Buying a House

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Do you get a copy of the home inspection, or does it only go to the seller?
If money is available, It would not hurt to have your own inspector.
Remember, if the inspector is hired by the seller, they are an agent of the seller, not a neutral agent.
As Expat said, once you sign, the deal is done. Anything missed is on you.

The inspector that looked at my house missed an awful lot. Not the most expensive, but the oven was not working, and I moved in just before Thanksgiving.

AC
 
Congratulations! Here's hoping you have new digs soon!

Now, if you want to move to Fayetteville NC, I can give
you a GREAT deal on a big 4 BR near the army base....
;)
 
I don't think people are reading my entire posts.. I said that we got a home inspection done yesterday.. meaning us, the buyers.

lol Grilling, that's a bit far of a commute for work, sorry :(
 
Bring a flashlight and a marble with you when you visit houses. Put the marble on the kitchen counter. If it can't stay still on the counter, you may be dealing with a stove that tilts to one side, which is a pain when you are cooking. Use it to check the floors, too, to see if they are level.

Use the flashlight in the basement and attic to check along the seams, french drain, walls, corners, etc for anything that you shouldn't see (ie, water stains, mouse droppings, mouse traps, dead bugs, light in what should be a closed area.....).

Keep the printouts the agent gives you for every house and make notes on them because it is too easy to mix up which house had what.

Observe traffic patterns in the area around rush hours.

Start throwing things away now so packing and unpacking will go faster!

Good luck!
 
After 35 years in the business, here's what I would do.
Get a home inspection from a good inspector. There are good, mediocre, and bad ones. Ask around. If the inspection turns up even minor items, they can usually be negoiated with the seller. I am not about to crawl under a home and examine the pipes, or walk the roof.

If your are not familiar with the neighborhood, visit it at various times, make the drive to your job, the stores, etc. Remember that location is the number one factor in resale. Does the neighborhood have a pool? If so, you do not want to be too near. Pools are noisy during the summer. Look for other detrimental factors such as flooding, odors, airports, etc.

Ask the agent for comparable sales before making the offer. Many counties and cities have recent sale posted on their official site by subdivision. Check them out.

Remember that homes are usually purchased based on emotion, but should be approached as an investment. The only larger investment you will ever make is your next home.

Get your own buyers agent. The agent who's name is on the sign is working for the seller, not you. Be sure that the contract states that the agent is your buyers agent. If it doesn't, they are not your agent. They are sub agents of the listing agent. There are buyers agencies in many places who do not take listings, only work with buyers. A buyers agent will take the standard cut from the sellers side, so they will not cost you any more Once again, ask around, and ask for references. If the agent is hesitant, there may be a reason.

With all the caveats, purchasing a home is a very wise investment, particularly if you enjoy it. Good Luck
 
I don't think people are reading my entire posts.. I said that we got a home inspection done yesterday.. meaning us, the buyers.

lol Grilling, that's a bit far of a commute for work, sorry :(

I don't know of any seller that would pay for an inspection on his own home. The buyer is the one who gets the inspection so they can see if there are any problems that aren't obvious. There will more than likely be something that's not quite right and you have to make a decision as to whether the problem is minor and can be easly resolved ( by the seller) or whether you can live with it. Your inpector will tell you how serious the problems are, if there are any. Good luck on your new home. Isn't it exciting?
 
DQ, you are pretty much correct. The typical user and purchaser of a home inspection is the buyer for his own use. They are relatively cheap (a couple of hundred bucks here), and can save you a ton. As I stated, I will not crawl under a home and inspect pipes for a few dollars. Another point, the appraiser is NOT a home inspector or engineer, nor do they work for you. Their job is to estimate market value under a predetermined set of conditions, generally as is, and their client is the mortgage company. Yeah, I know, you paid for it, but the bank is still my client.
 
You got it. The appraiser merely determines the market value of the home, the inspector determines if there are any code violations, safety hazards, or future problems based on what he sees on inspection. The two are not interchangable.
 
Saph, everyone wants to share in your joy of owning a new home but us oldtimers know the pitfalls.......please don't take it as a downer...........people care and they've taken the time to share with you........my home will never sell now...........not with the current market............but I love it and I'll stay with it.......hurricane Ike knocked down the fence all the way around.......neighbor Jimmy is willing to share the now open view and when the time is right we'll go in on fence together..........we could buy one now but if he wants to help out we'll wait........
 
Saph, everyone wants to share in your joy of owning a new home but us oldtimers know the pitfalls.......please don't take it as a downer...........people care and they've taken the time to share with you........my home will never sell now...........not with the current market............but I love it and I'll stay with it.......hurricane Ike knocked down the fence all the way around.......neighbor Jimmy is willing to share the now open view and when the time is right we'll go in on fence together..........we could buy one now but if he wants to help out we'll wait........
You are absolutely right. The large equity position that I have in my home today is the result of the $500 I put down on my first home. Remember worrying over how I was going to pay the $79 payment. A home is probably your best investment, and the only one that you can really enjoy while it earns for you.
 
DQ, you are pretty much correct. The typical user and purchaser of a home inspection is the buyer for his own use. They are relatively cheap (a couple of hundred bucks here), and can save you a ton. As I stated, I will not crawl under a home and inspect pipes for a few dollars. Another point, the appraiser is NOT a home inspector or engineer, nor do they work for you. Their job is to estimate market value under a predetermined set of conditions, generally as is, and their client is the mortgage company. Yeah, I know, you paid for it, but the bank is still my client.
You are a breath of fresh air.......where did you hale from???:ROFLMAO:
 
You are absolutely right. The large equity position that I have in my home today is the result of the $500 I put down on my first home. Remember worrying over how I was going to pay the $79 payment. A home is probably your best investment, and the only one that you can really enjoy while it earns for you.
You're right............
 
With the financial markets being what they are internationally, make sure your mortgage money is assured and your rate locked in.
 
I appreciate all the advice everyone!

Good news, the home inspection went REALLY well. He pointed out some minor things like in the basement one of the storage rooms has foam for the ceiling, said if theres a fire we would probably pass out on those fumes before burning, and a small wire that needed replacing.

Things like that he told us about when he didn't have to. He was really good. Great to know that the place is sound and ready for a move in!!!

Nick and I waived our first two conditions - mortgage approval and home inspection. One down to go, and it should be in tomorrow! The status certificate saying everything about the condo and condo company.

Nick and I could know in the next couple of days :)
 
not sure if this has been said.... or if it's still relevant.... (i cant spell)

make sure your mortgage co, bank, credit union, whatever.... doesn't sell mortgages.
Our first house mortgage was sold about 10 times in 3 years.... (hence crisis)
 
I don't think any mortgage co., bank, or credit union can or will guarantee that they'll never sell a mortgage. That would be stupid on their part.

The smart part is going with as reputable a lender as you can - via research, word of mouth, etc., & hope for the best.
 
not sure if this has been said.... or if it's still relevant.... (i cant spell)

make sure your mortgage co, bank, credit union, whatever.... doesn't sell mortgages.
Our first house mortgage was sold about 10 times in 3 years.... (hence crisis)


Selling mortgages is normal and is done often so the lender can raise capital. Your mortgage is sold for X amount of dollars thus raising money for the lender; and the buyer of your mortgage makes money on the interest paid from the home buyer's payments. Your payments remain the same and so does the interest payment. You are just paying to a different lender.
 
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