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

[NateW]

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!

Thanks clubmanstl. So noted. For #3, I take it the costly sewer line replacement applies to concrete slab, as opposed to a foundation construction, or are both problematic?

 

[NateW]

+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.

Thank you Blueskyk. One of the places under consideration is the Lake Norman, NC area near Charlotte. I would imagine renting first for a year would be a good idea to see if a specific are near the lake was acceptable.

 

[NateW]

Quick list. Where is the current dump and prior landfills? Toxic waste sites? Critical if on well water. Are utilities above or below ground? If septic are there plans for a central water treatment you will have to connect to? Just ask the folks in Malibu! How reliable is the electrical service? Can be related to above or below ground utilities. Local internet speeds (went from fiber at 180Mbps to 10 on last move). and cell phone connections? You might have to change carriers.. Access to shopping and delivery... recent pandemic showed that our house had zero grocery delivery options and almost no food delivery options.

Thank you Retired Expat, including these on my list. Sorry you can't get grocery deliveries. That is the one thing we do have that works well (Walmart delivery) and we use it all the time. I also do curbside pick up at the local Martin's grocery. Good cell phone service is the other thing that we have.

 

[NateW]

Our last 2 homes were new construction. One on a huge secluded lot and this one on a tiny lot in a development.

We knocked on doors to ask residents how they liked their homes and the neighborhood. Went on Facebook at sent private messages to whomever we could find that lived there also. We researched info. on the builder and of course, the whole area.

I recommend driving around to see what is around your house. We didn't realize there was a motorcycle camp directly behind our home. Talk about noise in summer/fall! Plus no noise ordinance and they love their fireworks here!

There are a lot of dogs in our neighborhood. I love dogs but our neighbor has one that barks continually when they leave her alone.

We had an inspector come when we bought the house and also at the end of the first year (that is when the builders punch list contract expired).

Location of stores, hospital, health care, activities, etc. Safety of the area, Check out the HOA if there is one- how are their reserves? Rules? What is allowed regarding rentals? How are the schools? Taxes? Ages of the people in your development? How much maintenance is involved?

Cell service? Internet/cable service? A lot of power outages? Will you need a generator? What's the water like? Cost if municipal? What are the taxes and the utility rates?

Where's the fire dept., the police? Places of worship? organizations/clubs? Cultural venues? Restaurants? Airport?

What is the fuel? How much is the average cost? Sewer r septic? Dry well? Flood issues? How is the lot sloped? Can you expect water in the basement because of it?

Keep in mind there is no perfect house or area.There are always compromises you have to make in some way. Especially in this real estate market.

In the house, how many amps for electrical? How is the water heated? Will the layout work and will your furniture fit? Is there enough storage? Get at least 2 bathrooms. Does it have central air? Enough water spigots outside? Enough electrical outlets inside and out? Insulation? Lots of natural light inside through the windows?

Oh- and home insurance and car insurance rates! And don't forget radon testing if prevalent in the area!

Wonderful; lots of good stuff, thank you Meleana. I particularly like contacting people in the potential new neighborhood via Facebook. Very clever. Yes, driving around the area is important. Also, I study the Google Maps Satellite View as part of my pre-visit research and many times, finds something unacceptable nearby. I can not tell you how many times I see a home for sale online in a rural (or sometimes suburban) relatively new neighborhood and one street over (maybe 200 to 400 feet) and outside of the neighborhood, are a bunch of old, rundown houses with trash, other crap and rusted out cars littering the property; landfills within half a mile, or less; likewise for quarries, railroad mainlines, manufacturing facilities; and a little further away sewage treatment and coal-fired power plants. One area we looked at had a nuclear reactor near by! Regional airports are also problematic, being about 20 miles apart, there are lots of them! Builders build neighborhoods anywhere the local jurisdiction allows and where farm owners are willing to sell. Builders and the local government pay no attention to the potential impact the local community has on the people that buy these new homes (and I'm sure it works both ways, where the locals don't like the increase in population or to see people move in that are more well to do than they are, and have these nice new big homes).

 

[NateW]

I discovered much to my dismay, that over the block wall in back of our garage was a DIY car wash. These jacka$$es would have their music turned up while they dried their cars.
Also they would beat the living daylights out of their floor mats.

Oh my, sorry you are subjected to this! And this crap affects us a lot more than the majority people around us (the unfortunate ones who still wo*k because they have to) because many of us ERs are home for a greater percentage of the time.

 

[NateW]

Wow, it's amazing to read this thread and see how many things could be a problem! Nearly everything one could think of has already been mentioned.

When I bought this house, I had already "researched" the neighborhood in a sense; Frank lives next door, and had for 11 years so I been over there nearly every day and knew all about the neighborhood (and liked it). Another factor that I discovered is that the joy of living next door to one's sweetie can compensate for some fairly minor stuff.

