Purchasing House Help/Advice/Diresction...

[Straight Success]

I'm constantly keeping my eye on a certain area to buy my first house in. Even if I leave my home town to further my education, I still want it in the location that I'm thinking of. I came ac cross two that's on the market, both of which I like. The only gripe is one doesn't have a garage, but I can always get one built.

If anyone care to voice their opinion about these two, I'm listening.

1. http://www.trulia.com/property/30292...lphia-PA-19153

2. http://www.trulia.com/property/30555...lphia-PA-19153

Of course I'll be redoing the interior once I purchase to my comfort zone.

[Chrisisiced]

I'm scheduled to close on a house in 2 weeks. It's a very stressful process. I like the second listing you posted better. It appears to have more land and the garage is a must have. I think people tend to underestimate the costs of building such structures. It could cost 15k or more to build one which doesn't sound THAT expensive but it looks like the interior needs work as well. It all looks clean and neat but the styling looks dated which is going to be a common problem when looking at older homes so expect to spend some money doing that.

Good luck with your search man. Feel free to hit me up if you have any questions.

[Night Wolf]

the 2nd one looks awesome for being a town house.

[Straight Success]

Thanks for the replies. I actually have my eye on about 7 or 8 and these two were at the lower end of the list. There's really two houses I have my eye on that are both rehabbed from top to bottom. They are both corner town houses, 3 bed, 1.5 bath, 1 car garage, and fresh stainless appliences every where. I have to find the link to them. They are saved in my favorites on mu laptop, but I only have my Blackberry right now.

[ChIoVnIdCa]

Don't buy a "house" attached to your neighbor... Due to offset laws and land percent usage laws you probably couldn't add a garage to the first anyways..

[Straight Success]

Don't buy a "house" attached to your neighbor... Due to offset laws and land percent usage laws you probably couldn't add a garage to the first anyways..

Almost every house in Philadelphia is attached to two more. That's Philly. You can build, but need the correct permits, and all the B.S. documentation. It's a good chance I'll buy one witha agrage already. The first one, I like the location and its secludedness. The others are much nicer, but it's a lot of variables to weigh (carpet, hardwood, finished basement, culdesac, etc.). It's a challenge, as you don't want to get sommething, and then be unhappy with the purchase 6 months down the line.

[deevergote]

Thanks for the replies. I actually have my eye on about 7 or 8 and these two were at the lower end of the list. There's really two houses I have my eye on that are both rehabbed from top to bottom. They are both corner town houses, 3 bed, 1.5 bath, 1 car garage, and fresh stainless appliences every where. I have to find the link to them. They are saved in my favorites on mu laptop, but I only have my Blackberry right now.

Stainless appliances are in style right now, so those are probably being sold by people that are conscious of the market. That's good.

I like the two shown, and the location isn't terrible. Awful close to the airport, though... and that can get quite noisy. I've never been a city guy, so I'm not a fan of noise... I know you're used to the city, so maybe that's not an issue for you.

Seems pricey for townhomes, though. I got my single family for nearly half that. Granted, that was a steal, and in 2003... but still.

[Straight Success]

Yes, stainless is poppin' right now.

The location is very close to the AP, but it's surprising quiet, and it's one of the nicer neighborhoods that hasn't been ruined. Hopefully it remains that way. That's why I'm looking into the streets/culdesacs/sections where property value is $150+ and not too many if none at all section 8 and gov't funded houses.

They recently built a brand new post office around there and it drove property value up. However, the quality of life is top notch, and the homes are well maintained and secluded. Kinda like a suburb on the border of the city.

[deevergote]

Yeah, I took a look on Google Streetview. Not a bad looking neighborhood, and definitely secluded. Near a park, too... so that's nice.

I do a lot of work near the Newark airport, in Elizabeth, and when a plan passes overhead it's LOUD. You might want to hang out in those areas for an hour or so, and witness the plane traffic firsthand just to be sure it's something you want to deal with.

[Straight Success]

Yeah, I took a look on Google Streetview. Not a bad looking neighborhood, and definitely secluded. Near a park, too... so that's nice.

