🏡 Better Homes Looking for advice on buying my first house.
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We've bought 2 houses in Yorkville. First was new construction right before the housing market crash of 2008 ($ down in fall of 06, closed in spring 07, lost any/all value from being in Phase 1 of new construction almost immediately). Current house we moved into last year (yes, it took almost 13 years for the property values to actually rise enough that we weren't underwater on the first house). So don't buy during a bubble is my first piece of advice. LOL
Get a good realtor, ask around for recommendations. They will help you along with the process. Ours recommended both an inspector and a real estate lawyer, which you'll need.
One thing we didn't do at this house that we should have and didn't really think about, was to open and close every door (when you're more in the putting in an offer phase). We didn't do this and when we moved in, low and behold all 3 doors in our master bedroom (main door, door to walk in closet and the bathroom door) would not close at all. the trim and frame were not square. There were a handful of other doors in the house that would not close easily that we still had to adjust.
We had a 1 yr home warranty on this house, we used it a few times and let it expire after the year was up. I wouldn't pay for it myself, but it's worth asking the sellers to include one.
Good luck!
When I’m working with new buyer clients, could be first time home buyers or 10 time home buyer I always ask for them to get a lenders pre-approved letter, helps with finding a home that fits a budget. Maybe approved for more then what you would like to spend and can adjust home search
Do your research on the house, and have your realtor do so also. Read the disclosures, if the house looks like it had additional rooms added, make sure the permits were pulled and signed off on.
have a second set of eyes with you when you view a home.
look into the home warranty on hvac, worth it.
Do your research on the house, and have your realtor do so also. Read the disclosures, if the house looks like it had additional rooms added, make sure the permits were pulled and signed off on.
have a second set of eyes with you when you view a home.
look into the home warranty on hvac, worth it.
I would say look beyond just the layout and the usual things that draw you in.
For me I’m probably a little weird and analytical, but when I’m walking around I’m feeling every supply and return vent for the hvac. Do you feel any hot or cold spots in the home? I am also looking at things like the paint in the corner, outlet covers etc. I look at the small details to tell me a better overall picture of the home. So for example if you find shotty paint and missing outlet covers or just those small items lying around… do you really think they took care of the larger items in the home? Things like that.
Also start to price out what things will cost when they go bad (if it’s not a new home). Furnace, AC, roof, maybe windows down the road?
The big ticket items, can you afford them if things go south? Owning a home isn’t just the mortgage payment. So if there are some big ticket items that may come due in a year or 2, don’t just over look those.
For me I’m probably a little weird and analytical, but when I’m walking around I’m feeling every supply and return vent for the hvac. Do you feel any hot or cold spots in the home? I am also looking at things like the paint in the corner, outlet covers etc. I look at the small details to tell me a better overall picture of the home. So for example if you find shotty paint and missing outlet covers or just those small items lying around… do you really think they took care of the larger items in the home? Things like that.
Also start to price out what things will cost when they go bad (if it’s not a new home). Furnace, AC, roof, maybe windows down the road?
The big ticket items, can you afford them if things go south? Owning a home isn’t just the mortgage payment. So if there are some big ticket items that may come due in a year or 2, don’t just over look those.
My next house...gotta have a basement, period. All that extra space will come in handy eventually.
My biggest regret. Not having a basement and very little storage makes it VERY apparent of all the bullshit the wife buys.
Make sure your sump pump works/has a backup in case of power failure and make sure your downspouts drain away from the house.When I lived in Belleville, the rental I had didn't have an extension for the sump and one storm later, the thing was running for a couple hours straight while I was trying to sleep. Realized it was draining right back into the foundation and never actually evacuating the water.
Good advice about the A/C. Either inspect it yourself, or have someone come out to check it.
I bought a house that was a top to bottom remodel. During the remodel, they ran the main floor A/C unit without a filter. So all that drywall, wood floor sanding and other construction dust got into the evap coils and clogged them up. Unfortunately, it passed inspection and was working fine on the day I bought it.
But literally the next day after I bought it, the compressor started short cycling, probably tripping on high head pressure due to the evap coils being clogged with major shit and iced over. This was a monster 6 ton all-in-one unit with A/C and gas heat that was outside and probably cost north of $10K. It would have sucked if it took a dump because of negligence, especially since it was only a few years old. In any case, it might be a good idea to get an HVAC guy to inspect the systems and don't rely on a home inspector.
