The I need to buy a house thread

[The Sybian]

Man, that's a ... shitty situation. (Actually wrote that without realizing the pun). Good luck. I'd move in as you mentioned. Seller is freaking out about this as much as you and they want to get it done, it's just a matter of timing on the work. At least your wife didn't insist on putting a "Time of the Essence" clause in the contract against your attorney's advice. When our mortgage didn't come through until 11:30 pm the night of the deadline, we stood lose our almost $200,000 earnest money. Never had a house with a septic tank, so I don't know the first thing about those issues.

[mister d]

If it helps, a very, very little bit, all Residence Inns are dog friendly and its just a one time fee.

[tennbengal]

If it helps, a very, very little bit, all Residence Inns are dog friendly and its just a one time fee.

Noted. Seriously.

[sancarlos]

If it helps, a very, very little bit, all Residence Inns are dog friendly and its just a one time fee.

Noted. Seriously.

bringfido.com is a good resource for finding dog-friendly motels and hotels.

[wlu_lax6]

does the place you are moving prohibit spot-a-pots?

[The Sybian]

does the place you are moving prohibit spot-a-pots?

Great way to meet the neighbors, while using your outhouse. Be sure to wear homemade jean shorts with a rope belt.

[rass]

Jeez TB. It sounds like there is a path for this working out, but I get how this could cause hives.

House's
Irrigation is
Very
Excrement
Soaked

[BSF21]

Jeez TB. It sounds like there is a path for this working out, but I get how this could cause hives.

House's
Irrigation is
Very
Excrement
Soaked

Grass is gonna come in looking so good in the Spring tho...

[tennbengal]

Update - we closed on selling our home Friday. So that is done.

They met our terms for how to handle this so the moving truck arrives tomorrow and we move to the new home then. As soon as the new septic system is in and hooked up and working AND has country approval, we will close. For someone who craves certainty as much as I do this is all...quite not that.

[Reaper]

Man, this house stuff is stressful. With how crazy everything has been over the last two years, we thought we were putting everything off for another two years. All of a sudden, a friend of mine, who I've known since he was 6 and whose older brother was my best man, contacted me. The couple next door both died last year and their wishes were that the house go to people that one of the neighbors knew or were related to, to keep the family feel of the neighborhood and to give a friends and family discount. They were asking about 50K less than they could probably get on market so we jumped on it.

Thing is, they didn't want any agents involved. Well, there's just too much contract language involved for us to do this on our own so we asked if we could have our agent at least look over contract details to make sure everything was on the up and up. So technically she's not our buying agent, but she'll make her money when we sell our house so she didn't care so much about that. Still there's been little hiccups over the last 10 days, thinking things would fall apart, but tonight we started signing some things and have an agreement in place. I know these things can change quickly and there's still so much paperwork and inspections. I'm trying to temper expectations and trying to keep an even keel, but that's easier said than done. Thankfully, we don't have to sell immediately as a contingency of getting a new mortgage, but it's good to get the rate in place as it seems they could be going up a good amount by the summer.

[rass]

That’s amazing. Good luck man.

[mister d]

That sounds incredible. Local move?

[Reaper]

That sounds incredible. Local move?

Yeah, it's about a four-mile move. We were definitely pigeon-holing ourselves because we like the school district and wanted the kids to have consistency. I never moved as a kid, but my wife did ... a lot. Like, six times before sixth grade, and she hated it and didn't want to put ours through that. The originally planned extra two years was for a hopeful market correction as well as we could expand our search once all the elementary schools merged into one as the grades got higher. Just sent the first escrow deposit tonight so things are moving along. Next is scheduling inspection and locking in our rate.

[Sabo]

Next is scheduling inspection and locking in our rate.

Congrats on getting the new house!

But I’d like to make a recommendation for your home inspection. I am currently working on getting my home inspector license in Ohio, and one thing I’ve learned is the industry is wildly inconsistent with its standards of practice (basically, what is inspected and what is not). There are no federal standards, and a lot of states don’t require licenses and thus don’t have standards, either.

