What are the Not-so-Obvious Things to Research Before Buying a Home?

[NateW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetireeRobert Check for water pressure and water quality. Look inside toilet tanks to see what kind of residue the water is leaving over an extended period. Flush the toilets and run bath faucet and sink faucets at same time. Taste several glasses of water from different faucets, preferably on different days.

Thank you RetireeRobert. So noted. That reminds me, I should also pull the water quality report for the public water system (at this point I won't buy a home with well water).

[RetireeRobert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NateW Thank you RetireeRobert. So noted. That reminds me, I should also pull the water quality report for the public water system (at this point I won't buy a home with well water).

You are shy of well water. Perhaps for very good reasons. But we used to live on a municipal water system, and in fact that system drew its water from municipal wells. The water left the insides of our toilet tanks black. And the tap water really did not taste all that good either. It was "hard" water.

We moved about 20 miles south to an acreage and had our own well. When we first tasted the water from our new well, we were so surprised, it tasted so good. "Sweet water". And it tested out as "soft" water and no detectable traces of any of the bad things they look for, easy on the plumbing system, the dishwasher, the sinks, the toilets---and on us!

[Finance Dave]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetireeRobert You are shy of well water. Perhaps for very good reasons. But we used to live on a municipal water system, and in fact that system drew its water from municipal wells. The water left the insides of our toilet tanks black. And the tap water really did not taste all that good either. It was "hard" water. We moved about 20 miles south to an acreage and had our own well. When we first tasted the water from our new well, we were so surprised, it tasted so good. "Sweet water". And it tested out as "soft" water and no detectable traces of any of the bad things they look for, easy on the plumbing system, the dishwasher, the sinks, the toilets---and on us!

I was a home inspector for 7 years. Some people love well water, some don't. We performed water tests on well water. About 30% of them had Ecoli. It's fairly easy to get rid of, but you should always at least have it tested.

[NateW]

I have to admit I am not happy with the county water (another undesirable we'll soon be rid of). It comes from a limestone aquifer and is harder than some desert municipal supplies. It's hardness is 320 mg/liter calcium carbonate equivalent. We do have an ion exchange water softener and that makes it useable, but I drink bottled water because of the sodium the softener adds.

As for well water, I view it as a potential big homeowner expense if the well was not drilled correctly or the water is contaminated. I'm trying to eliminate as many unknowns as I can. If I really like some of the properties I see, and if they have well water, I probably will learn all I can about well water systems to know what to look for and to make an informed decision.

[USGrant1962]

I've noticed a theme here of suburban considerations (HOA, neighbors) and rural (well water, lots of land to avoid neighbors messing it up), and very little mention of urban.

NateW - are you looking at suburban/subdivision, rural/big lot subdivision, or urban? IMO the considerations can be very different for the three types of locations.

[MrsHaloFIRE]

I would say the competitive environment for power, water and cable. In my gated neighborhood in a major city I have exactly 1 option for each. So you can imagine my ability to negotiate.

[rk911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsHaloFIRE I would say the competitive environment for power, water and cable. In my gated neighborhood in a major city I have exactly 1 option for each. So you can imagine my ability to negotiate.

well, there's always DISH Network or DirecTV.

[Buckeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surewhitey Some of ours are: Don't live downhill from a non-guttered home (lots of water in the crawl space even if you have a French drain.) Check out the noise map Check crime map Sex offender map Knowing how many rentals are in the area Maybe walking the neighborhood in the evenings? Asking people who you see on the walk?

I recommend walking the neighborhood at morning rush hour and evening rush hour (although they might be diminished right now) and during morning school bus pick-ups. Is the school bus pick-up at the end of your driveway so kids (mostly a middle school issue) wander around (and push and fight and run and drop trash) in your driveway and yard for 30 minutes while waiting for the bus? And also during Friday and Saturday night evenings (at a minimum) when the party houses will show up.

[2177V]

I actually parked my van near a house that I want to buyon a Friday and slept overnight in my van. This is because the neighborhood is generally quiet during the day when everyone is at work. When people come home, they have parties and you can tell what type of people they are when they do come home. You can also hear dogs barking at night, train noises or airplane noises. Noise is amplified at night so all my houses that I purchased are in a very quiet peaceful neighborhood...which is what I want.

[troutnut1]

Airbnb party houses.

I never thought about it until the million dollar home next door (in rural Montana) turned into a party house. Weddings, bachelor parties, you name it. Its 3800 square feet and the rent it to large groups. Ask around and search airbnb.com, vrbo.com, etc. There is huge income to be made. This is growing like wildfire. Our neighbor averages $450 a night and its booked about 50% of the nights. Never thought it would happen here but we are 18 miles from a great ski area with no accommodations, and on a blue ribbon trout river.

Also I would want to talk to the taxing authorities to see if my sale would trigger and new taxes or a reassessment.

And barking dogs...

Good luck!

[MRG]

In addition to all the great advice:

There was a rental a quarter mile away, nice older couple lived there until they didn't.While later State police came by asking to observe the drug house from our property; they were there mostly at night.

Same house was thirty miles from Whiteman AFB, no problem once in a while you would see a B2. Then there was an operation where they were bombing from MO, the JATO units at 2AM were a novelty at first[emoji854].

I think I posted about our annual snow geese invasion but it should be expanded to all wildlife, make sure you understand what's around you. My dog has an escort at all times after watching a large mountain lion stroll through the neighbors yard. Bears crap in the yard. DW was attacked by a wild turkey, her fault, don't try to chase unknown baby birds.

[Ramen]

Five pages in, I'm starting to wonder whether this checklist is getting so long and detailed that no home on Earth will ever pass the inspection!