In regards to basements, make sure there are no water leaks and it's dry. If there is a sump pump, make sure there is a battery backup.
One thing about basements is it's very easy to accumulate a lot of crap down there, since it's a big storage area. Try not to fall into the trap of storing too much useless crap because if you ever have to move again, it will take months to clean it out. Also, always run a dehumidifier in a basement.
Like Frank said, get a pre-approval letter if you're doing a mortgage. In this market where cash is king, you'll need one to even have a chance.
I bought a house that was a top to bottom remodel. During the remodel, they ran the main floor A/C unit without a filter. So all that drywall, wood floor sanding and other construction dust got into the evap coils and clogged them up. Unfortunately, it passed inspection and was working fine on the day I bought it.
But literally the next day after I bought it, the compressor started short cycling, probably tripping on high head pressure due to the evap coils being clogged with major shit and iced over. This was a monster 6 ton all-in-one unit with A/C and gas heat that was outside and probably cost north of $10K. It would have sucked if it took a dump because of negligence, especially since it was only a few years old. In any case, it might be a good idea to get an HVAC guy to inspect the systems and don't rely on a home inspector.
In regards to basements, make sure there are no water leaks and it's dry. If there is a sump pump, make sure there is a battery backup.
One thing about basements is it's very easy to accumulate a lot of crap down there, since it's a big storage area. Try not to fall into the trap of storing too much useless crap because if you ever have to move again, it will take months to clean it out. Also, always run a dehumidifier in a basement.
Like Frank said, get a pre-approval letter if you're doing a mortgage. In this market where cash is king, you'll need one to even have a chance.
My first home was a town home. I was told never buy with an HSA but I had no problems. Sounds like where you're looking you don't have to worry about but I would take a walk around the neighborhoods you're looking at and talk to the people that are out. Ask them how they like it and you will usually get the truth about bad neighbors, shitty HOA's or things like that. ALWAYS set a budget and don't exceed it. I have done this with both of my houses and always ended up in a good spot when selling. I was tempted to go outside my budget a few times and never did. I'm thankful for that. Buying how is ballsy. I have given up for a year or two.
My biggest regret. Not having a basement and very little storage makes it VERY apparent of all the bullshit the wife buys.
When I lived in Belleville, the rental I had didn't have an extension for the sump and one storm later, the thing was running for a couple hours straight while I was trying to sleep. Realized it was draining right back into the foundation and never actually evacuating the water.
A bad storm came by the evening when we closed. The inspection caught that the backup sump wasn't working, so I got a credit for that (was a bad controller that was fixed under warranty), but I noticed that the pump wasn't turning off. Well, the switch failed on thankfully. I wasn't sure how long it had been that way, so I went to Home Depot and threw a new one.
Anyways, I agree not having a basement is a no deal for me. Also, if you plan on having kids buy the biggest home you can afford. The little shits toys and crap take up a lot of space.
Basement is always a plus unless it is on low ground and floods easily. Look for stains on the walls that give away any flooding and the depth of water that accumulated. I was super worried about the basement in the place I just bought because a tributary of the Fox River is right across the street. It put my mind at ease after seeing a full sump pump and indoor drain weeping system. Then came to find out the sump pump is not even hooked up because the whole house is built on gravel and sand so it really wasn’t needed in the first place and the sump never get anything more than 4” of water in it.
I agree with getting a good realtor as well. I’ve been lucky buying houses because my mom is a realtor as well and works with first timers all the time.
I agree with getting a good realtor as well. I’ve been lucky buying houses because my mom is a realtor as well and works with first timers all the time.
Take a look at FEMA flood maps in the areas you're interested in. Also if you would like to eventually build a bigger garage or have something like a pole barn, take a look at ordinances for each city/village you're interested in. Most of the building code info is publicly posted on village websites, although can require a little digging to find.
I've been patiently looking for the last year. I gave up over the summer because of the chaotic market, but I'm actively looking again. Do some shopping for mortgage rates. Some will recommend a broker, but I didn't find it necessary. I got my most recent pre-approval from Better Mortgage. They had competitively low rates and I was basically able to do everything myself through their website, rather than having to meet or talk on the phone with a broker. I also checked rates with my bank and credit union.
