Topic: Give me some home buying tips....I think I'm ready...

[Retro Rocket]

Fenders, why are you b1tching about hardwood flooring, its very common here and just about out lasts anything else, plus its a great base for other types of flooring..?

Until you get water on it. If you have hardwood flooring in the kitchen, you will pay for it later.

In a kitchen with wood floors we usually put a clear coat over it, lasts for years, looks great and water won't harm it at all....

+1,  every house I have lived in has had polished hardwood floors.  Only one hasn't had them in the kitchen, the one we are in now has tiles.  I hate tiles in the kitchen, I'm seriously thinking about ripping them up and hoping the timber under is in good condition.  You can't beat a good urethane clear coat on a hardwood floor in my opinion.

Exactly and i love the timber floors in general, very hard waring and easy to re coat, I've done 100's of clear coated floors of all types...

Here you go Fenders, a clear coated kitchen floor....

[demon78]

RR I don't see crumbs, dust bunnies so no one lives in it right.
Bill the demon.

[trueblue]

Bill, looks to me like it has just been painted, but it sure looks purty

[Bob Wessner]

Sorry, but I too don't care for wood flooring in kitchens or bathrooms. We have oak flooring throughout our 70+ year old house and the tile flooring in the kitchen and baths is original and in perfect shape. No water / spill worries.

[nccb]

I like the wood, but you have to maintain it. We have a high traffic living room with kids a dog and myself tracking in all kinds of nonsense. Needless to say I need to sand and restrain as it's waiting through

[Don R]

I'm big on a little space between me and the neighbors. Just in cast they're loud or something. I helped one guy find the lot line and easement for the vacated street when he built next door. Danged if he didn't get toward the far side of his property. Oh dude, sorry.

[FunJimmy]

I'm sure you've heard it or read it a thousand times. Location, Location, Location.
Real estate is the only appreciable asset you're likely to own and the right location can have a possitive (or negative) impact on your retirement plans. The value is in location not the buildings. Buy the best neighbourhood you can afford even if you don't get the best house. Location and lot size contribute far more to long term growth than the house. Consider visiting city hall for future development plans too.

[Operator]

Another point is once you find the house you like, go back and visit it at various times during the day and also on both weekdays and weekends. It will give you a clearer picture on what kind of natural light you get in the house as well as a chance to look at traffic patterns. Your neighbourhood may be quiet on saturday but come monday morning it might be a potential bypass to get to another part of the city and be flooded with traffic. Also look up your local police department, you can often to do searches and it will show on the map the number and general locations of crimes such as assaults, breakins, and home invasions. Nice to have a big garage, but not if what's in it is at risk.

Lastly, in my experience some of the best home inspectors are retired contractors and builders. They are familiar with the shortcuts that builders take to cut costs and are generally more informed about potential issues. My dad is a retired real estate agent and told me about that one. Has worked out good for me so far.

Good luck....and if it doesn't feel right, don't sign the dotted line

[Bob Wessner]

Operator, good points about multiple visits at different times and days.

[demon78]

Operator good points on inspectors some that have actually done it in anger as it were, I know when we had our house burn down the "Inspector" that looked at it said oh well just the top burned we can rebuild it, but my inspector who was an old time contractor looked at me and Marnie and said horse #$%* this will be wrong and so will that, we'd never considered some of the points he brought up and he was right so a good inspector is mandatory.
Bill the demon.

[Retro Rocket]

RR I don't see crumbs, dust bunnies so no one lives in it right.
Bill the demon.

True blue is right Bill, floor has just been coated, i'll see if i can find a before shot...

Same floor bill, it had vinyl tiles on it before being refinished..

[Retro Rocket]

Sorry, but I too don't care for wood flooring in kitchens or bathrooms. We have oak flooring throughout our 70+ year old house and the tile flooring in the kitchen and baths is original and in perfect shape. No water / spill worries.

Seriously Bob, there are literally 100's of products out there to seal timber floors, you will NEVER get water damage once the floor is sealed , kitchen or bathroom, and they look fantastic, any scratches or scrapes can be sanded and recoated without being detectable afterwards, you don't need to recoat the whole floor either, just the patch. We don't do the floor sanding, just the clear coating. My bosses house is all timber flooring, every room , it was coated 7 years ago and still looks like new, including the timber slab bench tops with double sinks...

[demon78]

Hey now RR I'm interested in the wooden counter tops.
Bill the demon.

[Retro Rocket]

Hey now RR I'm interested in the wooden counter tops.
Bill the demon.

I'll see if i can get some pics bill, the bench tops still have the bark on the leading edge and are the natural shape of the tree they were cut from...

Sorry for the hijack Fenders i just love timber flooring and buildings... I have over 70 ton of old timber hardwood {iron bark} logs, 6 meters long and 1.2 ton a log, I plan on building my home with them, it should be bomb proof.......

