Unorganized house hunter needs help!!

[TammyAlphabet]

I am going house hunting soon in another state for two days. We will look at alot of houses I am guessing.

I am trying to figure out how I am going to keep all these houses straight in my mind. I thought of taking the digital camera and taking a picture of the front of each house and then each feature I liked and/or didn't like to review later. Although my DH is very impatient, and he may not like this, he will consider this slowing him down. Is this a good method?

Also, I have a bit of a fear of buying a brand new house. Seems like an older house may have had a chance to settle and any problems with the house would have come to light. Can anyone shed any light on this potential problem?

Any help is appreciated. Since it is so far away, we would like to find and put an offer on a house right away and avoid the several trips to find the right house. Is this unrealistic?

Thanks!

 

[MsLeFever]

The photo idea is a good one.

I also made a chart with headings like number of bedrooms, dishwasher, laundry room, whatever is important for you. Then I could look through the list quickly.

Of course, if you are like we are, at least 80 percent of the homes you won't have to remember because they are just wrong in some way.

 

[golfgal]

There are pros and cons to new/old houses. Yes, old houses have settled but they often require more upkeep and then you need to look into things like how old is the roof, furnace, appliances, etc. Older homes tend to have more character too. For newer homes, often brand new homes will have a warranty of some kind. Either way it is a good idea to get the home warranty if available.

What I do when I am house hunting is take a notebook along, write down the address and the number house we visited (3rd house on Monday or whatever). I then walk through the house and jot down things like, nice kitchen, small bedrooms, great yard. I also number the info sheets from the Realtor so I can put them together with my notes. YOu could also take notes on the back of the sheet. Most of the houses these days have several photos on their info sheets. The digital camera won't take any time as long as you aren't taking 100 pictures at each house. Maybe take 3-4 photos at each house so you can distinguish between one house and another. Most model homes won't allow you to take pictures lest you steal their ideas. A lot won't even let you measure room sizes.

 

[golfgal]

Another idea is if you are comfortable post the city you are moving to, chances are someone here lives there and can help with neighborhoods, etc.

 

[bananiem]

We found using the digital camera to be very helpful.
As for new vs. existing...there are several factors. Depending on the builder it can be a great idea to buy new, or a waste of money. Some people prefer a more open floor plan that you see now rather than the the style of older homes.
With older homes you need to take into consideration the age and what may need to be updated. We looked at old Victorian once that had the original everything in it, including some pretty scary wiring behind the switchplate!
A lot of your decision should be based on the neighborhood area and schools as well as whether you like the house.
Good luck with your search!

 

[mtemm]

I always take a digital camera as well as a video camera with me...the video camera only comes out if I'm really interested in the house, and I take the neighborhood as well. It helps because I can narrate my thoughts at the moment. I also bring a notebook that I can write initial thoughts/questions down in.

house-hunting should not be a rush-job. I do tend to go thru homes quickly, at least the first time thru, because I know what I want. I've owned 4 homes in 4 years, trust me, I know what I'm looking for. lol. But digital pics and video really help me after to remember, because homes do tend to run together when you see several in one day.

stick to your guns and take some pics...take the front of the house at each stop so you know which house is which.

most likely you will get some take-away sheets that should have several pictures on them, anyway.

 

[NMAmy]

I used to write notes on the realtor sheets that were available at each home--I did it in the car on the way to the next house. They do tend to run together--particularly when you're seeing more than one or two houses a day.

That way, when we were trying to decide, dh would say, "What did we like and dislike about that house?" I had it all written down--small bedrooms, bad carpet--one I even wrote "Pepto-Bismol bathroom/wallpaper border house" THAT was a pretty memorable house even without the notes!

Good luck and try to enjoy it. Some houses, you'll walk in the front door and just know...Nope, not for us!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We just used a pad of paper and wrote notes. When you go to look at the homes there will be listing sheets that give pic's of the house & dimensions usually.

