13 Tips for First Home Searching

We recently moved out of our first rental and bought our first home. We were lucky enough to have the renting experience to be able to take away some things that we liked and we didn’t like from our apartment. This gave us a great kick start list of what we were looking for in a home. Everyone is different in their preferences, but here are a few things that we learned from renting our first place. Don’t move in the hottest (or coldest) months out of the year, definitely have a dishwasher or enough counter space to dry dishes on, and keep a very careful eye on water leaks in the ceilings! Here are some more tips that hopefully you find to be useful in your search!

1. Do not exclude “For Sale by Owner” homes

Sometimes you can easily miss out on some awesome deals by not checking the “For Sale by Owner” homes. Usually the realtors will only focus on the houses that are on the market with other realtors. Sometimes you will even have to drive around in areas that you like and scope out signs in yards, rather than searching online.

1. Find a trustworthy realtor that you get along with

We got extremely lucky. I randomly clicked on realtor.com asking for a showing of a house that we liked. The realtor that happened to be selling that home contacted me within minutes and from that point on was a complete Godsend to us. She was great with communication, texted us when necessary, and spent days with us. She was extremely relatable and honest with us. Not to mention she was really watching out for us when it came to resale value, flooding, damage, weird smells, etc. Know that there are realtors out there like this and you do not have to settle with someone that is just trying to make a sale. If you don’t get as lucky as us, post on city websites asking for suggestions or ask friends or family in the area of who they have worked with.

1. Make a list of must- haves in a home

If you have never lived on your own before or rented before buying your first home, it may be difficult deciding what you would actually want in a home. Here are some things to consider. Do you want a dishwasher, is there a place to add one in? How important is cosmetic issues to you? How much work do you want to put into the home? What kind of yard would you like (fenced, maintenance)? Do you plan to raise a family here? Is there too much or too little space (heating and cooling areas that you don’t use)?

1. Remember that cosmetic is an easy fix

Sometimes it may seem tedious, but if you find the perfect home but the hardware is ugly or the paint is just not your taste it can be changed! It may take a little time and a little money, but don’t let it be a deal breaker. Go into a home with a vision. What kind of potential could this home have? Imagine your furniture and decor in this home with a different color on the walls. And sometimes if you tear up that nasty carpet, there could be beautiful hardwood floors underneath.

1. Check the age of the the appliances and roof

Always check the age of the appliances in the home. You will want to know how much time you have left with your washer, dryer, fridge, oven, stove. Also check into the A/C, water heater, and furnace. You don’t want to end up having everything crash and burn on you in the first year. That would be a lot of money you would need to crank out in a short amount of time. Another thing worth checking is the year on the roof. An average roof has about fifteen years of life. Do the math, figure out how much a new roof would cost in your area. If you love the home, and everything is getting on the older side, ask for a home warranty in your offer for the home.

1. Know the difference and value of having a garage or a slab

What kind of weather do you get where you live? In the very hot climates, it would be nice to have a place to keep your car shielded indoors. Where we live, it gets very cold and snowy in the winter. The last thing we want to do in the mornings before work is scrape our cars clean of snow. Don’t forgot rain and hail too. Either way some kind of coverage for your car would be a bonus. How many cars do you have? A boat? Camper? Consider all of this. We ended up with a two car garage with a concrete slab for two cars on the side. Big bonus!

1. Consider resale value

We were lucky enough to have a realtor who pointed out resale pros and cons in the homes that we looked at. Don’t just consider the home for yourselves and personal preferences, but what might other families be looking for too. How much room is their for expansion? How many bedrooms? Location of the home? How much work could you put into the home to sell it for more than you bought it for. Consider checking out the Zestimates for homes in the same neighborhood!

1. Check the water pressure

When touring houses, as long as the water is still turned on, test the water pressure! Turn on the shower and the bathroom faucet and then flush the toilet. See how the water pressure holds up. You should definitely consider getting the sewer inspection before completely going all in!

1. Ask yourself if you mind asbestos siding

We completely fell in love with a home besides water flooding in the basement and having asbestos siding. Before home searching, I had never heard of asbestos siding. Be aware of it. It can be dangerous if not kept up well or painted over, but it can also be safe if it was well kept. It is completely a personal preference, but it was a no- go for us.

1. Make notes of what you can afford

Before you start searching, the bank probably approved you for more than you can actually afford. Don’t go all out right away. Sit down, take the time, and write out how much you make and what you will be expecting to pay. Things to consider: any debt and loans you have, cell phone, electrical, gas, water, sewer, garbage, cable, internet, groceries, gas for your car, car maintenance, necessities, insurance, PMI if you don’t have 20% down, etc).

1. Yard size

Do you have dogs? Consider having a fenced in yard. If the yard isn’t already fenced, then no the neighborhood ordinance for fences if you plan to put one up. If you don’t have dogs, and don’t plan on having dogs, do you want a garden? Do you have time to mow the lawn once a week and keep up with the landscaping?

1. Check out the neighborhood and landscaping

In one of the neighborhoods we were looking at, the homes surrounding ours were priced about 30k more than our home’s listed price. This home had so much potential (if we had the time and motivation to put so much work into it). The resale value could have been worth it. The neighbors also clearly took care of their yards which is important. Sit in the neighborhood and just scope out how a regular day goes by in your neighborhood, consider going at night too if you are extra skeptical. Check out crime maps and keep a close eye on the surrounding school district and sex offender registry for that area if this is something that concerns you.

1. Know the electrical

The thing that I learned most about when home searching, was electrical terms. I had never heard of knob and tube wiring until we started searching for an older home (before the 1950s). Knob and tube is definitely not recommended and is no longer legal to be build in new homes. Another thing to look out for is aluminum wiring. Don’t get me wrong, people live with this stuff with no issues; but these do pose risks that newer wiring systems do not. Keep an eye out for two wire systems and newer electrical sockets (three holes).