We plan on moving in a year or two. Any advice?

[Disneyluv111]

We are 32 years old. We plan on moving in to a nicer neighborhood, better school, on and on.
This will be our second and last home. No more upgrades and moving to a new home. We will purchase this home with a large downpayment and making it a 15 year mortgage.

I'm aware of:

• being completely debt-free

• large down payment

• selling all of our junk and furniture for more funds

• simplifying until the move

• We will no longer be purchasing things for the home

• We will be getting a truck (used and older) but paying cash for it

And

• Keep stocking the money away for the down payment and extra funds to furnish/decorate the new home

• We refuse to be house poor. So we will make sure we buy within budget and not too big.

Before the move, do you have any other advice to offer us and what we can do to better prepare ourselves? Thank you so much. It's very awesome and encouraging to be around people who are wise and knowledgeable!

 

[AnAmericanInDisney]

The best advice my husband and I ever got was to buy a house we could afford on only one salary.

 

[lauradis]

If the plan is for a "forever" home make sure you pick the house you want, in a location you want.

Simple right. Dont look at deco stuff in the house that can always be changed.
Layout, location. Bathrooms and kitchen can be remodeled. But moving a load bearing wall is a big pain.

If your plan is to stay forever, think in the long term as in stairs when im 80.

How much space do you really want.

closets can always be added or taken out.

yard to big, plant some pine trees and let it go back to nature.

personally I would get pencil and paper and write down all the major things you want.

 

[NinaBella]

Hire a independent home inspector to work for YOU. Even if the seller or real estate agency has a home inspector that works for THEM. For about $500 you an save thousands of dollars and headaches of issues that may come up after moving into the new home.

Schools can and do rezone. So if you want to ensure that school is your kids school, you will have to probably live within walking distance. I am not sure your kids ages but where I live they rezone schools every few years and parents are upset they bought a house for a specific school and then after the rezone they kid was bumped to a different school.

 

[DawnM]

If you buy a house that needs some work, just make sure whatever number is in your head as to how much it will cost to fix (even if you do the work yourselves), double it or triple it!

DH and I are on our 3rd cosmetic fixer and are looking to move next year. He has said NO MORE FIXERS! We don't have the time or money to deal with it anymore.

However, an unfinished space that has potential to bring in more equity is great. You can finish it or not, and use it for storage if you don't.

Dawn

 

[Airship Ariadne]

Talk to the neighbors...they would end up being yours if you buy...get a feel for if the neighborhood will be and stay owner occupied, or if it is going to turn into mostly rental property around you with people without a vested interest in the neighborhood.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would not sell my furniture. You will just have to buy new and pay more than what you would get from selling yours. Plus you will arrive at the new place and have nothing to sit on or sleep on so you will need to rush out and buy them. I know it will be an expense to rent a truck to move it but arriving at the new place knowing you won't have to rush out and by all new furniture has to be better. You may have to pay a delivery fee or the new furniture and you buy stuff from several different stores you could end up paying a delivery fee for each store.

 

[StephMK]

Since you have some time, it gives you lots of opportunities to scout out neighborhoods if you don't have one in mind. Plus you can collect lots of ideas for when you do move.

1) Quality construction - since it's a long term investment, I'd choose quality construction and dated over something that is newer but has been thrown together by a high volume builder. You want good bones that will last.

2) Location - so important and can't be changed. How close will you be to schools, your favorite stores, highway, etc.

3) Schools - think down the road to MS & HS. I rejected a house that had the MS zoned to one I didn't like. Now that house has been re-zoned to the HS I would not have picked for my kids either.

4) Do your own research on the house. I have seen several listings that show incorrect schools, didn't list the basement, etc. I don't know why sellers don't check over that stuff. I researched a ton online when we moved.

5) HOA - check to see if it has one or not if this is a concern. We like having an HOA but I know some are against them.

6) Don't compromise on something you really want. A few thousand to get what you really want is not that much over the life of the loan. Do figure out what the non-negotiables are ahead of time then stick to that plan.

Have fun making plans! I loved house hunting!

 

[Disneyluv111]

The best advice my husband and I ever got was to buy a house we could afford on only one salary.

We are on one income. That's why we're doing 15 years and this will be our last home.

 

[Disneyluv111]

I would not sell my furniture. You will just have to buy new and pay more than what you would get from selling yours. Plus you will arrive at the new place and have nothing to sit on or sleep on so you will need to rush out and buy them. I know it will be an expense to rent a truck to move it but arriving at the new place knowing you won't have to rush out and by all new furniture has to be better. You may have to pay a delivery fee or the new furniture and you buy stuff from several different stores you could end up paying a delivery fee for each store.

We're not selling all of our furniture. We're selling a lot of our junk and furnitures that we do not need. Our couch and bed and all that, we will still have. We have desks, CD players, dressers, and more that needs to be sold.

