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henry_ireton
Über-Meister
1810 points
31/NA/London, United Kingdom
Join Date: Jun 2007 | treacle said:
So nothing about say whether theres off street parking, or any parking for that matter? Double glazed? Central heating etc etc?
Heating and the like can all be changed, I don't have a car so that's academic.
If I was renting then such things would matter. |  | |
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treacle
Über-Monkey
52155 points
23/F/B/Stoke, United Kingdom
Join Date: Mar 2006 | henry_ireton said:
Heating and the like can all be changed, I don't have a car so that's academic.
If I was renting then such things would matter.
Yes but no central heating system would cost a fortune to install in a whole house. Im talking no rads, nothing. | | | |
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henry_ireton
Über-Meister
1810 points
31/NA/London, United Kingdom
Join Date: Jun 2007 | treacle said:
Yes but no central heating system would cost a fortune to install in a whole house. Im talking no rads, nothing.
The I'd expect the place to cost alot less, enough to make up for fitting it. It's a bit like listing floorboards as being essential. | | | |
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treacle
Über-Monkey
52155 points
23/F/B/Stoke, United Kingdom
Join Date: Mar 2006 | henry_ireton said:
The I'd expect the place to cost alot less, enough to make up for fitting it. It's a bit like listing floorboards as being essential.
You'd be amazed how many properties DONT come with a heating system.
Thanks Lea doll, very helpful  | | | |
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stumblinthrulife
Points Whore Master
61547 points
Deleted
30/M/Lake Saint Louis, Missouri
Join Date: Oct 2005 | ok, assuming that you have a list of things that are important to you personally, I'll try to keep it structural.
Look for cracks in the foundation. They could just be curing cracks, but if they are large there could be foundation issues.
If your home inspector doesn't do it, call out a company specializing in underpinning foundations and have them take measurements to see if the house is sinking. They should bring a self leveling laser and measure from the front back and middle of the house to the horizontal. Significant differences indicate a problem.
Look for water damage where there is a fitting. Look for signs of mold or rot. Look for previously fixed leaks. Look for repairs in tell tale areas like the ceiling in the room directly below the bathroom, or walls near fittings.
Make sure the service panel (fuse box) is up to the task for the building (200A is the minimum I'd look for, or 300 - 400 if you have electric HVAC and water). Also make sure the wiring is up to code, and that it's copper not aluminum wiring. Aluminum is, in the states at least, perfectly legal but costs about 10 times more for any repair work. It's cheaper to move to a new house than rewire an Al house to Cu.
If it's a really old house, make sure it's Cu plumbing, no lead.
Find out the laws around lead paint and asbestos. When were they banned in your area? If the house is older than that, then you may want to get home test kits, or just by pass the house. Asbestos isn't bad news, until you come to remove it. At this point you need professionals and it costs a lot. So asbestos could severely restrict any home improvement plans.
Talk to the neighbors. Oftentimes they can tell you more about what's gone on in the house than an inspector can, because the inspector is just like a historian, the neighbors are eye witnesses.
Anyway, that's more than five, but I hope they help. | | | |
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treacle
Über-Monkey
52155 points
23/F/B/Stoke, United Kingdom
Join Date: Mar 2006 | stumblinthrulife said:
ok, assuming that you have a list of things that are important to you personally, I'll try to keep it structural.
Look for cracks in the foundation. They could just be curing cracks, but if they are large there could be foundation issues.
If your home inspector doesn't do it, call out a company specializing in underpinning foundations and have them take measurements to see if the house is sinking. They should bring a self leveling laser and measure from the front back and middle of the house to the horizontal. Significant differences indicate a problem.
Look for water damage where there is a fitting. Look for signs of mold or rot. Look for previously fixed leaks. Look for repairs in tell tale areas like the ceiling in the room directly below the bathroom, or walls near fittings.
