House/Living Upgrades

[TyraWadman]

So my mom is definitely getting more into her hunt for a house to ship me off to. And as I was looking over the property and photos, I ran into a lot of new things I need to consider. Some small, others like I might need to buy a water heater. That sorta deal.

I live in Canada, and unfortunately I'm limited to a virtual tour. I won't be able to see the place in person before it's bought. But I was already pondering things like solar, electric, pros and cons. I feel like, long-term, Solar might not be as nice over here in this part of Canada, since it'd be exposed to all kinds of shitty weather. My experiences with the Atlantic region also involve lots and lots of rain/snow and gray skies. Plus any maintenance it would require would probably be way more expensive compared to like... a tankless water heater (which is what I'm looking at).

I would be renting to own, but this would be my first, official place that isn't an apartment where all maintenance and repairs AREN'T included in the price. So I thought I'd check in and ask for any advice/wisdom, or just hear what future plans/ideas you have with your own place! Maybe there are some common problems I'll run into? Maybe there are products you've tried that sound great but turned out to be junk? Do I have to buy insurance? ;n;

Are there any important questions I should ask about the place, or things I should look out for? What kinds of plans/upgrades would you like to have some day?

 

[Borophagus Metropolis]

I'm getting ready to sell my first house right now. It is a seller's market here. I'm looking to get double what I paid six years ago.

For advice, I'd say to meet and have good communication with your home inspector. Make the seller fix as many problems as possible before buying.

Ask me anything.

 

[The_biscuits_532]

I just moved out of my university accommodation into the first place I actually had to check myself.

I wasn't particularly thorough but it's been good so far.

And by "I wasn't thorough" I mean I didn't realise there wasn't a bath until I moved in.

I'm renting a room from this couple and I just kinda assumed everyone with a house large enough has a bath. Apparently not but okay.

 

[Ramjet]

Definitely get insurance and a home inspection.

If you can, put some money aside for suprise repairs like water heater/roof ect...

Good luck, I'll be in the market next year for my first.

 

[TyraWadman]

I just moved out of my university accommodation into the first place I actually had to check myself.

I wasn't particularly thorough but it's been good so far.

And by "I wasn't thorough" I mean I didn't realise there wasn't a bath until I moved in.

I'm renting a room from this couple and I just kinda assumed everyone with a house large enough has a bath. Apparently not but okay.

So wait, do you at least have a walk-in shower?
For reals, I went to see an apartment once and they had one of those super tiny showers I'd only ever seen in cartoons!
Sorta like this, but 10x shittier since it was old AND much smaller:

I used to hate baths because of how time-consuming they can be, but damn, it makes all the difference to keeping your skin smooth by being able to actually soak.

 

[TyraWadman]

Make the seller fix as many problems as possible before buying.

What if they say no?
What exactly can I get away with, here? Do you have any examples?

 

[Borophagus Metropolis]

What if they say no?
What exactly can I get away with, here? Do you have any examples?

You're buying the place, so you want it to last. The home inspection will reveal many problems. Every house has little
problems - even new ones. It's the big problems that you need to watch out for. Off the top of my head...
-serious structural or foundation issues
-age and condition of roof
-water leaks, mold, rot, etc
-radon gas
-well water and septic tank condition
-property rights and easements

Renting to own may mean you can easily get financing, no matter the condition of the property. Be careful with that. A traditional mortgage company will require it to pass their inspection. That is why I said to get to know your home inspector. Be friends. Bake them a cake. Use a real estate agent if you feel like you need to.
If the seller refuses to fix problems, then they should take the cost of repairs off of the price.

 

[Kellan Meig'h]

In a "Rent To Own" situation, be sure of the situation. I've done the RTO once, got boned on the deal. The contract stated how much of my monthly rent went toward the purchase price and spelled out the set purchase price in advance. As I was technically renting at first, the deed holder was on the hook for repairs. where I didn't do my due diligence was to find out who owned the house. I didn't know the house was under joint ownership and the second owner, "Myrtle" was not on the contract. I also didn't know "Dave and Myrtle" were in the middle of a messy divorce until "Myrtle" showed up at my door, wanting her rent which was double what I was paying Dave. I took it to court, had to settle for getting my rent payments back from Dave which took over twenty years.

1) Make sure you research who owns the home and all names are on the contract.
1a) Make sure there's no legal filings against the seller that could jeopardize the arrangement. Divorce, tax, business, etc.
2) Make sure the sale price is set in stone, not negotiable and the amount per month and how many months to pay toward the down payment are stated clearly.
3) The contract should spell out clearly who is responsible for maintenance and who will fix what's found on inspection.
4) If there is anything major wrong and the seller won't fix it, move on.
5) In the beginning, don't do major repairs to a home you're only renting. Technically, it's not your home until your name is on the title.
6) It's worth the money to have an inspector make an independent inspection to compare notes on.
7) By all means, get insurance!

