Tips on buying a house

[Deleted]

Hey guys, so im 21 years old in a relationship with my boyfriend who is 26 years old. We have been looking around at a few houses because we are realizing how much money we are throwing down the drain each year renting. So yeah, we are looking for a house to buy... but I feel abit lost. Our price range is £230,000 so we cant get a reaaaly nice house. But for a first time buyer its not to bad i guess.. my issue is that I have no idea what to look for, what questions to ask ext. I fear that I might end up buying the wrong house! So if you have any tips please, throw them at me! I need anything I can get atm.

[vizzle]

The price all depends on your location. Where are you?

[Deleted]

Sutton Coldfield, just outside Birmingham

[Kerath]

Check surveyors reports and local information carefully - eg, I'd probably avoid buying a house in a floodplain or that has problems with damp in the walls for example.
As Vizzle says, price will vary greatly depending on location. You'd get a small place for that price in London or the surroundings, but once you get far away from London, you'll probably get a very nice home for that price.

Have a look on housing websites and get an idea of the prices in the area you are looking for:
http://www.homes.com/
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/ are good places to start.

Get a firm idea of what you want in your mind before you start viewing homes, and don't let the estate agent convince you of what he/she thinks you want.
Things to consider:
Number of bedrooms - if you plan on having children at some point, this is especially important. Even if not, you may want a spare room for guests, or a study for example.
Gardens/balcony - Do you want outside space? A garden sounds nice in theory, but bear in mind the upkeep. So even if you do want an outside space, a massive garden may not suit you.
Bathrooms - do you want a big bathroom? Or will a small bathroom be ok as long as it has the amenities you want?
Kitchen - again, think about the size you would like.
Double glazing/insulation - this will save you money on your energy bills.
Central heating - worth bearing in mind.
General state of the place - of course you can redecorate when you move in, and that can be done at reasonable cost, but things like kitchen refittings or having a new bathroom installed will cost you, and you'll want to bear in mind when considering the price of the house itself and your budget.

I'd also advise against going right up to the maximum of your budget, unless the place is absolutely stunning and perfect in every way. If you stay a bit below your budget, it gives you more wiggle room, financially, if you have unexpected bills crop up.

EDIT: Another thing to consider if you have or are planning on having children, is the local schools. If this applies to you, you can obtain copies of the Ofsted reports for the schools in the area you want to be, and be aware of the catchment areas for the schools.

[Laize]

Hey guys, so im 21 years old in a relationship with my boyfriend who is 26 years old. We have been looking around at a few houses because we are realizing how much money we are throwing down the drain each year renting. So yeah, we are looking for a house to buy... but I feel abit lost. Our price range is £230,000 so we cant get a reaaaly nice house. But for a first time buyer its not to bad i guess.. my issue is that I have no idea what to look for, what questions to ask ext. I fear that I might end up buying the wrong house! So if you have any tips please, throw them at me! I need anything I can get atm.

Make sure you have an engineer inspect the house for structural problems.

Make sure you get a complete history of the house (Things like water damage are extremely likely to occur again).

You want a good school system (Whether or not you have kids).

And finally, you want to re-examine the idea of buying a house with a boyfriend at 21 years old. You're going to change a LOT between now and the time you're 30-35.

[Bolson13]

I think you know the basics yourself (how many rooms you want etc.). I am not a engineer but some things to note specifically:

- Double glazing comes in multiple standards these days. Here we have single glass, double glass, HR (high efficiency), HR+ and HR++. Check what is there. Also, check what kind of windowframes are used (wood or "plastic").
- Ask the realter about other insulation (for instance the roof). What has been done.
- Check the walls to see if there are any discolourations and ask why. Some can be because of waterproblems or molds. Some can be no problem though.
- Check the age of the central heating unit. These are pretty pricy.
- For flat roofs, ask when the last time was that it was changed.
- In general ask what has been done to his knowledge to the house.
- Ask about the borderline and who ones what etc. Stuff like fences. But also some counties (at least here) own parts of the front lawn because there might be water connections in case of fire etc.
- an entrance to the back side of the house is nice to have for taking out garbage cans or to get to the backshed with your bike (if you want a house in a row).
- Ask if any remoddeling is possible. For instance, if you want to add a part ot the ground floor of the house it needs to be okay with the foundations and walls. If there is already an addition to the ground floor and you want to add something on top then the roofing and again foundation needs to be adjusted. This is good to know because extra living space is often a great way to increase the value of a house. (a garage if possible - and not there yet - is probably the best).
- in the bathroom, check if there is enough ventilation. Preferably with a fan + window (you probably want to close the window in the winter ). Again check for any mold on the walls and the walls of adjacent rooms/walls.
- And ask the general "is there something else I should know". Here this is sort of a legality question since a realter/seller has to list all matters of concern to you. There can be strange things like the central heating unit being on lease or really bad things like cracks in the outside walls.

Most important though. Go look the first time to see if you like it. Don't decide right away but go back another time to see if you still like it and on that visit bring somebody who knows about construction. They will look at things differently. And if need be, go check a third time. I don't know what the house market is like in the UK but if it is anything like it is here in the Netherlands at the moment, it is a buyers market which means you can take your time deciding probably and get a good price as well.


Just some small things, hope it helps and good luck.

[Fahrenheit]

To be perfectly honest, I'd caution you to wait untill you're engaged (if not married) before seriously looking to purchase a house together.