There are two national organizations for certifying home inspectors: ASHI and InterNACHI. Personally, I follow the InterNACHI standards as they are more thorough than ASHI. You can go to InterNACHI’s site to look up certified home inspectors in your area. Here’s a link:

https://www.nachi.org/certified-inspectors

Also, if you attend the inspection and you want to hear the inspector’s thoughts before he or she leaves, be sure to talk with them OUTSIDE of the home. More than a few homes have security cameras and mics, and it’s possible the seller could eavesdrop on your conversation. That way, if there are defects that you want fixed before the sale or want to negotiate a lower price, you’re not tipping your hand to the seller.

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope the inspection goes smoothly!

[wlu_lax6]

Next is scheduling inspection and locking in our rate.

Congrats on getting the new house!

But I’d like to make a recommendation for your home inspection. I am currently working on getting my home inspector license in Ohio, and one thing I’ve learned is the industry is wildly inconsistent with its standards of practice (basically, what is inspected and what is not). There are no federal standards, and a lot of states don’t require licenses and thus don’t have standards, either.

There are two national organizations for certifying home inspectors: ASHI and InterNACHI. Personally, I follow the InterNACHI standards as they are more thorough than ASHI. You can go to InterNACHI’s site to look up certified home inspectors in your area. Here’s a link:

https://www.nachi.org/certified-inspectors

Also, if you attend the inspection and you want to hear the inspector’s thoughts before he or she leaves, be sure to talk with them OUTSIDE of the home. More than a few homes have security cameras and mics, and it’s possible the seller could eavesdrop on your conversation. That way, if there are defects that you want fixed before the sale or want to negotiate a lower price, you’re not tipping your hand to the seller.

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope the inspection goes smoothly!

Sabo...fascinating. I have not had bad experience with home inspectors, but found the process very strange. In both cases on my purchase the inspector scared the snot out of me. Had to step back and then realize that this individual was being thorough but it is not the conversation you want to have when dumping a huge amount into something. Yeah you can buy that but here are the reasons you house is going to fall apart, flood, explode, etc. That is on me.

But what I found really strange is you are paying this person for a job that he/she has no liability if they do a poor job. Sorry did not realize your water heater was leaking and plumping was not to code and I missed the racoons in the attic that are getting in through the hole. I have not had the experience but found it strange.

[Reaper]

Next is scheduling inspection and locking in our rate.

Congrats on getting the new house!

But I’d like to make a recommendation for your home inspection. I am currently working on getting my home inspector license in Ohio, and one thing I’ve learned is the industry is wildly inconsistent with its standards of practice (basically, what is inspected and what is not). There are no federal standards, and a lot of states don’t require licenses and thus don’t have standards, either.

There are two national organizations for certifying home inspectors: ASHI and InterNACHI. Personally, I follow the InterNACHI standards as they are more thorough than ASHI. You can go to InterNACHI’s site to look up certified home inspectors in your area. Here’s a link:

https://www.nachi.org/certified-inspectors

Also, if you attend the inspection and you want to hear the inspector’s thoughts before he or she leaves, be sure to talk with them OUTSIDE of the home. More than a few homes have security cameras and mics, and it’s possible the seller could eavesdrop on your conversation. That way, if there are defects that you want fixed before the sale or want to negotiate a lower price, you’re not tipping your hand to the seller.

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope the inspection goes smoothly!

I appreciate the advice. We're using the same home inspectors we used when we bought our current house. Twelve years ago, he typed everything up in a computer, printed it in his van, put everything in a plastic sleeve and then a binder and went through it with us page by page. He went front to back in our little crawlspace attic and I have no clue how he fit. Plus, he's double licensed by both ASHI and InterNACHI, along with Radon and Pesticide. Called this morning and got it scheduled for later this week, so this is moving along.

[The Sybian]

Next is scheduling inspection and locking in our rate.

Congrats on getting the new house!

But I’d like to make a recommendation for your home inspection. I am currently working on getting my home inspector license in Ohio, and one thing I’ve learned is the industry is wildly inconsistent with its standards of practice (basically, what is inspected and what is not). There are no federal standards, and a lot of states don’t require licenses and thus don’t have standards, either.

There are two national organizations for certifying home inspectors: ASHI and InterNACHI. Personally, I follow the InterNACHI standards as they are more thorough than ASHI. You can go to InterNACHI’s site to look up certified home inspectors in your area. Here’s a link:

https://www.nachi.org/certified-inspectors

Also, if you attend the inspection and you want to hear the inspector’s thoughts before he or she leaves, be sure to talk with them OUTSIDE of the home. More than a few homes have security cameras and mics, and it’s possible the seller could eavesdrop on your conversation. That way, if there are defects that you want fixed before the sale or want to negotiate a lower price, you’re not tipping your hand to the seller.