Enough rambling, hope this information helps you out.

 

[TyraWadman]

In a "Rent To Own" situation, be sure of the situation. I've done the RTO once, got boned on the deal. The contract stated how much of my monthly rent went toward the purchase price and spelled out the set purchase price in advance. As I was technically renting at first, the deed holder was on the hook for repairs. where I didn't do my due diligence was to find out who owned the house. I didn't know the house was under joint ownership and the second owner, "Myrtle" was not on the contract. I also didn't know "Dave and Myrtle" were in the middle of a messy divorce until "Myrtle" showed up at my door, wanting her rent which was double what I was paying Dave. I took it to court, had to settle for getting my rent payments back from Dave which took over twenty years.

1) Make sure you research who owns the home and all names are on the contract.
1a) Make sure there's no legal filings against the seller that could jeopardize the arrangement. Divorce, tax, business, etc.
2) Make sure the sale price is set in stone, not negotiable and the amount per month and how many months to pay toward the down payment are stated clearly.
3) The contract should spell out clearly who is responsible for maintenance and who will fix what's found on inspection.
4) If there is anything major wrong and the seller won't fix it, move on.
5) In the beginning, don't do major repairs to a home you're only renting. Technically, it's not your home until your name is on the title.
6) It's worth the money to have an inspector make an independent inspection to compare notes on.
7) By all means, get insurance!

Enough rambling, hope this information helps you out.

It certainly will be helpful!
Thank you for taking the time!

 

[The_biscuits_532]

So wait, do you at least have a walk-in shower?
For reals, I went to see an apartment once and they had one of those super tiny showers I'd only ever seen in cartoons!
Sorta like this, but 10x shittier since it was old AND much smaller:
View attachment 114486

I used to hate baths because of how time-consuming they can be, but damn, it makes all the difference to keeping your skin smooth by being able to actually soak.

Yeah, the shower's decent, at least

 

[quoting_mungo]

One thing that can be helpful that hasn't come up yet: do some cursory research on the immediate area - things like whether resources you'd like access to are in easy distance (having a grocery store in walking distance makes such a huge difference if you don't have a car, for example), as well as "have there been issues with flooding or similar in the neighborhood before?" A house that's had a flooded basement because of bad weather once, for instance, would have to have had major changes made since to assure it won't flood again if there's another big rainstorm/rapid thaw situation. Check out what problems were common for houses built around the same time, especially by the same building company (if you can find that information about the prospective home), and check extra for those.

Getting water quality tested is also a good idea, especially if the house has old plumbing or its own well.

I'd be pretty reluctant to sign any housing contracts while you can't check out a house in person, but I understand you don't necessarily have a lot of power to change or delay your mother's decision/timeline.

 

[TyraWadman]

2/2 places were no good so far.

1 had bad foundation. I thought the cameraman just sucked at taking pics.

2 is apparently dealing with some legal drama as of today. Some dude signed a contract with an agent but I guess decided to go behind their backs and make the sale with the owner. So... That's basically off the market.

Back to the waiting game since I'm on a certain price range.

I just wanna blow some of my savings on a large tub already. -w-

 

[TyraWadman]

Offer/bid was accepted. Now it's just a matter of waiting to hear back from inspection. Fingers crossed!

My mom is totally ready to be rid of me. X) but she'll be jealous when I can do regular grocery shopping where the food DOESN'T expire within two days of buying it!

 

[TyraWadman]

What do you guys consider deal breakers?

Every house has its flaw, but as a handyless woman, Im kinda screwed in every regard. I don't know what is more manageable than the rest.

A lot of the houses have been recently renovated on the inside, but they also have slanted floors.

Just got feedback on our most recent one, that there is window rot and the roof is old and needs to be fixed. I know I could easily afford the roof work but the rot and replacing the siding would basically never get done until I've paid the entire house off, or I come into some sort of money miracle along the way.

I guess as long as the rot doesn't spread or cause any other issues, I'd be okay, right? I'm not worried about it being unsightly.

 

[Ramjet]

What do you guys consider deal breakers?

Every house has its flaw, but as a handyless woman, Im kinda screwed in every regard. I don't know what is more manageable than the rest.

A lot of the houses have been recently renovated on the inside, but they also have slanted floors.

Just got feedback on our most recent one, that there is window rot and the roof is old and needs to be fixed. I know I could easily afford the roof work but the rot and replacing the siding would basically never get done until I've paid the entire house off, or I come into some sort of money miracle along the way.

I guess as long as the rot doesn't spread or cause any other issues, I'd be okay, right? I'm not worried about it being unsightly.

Depends why it's rotting...
Inside or out?

Outside rotting is usually missing top flashing that prevents moisture from accumulating on the framework, inside can be a combination of older single plane windows condensating in winter, or poorly sealed framework of the entire window from the outside.

