Things To Ask When You Buy A House
January 12th, 2009. Published under UrbanSpeaker. 4 Comments.
As the middle of the university school year is passing, I have started doing some more serious house hunting for next year. Once I decided that I would rather buy then rent, I began looking online for houses that were in a good proximity to the school. But what else should I be looking for in a house?
To keep me focused on what I wanted, I sat down a few days ago and wrote out all the things I wanted in a house. This quick list has made sifting through the myriad of real estate listings quite a bit easier. Here’s the list I came up with:
Things I Want:
- 3 bedrooms, preferably 1 on the main floor or basement and 2 on the second floor (I am hoping to rent out 2 rooms to help cover the cost of the mortgage, utilities, taxes, etc.)
- 2 bathrooms (one on the main floor and one upstairs)
- preferably not part of a condo (to escape mandatory condo fees)
- on the transit route (easier access to the university)
- within a 20 minute bus ride of campus
So, with a few stipulations set out, I searched around and finally found one that filled them. However, once you are in the house, your time is limited. What should you be paying attention to? What questions should be asked while you are there?
Thankfully the agent was more then helpful and able to critically review the house with me, drawing attention to details in the house which should not be overlooked. Here are the ones I wrote down:
1\\ Original Construction
2\\ Damage
3\\ Interior Construction
These are only some of the more major questions and concerns that should be addressed, before you buy a house. Once you are happy with the house, a house inspector should always go through it as well. They are professionals who may find major problems in the house that you never would have known about, potentially saving you thousands of dollars in repairs. Putting an offer on a house, with the condition that a house inspector gives a positive report would be a wise idea.
Happy house hunting!
Photos by: The Jamoker and Nate Steiner, respectively.
4 Comments
Steve-o on January 19th, 2009
Wow, this is a great post. I’m looking at maybe buying a house soon, this will be a great guide.
Jen on January 23rd, 2009
did u buy a house yet? is the one in the picture the one u want to buy?
admin on January 31st, 2009
@Steve-o: Thanks for the feedback. If you learn anything else, be sure to send me some updates of your knowledge!
@Jen: I’m actually going to be looking at putting an offer on the house this week. The one in the photos is not the one I am buying, I wish!
» Things To Ask When You Buy A House on January 12th, 2009
[...] Loan articles, loan news & research. Your loan research tool. wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThings To Ask When You Buy A House January 12th, 2009. Published under In Life So Far. No Comments. As the middle of the university school year is passing, I have started doing some more serious house hunting for next year. Once I decided that I would rather buy then rent, I began looking online for houses that were in a good proximity to the school. But what else should I be looking for in a house? To keep me focused on what I wanted, I sat down a few days ago and wrote out all the things I [...]