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope the inspection goes smoothly!

Sabo...fascinating. I have not had bad experience with home inspectors, but found the process very strange. In both cases on my purchase the inspector scared the snot out of me. Had to step back and then realize that this individual was being thorough but it is not the conversation you want to have when dumping a huge amount into something. Yeah you can buy that but here are the reasons you house is going to fall apart, flood, explode, etc. That is on me.

But what I found really strange is you are paying this person for a job that he/she has no liability if they do a poor job. Sorry did not realize your water heater was leaking and plumping was not to code and I missed the racoons in the attic that are getting in through the hole. I have not had the experience but found it strange.

The inspection process is necessary, but shitty for so many reasons. I feel for inspectors because they can't see warning signs of so many potential problems. Wiring and plumbing are behind the walls, issues that cause flooding are usually buried underground, yet people try to blame inspectors for missing things. And from my experience, they do miss tons of obvious things (I had door in-between my house and garage with glass panes, that caused me to fail fire inspections when I replaced the water heater. You need a fire graded door. I ended up not replacing when I moved, and the next inspector missed it, too. My plumbing and electrical weren't up to code, and they missed that, too.

On the flip side, they do scare the shit out of you more than necessary. I'd say it's to cover themselves, but from my understanding, it's virtually impossible to sue an inspector. The inspector I used on my current house freaked me out about a crack in the foundation and advised I get a structural engineer to do an assessment. As I looked for structural engineers, I remembered he was a structural engineer. After hedging and not giving me clarity, I asked what he would say if I hired him as a structural engineer, and he immediately said it's a superficial crack and not a structural concern, it was vertical, and I shouldn't be concerned unless it was horizontal. He said if it was his house, he'd measure it and check back in 5 years to see if it grows, but he'd be shocked if it did. He also tried to tell me that the builder failed to vent the fireplace and said that using the fireplace would fill the house with carbon monoxide. I went into the attic with him and found a large metal tube from where I estimated the fireplace would be, and it ran through the roof. Then he argued it was half the size it should be, so I found the installation manual online, we measured, and he agreed it was done correctly. Not sure which is scarier, the inspection as a buyer or seller.

[Sabo]

Sabo...fascinating. I have not had bad experience with home inspectors, but found the process very strange. In both cases on my purchase the inspector scared the snot out of me. Had to step back and then realize that this individual was being thorough but it is not the conversation you want to have when dumping a huge amount into something. Yeah you can buy that but here are the reasons you house is going to fall apart, flood, explode, etc. That is on me.

But what I found really strange is you are paying this person for a job that he/she has no liability if they do a poor job. Sorry did not realize your water heater was leaking and plumping was not to code and I missed the racoons in the attic that are getting in through the hole. I have not had the experience but found it strange.

The bold portion is absolutely not true. Home inspectors ARE liable if they miss something, as long as what was missed is listed inside the Standards of Practice used by the inspector AND the issue was apparent the day of the inspection. For example, when I inspect the plumbing, here's what I MUST do:

Inspect the following:

- Interior water supply and distribution systems, including fixtures and faucets;
- Interior drain, waste and vent systems, including fixtures;
- Water heating equipment and hot water supply systems;
- Vent systems, flues and chimneys;
- Fuel storage and fuel distribution systems;
- Sewage ejectors, sump pumps and related piping;

Describe the following:

- Interior water supply, drain, waste and vent materials;
- Water heating equipment, including energy sources;
- Location of main water and fuel shut-off valves

So if the water heater was leaking the day of the inspection and I didn't notice or record the leak, then I'm liable for any damage that water leak causes. This is why I will have to carry liability and errors and omissions insurance. But if the water heater starts leaking the day after the inspection and it causes damage, I am not liable for those damages.

But there's also a long list of what I am NOT required to inspect. This includes washing machine connections, interiors of vent systems and chimneys that are not readily accessible, wells, water conditioning systems, etc. All of these items are listed in the Standards of Practice used by the inspector.