I guess I can contribute the idea of thinking about the landscaping, and how much it may cost to change it to the yard you want. My yard was literally a jungle, very unkempt with several of the most gigantic water oaks around plus scads of other trees and bushes not to mention wildlife. I am more of a "nothing but grass" kind of gal. I knew I'd have to have the jungle removed in order to be happy. So, I mentally added my own estimate of the cost to have all that removed, to the cost of the home when deciding on my offer. Then right after I moved in I had the yard re-landscaped, re-graded, and new dirt and sod brought in, not to mention all new concrete work, and so on. That was costly but worked out nicely, because it was an expected expense and I got what I wanted.

Think about the laundry room; is it too small? New, oversized HE washers and dryers can be larger than washers and dryers that people bought 50 years ago. In my case the dryer door hits the wall when less than fully open, and it's impossible to get my laundry cart past the dryer to the washer. We figured out a makeshift way to deal with the problem, sort of. I could tear down walls but this is easier. It would have been nice if the laundry room had just been a foot wider.

Are there plans to re-do the street? That can go on for months or years and could be annoying. They were tearing up our street when I moved in, and it was tricky to get the moving van to my house. But they finished just a week or two afterwards so I haven't had to deal with it since then.

Thank you W2R. Good stuff; adding it to my list.

 

[Gumby]

... I particularly like contacting people in the potential new neighborhood via Facebook. Very clever. ...

I would caution you to take what you see on such a Facebook group with a grain of salt. We have a town Facebook group. The complainers are prolific (and so often petty). Those who are just quietly enjoying our town do not often post about that.

 

[NateW]

Good point Gumby; thanks.

 

[NateW]

You're right - - you need to move out of there, ASAP!!! This is no way to live. Sorry you are going through this and I hope you can find another house quickly that will not cause you such difficulties.

Thanks W2R.

Even though this is our second winter in the house, the first one was just bearable. It seems to 5 times worse this winter. Not sure why, the weather patterns were similar. Early this summer I got a hint something was amiss. The County increased our house assessment by about 15%. To see if this increase was inline with my neighbors' reassessments, I accessed the County online real estate records. Each residential property record includes the sales history. I noticed that beginning 4 houses down from me and ending 3 houses up from me on my side of the street, all 7 properties (mine included) in a row changed ownership within the last two years. I checked sales records for the rest of the 55 or so houses on my side of the street and perhaps 5 changed ownership within the last 2 years. Many had their original owners. The house directly across the street changed owners too. I was concerned to the point of Googling on superfund sites in the area. Found nothing.

Through this experience, the number 1 thing I now check before I ever leave my recliner for any house I am interested in going to see for possible purchase is the land records of at least 10 of the closest properties to see how many recently changed owners. If several did change owners, it won't tell you what the problem is, but will indicate there most likely is a problem of the type and size that you don't want to live in that house.

 

[skyking1]

My next door neighbor did just that, bought several acres in West Virginia and is having a house built.

In the states we are looking in only about 5% of the houses are in non-HOA neighborhoods, probably because they are in newer neighborhoods.

This is a double edged sword.
We have 1.25 acres, in an area with mixed 1.25 and larger lots. 25 years we have listened to neighbors come and go, some of them really not caring about making noise till late in the evening. Their idea of no HOA means loud music and riding ATV's with aftermarket exhausts till the sun goes down.
We really have enjoyed our place, but we are more amenable to a community with 2.5 acre lots and covenants that say take your ATV to the local trails, please.
It might cost us a bit, but it would combine the large lot privacy with peace and quiet.

 

[W2R]

So, this wood smoke issue has been ruling our lives and I have spent countless hours thinking about it and trying to apply technical solutions to make it through the heating season. Both DW and I are exhausted from it, it's caused lots of anxiety and it's making us ill. That's how bad it is; just about the worst thing that's ever happened to us. This experience prompted me start this thread.

You're right - - you need to move out of there, ASAP!!! This is no way to live. Sorry you are going through this and I hope you can find another house quickly that will not cause you such difficulties.

Thanks W2R.

Even though this is our second winter in the house, the first one was just bearable. It seems to 5 times worse this winter. Not sure why, the weather patterns were similar.

It doesn't matter why, and it doesn't even matter whether it is the wood smoke you mentioned, or something else. I sense that you are telling the honest truth about its effects on you, and really you just can't live like this! Nobody can. We're all human.

Exhaustion and anxiety to the level that they are making you physically ill, is an alarming situation that could shorten your life expectancy, lead to a car accident, a bad fall, or who knows what. In my opinion your situation could be considerably more dangerous than just a lessening of your quality of life.