I do a lot of work near the Newark airport, in Elizabeth, and when a plan passes overhead it's LOUD. You might want to hang out in those areas for an hour or so, and witness the plane traffic firsthand just to be sure it's something you want to deal with.

My aunt and uncle has lived down there for about 18 years. They even joke all the time and say I can have their house when they move to Georgia. When I'm over there, the planes are no bother. You can see them clear, but noise isn't a problem at all.

[phatdoughnut]

Just remember that this probably wont be your first and only house.

[deevergote]

That is true...

Though I've been in my house for 8 years (as of last week, actually.) It's a "starter home", but I'm going to be here for at least 5 more years, I expect. It's far from ideal, but it's affordable, comfortable, and safe.

Don't buy a house thinking you're going to spend no more than 3-5 years there... life could take an unexpected turn and keep you there longer. Make sure it's something you COULD be happy enough in for quite a few years.

[toycar]

What is it exactly you need advice/help with?


I have bought and sold quite a few homes in my life.

Tips for a first timer;

-Get a NIFA loan, its probably the best product for you

-Get inspections, all of them. Radon and Lead tests are expensive, but treating a house for those problems is WAAAAYYYY more expensive.

-Get pre-approved

-Send a contractor with your home inspector. Two sets of eyes are better then one, and a contractor will look for work, when an inspector is looking for obvious issues.

-Do a market review. Make sure the price/area are on par. You dont want to pay too much for a house because its got new floors and a SS dishwasher. The market has been on the downhill for sometime, it'd be terrible to lose your ass on your first home purchase.

-Townhome living is hard. Its very similar to living in an APT, but worse because you FEEL like you own the place and still have to live with the BS. As was mentioned, its likely the other tenants could block your desire to build a garage, and generally speaking can influence what you can do to your home.

-Never pay the asking price. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate.

-Ask for some stupid shit, like new bathroom, new roof or windows etc.... Create a situation so that you appear to be giving in during negotiations, all the while working the price down. CREATE THAT SITUATION, EVEN IF YOU DONT WANT NEW WINDOWS/ROOF OR WHATEVER. USE THAT LEVERAGE.

-Its a buyers market, be aware of homes on the market for extended periods of time. If its been listed for a long time, lowball on your initial offer.

-Do a tax review, and make sure the taxes are current. If they are not, believe it or not you can be liable even if the unpaid taxes accrued were not during your period of ownership.

-Ask for warranty info on anything thats been updated. If they are selling you a house with new appliances, windows or anything really-ask for the warranty info. Its not going to cost them anything to give you the info, and offer to pay if there is a transfer fee.

-Furnace, A/C, roof, plumbing and electrical are all things to look heavily at. You dont want to buy a house with old style screw in fuses, make them update that. Iron water pipes, ask for copper. No ground on outlets, that'll cost you 5-10k to fix depending on the size of the house. New furnace or A/C is expensive.

-Make sure you look at anything that looks particularly fresh. Things that look newer in an old house were probably fixed because of a problem. You want to make sure that whatever the problem was, was fixed correctly.


If you need any other tips/ideas, holler.

-Justin



***edit***


BTW, I am a licensed contractor and own a contracting company.


Oh yeah, SS stuff is hard as a MOFO to keep clean. I predict the trend will end in 3-5 years. Ask anyone you know about fingerprints on SS, they will fill you in on the rest.

And read consumer reports on the appliances that you are drawn to, you may find that they have really shitty reviews and just happen to look baller.

That is pretty common, especially with side by side fridges, with a freezer on the bottom-and front load washer and dryers.

[Chrisisiced]

Definitely have your inspector do the radon test. It's not that expensive. Any home built prior to 1980 is generally assumed to have lead paint present. If the paint is intact you don't have to do anything. If it's cracking or peeling you'll need professional remediation.

[accord93racer]

Man I can't believe that size of a house on the east coast is that much. I'm looking at 2 houses right now that are 4 bed, 3 full bath and approx 2300 square feet for less than what those 2 properties were listed at.