That was sudden.
She asked me to go along on the first home-tour. I took a sneak look at it. It is a 400 feet east of the Canadian National line that runs diagonally through Eaton County. The basement is filled with jack-posts holding up the floors. It has a shared driveway and no outside storage for tools (a big deal since Handsome Hombre is in the trades).
The house is huge and the interior is spiffy and refinished. It is the kind of house that some people would jump at because at a superficial level, it looks like a bargain.
The railroad would make it a non-starter for me. For one thing, the track is curving which increase risk of derailment AND the house is downwind and downgrade of the tracks. Muy malo!
It will be a good house to relearn how to tour them. It is a clear application of the Secretary Hiring Problem.
If any of my readers have some checklists that they like, I would love links to them.
From a previous article about inspecting a vehicle. Done well with a checklist is a worthy idea. You're going to keep that vehicle for years to transport you and yours safely and at an inexpensive manner.
ReplyDeleteA House? same, same but far more money and you're going to keep it for decades (if not a flip).
Partial list: Taxes and covenants. Sucks to discover your buying a house that will NOT Allow a Work truck and so on. ANY LIENS on the place, sometimes it's on the place not the owner at the time.
Neighbors. What's the prevailing wind and what's up that way. A slaughterhouse isn't a good neighbor. You mentioned the RR tracks and that issue. Being part of a chemical derailment isn't a lot of fun.
Neighbors again, a drive around payday Friday and Saturday will give you an idea if they have social issues, you might not like.
Talking to EMS might give you a real idea of the social life of the neighbors. A box of Dunkin Donuts works wonders here.
Flood Zones. Even if there is no requirement for flood insurance is there a history of flooding? I live on a hillside and often it's an annoyance with slopes everywhere to deal with. My cows are NOT quite one side shorter legged than the other BUT..
BUT I've been Islanded by flooding of all routes in my area.
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Years ago, lookin to relocate, I called the cops and asked about crime, went to parking lots and just struck up conversations with locals, asking about general things. Schools,jobs,crime,
ReplyDeleteBeing able to strike areas off of the list is helpful.
Interesting - [OpenRailwayMap](https://www.openrailwaymap.org/) shows rail lines through Eaton Rapids as abandoned and only a small spur from Charlotte to the southeast that's active. But the railroad issue is likely minor compared to all the good points @Michael brought up. Many things to consider, good luck!
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ReplyDeleteDrainage is a big one for me. If things don't clearly slope away from the foundation, nuisance or trouble is ahead. Good lists above with neighbors, covenants, etc. Also check the deed for easements and local zoning things that restrict use of property. If you can't have anything within 50 feet of the property line, good luck adding a garden or kids play set.
ReplyDeleteOld fuel oil tanks are still a SOB to deal with. Asbestos kills.
Mold and refurbed meth labs are not nice to breath in and can be visually hard to detect. Make sure any such things are asked about IN WRITING before closing.
Check for internet access, lots of places that aren't right in town have limited or crappy and expensive internet access. It's becoming more important for school stuff for kids, as well as all the other good and bad things that go with internet.
Drive by at a few different times of day, traffic and scenery can change dramatically at 3 PM vs 6 or 10 or 2 AM.
Make sure you get the lot surveyed contingent on any offer, and I would have Miss Dig out to mark as well just in case.
An electrical inspection is a must, you want to know they have been installed and maintained properly. Is the main breaker panel labeled and are they accurate? Are all the receptacles three prong and actually grounded?
ReplyDeleteAre there any signs of water in the basement?
Drop a marble in the middle of the rooms and see where it goes.
Any hits on either house address in the court system? The shared driveway may be a problem when SB and HH have parked their cars and the neighbor blocks the driveway.
We’ve looked at several houses over the last few years. The biggest problem we ran into was the realtor agent showing the house had no info about many things. One house had high water stains in the basement, and the copper pipes had greenish corrosion and drip marks. Backyard had poison ivy bordering most of the yard, about 20’ away from the house. Agent didn’t know about any of that, there was nothing noted on the info pages she had. Another place we asked where the well head was; she pointed out the front door and said I think it’s out there…? Another house agent didn’t know there was a gravel construction operation across the road, about 1/4 mile through the woods - noise and dust from that operation. The backyard also had vegetation found in seasonal wetness (lots of ferns, exposed roots) and didn’t know if the river behind the house flooded or not.
ReplyDeleteShe’s smart to have an experienced Dad, and HH looking at stuff. The agent may not help at all.
Google earth. Overhead view of the area will show if there is something out of sight from ground level. Ask to see copies of the utility bills so you can see what actual costs are.
ReplyDeleteMy realtor called and house was in foreclosure. Drove over prior to listing. OMG, totally trashed house with 5 acres of "stuff". But it was 4 bdr, 2baths and 2K sq ft. I know how my BF at the time reacted. Realtor had 30 day listing before auction. I waited it the very last day and made an offer for their loan payoff. After closing I hired guy who basically slept there. He had full size pickup plus a trailer he used with plywood sides. Every day for a month he filled both and took 31 double loads to the dump. But I had the utility bills all run prior even to the offer. Made over a 100k when we sold. You HAVE to look past decor, color selection and focus on things that will cost you money after you move in immediately or in the near future.
ReplyDeleteTake the time, NOW to research and get to know the owners of some honest home inspectors in the area. Then when you make an offer, make it contingent on the inspection results. This will be the best $$$ you could ever spend, prior to purchasing. A good inspector will spend a day crawling around in the attic, checking the plumbing, electrical system and the crawl space (if there is one) looking for problems. And without a doubt, things will be found that require attention. Armed with this information, the seller may be amenable to accepting less to accommodate the repairs. My prayers for a successful search.
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