One thing I've found is that you just have to get out and look at places to get an idea of what you want. Once you look at 2-3 houses, it really helps you narrow down what you must have and things you can compromise on. The photos on listings are always deceiving. Yesterday I looked at a place that I thought looked perfect for me in pictures. It wasn't what I expected when I saw it in person. Wide angle lenses really skew your perspective in the listing photos.
I've been patiently looking for the last year. I gave up over the summer because of the chaotic market, but I'm actively looking again. Do some shopping for mortgage rates. Some will recommend a broker, but I didn't find it necessary. I got my most recent pre-approval from Better Mortgage. They had competitively low rates and I was basically able to do everything myself through their website, rather than having to meet or talk on the phone with a broker. I also checked rates with my bank and credit union.
One thing I've found is that you just have to get out and look at places to get an idea of what you want. Once you look at 2-3 houses, it really helps you narrow down what you must have and things you can compromise on. The photos on listings are always deceiving. Yesterday I looked at a place that I thought looked perfect for me in pictures. It wasn't what I expected when I saw it in person. Wide angle lenses really skew your perspective in the listing photos.
Pretty much all of the above.
When I work with my clients, I have them get that pre-approval as soon as possible as it could change the search parameters a lot. Come up with your list of must haves, but keep it short as there is likely a lot out there that check off a majority of your boxes, but not all. You can never have enough space or storage for sure. I am pretty good and seeing things during showings, but always still do an inspection and get a good attorney. Having a good team on your side goes a long way it making it go as smooth as possible. I have bought and sold a few times before I became a realtor myself so I can help answer questions from both sides of the coin.
I am licensed Realtor in IL and would be happy to help any way I can even if you wanted to go with somebody else (though I wouldn't mind being your Realtor, LOL).
When I work with my clients, I have them get that pre-approval as soon as possible as it could change the search parameters a lot. Come up with your list of must haves, but keep it short as there is likely a lot out there that check off a majority of your boxes, but not all. You can never have enough space or storage for sure. I am pretty good and seeing things during showings, but always still do an inspection and get a good attorney. Having a good team on your side goes a long way it making it go as smooth as possible. I have bought and sold a few times before I became a realtor myself so I can help answer questions from both sides of the coin.
I am licensed Realtor in IL and would be happy to help any way I can even if you wanted to go with somebody else (though I wouldn't mind being your Realtor, LOL).
Realize that you can and will be certified for way more money by a bank than you might be comfortable spending per month.
Inspectors are only so good, I would recomend getting an actual hvac person. Or if you find a card near the furnace call those people and see what service they have done to the hvac system. If you miss this you are on the hook for 6-10k.
home warranties trying to be sold by the realtors are generally crap. They will always find a reason to not give you the warrantied item.
Inspectors are only so good, I would recomend getting an actual hvac person. Or if you find a card near the furnace call those people and see what service they have done to the hvac system. If you miss this you are on the hook for 6-10k.
home warranties trying to be sold by the realtors are generally crap. They will always find a reason to not give you the warrantied item.
Talk to your insurance agent and get a quote for how much your insurance will be on the house your looking at. Home insurance is a small portion of your mortgage but if it's in a flood zone or your area has had a lot of claims it will let you know of what your getting into.
Get a really good inspector, go with the inspector on the day of the inspection. If your not a handy person bring someone who is. A good home inspector will take outlet covers off, crawl through the attic or sub basement go up on the roof, take the breaker panel off and inspect the wiring etc. Permits should be pulled and verified with anything that was done after the house was built. Look at the tax history of the house, make sure your not going off an elderly persons tax numbers. Retiree's can usually lock in their yearly tax, the minute they sell is when the tax skyrockets.
Get yourself a lawyer to review the contracts. IF there is an HoA get the bylaws ahead of time. If you can attend a HoA meeting and see what it's like. Personally I'll never do an HoA again.
As for the house itself, ask yourself is this your forever home? If so make sure it tickets 95% of all your boxes and if it doesn't look at the home and see if you can add in what your looking for. My next home I absolutely want a master bath, that's something I can do to my current home but the cost to value just isn't worth it. These are the things your should be looking at in the home, not the wall color or the landscape those are easy changes.
