[schade]

My gf and I are looking into buying a house in the VERY near future, and after talking to my parents about it aswell as a few other people i thought i'd throw this question out to everyone here. Seeing as a number of you have purchased a new home in the last year or 2 or in also in the process now.

What questions (besides the general ones) should be asked when talking to a realiter about then home? or looking back at your purchase, What would you have done differently or how would you change things the next time you buy a new home.

theres 2 places that were really looking into, one is in Thornton and is about 2 years old with a previous owner. And the other is brand new that has never been lived in yet by anyone (being sold by a realestate agent not the builders)

any other advice is appriciated

[NefCanuck]

schade,Sep 9 2006, 11:48 PM Wrote:My gf and I are looking into buying a house in the VERY near future, and after talking to my parents about it aswell as a few other people i thought i'd throw this question out to everyone here.  Seeing as a number of you have purchased a new home in the last year or 2 or in also in the process now.

What questions (besides the general ones) should be asked when talking to a realiter about then home? or looking back at your purchase, What would you have done differently or how would you change things the next time you buy a new home.

theres 2 places that were really looking into, one is in Thornton and is about 2 years old with a previous owner.  And the other is brand new that has never been lived in yet by anyone (being sold by a realestate agent not the builders)

any other advice is appriciated
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When buying a pre-owned home I cannot stress enough the value of a home inspection. The house inspector knows what to look for when looking a house over and even a house two years old may have defects that have been undiscovered until now.

I have no experience buying new so I leave that to others more knowledgable than I ;)

NefCanuck

[schade]

whichever house we do decide on well get a home inspection no matter what ... even brand new homes can have flaws

[ZTWsquared]

schade,Sep 10 2006, 01:08 AM Wrote:whichever house we do decide on well get a home inspection no matter what ... even brand new homes can have flaws
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Congratulations on your decision ... and it is indeed a wise idea to have a home inspector look at a new house.

For a new house (and even an older one) check out the builder ... see if there are any complaints against them or indication of a common problem with their houses.

We bought a Mattamy house (one of the better builders) and our inspector actually did find a couple of things they had to do over.

And in terms of buying a new house not yet built -- make sure you visit the site regularly and check on what's goin' on - even a good builder is only as good as their sub-contractors.

By visiting my site regularly I saved Mattamy a ton of dough and us a lot of headache by pointing stuff out while it was still an inexpensive proposition to fix them.

Most builders won't want you to do this ... but ignore them - it's your money and a lot of it at that.

If you're comfortable doing this, I'd make a point of talking to your prospective neighbours - give you a chance to check them out as well as the builder.

[paolo]

Watch holmes on homes... a lot of people who buy used/previously owned homes dont know about problems with the house untill its too late. Holmes give pretty good advice for home buyers.

[meford4u]

paolo,Sep 10 2006, 07:32 PM Wrote:Watch holmes on homes... a lot of people who buy used/previously owned homes dont know about problems with the house untill its too late.  Holmes give pretty good advice for home buyers.
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Yes and NO. He is also and actor as well as a contractor. My buddy knows him and I have met him several times. Most of the "contractors" you see on the show are just out of Mohawk College for construction and they fawk up more of a mess than the original contractors did.
He has some valid points, but he overconstructs everything and for the average home owner, they wouldn't pay to go that extra mile. Most of the work he does is probono for the show.
So some of the blame has to rest with the homeowners to make decisions and quite often handcuffing the contractor to cut corners because the home owner has run out of $$$.
I have walked off 1 job because the home owner wanted me to cut corners so drastically that it really would have made all my hard effort look like s***e. And I don't do s***e work.

But back to Chris' question. If a Realtor has taken over a new property and selling it, then the house and location has issues. Issues you may be able to live with, but issues that may/will get you a better price.
Hunt around and see what is on the market and determine if you can/are willing to do some work. It can save you alot $$$ and make you alot $$$ at the same time.

[schade]

I understand what your saying meford about the realtor selling the new homes ... but i believe its because its a smaller builder only doing 7 or 8 houses on a cul-de-sac versus a large community. But, like ZTW suggested, it would also be wise to talk to a few of the neighbours to find out if there were any problems with there homes and how they are liking the neighbourhood

Having to do work on the house doesn't bother me at all should it need minor things .. as most of the things i'd be able to do myself. The one major thing it does need is a deck in the back yard as the land slopes so that the entrance to the backyard is level with the basement.

One of the main reasons were pushing towards this new home vs. the others is the big backyard it has, aswell as a protectd greenspace behind us so well never have to worry about construction or new neighbours ... it also has a big 2 car garage :D

[microbunny]

My folks just finalized the sale of their home and purchase of the new one..

they did the home inspection, septic test (country livin' rules), water-pressure test

also..my dad seemed to be really keen on knowing the numbers..such as the amount of yearly property taxes.

He also says electrical, and the roof are biggies...(done with the inspection I assume)..