The thing that is VERY important to us to bring is a Tape Measure. This little gadget has made the difference whether we buy or not.
We measure all of our BIG furniture that we need to place and see if we have a match or can work with it.

 

[Hannathy]

Print out a local map of the area and put a number for each house where it is at as you see them. Then later after the realtor has left you drive back to the houses and note where schools, grocery stores are, the mall, walmart things like that are and mark them on the map. I did this when we moved 1/2 way across the country and had 1 weekend to find a house. It really helped keep things clear in my mind because after driving around for a day you will be totally mixed up as to which neighborhood is what. It also helped me figure out that the house I liked first was totally out of the way for stores, or one street away and not seen on one visit was the county landfill.

I think new vs old depends on how much time you have to work on it if it needs it- we went new when we moved because I was pregnant (7 mos) my DH would be travelling alot and we knew no one where we were going so that was not when I wanted to rip up orange shag carpeting or deal with avocado appliances by myself. I've lived in both and each has there own interesting problems.

 

[cats mom]

I always took a notebook and made a list of the houses we went to in order.
Then I would try to "name" each house - something that made it stand out in my mind.
For example: we ended up buying 'the wallpaper house' (although you'd never know it now)

Like others have said, you'll most likely get an information sheet at each house and most will have pictures. Your realtor can also print out an MLS sheet on each house. Most of those have the room dimensions listed along with all the general info, so they help too.

I did the 5 days and find a house or die trying thing with our current house. While I would much rather have more time to look and be more selective, it certainly can be done.

Good Luck

 

[mepperson]

I second the video camera! You can narrate your thoughts as you walk thru each property. Or, maybe give this to your DH to do, and he will not notice how much time you take for your pictures!

Good luck!

 

[ItsonlyExperiment626]

Kind of off the topic....

since it's in another town, you may want to go by the houses you have seen or will see during rush hour to see if the location is in a light traffic area or heavy traffic area. Drive the route you or your husband will use to go to the job site. I have heard from many people who have transfered into my town about how bad the traffic is from their house to work and if they had known, they would have bought in another area.

Also look around the area for banks, grocery stores, shops and resturants. Like the saying goes, it's location, location, location that is really important.

I would buy a map and mark the location of the house on the map too. Mark on the map where the house sits with a number and mark the same number to your photos. Then make notes of the area and traffic and attach those notes to your photos of the house.

 

[malibuconlee]

Some great suggestions here. Mine will be to get your financing in order before going out to look. Getting pre-approved will help you decide what your price range really is. Especially in a new area, and if it's a new job with a different pay scale.

I'll agree the digital camera will be a great asset. It's so easy when going thru many houses to get them jumbled up in your head. Also if your agent is good he/she will give you a folder with copies of the MLS listings for every property they take you to. You can make notes on the back side of each one. That way you'll have all the essentials already on there (sq. foot, number and sizes of bedrooms, taxes, etc.) as well as anything you find relevant.

One thing we did with our first house was to take a map of the area, take a compass and set it to a 10 mile radius of the office. We didn't want a long commute, so we looked for properties in that area. We ended up with a 10 minute drive to work crossing NO major highways.

Older homes can be great, we loved our Victorian, but it needed work. A brand new house will have a warranty from the builder and may have less upkeep.

Good luck with your search!! Where are you moving to?

 

[Disneyrsh]

I know this may not be something you've considered, but have you thought about renting a house first?

That takes the pressure off finding the right house 'right away' and gives you a chance to really learn the area.

We did this, we're in a lovely house on a cul de sac with a pool in the back, we moved in a year and a half ago to see if we liked the schools for our kids and the neighborhood, and to let us house hunt at our leisure. It's actually up for rent again now that we are leaving tomorrow, here it is:

http://www.jennypruitt.com/Consumer...ngDistrictTypeID=&FirstLetter=&Sort=&Cookies=


We put a clause in the renter's contract that if we purchased a house we could end the lease, but as it turns out there's only a one month overlap, since we move into our house tomorrow.

