Who has ever bought a house? (not a new one)

Have you bought a used house? Are there any questions you can think of that you sure wish you would have asked the former owner? I am buying a house. I have thought of several things I'd like to know. All kinds of things, such as...

- do you know the house history from date of build?
- do you have a house plans print that shows house layout?
- who have you used for handyman work?
- who services your a/c unit?
- how old is the a/c unit?
- how do you change a/c filter?
- where are the gas/water lines?
- what are the water lines made of?
- do you have a water line master valve?
- do you know when the house was painted?
- can you provide a utilities usage report from your provider?
- what remodeling stuff have you done and why'd you do it?
- how old are the appliances?
- are any appliance warranties transferable?
- do you have appliance manuals?
- if water heater fails, where will water go? Also, if a drain exists, where does it go?
- where are the property line corners?
- how do you access the attic?
- is there any neighbor who is a problem?
- what is roof age?

What can you think of? TIA!

 

How old is well pump. How often was the septic tank serviced?
Age of roof.
Any transferable warranties ? I.e. windows, roof, furance..

 

Does it have a sump pump, how much does it run?
Has/does the basement ever get wet/flood?
Where is the septic and well located?
Is there a history of septic/sewer system issues/flooding?
How often/how long does the power typically go out there?
More so if its in the country, but has any of the neighboring properties changed hands recently that would affect the neighborhood negatively (neighbor sold 100 acres to a farmer, or a gravel pit, factory, etc, etc)...or maybe the local authorities are changing the local roads around, and now there will be a ton more traffic going by afterwards (got bit by that one myself...in several different ways!)
Do mineral rights come with it? (that's a big one locally)
Has there been any major roof leak issues in the past, and if so how were things repaired?
Not only ask about problem neighbors, but problem neighborhood animals too. (does Rufus 3 doors down howl all night?)
Have there been crime issues locally? You probably already know that one though...although, I looked at a house once where I found out later one that the previous owner hung himself in the house...that could bother some people...probably not required to disclose it.
I'm sure there's more...

 

Also, how much is/was your HO insurance?
Have there been any major new tax levies passed that will start next year?

 

I think generally speaking the seller will only be so forthcoming with information. Having a good, thorough home inspector come in will be key. They’ll check the attic with a moisture meter to determine if the roof is leaking. Same thing with the floor if there’s a dishwasher. Foundation, plumbing, water heater, furnace and a whole slough of things you’d never think to inquire about. Anything in the inspection report that doesn’t give you a warm fuzzy feeling bring up with the realtor and work it out with the seller. You can ask them to fix XYZ or give you a credit. Be prepared for negotiating back and forth, which is normal. I wouldn’t take the appliances for granted especially if they’re a few years old. The appliances in my house when I bought it were on their way out. One of the burners on the stove didn’t work but I didn’t make a fuss, opting instead to just buy a new stove. Similar situation with the dishwasher. The furnace in the basement was older so I negotiated with the seller to have it inspected and serviced (I was moving in January and it was my #1 concern). The deck on the back of the house was not properly attached and the seller agreed to have lag bolts added on and to replace a couple rotted joist hangers. Other than that, I’d suggest having a little cushion in the bank after you close on the house for anything unexpected that might pop up. Good luck on your journey to being a homeowner. It’s a rewarding experience.

 

What they ^^^^ said.
I found not all home inspectors are created equal. No disrespect intended if there are any members in that profession.
Get references and not just the company but the actual person doing the inspection.
I focused on commercial construction and inspected buildings for buyers.
We always brought in engineers and subcontractors. Few residential inspectors do that.
And we would go to the authority having jurisdiction to find out what they know.
I helped some residential realtors from time to time when they were in over their head.
Add survey, termites and chimney inspection to the above.
Flooding and hurricanes would be on my list if I was in your neck o the woods.
Ask questions and send pics.

 

Many people buying even a new home utilize independent home inspection.
It's usually worth the $$$$.

 

100%

 

Title. Insurance not just kind that protects the bank BUT also kind that protects you!

here inspection are basically useless; because IF inspectors miss something they are only liable up to amount of inspection.

spinning a marble on hard surface floor will tell you a lot about foundation!

lots of questions to ask
How old is house?
How many remodels?

you can answer a lot of the questions at local town clerks office. When it was last sold, price, tax appraisal, any permits pulled if needed.

talk to mail carrier or someone in local town select board. Wealth of knowledge given gladly..

in today’s market; good luck

 

An inspection will answer a lot of the questions that you are asking. My house is almost 200 years old so there is a lot that I don't know. I do know it was abandon for 35 years around 1920. Over the past few years, I have been replacing all of the plumbing, fixtures, floors, walls, and all the other stuff. I bought the house expecting I was going to have to rebuild/upgrade/renovate/remodel a large part of it. If you have the interest and ability, you can do a lot of the work yourself. Just watch YouTube videos and you can figure most stuff out. The only thing I won't touch on my house is the breaker panel and gas lines, everything else is fair game. fishingpol knows a lot about old houses.

