House Hunting? - Cuba,MO

- Attached garage is a MUST (unless they live someplace that is sunny and 70 deg all year round)
- No mold! - does the basement smell funny?
- Neighbors - trashy, yapping dogs outside?
- No carpet throughout if anyone in the fam has allergies
- Big enough backyard for the kids
- STORAGE - Master bedroom closet - big enough? If not, big closets closeby?
- Observe traffic in the area while you are there - are cars whizzing by at 45 in a 30 and no place for the kids to play safely/ride bikes, etc?
- School district
- Proximity to day care, work and stores

Why was my concern the kitchen when I hate to cook! LOL

We built our home, so it was a little different. However, we started the process by looking at existing homes and this is what we looked for:

-School District rating (and go back a few years, not just the "current")
-Crime rate
-Storage (attic and unfinished basement)
-Open concept living/dining room (we're not formal people, so I didn't want a segmented house
-Little projects were okay, major repairs or updates were not
- General layout had to be solid b/c knocking down walls wasn't an option
-Neighborhood (we drove through our potential neighborhoods at different times of the day and night to see what it was like)
- Taxes (again, look at the trend for several years)

** Remind them that they need to really like their home, but that they do not want to over-extend themselves financially. You can always "update" and "refresh" as you go and make the house their own over time!**

Well first off- if the backyard is not big.. Then I look no further- Regardless!
I prefer that the house not have carpet.
I like a split bedroom set up.
Large rooms, lots of storage/cabinet space.
I want a kid friendly neighborhood too- is there a place for my kids to ride their bikes without too much traffic?
Must have a fireplace- we love fires in the winter.
School district- even if their kids are not at that age yet.

I could go on and on. I am getting the feeling that I will just know it when I find the right place. It is an exhausting experience!

The lifestyle that the house will provide - distance from work options, outdoor activities, outdoor space, beautiful view, desirable school district. How much work will the house require for maintenance. Design and layout of rooms.

They should make a short list of their most important features. And after all that prep work, most house buyers make a decision within 15 seconds of walking into a house. We go by our feelings, and nothing wrong with that!

Location, location, location. Look up the test scores for schools in the area and that will be the clue as to which neighborhood(s) to target. Better the test scores, the better resale will go. This does mean, though, that prices will be higher, but aiming for the top schools in the district is always wise.

Start watching House Hunters on HGTV. This will give them good tips on what to look for. You want to avoid any negatives (backs up to railroad tracks, next door to apts., near a nuclear power plant, etc.) because they will greatly affect resale down the road.

Ours were school district, yard-we have a scottish terrier and knew we'd have kids, neighborhood, grocery store drive time, airport as my husband travels for work a lot. How far from train tracks - we're about 1 mile and it's still very loud there are approximately 18 freight trains that go back and forth daily near us. Storage - we live in Texas where basements are few and far between. And finally what resells well in the area? The answer to that from agents was 4 bedrooms even if you use one as a den. At least 2 bathrooms. Pantry in the kitchen.
Other things I would consider now that we've lived here for 7 years. Where does the HVAC system sit if you don't have a basement? What is traffic like - including school times it WILL be AWFUL if you live a block down from any school, for at least 2 hours a day. I would also separate my laundry room and pantry, they're combined and while huge, I hate it.

Everything about a house can be changed, except it's location. Don't fall in love with the bells and whistles if the house isn't in a good neighborhood. If they find a house they like, it won't hurt to knock on a few neighbors' doors and just flat out ask them if and why they like their neigborhood. People (especially first time home buyers) sometimes make the mistake of getting so obsessed with finding the perfect house, they forget to look into crappy neighbors, traffic, schools, the REALLY important stuff. If it comes down to a fixer-upper in a GREAT location that's priced well vs granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, new carpeting and paint in a not so great area, I'll take the fixer-upper anyday.

They should sit down and make a list of what is important to them.

Location, school district, storage, and something affordable that won't having them eating ALPO, no matter WHAT the bank says! And did I mention STORAGE?