How about moving to NYC? Every type of noise, hazard, neighbor, and other potential or existing problem will be right there at your front door 24/7 and there'd be nothing you could do about any of it except bask in the din of a perfectly imperfect living situation!

I'm a perfectionist too and wish the perfect home were out there. It's not. If there is one for the moment, it will change eventually and the perfect will become imperfect or worse. Only a matter of time.

Maybe just find a nice town or city and settle down. Find enough activities to keep you busy so you're not obsessing about every little thing. Health hazards like wood smoke and poison water are worth worrying about, but with the rest, take the bad with the good. This is a hard lesson to learn. I'm still trying every day and failing fairly often.

[msanniee]

It seemed inconceivable to me as necessary when I bought my home. but check gun laws for the county if you live in a non incorporated area. Having people shooting guns on their property ant time of the day or night is not pleasant. Add the holes in my roof from bullets..... oh my.

[imnontrad]

Sit down and start brainstorming what you want, and do not want in a home.
Some things to consider is the availability of public transportation, appropriate medical care (and ensure they will take new patients on Medicare), a Senior Center or groups with activities you like to do, places you would like to eat plus grocery stores that carry items you want, distance to an airport to travel/visit relatives, if there is a local college where you can attend events or even take classes for little/no fee.
Some long term things could be a house with hallways wide enough to accommodate a walker/wheelchair, a separate "in-law" apartment for an in-home caretaker or relatives visiting, an entry without steps (for you or friends), and whether the home would be easy to manage after one spouse dies.

[Boose]

We thought it would be great to age within walking distance of the medical area in our city - but we didn't think about the sirens that need to drive past our street all day and night, nor the mentally ill homeless who are discharged from the ER and remain in the neighborhood.

[clubmanstl]

I have to deal with wood-burning smell intrusion, as well: I'm guessing the air intake for my high-eff. HVAC is the source for most of the smoke smell getting in.

[NXR7]

Many people moving into Ohio are greatly shocked because Ohio is one of 17 states that allow cities and counties to levy an income tax.

https://www.thebalance.com/cities-th...-taxes-3193246

But that article does not tell the whole story. It lists Cleveland as 2.5%, which is correct. But if your city has its own income tax they may or may not allow a credit on income taxes paid to other cities.

My city has a 2.0% income tax but only allows a 1% credit. I worked in Cleveland so my combined income tax rate was 3.5% plus the Ohio state income tax plus the federal taxes.

Even better, only registered voters in those communities get to vote on tax increases. When Cleveland increased their income tax the last time, the mayor's ad campaign stressed that 88% of the people who pay the Cleveland income tax do not live in Cleveland so they cannot vote against the proposal.

If you work in multiple communities as, say, a contractor, you need to file an income tax return with every one that has its own income tax for the days you worked in that city.

In Ohio, those local income taxes are only on earned income, meaning W2 income but not investment income.

Ohio also finances the schools through very high property taxes. But some communities have opted to use an income tax instead, some use earned and some use all income.

Ray

[NXR7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by msanniee It seemed inconceivable to me as necessary when I bought my home. but check gun laws for the county if you live in a non incorporated area. Having people shooting guns on their property ant time of the day or night is not pleasant. Add the holes in my roof from bullets..... oh my.

Yup. I live in an incorporated area where that is prohibited. But on the west, south, and east are townships that do allow gun shooting. And they do and there is nothing anyone can do about the noise.

Ray

[clubmanstl]

These aren't not-so-obvious, but important - especially for pre-'80s homes:

1) Grounded/3-prong wiring. A lot of homes have 3-wire covers placed on 2-wire outlets, so buying a tester can save you future headaches - many houses have daunting hurdles to re-wiring them.

2) Look for the possibility of aluminum wiring. Some insurers won't touch homes with it - even if it has been "pig-tailed" by a pro electrician.

3) If buying in an area without basements, a camera inspection of the sewer line is critical. The work to repair a line - when there's no basement floor to dig up - can be a huge hassle.

Happy hunting!

[blueskyk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by troutnut1 Airbnb party houses. I never thought about it until the million dollar home next door (in rural Montana) turned into a party house. Weddings, bachelor parties, you name it. Its 3800 square feet and the rent it to large groups. Ask around and search airbnb.com, vrbo.com, etc. There is huge income to be made. This is growing like wildfire. Our neighbor averages $450 a night and its booked about 50% of the nights. Never thought it would happen here but we are 18 miles from a great ski area with no accommodations, and on a blue ribbon trout river.

+1
This turned out to be an issue for us. We had never lived in a “resort” area popular for vacations and didn’t realize how noisy and crowded it can be on weekends. It’s supposed to be regulated by the city but managing complaints about short term rentals has become a overwhelming issue for them. While landlords may be on the winning end of that financially (as they advertise “PARTY HOUSE”), it reduces the quality of life for residents when its high volume.

I wish we had realized how much noise all manner of motorized desert fun (OHV, motocross bikes, ATVs, etc) make as they roar by your house, always at full throttle on their way out to the dunes. So, keep that in mind for any area advertised as an “outdoor playground”.

Otherwise we really like where we are. I can paddle board at dawn at two places within a 10 minute drive and hike with my dogs on at least 30 trails with spectacular scenery all within an hours drive. Theres also over 100 miles of bike paths in the area.

So, it’s always a balance to get what you want and abide the rest. We are currently researching some sound reducing windows...

ETA: we turned out to be in a great place to ride out the pandemic and continued to enjoy outdoor activities all year. If we move in the future, we will review how the area fared in the pandemic. This brings together a lot of factors; area population density, local and state strategy and response, how a community did or didn’t come together to support each other, etc.