Get a really good inspector, go with the inspector on the day of the inspection. If your not a handy person bring someone who is. A good home inspector will take outlet covers off, crawl through the attic or sub basement go up on the roof, take the breaker panel off and inspect the wiring etc. Permits should be pulled and verified with anything that was done after the house was built. Look at the tax history of the house, make sure your not going off an elderly persons tax numbers. Retiree's can usually lock in their yearly tax, the minute they sell is when the tax skyrockets.
Get yourself a lawyer to review the contracts. IF there is an HoA get the bylaws ahead of time. If you can attend a HoA meeting and see what it's like. Personally I'll never do an HoA again.
As for the house itself, ask yourself is this your forever home? If so make sure it tickets 95% of all your boxes and if it doesn't look at the home and see if you can add in what your looking for. My next home I absolutely want a master bath, that's something I can do to my current home but the cost to value just isn't worth it. These are the things your should be looking at in the home, not the wall color or the landscape those are easy changes.
Assuming you somewhere in the 30-40yr old range.
if you plan to have kids and are looking for a “forever” home, buy more house than you need but don’t overextend. Interest rates are super low. It’s my opinion that you’re better off stretching budget a little bit now to have more house. Your income is likely going to grow as you age and your mortgage payment will stay the same. In a relatively short time, a few hundred bucks extra a month doesn’t mean a whole lot.
be willing to compromise on things unless you have a nearly unlimited budget.
kitchen is the most expensive room to remodel, I’d be looking at houses with a kitchen you can live with for 5+ years untouched beside a coat of paint. The rest of the house is relatively cheap to update to your tastes.
make sure the house mechanicals are in solid shape, HVAC is expensive to replace.
no obvious structural issues or get a second opinion on it.
most stuff is common sense. Get out and actually LOOK at some houses to get a feel of what your budget is buying. Realtor photos are staged, warp the perception of room sizes and hide flaws.
if you plan to have kids and are looking for a “forever” home, buy more house than you need but don’t overextend. Interest rates are super low. It’s my opinion that you’re better off stretching budget a little bit now to have more house. Your income is likely going to grow as you age and your mortgage payment will stay the same. In a relatively short time, a few hundred bucks extra a month doesn’t mean a whole lot.
be willing to compromise on things unless you have a nearly unlimited budget.
kitchen is the most expensive room to remodel, I’d be looking at houses with a kitchen you can live with for 5+ years untouched beside a coat of paint. The rest of the house is relatively cheap to update to your tastes.
make sure the house mechanicals are in solid shape, HVAC is expensive to replace.
no obvious structural issues or get a second opinion on it.
most stuff is common sense. Get out and actually LOOK at some houses to get a feel of what your budget is buying. Realtor photos are staged, warp the perception of room sizes and hide flaws.
This is very important IMO. Don't cheap out, and don't make compromises on things that are important to you and aren't easily changed (garage, floor plan, lot size etc).
Everything above is solid advice.
Ill throw another one out there. Do not get down when you are outbid on a house. My wife and I tried buying a house 3 times from 2012 to now. All but 3 times we liked a house enough to put a bid on it, we were outbid. We probably put 15 offers out in all of those times. The market was also crazy every time we looked so kind of not fair to compare to normal I guess.
Also do not see too many houses in a short amount of time. We had a hard time remembering what house was what when discussing later. I think 3-5 in a weekend would be my max amount.
Ill throw another one out there. Do not get down when you are outbid on a house. My wife and I tried buying a house 3 times from 2012 to now. All but 3 times we liked a house enough to put a bid on it, we were outbid. We probably put 15 offers out in all of those times. The market was also crazy every time we looked so kind of not fair to compare to normal I guess.
Also do not see too many houses in a short amount of time. We had a hard time remembering what house was what when discussing later. I think 3-5 in a weekend would be my max amount.
This is huge advice. You will get discouraged. I thought I found the perfect house for us. Over an acre, attached and detached garage, nice upscale neighborhood etc. drove by it, and it went under contract before we could even make it home. That one hurt, and got me down in the dumps.
Patience is key.