My suggestion would be to move out of there to a rental somewhere (even in another area if that is more feasible) and put the house on the market ASAP. Like, this month.

 

[Gumby]

My suggestion would be to move out of there to a rental somewhere (even in another area if that is more feasible) and put the house on the market ASAP. Like, this month.

I'd try to sell it in the summer, when the neighbor doesn't have his wood stove going.

 

[W2R]

I'd try to sell it in the summer, when the neighbor doesn't have his wood stove going.

Well, OK, but at least he could get out of there now. A couple of months' extra rent wouldn't kill him from what I can tell. It's hard to know (since I'm not there) but reading his posts, I am increasingly concerned about his situation. Maybe I'm overestimating their distress living in that location, but then again it doesn't sound like it.

 

[NateW]

I'd try to sell it in the summer, when the neighbor doesn't have his wood stove going.

That's the plan. Also, there will be leaves on the trees and there is a small clump of woods between our house and the highway. Anyone looking at the house will know about the highway because you enter the neighborhood from the highway. It just helps to not have an visual reminder the house is 300 feet from it. The noise actually is not too bad, it bothers DW modem than I.

The other option if we have not found a place is to rent somewhere else during the heating season and sell the following year.

 

[skyking1]

A standard home inspection won't include a TV inspection of the sewer line. I'd suggest if a house is really in the running and hooked to sewer and is more than 40 years old, get it done. I do these repairs for my company. Most of the problem is older pipe, concrete, Orangeburg. The municipalities are not doing as much as they used to, so homeowners are left with the bill all the way out to the curb and beyond.
If the inspection finds problems you can negotiate that in the price.

 

[Aerides]

I'd just list it now and get it sold and move on with your life. Not try to play with the timing, or delay the sale pending finding a new place. Sell, get out, then figure out where to end up.

 

[NateW]

Well, OK, but at least he could get out of there now. A couple of months' extra rent wouldn't kill him from what I can tell. It's hard to know (since I'm not there) but reading his posts, I am increasingly concerned about his situation. Maybe I'm overestimating their distress living in that location, but then again it doesn't sound like it.

The smoke should stop any day now for 7 months. Yesterday was the first clean air day we had in months. High temperature was 65. Even though the wind was directly from smokey, there was no smoke. We got a little last night and we have a little tonight because the wind is out of the NNW. Also for the next 7 days, per Weatherbug, there will be a southeast breeze. So no smoke from the two woodburners. We've turned the corner and will be ok. In a week or two they won't use their wood-burning stoves until sometime in November.

But I have seen the closer of the two open burn rubbish on his property and that smokes us out too. Now I know he's doing it illegally and will call the fire marshall each time it happens. County ordinance states in order to open burn, any property owner within 500 feet must give written permission. Well, I live 400 feet from him and will never give permission.

DW is more affected by the smoke than I am. She has horrible allergies to it and it makes her feel really bad physically and emotionally. The month after we moved in she all of a sudden has horrible allergies. It was mid November. She went to an allergist and was tested, but smoke was not tested for. Allergist never suggested it. Test indicated no allergies! We know for a fact it's the smoke. Soon as the my AQI sensor registers smoke, her allergies go nuts. She also gets splitting headaches. I thought it was house dust for several months and went nuts cleaning the place.

My eyes burn and I get stuffed up when the smoke gets in the house and I get a mild headache and everything tastes bitter.

DW also won't wear a P-100 partial face mask when it gets really bad inside. This is what I use:
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company...Small-24-EA-Case/?N=5002385+3294759262&rt=rud

It works and has really helped on many bad days and it also allows me to go outside.

I also bought a HVAC carbon monoxide tester that measures down to 1 part per million and we have no CO in the house from smokey or from our furnace, stove, or water heater. I wanted to make sure some of the symptoms were not due to carbon monoxide exposure. We have CO alarms, but they are no where near as sensitive as the professional HVAC meter I bought.

 

[Leo1277]

It doesn't matter why, and it doesn't even matter whether it is the wood smoke you mentioned, or something else. I sense that you are telling the honest truth about its effects on you, and really you just can't live like this! Nobody can. We're all human.

Exhaustion and anxiety to the level that they are making you physically ill, is an alarming situation that could shorten your life expectancy, lead to a car accident, a bad fall, or who knows what. In my opinion your situation could be considerably more dangerous than just a lessening of your quality of life.

My suggestion would be to move out of there to a rental somewhere (even in another area if that is more feasible) and put the house on the market ASAP. Like, this month.

I quite agree with that. In the end there isn't a need to fully rationalize what exactly the aspects are that disturb you greatly, ultimately the only thing that really matters is that they DO disturb you. And what you are describing is really a very unhealthy setting for you, emotionally and physically.

