• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

ATP: Choosing a Home

jhmd2000 said:
I would also get an electrician, and do not accept referrals for any of these services from your realtor.

I know this may seem odd, but relative elevation matters. Our house is located on the lower half of a hilly area, and we have a stormwater problem. Our yard stays drenched three days after it stops raining. Shadows and ponding are a nuisance you don't appreciate until you have it.
Click to expand...

I was going to say this. Pay attention to how the elements affect your house. I prefer houses on a hill for aesthetics, privacy (houses downhill can let folks in street look into bedroom), and drainage. Think of the other elements, too: sun, wind, light/shade, bodies of water (creeks, streams, lakes, wells/springs), zombie apocalypse*, etc. Consider leaves, moss, pollen, mosquitoes, etc from these. For water/drainage, make sure the yard is landscaped to send water away from the house. For sun, where does it rise and set relative to the house and its rooms? Do you want morning sun in your bedroom? If you are a morning person, then probably yes. If you like sleeping in, perhaps no.

Newer houses are better insulated and cheaper to maintain. I had an older house with single pane windows once, and it killed me in heating bills. Replacing windows is $$$, so the break-even is usually pretty long. Better to look out for it in the beginning.

Check to see if there is any rental property nearby, especially Section 8. I had a house two doors down in an otherwise nice entry level neighborhood rented out Section 8 (I guess they wanted the guaranteed check from the government), and a 16 yo son living there shot someone in the head over $200 and dumped the body in the river running behind the development. That family eventually moved as he went through the court system; and while it is a tragedy that someone died, you could literally hear the value of your home going down. The next family in there were Rastafarian "painters" who probably dealt weed out of the house. They smoked openly on their porch, and had many, "5 minute visitors." I know its #anecdotes, but this experience had an impact on our lives.

*You'll need an uphill house to set up your array of treadmills around your house to keep the zombies out. They need to fall away from your house.
 
My grandfather was big on knowing how the sun was going to hit and I've thought about that in apartments. Nothing worse than 6 AM light pouring in on a Sunday morning.
 
DeaconCav06 said:
My grandfather was big on knowing how the sun was going to hit and I've thought about that in apartments. Nothing worse than 6 AM light pouring in on a Sunday morning.
Click to expand...

They make blinds and drapes for that. I enjoy the sun coming into my bedroom though.
 
This is awesome stuff! Some deets:
-buying in Winston
-prefer more established neighborhoods over new sub divisions but noted about whoever mentioned likelihood of younger kids in younger neighborhoods
-avoiding HOA fees in general (unless it's like one place we looked: $25/year to cover some lighting and a neighborhood get together)
-only true requirement is school zone, that's pretty much the first thing we're looking at.

What's the best way to find inspectors if not through the realtor? Is it worth it to sign up for Angie's List right now, knowing we're buying a house in the next few months? (just got sick to my stomach typing "next few months" there)
 
home owner associations can be good or bad. some are a pain in the ass and the people involved suck. some are pretty laid back/hands off. with no hoa there is a risk of having a bunch of a holes making the neighborhood crappy. think cars on blocks, no upkeep of lawns etc.you would probably get a sense of that just by looking around.

our hoa fees are 100 bucks per year which basically covers common area upkeep, snow removal, postage for mailing. they require your neighbors to "sign off" if you are doing something like put in a swingset. and the architectural comity has to approve major stuff like windows/roof. ours is laid back. some are not. lived in a townhouse community that was 250 per quarter that included trash/recycle and an asshole that wanted to be in everyone's business.

worth a little time to investigate. in va (don't know about other places) you can break a contract to buy when you review the hoa docs if there is something you don't like.
 
BiffTannen said:
Of course it is. Is your life not busy enough that you need to mess with scheduling some guy to come fill up your oil tank ?
Click to expand...

I have oil heat. You can set it up where they autofill it. It's pretty convenient and the price is reasonable right now and should be for the near future.
 
I think my Angie's list subscription was less than $10/year, so no harm in joining now.
 
Also, do a drive by at all times of day. The neighborhood may be quiet at 10 am on a Saturday and totally different on a Wednesday night.
We bought for school district and are so glad we did. Looked for room to grow and that was also looking like a smart choice. Wish our driveway wasn't a hill and a fenced yard would be nice, but we're happy.
 
also, in Winston, you can go online and see recent crimes committed in the area. always good to know
 
One thing I would suggest is making sure that your washer and dryer are on the same floor as your bedrooms, or at least the majority of them. It really cuts down on the hassle of doing laundry.

When we lived in Atlanta in 1999-2000, our house had the washer and dryer on the second floor where our master bedroom and our first child's bedroom was. Washing clothes was a snap. In our current home in Winston-Salem, the washer and dryer are located in the basement, while our master bedroom and those of 2 of our 3 kids are on the second floor (with the oldest's on the first floor). Hauling clothes baskets for 5 people (we are constantly doing laundry) up and down 2 flights of stairs has gotten really, really old, especially now that my wife and I are 40'ish #olds and have reconstructed and/or otherwise shitty knees. That is one thing that I really wish we had looked for in a home when we moved back to W-S in 2000.

Also, you can never, ever have enough closet space.
 
19deac92 said:
One thing I would suggest is making sure that your washer and dryer are on the same floor as your bedrooms, or at least the majority of them. It really cuts down on the hassle of doing laundry.

When we lived in Atlanta in 1999-2000, our house had the washer and dryer on the second floor where our master bedroom and our first child's bedroom was. Washing clothes was a snap. In our current home in Winston-Salem, the washer and dryer are located in the basement, while our master bedroom and those of 2 of our 3 kids are on the second floor (with the oldest's on the first floor). Hauling clothes baskets for 5 people (we are constantly doing laundry) up and down 2 flights of stairs has gotten really, really old, especially now that my wife and I are 40'ish #olds and have reconstructed and/or otherwise shitty knees. That is one thing that I really wish we had looked for in a home when we moved back to W-S in 2000.

Also, you can never, ever have enough closet space.
Click to expand...

We are thinking about building and I wondered aloud why not have a washer-dryer room on every floor? You spend less than $1,000.00 on new set of appliances, and if you live in a place for 20 years think of how much time you'd save not schlepping that stuff around (we have three boys). Having a redundant set helps when one of them (invariably) goes offline once a year.

We're going to give this homebuyer a complex if we're not careful...
 
Which school district do you want to be in? If Tabor, Old or New Sherwood sound right up your alley.

I live in a smaller neighborhood in NS that is exactly what you described: established neighborhood(25 years-ish) with tons of kids (8 kindergarten and 1st graders alone at my kids bus stop), with trees and sidewalks everywhere(such an underrated feature). That seems to be a common experience in the Sherwoods.

And I couldn't agree more with what has already been mentioned, especially drainage, utilities, and the sun effect.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top