Alot of people around here with older homes with those single plane windows will put up plastic film on the outside of the window in the winter time as an insulator, helps prevent that condensation build up.

Older homes are like that though, like really big Kinder Suprises...lol
Never know what your gonna get.

 

[TyraWadman]

Depends why it's rotting...
Inside or out?

Outside rotting is usually missing top flashing that prevents moisture from accumulating on the framework, inside can be a combination of older single plane windows condensating in winter, or poorly sealed framework of the entire window from the outside.

Alot of people around here with older homes with those single plane windows will put up plastic film on the outside of the window in the winter time as an insulator, helps prevent that condensation build up.

Older homes are like that though, like really big Kinder Suprises...lol
Never know what your gonna get.

Living is hard.

But I really appreciate the in depth reply! I will have to wait and see the report to see if it's related to what you said.

 

[TyraWadman]

It was another bust. No way we could make or pay for adequate repairs in time. :')
That and it would require things like electrical work. They advertised it with some weird highlights that weren't actutally true, like being able to hook up a dryer/washing machine upstairs but none of that was actually available/installed. People be weird.

 

[TyraWadman]

I thought people selling houses were supposed to have unaltered pics. Not a big deal, but the walkin shower in the photo looked like it was 6ft long. It is clearly not.

Overall the house looks so good. All newly renovated inside, comes with appliances and dishwasher~ they accepted the bid, just gotta wait for the inspection again.

I really hope there isn't anything disastrous about it. None of the floors look warped or slanted. The only noticeable downsides I can see are in relation to the apartment building close by, and the possibility of moisture in the basement (which won't be used because I dont even own enough to fill up.a whole house)

 

[Miles Marsalis]

In all honesty, it might be wise to wait until the pandemic eases up appreciably before looking at properties since you should always see a property you're renting in person before signing anything, though it seems you're doing walkthroughs. Depending on where you are and what the owner's financial situation is, the pandemic could also be affecting what the owner is asking for.

It also might not be a bad idea to use a broker; the better ones know what to look for and how to negotiate, which frees up your time.

 

[TyraWadman]

IgotitIgotitIgotitIgotit!!!!
November 18'th I will have my own set of keys!

I can only hope I'm not celebrating too early. The inspector seemed to be very honest with every one he's made (we hired the same guy) and so we feel confident they weren't missing anything important. The issues were very minor. The only Red issue was that there was no fire detector in some places and that's easy enough to deal with (or at least I'm hoping it is). Second would be the basement that gets some water on occasion, but all of my apartments have been like that so I'm prepared enough there. Everything else was like 'the toilet was kinda wobbly' and some corners of the bathroom needed some caulking. Very minor problems.

I just have to make it through two more months and try not to get impatient. UwU
...

 

[TyraWadman]

Now I'm paranoid.
Nothing ever gets this good for me without something bad happening to even things out.
>_> ......
<_< .....
Am I gonna die?
Am I gonna go there in November, covered in icy roads, and we crash???
Are we gonna show up and find out it was a scam all along and we have no house?

 

[IslaDuffy]

In a "Rent To Own" situation, be sure of the situation. I've done the RTO once, got boned on the deal. The contract stated how much of my monthly rent went toward the purchase price and spelled out the set purchase price in advance. As I was technically renting at first, the deed holder was on the hook for repairs. where I didn't do my due diligence was to find out who owned the house. I didn't know the house was under joint ownership and the second owner, "Myrtle" was not on the contract. I also didn't know "Dave and Myrtle" were in the middle of a messy divorce until "Myrtle" showed up at my door, wanting her rent which was double what I was paying Dave. I took it to court, had to settle for getting my rent payments back from Dave which took over twenty years.

1) Make sure you research who owns the home and all names are on the contract.
1a) Make sure there's no legal filings against the seller that could jeopardize the arrangement. Divorce, tax, business, etc.
2) Make sure the sale price is set in stone, not negotiable and the amount per month and how many months to pay toward the down payment are stated clearly.
3) The contract should spell out clearly who is responsible for maintenance and who will fix what's found on inspection.
4) If there is anything major wrong and the seller won't fix it, move on.
5) In the beginning, don't do major repairs to a home you're only renting. Technically, it's not your home until your name is on the title.
6) It's worth the money to have an inspector make an independent inspection to compare notes on.
7) By all means, get insurance!

Enough rambling, hope this information helps you out.

I had a similar case. I paid five years' rent with a view to buying the house in the future. But then the second co-owner of the house showed up and said that the house was not for sale. After that, I conclude contracts only in the presence of a lawyer and after a thorough check of all necessary documents.

 

[SerlisTialo]

i live in a building that's kinda attached to a hotel so when rooms aren't booked we get to use them as long as we clean them afterwards.

some have jacuzzi or wall to wall baths and huge memory foam beds.
i feel special.