[fendersrule]

Hey now RR I'm interested in the wooden counter tops.
Bill the demon.

I'll see if i can get some pics bill, the bench tops still have the bark on the leading edge and are the natural shape of the tree they were cut from...

Sorry for the hijack Fenders i just love timber flooring and buildings... I have over 70 ton of old timber hardwood {iron bark} logs, 6 meters long and 1.2 ton a log, I plan on building my home with them, it should be bomb proof.......

Have you actually done a test yourself and VERIFIED that a leaking fridge, dishwasher, sink, or any of the other bazillion water sources in the kitchen doesn't destroy the floors? Not talking about a little splash of water. I'm talking about letting gallons of water sit on the floor, and in the seams where you CANT seal and letting it sit for 2-4 days? 2-4 days is pretty accurate, because many times you won't find a leak RIGHT AWAY. Everyone will get a leak in the kitchen...it is inevitable.

My laundry room had a leak in the piping fitting 4 months ago. Took me a few days to spot it, and it had already worked its way into the hallway where there's hardwood floors, and buckled them.

Everyone I know with hardwood floors in their kitchen has regretted it. I've seen this first hand with the house I have now (I hate it). Many of my family members has seen it first hand with both composite wood and real wood. You are saying the seal that you put on makes them immune but I will remain skeptical. If that's the case, why aren't people using the sealer when they install hardwood floors?

I'll take tile for the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. I would even gladly even take laminate over hardwood floors for these areas. Worries go away.

[Retro Rocket]

Hey now RR I'm interested in the wooden counter tops.
Bill the demon.

I'll see if i can get some pics bill, the bench tops still have the bark on the leading edge and are the natural shape of the tree they were cut from...

Sorry for the hijack Fenders i just love timber flooring and buildings... I have over 70 ton of old timber hardwood {iron bark} logs, 6 meters long and 1.2 ton a log, I plan on building my home with them, it should be bomb proof.......

Have you actually done a test yourself and VERIFIED that a leaking fridge, dishwasher, sink, or any of the other bazillion water sources in the kitchen doesn't destroy the floors? Not talking about a little splash of water. I'm talking about letting gallons of water sit on the floor, and in the seams where you CANT seal and letting it sit for 2-4 days? 2-4 days is pretty accurate, because many times you won't find a leak RIGHT AWAY. Everyone will get a leak in the kitchen...it is inevitable.

My laundry room had a leak in the piping fitting 4 months ago. Took me a few days to spot it, and it had already worked its way into the hallway where there's hardwood floors, and buckled them.

Everyone I know with hardwood floors in their kitchen has regretted it. I've seen this first hand with the house I have now (I hate it). Many of my family members has seen it first hand with both composite wood and real wood. You are saying the seal that you put on makes them immune but I will remain skeptical. If that's the case, why aren't people using the sealer when they install hardwood floors?

I'll take tile for the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. I would even gladly even take laminate over hardwood floors for these areas. Worries go away.

Fenders, you are a little young and naive. you shouldn't think everyone is out to get you mate, I do NOT put up information that i know doesn't work or is misleading, The reason we use these products is to "SEAL AND PROTECT TIMBER FLOORS" , I am a tradesman in industrial coatings and YES, of course it works, thats what its designed for. My bosses bathroom has been coated for 7 years, has had him , his wife and his 3 kids plus family friends {he has a pool}, all using that room, he fell asleep pissed rotten drunk in the shower and slept there until daylight, he flooded the whole house, his daughter got out of bed and put her feet in water, it was in the lounge, 2 bedrooms and the bathroom and there is NO water damage, thats a hell of a lot of water, his kitchen is the same. All the damage you speak of if from raw timber floors, I am not disputing that at all and i know what i'm talking about, look up "Queenslander" timber homes, or coated timber floors, there's tons of information out there , there are literally 1000's of homes in my home state with coated timber floors throughout and they are mostly over 100 years old... I also live in a tropical climate with high humidity, thats another reason these coatings are so popular... There's no such thing as a "seam you can't seal, there are numerous water proofing compounds that can EASILY seal any part of a kitchen or bathroom, and on a straight timber floor the clear coat seals everything, NO GAPS, just because you have never heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, we do hundreds of floors in clear coat Fenders, from over tiles to patterned concrete to timber floors, NEVER had a call back in the 10 years I have been doing it, do some research man....

[Retro Rocket]

Another thing Fenders, having the floors sealed PROPERLY, saves them from not only damage, but if you are too lazy to check your under sink pipes every now and again for leaks {no one should have a leak for 4 months }, then water won't soak through the floor so it pools up and makes small leaks easier to spot, some of the coatings i use are that good we seal under ground water storage facilities that were previously leaking, I mean massive water tanks and sewerage storage tanks that are freshly built, we sealed the biggest water tank in the southern hemisphere, we also specialize in waterproofing and sealing leaks in water treatment plants....