[ducklino]

Make sure the house you're going to live is "new" with no history of people dying or crimes/violence; Why? ghosts/shadow people/demons/pokemons, whatever people call it, can affect you in a negative way and trust me, you REALLY don't want this kinda of crap in your life. Don't trust sellers, do your own background checking on the house.
Don't live nearby "bad/trouble-makers people"; Best way to check this is walking around the neighborhood in evening of the weekends.
If you're going to buy a apartment, make sure it has sound isolation or you will be screwed.

[Laize]

To be perfectly honest, I'd caution you to wait untill you're engaged (if not married) before seriously looking to purchase a house together.

Best piece of advice

[Spectral]

The best tip anyone can give a 21 year old that's looking for a house with their boyfriend is to not buy one just yet. All other advice should have this as a caveat. Tying yourself to a person and an area isn't generally the best thing for young people, particularly with economic conditions that demand mobility, as the current situation will for the foreseeable future.

---------- Post added 2012-07-13 at 09:16 AM ----------

Make sure the house you're going to live is "new" with no history of people dying or crimes/violence; Why? ghosts/shadow people/demons/pokemons, whatever people call it, can affect you in a negative way and trust me, you REALLY don't want this kinda of crap in your life.

Funny, I'd actively look for a place that was devalued as a result of silly people believing that it's haunted.

[Liara]

Funny, I'd actively look for a place that was devalued as a result of silly people believing that it's haunted.

And hey, if it turns out to be legitimately haunted, you could make millions off of it.

[Spectral]

And hey, if it turns out to be legitimately haunted, you could make millions off of it.

Ha, good point! Off to buy a corner of a 19th century psych center to make my home in...

[Kerath]

Best piece of advice

Nonsense. Since when is marriage a guarantee of a long lasting relationship?
Besides, not all long term couples get married.

[Laize]

Nonsense. Since when is marriage a guarantee of a long lasting relationship?
Besides, not all long term couples get married.

Buying a house at 21 is not a smart idea. You change so much from the time you're 20 to the time youre 30-35 that it's not even funny. Buying a house when you're young cold be the biggest mistake of your life.

[Spectral]

Nonsense. Since when is marriage a guarantee of a long lasting relationship?
Besides, not all long term couples get married.

To me, it's more about the age than the marital status. I don't like the idea of a 21 year old committing large sums of money and stripping themselves of mobility.

Marriage is relevant from a legal standpoint though, if you're going to buy a house. You can establish the same legal relationship for the context of the house without marriage (or maybe a couple doesn't want that), but marriage is generally more convenient for this purpose.

[Symphonic]

Wow, £230,000 would buy some of the nicest homes where I live, in Utah, USA. I am surprised you think it's low!

My wife and I are looking for homes as well and there are some very well kept and large homes that are the equivalent of about £72-80,000.

Things we look for are how old/new the furnace, water heater, roof are. Taxes or HOA fees on the property.

[Kerath]

To me, it's more about the age than the marital status. I don't like the idea of a 21 year old committing large sums of money and stripping themselves of mobility.

Marriage is relevant from a legal standpoint though, if you're going to buy a house. You can establish the same legal relationship for the context of the house without marriage (or maybe a couple doesn't want that), but marriage is generally more convenient for this purpose.

Granted, however, the OP didn't ask whether they should buy a house, they asked for practical information.
I think the mobility issue has a lot less impact for someone living in the UK - given that many US states are larger than the UK in its entirety. For an American I can imagine being in a position where you could easily move to another state for a job opportunity being a much bigger deal.

OP you may want to check out http://advicenow.org.uk/living-together/housing/ for some advice on rights and legalities that are relevant to someone in the UK.

[Spectral]

Granted, however, the OP didn't ask whether they should buy a house, they asked for practical information.

That's true, I just think we'd be remiss if we didn't note that it might not be the best idea. Then we should provide the best information we know how :-)

I think the mobility issue has a lot less impact for someone living in the UK - given that many US states are larger than the UK in its entirety. For an American I can imagine being in a position where you could easily move to another state for a job opportunity being a much bigger deal.

You're right, this is probably a perspective issue on my part. Commuting from Wisconsin to Texas isn't very practical...

[Skippy88]

Here are my tips for you:

1. As you noted owning a house is better than renting but make sure the economics work. Some banks can pre-approve you for a mortgage that in the end you can't afford. Just because your approved for a $300000 home doesn't mean you have to get a $300000 home. Sit down and do the math so to speak.

2. Look around at different houses. Many do open houses on weekends. This is easily the best way to find what's out there. Keep a journal of what you liked and what you didn't.

3. Location Location Location. That great house looks great but if you have to travel an hour or two to work groceries, shool it may not be the most practical home. Also decide on if you want neighbors or not.

4. Watch Homes on Homes or Homes Inspection. He does a nice job of showing what signs to look if there are problems in your home. As someone else mentioned before buying get your home inspected but don't count on him finding every problem. Do some snooping yourself.

5. It's easy to get caught up in a home when it's nice, sunny, and warm out right now but what's it going to be like in the Winter with the Snow, Fall with the leaves, and Spring with the rain. Generally you will be going through in the afternoon but what's it like at night? Early morning?

Good luck and I hope it works out for you.

[Bolson13]

So regarding inspection, is it not required for your mortgage in other countries? Here in the Netherlands it has to be inspected else you cannot get a mortgage with that house as collateral.

Also, on the price of houses in the US. There is a british show here on tv where people go buy houses in other countries. A few couples wanted to buy a house in the US in I believe Kentucky area and one couple in the arizona area. The prices were just shocking haha. For $200.000 you could buy a decent house. It is hard to find a house of that value anywhere around here. Appartments sure but houses? no way.