Your first home
by Dr. Leah
Filed under Kids, Single Dads, Single Moms, Tips & Advice
If there’s one thing that Rachel, aka Single Mom Seeking, and I have in common, it’s this: we’re good with words, but we could use a bit of help in the handy-woman department.
Solo home ownership is serious business, and everything “mechanical” about houses used to stump me.
I knew that termites were a big no-no, but I avoided attics and basements if possible. Electricity? I never thought much beyond the light switch. Heating? Hmmm, how does that work? Water is must, but how exactly does it get into the house? And are cracks in the foundation really that bad?
Luckily, I’d grown up in the same area where I hoped to buy my first “single mom” house.
So, I was confident about which neighborhoods I wanted to zero in on. I also knew the history of several houses on the market. I’ll never forget the afternoon that the real estate agent, slack jawed, described this “must see” we had to visit.
There was just one little catch: it had suffered serious fire damage. I tried my best to be knowledgeable, even if I was bluffing. But fortunately, I was practical. I knew that home repairs are never simple. And I saw right through “it just needs a little TLC.”
I knew not to fall blindly in love with any house until the inspection verified that the house had no fatal flaws. But after my offer was accepted — contingent, of course, on a home inspection — I was determined to make a 100% effort to learn everything I could about the “the attic and basement stuff.”
The housing inspector arrived at the designated time, and we started in the basement. He was silent but nodded approvingly. I tried to ask questions but he mumbled that it would all be in the report. I doggedly followed him and we made the trek up to the unfinished attic. He crawled along the beams on his belly flash light in hand and motioned for me to join him.
So, I crawled along and lay next to him. Obviously, laying down next to a total stranger in an otherwise empty house does not signal good judgment.
“Where is your husband?” he suddenly wanted to know.
“He’s not with us anymore,” I replied, vaguely.
That’s when the housing inspector started to cry. He explained that his wife had recently died — and this was his first job since her passing. They had been married a long time. He said that he clueless about cooking. And laundry? Forget it.
I assured him that he would figure these things out — and that he was likely surrounded with many people who would offer him the help and advice he needed.
And that’s exactly what I told him I was going to do about the too thin lawyer of insulation in the attic. I would figure it out and ask for help, if needed.
Simply, that’s my advice:
Have confidence in your own abilities, but be ready to ask for help. No one has all the answers.
Homeowners out there, what’s one piece of advice you might give another parent who hopes to buy a home?
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In keeping with the advice of this post in asking for help. Ask people you know and trust for the name of an inspector they know and trust.
I’ve never bought a home before but… I have heard doozie stories about house inspectors and my uncle was a realtor and a fireman. He knew people and said the city inspectors were just not enough.
Kari’s last blog post..I have it harder, you get a break…
Twitter @ Ysabo
I have two pieces of advice…
1) Drive by the house from different routes at various times of the day and week and determine the routes that you would probably use for regular errands – grocery store, doctors offices, hardware store (big one!), restaurantes, etc. Time of day and week can make a huge difference. I decided not to buy the “perfect” home when I realized what a pain it would be to run simple errands because of weekend traffic in the area around the basics.
2) Think beyond 5 years when looking at schools and local amenities. I thought I’d probably move before my daughter got to high school but that is looking less likely with the housing market the way it is. I’m not terribly happy with the high school she will go to, but it isn’t the one I would prefer. If I’d bought two blocks further West, she would be going to a different school. However, that neighborhood doesn’t have city bus access. I have two bus stops within a couple of blocks of my house that can help my daughter get around until we can afford a car for her. Something I wasn’t thinking about when she was 4 but is a big consideration now that she is 14.
Twitter @ http://www.singlemommindy.blogspot.com
I’ve bought and renovated two homes in the 7 years I’ve been single and the best piece of advice I can give is to buy in the best location you can.
Also buy a house with good bones and a nice yard if possible. You can always make improvements to the inside but your location will never change.
MindyMom’s last blog post..Hump Day Awards
Thanks SO much Chai Girl and Mindy Mom!
This is really helpful. You might have read that I indeed found the “perfect” home… but the neighborhood isn’t very safe, so I’m reconsidering.
Can’t wait to hear from the rest of you!
I bought my first house last year. I love it, great neighborhood, etc. I’m also affected by the unprecedented Red River flood. I’m not in the 100 year flood plain, but I’m close. Keep in mind that disasters do happen. They do. They will. It’s just a matter of time. I don’t regret buying at ALL, but I’m already on my third water heater, now, if you count the one we had when we moved in (which was rusting out and I knew needed to be replaced, so I did. That one got flooded four months later. Number 3 is going in today.) So think about those natural disasters to which the area is prone, and figure out what you need to do to be prepared. If I had bought three blocks east of here, I’d be in a WHOLE different story…as it is, there were 4′ of water in my basement, which I got to pump, haul, and drain out myself…and that doesn’t start to detail cleanup procedures. There wasn’t anything I could have done to prevent it entirely, but I could have minimized it by having a good pump going the whole time. Live and learn, I guess. Thank God for flood insurance (that’s covering me even though my policy wasn’t in effect!)
LeAnna: This is a very helpful piece of advice. Certainly, I never considered “higher risk” for natural disasters. Thank you so much for sharing your hard won knowledge with us!