https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:37:24 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home/page/2#post-2337530 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 18:13:15 +0000 Silva 2337530@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We were had a fast approaching deadline, and decided to buy / looked at/made an offer/ were under contract very quickly.<br /> We had to see a lot f places in one day to accommodate my husbands schedule- I screened a few ahead of time.<br /> We made a spreadsheet doc for each house. The spreadsheet had a category for every criteria that was important to us. We rated each house during the tour and reviewed on the car ride. You will definitely fall in love with houses, so we found it helpful to have the rating be our guide.</p> <p>I am really glad that we didn't blow our entire savings on the down payment. A lot of stuff comes up- furniture, paint, tools, lawn mower, etc. and we bought an older house knowing we'd be doing some bigger stuff of the bat.</p> <p>We love our house, and plan to stay for 5-6 years. The school district wasn't as big a consideration for us because of that, but will narrow our choices significantly for our next house. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home/page/2#post-2337496 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:51:05 +0000 sorrycharlie 2337496@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>the market is hot! don't be afraid to jump on a house. we viewed a home the day it went on the market, and made an offer the next night. it was only the 2nd house we looked at I think, but houses were FLYING off the market and it felt right. super dated but great bones. we are so happy we jumped on it! we were the first of 4 submitted offers, and 11 interested parties. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home/page/2#post-2337494 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:49:48 +0000 Mama Bird 2337494@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pay attention to flood zones, especially if you're near a coast.</p> <p>Stairs outside are a royal pain in the winter. Unless they're somehow blocked from snow, you'll be plowing them after every snowstorm, and then chipping off ice if you didn't get all the snow.</p> <p>Don't overpay. I know several families trapped in houses that no longer work for them because they bought on a market peak.</p> <p>Pay attention to the fuel source (oil can be expensive if the supply tank leaks) and water source (if it's a well or another groundwater source, it's vulnerable to contamination and needs regular testing). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home/page/2#post-2337492 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:48:42 +0000 MrsRoo 2337492@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MediaNaranja: yay! Good luck!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home/page/2#post-2337455 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:22:31 +0000 BandDmommy 2337455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've bought 3 places, 2 were new build.<br /> 1. Always get a home inspection<br /> 2. Overlook other people's furniture and design choices<br /> 3. Don't be house poor<br /> 4. Even if it's new build there are still expenses so make sure you have good amount in savings<br /> 5. Have fun!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home/page/2#post-2337454 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:21:26 +0000 Winterbee15 2337454@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Apologize if this has been said but I would contact the energy supplier to get them to give you an average monthly bill is for the home(s) you end up considering. I wish we would have done that. Our first winter bills were an unpleasant surprise. :bummed: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337443 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:10:52 +0000 mrs.shinerbock 2337443@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you are buying in a relatively new development, take a look at the HOA bylaws/regulations. I've see some crazy strict ones like dictating the number of plants in your front yard and forbidding any decorations in you yard. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337440 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:06:57 +0000 MediaNaranja 2337440@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsRoo: Thank you for this thread! We are also starting the process of buying our 1st home and this thread is very helpful! </p> <p>I won't offer any advice since we're in the same boat :P </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337439 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:05:47 +0000 Modern Daisy 2337439@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pick the top 3 things that you will NOT compromise on and focus on those. For us it was school district, residential neighborhood/street and large level backyard. There were so many other super fancy new construction homes in our price range that were on busy streets, not in a neighborhood and had no backyard or were on a steep hill (which makes for a nice view but not great for small kids). I'm so super glad I did not compromise on these things because they would have drove me crazy! Also, don't buy at the top of your price range. We bought a house that was only 33% of what we were approved for and have NO regrets. We have extra money for renovations and additions and either one of us can quit our jobs at any time and we wouldn't have to worry about downsizing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337437 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:01:35 +0000 MrsRoo 2337437@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow, you have all given me a lot to consider. I knew Id get great advice from you guys! I'll use this thread to make a list of things to look at on our tour of houses.