 

[Disneyluv111]

Wow! So many great advice! I'm going to copy and paste them over to a document for reference! You all are the best!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

It's great to plan, but you're only 32. Life can bring some crazy surprises, good and bad, and it's very unlikely that the house you buy next year will be the one you live in for the rest of your life. A neighborhood can change a lot in just a few years, not to mention in 20-30 years, you're going to have changed as well.

 

[ldo]

assuming you are selling current home in 2 years, start getting it ready for sale. Paint all rooms neutral, do any plantings this fall or spring to give time to grow/fill in. Get a punch list of home repairs and start working through it. Do any minor updates--new fixtures, new sinks, etc.

 

[Nayan]

It's great to plan, but you're only 32. Life can bring some crazy surprises, good and bad, and it's very unlikely that the house you buy next year will be the one you live in for the rest of your life. A neighborhood can change a lot in just a few years, not to mention in 20-30 years, you're going to have changed as well.

This is so true. A friend of mine bought a really nice house is a great neighborhood many years ago with the same idea, to live there forever. Now, it is one of those neighborhoods you want to avoid with most all of the other houses being rentals, run-down and just not a desirable location anymore. It's a shame, but it can happen.

 

[barkley]

we moved to our forever home almost 8 years ago, here's my suggestions-


absolutely look at the house in terms of potential needs as you age-stairs, width of hallways/layout of entries into doors (wheelchair access), layout of bathrooms (if handicapped accessibility is needed down the line is it feasible). are there medical providers locally so you don't have to travel extensively?

if you decorate for the holidays-look at home as far as the layout for that. we lived in a rental home for a year in-between selling and repurchasing-that home had NO place to put a Christmas tree w/out moving some of the large furniture pieces into storage so it was either a usable living room w/out a tree, or the tree and almost no seating in the living room.

schools-DO NOT BELIEVE SELLERS/REALTOR. call the schools you believe it to be zoned to and confirm (and ask if there are any plans for redistricting in the future)-people repeated sell in our neighborhood and list the wrong district b/c that district has traditionally allowed transfers, a practice that ended this school year. being within walking distance isn't a guarantee-people flocked to buy resale's in our last neighborhood b/c of the new school, what they didn't know was b/c of school of choice there was a multi year wait list.

research homeowner's and auto insurance rates for particular addresses-they can vary greatly within individual cities/towns (you can google search a particular address/street and get crime statistics down to individual police calls). if you get health coverage through an employer, check to see if your premiums (and share of cost/copays) will increase (some employers offer different plans based on where you reside-live outside a certain geographical area and premiums can skyrocket/choices of plans/providers plummet).

is a home that has a particular city as it's mailing address within or outside that city. we live outside the city limits of the city limits-for us that means (1) no city taxes, (2) lower utility rates vs. the monopoly power/garbage/sewage the city operates, (3) lower tax rate on purchases/services (on larger purchases/services, as much as a .6% lower rate makes a HUGE difference).

look to the home on a maintenance basis-are there items you will need that you don't have and will need to budget into purchasing? where we live that's usually some small items like snow shovels, weed sprayers...but inevitably w/in a year new homeowners have also purchased some type of snow removal item like a snow blower/snowblade, mowers/brush cutters (take a peek inside a potential home's garage/shop to see what's there-it might clue you in to what you will want/need for maintenance).

just as you need to look to you aging, look to your kiddos (or future kiddos) aging-what are the middle/high schools like? is there high education if they want to live at home if they go to college? are there accessible activities?

request a utility bill abstract to show how much is annually spent-this can clue you in if a home is not well insulated, if landscaping eats up allot more water than you realize.

as for finances-big down payment is ideal, ideally big enough so you don't have to pay pmi (can add a couple hundred or more to the cost each month). monies set aside for repairs/improvements/maintenance you don't realize until you actually live in the place a while. long term disability, and life insurance (for both employed and non employed spouses) so that god forbid if something happened-there's a way to keep paying the mortgage/living expenses (the cost to hire in the services a stay at home parent provides is much higher than most would anticipate).

as for packing-we started weeding stuff out in advance, but the stuff we weren't sure of we put into boxes marked with a question mark. these were put into the new home in a corner of the garage. any boxes that didn't get opened w/in 1 year got donated (some will say 6 months-we wanted to go through an entire year w/ every season just in case).

as someone else said-STORAGE, STORAGE, STORAGE! make sure there's room for what you have/may acquire so you don't end up having to pay money every month for a storage unit. think not only of seasonal stuff like decorations and yard/home maintenance-but stuff you/kids use part of the year but not others (we've got snow activity stuff next to swimming stuff in our storage space, dd just moved out and there's some boxes of stuff she needs/wants to hang on to for when she has her own place but doesn't need in a shared rental).

if you find a home you REALY LOVE, but there's something you want to change/upgrade down the line-research if it's possible, the cost. in older homes some things are not upgraded b/c the existing is grandfathered into coding laws so replacements entail meeting new codes and extensive/high cost renovations. in newer homes the reason a builder went w/ say electric over gas for kitchen appliances is b/c the cost to do the gas line was/is crazy expensive (and even more so now that the home is fully constructed), an area in the yard that looks ideal to put a play structure, garden, patio on may not have it already b/c of utility or private preexisting easements.

