First time home buyer tips

[Tanaka]

Some of this will be super obvious depending on your situation growing up, but I'll offer the advice anyway.

Check and change your HVAC filter regularly. Clean your gutters. Check any water pipes you're able to for any cracks or other degradation on a regular basis. If you have a basement/crawlspace , clean it at least once a year. If you live in a cold climate, have a spare Ignitor for your furnace.

Introduce yourself to your neighbors and at least be friendly with them. You don't have to live life like you're a character in a sitcom and have neighbors constantly coming in and out of your home, but being on good terms with them can be huge. You might spark a friendship and have someone nearby that can help you out in a pinch. Also, any neighborly disputes you might have are usually way easier to deal with when you're already on good terms.

 

[Ashlette]

Not a homeowner but I would also personally look for evidence of pests in every room and find possible entryways that they might have been using. Stuff like poop in the walls and unsealed crevices. The presence of predators like spiders or lizards are also cues. Check the exterior of the house for openings as well.

Speaking from experience, you do not want to deal with a bed bug infestation. Silverfish and roaches are a pain to deal with, but bed bugs will scar you for life even if you somehow get rid of them.

 

[TaySan]

You guys aren't kidding about the scam texts/message im starting to get a lot of texts and emails and I haven't even closed yet lol

 

[sha1ashaska22]

I see you said your Dad is doing the inspection, so presumably he knows this. But a normal home inspection doesn't include a sewer inspection with most inspectors. A clogged sewer trap can lead to major problems so my small piece of advice is don't sleep on the sewer line inspection (if applicable? obviously a septic system would be different!).

 

[TylerD]

Congrats on your potential future home ownership!

You guys aren't kidding about the scam texts/message im starting to get a lot of texts and emails and I haven't even closed yet lol

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Remember, It's always a good idea for you to pay a secondary company good money to make your biweekly mortgage payments for you. lol

I only bit on a $100 Amazon gift card offer that turned out to be an in home pitch for a water softener system. They only wanted $6500!

The house was already plumbed for it so I bought one (Fleck 5600sxt and a 48000 grain resin bed plus brine tank) on Amazon for $650 delivered and installed it myself. ~ $20 in salt pellets every couple of months for the brine tank and like $30 for the hardware to install it is\was the only additional cost.

 

[Tendo]

Get insurance on the water line from the street to your house. its just a couple bucks a month and worth every penny.

 

[skeezx]

nothing super important to add that nobody else has except keep up with the upkeep. did a total remodeling of my "dream home" and thought i had at least a good half decade until I had to worry about much... but a tiny thing here and there I kept ignoring like a frog in boiling water and boy am I bearing the brunt of that now.

 

[TheYanger]

Oof time to follow this thread. Like most millennials I never saw myself owning, but my wife and I put down our deposit and signed papers for a new construction place this week. I'm nervous af

 

[Muu]

10k/yr earmarked for fixes for sure. Houses aren't called money pits for nothing.

 

[Kaban]

Yep, following this thread now.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Be hopeful you don't have to do new windows and siding anytime soon. It's a cost area people vastly underestimate what it will actually cost.

 

[TaySan]

Be hopeful you don't have to do new windows and siding anytime soon. It's a cost area people vastly underestimate what it will actually cost.

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My dad said the windows were okay. Not the best quality windows but in good condition. There was a little wood rot in the front but nothing major. On Saturday my dad is going to look in the crawlspace and do more in-depth inspection

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

My dad said the windows were okay. Not the best quality windows but in good condition. There was a little wood rot in the front but nothing major. On Saturday my dad is going to look in the crawlspace and do more in-depth inspection

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Our windows looked good too, and fast forward six years and here we are. Once we were in there enough we started noticing how bad they leaked around all the gaskets. You can check the age by the tag on the inner sill of the windows. It should have a serial number and that will tell you when they were manufactured.

Also if you look on the inner ring of the windows and see screws, they were replacement windows and not new construction. Replacement means the old ones were just cut out and the new ones inserted. New construction often happens when siding or inner wall work is done to where they can properly frame the new ones.

 

[lunchtoast]

Enjoy going the hardware store multiple times in a day because the part you bought doesn't work or fit and having to exchange it.

 

[Elandyll]

During your first year or so of ownership, you will receive Home Insurance offers via mail telling you you need it. Those are scams, home insurance is (should) be baked in the loan.
If you are not sure, check with your agent/ escrow officer.

 

[Darth Karja]

Get a Home Warranty. In the first couple years of owning my house the Hot Water tank and the Central Air went out. Both were covered on the home warranty

 

[Sydle]

10k/yr earmarked for fixes for sure. Houses aren't called money pits for nothing.

