Let me pick your brains, please....

that is, assuming you have any left after house-hunting/buying

At this time, with the process behind you and all you have learned/dealt with since moving into your home....

What are the top 3 things that you would consider "dealbreakers" if you had known about them during the hunting process? Stuff that was so $$$ and/or laborious or just plain annoying that you would've walked away rather than buy?

Of course you can list more or less than 3, whatever floats your boat...

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

Never buy a house from a "handyman", dont even get me started on this dude that owned this house

I know you have a dog, and please dont take this the wrong way.

I would never buy a house from a dog/cat owner again. We dont have pets, previous people had 3 dogs and a tenent with a dog. My lawn in the back has to be redone, holes everywhere. My house on humid days smells like dog. Even though we have painted, redone floors, replaced all hardware around the house, changed filters etc. I still smell dog.

Meet your neighbors before, ours suck. One family is nice, ther rest

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

Get a basement or a large garage for storage.

Make sure you have large closets.

Get a house with air-conditioning. (We only have 1 AC unit in our bedroom window and it is HOT in the summer everywhere else in the house). Plus it will be a while before we can install central air bc of it being $$$$.

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

check for LIPA wires/guys wires in your yard and don't assume they can moved if you ever want a pool

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

Not sure if any of these are deal breakers, but they are costing me $$$ or I have to live with for a loooong time

#1 The outside is as important as the inside. We bought in the dead of winter --- snow covered paradise. Come spring when we closed, it was found to be a jungle. Tree trunks imbedded in fences, ivy choking trees, bushes that were never trimmed and look like trees, 30 year old rocks embedded in dirt instead of grass out front. In the end, it will cost me upwards of $15k (conservative number) to remove, reseed, replace fencing and landscape my front, back and side yards.

#2 Consider the cost of fixing items ... boiler, roof, pipes, etc ... something always comes up within the 1st month

#3 Be realistic about what work you will do --- once you start a project the phrase "since we're doing this, we would be stupid not to do x, y, z also" Let me tell you, X, Y, and Z will double or triple your budget! So don't be naive with the "Oh, we can just remove the paneling and paint" -- nope! It ends up being
- remove the paneling
- while the wall is in disrepair, let's add, rewire & move outlets, add highhats to the ceiling and redo all the molding. Oh we just found ungrounded wires in the wall, now we need to open up the wall and inspect everything.
- Opps,now we have to resheetrock, spackle and tape everything before painting
- .... pretty much every project starts as 'this' and ends in'this, that and the other thing' so be prepared.

Those are just a few things I could think of. I love my house, I am happy here, but there were SO SO SO MANY things we said "yea, we can live with and do slowly" - but you live in it every day and it's frustrating to wait and save and make do with something that may not be your style or may be dangerous (i.e. the dead tree jungle that makes us nervous when the wind goes above 10 mph!)

Message edited 3/2/2011 4:05:18 PM.

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

- A flip
- A DYI guy who does everything without permits and not up to code
- Mold issues
- No garage if there is no basement
- Check a house are different time/day. A quiet street may not be that quiet at night and/or weekends.

Message edited 3/2/2011 4:29:32 PM.

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

We underestimated the cost adding a 2nd bathroom. If I had known we would not have a second bathroom it would have been a deal breaker.

We did not know the basement got water, previous owners swore it did not - big liars!

Not a deal breaker really but I wish we had four bedrooms. We have three and regret it.

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

Large closets/a lot of closets (I live in an old colonial with absolutely no storage)
Basement!!!!!! (I have a full basement but it floods so it is useless and I regret this every single day)
I can't think of a third right now...

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

We bought an estate sale back in 2005 - 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom - Levitt cape - with no basement. We knew what we were getting and the work that needed to be done - Also knew the endless expansions that we could do in the future.

Things that we wanted were a big back yard - Oil tank above ground

Beware of flips because you have no idea what they really did to the house inside the walls

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

I should have checked that there were gas lines here. my friend lives in the same nabe and has gas. we do not , there are no lines near us. I would not have purchased this house if I knew we had to deal with oil

Re: Let me pick your brains, please....

I agree look for gas lines

Call the dept of assessment and find out the true taxes - not what the current owner is paying - DO not go by what real estate agent says.

Make sure you also find out what school you are zoned for before you make an offer.