This ^^ it is very discouraging to find a home your really want to be outbid on it. We bought our current home before smartphones and tablets were common, so we had a binder with printouts of each house we looked at. We wrote down notes so we could remember. It's a good thing our realtor was a good friend because we must have looked at 50 houses.
This is all very solid advice.
I may be able to help as far as advising with areas you might like up this way. What are you looking for as far as property goes? I know you mentioned wanting a bit of land.
What town do you work in? What do you want you commute to be MAX?
Antioch area is appealing because you’re close to 94. If you’re wanting to get out a bit but be near the interstate I would also suggest Hampshire, Gilberts, Sycamore area or anything else off of I90. Anywhere in between, such as Harvard, Woodstock, McHenry, etc is tricky if you’re commuting towards the metro area because you WILL have a 30 min commute just to get to the interstate, and that can almost double depending on what dipshits you’re lucky enough to be sharing the road with. 12, 14 and 47 will be your main arteries to the highways, and they’re pretty well taxed as far as traffic goes during rush hour with everyone moving further out from the ‘burbs.
I may be able to help as far as advising with areas you might like up this way. What are you looking for as far as property goes? I know you mentioned wanting a bit of land.
What town do you work in? What do you want you commute to be MAX?
Antioch area is appealing because you’re close to 94. If you’re wanting to get out a bit but be near the interstate I would also suggest Hampshire, Gilberts, Sycamore area or anything else off of I90. Anywhere in between, such as Harvard, Woodstock, McHenry, etc is tricky if you’re commuting towards the metro area because you WILL have a 30 min commute just to get to the interstate, and that can almost double depending on what dipshits you’re lucky enough to be sharing the road with. 12, 14 and 47 will be your main arteries to the highways, and they’re pretty well taxed as far as traffic goes during rush hour with everyone moving further out from the ‘burbs.
My wife had a very hard time loosing the first house she really liked regardless of how much both my Mom/realtor and I talked to her about the possibility. So mentally prep yourself. Also it’s not a done deal until you close and can fall apart any time for any number of reasons.
We had a hard time buying. all of our offers were turned down on the house we ended up getting until we came back for another showing and happened to meet the homeowner. She ended up taking our low offer because she loved that we were not planning on gutting the place and keeping the vintage kitchen just as it was.
We had a hard time buying. all of our offers were turned down on the house we ended up getting until we came back for another showing and happened to meet the homeowner. She ended up taking our low offer because she loved that we were not planning on gutting the place and keeping the vintage kitchen just as it was.
If you want more of my weirdness and attention to detail advice.......
Check out the direction your potential homes are facing. Unless its a custom home, most likely it was build exactly the same as all the other models in the area. So this means, insulation and HVAC ductwork is routed and sized the same regardless if your house is facing N, S, E, or W.
I say this because we went from our starter home where the ducts were sized for the rooms but nothing was taken into account based on the way the house faced. So some rooms would get warmer than others because they did not have the correct supply and return to account that it would see the heat of the day with the sun blasting on it.
Fast forward to now we purchased a custom home. When we had the HVAC contractor out replacing our units he pointed out to me as well that our ducts were designed and made based on the home size and how it faced. We have no hot or cold spots in our home. Flow tests confirmed as well the proper sizing.
Am I weird for looking at this type of stuff when 90% of buyers dont? Yes. Am I wrong? No. Im just a weirdo with too much time on his hands.
Check out the direction your potential homes are facing. Unless its a custom home, most likely it was build exactly the same as all the other models in the area. So this means, insulation and HVAC ductwork is routed and sized the same regardless if your house is facing N, S, E, or W.
I say this because we went from our starter home where the ducts were sized for the rooms but nothing was taken into account based on the way the house faced. So some rooms would get warmer than others because they did not have the correct supply and return to account that it would see the heat of the day with the sun blasting on it.
Fast forward to now we purchased a custom home. When we had the HVAC contractor out replacing our units he pointed out to me as well that our ducts were designed and made based on the home size and how it faced. We have no hot or cold spots in our home. Flow tests confirmed as well the proper sizing.
Am I weird for looking at this type of stuff when 90% of buyers dont? Yes. Am I wrong? No. Im just a weirdo with too much time on his hands.
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