So we are about to buy our first home! Lord willing! And I was wondering what your biggest advice is, what are some must haves, etc. we’ve lived in rentals our entire marriage (5years) and we will be moving from and 1000 square foot apartment to 2500 square foot home with a yard
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Save up time & money to fix things. When something breaks you’re the landlord you call! The toilet stops up, the sink clogs, you’ve got to call a plumber, take off work to meet her or him & pay for it yourself.
Check everything and have your own inspector do a home inspection. How’s the foundation? Any mold hiding in the walls? Radon gas? What’s in the soil? Is the area prone to flooding? Are the electrical outlets and everything else up to code? How’s the roof? Do the windows seal tightly or will they let all the A/C and heat out? How’s the wiring & plumbing look? Are the floors even? Do the floorboards creak? What kind of HVAC system do you have? How old is the heat pump?
Turn on all the faucets and check for good flow & see how long it takes to get hot water. Flush all the toilets, turn on the stove & oven, open & close all the doors to make sure everything is in working order.
Talk to the neighbors if possible. Is there a problem with bees/hornets, rats, bedbugs, woodpeckers, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, cockroaches, etc.?
Is there a homeowner’s association? Can you change paint colors, fixtures, put things in your yard without their permission? How’s parking for when you have guests? Do you have county/city water or well water? Public or private garbage pick up? Sewer or septic? How far away are emergency services and what kind of a reputation do they have? What’s the reputation of the schools?
How’s the noise level? I get noise from fire & police stations, medical, government and military helicopters. Are you in a flight path near an airport? How’s traffic? Can you get out of your development easily? Is there a season/period when the area gets really crowded or a time of year when lots of people leave & the area seems empty?
What are the crime statistics? If you’re moving in the same general area and/or if you’re buying a new house, you may know some of this info already.
Depending on how the rooms are configured, you may or may not have enough room for your larger furniture despite the increase in square footage.
Congratulations and good luck!
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Take it slow. You will want to buy everything, don’t! Make a plan. What is the most important priority to you all and make a list and take 1 thing on the list at a time. That’s what we did and we are 7yrs into our home and pretty much everything is done. Still a couple things but you will continue to add to that list as time goes on and as you live in the house. Also no credit cards. Save for what you want. Don’t get caught in debt.
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With that yard, you’ll want a decent mower… doesn’t need to be fancy, but get the right size for your yard. If you don’t want to mow yourself, make sure you budget for a lawn person.
Depends on where you live. But you will definitely need a lawnmower, weed eater, garden hose , sprinkler and shovels…plus or minus a snow blower depending on where you live.
Inside the obvious appliances.
Put some money away for repairs and maintenance. Try to have about 5000 set aside for an emergency repair fund.
Two bathrooms. Room to grow. Pantry in kitchen
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Two bathrooms, snowblower (depending on where you live), paint before you move in.
Go check out the house after it’s rained