I Just Bought a Townhouse - 3 Beds, 2.5 Baths, Garage, Deck

[russ_watters]

Well, sort of - it's a townhouse, and I didn't just buy it, but I did sign an agreement of sale. We'll close it next month. Its a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, garage, walkout basement, deck. (the one on the right)

 

[hypatia]

Way to go! It looks nice. I hope you really enjoy liveing there, and have great neighbors!

 

[Monique]

Nice home! I was just looking yesterday how much I could loan to buy a house, I think I'll start looking for one soon.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Congratulations Russ!

Just remember: You don't own it, rather, it owns you.

 

[mattmns]

Congrats Russ!

 

[Lisa!]

Congrats russ!

 

[Astronuc]

Congratulations Russ!

Hopefully the plumbing and electrical are decent, and the roof is tight.

Now you own a mortgage, or does the mortgage own you. I forget. :rofl:

What's the backyard like?

 

[scott1]

2.5 bath?What happened to the other .5?

 

[zoobyshoe]

Looks like a great place: fairly new, pleasant design, bit of woods in the back. I bet you'll like it there.

 

[Chi Meson]

The best part is itemizing deductions! WOO-HOO, Schedule A!

 

[ZapperZ]

Look at the size of that place. Think of all the wall space and shelf space you have to display all the Disney stuff!

Zz.

 

[FredGarvin]

You've just entered the exciting part of the purchase...the time for the home inspection and the resultant seller getting PO'd and then their next purchase falls through and then you're put off by three months and then the city realizes that certain permits weren't pulled and then...er...never mind.

Congrats! Welcome to the wonderful world of home ownership! I'm guessing 1200 sq ft?

 

[Evo]

Very nice! Let me know when I can move in.

 

[russ_watters]

You've just entered the exciting part of the purchase...the time for the home inspection and the resultant seller getting PO'd and then their next purchase falls through and then you're put off by three months and then the city realizes that certain permits weren't pulled and then...er...never mind.

Actually, no - the house is only 2 years old, so I'm forgoing the inspection and the seller is moving in with his fiance, so as long as they don't break up in the next 6 weeks, I'm golden.

Congrats! Welcome to the wonderful world of home ownership! I'm guessing 1200 sq ft?

Just under 1,600 including the garage.

 

[russ_watters]

Very nice! Let me know when I can move in.

How many daughters do you have, again...? (and how old...?)

 

[Lisa!]

Now all women(another nice thing about being a woman) around here are going to PM russ and ask him out! :tongue:

 

[scott1]

Look at the size of that place. Think of all the wall space and shelf space you have to display all the Disney stuff!

Zz.

I herd you can buy the disney castle for under $10,000,000 dollars or you can buy the epcot giant golf ball for $100,000,000 but if that's too enxpensive I herd you can by the world is a small place ride for $1,000,000.But try not by the tower of terror it may be cheap but your health insurence goes way up.

 

[FredGarvin]

Actually, no - the house is only 2 years old, so I'm forgoing the inspection and the seller is moving in with his fiance, so as long as they don't break up in the next 6 weeks, I'm golden.

I would advise against skipping the home inspection, but that is just my opinion.

Just under 1,600 including the garage.

You guys get to count the garage in the sq. footage? The only places you are allowed to count sq footage here is if it is living space. Quite the bachelor pad.

 

[Evo]

How many daughters do you have, again...? (and how old...?)

Two ages 18 & 21.

 

[Evo]

I would advise against skipping the home inspection, but that is just my opinion.

You guys get to count the garage in the sq. footage? The only places you are allowed to count sq footage here is if it is living space. Quite the bachelor pad.

In places I've lived the garage is included in the square footage if it is attached, the square footage is not included if the garage is not attached.

 

[Bystander]

I would advise against skipping the home inspection, but that is just my opinion.
(snip)

Second: Under NO circumstance do you ever skip the inspection --- particularly on new or near new construction.

 

[hypatia]

And you may want to talk to Moonbear about the Icy Hill, she may have some tips to share.

 

[russ_watters]

You guys get to count the garage in the sq. footage? The only places you are allowed to count sq footage here is if it is living space.

Eh - as long as it is understood, it doesn't matter to me either way. But at about 10x20, 1560-200=1360 sq ft of living space.

I would advise against skipping the home inspection, but that is just my opinion.

Second: Under NO circumstance do you ever skip the inspection --- particularly on new or near new construction.

Thanks, but since it is only 2 years old and had to be inspected before the current owner moved-in and everything on it would have to be in the disclosure statement anyway, I consider that to be redundant - and my agent (buyer's agent) agrees. I'll ask again, though...

 

[Moonbear]

Thanks, but since it is only 2 years old and had to be inspected before the current owner moved-in and everything on it would have to be in the disclosure statement anyway, I consider that to be redundant - and my agent (buyer's agent) agrees. I'll ask again, though...

I'd still recommend it. I've known of some shady builders who manage to get C of Os by having their buddies do the inspections. The inspection doesn't really cost much, and it gives you the peace of mind that you're not going to find any surprises. They often find a lot of minor things too that don't need to be fixed, but are more suggestions or reminders of things you need to make sure get maintained properly.

And, sorry Hypatia, no tips on icy hills other than get a 4WD. That hill doesn't look too bad though...as long as it's straight and not curvy, no problem...my problem is all the hills are S-curves too, so you can either go fast enough to get up the hill, or slow enough to stay on the road, but not both.

The house looks very nice, and it looks like a really nice view out the back too! I see a lot of nice trees in the distance.

Congrats Russ! Mmm...yeah, I think I agree with the other women here...home ownership indicates the sort of stability that makes a guy very attractive. :!)