1. no 2 story homes. unless they enjoy hopping around baby gates and breaking their backs hauling kids up and down the stairs all day. Trust me
2. At least 1 acre so the kids can play outside and the neighbors won't irritate you.
3. House must have a interior hallway, basement or closet on the first floor away from windows or doors so they can have a safe shelter during storms.
4. Storage storage storage
5. location location location
6. Neighbors? Rednecks or quiet
7. Don't beleive everything your realtor says.
This list is one my hubby and I failed to check off before buying our house and with the market it looks like we're going be stuck a while.

They should make a list of things that are important to them and their lifestyle. Keeping in mind that things change as the kids get older.

Some things to consider...
Live in/near the center of town or outskirts
Yard - do you plan on having a pool, garden, outdoor play area or do you prefer little maintenance and go to the local park/playground
Neighborhood - Are there kids in the area (same age as yours)? A lot of dogs? Busy street?
Storage - it seems like you can never have enough
Bathrooms - I know it sounds weird, but we looked at older homes where we wouldn't fit comfortably (toilet was right up against the sink),
Bedroom size - do you have a king sized bed, will it fit?

We didn't plan on this, but it turned out to be a huge plus. All 3 schools (elementary, middle and high school) are all within walking distance.

good church with family programs, family friendly areas in town like library services, kids programs (park district),parks w/ playgrounds, house:outside safe play area, storage, room for toys that the kids will play with(inside and outside) and convenient laundry area, big kitchen.

Assuming they are already employed, I think the most important thing is the school district and the neighbors. If they want to stay in this house forever, they don't want to move into a neighborhood next to horrible people, and then they are trapped. I am going to be house hunting in a year or two, and when I find the house I want, I intend to go talk to the neighbors before I put down a bid...I want to be completely happy with my choice and I only want one house forever. My parents sold our house when they divorced when I was 14 and it broke my heart. I was more upset about that then the divorce. I still go back to my old neighbor hood and trick or treat with my daughter and visit the area. I am 34 and the house is in PA, we live in Ks. I plan to move back to Pa, and preferably into the same school district, if not into the same housing plan

my response is geared more toward the mechanics of the home. If your sis is on a budget, then cosmetics issues will be fairly inexpensive to change/fix.....but that's it. Any electrical, plumbing, etc will be costly to address!

When we looked at homes (& according to our realtor, we held the record for # of homes viewed!), we had a checklist which we reviewed as we toured the home. We did not want to have to "remember" the details....we wanted a reference base for our discussions at home.

1. exterior: condition of windows, doors, roof, guttering, driveway, & yard. We tried to check out homes during rain.....to check for wet spots.
2. entry: easy access or do you have to manuveur around the open door? Coat closet & condition of its door. Entry flooring durable & easy to clean? Screen door in workable, lockable condition?
3. for all rooms: we checked flooring, condition of walls/doors, closets. We also checked the # of outlets, condition, & placement in each room. We looked at lighting & ceiling fans....made sure all worked. We considered size of room, placement of our furniture. We raised & lowered windows....& checked condition of sills.
4. bathrooms: we flushed the toilet while the tub was running. We checked to see if tub/sink drained slowly. We checked for "soft spots" on the floor around the tub/toilet. We checked under the sink for water issues. We checked quality of lighting.
5. kitchen: we filled the sink & made sure it drained properly. Looked under the sink for leak issues. Checked condition of appliances, cabinets, & made sure all drawers opened/closed properly. Even turned on gas stoves to make sure the burners worked! We also made sure the lighting was effective for work stations. I hate working in shadows!

There was more to our list....but you get the idea! I know a lot of this is covered during the inspection, but we wanted a clear idea of what to expect & whether or not these issues would push the home out of our acceptable list. Some of the older homes had limited electricals....which is an expensive fix. One of the homes still had the old parallel wiring setup!!! My DH was horrified! Two of the homes had drainage issues.....so if there's no public sewer for the home...make sure the drainage field is up to code. Otherwise it's an expensive fix.

I could go on & on! At the time of our move, my DH was working 60+ hours a week. We had just finished a complete renov on our existing home, & with the move...he wanted a home not requiring any immediate attention. We had a short timeframe to work within, lots of angst with our move....& having a checklist helped keep us focused & made the decision-making process so much easier! Good Luck to your brother/SIL!!