Buying A House: Must Haves & Deal Breakers?

[LeslieAGD]

My husband are making repairs to our home and hoping to put it up for sale in about a year. We have already remodeled the kitchen, updated one of the bathrooms, replaced nearly all the light fixtures, put a new roof on the house and garage, and installed new entry and storm doors.

We have a few more things to do (ie: new siding on the garage, fresh paint, update the landscaping, and remodel the master bath), but I was starting to wonder what other potential home buyers think.

What kinds of things would make you really want to purchase a particular home, or what things are the major turn-offs?

[navane]

If I was purchasing a new house, I would be looking for a good kitchen, decent bath and that the flooring is in good condition.

I can look past funny paint schemes, but a lot of people can't. So, make sure to pick neutral paint colors.


.....Kelly

[Xylochick216]

When we were house hunting, we looked at kitchen (especially appliances), bathrooms, floors, windows, heat pump, and yard. I liked houses that looked homey, but some were just so cluttered that all I could think about was the amount of stuff people had in them. We have a ton of stuff in our house now, but when we go to sell, we're taking a lot and putting it in storage to make the house clutter-free. I also remember liking the houses that smelled like baked goods (definitely not a deal-maker or breaker, but it made it seem homier to have the scent of apple pie or cookies).

If you're painting, go for neutrals, but I wouldn't make a special effort to paint unless you have bold colors or bad walls.

When we look for a house in the future, I know we're definitely looking at storage space. Our little 1918 house didn't originally have closets, so our closets are teeny additions on the rooms. I need a much bigger closet!

[Tippiechick]

I look for the obvious stuff. I also know a great home inspection. If selling, get one done by a REPUTABLE home inspector. Keep this on file. He can tell you what you should fix to bring it to code, to make it look better, and/or simply improve things. Your realtor should make note of it in the listing.

Floor plan and good bones are keys for me. A good coat of paint and a bit of elbow grease can fix about anything if the price is right.

If I am going for a house at market price or near it, I want little to no maintanance work. I want to see that the home has been well cared for. I want to see that the homeowners have a lifestyle of cleanliness. Is there a good smell?

I look at the plugs. Are the squarely set? Did the contractor just hurry through the job as fast as they could throw the house up at the time.

Are the light switches dirty? That's a turn-off.

Are the windowsills clean?

Is the paint PROFESSIONALLY done?

Did the homeowners do the little things? If they did, it's a good chance they have taken good care of the house.

Thing is, you need to remember your top-out. That is, what is the maximum asking price for your property. If your potential profit is going to be seriously eaten up in the remodeling, you'd be better off to do some mild repairs. OFFER A DECORATING/PAINTING/CARPET ALLOWANCE IN THE LISTING.

[aephi alum]

I've bought two houses and sold one.

When buying each house, we got home inspections done, and we got credits at closing for some necessary repairs.

If you are preparing a home for showing:
- Be sure all major repairs are done
- Be sure to declutter your house, and remove all personal effects like photos; make it look like a model, not a lived-in home
- Keep your driveway and front walk clear of snow (winter is coming)
- Don't be there when your house is shown

[summer_gphib]

We just went through the home search process (we ended up building), but the things we were looking for included a lot of what others have said. We took particular interest in flooring.

Also if I were selling, I'd spend the $300 or so, and have the home inspected-- just so you know what's wrong with it, and fix any little (or big!) problems. That way you don't get an offer contingent on inspection that falls through because you have issues you weren't aware of.

One of the houses we put an offer on looked GREAT, until we got the home inspection. It was the worst our realtor had ever seen (including electricution risk in the pool.)

Just an idea to throw out there.

Good luck!

[honeychile]

I'll state up front that I don't particularly care for the newer-built homes. The houses I've liked and/or bought were all built in the early 60's or older. So, some of the things that I've learned to look for are usually already corrected in the newer houses.

Must Haves:
-Plaster Walls! Not that garbage drywall stuff that falls apart when you try to hang something on it, or *horrors* try to remove nasty wallpaper. Obviously not something you can change, but this is my fantasy house.
-Updated electricity. Is there a circuit breaker or a fuse box? Can the electricity handle computers, televisions, microwave, air conditioning, washer, dryer, etc, etc?
-Energy savers: water heater, furnace, air conditioner, newer roof all good.
-Good structure, good flow to the floor plan.
-Built-ins, such as bookcases, office, and/or kitchen really thrill me, to the point where I've learned how to do some of this myself (thanks, Daddy!).
-CLOSET SPACE!!!! Can't state this strongly enough.
-Enough bathrooms/powder rooms. You can never have too many. And if one is in the basement or mudroom, take extra care that it's sparkling clean!


Deal Breakers:
-Trampoline in the yard. Someone who looks that hard for a lawsuit isn't someone who takes good care of his/her home. Same with too many toys, leaves, or snow in the driveway.
-Mildew smell! Won't even bother taking another step. The scent of cookies or such really doesn't mask it, but if you don't have a mildew problem, that smell really does work on the senses.
-So many trees that the place looks like a freaking forest! My current house has this, and no matter what I've done (as in removing most of them), I can't get the lawn to look right. Never again!
-Small thing, but burnt out light bulbs indicate a lack of home maintainance.


