Welcome to the Community Guide Magazines web site

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNEXPECTED OF BUYING A NEW HOUSE

Oh, what fun it is to plan all of the exciting things you’re going to do when you move into your new home, as you fellas think about using your “Tim the Tool Man” equipment, and you women think about how nice you can decorate and how beautiful all your flowers will look in your garden.  That can be very exciting, especially for those of you who, like myself, buy for the very first time.  But, as anyone that moves into a new home will soon find out, there are things you discover, after you move in that tend to unravel some of your best-planned ideas.

When we bought our first home, I was so excited! I was thinking that it was so great that I had something that I could call my very own.  My children would be just one block away from the local school, and the shopping area surrounding us weren’t more than a mile away.  Soon after I was all settle in, with the kids in school, I realized that there were so many little things that I hadn’t considered.  Besides not having had shovels, lawn mowers, and a door mat, I soon discovered that there were a lot of things I’d overlooked when I, with rose colored glasses, was making a final decision on buying the house.  There were, to say the least, quite a few things we needed to get started to work on our “Handyman’s special.”  We just didn’t expect to find all the things that needed fixing, at least, not right away!  After finding that our hot water was cold and our cold water was hot, we wondered how the previous owners could have left it that way.  Then after two and a half years, we found that our pipes underneath the crawl space had been cracked and simply taped and wrapped with several plastic bags to prevent leakage.  After finally corroding through, the mess was unbearable.  I’ll spare you the details, but I’m sure you can imagine!  I guess I had trusted that since my house was inspected by a professional, that everything was all right.  But like anyone, we managed.  I think I’d have to say that I have learned several valuable lessons in these five years that I’ve owned this home.

I’m sure it’s fair to tell you that when the time comes for me to buy my next house, these are just some of the things I’ll have on my list of “To-Do’s.”

1. Double-check what the inspectors check over. A second opinion may save a lot of trouble in the long run.

2. Meet the neighbors, and ask them questions about the neighborhood and the things that happen locally.

3. Make sure that if there are any repairs to be done, e.g, roof, windows, flooring, etc, that you get it in writing as to who is going to fix them, who’s going to pay for them, and that they are properly repaired before you move in.

4. Make sure you have a little nest egg put aside for the unexpected that you can certainly expect

I’m glad to say that we are finally fixing the house the way we had wanted when we purchased it.  It takes awhile and financiall, it’s still a little difficult.  I feel very lucky to have a huge yard with a pool, a nice garden, and of course, a garage with plenty of “Tool Time” equipment.  It really is a joy for us to be able to BBQ in the summer and build a snowman on our front lawn in the winter for everyone to see.  This is a great part of the U.S. to live in, with all the seasons to enjoy.

I sincerely hope that my experience in home buying will help you realize that, if you have just a little bit of patience, buying your new home will be a very fulfilling experience.  The best of luck to all of you in your new home.

                Karen M. Sheibley