</p> <p>@DesertDreams88: I'm also a person who likes to sleep on big decisions. It's scary for me to think that we have to be prepared to make offers that quickly. I definitely have been envisioning a deliberation period after we see some homes :shocked: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337435 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:00:46 +0000 honeybear 2337435@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>- Take your time. You can't really know the market unless you spend a lot of time watching it. Your agent may know the market generally, but you need to know it at a very granular level--for the town, neighborhood, and street you're looking at. Your agent probably sells properties all over the county, and there are likely a lot of places that they're familiar with that are of zero relevance to you. </p> <p>- Think about all the places you've lived in and make a list of all the things you loved about them and all the things that bothered you. Remember these things when looking at houses.</p> <p>- Don't feel pressured and trust your instinct. If something--anything--feels wrong, walk away. (This includes walking away from your agent, if necessary.) If you've got an external pressure, like a lease that is ending, eliminate it immediately. Losing a few months' rent or a deposit is nothing compared to what you could lose if you rush into a bad deal on a house.</p> <p>- The relevant price to look at to determine if it is a reasonable deal is price per square foot. You should know the sale price per square foot (and the condition and sizes) for all of the houses that might be comparables, and you should make your own list of comparables (your agent will give you one, but you should be keeping track of recent sales and making your own). If you don't already know the average price per square foot of the sales in the area you're looking in, spend time on Redfin or Zillow looking at sales to figure it out.</p> <p>- Don't look at more than 3 houses in a trip. It's impossible to remember them all or pay attention to the details once you've hit more than that and you generally only get one or two visits to the house before you have to decide whether to plunk down a sizable chunk of your savings on it.</p> <p>- Go to open houses in the areas you are interested in, even if you'd never buy the house. It's a good way to get to know the area, and you should be visiting the streets/neighborhoods you're interested in a LOT.</p> <p>- Go drive/walk around the 'hoods you think you like at all hours of the day. Even better, stop and talk to people who are out in the neighborhood when you do this.</p> <p>- If HOAs are popular in your neck of the woods, figure out whether you'd be happy living in one. It can be a very different experience than in a non-HOA (or a voluntary HOA) neighborhood.</p> <p>- Get the inspection done ASAP. </p> <p>- Don't get emotionally invested. There are lots of great houses and if you happen to lose out on one, another one will come along shortly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337432 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:51:32 +0000 MaryM 2337432@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Another thing from our last move, Don't count out (or really fall in love with) a property based on the photos in the listing. </p> <p>DH and I were in a time crunch because we'd sold our old house. We both saw our current house's listing and initially thought "Meh" because of how dated it looked in photos. But as we were running out of options, we decided to give it a shot. </p> <p>As soon as we pulled into the neighborhood we were floored that this house was in our price range. It IS dated, but it's not unlivable. It has quite the 1970s kitchen, but everything works and we can eventually update it to our liking. And once the original owner's contemporary furniture was moved out, the entire house didn't look as dated anymore. </p> <p>Because it wasn't all spanking brand new, we were able to afford WAY more house than we expected in our ideal neighborhood (that we never thought we could afford). The important (expensive) things that aren't obvious in photos were updated (HVAC, roof). Our inspector flat out told us we were getting a steal because although the house was older, it was in crazy good condition. </p> <p>DH and I were initially wanting something with a larger/updated kitchen (because we hated the dated kitchen in our old house), but this house has worked out so well for us on all other counts, so we haven't minded the kitchen so much.</p> <p>ETA (I forgot)... On the flip side, we learned to beware of houses that looked too good to be true, and to read the listings CLOSELY. "Renovated appliances" in one listing meant that the dishwasher had been spray painted silver in order to match the stainless refrigerator. And painted cabinets might look nice and new in a listing, but absolutely horrid in person when you see the crappy job they've done. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337428 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:44:27 +0000 MaryM 2337428@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: Agree on the offers! I'm not good at making last minute decisions. At all. That was probably my least favorite part of home buying. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337425 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:40:09 +0000 DesertDreams88 2337425@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There will be a lot of one time expenses up front, so it's not just about adding a home maintenance section to your budget. We needed to buy some appliances for the yard, fix the garage door that broke a week after we bought it, that kind of thing. We also bought certain furnishings that we didn't need in our apartment, like welcome mats, different size curtains, curtain rods, etc.</p> <p>Another thing that hasn't been mentioned above is I was really surprised at how quickly we would need to put down offers. I'm a person that likes to deliberate long and hard on decisions, but I had to learn in my market that if I saw a house I liked, I needed to be ready to put in an offer that day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337422 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:36:42 +0000 MaryM 2337422@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I second the recommendation of your realtor working for you. Don't be afraid to "fire" them if it's not working, and wait to sign an exclusivity clause until they've taken you to some showings. </p> <p>I wasted a lot of time working with sub-par realtors. The first one insisted my parents give me a boatload of money because they would only show me places within 10 miles of work or else I'd be miserable. (My parents didn't the money to give me, and I wanted to live further out to get more house. I couldn't afford to live that close to work). they pushed me to sign the exclusivity document, and thankfully that turned me off. </p> <p>Then I worked with a friend of DH for a while, but he was focusing a lot on where he would want to live and not so much on my wants/needs. And he wasn't very organized. That wasted a lot of our time. </p> <p>I ended up finding a third through an ad and we've been repeat clients with him. Whereas DH's friend would have us driving willy nilly all over the county looking at things, the realtor I chose would map out where things were and show me some of the listings I picked out and some that he thought might work for me. He's professional, organized, and made our lives a lot easier (which is why we went back when we sold/bought again) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337421 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:34:51 +0000 PawPrints 2337421@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We lucked out in a million ways with our first home, which is still our home. There are lots of things I love that I wouldn't have thought to look for. Stuff that was not on my radar when we bought:<br /> -South-facing big windows are terrible. I see these windows emphasized as a selling point all the time, but to me it says "this house will be blazing hot in the summer and you'll be awake at 4am every day in July" (if the bedroom has those big windows too). I love how relatively cool our house is in the summer (since we don't have AC).<br /> -Privacy/quiet. Our house is set back from the road on both sides, so it feels a little more private while still being in a pleasantly dense area. Too much road noise can drive you insane over time. Also being on the back row puts us at lower risk for package theft from our porch, which is a big problem in our city.<br /> -Never ever buy at the bottom of a hill. Flooding is your worst nightmare.<br /> -Old houses are super charming, but buying high quality new construction pays for itself a million times over. We've barely spent any money on home repairs in 6.5 years of ownership. And it's extremely energy efficient, which makes us more comfortable in hot/cold weather and saves money on bills.<br /> -Off-street parking is non-negotiable. Preferably a garage. There are a ton of vehicle break-ins where we live and it is such a secure feeling knowing our car is inside a locked garage all the time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337419 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:32:49 +0000 caitlanc 2337419@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Always get a home inspection.<br /> Be honest with yourselves. We all like to think that we'll enjoy DIYing a project (or 10) or use space in a particular way but that may not be the day-to-day reality.<br /> Once you do buy a home, live in it (if possible) before taking on big projects. We bought our home certain that we would gut the kitchen. We lived in it for a bit and realized there's actually a lot that we like about the layout but also a problematic door that we wouldn't have known to relocate if we had jumped in immediately. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337414 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:27:30 +0000 coopsmama 2337414@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Synchronicity: Ah gotcha. So it's more your particular home/lot than corner lots specifically. :) Sorry about the snow in the winter - that sounds super aggravating! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337411 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:26:25 +0000 Synchronicity 2337411@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@coopsmama: @LindsayLou: where we live in Ontario we get a ton of snow in the winter, and every time the snowplow goes down our street (sometimes more than once a day) we end up with a 4ft tall mountain of snow that blocks in our entire driveway. It's awful! All of our neighbors have told us how much they pity us in the winter :P Also, the way our lot is set up, it means a lot of useless side yard that I'd rather not have to deal with! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337409 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:24:52 +0000 gingerbebe 2337409@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1. If you buy a single-story home, there is more noise - people coming in and out of the garage, cabinets slamming in the kitchen - because everything is on one level. We like single-story living, but its not for everyone. Two-stories mean lots of hiking up and down getting stuff and kids in and out of the house.</p> <p>2. Keep a good eye on the taxes, fees, bonds, and assessments in the area. Especially new built neighborhoods - you pay much more to pay for all the infrastructure (roads, lights, parks) that are new. It can really add to your mortgage.</p> <p>3. Keep a little money aside for taxes. You can expect to get an adjusted assessment a few months after you move if your house is worth more than what it was taxed at previously. The county will send you a bill for the difference. </p> <p>4. Landscaping costs a LOT of money. Make sure that the grounds are at least something you can continue to maintain. If you have to put in new grass, a retaining wall, fencing, or sprinklers, you could be talking a lot of money.</p> <p>5. Think reasonably of how long you want to live in the house. Buying a 5 year house is different from a forever house. We bought a house knowing it wasn't our forever house BUT bought enough house that if we had to live in it longer, we wouldn't be bursting at the seams. I would say if you are looking at a 5 year house, think about something you COULD live in for 10. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337407 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:19:39 +0000 LindsayLou 2337407@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Synchronicity: also curious about why not. Our last house was on a corner lot and we loved it! Our yard felt much bigger than it really was. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337406 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:18:25 +0000 LindsayLou 2337406@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1) storage<br /> 2) Lay out, how versatile it is and how you think your furniture will fit. Having or wanting to buy new furniture is expensive.<br /> 3) Heating, insulation and ventilation. We knew our house would be hot in the summer, due to outdated windows, but didn't consider that the living room has no east facing windows, so it's almost impossible to get a good breeze in the evenings.<br /> 4) Don't rush. Take your time, don't settle just because you're ready to move. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337402 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:12:06 +0000 coopsmama 2337402@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Synchronicity: Why not? I live on a corner lot and love it! </p> <p>My biggest advice is that fixer upper's sound fun in theory but unless you're able to actually do the bulk of the fixing up yourself - they are SO expensive. Our first house was a huge mistake because of that reason. Never again! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337400 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:10:54 +0000 Bao 2337400@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Buy a house with good bones. The rest can be fixed. Also we looked for a house we could grow into. Don't buy more house than you can afford. We got approved for an insane amount we knew we couldn't handle so we went 50k less. Look around at the neighbors houses, you don't want to live next to a dump! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337399 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:10:49 +0000 Miss Ariel 2337399@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What I loved about our house when we bought it was the backyard. But I never thought about how much work the prior owners did to maintain it. It's so overgrown now and we rarely use it. Although with older kids it may work better, but it def makes me want a more maintainable yard in our next house. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337396 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:08:48 +0000 Synchronicity 2337396@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We bought a corner lot... Never again!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337395 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:07:43 +0000 winter_wonder 2337395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Don't forget to check out the neighbors! Ours in one side are extremely sketchy... :bummed: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337394 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:07:26 +0000 ShootingStar 2337394@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Buy a place that you realistically want to live in for at least 5 years. Selling a house is expensive and sometimes you're underwater for a while. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337390 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:04:22 +0000 catlady 2337390@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wish I had thought more about:<br /> - Layout as opposed to square footage<br /> - Heating and cooling systems (if they are old, think about how easy and expensive they will be to replace)</p> <p>I am glad we did the following:<br /> - Bought in a great location in terms of commute and amenities, even though it was more expensive than other areas<br /> - Made sure we got lots of storage space </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-bought-your-first-home#post-2337384 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 15:57:03 +0000 hellobeeboston 2337384@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>All of the costs associated with actually buying our first home was surprising to me! Closing costs, inspection fees, realtor fees, taxes, etc etc..... </p>