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Now in my fourth year of being a first time home owner on a 2000 sqft, twenty year old home. That figure sounds about right to cover regular maintenance plus unexpected repairs.

I'm not sure I'd call it money pit though. Based on what homes are going for in my neighborhood now, my house has appreciated in value far more than the money I've put into maintaining it.

 

[CherryWoodFuton]

Edit: Wrong thread

 

[Shadybiz]

My dad said the windows were okay. Not the best quality windows but in good condition. There was a little wood rot in the front but nothing major. On Saturday my dad is going to look in the crawlspace and do more in-depth inspection

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Curous because you have cited your dad's opinion several times:

1. What are your dad's qualifications as far as home inspection? Simply having been a homeowner himself does not count, btw.

2. Do you still have the professional inspection scheduled? If not, why not?

 

[TaySan]

Curous because you have cited your dad's opinion several times:

1. What are your dad's qualifications as far as home inspection? Simply having been a homeowner himself does not count, btw.

2. Do you still have the professional inspection scheduled? If not, why not?

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My dad was a certified home inspector. Not officially anymore but he knows what to look for. And he didn't see a point paying for an inspection when the seller won't pay for any fixes outside of whats required from the appraisal.

 

[Shadybiz]

My dad was a certified home inspector. Not officially anymore but he knows what to look for. And he didn't see a point paying for an inspection when the seller won't pay for any fixes outside of whats required from the appraisal.

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Ah, well I'd say he's qualified then! Okay good stuff.

 

[CherryWoodFuton]

Is it common for seller to have open houses while still in negotiations? We put an offer on a house and were waiting on the response when my wife got a Zillow notification that there was going to be an open house on the place we put an offer for this weekend. She was livid and called our agent to pull out of the deal due to the disrespect

 

[freetacos]

Figure out what maintenance/repair stuff will be feasible to do yourself, and what you should realistically be calling professionals for.

We have a koi pond in our backyard. A few weeks ago the pump for the pond just shit the bucket. Obviously a bit of a time crunch because koi can't live super long without air filtration. I called up the guy who does annual cleaning/maintenance of our pond, he was just half an hour away. Diagnosed the problem, had a backup pump in his truck, and gave me a discount on what it would have cost at the store/amazon. Problem was fixed in 1-2 hours with minimal stress on my end. If you have some spare money for things like this, it goes a LONG way

 

[Muu]

Now in my fourth year of being a first time home owner on a 2000 sqft, twenty year old home. That figure sounds about right to cover regular maintenance plus unexpected repairs.

I'm not sure I'd call it money pit though. Based on what homes are going for in my neighborhood now, my house has appreciated in value far more than the money I've put into maintaining it.

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Assuming a low rate you can get a ton of leverage on an investment and get huge returns in a house, yes. It's also extremely illiquid, and historically home appreciations haven't kept up w/ the market. My home value has nearly doubled during ownership, but a lot of that is luck, and it's also prevented me to an extent from moving for better opportunities.

 

[TaySan]

Does brand matter for lawn mowers? I want to get a cheap electric battery powered mower. My lawn is small.

 

[Okonoko]

Enjoy going the hardware store multiple times in a day because the part you bought doesn't work or fit and having to exchange it.

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hoooh boy, I bought last May and my entire summer was going back and forth between Home Depot and the local shop(s).

 

[Okonoko]

Does brand matter for lawn mowers? I want to get a cheap electric battery powered mower. My lawn is small.

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I'm real happy with my 40V Ryobi battery mower, not sure how the 18V's perform

 

[themanupstairs]

Get an inspector even if it's a new build. Second home I bought had to have system put in because of high radon levels in basement (common in area due to granite in ground) but that alone would have been a 2k in hidden costs.

Save some money for rainy day. Things will break, expensive things, even on a new build.

Owning a home isn't cheap.

 

[Starburns]

Does brand matter for lawn mowers? I want to get a cheap electric battery powered mower. My lawn is small.

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I went full in on Ego brand. First a lawn mower, blower, and wire edger, in time added a snow blower, chainsaw, and cultivator. They are all pretty awesome, and having all batteries work with everything is great. The last few devices I bought I saved a bunch by skipping the batteries - at a certain point you don't need any more. I'm sure any brand you go with will be great, just make sure they have everything you want because down the road you'll likely supplement whatever it is you start with.

 

[themanupstairs]

Oh yeah. Get a shop (wet/dry) vac. They are awesome to have.

 

[peteykirch]

Does brand matter for lawn mowers? I want to get a cheap electric battery powered mower. My lawn is small.