Also, home inspectors are not building code inspectors. We're trained to inspect for safety and to ensure the system works as described. Granted, almost all building codes are established for safety purposes, but we just need to identify potential safety problems. I don't need to know the minimum width of the water supply lines to the water heater, but I need to record any defects related to it (like corrosion where the supply line enters the water heater, as this can cause a major leak if the corrosion persists).

This potential liability is why inspection reports tend to be very nit picky. Why yes, your driveway is heaving and there's a one-inch difference where the slab has broken. Does that mean you have to replace the driveway? No. But I'm going to label it a safety hazard because if grandma is walking on the driveway and trips and breaks her hip, then the homeowner can't come after me because they didn't take care of the problem. When I went through my classwork, a lot of time was spent talking about how you describe defects and your recommendations. No inspection report will mention how to fix problems for safety issues or are so complex that contractors are required. Doing so implies the inspector is an expert in that situation and that increases your liability. For the driveway trip hazard example, this is what I would write in my report:

There is a trip hazard on the driveway. This is a safety hazard. Recommend a reputable contractor.

I'd also include a picture of the hazard, including putting a tape measure along the cracked slab so you can see how much of a gap is visible. By using the generic "recommend a reputable contractor", I'm putting the repair recommendation on the contractor and therefore they are liable if the repair doesn't fix the defect.

If you buy a house, I strongly recommend you do not waive the inspection. It's amazing what inspectors will find. I've been living in my house for more than 11 years and have had very few problems with it. When I did my inspection, I found my electric service panel had multiple double taps (two circuits on a single circuit breaker) and different brand circuit breakers for my panel. (I have a Siemens panel and thus all breakers should be Siemens, but mine had Siemens and Square D breakers in it). The former is a major safety hazard because I could start a fire in the electric service panel if the two circuits are overloaded. The different breakers isn't as big of a deal, but it is a safety hazard, too. As a result, I'm getting a new service panel installed in early February. I didn't think I'd want a new electric panel for my birthday, but that's what I'm getting!

[The Sybian]

I'll second Sabo that it's crazy to skip an inspection. I've heard a lot of sales in town were going through without inspections, and it's just madness.

[Sabo]

The inspection process is necessary, but shitty for so many reasons. I feel for inspectors because they can't see warning signs of so many potential problems. Wiring and plumbing are behind the walls, issues that cause flooding are usually buried underground, yet people try to blame inspectors for missing things.

Inspectors are not liable for things they cannot see. These issues are called "latent defects" and inspectors are not liable for problems related to them. They are expected to make reasonable attempts to inspect those things but cannot open walls or such to look at them.

Yes, inspectors miss things. We're human and make mistakes. That's why we're obligated to carry E&O insurance (at least in Ohio).

On the flip side, they do scare the shit out of you more than necessary. I'd say it's to cover themselves, but from my understanding, it's virtually impossible to sue an inspector. The inspector I used on my current house freaked me out about a crack in the foundation and advised I get a structural engineer to do an assessment. As I looked for structural engineers, I remembered he was a structural engineer. After hedging and not giving me clarity, I asked what he would say if I hired him as a structural engineer, and he immediately said it's a superficial crack and not a structural concern, it was vertical, and I shouldn't be concerned unless it was horizontal. He said if it was his house, he'd measure it and check back in 5 years to see if it grows, but he'd be shocked if it did. He also tried to tell me that the builder failed to vent the fireplace and said that using the fireplace would fill the house with carbon monoxide. I went into the attic with him and found a large metal tube from where I estimated the fireplace would be, and it ran through the roof. Then he argued it was half the size it should be, so I found the installation manual online, we measured, and he agreed it was done correctly. Not sure which is scarier, the inspection as a buyer or seller.

There is a lot of CYA when it comes to being a home inspector. I might take a bunch of pictures - especially in the foundation areas - that won't make it in the report. One inspector told us he takes pictures of every wall in a basement or crawlspace as a habit. This helped him when a client contacted him six months after an inspection and asked how he missed a big crack in a foundation wall. He asked which wall she was talking about and then he went through all of his pictures. He sent her the picture that showed at the time of the inspection, there wasn't a crack. Again, we're not responsible for what happens after the inspection. We only describe what we see the day of the inspection.