I've spent the last two months renovating the new house (new to us) and moving stuff in-no pressure. It's something you might want to consider. It took me that long to find the 'right' house for us.

And it was great, because once I really learned the area, some of the houses I had originally considered would really have not worked well for us, and it was nice not having the pressure to sell when you found the right house to buy.

The funniest thing was, when my husband first suggested it, I fought him tooth and nail over it. I was all, no, I want my own house, I'm an expert, blah blah blah. Now I thank him all the time for having the foresight!

 

[icebrat001]

We live in California, we purchased a house in Florida, we close in May (knock on wood!)

While we didn't get out to Florida to see the house we are buying, we sent our Realtor and my partners parents on a massive hunt.

Initially we only looked a new builds, so we could see the floor plan and stuff. After 2 new builds fell through for us (delayed closing on the first one because they were having problems obtaining materials and what not, and the 2nd one, since we are out of state and don't have jobs in the new state yet, they thought we were investors and wanted some crazy high down payment), so we started looking and older places (1-5 years old), first we went to realtor.com checked out a lot of the listings, look at other looking realty sites to see what was on the market, then we made a spreadsheet with excel giving the MLS, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, price, things we liked about it or disliked about it and a small (Very small) picture. We emailed the list to the parents and the Realtor, they made notes on all 20 places we made them see in one day. They ended up liking our first choice.

Long story short, make a spreadsheet.

 

[ElizaB39]

Great ideas here. My spreadsheet also included price per square foot of each house we were serious about buying, both new and existing. If it didn't fall under a certain amount, no matter how much I/we liked it, we weren't going to buy it because it would have been overpaying. I am that analytical...

Also, the listing for the house we ended up buying was incorrect regarding the size of the kitchen. It was listed as 10x12 but that was only for the actual work area, the listing didn't include the eating area of the kitchen which is a bit bigger than 10x12. This may have thrown other potential buyers off if they were just reviewing listing information to decide whether or not to even look at the house. When I brought this up to the listing agent, she just looked at me and said, "I used the builder information from when the house was built (14 years ago)." She also owned a home in the neighborhood at one time and you would think that as a realtor and a previous owner in the neighborhood that the area of the kitchen was more than twice what was listed on the info sheet. Hmmm...

ETA: Start using the INternet as a tool for you to get information on the area. Try using Google Earth to zoom in on addresses and areas that you are interested in. It will show major roads and etc. Many homes you would be able to eliminate due to neighborhoods, major roadways, and etc.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

I really thought about renting at first, but with interest rates and housing prices going through the roof, we want to try to find something first to buy and rent as a last resort. My kids have not had a pet (dog or cat) for a very long time and will kill me if they can't have them in the new house.

I am moving to Murfreesboro, Tennessee which is about 30 miles south of Nashville, TN. I am very excited about the move and we are in the process of getting prequalified with a mortgage broker over there. We have lived in a tiny apartment for the last few years and really need some growing room!

I love all the advice and if there are any more suggestions, I would love to hear them!!

Thanks!

 

[Disneyrsh]

I really thought about renting at first, but with interest rates and housing prices going through the roof, we want to try to find something first to buy and rent as a last resort. My kids have not had a pet (dog or cat) for a very long time and will kill me if they can't have them in the new house.

I am moving to Murfreesboro, Tennessee which is about 30 miles south of Nashville, TN. I am very excited about the move and we are in the process of getting prequalified with a mortgage broker over there. We have lived in a tiny apartment for the last few years and really need some growing room!

I love all the advice and if there are any more suggestions, I would love to hear them!!

Thanks!

Housing prices have actually decreased here in atlanta, the interest rate is going up, but it makes about a 35c difference in a 30 year fixed from today's rate vs 3 months ago, and we have two big dogs!

The rental market is soooo desperate to rent out houses, you can basically offer them a *very* low price, tell them you're bringing the dogs, need a house buying release clause, and they'll go for it.