As a society, over the years we have become quite adept at identifying incompatibilities and points of friction among people, and we are aware that at some point relationships become unsustainable. This is apparently behind high rates of divorce and separations, but these really are just the symptom of all of us getting more keen to detect trouble.

Now, reading your story, I repeatedly felt struck by the fact that the way you are describing things and how they bother you sounds quite similar to the situation in a very toxic relationship, including all the steps you would take to protect yourself from the effects of an unreasonable individual. Except here it's not a relationship that's toxic, it is the air (even literally), your whole living environment, and the huge list of countermeasures you are trying to take to protect yourself from the problem. So the conclusion should be the same: take steps to end it.

I often have the feeling that in our society, many other really bothersome life situations that interfere with our well-being, in particular related to work, to living conditions, and to health related matters, receive much less attention than interpersonal issues, although they can be just as damaging for us, and should be dealt with a similar decisiveness.

Fortunately it's likely easier to separate from a newly purchased home than from a life partner or somebody you considered a good friend. Don't worry about any already sunken funds (an advice you would often hear on this board) and be very careful not to throw good money after bad. It's time to just leave.

 

[NateW]

It doesn't matter why, and it doesn't even matter whether it is the wood smoke you mentioned, or something else. I sense that you are telling the honest truth about its effects on you, and really you just can't live like this! Nobody can. We're all human.

Exhaustion and anxiety to the level that they are making you physically ill, is an alarming situation that could shorten your life expectancy, lead to a car accident, a bad fall, or who knows what. In my opinion your situation could be considerably more dangerous than just a lessening of your quality of life.

My suggestion would be to move out of there to a rental somewhere (even in another area if that is more feasible) and put the house on the market ASAP. Like, this month.

Thanks again W2R. I think you are right. DW told me today she had a dream last night where we just packed up and moved into a rental house in NC, sold the place, and started looking for a new house in a more relaxed manner.

The text I bolded already happened and it was related to this situation--we drove 175 miles to see a potential house to buy and while looking at the house DW was not watching where she was walking and tripped on the walkway when her foot hit an uneven section. Rescue squad took her to the local ER and we spent 4 hours there. She got really banged up. Luckily, she does not need surgery per her followup doctor visit where we live (ER doc said she may because she broke her nose in 3 places). And I don't doubt the other items you mentioned could easily happen, it's only a matter of time.

 

[W2R]

I think you are right. DW told me today she had a dream last night where we just packed up and moved into a rental house in NC, sold the place, and started looking for a new house in a more relaxed manner.

NateW: "Honey, let's make your dreams come true! You are worth it."

NateW's DW: "What a guy! I love you so much. Let's do it, today!"

I had forgotten about that fall which was in the other thread, but it doesn't surprise me that she fell. Glad it wasn't a car accident or heart attack or whatever.

 

[NateW]

Thanks again for all of your support W2R.

 

[NateW]

I quite agree with that. In the end there isn't a need to fully rationalize what exactly the aspects are that disturb you greatly, ultimately the only thing that really matters is that they DO disturb you. And what you are describing is really a very unhealthy setting for you, emotionally and physically.....

Now, reading your story, I repeatedly felt struck by the fact that the way you are describing things and how they bother you sounds quite similar to the situation in a very toxic relationship, including all the steps you would take to protect yourself from the effects of an unreasonable individual. Except here it's not a relationship that's toxic, it is the air (even literally), your whole living environment, and the huge list of countermeasures you are trying to take to protect yourself from the problem. So the conclusion should be the same: take steps to end it.

I often have the feeling that in our society, many other really bothersome life situations that interfere with our well-being, in particular related to work, to living conditions, and to health related matters, receive much less attention than interpersonal issues, although they can be just as damaging for us, and should be dealt with a similar decisiveness.

Fortunately it's likely easier to separate from a newly purchased home than from a life partner or somebody you considered a good friend. Don't worry about any already sunken funds (an advice you would often hear on this board) and be very careful not to throw good money after bad. It's time to just leave.

Thank you Leo1277. Correct, I am not emotionally attached to this home and separating is no problem. It's time to move on. I think that because of this problem I have learned a lot about the way I think and react to adverse situations, by first trying to fix it. And now realizing it can't be fixed. Sometimes it is not fixable. Your comments have given me hope and made me realize I'm in control. For one, I can control how I react to situations even though I can't control them, but I'm in control because I can do something about it. In this case, move ASAP.

Again I appreciate everyone's input, ideas and support.

 

[RetireeRobert]

but I'm in control because I can do something about it. In this case, move ASAP.

Good luck on your move. I know you will find a very nice living situation soon. Even if a rental, and then you will be able to happily look for your nice suitable desirable permanent living situation in a calm, thoughtful, hopeful, and relaxed manner. Best to you and your DW.