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I got the 80V Greenworks that Costco sells and it's been a champ.

My yard is pretty small, and it has enough charge in the battery system that I can mow, then use the battery in the edger, weed whacker, and leaf blower all in 1 go.

 

[Ultima_5]

Does brand matter for lawn mowers? I want to get a cheap electric battery powered mower. My lawn is small.

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you want a name brand of course, as ideally when the battery wears out, you can get a replacement. You'll also want to check reviews for the leaf blowers, string trimmers, etc from the same brand you're considering cuz most of them use the batteries interchangeably.

 

[Stencil]

Remember to change your HVAC filter regularly.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

I went full in on Ego brand. First a lawn mower, blower, and wire edger, in time added a snow blower, chainsaw, and cultivator. They are all pretty awesome, and having all batteries work with everything is great. The last few devices I bought I saved a bunch by skipping the batteries - at a certain point you don't need any more. I'm sure any brand you go with will be great, just make sure they have everything you want because down the road you'll likely supplement whatever it is you start with.

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Echoing this

Have a mower trimmer weed whacker blower and snow blower.

 

[whatsinaname]

Is it common for seller to have open houses while still in negotiations? We put an offer on a house and were waiting on the response when my wife got a Zillow notification that there was going to be an open house on the place we put an offer for this weekend. She was livid and called our agent to pull out of the deal due to the disrespect

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Very. I made an offer on a Saturday morning after a Friday night viewing. They said they will make a decision after the Sunday open house.

Also, sorry to be blunt, but that's not disrespect. And it is not yet a negotiation/deal when they haven't even replied to your offer. The unfortunate market situation now means you cannot be pulling out offers like that based on seller tactics.

 

[DJ_Lae]

Does brand matter for lawn mowers? I want to get a cheap electric battery powered mower. My lawn is small.

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I have an 80V Greenworks mower/blower/trimmer/etc although for a smaller lawn it's probably a bit overkill. Ego is nice but pricey.

40V tools (or combo ones that double up 24V batteries to 48V) might be a better balance of price and power if you aren't having to maintain a large yard. Also keep in mind 'power' there is kind of nebulous, an 80V tool isn't twice as powerful as a 40V as voltage is only one factor.

 

[Soapbox Killer]

Something is gonna break in the first year that costs thousands of dollars to repair, so get ready for that

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All truth!

 

[Zen Hero]

Just bought by first house and this thread is scaring me lol

I don't know how people learn everything that needs to be done to take care of a house. I feel like my dad always knew what to do, but I feel so clueless.

 

[echoshifting]

Just bought by first house and this thread is scaring me lol

I don't know how people learn everything that needs to be done to take care of a house. I feel like my dad always knew what to do, but I feel so clueless.

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That's pretty normal. You're gonna figure it out.

A good way to get started is just roll through your house and ask yourself what things probably require some sort of regular upkeep or inspection, look them up, then make yourself a list and a schedule. There are tons of huge home ownership disasters that can be mitigated or entirely avoided simply by keeping an eye on things

 

[Dahbomb]

I am assuming you did a thorough inspection before closing the house and major issues would have been sorted out.

*Normally you get 1 year of home warranty at start so definitely make good use of it. Definitely check your HVAC, heater/boiler and sink/plumbing.

*If you are going to do lawn maintenance yourself then make sure your equipment is powerful. It will cost you extra but it definitely makes your job easier. Definitely do not skimp out on leaf blower or edge cutters.

*Unfortunately what your monthly payment is now is the minimum you will be paying. Every year property taxes are updated (usually increased) and same goes for insurances which means your escrow has to adjust up accordingly. It's something that hardly anyone talks about so expect to pay a few hundred dollars extra every few years or so. The plus side is that when you have been paying for a while, you can refinance the house and get a lower monthly payment.

*Always be shopping around yearly for insurances.

*If you are in a place that sometimes gets freezing weather then make sure you have the ability to insulate your pipes. My pipes got frozen because I didn't do a good enough job of insulating. When that happens, you can run boiling hot water on your main pipe and that should fix it.

*Change filters every few months. This includes HVAC and refrigerator filters.

*More lawn tips: make sure you have weed killer (spray or compound) and insect killers for your lawn. Depends on where you live but you would be surprised how many insects can start cropping up during sprint time if you aren't on top of it. Both of these you can buy from Amazon/Home Depot where they fit in front of your hose and you just spray like normal.

 

[Starburns]

Echoing this

Have a mower trimmer weed whacker blower and snow blower.