And foundation cracks are tricky, to be honest. Generally, a vertical crack is a settlement crack (which are expected) and a wide horizontal crack is a structural issue. But you have to look at the whole picture before labeling items as structural. When I inspected my house, I was convinced I had a structural crack along one wall. The crack runs horizontal to the floor and is about 3/4 inch wide at one point. But the crack hasn't expanded in the 11 years we've lived here, and the garage is the space behind that wall. Because the garage is enclosed, no water can collect behind the wall. (Water behind a wall is the cause of almost all structural foundation cracks).

I wrote it up in my report and sent it to my instructor and he ripped me a new one. We were told to only list cracks as structural issues when we know for 100 percent fact it's a structural problem. That's because structural engineers are very expensive to bring on site (around here, they charge about $600 just to come out to take a look). My wall crack wasn't causing any problems with the wall or anything near it, and since it hasn't moved in more than 11 years, it's a settlement crack.

The more experienced the inspector, the better the inspection. I've done seven inspections so far, and I've found things I've never seen before in each one. I did one yesterday and the homeowner had a geothermal furnace. We never covered that kind of furnace, so I have no idea how it worked. But I noticed the water pipes coming in and out of it were leaking and the shut off valves were corroded and leaking, too. While I found some defects with it, I still need to read up on this kind of furnace so I can inspect it better the next time I see one.

[Sabo]

I'll second Sabo that it's crazy to skip an inspection. I've heard a lot of sales in town were going through without inspections, and it's just madness.

That's mostly because the housing market is so nuts right now. Houses are in such high demand that sellers will almost instantly take any offer that doesn't require a home inspection. But those who waive it should consider doing one afterwards any way just so they can know what's wrong and/or learn about the systems inside their home.

[testuser2]

Yeah, it's about a four-mile move. We were definitely pigeon-holing ourselves because we like the school district and wanted the kids to have consistency. I never moved as a kid, but my wife did ... a lot. Like, six times before sixth grade, and she hated it and didn't want to put ours through that. The originally planned extra two years was for a hopeful market correction as well as we could expand our search once all the elementary schools merged into one as the grades got higher. Just sent the first escrow deposit tonight so things are moving along. Next is scheduling inspection and locking in our rate.

Which school district? I ask because my sister teaches in the area. I'm guessing a medium sized school? Berks has a billion little districts. I was SV 30 years ago.

[Steve of phpBB]

Good luck, Reaper!

The inspection process is necessary, but shitty for so many reasons. I feel for inspectors because they can't see warning signs of so many potential problems. Wiring and plumbing are behind the walls, issues that cause flooding are usually buried underground, yet people try to blame inspectors for missing things.

Inspectors are not liable for things they cannot see. These issues are called "latent defects" and inspectors are not liable for problems related to them. They are expected to make reasonable attempts to inspect those things but cannot open walls or such to look at them.

Yes, inspectors miss things. We're human and make mistakes. That's why we're obligated to carry E&O insurance (at least in Ohio).

On the flip side, they do scare the shit out of you more than necessary. I'd say it's to cover themselves, but from my understanding, it's virtually impossible to sue an inspector. The inspector I used on my current house freaked me out about a crack in the foundation and advised I get a structural engineer to do an assessment. As I looked for structural engineers, I remembered he was a structural engineer. After hedging and not giving me clarity, I asked what he would say if I hired him as a structural engineer, and he immediately said it's a superficial crack and not a structural concern, it was vertical, and I shouldn't be concerned unless it was horizontal. He said if it was his house, he'd measure it and check back in 5 years to see if it grows, but he'd be shocked if it did. He also tried to tell me that the builder failed to vent the fireplace and said that using the fireplace would fill the house with carbon monoxide. I went into the attic with him and found a large metal tube from where I estimated the fireplace would be, and it ran through the roof. Then he argued it was half the size it should be, so I found the installation manual online, we measured, and he agreed it was done correctly. Not sure which is scarier, the inspection as a buyer or seller.

There is a lot of CYA when it comes to being a home inspector. I might take a bunch of pictures - especially in the foundation areas - that won't make it in the report. One inspector told us he takes pictures of every wall in a basement or crawlspace as a habit. This helped him when a client contacted him six months after an inspection and asked how he missed a big crack in a foundation wall. He asked which wall she was talking about and then he went through all of his pictures. He sent her the picture that showed at the time of the inspection, there wasn't a crack. Again, we're not responsible for what happens after the inspection. We only describe what we see the day of the inspection.