 

Funny story on this... my wife went to our house inspection without me and the inspector canceled the inspection! He looked around, and looked at my wife and said "you shouldn't buy this house". I didn't go to the inspection because I assumed everything was going to need to be repaired and replaced and I was pretty much correct. But! The report was so bad, we had to get another inspector. The new inspector said the house was in pretty ok shape, but the damage was already done. All-in-all, we shaved 15k off the offer because of the whole ordeal to cover 'repairs' - of which, I took care of in a few weeks/months for a few hundred bucks.
But yeah, inspectors can get it wrong.

 

Well, in this area and hot market, a lot of what you ask will not be answered. We are in a totally different area, so a lot of what I put down here may not apply. Look at the big ticket items. Roof, heating, sill rot/termites, foundation, especially fieldstone or old concrete block, asbestos, lot plans, septic, well. We have title 5 inspections here in MA for septic. As far as appliances, a lot of people just change them out.

There are people skipping home inspections after going through a tour of a home. A buyer offering a full price or higher offer with no home inspection, gets the green light, especially if pre-qualified. Houses are selling before they go on the market or within hours. Sellers market here in MA. Hesitate and it is gone.

Seller disclosure forms are vague and don't have everything listed. Seller may not know or tries to be vague on questions. Almost 150 year old house here. Marbles roll to the corners here.

Good luck in your search!

 

We did get a new septic system and 200 amp service with negotiations. At the open house, most potential buyers spent 10 minutes and left. Too much work. The owner came back early and we met her and learned a lot.

 

You might want to add heating maintenance to your list (for those days when you don't have a fire going).
Asbestos pipes?
Insulation in attic? In walls? What is the r- value? You can look up your location to see what it should be.
Which walls are load-bearing?
Electric - modern romex style or knob and tube?
Stove/chimney- double stainless steel liner? Safety concerns?
Does the washer/dryer drain to the sump pump? That will make it run a lot more.
Any water mitigation around the exterior of the house? - like drainage tiles or French drains.
Lead paint in the plaster walls, paint, railings, windows, etc.
You can pull up a corner of carpet to see the floor below it, that is helpful.
History of mold
...

Even with all this stuff, I like my old house better than a new build. The cookie cutter houses fall apart after a few years. My house will last longer than I am alive, that's good because I don't plan on moving. Ever.

 

Yup!

 

Get an inspector and DO NOT use the one the realtor suggests. Have a lawyer review all the stuff you have to sign, and represent you at closing.

If neighbors are close see what you can find out about them - living next to wack-jobs is unpleasant.

 

I'm with fishingpol - a lot of that would not be answered. For one, unless the house is only a couple of years old, odds are that the place has gone thru a couple of owners. They may be selling their folks' place too, and still not know. Even if they wanted to answer some of those, they couldn't. Additionally, many won't even know what you probably think of as "basic" questions on that list and what others have added (water valves, r-value of insulation and such).

Around here, there is a questionnaire that homeowners/realtors answer to the best of their ability, and they may chose not to answer some of them while absolutely having no idea on others. When pressed on some, they may be, um, creative with their interpretation of what is being asked (Ask on heating cost per year for example - they may answer per month but neglect to mention the conversion - ask me how I know). However, NH is fairly unique as it doesn't have mandatory disclosre laws besides basically what services the property currently has.

They are not likely to give you a copy of propane/oil bills - and not only that, it proves nothing since you have no idea what the time frame between fill ups was. Nor are you likely to actually chat with the owner, everything will have to go thru the realtor. BTW - pulling up carpet, unless it is not attached anyway is likely to get you in trouble since it is not your property.

As others have pointed out, a good source of info is tax cards, house inspector and perhaps neighbors. A good realtor (yours, not theirs), will pick up on stuff just because they are so used to walking houses and seeing inspectors reports on those houses. Mine picked up that a house I was looking at had extremely old electric panel - as in knob and tube, not breakers. Take a peek in the attic yourself (even if it is just poking your head up in there) - one attic I looked at I could see daylight coming thru, another was wet. Carry a small flashlight just for that - if nothing else you can get an idea on the insulation.