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If/when you want a chainsaw, the Ego chainsaw is stupidly good. I bought one when a tree fell on our house (it slightly bent the lip of one gutter, got super lucky) and a few buddies came over to help. Two of them have their own gas chainsaws, they were both giddy with how ridiculously good the Ego one was.

 

[Sydle]

I went full in on Ego brand. First a lawn mower, blower, and wire edger, in time added a snow blower, chainsaw, and cultivator. They are all pretty awesome, and having all batteries work with everything is great. The last few devices I bought I saved a bunch by skipping the batteries - at a certain point you don't need any more. I'm sure any brand you go with will be great, just make sure they have everything you want because down the road you'll likely supplement whatever it is you start with.

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+1 on the bolded.

Have had them for a few years now and they're still doing a great job.

 

[freetacos]

Is it common for seller to have open houses while still in negotiations? We put an offer on a house and were waiting on the response when my wife got a Zillow notification that there was going to be an open house on the place we put an offer for this weekend. She was livid and called our agent to pull out of the deal due to the disrespect

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Yes, this is extremely common. In a competitive market, the seller's agent usually has a deadline ("get all offers in by x date"). Even if you put in an offer early, they will go through with open houses and wait for all offers to come in and assess them. They will also schedule additional open houses if they have not received the initial interest they were hoping for. I personally would not call that disrespect, but to each their own

 

[CherryWoodFuton]

Yes, this is extremely common. In a competitive market, the seller's agent usually has a deadline ("get all offers in by x date"). Even if you put in an offer early, they will go through with open houses and wait for all offers to come in and assess them. They will also schedule additional open houses if they have not received the initial interest they were hoping for. I personally would not call that disrespect, but to each their own

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I guess...if only that was disclosed to us by the seller's agent or even our agent before hand. Just wanted a little transparency I guess. Our agent was acting like it's not usual practice to not inform the potential buyer about that.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

If/when you want a chainsaw, the Ego chainsaw is stupidly good. I bought one when a tree fell on our house (it slightly bent the lip of one gutter, got super lucky) and a few buddies came over to help. Two of them have their own gas chainsaws, they were both giddy with how ridiculously good the Ego one was.

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No need for a chainsaw but im tempted to upgrade the snowblower to the 2-stage. The push one works out well but some times I just want something else to do a little work for me.

I do think I have to already swap my one battery that came with my mower. It's a 7.5amp that Ive been using every week spring - fall for 3-4 years.

The edger is the one tool i stopped using and gave away. It's just too annoying to use and I can work more easily with the string timmer.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Is it common for seller to have open houses while still in negotiations? We put an offer on a house and were waiting on the response when my wife got a Zillow notification that there was going to be an open house on the place we put an offer for this weekend. She was livid and called our agent to pull out of the deal due to the disrespect

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You can make an offer and ask to pull it from the market, but an offer is just an offer until it's completely agreed upon.

 

[Cels]

Something is gonna break in the first year that costs thousands of dollars to repair, so get ready for that

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well it may not, but this is still good advice. plan for the worst and hope for the best.

 

[TuneTuneGuy]

Get a home warranty. It's usually 500-700 dollars a year. Just bought a house a couple years ago from the 60s and if the previous home owners didn't buy that we'd be on our own for a 20K roof that god damaged in a freak wind storm. That along with about 10k in other repairs. We definitely are going to keep it going.

 

[Bushy-Doe Blade]

I'm looking for a website with… a map, that shows areas that are highly sought that could potentially yield high equity over time.

I'm new at this… so maybe a site exists or is it just a fools fantasy?

 

[Starburns]

No need for a chainsaw but im tempted to upgrade the snowblower to the 2-stage. The push one works out well but some times I just want something else to do a little work for me.

I do think I have to already swap my one battery that came with my mower. It's a 7.5amp that Ive been using every week spring - fall for 3-4 years.

The edger is the one tool i stopped using and gave away. It's just too annoying to use and I can work more easily with the string timmer.

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I have the 2-stage and it's great. I'd debated going the single stage (being a Phoenix native in Colorado there's a certain level of WTF am I doing) but my buddy convinced me to go 2-stage. Said the times you really want a snow blower up here the single won't be enough, and he's absolutely right.

I've got 3 7.5, a 5.0 and a 4.0, and I swap the 7.5s around between the snow blower and mower, and use the lighter ones for the more handheld tools (except when I was cutting the massive tree into smaller pieces, went through the 5.0 and all three 7.5s before I was done). It'll be interesting using the cultivator in a month or so to tear up our back yard to go xeriscaping, figuring the batteries will last longer than I will, probably go at it over a few weekends. But 3-4 years, you're ahead of me, my oldest is only about a 1.5 years old.