 

[Bystander]

(snip)Thanks, but since it is only 2 years old and had to be inspected before the current owner moved-in

The only thing inspected on the initial sale (builder to current owner) was the number of containers in the Iron City six-pack.

and everything on it would have to be in the disclosure statement anyway,

Disclosure statements don't protect you from anything --- "I never noticed any moldy smell from the bathroom." You have to prove in court that the seller had prior knowledge of any defects you run into, or that run you out of the house.

I consider that to be redundant - and my agent (buyer's agent) agrees. I'll ask again, though...

Two years old? It's almost guaranteed to have been built to "Industry Standards.*"

*Industry Standards: if it don't show, don't bother spending the money to put it in (diagonal bracing, shear wall stud spacing in shear walls, wind ties, ...); electrical, mechanical, plumbing components shall be the cheapest end of inventory available from suppliers; and on and on and on.

Russ it's "caveat emptor" for big money --- you've got a rental agreement --- take the time to look things over closely, and have a "professional" (Hah! Most "inspectors" are former builders or building subcontractors --- not the sharpest knives in the drawer) look things over for you. Count "For Sale" signs in the development, HVAC, plumbing, electrical service trucks.

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket --- it can be the ugliest learning experience you'll ever have --- much worse than a year in "The Nam." Keep your eyes wide open, and assume the worst of your fellow man --- that's not going to be enough to actually prepare you for entering the real estate market, but it should cut the "shock" a little for you. Once you sign, you are well and truly screwed, and you will then find the true utility of consumer protection agencies, laws, building inspectors, BBBs, courts, home buyers' warranties, binding arbitration, and all the other mobbed up rip-off artists in this world.

It's exciting. The idea is fun. You are really looking forward to it. You really want to do this. And "they" know it --- please be careful.

 

[ZapperZ]

Careful, Russ. The cavewomen are coming after you, and they all have rather large clubs!

<ZapperZ runs and hides>

Zz.

 

[Bystander]

Just for laughs, PM me the builder, and I'll run the name through my "spy ring" for "endorsements." Definitely not something to discuss publicly.

 

[russ_watters]

Two ages 18 & 21.

Ehh, not going to work. You can rent, though...

 

[russ_watters]

Disclosure statements don't protect you from anything --- "I never noticed any moldy smell from the bathroom." You have to prove in court that the seller had prior knowledge of any defects you run into, or that run you out of the house.

Dunno - I have a friend who got a bunch of money when they bought a house with a flooded basement and the previous owner didn't list it in the disclosure statement.

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket...

No prob - I appreciate the advice.

 

[russ_watters]

And, sorry Hypatia, no tips on icy hills other than get a 4WD. That hill doesn't look too bad though...as long as it's straight and not curvy, no problem...my problem is all the hills are S-curves too, so you can either go fast enough to get up the hill, or slow enough to stay on the road, but not both.

I have no idea what you people are talking about.

Congrats Russ! Mmm...yeah, I think I agree with the other women here...home ownership indicates the sort of stability that makes a guy very attractive.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was going for... :uhh:

But hey - perks are perks, right...?

 

[Bystander]

Prior knowledge of a flooded basement isn't too hard to prove.

 

[Moonbear]

I have no idea what you people are talking about.

From the photo, it looks like the house is built on a hill. Unless the house is really crooked and you were holding the camera at a funny angle, the street in front looks like a hill. I guess the small pile of snow in the photo reminded Hypatia of my winter adventures on icy hills. :uhh:

 

[Moonbear]

Prior knowledge of a flooded basement isn't too hard to prove.

Yeah, the tougher ones are the "noticed some water seepage during heavy rain, so regraded the flower bed to correct"...and haven't had any heavy rains since to show that the flower bed had nothing to do with the problem...and "some water seepage" really means a small river was flowing through the basement. Don't rely on the disclosure statements, you can get away with a lot on those, and some things can be hidden that an inspector would find that the previous owners could claim they were oblivious to (and really might be oblivious to).

 

[Astronuc]

Thanks, but since it is only 2 years old and had to be inspected before the current owner moved-in and everything on it would have to be in the disclosure statement anyway, I consider that to be redundant - and my agent (buyer's agent) agrees. I'll ask again, though...

It was inspected by the building inspector, which may not mean much, based on personal experience. We hired a home inspector when we bought our house. He did point to some potential problems, but also missed a few. From first hand experience, I can tell you many builders skimp on material.

I would go with FredGarvin's and Bystander's advice. Or at least do a reasonable inspection yourself.

One issue would be any grade toward the house and the drainage. We have had two floods in our basement due to unusually heavy rains, and we are higher than many houses around us. However, there is a hill behind the property, and the water drains down the hill into our backyard, and the hydraulic pressure forces it into the basement.

I have to work on a drainage plan, which is on my to do list.

We bought our house at the end of about a 3 year drought, and the house had been vacant for about the same time. About a year later, we started having a wetter period. I discovered while trying to seal the basement on the outside, the septic line had sheard off outside the wall of the house. The builder had piled rocks and gravel on top of the pipe, and eventually the cast iron septic line suffered a guillotine break after a period of stress corrosion cracking. That was one of the things we missed in the inspection.

The basement was semi-finished with sheetrock in place. That also hid the fact that several of the cinderblocks in the wall had cracked. When I excavated the foundation, I found several blocks had disintegrated. I replaced about a dozen cinderblocks.

 

[russ_watters]

From the photo, it looks like the house is built on a hill. Unless the house is really crooked and you were holding the camera at a funny angle, the street in front looks like a hill. I guess the small pile of snow in the photo reminded Hypatia of my winter adventures on icy hills. :uhh:

Slow day, sorry...missed that.

Actually, the photo is taken angled to the left (with the left half of it cropped out), so the slope down to the right is not that severe. It is pretty heavily sloped out the back, though (walk-out basement). So I'll have a double-decker-deck.