Make sure the service panel (fuse box) is up to the task for the building (200A is the minimum I'd look for, or 300 - 400 if you have electric HVAC and water). Also make sure the wiring is up to code, and that it's copper not aluminum wiring. Aluminum is, in the states at least, perfectly legal but costs about 10 times more for any repair work. It's cheaper to move to a new house than rewire an Al house to Cu.
If it's a really old house, make sure it's Cu plumbing, no lead.
Find out the laws around lead paint and asbestos. When were they banned in your area? If the house is older than that, then you may want to get home test kits, or just by pass the house. Asbestos isn't bad news, until you come to remove it. At this point you need professionals and it costs a lot. So asbestos could severely restrict any home improvement plans.
Talk to the neighbors. Oftentimes they can tell you more about what's gone on in the house than an inspector can, because the inspector is just like a historian, the neighbors are eye witnesses.
Anyway, that's more than five, but I hope they help.
Thanks stumblin. I forgot about rot/mold/leaks etc....
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stumblinthrulife
Points Whore Master
61547 points
Deleted
30/M/Lake Saint Louis, Missouri
Join Date: Oct 2005 | Oh, and also think about the age of the roof, furnace, A/C, water heater, appliances, etc...
As a home owner if these fail you're responsible for replacing them, so you need to be able to estimate how long until you need to do so and budget accordingly. Depending on the market, don't be afraid to ask for a credit for such things.
And once you've made your offer and have your report, work out how much it will cost to fix everything on the report, no matter how minor. That's your starting point on negotiations. You can take things off that list as things progress, but adding things is really difficult. | | | |
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cyrus
Mega Über-Meister
3013 points
Deleted
108/M/Arabsville, Egypt
Join Date: Dec 2007 | treacle said: I would like to know what are the top 5 things you would look for when buying a house
Location, Location, Location, Location, Location. | | | |
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treacle
Über-Monkey
52155 points
23/F/B/Stoke, United Kingdom
Join Date: Mar 2006 | stumblinthrulife said:
And once you've made your offer and have your report, work out how much it will cost to fix everything on the report, no matter how minor. That's your starting point on negotiations. You can take things off that list as things progress, but adding things is really difficult.
Another good point. Thanks again | | | |
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stumblinthrulife
Points Whore Master
61547 points
Deleted
30/M/Lake Saint Louis, Missouri
Join Date: Oct 2005 | stumblinthrulife said:
And once you've made your offer and have your report, work out how much it will cost to fix everything on the report, no matter how minor. That's your starting point on negotiations. You can take things off that list as things progress, but adding things is really difficult.
Further to these points, a note on negotiation. As I said above, get everything in there in the first instance (unless perhaps you think you are competing against another bid). Keep a master copy of this and give everything a score A, B, C
A - Must haves - this is a deal breaker if they refuse to fix (generally these will be your safety issues and things that left unfixed will cause further damage)
B - Nice to haves, but easily lived without (repairs that are significant, but not safety issues and can wait for a while without causing further damage)
C - Easy gives. The things you can give up without worrying about much. The missing weatherstripping on the back door, the cracked tile, the ding in the living room wall, the vent that needs replacing, etc....
Now you know what you can give up in the negotiations in order to get what you really want. Note that they will probably be working in the opposite direction. They will agree to fix things that they are required to fix by law in order to sell the house. They will then be trying to knock off the items that cost them the most, generally the A's on you list. You'll then counter by saying you want that item, but you'll consider knocking of 4 of your C's, or 2 B's. You see where I'm going with this.
Of course, if you think you have them over a barrel, like I did my seller, you can just be stubborn and keep going back with the same list, or something carrying the same value (I forewent pretty much everything in exchange for a large credit against a new kitchen floor, and then fixed the other stuff myself).
Oh, also the phrase "repaired by the contractor of Buyer's choosing" is your friend. Or "receipts and guarantees for repairs performed to be presented at close". You don't want them doing a DIY botch job on something that will be your house - you want a workman who knows they could be called back out to fix any mistakes they make. | | | |
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Jan 22, 2008 @ 15:17:06
