in snowy country having a sewer opening in front of a home can cause concern. Sometimes the smell isn't exactly pleasant.
Electrical Boxes
5. Does your potential home have an electrical box on the property. You may come to hate how ugly it looks in time so don't be so busy looking at the pretty flowers surrounding the home and not notice the big atrocity.
Power Lines
6. Are there main power lines near the home? I'm not going to get into whether power lines cause health concerns but I would like to point out there is a lot of controversy regarding this issue and only you can do your own research and decide for yourself.
Here are some reliable links to help you get started.
2005- National Cancer Institute & U.S. National Institutes of Health
2003-Arizona Association of Realtors
1995-American Physical Society
2006-World Health Organization
Electric and Magnetic Fields- National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences
2008- Health Physics Society
2008- Connecticut Department of Public Health
2006 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
And you may want to read up on how it can affect the sale of a home.
The Entrepreneur Network
Busy Roads and Other Negatives
7. Is the home near a busy road or backed up to an interstate, railroad tracks or a smelly refinery or cattle/pig/chicken farm. Granted, most people will notice the busy road and interstate but you may not get a whiff of the stinky refinery or farm when touring the home or on subsequent visits or you may not have the opportunity to hear just how loud the train can be as it whizzes past.
All of these things should be noted and considered when purchasing a home. Some may not be a huge issue and others may put off many potential buyers. With the housing market so soft right now (January, 2010), and if you are considering purchasing a home with some of these problems then this is the time to do so while the purchase price will probably be pretty low. However, if you wait until it becomes a sellers market again then you best be sure you don't mind if you lose some of that hard cash you paid if you happen to have to sell when the market becomes soft again.
Trees
8. Take note of the trees and shrubs on the property. Are there trees that would soon need to come down? Are there dead branches that could cause a hazard for walking pedestrians or for your family? Are they hanging near a neighbor's roof, the roof of the home you are touring or any out buildings? Removing a large old tree can cost around $500.00 so keep that in mind.
A side note: Typically, if the tree is on the side of the sidewalk toward your house it is your responsibility to care for it. If it is on the side between the sidewalk and the curb the city may be responsible. Check with your cities ordnances.
Are there overgrown shrubs that you know eventually will have to be taken out? Is this something you will do yourself, realistically, or something you will hire someone to do and will it be in your budget?
Sidewalk
9. Walk down the sidewalk and note any cracked or uneven sections. If there is a part that could cause a tripping hazard the city may demand you fix it. Yes, it is your responsibility in most cities I have ever lived/been in.
Driveway
10. Just as you need to check the sidewalks you need to take a good look at the driveway. If it looks as if it is going to need redone in the near future expect to pay at least $7 or $8 dollars a square foot to have it dug out, graded , poured and finished. This of course depends on the current economy and your state.
If the driveway looks as if a fresh layer of gravel has been put down check with your city as most cities do not allow gravel and if you purchase the home you may have the city knocking on your door informing you that you need to remove it. (Hopefully, your home inspector would inform you of such things.)
If the home does have a legal gravel driveway or a blacktop driveway and you would like to eventually replace it with cement, please know that your property taxes will probably go up.
Other things that can affect the price of your home.
A Corner Lot
Some people love having a corner lot and some don't. Some people don't like having traffic on two sides of their property. Usually a corner lot means a bit more yard and some people don't like mowing so much.
Just take into consideration any of these things when searching for a home. If you know you won't be in your new home forever, try to purchase a home that will appeal to the most buyers possible. Some people may just drive on by if they see that fire hydrant or that the home is on a corner lot.
Poor Floor Plans
•Adjoining bedrooms
•Bedrooms located on separate levels
•Dining room in center of home
•Narrow doorways and halls
•Interior stairs facing an entrance
•Hallway facing an entrance
•Bedrooms accessed from living or family rooms
•Bathroom in an unappealing location (often times, off the kitchen in older homes or the only bathroom located in private spaces)
•Choppy placement of rooms without flow
•Upper-floor bedrooms with stairs in the center
Home is near, across from or next to:
Commercial properties, apartment buildings or industrial properties, government housing or government buildings.
•An airport, landfills, schools or a sports arena
•Utility structures such as waste, electrical or nuclear power plants.
•Cemeteries or funeral homes.
And just a few more things to consider.
Is there a swimming pool in the yard. If you live in a state where the summer season is very short then having a pool will turn a lot of people off. The upkeep if often not worth it to potential home buyers. The same is true for ponds or water features. Some people will love this and others will see it as more work for them.
However, if you live in a very warm climate it is almost expected there be a pool.
Happy house hunting!