As was stated, a good home inspector will let you know what's good and what needs to be fixed (that's on both sides of the purchase). If something major such as a roof or carpeting needs to be replaced, an allowance should be made for it. Also, know ahead of times which appliances you're willing to sell with the house, and which you're not. That caught me off guard on my first house sale and probably cost me a higher offer.

If this helps, I once asked my cleaning service how they got my stainless sinks sparkle, and found out that they put baby oil in the cleaner (as in, pour about a tablespoon of baby oil in a bottle of 409 or Fantastic). And, it's great on the goop that's on faucets.

Good luck!

[AGDee]

And for those white ceramic sinks, bleach and then turtle wax.

Be careful how much money you put into it because (I'm sure you know) the market in Michigan is dismal. Watch the "sell this house" type shows. They give a lot of good tips. Basically, they say you will get your money back plus out of bathroom and kitchen remodels. Of course, you want to make sure the major stuff works. Have the furnace inspected. I agree with the electrical system comments too.. if you have fuses now, have a circuit breaker system installed instead.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

I've bought two houses and sold one.

When buying each house, we got home inspections done, and we got credits at closing for some necessary repairs.

If you are preparing a home for showing:
- Be sure all major repairs are done
- Be sure to declutter your house, and remove all personal effects like photos; make it look like a model, not a lived-in home
- Keep your driveway and front walk clear of snow (winter is coming)
- Don't be there when your house is shown

speaking of winter...how energy efficent is the house?

Insulation can go a looooong way to keeping electricity and heating bills down.

nothing worse than living in a house where central air and heating is out the roof because nothing is on the roof....hehe

[SWTXBelle]

I have a couple coming in from California to see my house. It was built in 1990, so it's not that old but I have:
- put on a new roof (thanks, tornado!)
-installed new carpeting upstairs
-replaced pink (PINK) kitchen countertops
-painted everything that doesn't move
-replaced all faucets - they were dated.
-decluttered - everything is in the barn.

and of course, most importantly - buried St. Joseph under the For Sale sign. Hey, you never know . . .

[scbelle]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

I have a couple coming in from California to see my house. It was built in 1990, so it's not that old but I have:
- put on a new roof (thanks, tornado!)
-installed new carpeting upstairs
-replaced pink (PINK) kitchen countertops
-painted everything that doesn't move
-replaced all faucets - they were dated.
-decluttered - everything is in the barn.

and of course, most importantly - buried St. Joseph under the For Sale sign. Hey, you never know . . .

^^^
Yep, did that (bury St. Joseph), and within a month, sold the house. It had been on the market nearly a year before that.

[SthrnZeta]

I'm in real estate and I can tell you the two things that add value to a house are the kitchen and the master bed/bath. People tend to be able to look past some other stuff, but those tend to be dealbreakers if they aren't up to par for the buyer. Of course you want to make sure the house is structurally sound (roof, floor, etc) and make sure stuff works (AC/heat, plumbing, etc.) but those two areas I mentioned add a lot of value and are the two things people tend to focus on. When showing the house, it's helpful to not only have it be clean, but clutterfree - meaning, not a lot of personal knick knacks everywhere, etc. and neutral colors are great - that way, the buyer can see the house as a blank canvas so that they start thinking of their stuff in the house, hard to do if it's full to the rafters with your stuff.

[SthrnZeta]

I've never heard of burying St. Joseph under the For Sale sign - what is he the saint of? (I'm not Catholic, don't know my saints except for St. Francis since I'm in vet med).

[scbelle]

He is Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus and a carpenter by trade. Info about supplicating to him to intervene in real estate endeavors can be found here.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by SthrnZeta

I'm in real estate and I can tell...

Originally Posted by SthrnZeta

I've never heard of burying St. Joseph under the For Sale sign - what is he the saint of? (I'm not Catholic, don't know my saints except for St. Francis since I'm in vet med).

Vet med and real estate? Do you also go to law school at Houston and DePaul?

My boyfriend and I have been looking for a house in his town forever and it's starting to intensify since I graduate in May and we have to get two apartments full of furniture and clothes in one place. Here's important things to us:

1) Closet space - and if there isn't a ton of space, at least make them well-designed. The house he rents where we lived this summer had California closets, but they weren't designed for a woman because there was nowhere to hang a dress, so all my dresses went into our coat closet.
2) Updated kitchen - we want an older house, but at least make sure your cabinets and countertops and floors are younger than we are. I'd also rather have a dishwasher than extra cabinet space
3) Bathrooms with storage - those pedestal sinks are really cute and good for a guest room - not so much the master bath
4) New windows
5) Newer furnace, roof, water heater
6) A yard that's either blank, really traditional landscaping, and preferably lots of trees - we keep looking at houses that have really expensive landscaping that we think is really really ugly
7) No wallpaper!
8) A garage with storage space - even if it's just a one car, make it look like we could easily store a lot there
9) Try and get neutral colors whenever possible - there's a house we love with a perfect home office for us but that was used a nursery last and is electric blue with a truck border. We keep looking at the house and then thinking of home many times we'd have to paint that room before it'd be useable.