[faux fiddy]

I had a friend who knew of foreclosure lists, one company in particular. You can get a better deal in some cases if you contract to stay for a certain amount of years instead of a quick flip, and or if you are a civil servant (fire, police , teaching, etc.) You should explore the foreclosure avenues. Lots of deals to be had.

And jump quick as far as I can tell, real estate was at it's low in 2011 and hasn't trended down since.

[faux fiddy]

Here it is- http://www.firstprestonht.com/

They will have listings of bank foreclosed properties in your area, and you start with a minimum bid and go from there, hope for the best . Usually sealed bids is what I remember.

[Stev-o]

I would not want wood in my kitchen either, the home I bought 7 years ago had crappy laminate flooring, I tore it out and installed travertine stone tile.

Mick - most hardwood flooring installed here in the states is prefinished in the factory and then installed in the home.  Water spilled on this would seep though to the subfloor, which is wood in my case. 

The nice thing about prefinished wood flooring is no odor and can be walked on immediately, that is why it is so popular. I tore all of the carpet out of my home - 3 bedrooms, dining, living room and breakfast nook and stairs, installed prefinished Ash flooring [bamboo in my daughters bedroom].

Fenders - You'll never find the perfect house, there was 5 things I did not like about this house. Some things are easy to change, ie flooring. Location can not be changed.
Look beyond flooring and paint, if your there for any length of time, these may change multiple times.

BTW - I have a three and a half car garage with ceramic tile floor!

[Retro Rocket]

I would not want wood in my kitchen either, the home I bought 7 years ago had crappy laminate flooring, I tore it out and installed travertine stone tile.

Mick - most hardwood flooring installed here in the states is prefinished in the factory and then installed in the home.  Water spilled on this would seep though to the subfloor, which is wood in my case. 

Same here Steve, prefinished flooring, my point is that it looks good and can be completely sealed {water proofed}, the homes we have done have  wooden subflooring {wooden Beams} as well... We've done both hardwood and pine floors, once sealed its waterproof, mustn't be all that common over there. You can even use a product called CC50 which is a self leveling clear coat, its quite thick and completely covers the floor making it dead flat like glass, thats what my bosses wooden bench tops are coated in and so is his bathroom.... One of my friends is at a product conference in Sydney at the moment looking at new self leveling clear floor products that also go over and seal any surface, they use this type of finish in foyers in high rise buildings, its a very tough, hard wearing surface.....

[vfourfreak]

+1 on location.

Best advice I was given was it is better to buy a house in poor condition in an excellent location, than the best house in a poor location.

You can change everything except location.

And don't buy at the height of the market, that happened to thousands in Ireland 6 and 7  years ago, and have had their lives ruined. Negative equity sucks.

Kev

[BobbyR]

+1 on location.

Best advice I was given was it is better to buy a house in poor condition in an excellent location, than the best house in a poor location.

You can change everything except location.

And don't buy at the height of the market, that happened to thousands in Ireland 6 and 7  years ago, and have had their lives ruined. Negative equity sucks.

Kev

That is very true. You cannot change locations and never get tied up in the frenzy. The House next door went during the frenzy for $520K and it was in very rough shape. It is a great neighborhood, but not worth that kind of money. He is upside down right now and he is putting putting out more cash to refurbish the place.

[fendersrule]

The house I rent now is in a great location. Near everything.

Good point about location, it's important. As long as it's "close" to something, then the location is probably at least "good". Houses that are out in the goonies is what I'm trying to avoid.

The trick is to find a place that is close to groceries (or something else), but yet away enough to be "private".

The house I'm in now I would love for it to be more private, but it's "good enough" in that aspect.

I'd consider buying what I have now for dirt spanking cheap and throw in $50,000 on a complete remodel (if not more). The problem, 2 story houses cannot be fixed either, just like locations

One annoying thing besides the wrong choice of flooring in the kitchen (which can be fixed, I agree) and the abundance of 2 car garage houses, is also that I need a bedroom or den (needs to be enclosed to where there isn't a lot of light) for a theater room. Many times, "bedrooms" in modern-era houses are only 10' x 10' ish. I need something that has a 14' wall preferably.

There's quite a good handful of houses I've already found worthy of going to go look at. With your guys' help, I think I'm venturing down the right path. I'm going to find a quality inspector (hopefully find a friend of someone).

[vfourfreak]

I think you are on the right track. There is another saying when it comes to property (here at least) and that is "the day you buy is the day you sell".

It's a crap saying, but what it is trying to impart I think, is that if you wish to move in the future, be sure that your property is attractive to others, not totally customised to your tastes. Personally, I've bought and sold about 5 homes in the last 30 years and have tried to make sure they were easily saleable.

One other thing, God is good, perhaps he will bless you and your GF with lots of little fenders. Be prepared. 

Best of luck with the project.

Kev

Kev