And foundation cracks are tricky, to be honest. Generally, a vertical crack is a settlement crack (which are expected) and a wide horizontal crack is a structural issue. But you have to look at the whole picture before labeling items as structural. When I inspected my house, I was convinced I had a structural crack along one wall. The crack runs horizontal to the floor and is about 3/4 inch wide at one point. But the crack hasn't expanded in the 11 years we've lived here, and the garage is the space behind that wall. Because the garage is enclosed, no water can collect behind the wall. (Water behind a wall is the cause of almost all structural foundation cracks).

I wrote it up in my report and sent it to my instructor and he ripped me a new one. We were told to only list cracks as structural issues when we know for 100 percent fact it's a structural problem. That's because structural engineers are very expensive to bring on site (around here, they charge about $600 just to come out to take a look). My wall crack wasn't causing any problems with the wall or anything near it, and since it hasn't moved in more than 11 years, it's a settlement crack.

The more experienced the inspector, the better the inspection. I've done seven inspections so far, and I've found things I've never seen before in each one. I did one yesterday and the homeowner had a geothermal furnace. We never covered that kind of furnace, so I have no idea how it worked. But I noticed the water pipes coming in and out of it were leaking and the shut off valves were corroded and leaking, too. While I found some defects with it, I still need to read up on this kind of furnace so I can inspect it better the next time I see one.

Sabo, how likely are there to be new settlement cracks in a 95-year-old house? We've had a couple cracks in our walls develop in the last year. The cracks are generally vertical, but they are new and appear to be expanding. (FWIW, we had an earthquake two years ago that wasn't strong enough to knock anything off our walls but definitely shook the house some.)

[Sabo]

Sabo, how likely are there to be new settlement cracks in a 95-year-old house? We've had a couple cracks in our walls develop in the last year. The cracks are generally vertical, but they are new and appear to be expanding. (FWIW, we had an earthquake two years ago that wasn't strong enough to knock anything off our walls but definitely shook the house some.)

I'd be very, very surprised if a 95-year-old house didn't have a lot of settlement cracks. Earthquakes definitely can create new ones, too.

If you're concerned it's a structural crack, get a level (at least two feet long) and put it vertically against the wall so the level is perpendicular to the floor. Start at the top of the wall and slowly pull it down toward the floor. If the bubble moves outward (away from the wall) as you're pulling down, then your wall is bulging inwards. If it does, the bubble should move toward the wall once you get closer to the floor. If you see that kind of movement, move the level about two feet away (either left or right) and repeat the test. This will help you determine the width of the bulge.

If the level's bubble doesn't move much at all (walls don't have to be perfectly level, but it should be pretty close), then it's almost 100 percent certain it's a structural crack.

If the wall is bulging, put some concrete caulking in the crack and check on it in a couple of months. If the wall crack is expanding, then the wall is definitely moving to some degree.

(I am not a certified and licensed home inspector yet, so this does not constitute as official advice.) As a lawyer yourself, I'm sure you can appreciate that.

[Steve of phpBB]

Thanks, Sabo. That sounds helpful.

[bfj]

Getting ready to plop down some serious coin (for us) to buy a brand new house. It will take about a year to build and I’m freaking out. We have been looking at houses in our areas of interest and every house we look at would cost the same as the new house once we bought it and sunk a bunch of $ into it to make it what we want it to be. So we don’t see any reason not to buy the new house.

[tennbengal]

Getting ready to plop down some serious coin (for us) to buy a brand new house. It will take about a year to build and I’m freaking out. We have been looking at houses in our areas of interest and every house we look at would cost the same as the new house once we bought it and sunk a bunch of $ into it to make it what we want it to be. So we don’t see any reason not to buy the new house.

good luck bfj - building one the way you want it sounds fantastic

[Ryan]

Yeah that sounds pretty nice once the dust settles. Don’t put your microwave in a damn drawer. I bet BJ Surhoff swings a mean hammer…

[HaulCitgo]

Yeah sounds like less expenses the first several years. Good luck!

[Johnnie]

Why do I feel like I should do that too? I keep looking at Zillow and, outside of like a 2 month span a while back, homes are just so grossly overpriced that I'm almost turned off to buying one at all. Like, if I have to spend the money, I feel like getting the one I want is better than what's available.

[Reaper]

Getting ready to plop down some serious coin (for us) to buy a brand new house. It will take about a year to build and I’m freaking out. We have been looking at houses in our areas of interest and every house we look at would cost the same as the new house once we bought it and sunk a bunch of $ into it to make it what we want it to be. So we don’t see any reason not to buy the new house.

Until the above-mentioned house came up, I thought that might be the easiest way to go as well. As it is, in addition to extending the kitchen and remodeling a bathroom, we're talking about adding a level or an addition within the first six months as well, once we sell what we're in. Everything seems to be going well on my end, yet it's still so stressful. Good luck to you, BFJ.

[rass]

Good luck BFJ

[testuser2]

Getting ready to plop down some serious coin (for us) to buy a brand new house. It will take about a year to build and I’m freaking out. We have been looking at houses in our areas of interest and every house we look at would cost the same as the new house once we bought it and sunk a bunch of $ into it to make it what we want it to be. So we don’t see any reason not to buy the new house.

Custom home builder? We custom built our house two years ago and it is fantastic. We showed them a plan we liked. They worked with their architect to tweak it.

A heavy recommendation... When you are pricing it out they should ask you about how much you want to spend it certain areas. We went with mid-range on nearly everything except our front door and kitchen cabinets where we went high end. They use this to set your budget/allowances so when it comes down to picking things like an oven you don't get hit with overage charges.

[bfj]

Not a custom home. New development going up and we picked one of the models, but we get to pick out all the bells and whistles.

Once we put the $ down for the house, we would work with their “design center” to pick out all that crap. The woman at the sale center said that could range in price from $$-$$$$ depending on how high end we want to go with appliances, finishes etc.

Now I worry that if we wait until closer to the move in date to sell our house that the market might change and we won’t get as much as we hope for our current house.

[Steve of phpBB]

Good luck, BFJ.

[The Sybian]

Not a custom home. New development going up and we picked one of the models, but we get to pick out all the bells and whistles.

This would be ideal for me and my wife. If we have an open-ended design whatever we want approach, it's not going to happen, too many choices. We both lack the ability to create what we want, but we know it when we see it.

And the good thing with new construction, you should get a 10 year warranty on the work. I think that is a federal requirement now.

[A_B]

Not a custom home. New development going up and we picked one of the models, but we get to pick out all the bells and whistles.

This would be ideal for me and my wife. If we have an open-ended design whatever we want approach, it's not going to happen, too many choices. We both lack the ability to create what we want, but we know it when we see it.

And the good thing with new construction, you should get a 10 year warranty on the work. I think that is a federal requirement now.

Foundations and main structure usually covered for 10 years, but you definitely pay for this in the price of the house, so it isn't like they are throwing free insurance your way. I think that also had 2 years of complete coverage no matter what. Appliances, etc will have varying individual warranties (our heat pumps had 7 year warranties for most parts, but only 5 for compressor. Kitchen appliances were all just manufacturer's warranty. Roof had a partial warranty for poor workmanship, but it was 5 years or less I think. )

[Sabo]

IMO, if you're building a new house, you're better off spending more money on a better/stronger foundation, better roof system (i.e., architectural shingles) and insulation. You'll save money on heating and electric and have fewer problems in the long run. It's also much cheaper to renovate the interior than have to upgrade the foundation, so you're better off making sure those systems will outlive you.

[Johnnie]

BFJ, that's basically what goes on out here. My buddy got a home in neighboring Marana. He and his wife didn't mind the process, but some of the builders were dicks when it came to what they wanted.

Like, for example, it's a 2 story house. Under the stairs is a closet. My buddy and his wife wanted the closet tiled, but the plan was to do carpet. Despite there being enough tile, the contractors refused. It took going to the project manager to get that done.

If the contractors building the homes have to deviate in the slightest way, they are going to get mad. So potentially be ready for that.

[bfj]

BFJ, that's basically what goes on out here. My buddy got a home in neighboring Marana. He and his wife didn't mind the process, but some of the builders were dicks when it came to what they wanted.

Like, for example, it's a 2 story house. Under the stairs is a closet. My buddy and his wife wanted the closet tiled, but the plan was to do carpet. Despite there being enough tile, the contractors refused. It took going to the project manager to get that done.

If the contractors building the homes have to deviate in the slightest way, they are going to get mad. So potentially be ready for that.

I’m not ready for any of this shit yet!