[OAC_Sparky]

My advice, I've owned both brand new and used (like 50 year old used)


Used houses:

1) Get a house inspection. DO NOT get an inspection from an inspector that is "recommended" by a realtor (yours or theirs). They are only interested in getting the "next" referral. So if they see/recommend something that'll kill the deal, they might not get the next gig. You buy a house maybe once or maybe every 10 years, but a house inspector can inspect 4 or 5 houses a day at $400 a pop, realtors are their bread and butter.

2) Don't sweat the small stuff like landscaping, decks and fences. Ditto with paint schemes and carpet. These are fairly simple to replace/fix. Also, don't be overly impressed with new kitchen cabinets or a bathroom reno. These are done to drive up eye appeal (especially with the women). These things are also what sellers use to draw attention away from more pressing issues.

3) DO sweat the stuff like the roof, the electrical (avoid aluminum, knob & tube), the heating system (if it's not FA, remember you can't get CA later), oil tank (ilf it's oil), insulation type (if it's insulated at all), foundation/basement (look for water damage), plumbing (avoid galvanized). These things can run into big money, especially when you talk about retrofitting.

4) Check for easements. Understand what they mean and what limitations they will put on your future plans.

5) Ask to see some copies of the utility bills. A couple of winter ones (gas/oil/hydro), and if there's central air, a couple of summer ones (hydro). So you have an idea of what you'll be paying. I actually use less to heat my 2500 square foot new house than I did to heat my 1000 square foot bungalow because of the difference in insulation.

New:

1) Check the builder. Don't be shy to actually ask neighbours about how the builder handles warranty issues, if they're satisfied.

2) Be a little wary if this is the only house of the builder in that area to have an independant Real Estate Agent. Most builders have a partnership with one company if they don't sell it themselves.

3) Always allot a bunch of money, about $20G, for stuff like: fences, driveways, decks, window coverings, appliances, etc.

4) Check for easements. Understand what they mean and what limitations they will put on your future plans. MAKE SURE THE LAWYER CHECKS FOR THEM BEFORE YOU SIGN THE PURCHASE PAPERS.(Got burned by this one!)

That's all I can think of for now.

[ZTWsquared]

OAC_Sparky,Sep 11 2006, 12:33 AM Wrote:DO NOT get an inspection from an inspector that is "recommended" by a realtor (yours or theirs).

x2 - check out Ontario Home Inspectors Association

OAC_Sparky,Sep 11 2006, 12:33 AM Wrote:Also, don't be overly impressed with new kitchen cabinets or a bathroom reno ... sellers use to draw attention away from more pressing issues.
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Good point not to be distracted ... but bear in mind that a basic kitchen or bathroom reno can easily cost $25-40K ... and a crappy kitchen can make life in the "new" house not so nice.

When buying an older house it's usually easier to build the cost of a new kitchen into the mortgage (ie: previous owners did it) - rather than save for it or finance it outside the mortgage - not to mention the hassles and disruption of renovating a kitchen while living in the house. For most people buying an older house, a recently reno'd kitchen (assuming it's well done) is usually a big positive.

[NOS2Go4Me]

The best way I found to get a home inspector was to get one my co-workers recommneded - someone who has been used by several folks prior to our purchase.

The big things are as mentioned already - your foundation, exterior walls and roof. The rest is semantics (except for plumbing and wiring).

Watch for "minor" variances like double-tapped breakers (not common in new homes, but you never know) - these things tend to happen as overly ambitious renovators decide to not add a new breaker or three to the panel to "save time". Also, be wary of recently completed water-drawing areas - a new basement bathroom, jacuzzi, etc. They may have opened a can of worms during the install and now they're passing on the headaches to you.

Check the lie and grade of your property... obviously if you have any areas around the foundation where the land slopes in towards your walls, you're going to want to make sure the weeping tiles are clear, the sump works and that ultimately you landscape it if possible to remove/minimize the chance of erosion and foundation damage.

Check the windows for interior insulation gaps. Pull the interior trim off one window if possible and check the insulation levels. Make sure you can't feel wind or see daylight. This can also be done easily with a flashlight and a friend. Most home inspectors run the gamut from caring about window fitment to "it's there, it can't be bad".

Inspect the exterior of the foundation for recent parging and other adjustments. How high does your block wall run above ground before you hit brick/siding? Is it uniform all the way down the house (grade of property notwithstanding).

Take a small pocket level with you and check the trueness of random doorways. Watch for warping and "off kilter" entrances. If they're out of square, ask yourself what else could they have rushed?

Just a few thoughts. :)

[jen_deans]

Congrats!
I bought my house in December and even after the home inspection am still finding problems, make sure you get a few inspections done, and never let the realtor set up the inspections! :)

[ANTHONYD]

Park on the street of the house you like and sit there for an hour or so. Look around, take notes on traffic, buss routs, busy corners etc. Look at your neighbours driveways, are theyre huge boats or R.V.s parked in the driveways that you will have to look at for years to come. Is it easy to get in and out of the drive way etc...