 

[bethy]

I also recommend researching neighborhoods. They are all different. Also, I wouldn't move into a new neighborhood but instead choose one that has stood the test of time. One that has a legacy and an established culture that you like.

With newer neighborhoods you just never know what personality and culture they will take on over the years. Newer neighborhoods tend to be more transient IMO.

In researching neighborhoods I would use word of mouth, social media and anything else I could think of. One thing we did was drive through neighborhoods on weekends and after school to see if there were kids outside playing with each other - which is something we really wanted.

Also, if you do want to live in a neighborhood where the neighbors know each other personally and there is a sense of community then I would choose a place that has some sort of community gathering place - maybe a pool or a club or a beach or a really nice park. Someplace where people naturally hang out - ideally for more than a half hour at a time. That is how you and your kids bond with others and build a sense of community.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We are in a similar situation where we may move in a year or two. My husband wants a larger home but also wants it to be a home we can consider retiring into. I really don't want a large home or a home that requires a lot of yard work. He wants to do that in the golden years? If it's really going to be your last home, I would consider things about "growing old" with it. Like stairs and heaven for bid, handicap accessibility. I remember working with an older lady who was building a brand new house right next door to her old house. But it was going to be her last home. She made everything handicap accessible and single level.

 

[Dashzap]

If you are really thinking about aging in place, consider accessibility. Of course, the need for handicap accessibility can strike at any age...with a short term injury like a broken limb, or long term like a broken neck (my teen son). Consider:
- one-level
- no steps
- wide doorways (32" at minimum with straight approach or you'll have torn-up knuckles)
- wide hallways
- laundry on ground floor
- bathrooms large enough for roll in showers
- room in the garage for a ramp if you live in a cold weather area. We have a ramp outside and it is a hazard once the weather is freezing.
Other modifications can be added as needed, but it is hard to move walls.

I'd like to have public transportation near my next home, even if it is just a couple of blocks walk to a bus.

My last move was from 4100 sq ft to 1560 sq ft. I'd like to go smaller!

 

[MrsPete]

Start now prepping your current house for sale. For most of us, decluttering is the #1 task -- but you seem to be on top of that. Walk through using your most critical attitude and look at the house as if you were going to buy it: If you can get rid of something like past-its-prime wallpaper, you'll remove a buyer's reason to say "no".

Ask yourself this question: Who is the likely buyer of my house? Since you're in your first house, I'd assume that your current house will appeal to a first-time home buyer. So stage it for that person. For example, a first-time buyer probably can't afford to buy the house AND replace the carpet, so go ahead and do that -- and add it into the price -- but go with low grade. And don't go high-end on anything; you won't get your money back.

When you start shopping, take your time. Don't settle for a house just because you grow tired of looking. Since you hope to stay in this house, choose a house that could be added onto if you need more space later. And consider your future aging needs -- perhaps do some reading on the subject (because it's not so easy to anticipate at 32). I was very involved in my 99 year old grandmother's care, and I saw first-hand some things that frustrated her -- things that could've been made easier with the right house design. We're currently planning to build a house, and we're working all those things into our new house.

It's fine to buy with the idea that you're going to stay in this house, but don't be surprised if it doesn't happen. You're young, and so many things could force (or encourage) you to move. Always keep possible resale in the back of your mind.

 

[ekatiel]

People have given some really good ideas. We moved into our "forever" home about 4 years ago. Here are some things we looked for:

1) LOCATION was everything. Our particular location/school district costs far more to live in than just 5 minutes away. We decided the location was worth the increase in price/downgrade in square footage.

2)SCHOOLS. Most elementary schools are OK in decent areas. Look for somewhere that has an excellent middle and high school.

3)ONE STORY. My parents are trying to move right now b/c they live in a 2-story on an acre of land. It's getting to be too much. They are looking for a one story in our neighborhood.

4)BUY A "CHEAP" HOUSE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. We live in the smallest house in our entire neighborhood. The deed restrictions list our sq. footage as the smallest home that can ever be built there. If we ever decided to add-on, we could easily do so without our house becoming over-valued for the area. Also, if you buy the nicest house on the block, there's no telling what those other houses are going to look like 10 years from now. If you live in a place surrounded by homes that are much nicer than yours, the area is likely to stay nice.