These are all things Jennifer and I should have done when we bought our place. For those of you that have been to the BBQ...you would see how busy my street is. It's noisy, it's dusty, and having a school next door is an open invitation for ruckus in the wee hours of the morning.

Looka the hose from a d day-to-day livind perspective. Can you deal with the quirks the neighbourhood has?

[Flofocus]

I've only bought one house, and it was new.

My experience for buying a house was really positive. I participated in the 1st Time Home buyers plan and withdrew my RRSP for my downpayment*. *I used 1/2 my rrsp's for the downpayment and the other half to clear all my debt. Its a tax free loan (as long as you pay it back in 15 years....well its really 17 since they give you a couple freeby years) and they say you have to use it for your downpayment but they dont ask for receipts or anything like that.....oh and with the left over money I had a washroom ruffed in the basement of the new house. Like these guys said, even though I had my house built new, I had my OWN inspector come in and check it out.

Now for talking to the neighboors thing...be careful. I did that and quickly realised these people were 1) General Complainers, 2)Did not know how to use a basic screw driver and screw. The things they compalined about were ridiculous and I couldnt understand why they would wait the 2-3 weeks for the builder to come and fix it when they could have taken 45 min out of thier day to get it done. 1 neighboor had some serious floooding issues, but it was an isolated case with a new, unexperienced contractor. Obviously they do not use him anymore.

On our house delivery they go through the house with you and you mark anything not to your liking. We had 3 or 4 things on the intitial statement, the bathtub knobs were backyards (so cold for hot, hot for cold), the pot light in the front entrance outside was not installed properly, the living room window had a crack in the plastic, and outside plug beside the walk out basement door did not work.

The builder came by about 3 weeks later to fix these things....everything was already fixed by me or my father except the Window crack...and guess what they fix it with...Polyester and fiberglass!! lol. Now I know some of you are gonna say "Well thats what the builders warranty is for, blah, blah, blah" I understand that and that is why we marked it on the warranty sheet anyways. There still a paper trail that they f***ed up somewhere along the line, so its covering my ass for anything that could happen in the future.

Im still waiting for something major to happen, I'll give the house a few years and see what that brings!


Good luck! If you have any questions about the HBP, PM me!

[Flofocus]

ANTHONYD,Sep 11 2006, 09:27 AM Wrote:Park on the street of the house you like and sit there for an hour or so. Look around, take notes on traffic, buss routs, busy corners etc. Look at your neighbours driveways, are theyre huge boats or R.V.s parked in the driveways that you will have to look at for years to come. Is it easy to get in and out of the drive way etc...

These are all things Jennifer and I should have done when we bought our place. For those of you that have been to the BBQ...you would see how busy my street is. It's noisy, it's dusty, and having a school next door is an open invitation for ruckus in the wee hours of the morning.

Looka the hose from a d day-to-day livind perspective. Can you deal with the quirks the neighbourhood has?
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Theres 3 schools in my backyard. Gets a little noisy during school, but I love having no neighboors in my backyard during the summer. So sweet to have that extra privacy that I know the house across from me dont get.

[reldridge]

My only suggestion would be to find out what developers plans are for any un-used land around you before you buy. We bought, and 3 weeks after the closing day they started building a strip mall in our backyard. This year they built phase two, so two years of dust and noise that we weren't expecting. Now there is talk of a Wal-Mart going in down the road (3 minutes away) and major road construction on the main county road behind my place. Fun. :rolleyes:

Big thing is to also try to talk to neighbours in the area. See if they had any problems. Try to find similar homes to see what they have done to them as far as decks, patios, and ask questions concerning th HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems (in my development, it seems that the builder didn't do a good job with duct work, so had to rip up houses originally to get heat into some rooms).

Ask questions. Don't feel dumb ever asking anything. You'll only feel dumb after you've bought the house and hate/have to repair something that you could have avoided had you asked the right questions.

Ryan

[penguinboy]

Lots of good advice here - but remember the top three things to look for when buying a house are "Location, Location and Location".

Get the best location you can possibly afford, even if you have to comprimise on the house a bit.

As mentioned earlier, don't sweat minor cosmetic stuff that is easily fixed - but avoid expensive structural problems.

[meford4u]

penguinboy,Sep 13 2006, 10:13 PM Wrote:Lots of good advice here - but remember the top three things to look for when buying a house are "Location, Location and Location".

Get the best location you can possibly afford, even if you have to comprimise on the house a bit.

As mentioned earlier, don't sweat minor cosmetic stuff that is easily fixed - but avoid expensive structural problems.
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That is so true. Back in '94 when i bought our current townhouse, I had the option to purchase a new townhome where we are for $154,000 with the upgrades or in Millcroft at $183,000 with upgrades. I chose the cheaper route as i was going to be living alone.
My current townhouse is worth $265,000.

The one in Millcroft is over $400,000.

[ANTHONYD]

^doh!

[OAC_Sparky]

ANTHONYD,Sep 14 2006, 09:14 AM Wrote:^doh!
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If hindsight was foresight, I'd be on http://www.fordgtcanada.net instead of here. <_<



:lol: